In the article the following questions arve discussed: the opinions of Cyprian Norwid on the art of reading aloud and declamation, the views of Wojciech Siemion on the method of deciphering and vocal interpretation of Norwid's poetry, recitations of the poem 'Bema pamieci zalobny-rapsod' (A Funeral Rhapsody in Memory of General Bem) by Irena Jun and Zbigniew Zapasiewicz as well as the rendition by Czeslaw Niemen. Cyprian Norwid perceived declamation as a complement to the art of reading. For the poet a complement is not a simple act of filling in the missing part, but a fulfillment of an idea, an approximation to an ideal. All the literary works of Norwid, not only dramas, constitute a perfect score for a reciter. They boast numerous emphases, variously marked pauses, ties, commas and interjections. The poem 'Bema pamieci zalobny-rapsod' was created in 1851 on the first anniversary of the death of General Józef Bem and presents a poetic picture of the funeral of a hero of Poles and Hungarians. The description of the funeral reters to the Ancient and the old Polish patterns. The masterpiece is a hexameter.