Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-03-04
MAGYAR POETRY.
4 school Of Poets whose Verse IL hut
Little Known TO EnRlish Readers
brilliant Martial Poe ms.

VI
The poetry of Hungary is little Known
outside the higher intellectual circles.
and among scholars who make a special
study Of exotic literatures. The reason
for this limited audience Is not far to
seek. Hungarian Is different from any
other European language. and its ac-
quirement Is dlff1cult. THIS accounts for
the neglect II has received even from
scholars, and for the very fe wtransla-
lions from the works Of Hungarian writ
ers that exist to-day.
Hungarian poetry deserves wide
recognition. because II deals with sub
iocts that should appeal to the popular
taste Of all countries. It IL rarely OBJ
scure and Il Is always picturesque. It
voices the spirit Of a knightlS race whose
wstchword was liberty. and who loved as
ficrcely as they fought. Whether singing
OF war or peace. deem feeling and pas
sionate fervor always inspire and vivify
the song. There is wild beauty about
Magyar poetry such es we find IN the
music Of the gypses. The songs OF war
ring With tho clang OF swords ard seen,
to we'll IN no. from the heart. The love
songs are tinged with an oriental sensu-
BUSINESS. now despairinE. now Joyous. but
lnNAfl1nIN touched ny lle httl''st c'Ho-
tons that stir tho human heart.
The poets Of Hungary ~ere not mere
dreamers. and lovers Of the beautiful. brit
men Of action. dedicated to the cause Of
liberty and the freedom ~ their unhappy
land Tho ercnteet OF these were first
soldiers. who found verse could DO molly
employed TO express their warlike feel
ings and served 70 animate. and fire the
,tN,s
These soldier singers asted for no hap
pier fate than to die on the battle held
in defence q. Hungary. One Of the finest
poems by the greatest Magyar lyrie poet
Alexnoder petcn voices this fervid long
ing to find a soldiers death. lie prays
tint he may be spared from the shame
Of dying on soft pillows AT home.
| Let no such ending come To me
| o God. but rather let me he
| A tree, through which The lightning shoot 9
| Or which the strenuous storm uproots;
/ Or like the rock from hill out-torn
! AID laundering 10 the alley born.
Wien every nation wearing chains
/ Shall rise and seek NE battle plains.
! With flushing face shall wave in flight
Their banner. blazoncd In the light.
b, "For liberty
! Their cry shall be-
| Their cry from east TO west
| TIL .yrants be suppressed
| There shall gladly Weld
Ny life upon the neld.
reton Who was in turn scholar. actor
soldier poet and the hravcst If patriot
| whose life. save toward It's close. va'
filed with want and suffering and misery
vet to fate ~ aad RI ssonately rehrned
for. ard died on the battlefield at the
early age Of q.
The subject ~ thls article was snr-
gested by the appearance cf yer!
modest volume. containing. however. n
less than four hundred poems. trans
lated from tire Hungarian by William y
Ioew OF tho New York hnr. and pnh
l!sl,ed at the Office VI the Amerka
Magvar %epszava. .aS East Tenth street
Manhattan. Mr.. I.oew for forty years
resident Of This country has ATTEMPTED
more than any other writer to make TN
} poetry Of his native land known II
England and America The present vol
urie. while by no means complete. =
fairly representative Of the hest Maya
poetry and Is :he most important Uorl
of its kind that has appeared In English
II - n matter ~ regret THAT the trans
lator lid not see H. to include an IN
| Production which would give SOME nc
count Of the poets whose work Il repre-
. sented in this volume, for the lives o
Poto6. Arary and. indeed, the creates
: Of all the Hungarian poets. were reple'
with romance. .nd ere 81 compelling in
tereet. They srandlv loved ard fercel
: fought: tlev were loading actor
"where battle stamped his bloody feet
They hcped n make history, and thei
= songs gushed from the heart. Petoi.
may he remembered. figures in Maurll
.Iokai's sem-aut obiograph'cal novel
"t-vos Like the Sea-" ana the picturce1,i
glimpse Of the man shown tn thos
paces. which we're taken from life, Civ
, some idea CT what stun Hungarian poet
were made
pe:oh IS poet Of vide and varie
powers. lie lived in the davs Of stirrin
events: WAS an active participant u
, pa.rotic uprising. and the feveris
, energy that animated his restless spiri
n~rmeates his verse. Song was tn
. natural and spontaneous expression q
his personality. II is Impossible IN IN
limit IF our space n give an adequat
I idea OF the variety Gro. charm. passion
at best we can only present fe,
verses from a poem, MY Love- as a
example of one Of his tender and De-.
cate fancies:
, An hundred forms my love at times dot
, take,
, And in a hundred shapes apoear to m,
Sometimes an isle around which below
break,
The scas-ny passions that encirS'
. thee.
And then again. sweet love, thou art
shrine:
So that I think my love luxuriant fall
Like leafy bowers. verdant, and benieI
Around the church's consecrated wall
Sometimes thou art traveller rich ar
= great,
= And, like A brigand. on thee breaks n
d love;
r, Again IL meets thee In a heggar's sta
c And. .uppliant. asks thee for the ain
c thereof.
N Or thou art as the high Carpathia
II hills.
Ia And thu thunderous cloud that sha X
is thy heart;
a Or thou the rosebush round whose r.
rance thrills
The nightingale OF which I play t
part"
petoh was supremey sreat In p,trlot
!" SONGS and battle hymns no man ev
80 a.. ,.or for n pOh1er uurooss ar ~