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Cowper, William: A csiga (The Snail in Hungarian)

Portre of Cowper, William
Portre of Szabó Lőrinc

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The Snail (English)

To grass, or leaf, or fruit, or wall,

The snail sticks close, nor fears to fall,

As if he grew there, house and all

Together.

 

Within that house secure he hides,

When danger imminent betides

Of storm, or other harm besides

Of weather.

 

Give but his horns the slightest touch,

His self-collecting power is such

He shrinks into his house with much

Displeasure.

 

Where'er he dwells, he dwells alone,

Except himself has chattels none,

Well satisfied to be his own

Whole treasure.

 

Thus hermit-like, his life he leads,

Nor partner of his banquet needs,

And if he meets one only feeds

The faster.

 

Who seeks him must be worse than blind,

(He and his house are so combined,)

If, finding it, he fails to find

Its master.



Uploaded byP. T.
Source of the quotationhttp://www.luminarium.org/eightlit/cowper

A csiga (Hungarian)

Ha fű tartja, ha kő, ha fa,

úgy hozzátapad a csiga,

mintha abból nőne ki a

világra.

 

Ha gyors vihar vagy valami

másféle baj fenyegeti,

biztos védelmet ad neki

a háza.

 

Nyúlj hozzá, s úgy undorodik,

hogy magába zsugorodik,

nem tűrve, hogy a szarvait

megérintsd.

 

Bárhol lakik, maga lakik,

senkivel sem közösködik:

önmaga kincse: az pedig

elég kincs.

 

Így él remete-életet,

asztalhoz társat nem szeret:

vendég jön? még jobban siet

zabálni!

 

Vak vagy, ha (mert ház s gazda egy)

látja a lakást a szemed

s a lakót mégse tudja meg-

találni.



Uploaded byP. T.
Source of the quotationhttp://jazsoli5.freeblog.hu/categories

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