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Shapiro, Karl: Mongolidióta (Mongolian Idiot in Hungarian)

Portre of Shapiro, Karl

Mongolian Idiot (English)

A dog that spoke, a monster born of sheep
We mercilessly kill, and kill the thought,
Yet house the parrot and let the centaur go,
These being to their nature and those not.
We laugh at apes, that never quite succeed
    At eating soup or wearing hats.

Adam had named so many but not this,
This that would name a curse when it had come,
Unfinished man, or witch, or myth, or sin,
Not ever father and never quite a son.
Ape had outstripped him, dog and darling lamb
     And all the kindergarten beasts.

Enter the bare room of his mind and count
His store of words with letters large and black;
See how he handles clumsily those blocks
With swans and sums; his colored picture books.
At thirty-five he squeals to see the ball
     Bounce in the air and roll away.

Pity and fear we give this innocent
Who maimed his mother's beautiful instinct;
But she would say, "My body had a dog;
I bore the ape and nursed the crying sheep.
He is my kindness and my splendid gift
     Come from all life and for all life."



Uploaded byP. T.
Source of the quotationhttp://www.poetryfoundation.org

Mongolidióta (Hungarian)

A torz szörny-birkát, beszélő ebet
Megöljük, s meg a gondolatukat.
De kajdácsot, kentaurt élni hagyunk.
Mert az mind torz, s emez természetes.
Gúny a majom, mert majdnem-jó csupán,
     Ha sapkát tesz, levest eszik.

Ádám e kívül sok nevet adott,
Ez káromlás lett volna, hogyha van!
Félkész ember, boszorkány, bűn, mítosz,
Sosem-lesz atya, félig-kész fiú;
Több a majom, az eb, a kis bari -
     S a dedó minden állata.

Lépj esze üres termébe, figyeld,
Hány nagy fekete betűs szava van,
S hogy hattyús-számos kockát és színes
Képeskönyvet mily ügyetlen kezel.
Harmincöt éves: labdát lát s visong,
     Amint az pattog s elgurul.

Ártatlan, s jussa félsz, sajnálkozás,
Hogy megcsúfolta anyja ösztönét.
S mit mond anyja? - „Testem ebet fogant,
Majmot szült, síró birkát szoptatott;
Szolgálatom ő s szép ajándokom,
     Életből lett s az életé.”



Uploaded byP. T.
Source of the quotationT. Gy.

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