Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
Switzerland and Austria: Vol. XVI. 1876–79. | | | | 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: | |
| |
| “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. | |
| |
| “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. | |
| |
| “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 |
| |
| “Priests and preachers midst our Tiszians speak our Magyar tongue alone; | |
| E’en 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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