Kytice z pověstí národních (A Bouquet of Folk Legends), also known by the short title Kytice (Czech for bouquet), is a collection of ballads by the Czech author Karel Jaromír Erben. The collection was first published in 1853 and originally consisted of 12 poems. Lilie was added to the second edition in 1861.
There are two full translations into English in print, Marcela Sulak (2012), A Bouquet of Czech Folktales, Prague, Twisted Spoon Press, and Susan Reynolds (2012), Kytice, London, Jantar Publishing.[1]
Marcela Sulak's translation has been used for subtitling performances of Dvořák's adaptations in Prague and the film version at the Warsaw Film Festival.[2] The edition is illustrated with artwork by Alén Diviš.
Susan Reynolds' translations were years in the making; she had read some of her translations at a symposium at the Antonin Dvořák Museum in Prague in 2004, which were lauded as "brilliant".[3]
Svatební košile was translated under the title "Spectre's Bride" by Josef Štýbr [cs].[4]
Adaptations
The Kytice collection has inspired several adaptations for various media:
Films
Kytice, a 2000 Czech drama film directed by F. A. Brabec [cs] depicting 7 of the poems: Kytice, Vodník, Svatební košile, Polednice, Zlatý kolovrat, Dceřina kletba, Štědrý den
Svatební košile, a 1978 Czech animated short directed by Josef Kábrt
Svatební košile, a 1925 Czech film directed by and starring Theodor Pištěk
