and secession of the lands of former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from Imperial Russia, which had annexed portions of the Commonwealth, including what was the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, during its late 18th-century partitions. Among the most notable of Syrokomla's works are translations of various Russian, French, Ukrainian, German and Latin poets, including works by Goethe, Heine, Lermontov, Shevchenko, Nekrasov, Béranger and others. His translations are considered a "great service" for the Polish language. Syrokomla also produced a number of works about the rustic nature, people and customs of Lithuania and Belarus. The vast majority of his works were written in the Polish language, however, he also wrote several poems in Belarusian. Syrokomla is considered by some as one of the early influential writers in modern Belarusian language, although many of his Belarusian poems are believed to be lost. During his lifetime, his works were translated into several languages, including Lithuanian. The composer Tchaikovsky adapted one of his works expressing a sympathetic view of the then-unliberated peasants – The Coral Beads – into a song. He also wrote of the Karaite community in Lithuania and its mosques and of a Jewish bookseller in Vilnius. Some of his works are classified as gawęda (a story-like Polish epic literary genre). Translations of Polish-Latin poets of Sigismund's age like Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski (Przekłady poetów polsko-łacińskich epoki zygmuntowskiej m.in. Macieja Kazimierza Sarbiewskiego) Chats and rhymes elusive (Gawędy i rymy ulotne) (1853) Born Jan Dęboróg (Urodzony Jan Dęboróg) Poetries of the last hour (Poezje ostatniej godziny) Liberation of peasants (Wyzwolenie włościan) Margier. A poem from Lithuania's history (Margier. Poemat z dziejów Litwy) (1855) Good Thursday (Wielki Czwartek) (1856) Janko the Cemetery-man (Janko Cmentarnik) (1857) Kasper Kaliński (1858) A house in the forest (Chatka w lesie) (1855–1856) Hrabia na Wątorach (1856) The magnates and the orphan (Możnowładcy i sierota) (1859) Politicians from the countryside (Wiejscy politycy) (1858) Wojnarowski A journey of a familiar man through his familiar land (Podróż swojaka po swojszczyźnie) The history of literature in Poland (Dzieje literatury w Polsce) Legacy While majority of sources refer to him as a "Polish poet", his legacy is best understood in the context of the multicultural Polish-Lithuanian identity. His birthplace was located within the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and he referred to himself as a Lithuanian when expressing own regional identity. Syrokomla also identified himself with the land of modern Belarus and its people. During Syrokomla's burial ceremony,