HUNGARIAN STUDIES 11. No. 1. Nemzetközi Magyar ... - EPA
HUNGARIAN STUDIES 11. No. 1. Nemzetközi Magyar ... - EPA HUNGARIAN STUDIES 11. No. 1. Nemzetközi Magyar ... - EPA
6 GEORGE GÖMÖRIprobably Fürst and Sallai, two Communist organizers who had fallen victimto the summary courts system instituted in the summer of 1931 in response toan outrageous act of (non-Communist inspired) terrorism. This poem endswith a reference to the poet's beloved, who "sometimes, when she thinks / Idon't notice, secretly believes in a God / and prays to Him for me" [De néhaazért ő, ha azt hiszi / nem veszem észre, titkon hisz egy istent / és ahhozimádkozik értem]. 11The point here is not only that the poet's beloved prays,but that he notices her praying and does not seem to object to it. Also during1934, Radnóti more than once contrasts the peace he finds in love and themenace of a hostile world, which will eventually destroy him, will kill him"with its long knives." And only a year or maybe a year and a few monthslater in the poem "Háborús napló" [War Diary], which is mainly a reflectionon the ongoing colonial wars in Africa and Asia, the following near-propheticstatement is made: "What may I speak of? / Winter and war are coming, / I'lllie broken, no one will notice; / worm-filled earth will fill my mouth and eyes/ and my body will be shot through by roots." 12While the survival of the spirit seems to be a problem often considered andconfirmed by the poet in these years (see Part 2, Tuesday Evening in "WarDiary"), from 1936 onwards one can detect some New Testament imagery inRadnóti's poems. It does not appear dramatically, but in the context of thepoet's contemplation of his destiny; for example in the title-poem of "Járkáljcsak, halálraítélt!" [Keep Walking, You, the Death-Condemned!] Here Radnótibids himself to live a blameless life in times of great tribulation:O Poet, now live a pure life -As dwellers on the snowcapped, tallMountains the wind sweeps; innocentAs the Christ child - made flesh in paintOn pious old pictures - frail and small.The last two lines (in Hungarian: "mint jámbor, régi képeken / pöttömnyigyermek Jézusok") 13are then contrasted with an admonition in the oppositeemotional direction:And be tough as the big wolves who bleedFrom many wounds, yet live indeed.[S oly keményen is, mint a sok / sebtől vérző, nagy farkasok] 14The "painted baby Jesus" imagery is linked in the poet's mind with thenativity scene, which appeals to Radnóti in its unpretentious simplicity. Thisis reflected in the short and in some ways "naive" poeni "Lapszéli jegyzet
MIKLÓS RADNÓTI AND THE BIBLE 7Lukácshoz" [Marginal Note to Luke], which was written in 1937. Radnóti'sfascination with this particular scene can also be detected in his Diary wherewe find impressions of a visit to the studio of sculptor and potter MargitKovács's in mid-1939. Radnóti mentions here that she has just finished anativity with "a wonderful Mary and magic Three Kings." 15The next poem where we find evidence of Radnóti's preoccupation not onlywith death but with the afterlife (a crucial teaching of Christianity) is themajestic "Ének a halálról" [Song about Death] written after Dezső Kosztolányi'sfuneral. In this poem, while not referring to any particular passage inthe Bible, Radnóti stresses both the human fear of death and the terror at theseparation of soul from body, "what was one world now revolves in two" [miegy világ volt, kétfelé kering], and he ends the poem with a short prayer:"Guard, oh Lord, the pathways of the soul" [Őrizd Uram, a lélek útjait]. 16The date for this, in my view, very spiritual and Christian poem isNovember 1936, Soon afterwards a new tone enters Radnóti's poetry; somethingthat has its source in the Old Testament though it is apparent in the NewTestament as well, especially in its final book - the prophetic tradition. Thecontext in which this (for Hungarians not at all new) tradition appears is thewhirlwind of agressive nationalism and Fascism inexorably pushing Europetoward the Second World War. The dress rehearsal for it is undoubtedly theSpanish Civil War - and one can well understand why this event caughtRadnóti's attention to such an extent. I assume that Radnóti's first poem ofthis "prophetic" kind, "Lapszéli jegyzet Habakkuk prófétához"'[Marginal Noteto the Prophet Habakkuk] was written after the German-Francoist terrorbombingof the Basque town of Guernica in April 1937. In the collectionMeredek út [Steep Road] the Habakkuk poem just precedes the poem "Aludj"[Go to Sleep] with its pointed reference to "Shanghai and Guernica." Also, thepoem's opening lines: "Cities / stood in flames, / villages / erupted" [Városoklángoltak / robbantak faluk] 17is also a clear enough allusion to bombing raidsagainst the Spanish Republic. This short, "marginally structured" poem is infact an invocation of anger, of a kind of righteous prophetic anger, which untilthen had not been part of the poet's disposition, a request for "black rage"against those who take innocent lives in wars of conquest. Why was Radnótiparticularly impressed by this somewhat obscure Old Testament prophet?Maybe because in the first chapter of his book Habakkuk is reproachfultowards God. "Why dost thou make me see wrongs and look upon trouble?Destruction and violence are before me." (Habakkuk, 1:3) Then the prophetcontinues with a description of the Chaldeans, this "dread and terrible nation"who are used by God to punish the sinful people of Judea, though eventuallythey are defeated and annihilated. I think the element of moral indignation is
- Page 1 and 2: Papers of the Radnóti Memorial Con
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- Page 10 and 11: 8 GEORGE GÖMÖRIof the utmost impo
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- Page 16 and 17: 14 MIHÁLY SZEGEDY-MASZÁKself alwa
- Page 18 and 19: 16 MIHÁLY SZEGEDY-MASZÁKtype is r
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- Page 22 and 23: 20 MIHÁLY SZEGEDY-MASZÁK"Wozu Dic
- Page 24 and 25: 22 MIHÁLY SZEGEDY-MASZÁKand Wilme
- Page 26 and 27: 24 MIHÁLY SZEGEDY-MASZÁKbeen the
- Page 28 and 29: 26 MIHÁLY SZEGEDY-MASZÁKBolond, k
- Page 30 and 31: 28 MIHÁLY SZEGEDY-MASZÁK6. Emery
- Page 32 and 33: 30 ZSUZSANNA OZSVÁTHand breaks as
- Page 34 and 35: 32 ZSUZSANNA OZSVÁTHThe drama echo
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- Page 39 and 40: FROM CAIN TO NAHUM 37which, as Csap
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- Page 43 and 44: FROM CAIN TO NAHUM 41who sees what
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- Page 57 and 58: HELP ME, PASTORAL MUSE 55have that
MIKLÓS RADNÓTI AND THE BIBLE 7Lukácshoz" [Marginal <strong>No</strong>te to Luke], which was written in 1937. Radnóti'sfascination with this particular scene can also be detected in his Diary wherewe find impressions of a visit to the studio of sculptor and potter MargitKovács's in mid-1939. Radnóti mentions here that she has just finished anativity with "a wonderful Mary and magic Three Kings." 15The next poem where we find evidence of Radnóti's preoccupation not onlywith death but with the afterlife (a crucial teaching of Christianity) is themajestic "Ének a halálról" [Song about Death] written after Dezső Kosztolányi'sfuneral. In this poem, while not referring to any particular passage inthe Bible, Radnóti stresses both the human fear of death and the terror at theseparation of soul from body, "what was one world now revolves in two" [miegy világ volt, kétfelé kering], and he ends the poem with a short prayer:"Guard, oh Lord, the pathways of the soul" [Őrizd Uram, a lélek útjait]. 16The date for this, in my view, very spiritual and Christian poem is<strong>No</strong>vember 1936, Soon afterwards a new tone enters Radnóti's poetry; somethingthat has its source in the Old Testament though it is apparent in the NewTestament as well, especially in its final book - the prophetic tradition. Thecontext in which this (for Hungarians not at all new) tradition appears is thewhirlwind of agressive nationalism and Fascism inexorably pushing Europetoward the Second World War. The dress rehearsal for it is undoubtedly theSpanish Civil War - and one can well understand why this event caughtRadnóti's attention to such an extent. I assume that Radnóti's first poem ofthis "prophetic" kind, "Lapszéli jegyzet Habakkuk prófétához"'[Marginal <strong>No</strong>teto the Prophet Habakkuk] was written after the German-Francoist terrorbombingof the Basque town of Guernica in April 1937. In the collectionMeredek út [Steep Road] the Habakkuk poem just precedes the poem "Aludj"[Go to Sleep] with its pointed reference to "Shanghai and Guernica." Also, thepoem's opening lines: "Cities / stood in flames, / villages / erupted" [Városoklángoltak / robbantak faluk] 17is also a clear enough allusion to bombing raidsagainst the Spanish Republic. This short, "marginally structured" poem is infact an invocation of anger, of a kind of righteous prophetic anger, which untilthen had not been part of the poet's disposition, a request for "black rage"against those who take innocent lives in wars of conquest. Why was Radnótiparticularly impressed by this somewhat obscure Old Testament prophet?Maybe because in the first chapter of his book Habakkuk is reproachfultowards God. "Why dost thou make me see wrongs and look upon trouble?Destruction and violence are before me." (Habakkuk, 1:3) Then the prophetcontinues with a description of the Chaldeans, this "dread and terrible nation"who are used by God to punish the sinful people of Judea, though eventuallythey are defeated and annihilated. I think the element of moral indignation is
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