Little lions

Kinga was telling a story to Leo this evening, using a filmstrip -- once a staple of storytelling in Hungarian households. Below is the last slide:

And below is a translation (Lion, by Sándor Csoóri) to commemorate it. Original.

Small lion, big lion
On a run, or at a lie-in
Small lion is round and whole
Happy when it gives a howl.

A look back on this year

     Év végi számadásunk           A look back on this year

   Gyöngy Kinga           Kinga Gyöngy   

Nagyot fordult velünk az élet idén,           Our lives turned around this year 

   mikor megszülettél,           when you were born;

egyik pillanatról a másikra           from one day to the next     

váltunk szabad madarakból           we stopped our free flights   
                     végleg szülőkké.           and built a birds' nest.          

Nagyot fordult velünk az élet idén,           Our lives turned around this year
                                  a születésed, s           your birth, and then soon after,
  nem sokkal rá dédid halála           your great-granny's death 
megmutatták, hogy néha           showed that sometimes,
                                         minden perc számít.           every minute counts, every single breath.

Nagyot fordult velünk az élet idén,           Our lives turned around this year
   mikor egy este           when one night
               szoptatás közben           while you were being fed

csörgött a telefon,           the phone rang,   
                   hogy eltörött a papád válla.           "your Dad broke his shoulder," it said.

  Nagyot fordult velünk az élet idén:           Our lives turned around this year:
       doktorandusz-mamádként           as a doctoral student mother
                          szeretném, ha délután           I'd prefer it if you slept in your bed
      az ágyadban aludnál.           but you prefer my arms
De te inkább a karomban alszol.           as a pillow for your head.          

Nagyot fordult velünk az élet idén:           Our lives turned around this year:
          szerelmi háromszögbe           entangled in a love triangle
       gabalyodva tanulunk           we learn to live together.
 családként élni.           You're now        
  Belénk ivódtál örökre.           part of us, forever.        

found on an electronic post-it note

A poet's a poet
For as long as he stays
True to his nature
True from world's plays

He'll be pretty imperfect
Rough, coarse plenty a time
But no mask should he bring
To the carneval of lies.

I tie my horse...

 Many people will recognise the melody of this folk song from a modern adaptation, "Ha én rózsa volnék" (If I were a rose). However, even the original lyrics have many variations. What is common is the first verse so I will stick to translating that. Also, it's the verse I like the best. Original.

My horse I tie with rope to a weeping willow

My heart I tie with kisses on a flow'ry meadow

I untie my horse, as the moon alights

but from you my violet, only death unbinds.

The Gabriel Cables

Courtesy of panton.hu

Tuesday, 16 June 2009, 21:42
SECRET STATE 062393
NOT FOR HUMAN EYES
EO 12958 DECL: 06/16/2034
TAGS SNO, WRSL, HU

SUBJECT: REPORTING AND COLLECTION NEEDS: HUNGARY

1. I miss Hungary. I cannot be there right now. Please, tell me about the following things.
2. The smell of air after it has just snowed. Population taking notice of air freshness before, during, and immediately after snowfall.
3. View from basilica. Sights worth noticing. General visibility in the evening. Time it gets dark. Colour of sky (descriptive colours, please).
4. Wrestling scene. Possibilities for entering featherweight category. General duration of matches. Ways of avoiding, or if necessary, curing dislocated hips.
5. Visitor numbers to Heroes' square. POH thoughts on how well central column fits with arch behind it.
6. POH interest in musical instruments, in particular wind instruments. POH reaction to discovering long-lost Erkel piece.
7. Faith of POH in G-d. Popular perception of angels. Views and acceptance of guardian angels. Representations in the media.
8. Location of all mustard seeds scattered around the country. Classification according to where they are: storage, stony ground, thorns, good ground.

GABRIEL

Advent

The Arrival of the Lord, by Endre Ady. Original.

When they left me,
When I bore my crushed soul,
Silently and unawares
God embraced me whole.

Not a fanfare, but a hug
As a true friend might
Not by sunny day
But by wartorn night.

My vain eyes
Were blinded. My youth died
But I see him forever
The magnificent, the bright.