The Eighth Hungarian Tribe, 1983 (10. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1983-02-01 / 2. szám
Erika J. Papp Endre Ady: Hungarian 'prophet' Hungary is a nation of poets. To say, then, that one man could influence the direction of Hungarian poetry is to acknowledge greatness. Such a man was Endre Ady. Ady was born in Erszentmiklos, a small town in Transylvania in 1877, and became a newspaperman in Nagyvarad (both places have since become part of Romania). His first two volumes of poetry were in the traditional poetic style of the period. But then, at the instigation of a friend, he went to Paris in 1904. There he came under the influence of Beaudelaire, Verlaine, and that of the French socialist politician Jaures. He also became involved with his first great love, Leda, at this time. This trip marked the turning point of Ady’s career. On his return to Hungary, he published a volume entitled “New Poems” (“Uj versek”), in which he found his own, though pessimistic, voice. His new style, its modes of expression and rhythm, all contributed to the tumof-the-century Hungarian literary renewal. He soon became the rallying point of the younger generation, bitterly opposed by the conservatisrh of the established order. The opposition was aimed, in part, at his innovative symbolism, considered by many to be unintelligible. (Per-Three poems by Endre Ady Translated by Erika J. Papp The Lord’s arrival When all had left me, When dragging my soul, wearily on I trod, Quietly and unexpected I was embraced by God. Autumn had been in Paris Autumn slipped into Paris yesterday; Along the Boule Miche noiselessly it slid Meeting me somewhere in the summer heat Neath shady trees hid. I was just strolling slowly towards the Seine And in my soul burned wispy songs and dry, Sad songs and crimson, smoky, sorrowful, Saying: I am to die. Then Autumn reached me, whispered in my ear So that the Boule Miche trembled at the sound. Mischievous leaves buzzed up and down the street, Rustling along the ground. One moment only: Summer did not halt. To Paris, laughing, Autumn bade farewell. It had been here under the groaning trees And I alone can tell. No sound of trumpets When He came, only a mute, sincere embrace, Not in bright daylight did He come, But in night’s stormy space. And blinded have been My vain eyes.. My youth has ceased to be. But Him, the bright, the wonderful I shall forever see. On Eliah’s chariot Eliah-like, the Lord takes all Whom He greatly smites and loves, Giving them fast, fiery hearts: They’re the fiery chariots. Eliah-folk race towards the Sky, Stop in eternal winterland. Their chariots in clouds of dust On Himalayan icepeaks clang. They’re driven by the winds of Fate, Homeless-sad, twixt Earth and Sky. Towards beauties devilish and cool Eliah’s chariots fly. Their hearts aglow, their brains are ice, Earth laughs up at them in fun. Cold diamond glust in pity strews On their frozen path the Sun. haps the most beautiful expression of Ady’s symbolism is the poem “On Eliah’s Chariot.”) He used symbolism to plumb spiritual depths, exposing the restlessness of the modern soul. He created his own mythology in an effort to lay bare the inhumanity of materialism and to urge national renewal. Most characteristic of Ady perhaps is his lyric impressionism, of which "Autumn Had Been In Paris” is a masterful example. Though death haunts much of Ady’s poetry, life in its fullness is equated with God. Life is God’s gift to man and must be appreciated; therefore even sadness is a sin. Human love by contrast was for Ady a deadly passion, a destructive, torturing force. His first love poems, addressed to Leda are, because of their sensuous content, not typical of traditional Hungarian love poems. Ady’s way of life, as well as his poetry, at this time contained some restless, decadent, tortured elements. Finally reacting against his own sinfulness, the poet turned to God for liberation, yearning for his lost innocence and the ability to believe. Desolate, he wrote that he encountered God through personal experience, through an awareness of guilt and repentance. In this, too, he did something new in Hungarian poetry. A second group of love poems later in life is addressed to his wife, showing that he did eventually find a satisfying love. Ady had a strong sense of mission. He considered himself a prophet of national renewal. His "Hungarian” poems might be termed his third group of love poems. In them, he castigated his countrymen for their political ostrich policy, and although prophesying national doom, also promised a better tomorrow. His love for the people became a kind of socialism, as he identified himself with the peasants and sought to improve their lot. Endre Ady was a prolific poet. His poetry has come into its own since his early death in 1919, and no Hungarian poet after him has totally escaped his influence. His symbolism, impressionism, political consciousness, as well as his personal sense of guilt and yearning for God, are expressed in poetry that makes him a towering literary figure. It may be said, in his own words, that Ady "lives on in youthful hearts.”
