Itt-ott, 1969. november - 1970. szeptember (3. évfolyam, 1-10. szám)
1970-07-01 / 8-9. szám
is not the quarrel. The last two lines lack the emphasis on the i, apparent in Hungarian--"én láttalak," and the repetition of the "régen," long ago, both essential to the flavor of the poem. Ady, after all, did write in a language close to the people, and although the translator has not used any archaic thee's. thou1s and doest1s. why make him sound so distant in certain lines? The point here is not to submit a picky put-down. It is simply to state that the translation, though a fine one, could have been great and Ady’s greatness deserves to come across as such. If it does not, I wonder whether it is worth coming across at all. While the above are mostly minor blunders in ‘light of the merits of the undertaking overall, it is these annoyances which bring the work down from its potential level of greatness and that is an unfortunate fact. Even more unfortunate, however, is Mr. Makkai's complicity. Mr. Makkai admits that the poems are, in a sense, "watered-down" from a straight drink to a mixed cocktail (I believe that is his metaphor). But he seems to think that this is the only way they will ever go over with the American reading public. While I do not disclaim the popularity of cocktails, nor of watered-down poetry, some part of me would like to credit a sound portion of the reading public with a taste for undiluted spirits (those who have this facility should, of course, imbibe)—and the strength of Ady's poems seems to have somehow slipped away here. To continue the metaphor, we might consider the reading public of translated works like a guest at a cocktail party. Were he, so to speak, at home in the language, he could pour for himself. But he is subject to the service of the host, our translator, who should be committed to make available the finest quality. Whether or not Mr. Makkai or I could accomplish this task any better is, of course, irrelevant. As critics worthy of this function, our relevant task is to maintain valuable standards. Mr. Makkai's conciliatory method of dubbing ingenious Mr. Nyerges's valiant effort hardly heads toward a grue'lingly demanding direction of criticism. When a critic finds it difficult to distinguish scotch on the rocks from scotch and soda, it is probably because he has abstained for a while, and Mr. Makkai admits at the outset that he has long absented himself from a close acquaintance with Ady. I find Mr. Nyerges's scotch and soda quite acceptable for the most part. I just think it should be labeled as such. Sincerely, (Miss) Gizelle T. Beke Karinthy Frigyes: MŰFORDÍTÁS Egy költői antológiában megjelent a következő szép versszak Ady Endrétől: Jöttem a Gangesz^partjairól Hol álmodoztam déli verőn, A szivem egy nagy harangvirág S finom remegések az erőm. Egy széplelkü müforditó elolvasta az antológiát, és kiváltkép-29
