Indeed, the government's initial reaction appeared cautious. A four-paragraph announcement of the award, first read on Warsaw radio several hours after the news was released in Oslo, avoided new slurs against the former Solidarity chairman and sought instead to diminish the importance of the decision by claiming the prize had been abused for political ends.

But there seemed little prospect that the Warsaw government, which has heaped ridicule on Walesa in past months, would now reverse itself and accept the unionist's repeated offers to begin a new dialogue with Poland's Communist leadership.

In Gdansk, a throng of cheering supporters triumphantly hoisted Walesa as he returned from a day of mushroom picking with friends in the forests outside the northern seaport. His wife, Danuta, elated and surprised by the news like the rest of the country, quipped to reporters: "Look, it pays to suffer."

Above all, the granting of the Nobel to Walesa brought not only a revived sense of victory to Walesa and his family but also reassurance to many Poles of international appreciation for their frequently tragic struggle for greater independence.

"This award is a compensation not only for Lech Walesa but for all Poles for whom Walesa was a symbol of their aspirations," said one prominent dissident journalist.