Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes. Switzerland and Austria: Vol. XVI. 187679. | | Austria: Rákos, Hungary | The Tiszian | Hungarian Popular Song |
| Translated by John Bowring FROM the smiling fields of Rakosh, on the market-day of Pest, | |
Lo! an Over-Tiszian Chikosh in his snowy bunda drest; | |
Bunda wearing, bagpipes bearing, | |
And be seeks the Three Cups Tavern, where they sell of wine the best. | |
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There they joked the sheep-clad Chikosh,asked him if in Tiszian land | 5 |
People spoke the Magyar language, and could Magyar understand? | |
Or if Tiszians spoke like Grecians? | |
So when they had ceased their laughing, thus he answered out of hand: | |
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Our Hungarians out of pitchers drink the overflowing wine; | |
Spice their food with rich paprika, and from ancient platters dine; | 10 |
Your Hungarians are Barbarians, | |
And the manners of our fathers, scouted by such sons, decline. | |
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Your Danubians, not Hungarians, out of tinkling glasses drink, | |
Eat their roast from latten dishes, pleased to hear their glasses chink; | |
Silly traitors!while their betters | 15 |
Think they are but bastard Magyars, though they say not all they think. | |
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We have not a Tiszian hostess,none! but speaks our Magyar; | |
Here they prattle out their German,pretty patriots they are! | |
But if German they prefer, man, | |
Soon would each wine-drinking Magyar fly from their infected bar. | 20 |
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Priests and preachers midst our Tiszians speak our Magyar tongue alone; | |
Een our Rusniakian papas make the Magyar tongue their own; | |
Here, Teutonic, or Ratzonic: | |
Any, any thing but Magyar,and of Magyar nothing known. | | | |
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