Fraternity-Testvériség, 1955 (33. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1955-10-01 / 10. szám
16 TESTVÉRISÉG is as much of an error as if a history on Roman literature should ignore Quintus Ennius who, influenced by Homer, established the Latin style in ancient Rome. In Zrinyi’s lifetime and even in the eighteenth century it was unrewarding to be a Hungarian creator, therefore it is no wonder that he was scarcely known as a poet. To be sure, he lacked Vergil’s craftsmanship and Tasso’s “melodious”1 qualities, yet—without artistic antecedents in the epic genre in his native tongue —he represents an authentic creative spirit. Hungarian literature of this period is practically unexplored by foreign litterateurs. There are two unabridged translations of his epic, named by Zrínyi himself in Latin Obsidio Szigetiana and in Hungarian Szigetvár Ostroma (The Siege of Szigetvár), also known as Szigeti Veszedelem (The Menace of Sziget) and as Zrmyiász. The two translations are in Croatian and German. There are English and Italian fragments. “European literature is one and indivisible,”2 writes Mihály Babits, the twentieth century Hungarian poet and critic; unfortunately, too often western European men of letters and readers are unaware of this fact, otherwise Zrínyi would not be a closed book to most foreign readers. Aside from being a poet, Count Miklós Zrínyi was a military strategist, a political writer and a great patriot, “the tragic hero of Hungary’s tragic epoch.”3 He lived at a time when his nation was devastated by Ottoman invaders, humbled by political servitude, and “many sections of the country had to be built anew.”4 As a poet, military theoretician and statesman, Zrínyi was motivated by the desire to further national pride, self-confidence and Christian principles. Well fitted for the self- imposed duties of which his life and achievements give sufficient testimony, he was at the mercy of political and social enemies, and wTas conditioned in his activities by the fact that he was the son of a war-torn nation, exhausted, bleeding and helpless. He thought that as a patriot and poet—although there was no expanding horizon for his talent—he could revitalize Hungary. II. Zrinyi’s biography reads like a story drawn from the world of heroic imagination. In order to place him in proper perspective, it should be 1 Gilbert Highet, THE CLASSICAL TRADITION (New York, N. Y. and London, 1949), p. 431. 2 Mihály Babits, EZÜSTKOR (Budapest, 1938), p. 162. 3 Marcell Benedek, ed. IRODALMI LEXIKON (Budapest, 1927), p. 1218. 4 Ignác Acsády, A MAGYAR JOBBÁGYSÁG TÖRTÉNETE (Budapest, 1944), p. 337. emphasized that he confirms the view that “epics and historical writings stem from identical roots.” 5 For about a century and half the Hungarians had to defend themselves against the Germans (Austrians) and the Turks; it seemed futile to try to consolidate Hungarian power. The nation as a whole and every Hungarian as an individual had to be on constant guard. The traditional western orientation of Hungary was made difficult because of the Austrian attitude; on the other hand the Turkish policy of aggression placed the country in the position of a defender of the West and of Christianity. We read that “the fall of Constantine’s Queen City of the Seven Hills was a moral blow at European civilization,”6 and that “the Greek rulers of Constantinople, the Palaleologi, had grown fatalistic and torpid. They had missed chances in not allying themselves with Tamerlane or Hunyadi of Hungary.” 7 Obviously, there was no literary forum, no literary consciousness under these desolate conditions. Zrínyi, having been brought face to face with almost insoluble problems, bears witness to the validity of the truth that sometimes history offers an example of the fortitude and perseverance of an exceptional personality. Zrínyi often triumphed over incredible obstacles, and while much of his work remained unfinished and the lot of the Hungarian nation continued unhappy, judged in the light of history and literary culture his impact upon the fate of the nation proved to be such, that in later centuries the steadfastness of his character and the qualities of his prose and poetical works became an inspiration for those who sought spiritual and pragmatic support in the past. Count Miklós Zrínyi was born in 1620 in Ozály and died in 1664 at a wild boar hunt near Csáktornya. The circumstances of his death are unclarified; there were persistent rumors that he was assasinated. It should be mentioned here that his brother, Péter, Banus of Croatia, a participant in the Wesselényi plot directed against the Habsburgs, (despite his strong Catholic attachments Péter Zrínyi was also an ardent Croat) was executed in 1671. It was Péter who at the request of his brother translated the epic into Croatian, but it was “adjusted” by him to Croatian national policies. Since the thirteenth century the Zrinyis had occupied a prominent position in the history of Hungary and Croatia. Count Miklós Zrinyi’s ancestor is known as “the hero of Szigetvár” which he defended against the Turks in 5 Marcell Benedek, IRODALOM ESZTÉTIKA (Budapest, 1936), p. 115. 6 H. P. Collins, THE FALL OF CONSTANTINOPLE (Contemporary Review, London, 1953), Number 1049, p. 300. 7 Ibid., p. 300.
