A műfordító, George Szirtes a legismertebb és legelismertebb költő és műfordító, aki a magyar kultúrát tolmácsolja angolul. Pár szó még róla: „A Londontól mintegy kétórányi vonatútra fekvő kelet-angliai Wymondhamben él a határainkon túli kulturmisszió egyik kulcsfigurája: George Szirtes fordítja angolra többek között Madách Imre, Krúdy Gyula, Nemes Nagy Ágnes, Márai Sándor, Krasznahorkai László és Orbán Ottó műveit. Nagy-Britanniában azonban mégsem emiatt ismert a neve: a magyar származású, de angol nyelven író költő 2005-ben megkapta a T.S. Eliot-díjat, ami a szigetországban a legrangosabb kitüntetés, amit költőként kapni lehet, gyakorlatilag a Booker-díj megfelelője lírában.” (forrás: ORIGO)

National Song

On your feet now, Hungary calls you!
Now is the moment, nothing stalls you,
Shall we be slaves or men set free
That is the question, answer me!
By all the gods of Hungary
We hereby swear,
That we the yoke of slavery
No more shall wear.

Slaves we have been to this hour,
Our forefathers who fell from power
Fell free and lived as free men will,
On land that was their own to till,
By all the gods of Hungary
We hereby swear,
That we the yoke of slavery
No more shall wear.

Whoever now his life begrudges
Deserves his death with thieves and drudges,
For setting his own worthless hide
Above his country’s need and pride.
By all the gods of Hungary
We hereby swear,
That we the yoke of slavery
No more shall wear.

The sword shines brighter than the fetters
It is the finery of our betters,
Of slaves and fetters we grow bored.
Leap to my side, ancestral sword.
By all the gods of Hungary
We hereby swear,
That we the yoke of slavery
No more shall wear.

Magyars, once more our name and story
Shall match our ancestors’ in glory
The centuries of shame and hurt
Can now be washed away like dirt.
By all the gods of Hungary
We hereby swear,
That we the yoke of slavery
No more shall wear.

And wheresoever we may perish
Grandchildren those graves shall cherish
Singing our praises in their prayers
To thank us that our names are theirs.
By all the gods of Hungary
We hereby swear,
That we the yoke of slavery
No more shall wear.

by Szirtes, George

————————————————

Nemzeti dal

Talpra magyar, hí a haza!
Itt az idő, most vagy soha!
Rabok legyünk vagy szabadok?
Ez a kérdés, válasszatok!
A magyarok istenére
Esküszünk,
Esküszünk, hogy rabok tovább
Nem leszünk!

Rabok voltunk mostanáig,
Kárhozottak ősapáink,
Kik szabadon éltek-haltak,
Szolgaföldben nem nyughatnak.
A magyarok istenére
Esküszünk,
Esküszünk, hogy rabok tovább
Nem leszünk!

Sehonnai bitang ember,
Ki most, ha kell, halni nem mer,
Kinek drágább rongy élete,
Mint a haza becsülete.
A magyarok istenére
Esküszünk,
Esküszünk, hogy rabok tovább
Nem leszünk!

Fényesebb a láncnál a kard,
Jobban ékesíti a kart,
És mi mégis láncot hordtunk!
Ide veled, régi kardunk!
A magyarok istenére
Esküszünk,
Esküszünk, hogy rabok tovább
Nem leszünk!

A magyar név megint szép lesz,
Méltó régi nagy híréhez;
Mit rákentek a századok,
Lemossuk a gyalázatot!
A magyarok istenére
Esküszünk,
Esküszünk, hogy rabok tovább
Nem leszünk!

Hol sírjaink domborulnak,
Unokáink leborulnak,
És áldó imádság mellett
Mondják el szent neveinket.
A magyarok istenére
Esküszünk,
Esküszünk, hogy rabok tovább
Nem leszünk!

]]> https://www.5percangol.hu/kozepfok_szobeli/marcius-15-rol-angolul/ Sun, 12 Mar 2023 19:10:25 +0000 https://cmsteszt.5percangol.hu/beszeljunk-marcius-15-rl-angolul/ 15^th March, Hungary’s National Holiday

15^th March is a national holiday in Hungary. It commemorates the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, which grew into a war for independence. Revolution was in the air across Europe in 1848, with insurrections arising from the isle of Sicily to the royal palace of Paris to the streets of Berlin and beyond and arriving also in Budapest. The movement was called ‘Spring of Nations’. The different nationalities of the Austrian Empire strived to gain autonomy and independence from the Habsburg rule.

On the morning of 15^th March, the revolutionaries e.g. Sándor Petőfi, Mór Jókai, József Irinyi, Pál Vasvári gathered at Pilvax Café and adorned their lapels over their heart with ribbons in Hungary’s national colours of red, white, and green. Then they marched into the streets of Budapest to visit various places and loudly recite their 12 Points. They gathered a fast-growing crowd of sympathizers who joined their movement. Before long, thousands of fiery and excited Budapest citizens were parading through the city. They defied censorship by seizing the presses to print and distribute their 12 Points. They stopped before the grand stairway of the National Museum, where Petőfi stood in front of the people and zealously delivered his “National Song”:

“Rise Up Magyar the Country Calls!” is a quote probably every Hungarian knows by heart. It’s a line from Petőfi’s National Song (Nemzeti dal) which he recited on the steps of the National Museum. The crowd chanted the last words of every stanza:

“By the God of the Hungarians

We vow,

We vow, that we will be slaves

No longer!”

József Irinyi’s ‘12 Points’ included the following ideas:

– Responsible ministries (All ministries and the government must be elected by the Parliament)

– Freedom of the Press (The abolition of censure and the censor’s offices)

– Popular representation (by democratic parliamentary elections, the abolition of the old feudal Parliament which was based on the feudal estates)

–  Right of public meeting, (Freedom of assembly and freedom of association)

–  Universal equality before the law, civil and religious equality (The abolition of separate laws for the common people and nobility, the abolition of the legal privileges of nobility)

–  Universal and equal taxation, (abolition of the tax exemption of the aristocracy)

–  The abolition of the Aviticum, (Aviticum was an old feudal origin obsolete and anomalous land-tenure, it declared that only the nobility could own agricultural lands)

– The abolition of serfdom and bond services, with state-financed compensation to the landlords.

– Freedom, equality, and fraternity!

The war for independence was eventually suppressed by the joint forces of Austria and Russia in October 1849. Tens of thousands were killed in the war and many more sent to exile. Petőfi also died in the war. Despite the failure of the revolution to deliver independence, the revolution is seen as a key point in Hungary’s history. It has been stated that the efforts of the people at that time should be remembered so 15^th March has been declared a national holiday. Hungarians wear tricolour cockades (rosettes) containing red, white and green ribbons, the colours of the Hungarian flag pinned to their clothes on this day in honour of 15^th March.

There are several buildings and traditions that have become a symbol of the revolution and are part of the commemorative ceremonies. Festivities start in the morning with the hoisting of the Hungarian flag in Kossuth Square and continue in front of and on the steps of the Hungarian National Museum. The main events include a ceremonial speech by the Prime Minister and a traditional Hussars procession to Buda Castle. On this day the Hungarian Holy Crown and the Crown Jewels, on display at the Hungarian Parliament, can be viewed free of charge. Several museums, including the Budapest History Museum, the National Gallery, the National Archive and the Military History Museum, are also open to the public free of charge and there are festive programmes – dancing, folk music, concerts – on the Castle Hill.

“The spirit of our age is Democracy. All for the people and all by the people. Nothing about the people, without the people. That is Democracy.”

Lajos Kossuth (USA, Ohio, February 16, 1852)

Lajos Kossuth (1802-94)

A lawyer and journalist with radical political views, he was constantly in trouble with the authorities and was imprisoned from 1837 to 1840 for publishing attacks on the government. Inspired by the French Revolution of 1848, he demanded an independent government for Hungary. Kossuth’s aim was to build a modern democratic, liberal state with a constitution, which provided equality to all citizens.

When the first independent Hungarian government was formed by Lajos Batthyány, Kossuth was appointed Minister of Finance, and after Batthyány’s resignation he became provisional governor of the country. In April 1849, the Hungarian parliament declared Hungary an independent republic and Kossuth became President. As the Austrian and Russian army advanced, however, not being competent enough for extensive warfare, he handed the power over to General Görgey.

When the Hungarian army admitted defeat in August 1849, Kossuth fled to Turkey, where he was made a prisoner until 1851, but was not handed over to the Austrian authorities. During his English and American campaign to gain support for Hungarian independence his speeches – though often three hours long – attracted crowds. He left the USA in 1852 to live four more decades in exile, finally settling in Turin, Italy. Although he didn’t manage to get help, he made a strong impression on Americans and the bust of the Father of Hungarian Democracy was placed in the US Capitol on March 15, 1990.

the spirit of our age – korunk szelleme
lawyer – ügyvéd
political views – politikai nézetek
the authorities – a hatóságok
to be imprisoned – börtönbe kerülni
inspired by – valami által ihletett
aim – cél
constitution – alkotmány
equality – egyenlőség
citizen – állampolgár
Minister of Finance – pénzügyminiszter
resignation – lemondás
to declare – kinyilvánítani
independent republic – független köztársaság
to hand the power over – átadni a hatalmat
defeat – vereség
support – támogatás
speech – beszéd
to attract – vonzani
in exile – száműzetésben
to make a strong impression on – mély benyomást tenni valakire
bust – mellszobor