The Eighth Tribe, 1975 (2. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1975-03-01 / 3. szám
March, 1975 THE EIGHTH TRIBE Page Five SÁNDOR PETŐFI The Bard of Liberty and Equality The course of Alexander (Sándor) Petőfi’s life has frequently been compared to the course of a comet. His short but brilliant literary and social career influenced the destiny of his people. He emerged from the lower strata of society with an amazing speed to become a bright star in the Hungarian firmament—and vanished from sight. The name “Petőfi” was chosen by Sándor Petrovics only in 1842, when he was nineteen years old. His first real masterpiece, “In My Native Country,” was signed “Petőfi”, and this name will be used in this article, the poet himself having chosen it and used it until his death. Petőfi served his people with his pen and his sword; the first part of this article will be devoted to two of his epic poems to illustrate how Petőfi used his pen in the service of his people; the second part of the article will be devoted to the last years of the poet’s struggle for the liberty and independence of the oppressed. The poetic apotheosis of Petőfi’s struggle for the acceptance of a popular style in literature was his romantic epic poem John the Vitéz. Perhaps also Petőfi’s hopes and dreams for the final victory of the people over their oppressors are reflected in this work published in 1844. John the Vitéz was conceived as a rural story drawn from firsthand study of the life of the people. A new hero, the peasant, appeared on the scene ©f Hungarian literature. The peasant orphan Johnny Corncob (Kukorica Jancsi in Hungarian) is not ashamed of his origin. In the initial stanzas of the first song the reader is taken to the middle of the story: Johnny Corncob loves Iluska, also an orphan. Once when they meet at the river and Johnny forgets to look after the landlord’s flock, his furious master chases Johnny away from the village. The sturdy peasant lad would be glad to see the world, but he is sad because he has to leave Iluska at the mercy of her wicked stepmother. Johnny’s adventures take the reader from the hero’s rural “real” world into the world of fairy-tale, as in the fictitious, miraculous world of folk literature. Johnny and Iluska have no past; theirs is the future. Johnny defeats at first ihe wicked despots of this world and later the supernatural ones as well. In the glorious invasion of the “Land of Darkness” John defeats the witches and kills even the last one, the torturer of Iluska, her vicious stepmother. Aftft this victory of John the Vitéz, sunshine returns to the country. An early visualisation of Petőfi’s hopes for the victory of enlightenment can be seen in John’s “symbolic” victory. Iluska is doomed (and so are the peasant masses) to immeasurable sufferings until John the Vitéz becomes victorious. John’s adventures and victories, although formulated as fairy-tale events, reflect the aspirations of the masses. The desire of the oppressed people to attain their political rights and independence resounds throughout our Vitez’s victorious struggle. Plebeian common sense and constancy is shown in his actions. After the victory over the Turks, John rescues the French King’s daughter. The hand of the royal princess is his reward, but, perhaps contrary to traditions, Vitéz refuses her hand, because of his faithfulness to his “little” Iluska. In the world of folklore, in epic songs and fairytales, peasants, orphans, even cripples are marked out for brilliant future. Before the reader bids farewell to the magic, still so human world of “John the Hero,” he finds out that John is chosen King, and he shares his kingdom with Iluska. The peasant orphan girl knows the value of happiness; she herself suffered so much patiently waiting for her Johnny. John and Iluska are perfectly blended into the rustic background. The problem of creating a hero like John the Vitéz was for Petőfi, it seems to me, the task of approximating an aesthetic ideal incorporated in human form. The idealized hero in Petőfi’s work is portrayed in a manner designed to solve some actual
