Iain Lindsay, former British Ambassador to Hungary, cited a poem by the famous poet Endre Ady on the occasion of the Day of Hungarian Poetry, which is today, April 11. It has almost become a tradition for him to recite a poem in Hungarian on this day.
Lindsay picked the poem Őrizem a szemedet (I guard your eyes or I watch over your eyes) by Endre Ady, who is regarded as one of the greatest Hungarian poet of the 20th century.
A bejegyzés megtekintése az Instagramon
I guard your eyes
by Endre Ady
With my old man’s wrinkled hand,
with my old man’s squinting eyes,
let me hold your lovely hand,
let me guard your lovely eyes.
Worlds have tumbled, through their fall
like a wild beast chased by fright
I came, and I on you did call
scared, I wait with you inside.
With my old man’s wrinkled hand,
with my old man’s squinting eyes,
let me hold your lovely hand,
let me guard your lovely eyes.
I do not know why, how long
can I thus remain for you –
but I hold your lovely hand
and I guard your lovely eyes.
Translation by Ádám Makkai. Source: Bábel Web Anthology – the Multilingual Literature Portal
Iain Lindsay was appointed as Ambassador to Hungary in 2016 and stayed in the position until 2020. After his appointment, he gave a toast in Hungarian and read Hungarian poems and novel excerpts several times on his Instagram and Facebook pages.
Featured image via Attila Lambert/Hungary Today
