Poems about Music at Modjeska Historic House and Gardens

Maja Trochimczyk with Ewa Boryczko as Modjeska in Arden, 2011

Arden - the Helena Modjeska Historic House and Gardens in Orange County is a second national Historic Monument in the county. It is a former residence of Polish actress, Shakespearean star, director, producer, as well as costume designer, writer, and artist, Helena Modrzejewska (1840-1909), the first world-famous celebrity and theatre star of California.  As President of Helena Modjeska Arts and Culture Club for nearly 10 years, I frequently visited the beautiful site, brought my guests there, and collaborated with the Helena Modjeska Foundation that supports the site with docents giving tours, gardeners planting and weeding, and fundraising to fix and enrich the holdings of the historic home.  

Docent Pamela Harrell, member of Orange County Historic Commission, 

in period costume conducted tours of the interior of Arden. 25 April 2026

Since the fall of 2023, I have collaborated with the Historic Curators, then Mr. Bradley Flynt, now Ms. Katie McKay or Orange County Parks Department, by bringing in exhibition materials - books about Modjeska, including her 1910 memoirs and organizing displays. I also distributed free copies of Modjeska's biography, small American and Polish flags, and Polish candy. In addition, I coordinated performances at Arden by Polish folk dance group Krakusy in 2024 and by young musicians from the Chopin Academy performing Chopin and Polish composers under the live oaks of the garden. I wrote a richly illustrated report from two of these visits on the Modjeska Club blog: 

https://modjeskaclub.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-wonders-of-arden-helena-modjeska.html

A Modjeska Mini-Biography by Maja Trochimczyk, distributed at Arden - the first Chapter of Trochimczyk's book Celebrating Modjeska in California. 

https://www.moonrisepress.com/celebrating-modjeska---trochimczyk.html

Presenting Modjeska books to Bradley Flynt, Curator, 2024.

Krakusy dance in Arden, 12 October 2024. In regional costumes from the Lublin area.

This spring, the young musicians, taught by Roza Yoder along with her husband Douglas Yoder, appeared at Arden for the third time, following concerts given in October 2024 and 2025. Again, all performers received gift bags with small gifts, poetry postcards, books, notebooks, markers, and toys - different sets depending on their age, courtesy of Moonrise Press. The older pianists, Adrian Ramos and Dominik Yoder received books about Paderewski with a collection of poems about the great pianist and Modjeska's friend, written between 1890 and 1940 and found in Polish archives.  The younger pianists just got cards with a Paderewski poem from that book.

https://www.moonrisepress.com/paderewski-essays--poems.html

Who was Ignacy Jan Paderewski and what was his connection to Helena Modjeska?  This pianist, composer, statesman, Poland's Prime Minister and an architect of its regained independence, as well as community organizer and a philanthropist (1860-1941). He was 20 years younger than the actress and was her most famous protege in his youth, and a fervent supporter when she was ready to retire.  She organized a fundraiser for his studies in Vienna  and he "paid it back" by organizing a fundraiser for her retirement thirty years later. She also helped create his stage image as an "archangel," connected him to her friends in London (painters Edward Burne-Jones that created his most influential angelic image and Lawrence Alma-Tadema), and in New York (poet Richard Watson Gilder who wrote a mystical poem "How Paderewski Plays" used in his concert program across the U.S. since 1891). 

 PADEREWSKI IN GOLD 

 

Gold halo of curls on his portraits, 

Gold crowns of kings of old above the keys, 

Gold riches of fortune, spent and growing –  

Gold heart beneath it all. 

 

   The gleam of gold ring on his finger, 

   The gleam of brilliance in his eyes, 

   The gleam of fame that still surrounds him – 

   Gold heart beneath it all. 

 

The dream of music in his youth, 

The dream of kindness at his prime, 

The dream of Poland, free and mighty – 

Gold heart beneath it all. 

 

    His heart is gold, so bright and pure. 

    Immortal music he brought to teach 

    Us all to live his noble vision – 

    Truth, Goodness, Beauty – 

    Gold heart beneath it all.              

                                   (c) 2018 by Maja Trochimczyk

In addition to the Paderewski poem-card, I put in the gift bags two poems about Chopin, that were earlier posted online, but in different versions.

A Summer Rose Dream 

~ after George Sand’s letter about Chopin 

Rose petals float down 

Onto the desk covered with music  

Pages of notes and ink blots. 

Chopin looks out the window – 

A carmine blossom in her black hair,

Vibrant, exotic beauty at the ball. 

Further… the calm eglantine roses,

By the picket fence of distant home,

His sister, smiling –

Fragrance spills on the velvet 

Of midnight, sparks of notes scatter 

On the canvas of his thoughts. 

His fingers search for memories 

On smooth ivory keys of his piano.  

Roses and nightingales, roses –

— Maja Trochimczyk 

 Spring is...

                        ...the poetry of violets,

the mist of lilac perfuming 

the air outside your window.

Spring is...  veiled by the Nocturnes – 

Chopin's notes floating up

into galaxies of midnight light.

...sweetened by white hyacinth,  

announced by the lively whistles 

of red-winged blackbirds in your garden.

Spring is...    forgetting darkness, 

oh, the densest, most suffocating 

shadows of death, winter, killings

              ... dark memories erased

by the flutter of sparrows' wings

and piano notes carried by the breeze.

Spring is...     the magic of the Minute 

Waltz and a half-forgotten melody 

of the nightingale – calling you 

back home, into childhood, 

back to Poland, not yet lost –

  

— Maja Trochimczyk

The last line is an allusion to the Polish national anthem that starts with words "Poland is not yet lost as long as we live"