Toldi

János Arany, one of the greatest Hungarian poets, wrote many historical poems, often with an intended message for his day*, when Hungary was under the rule of the Austrian empire. Of these, the Toldi trilogy was based on the life of Miklós Toldi, who had previously been described in detail by Péter Ilosvai Selymes (hence the quotation marks in the last line of this translation). As a child I used to love listening to an LP recording of this work, narrated in the deep, powerful voice of Zoltán Latinovits. Alas, the LP is gone. If anyone knows where to get one let me know.

This is a translation of the first words I always heard when the record started playing (the prologue). Origin.

Update: the narrator was actually Lajos Básti! Thanks to my cousin Bábi for letting me know! Here is the recording in question, of the prologue.

Update II: oops I meant to say prologue instead of epilogue! I corrected it now.

Like a shepherd's fire on an Autumn night,
On a sea of wasteland, a far-flickering light
So Miklós Toldi's figure appears to me, ablaze
Nine-ten generations have not sullied his gaze
I can almost gather the sturdy way he stood
In destructive battle, his strike of solid wood
Almost hear the thunder in his voice
Which today you'd mistake for God's wrath

He'd be your man, when the water rose high
These days there's no match from near or afar
If he rose from the dead, then seeing all his feats
You would not believe them, you'd take them for tricks
His mace, three of you could not bear
Nor his sling-stones, or even his spear,
You'd be aghast, seeing his fearsome shield
'And on the boots he wore, spurs that could have killed'

*Did you notice the references to "today", "these days"?