Three different versions exist for the libretto of Roman Palester's La Mort de Don Juan: 1) the original French prepared by the composer and based on the drama Miguel de Manara by Oscar Milosz; 2) the German translation by Anton Gronen Kubitzi -both versions being published in the piano reduction (ed. Suvini Zerboni, 1965); 3) the unpublished Polish translation made by the composer himself. A comparison of the two translations with the original reveals 1) almost literal translation in the case of the German version, showing the appropriate adjustment of the new text to the number of syllables, musical accents and shape of the vocal line; 2) freer translation in the case of the Polish version. Despite the fact the general sense and character of the original have been preserved, the following modifications may be observed: changes of words, grammatical structures, the interpretation of metaphors and even text extensions. The change of style may be taken as an attempt to "update" the original text. In spite of the fact that both translations were designed by the composer for stage performance, only the original French version shows integrity with the music. As for the translations, the sound qualities of the original have been lost and clearly remain submitted to the semantic factor.