THE ETERNAL FIGHT: Oh, a peasant. That's different then!
As Tatrangi Dávid reaches the palace with the intention to turn himself in, he is met by four fellow soldiers sent to find and arrest him.
At the military tribunal, he refuses to give any testimony until he is asked whether he has any excuse ("mentsége"). He answer that he does, and hands the General presiding over the tribunal the letter he previously received from the king.
After reading the letter, the General states that Dávid has been promoted to the rank of "alhadnagy" (master sergeant? literally: "sub-lieutenant"?) by the King, and his "crime" was an act of restitution toward one who had offended a Lady's honour.
The charges are thereby summarily dismissed, and Dávid is congratulated by the General with the words, "Welcome back, brother-in-arms; you did well to give that peasant a few good kicks..."
And now being an officer, Tatrangi Dávid had the right to reason his commission at his leisure.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Part I, Chapter 5
THE ETERNAL FIGHT: The Astrapé
The Astrapé is a newspaper.
It is published four times per day, containing local, national, and foreign news as well as the more noteworthy speeches of (parliamentary?) gatherings, printed on an eighth-"rét" sheet. (Possibly a 5 meter x 5 meter sheet... presumably before being cut into folds/pages. I will have to do more research on determining the correct size/value of "rét", which is an archaic Hungarian unit of measurement I have no familiarity with.)
It is a newspaper written in stenographic symbols, without the use of typesetters or a printing press, using papyrography/paperography. After the editor types in the page, a steam-powered machine prints 200 copies per 4 minutes. The editor is able to control the feeding of paper into the copying/printing machine with his legs (as though using a foot-powered sewing machine) even while typing with his hands. Therefore he needs no staff, only newspaper deliverers/distributors who are also his source of news upon their regular returns for the next edition.
The price of the newspaper is one krajcár (in German kreutzer, but as with names, it makes sense to use the Hungarian)... the smallest coin in circulation. Thus does Astrapé give dangerous competition to traditionally typeset/printed/prepared newspapers who cannot possibly make a profit at the same price.
The only thing keeping the Astrapé in bay, for now, is that not everyone can read stenography yet. The numbers of those that do, however, increase every year. It is taught in all universities, and is increasingly indispensable in more and more professions. Some soldiers only know how to read stenography, as that is what the military teaches. And there is an increasing number of literary/leisure reading titles ("The complete works of X" type) being published.
Upon purchasing the 3pm Astrapé, Tatrangi Dávid finds an article about himself as one who unlawfully assaulted Mr. Mazrur and is being sought for arrest.
Reading this, he decides to delay his visit to his father, and instead goes to turn himself in to his military superiors.
The Astrapé is a newspaper.
It is published four times per day, containing local, national, and foreign news as well as the more noteworthy speeches of (parliamentary?) gatherings, printed on an eighth-"rét" sheet. (Possibly a 5 meter x 5 meter sheet... presumably before being cut into folds/pages. I will have to do more research on determining the correct size/value of "rét", which is an archaic Hungarian unit of measurement I have no familiarity with.)
It is a newspaper written in stenographic symbols, without the use of typesetters or a printing press, using papyrography/paperography. After the editor types in the page, a steam-powered machine prints 200 copies per 4 minutes. The editor is able to control the feeding of paper into the copying/printing machine with his legs (as though using a foot-powered sewing machine) even while typing with his hands. Therefore he needs no staff, only newspaper deliverers/distributors who are also his source of news upon their regular returns for the next edition.
The price of the newspaper is one krajcár (in German kreutzer, but as with names, it makes sense to use the Hungarian)... the smallest coin in circulation. Thus does Astrapé give dangerous competition to traditionally typeset/printed/prepared newspapers who cannot possibly make a profit at the same price.
The only thing keeping the Astrapé in bay, for now, is that not everyone can read stenography yet. The numbers of those that do, however, increase every year. It is taught in all universities, and is increasingly indispensable in more and more professions. Some soldiers only know how to read stenography, as that is what the military teaches. And there is an increasing number of literary/leisure reading titles ("The complete works of X" type) being published.
Upon purchasing the 3pm Astrapé, Tatrangi Dávid finds an article about himself as one who unlawfully assaulted Mr. Mazrur and is being sought for arrest.
Reading this, he decides to delay his visit to his father, and instead goes to turn himself in to his military superiors.
Part I, Chapter 4
THE ETERNAL FIGHT: What is the Sabina?
The Sabina is an institution originally founded for the purpose of marital match-making, for assistance with the alleviation of obstacles to marriage (presumably things like received special religious dispensation?) and quick handling of divorces, and for the training of women in both domestic and general education matters to be acceptable/ideal eventual wives to their fiancés.
After initially having been founded in 1947, it first saw considerable success but by the third year was having considerable difficulties on account of lawsuits from and/or the need to buy the silence of dissatisfied former clients (quite possibly simply due to imperfect matches not in excess of what would be reasonable to expect).
Just as the company was suffering from great turmoil (due to go under?) it was acquired by a new consortium called "Mazrur and partners".
Mazrur is described as a very wealthy Tunisian-born polyglot who lived both in Georgia and Istambul, and moved to Hungary from Russia upon his take-over of the Sabina about whom little else is known.
His partners, eventually it turns out, are the Russian revolutionary leader turned President, Madame Shasa, and her state chancellor Mr. Kurasin--which makes the Sabina very dangerous to oppose indeed.
After the take-over by "Mazrur and partners", the Sabina begins to thrive again.
---
A minor, but necessary, detour:
On the European continent (England [the United Kingdom?] having refused to sign) there had been born an "epigamic agreement" as per which all European states legally recognize and respect the legally recognized marriage customs of all other European states (for marriages made under said state's jurisdiction and by its laws) with respect to property rights, recognition of children as legitimate, and all other things.
The legal marriage situation (between two nationals of the below listed states, as under the epigamic agreement other arrangements legal elsewhere would also have to be respected) are described as follows:
In France and Italy, only civil marriage ceremonies are legally recognized, religious ones are not. In Spain, only religious ceremonies are recognized, not civil ones. While in Germany civil ceremonies are permitted, but only for those who have formally withdrawn from/renounced all religious organizations to which they formerly belonged.
In Austria and Hungary civil ceremonies are only facultative. In Romania even the "matrimonium conscientiae" (marriage of conscience) is legally recognized, which leaves out even government authorities from the equation.
Furthermore on account of "European Turkey" (not clear whether the suggestion is that Turkey is considered a European country, or the European part of Turkey is now a separate state, or due to Turkey having holdings in Europe was made signatory despite not being considered wholly European, et cetera) bigamy, trigamy, and even quadrigamy also have to be recognized (obviously within the constrains of the epigamic agreement... i.e.: only when the marriage is made in a state that legally recognizes such institutions for its own citizens). This caused some states (it is not clear how or why, but presumably due to recognition by one or more other states) to also have to recognize American Mormonism and European Nazarenism as legitimate religious groups.
And Russia's "Roman marriage" legally recognizes "polygamia successiva", the right to marry as many wives as one can support, but in succession rather than all at the same time. (It is not entirely clear whether this is actually referring to polygamy... which one would think would have already been covered by the Turkish example, or the right to remarry as many times as one wishes [perhaps while being obliged to continue to financially support all formerly divorced wives?].)
---
The Sabina's recovery was due in no small part to the company's reorienting itself to marrying young Székely Hungarian girls of poor families (who are given a bride-price[?] payment that the eventual fiancé, in addition to other fees, must pay the Sabina prior to the marriage) away to husbands in every part of Russia through the "Roman marriage" (which permits "successive polygamy", a term that is never fully explained).
The media in Hungary quickly came to perceive this as thinly disguised slave-trade, but since the girls are sent to the Sabina by their parents voluntarily, and enter into their eventual marriage likewise, there can be no legal ground for opposing the company's activity.
The king himself perceives the matter in such terms, but knows he can do little on account of Madame Shasa being one of the partners in the Sabina's owner company "Mazrur and partners".
The Sabina has a large "palace" in Budapest, where the young ladies under their care live and study until they are married. It is suggested that their heads are filled with questionably accurate promises about how grand and lavish their married lives will be... thereby rendering them eager to see their intended role in all of this through to the end.
Tatrangi Dávid seeks and receives an audience with Mazrur himself in order to request the release of his fiancée into his care. Mazrur is described as a human giant, a Samson in both appearance and strength. Mazrur regularly receives similar entreaties, and is used to most frequently denying them.
He proceeds to entertain Dávid's request by bringing out Szentivánfai Rozáli, and trying to demonstrate that she is well cared for and well on her way to an enviable marriage abroad. While saying nothing at first, when Mazrur finally asks Rozáli whether she wants to leave the Sabina to go with Dávid, she enthusiastically exclaims that indeed she does.
Mazrur, still confident, demands that Dávid sign a contract promising to marry the girl. He readily complies. Then Mazrur demands compensation for Rozáli's education, and the payment given to her parents... after a myriad (perhaps questionable) charges the price is in the vicinity of 500 Árpád-gold coins, at which point Dávid interrupts and offers the full 600 in hopes of expediting matters.
Finally, Mazrur seeing that none of his legal means of holding onto the girl seem to be working, he laughs and says that Dávid will have to take her from him by force, and grabs a hold of her.
Dávid instead of trying to force Mazrur's hands open, grabs a hold of his collar and yanks it upwards then twists it, causing Mazrur to fall down onto the ground (presumably being choked?) and offering no more immediate resistance.
Then, leaving the gold coins, he leaves with Rozáli and drops her off at the "Parabolana" the religious order that tends to those suffering from "pellagra". And, after doing so, decides to go visit his father at the insane asylum.
The Sabina is an institution originally founded for the purpose of marital match-making, for assistance with the alleviation of obstacles to marriage (presumably things like received special religious dispensation?) and quick handling of divorces, and for the training of women in both domestic and general education matters to be acceptable/ideal eventual wives to their fiancés.
After initially having been founded in 1947, it first saw considerable success but by the third year was having considerable difficulties on account of lawsuits from and/or the need to buy the silence of dissatisfied former clients (quite possibly simply due to imperfect matches not in excess of what would be reasonable to expect).
Just as the company was suffering from great turmoil (due to go under?) it was acquired by a new consortium called "Mazrur and partners".
Mazrur is described as a very wealthy Tunisian-born polyglot who lived both in Georgia and Istambul, and moved to Hungary from Russia upon his take-over of the Sabina about whom little else is known.
His partners, eventually it turns out, are the Russian revolutionary leader turned President, Madame Shasa, and her state chancellor Mr. Kurasin--which makes the Sabina very dangerous to oppose indeed.
After the take-over by "Mazrur and partners", the Sabina begins to thrive again.
---
A minor, but necessary, detour:
On the European continent (England [the United Kingdom?] having refused to sign) there had been born an "epigamic agreement" as per which all European states legally recognize and respect the legally recognized marriage customs of all other European states (for marriages made under said state's jurisdiction and by its laws) with respect to property rights, recognition of children as legitimate, and all other things.
The legal marriage situation (between two nationals of the below listed states, as under the epigamic agreement other arrangements legal elsewhere would also have to be respected) are described as follows:
In France and Italy, only civil marriage ceremonies are legally recognized, religious ones are not. In Spain, only religious ceremonies are recognized, not civil ones. While in Germany civil ceremonies are permitted, but only for those who have formally withdrawn from/renounced all religious organizations to which they formerly belonged.
In Austria and Hungary civil ceremonies are only facultative. In Romania even the "matrimonium conscientiae" (marriage of conscience) is legally recognized, which leaves out even government authorities from the equation.
Furthermore on account of "European Turkey" (not clear whether the suggestion is that Turkey is considered a European country, or the European part of Turkey is now a separate state, or due to Turkey having holdings in Europe was made signatory despite not being considered wholly European, et cetera) bigamy, trigamy, and even quadrigamy also have to be recognized (obviously within the constrains of the epigamic agreement... i.e.: only when the marriage is made in a state that legally recognizes such institutions for its own citizens). This caused some states (it is not clear how or why, but presumably due to recognition by one or more other states) to also have to recognize American Mormonism and European Nazarenism as legitimate religious groups.
And Russia's "Roman marriage" legally recognizes "polygamia successiva", the right to marry as many wives as one can support, but in succession rather than all at the same time. (It is not entirely clear whether this is actually referring to polygamy... which one would think would have already been covered by the Turkish example, or the right to remarry as many times as one wishes [perhaps while being obliged to continue to financially support all formerly divorced wives?].)
---
The Sabina's recovery was due in no small part to the company's reorienting itself to marrying young Székely Hungarian girls of poor families (who are given a bride-price[?] payment that the eventual fiancé, in addition to other fees, must pay the Sabina prior to the marriage) away to husbands in every part of Russia through the "Roman marriage" (which permits "successive polygamy", a term that is never fully explained).
The media in Hungary quickly came to perceive this as thinly disguised slave-trade, but since the girls are sent to the Sabina by their parents voluntarily, and enter into their eventual marriage likewise, there can be no legal ground for opposing the company's activity.
The king himself perceives the matter in such terms, but knows he can do little on account of Madame Shasa being one of the partners in the Sabina's owner company "Mazrur and partners".
The Sabina has a large "palace" in Budapest, where the young ladies under their care live and study until they are married. It is suggested that their heads are filled with questionably accurate promises about how grand and lavish their married lives will be... thereby rendering them eager to see their intended role in all of this through to the end.
Tatrangi Dávid seeks and receives an audience with Mazrur himself in order to request the release of his fiancée into his care. Mazrur is described as a human giant, a Samson in both appearance and strength. Mazrur regularly receives similar entreaties, and is used to most frequently denying them.
He proceeds to entertain Dávid's request by bringing out Szentivánfai Rozáli, and trying to demonstrate that she is well cared for and well on her way to an enviable marriage abroad. While saying nothing at first, when Mazrur finally asks Rozáli whether she wants to leave the Sabina to go with Dávid, she enthusiastically exclaims that indeed she does.
Mazrur, still confident, demands that Dávid sign a contract promising to marry the girl. He readily complies. Then Mazrur demands compensation for Rozáli's education, and the payment given to her parents... after a myriad (perhaps questionable) charges the price is in the vicinity of 500 Árpád-gold coins, at which point Dávid interrupts and offers the full 600 in hopes of expediting matters.
Finally, Mazrur seeing that none of his legal means of holding onto the girl seem to be working, he laughs and says that Dávid will have to take her from him by force, and grabs a hold of her.
Dávid instead of trying to force Mazrur's hands open, grabs a hold of his collar and yanks it upwards then twists it, causing Mazrur to fall down onto the ground (presumably being choked?) and offering no more immediate resistance.
Then, leaving the gold coins, he leaves with Rozáli and drops her off at the "Parabolana" the religious order that tends to those suffering from "pellagra". And, after doing so, decides to go visit his father at the insane asylum.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Part I, Chapter 3
THE ETERNAL FIGHT: How much is the king worth?
The king goes on a Gnu hunt--African Gnus have been naturalized in Hungary by this time--but actually ends up alone at a Hunter's Cottage painting a landscape painting. It is his secret desire to learn whether he is any good at this pastime of his, though he has not yet managed to conceive of a way that he could solicit honest opinions on his work.
One of the gnus chased by the mixed-breed (part Australian dingo) hunting dogs ends up jumping into the garden where the king is painting, and for some time both beasts stand still, giving the king ample time to paint the noble looking gnu into the painting that up until then seemed beautiful but somehow empty. When the hunting dog finally engages, the gnu ends up triumphing by goring it to death with its horns.
Soon after (but enough time after to hide the painting) the rest of the hunting party arrives, and it is widely seen to be of shame to the King that he had let the game escape. This eventually manifests in the media as well.
As a result of Tatrangi Dávid, the book's protagonist, holding up the king at his own palace gate until the password is given, the two first meet. In a subsequent interview, the King secretly commissions Dávid to sell his recently painted landscape with the gnu to an art dealer without revealing its source. In this way, the king wishes to receive a fair and impartial appraisal of his own merits as a human being, without the fawning sure to be lavished upon him due to his royal status.
The king's painting is successfully sold by Dávid, leaving its source unknown, and despite the artist's anonymity (and thus presumably due to genuine merit) it receives national and (regionaly) international acclaim.
The king, wishing to reward Dávid, inquires what he can offer him. He wishes discharge from the army, that the king is not willing to grant (feeling that it would create discontent if he chose to exercise that particular royal prerogative of his)... but presses Dávid to explain his situation.
Dávid explains that he should rightly be exempt from military service, because he is required to work his father's farm as his father himself cannot on account of being locked up in a mental institution. However the military claims that the father is not insane and should be released (and thus there is no reason for Dávid to be exempt).
The king suggests that if Dávid were to make a formal declaration that his father is insane, that would be force the military to grant him his exemption. However Dávid states that since his father is not insane, he cannot make such a declaration.
He then proceeds to explain that his father, though quite sane, is obsessed with the idea of flight and ended up in the insane asylum after his last attempt almost killed him (when his flying machine crash-landed [the Hungarian word for "airplane" is literally "flying-machine", make me wonder whether the term was adopted or coined by Jókai--particularly since the first successful powered flight in history only happened in 1874, a year or two after this book's publication, and even in 1892 Lord Kelvin said "Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible."])
After this story, it eventually comes to light that Dávid only has 6 weeks of mandatory service left. The king is astonished why he would therefore wish to waste the king's desire to show him gratitude on such a trifling matter.
Dávid explains that he wishes to marry his fiancée, but she is at the Sabina (more on this later). The king, after the mention of the Sabina, shows himself sympathetic--and though he does not grant Dávid his release, he gives Dávid the 600 Árpád-gold coins that were paid for his painting to take care of his situation with, and also gives him a sealed letter that Dávid is to use only if he finds himself in trouble for reasons beyond his control.
Midőn a király vadászatra indult, a fővadászmester egy Engendre-féle lőfegyvert szokott őfelségének prezentálni. Ez a fegyver a fővadászmester által töltetett meg s két csőből áll; az egyik csőben van húsz töltény, miket egy gépmű egyenkint a másik cső lőkamarájába áttaszít, két lövés között csak két másodpercnyi időköz szükséges. A töltények durranyagát az úgynevezett „német fehérpor” képezi, mely vérlúgsavból, égenyzöldegből és nádcukorból készül; nagyobb veterővel bír, mint a fekete lőpor, s nehezebben lobban fel; minthogy azonban a vasat erősen rozsdásítja, a hozzávaló fegyver csövének arannyal kell burkolva lenni.
... őfensége Henrik Zsigmond főherceg magyarázá a szakértő fenségeknek és főméltóságoknak a „dingó-kopók” előnyeit.
Ezek igen nevezetes állatok. Az angol rókakopók s az ausztráliai vad dingók keresztezéséből származott korcsok.
... mióta a budai erődítések elkészültek, az enceinte-be eső nagy terjedelmű erdőségeket a kormány az országos acclimatáló társulatnak adta által. Ez a többi között meghonosította az afrikai gnút.
Amint a kertre nyíló ajtón ismét vissza akart térni a várpalotába, az ott őrt álló katona útját állta.
„Mi a jelszó?”
A király végignézte az őrt. Magas nyúlánk, ideges ifjú volt: a közkatonák azon időbeli egyenruhája, kávébarna frakk, elöl magyaros zsinórzattal (dualisztikus uniformis), feszesen állt erőteljes termetén; homlokát takarta a fekete sisak sárgaréz tarajjal s fehér-veres-zöld kétfejű sassal az ernyője fölött. Az őr, szuronyát védmozdulatra fogva, állt az ajtó küszöbén. – Nem ismer ön engem? – kérdezé a király.
– A jelszót! – ismétlé az őr változatlan arccal.
A király aztán megmondta a jelszót.
Arra az őr tisztelgett, s utat nyitott a király előtt.
– Mi önnek a neve? – kérdezé a király.
– Tatrangi Dávid.
– Zsidó?
– Nem. Székelyföldi magyar.
– Azért lehet zsidó. Vannak a Székelyföldön magyarok, kik a szombatot tartják meg, kik a keresztelést nem az atya, fiú, szentlélek, hanem az Ábrahám, Izsák és Jákob Istenének nevében végezik, böjtöt és munkaszünetet tartanak zsidó szokás szerint; az újévet a zsidó újév napjától számítják, és neveiket az ószövetségből veszik csupán, s ezért minden felekezettől üldözve vannak. Ön nem a „szombatosok” közül való?
Az ifjú még halványabb lett.
Halk, mély, csaknem zúgó hangja volt: zengő suttogás.
– Ha mondanám, hogy az vagyok, nem volnék az: mert ők titkot nem mondanak ki.
– De én önnek legfőbb bírája vagyok – szólt a király szigorúan –, ki előtt senkinek titokkal nem szabad bírni.
– Igaz – szólt az ifjú –, de egyúttal legfőbb egyházfőm, kinek a gyónás titkát nem szabad elárulni. Gyóntam. Igaz.
– A szombatosoknak két kiváló erényük van – monda a király. – Az egyik az igazmondás, a másik a titoktartás. Midőn utamat állta ön, tudta, hogy mit tesz?
– Tudtam: amit a törvény parancsol.
– S ha én önt erőszakkal megtámadtam volna, meglőtt volna ön?
– Meg.
– És ha önnek saját édesapja jött volna eléje, hogy ajtómon bejöjjön, meglőtte volna azt?
Az ifjú nagyot sóhajtott:
– Meg.
– Pedig a szombatosoknak tiltja a hit az emberölést.
– De az ország törvénye parancsol még a hitnek is.
- ... A hadtudomány oly fokra fejlődött, hogy a legelső harcban, mely kitör, az emberiség egyik felének ki kell irtani a másikat. A huszadik század utolsó felét járjuk, s az a hit, hogy a kétezered év betöltésével el kell jönni az időnek, mely az örök „Isten békéjét”, az örök „treuga Dei”-t elhozza, az egész világot kezdi áthatni.
– Tehát ön is hisz a millenniumban? Lehetőnek tartja a Chiliasmust? A kétezredik év Isten békéjét?
– Ha emberek akarják, s Isten segít, lehető.
The king goes on a Gnu hunt--African Gnus have been naturalized in Hungary by this time--but actually ends up alone at a Hunter's Cottage painting a landscape painting. It is his secret desire to learn whether he is any good at this pastime of his, though he has not yet managed to conceive of a way that he could solicit honest opinions on his work.
One of the gnus chased by the mixed-breed (part Australian dingo) hunting dogs ends up jumping into the garden where the king is painting, and for some time both beasts stand still, giving the king ample time to paint the noble looking gnu into the painting that up until then seemed beautiful but somehow empty. When the hunting dog finally engages, the gnu ends up triumphing by goring it to death with its horns.
Soon after (but enough time after to hide the painting) the rest of the hunting party arrives, and it is widely seen to be of shame to the King that he had let the game escape. This eventually manifests in the media as well.
As a result of Tatrangi Dávid, the book's protagonist, holding up the king at his own palace gate until the password is given, the two first meet. In a subsequent interview, the King secretly commissions Dávid to sell his recently painted landscape with the gnu to an art dealer without revealing its source. In this way, the king wishes to receive a fair and impartial appraisal of his own merits as a human being, without the fawning sure to be lavished upon him due to his royal status.
The king's painting is successfully sold by Dávid, leaving its source unknown, and despite the artist's anonymity (and thus presumably due to genuine merit) it receives national and (regionaly) international acclaim.
The king, wishing to reward Dávid, inquires what he can offer him. He wishes discharge from the army, that the king is not willing to grant (feeling that it would create discontent if he chose to exercise that particular royal prerogative of his)... but presses Dávid to explain his situation.
Dávid explains that he should rightly be exempt from military service, because he is required to work his father's farm as his father himself cannot on account of being locked up in a mental institution. However the military claims that the father is not insane and should be released (and thus there is no reason for Dávid to be exempt).
The king suggests that if Dávid were to make a formal declaration that his father is insane, that would be force the military to grant him his exemption. However Dávid states that since his father is not insane, he cannot make such a declaration.
He then proceeds to explain that his father, though quite sane, is obsessed with the idea of flight and ended up in the insane asylum after his last attempt almost killed him (when his flying machine crash-landed [the Hungarian word for "airplane" is literally "flying-machine", make me wonder whether the term was adopted or coined by Jókai--particularly since the first successful powered flight in history only happened in 1874, a year or two after this book's publication, and even in 1892 Lord Kelvin said "Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible."])
After this story, it eventually comes to light that Dávid only has 6 weeks of mandatory service left. The king is astonished why he would therefore wish to waste the king's desire to show him gratitude on such a trifling matter.
Dávid explains that he wishes to marry his fiancée, but she is at the Sabina (more on this later). The king, after the mention of the Sabina, shows himself sympathetic--and though he does not grant Dávid his release, he gives Dávid the 600 Árpád-gold coins that were paid for his painting to take care of his situation with, and also gives him a sealed letter that Dávid is to use only if he finds himself in trouble for reasons beyond his control.
Midőn a király vadászatra indult, a fővadászmester egy Engendre-féle lőfegyvert szokott őfelségének prezentálni. Ez a fegyver a fővadászmester által töltetett meg s két csőből áll; az egyik csőben van húsz töltény, miket egy gépmű egyenkint a másik cső lőkamarájába áttaszít, két lövés között csak két másodpercnyi időköz szükséges. A töltények durranyagát az úgynevezett „német fehérpor” képezi, mely vérlúgsavból, égenyzöldegből és nádcukorból készül; nagyobb veterővel bír, mint a fekete lőpor, s nehezebben lobban fel; minthogy azonban a vasat erősen rozsdásítja, a hozzávaló fegyver csövének arannyal kell burkolva lenni.
The king hunts with a two barreled gun, one barrel of which contains 20 bullets mechanically loaded into the other barrel (from which the bullets are shot). Shots can be fired with a rapidity of 1 every 2 seconds. The bullets are propelled not by black gunpowder but by "german white-powder".
... őfensége Henrik Zsigmond főherceg magyarázá a szakértő fenségeknek és főméltóságoknak a „dingó-kopók” előnyeit.
Ezek igen nevezetes állatok. Az angol rókakopók s az ausztráliai vad dingók keresztezéséből származott korcsok.
Australian dingo/English foxhound hybrid dogs are used for hunting.
... mióta a budai erődítések elkészültek, az enceinte-be eső nagy terjedelmű erdőségeket a kormány az országos acclimatáló társulatnak adta által. Ez a többi között meghonosította az afrikai gnút.
The African Gnu has been naturalized to the forests surrounding Buda.
Amint a kertre nyíló ajtón ismét vissza akart térni a várpalotába, az ott őrt álló katona útját állta.
„Mi a jelszó?”
A király végignézte az őrt. Magas nyúlánk, ideges ifjú volt: a közkatonák azon időbeli egyenruhája, kávébarna frakk, elöl magyaros zsinórzattal (dualisztikus uniformis), feszesen állt erőteljes termetén; homlokát takarta a fekete sisak sárgaréz tarajjal s fehér-veres-zöld kétfejű sassal az ernyője fölött. Az őr, szuronyát védmozdulatra fogva, állt az ajtó küszöbén. – Nem ismer ön engem? – kérdezé a király.
– A jelszót! – ismétlé az őr változatlan arccal.
A király aztán megmondta a jelszót.
Arra az őr tisztelgett, s utat nyitott a király előtt.
The king meets the book's protagonist while said protagonist is performing as a palace guard at the gate. He categorically refuses to let the King enter without giving the password, despite recognizing him.
– Mi önnek a neve? – kérdezé a király.
– Tatrangi Dávid.
– Zsidó?
– Nem. Székelyföldi magyar.
– Azért lehet zsidó. Vannak a Székelyföldön magyarok, kik a szombatot tartják meg, kik a keresztelést nem az atya, fiú, szentlélek, hanem az Ábrahám, Izsák és Jákob Istenének nevében végezik, böjtöt és munkaszünetet tartanak zsidó szokás szerint; az újévet a zsidó újév napjától számítják, és neveiket az ószövetségből veszik csupán, s ezért minden felekezettől üldözve vannak. Ön nem a „szombatosok” közül való?
Az ifjú még halványabb lett.
Halk, mély, csaknem zúgó hangja volt: zengő suttogás.
– Ha mondanám, hogy az vagyok, nem volnék az: mert ők titkot nem mondanak ki.
– De én önnek legfőbb bírája vagyok – szólt a király szigorúan –, ki előtt senkinek titokkal nem szabad bírni.
– Igaz – szólt az ifjú –, de egyúttal legfőbb egyházfőm, kinek a gyónás titkát nem szabad elárulni. Gyóntam. Igaz.
– A szombatosoknak két kiváló erényük van – monda a király. – Az egyik az igazmondás, a másik a titoktartás. Midőn utamat állta ön, tudta, hogy mit tesz?
– Tudtam: amit a törvény parancsol.
– S ha én önt erőszakkal megtámadtam volna, meglőtt volna ön?
– Meg.
– És ha önnek saját édesapja jött volna eléje, hogy ajtómon bejöjjön, meglőtte volna azt?
Az ifjú nagyot sóhajtott:
– Meg.
– Pedig a szombatosoknak tiltja a hit az emberölést.
– De az ország törvénye parancsol még a hitnek is.
The palace guard, Tatrangi Dávid,--again, the Hungarian form of the name should be preserved in translations, instead of opting for "David [of] Tatrang"--is summoned by the king.
Ethnically, he is a Székely Hungarian. Religiously, he reluctantly confirms that he is a "Szombatos" (Sabbathist). If the king's understanding of Sabbathists is correct, they seem like Christian converts to Judaism who either deemphasize (or, perhaps, even deny?) Jesus and seek to return to Judaic fundamentals. (Fast and rest on the appropriate Jewish days, give names only from the Old Testament, baptise in the name of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, et cetera.) It is stated by the king that Sabbathists are persecuted by all other denominations for their practices. (Though it is implied not official state authorities.)
Tatrangi Dávid is questioned by the king, and shows himself to be deeply duty-bound despite his Sabbathist objection against killing and thus his present profession as a soldier (as a result of the routine limited time draft into basic training/military service that all healthy young men are subject to).
- ... A hadtudomány oly fokra fejlődött, hogy a legelső harcban, mely kitör, az emberiség egyik felének ki kell irtani a másikat. A huszadik század utolsó felét járjuk, s az a hit, hogy a kétezered év betöltésével el kell jönni az időnek, mely az örök „Isten békéjét”, az örök „treuga Dei”-t elhozza, az egész világot kezdi áthatni.
– Tehát ön is hisz a millenniumban? Lehetőnek tartja a Chiliasmust? A kétezredik év Isten békéjét?
– Ha emberek akarják, s Isten segít, lehető.
The martial arts have developed to such an extent that in the next war that breaks out, one half of humanity will have to exterminate the other half.
There is a wide-spread belief that God's peace will come at the millenium. Tatrangi Dávid shares this belief, while the king does not do so (or at least not openly).
Part I, Chapter 2
THE ETERNAL FIGHT: What is forbidden to the king
The chapter starts by the King composing a lover letter to his beloved, whom he acknowledges in the letter he can never openly declare to love. Soon thereafter, an apparent fire at the Parliament draws the King from his room in so great a hurry as to leave his letter on his table along with his beloved's portrait.
Thereafter, the three of the King's high-ranking servants have a conversation about a Hungarian language magazine, "La Menteur" that they declare to be most dangerous because in addition to being mostly filled with lies, now and then it speaks the truth, and nobody can reliable discern which story if which. On the surface, this seems to be little more than satirical commentary on the press (or perhaps on "free press")...
Eventually, the servants end up entering the King's room and finding his letter and the portrait, subsequently discussing among themselves that the portrait is of the exiled Russian Tsar Constantin's daughter Princess Hermione Peleia, whom he may not marry lest he inspire Russia's populist Madame Shasa to wage war upon Austria-Hungary.
Upon his return, the King notices that someone had been indiscrete, from the golden powder upon his letter having been disturbed, but does not pursue the matter despite being quite angry.
„Constantin cár, Hermione Peleia hercegasszony atyja, mikor trónra lépett, az előde által addig követett politikát gyökeresen megváltoztatta. Felmondta a német barátságot, udvarából kiküszöbölte a német államférfiakat, s elkezdett orosz nemzeti politikát követni, s egyúttal alkotmányos kormányhoz akarta szoktatni a népét. Ezáltal három dolgot ért el; az egyik az volt, hogy a német diplomáciát egészen elidegenítette magától, a másik az, hogy az orosz főnemességet halálos ellenségévé tette, a harmadik meg, hogy az orosz nép, amint egy kis alkotmányos levegőhöz jutott: elkezdett jakobinus lenni. (Ilyen veszedelmes dolog az az alkotmány!) Egyszer aztán az orosz főnemesek összeesküdtek a cár nagybátyjával, Mihállyal; Constantint letették, családostól számkivetették, s Mihály cár alatt helyreállították a régi nemesi uralmat s a jobbágyságot. Erre aztán roppant lázadás tört ki. A felkelők az általuk először használt léggömbök segélyével porrá zúzták a Kremlt, a bennszorult nemesi hadakkal együtt; hová lett Mihály cár, azt ma sem tudja senki. Szentpétervárott most gonoszabbul megy a dolog, mint Párizsban 1792-ben. A rémuralom kormányát egy nő ragadta magához, kinek neve Alekszandra, de akit népszerűen csak Saszának neveznek, s ez egy valóságos női Robespierre, egy démon, egy szörnyeteg, kinek véres szeszélyei rettegésben tartják Európát, aki hadat készít minden ellen, ami még fennáll; trón, oltár, nászágy, s ha rémuralmával rendet lesz képes odahaza csinálni, rövid időn, mint az Apokalipszis hétszarvú sárkánya fog lerohanni Európa többi országaira. A letett cár, Constantin pedig ide menekült Magyarországra, s itt oltalmat talált. Felséges urunk nem tagadhatá azt meg tőle, ki halálos betegen jött ide; még kevésbé leányától. Most a vendégszeretet által először is kellemetlenül lett érintve a német udvar, mellyel Constantin ellenséges viszonyokat tartott fenn; másodszor ránk idézte veszedelmes figyelmét a rettenetes szörnyetegnek asszonyi alakban ott a Néva mellett. Ez a szoknyás Dzsingisz kán nem átallotta nyíltan kihíresztelni, hogy amelyik európai uralkodó vagy annak bármelyik ivadéka nőül meri venni a cár leányát, azt ő rögtön haddal támadja meg, s nem nyugszik, míg a koronás férj és feleség mint fogoly kezei közt nem lesz. Ez a mi siralmas állapotunk. – És íme, most őfelsége saját koronás uralkodónk ábrándozik a veszedelmes szép ábrázatról. Jó szerencse, hogy Hermione Peleia hercegasszony, ismerve a fölöttünk lebegő veszélyt, rendületlenül áll azon elhatározása mellett, hogy zárdába menjen, s miután ő anyja után római katolika, egy katolikus kolostort készül alapítani.”
The chapter starts by the King composing a lover letter to his beloved, whom he acknowledges in the letter he can never openly declare to love. Soon thereafter, an apparent fire at the Parliament draws the King from his room in so great a hurry as to leave his letter on his table along with his beloved's portrait.
Thereafter, the three of the King's high-ranking servants have a conversation about a Hungarian language magazine, "La Menteur" that they declare to be most dangerous because in addition to being mostly filled with lies, now and then it speaks the truth, and nobody can reliable discern which story if which. On the surface, this seems to be little more than satirical commentary on the press (or perhaps on "free press")...
Eventually, the servants end up entering the King's room and finding his letter and the portrait, subsequently discussing among themselves that the portrait is of the exiled Russian Tsar Constantin's daughter Princess Hermione Peleia, whom he may not marry lest he inspire Russia's populist Madame Shasa to wage war upon Austria-Hungary.
Upon his return, the King notices that someone had been indiscrete, from the golden powder upon his letter having been disturbed, but does not pursue the matter despite being quite angry.
„Constantin cár, Hermione Peleia hercegasszony atyja, mikor trónra lépett, az előde által addig követett politikát gyökeresen megváltoztatta. Felmondta a német barátságot, udvarából kiküszöbölte a német államférfiakat, s elkezdett orosz nemzeti politikát követni, s egyúttal alkotmányos kormányhoz akarta szoktatni a népét. Ezáltal három dolgot ért el; az egyik az volt, hogy a német diplomáciát egészen elidegenítette magától, a másik az, hogy az orosz főnemességet halálos ellenségévé tette, a harmadik meg, hogy az orosz nép, amint egy kis alkotmányos levegőhöz jutott: elkezdett jakobinus lenni. (Ilyen veszedelmes dolog az az alkotmány!) Egyszer aztán az orosz főnemesek összeesküdtek a cár nagybátyjával, Mihállyal; Constantint letették, családostól számkivetették, s Mihály cár alatt helyreállították a régi nemesi uralmat s a jobbágyságot. Erre aztán roppant lázadás tört ki. A felkelők az általuk először használt léggömbök segélyével porrá zúzták a Kremlt, a bennszorult nemesi hadakkal együtt; hová lett Mihály cár, azt ma sem tudja senki. Szentpétervárott most gonoszabbul megy a dolog, mint Párizsban 1792-ben. A rémuralom kormányát egy nő ragadta magához, kinek neve Alekszandra, de akit népszerűen csak Saszának neveznek, s ez egy valóságos női Robespierre, egy démon, egy szörnyeteg, kinek véres szeszélyei rettegésben tartják Európát, aki hadat készít minden ellen, ami még fennáll; trón, oltár, nászágy, s ha rémuralmával rendet lesz képes odahaza csinálni, rövid időn, mint az Apokalipszis hétszarvú sárkánya fog lerohanni Európa többi országaira. A letett cár, Constantin pedig ide menekült Magyarországra, s itt oltalmat talált. Felséges urunk nem tagadhatá azt meg tőle, ki halálos betegen jött ide; még kevésbé leányától. Most a vendégszeretet által először is kellemetlenül lett érintve a német udvar, mellyel Constantin ellenséges viszonyokat tartott fenn; másodszor ránk idézte veszedelmes figyelmét a rettenetes szörnyetegnek asszonyi alakban ott a Néva mellett. Ez a szoknyás Dzsingisz kán nem átallotta nyíltan kihíresztelni, hogy amelyik európai uralkodó vagy annak bármelyik ivadéka nőül meri venni a cár leányát, azt ő rögtön haddal támadja meg, s nem nyugszik, míg a koronás férj és feleség mint fogoly kezei közt nem lesz. Ez a mi siralmas állapotunk. – És íme, most őfelsége saját koronás uralkodónk ábrándozik a veszedelmes szép ábrázatról. Jó szerencse, hogy Hermione Peleia hercegasszony, ismerve a fölöttünk lebegő veszélyt, rendületlenül áll azon elhatározása mellett, hogy zárdába menjen, s miután ő anyja után római katolika, egy katolikus kolostort készül alapítani.”
"When Tsar Constantin, the father of Princess Hermione Peleia, rose to the throne, he pursued radically different politics from his predecessor. He gave up the German friendship, rid his court of German statesmen, and began to pursue Russian national politics instead, also wishing to make his people accustomed to constitutional governing. By this, he achieved three things; one was that he turned German diplomacy altogether away from himself, the other one was that he turned the highest Russian nobles into his mortal enemies; and the third was that as soon as the Russian thede got some constitutional air it turned Jacobine. (The constitution is this dangerous a thing!) Then eventually the highest Russian nobles conspired with the Tsar's uncle, Michail; and lowered Constantin, exiled him along with his family, and under Michail restored the old rule of the nobility and serfdom. This produced a great uprising. Those that revolted had for the first time used balloons, and thus they utterly destroyed the Kerml with all the nobility, its forces; nobody knows what had happened to Tsar Michail. Today things are in a more evil state at St. Petersburg than they were in Paris in 1792. A woman rose to power in this rule of terror, whose name is Alexandra, but who is popularly just called Shasa. She is a female Robespierre, a demon, a monster, whose bloody fancies keep Europe in terror, who prepares for war against all that still stands; throne, altar, marital bed, and if her rule of terror manages to restore order at home, soon she will charge at the rest of Europe's countries like the Apocalyptic seven-horned dragon. The lower Tsar, Constantin, chose to flee to Hungary, and found protection here. Our Majesty could not deny that from him, who came here mortally ill; much less from his daughter. Now due to this hospitality, the German court was displeased, as Constantin had formerly treated it as an enemy; secondly, it drew toward us the dangerous attention of the dangerous beast that assumed the shape of a woman beside the Neva. This skirt-wearing Djingis Khan did not waste time to spread the news that she would attack with great force any country whose crowned head or prince would presume to marry the Tsar's daughter, and would not rest until both the crowned husband and the wife are prisoners in her hands. This is our pitiful state. And behold, now His Majesty, our own crowned head, daydreams of this dangerous beauty. It is fortunate that Princess Hermione Peleia, knowing the danger floating over us, has firmly decided that she will enter a convent, and as her mother is a Roman Catholic, she plans to found a Catholic convent of her own."
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Part I, Chapter 1
THE ETERNAL FIGHT: A King, who earns his bread
This chapter primarily deals with the King's activities on his name day, and descriptions as well as excerpted events meant to illustrate his quotidian life. The below translated excerpts, as elsewhere, do not give a complete account of the chapter but instead highlight portions that I perceive to be significant.
Százegy ágyúlövés a gellérthegyi fellegvárból jelenté Habsburgi Árpád legmagasabb névnapjának megvirradtát.
Habsburgi Árpád Magyarországnak ez idő szerint dicsőségesen uralkodó királya, nemkülönben a Magyarországgal szövetséges országoknak császárja, királya, nagyfejedelme, őrgrófja és a többi.
Huszonhét év előtt – tehát 1925-ben – a római szent Kúria által „honalapító” Árpád a szentek közé emelteték.
It should be pointed out that Habsburgi Árpád is the King of Hungary, Kaiser of Austria, et cetera... in other words, the Ruler of Austria-Hungary and all its holdings in the novel's time frame, circa 1952. Whereas Árpád (the first, or "the homeland-founder") is the "Fejedelem" (Grand Patriarch) of the Hungarian tribes moving in to Europe and conquering much of historical Hungary, circa the 890's.
Oka volt a kanonizációnak azon körülmény, miszerint a legmagasabb királyi anya újszülött fiát egyenesen e névre óhajtá kereszteltetni, leghívebb népe iránti rokonszenvének tanújeléül.
De mindenekfölött erős védok volt Árpád kanonizáltatására az a nevezetes történelmi adat, mely az első magyar fejedelem fehéregyházai sírjának fölfedeztetése alkalmával jött napfényre.
...
De legnevezetesebb volt a cölöpkriptában talált aranylánc, mely éppen a sisakos koponyát köríté, s melyhez egy hármas arany kereszt volt foglalva (a minőt manapság is használnak Dél-Oroszországban a raszkolnik szektáriusok). Ezzel be lett bizonyítva, hogy Árpád fejedelem már a honfoglaláskor, ha konfirmálva nem volt is, de formaszerint keresztyénnek állítható: ami annak az okát is kideríti, hogy miért viselt a nyelvrokon kazár fejedelem Mén Marót ellen oly hosszan tartó hadjáratot, aki ugyanis soknejű volt, tehát Mahomed-hitű.
The triple cross is doubtless the Eastern Orthodox cross with the crooked crossbar toward the bottom.
In contrast with the accepted practice, I translate "Fejedelem" (whose most direct [albeit not literal] translation would be something like "Great Head [of the Nation]") neither as "Chieftain" nor as "Grand Prince", since the title sound as (if not more) majestic in Hungarian as the Hungarian words for "King" (Király) or "Emperor" (Császár). Also, the authority of the Fejedelem was not meaningfully lesser than that of the King, despite definitely being both different and different in scope in some ways. I view the translations "Chieftain" and "Grand Prince" as historically rooted (and doubtless altogether subconscious) attempts to deemphasize the prestige/significance/legitimacy of non-Christian/non-European rulers. In light of all this, I find "Grand Patriarch" to be the most satisfactory translation and will consistently use it instead of the aforementioned alternatives.
Kánoni indoka volt e kanonizációnak az, hogy Árpád, ki egy egész népet kihozott a pogányságnak világrészéből, Ázsiából, s azt a keresztyénség keblébe átvezérelte, méltán sorozható a „hittérítők” legnagyobbjai közé,
Tehát 1952. július 15-én százegy ágyúlövés hirdeté Szent Árpád napjának megvirradtát.
kétszáznegyven léggömb emelkedik ki ... mik ezer mérte (mètre) hosszaságú köteleken tartva s egymáshoz fűzve, az új stratégia vívmányát mutatják fel; amikből az ostromló sereg fejére trinitrin, durranilin, dinamit, nitromannit és pyroxilin lövegeket lehet hajigálni, anélkül, hogy az röppentyűivel a mennyei tűzaknákat elérhetné; legfőbb rendeltetésük levén pedig az ostromló léggömbök hasonértékű ellensúlyozása.
S mind a kétszáznegyven hadi léggömb körös-körül fel van lobogózva őfelsége minden országainak színeit képviselő zászlókkal, ... s egy villanyütésre legöngyölődik ... a Duna fölött huszonhárom zászló, őfelsége valamennyi országainak címereivel.
Az az ing egy páncéling.
Húsz rét tafota erősen összevissza varrva selyemmel képezi ezt a páncélt. Feltalálója, ki ezt felajánlá, saját testén állta ki a próbát, puskagolyóval húsz lépésről, revolverrel közvetlen közelből engedve magára lövöldöztetni, a páncélt nem bírta a golyó átszakítani. E páncél neve „gambisson”.
– Felség, azt fel kell venni. Az olasz király őfelségére kétszer lőttek rá, a francia köztársaság elnökére háromszor, az angol király őfelségére négyszer, a spanyol királyra csak egyszer, de nyolc fegyverből, a szerb királyt el is találták, az orosz cárt nem is említve, .. a Mahmud szultán őfelsége ellen utóbbi időkben merényeltetett.
pápa elhagyta Rómát, később Avignont is; s egy ideig Máltában időzve, végre Pozsonyba menekült, s erős ellentétben volt a világi kormányokkal. Azonkívül Magyarországra menekültek az európai államoknak változás következtében eltávozott fejedelmei, volt itt nápolyi és spanyol Bourbon-, Welf-, Bonaparte- és Orléans-, Romanov-, Chambord-, Coburg- és Karagyorgyevics-dinasztia: s azoknak a monarchia mind menedékjoggal és protekcióval tartozott, úgyhogy egy időben kétféle teljes diplomatiai corps működött az udvarnál, egyik a legitim, de elűzött praetendenseké, másik az illegitim, de tettleges hatalomé. ... mindenkinek a saját nyelvén kellett válaszolnia, azon időben a francia nyelv diplomáciai általánossága a nemzetiségi elv érvényre jutása által meg levén szüntetve: tehát spanyolul, angolul, franciául, németül, románul, olaszul, szerbül, görögül és törökül (az orosz nincs közötte, hogy miért nincs, azt majd megtudjuk később)
Végre a légen keresztül röpült fel őfelsége a királyi vár erkélyeig, egy óriási léggömb csónakjában, a léggömb tetején ülő aeronautának hűségére volt bízva az alatta lebegők élete: egy meggyújtott gyufa elég az egész léggömböt egyszerre fellobbantani, s az aeronauták mind internacionalisták.
Átellenben a királlyal ül az észak-amerikai államok követe, s a menü hátlapjára jegyezget valamit.
Őfelsége nemcsak a misén jelenik meg a Szent Árpád-székesegyházban, hanem az egész délelőttöt arra fordítja, hogy a protestánsok, óhitűek és héber vallásúak templomaiban is fölkeresse a szent szertartásokat, nehogy valamelyik hitfelekezet háttérbe téve érezze magát, s emiatt zúgolódjék.
A simpler explanation might be "Old-Faithers" referring to Orthodox Christians... but this is the first time I have encountered the term, so I cannot meaningfully connect it to either the former or the latter theory conclusively.
Ő tudja, hogy Oroszországban mi történik. Az orosz respublika borzasztóan fegyverkezik. A roppant néptömegek, mik a nemesség ellen fellázadtak, foglalkozást keresnek, s valami nagy organizáló talentum alakítja át a hadsereget. Észak-amerikai kéz dolgozik benne. A hadi léggömböket, miket eddig csak várostromokhoz használtak megdöbbentő sikerrel, most újabban csatatéri működésre alkalmazták, melyben a lovasság is szerepet játszik.
This chapter primarily deals with the King's activities on his name day, and descriptions as well as excerpted events meant to illustrate his quotidian life. The below translated excerpts, as elsewhere, do not give a complete account of the chapter but instead highlight portions that I perceive to be significant.
Százegy ágyúlövés a gellérthegyi fellegvárból jelenté Habsburgi Árpád legmagasabb névnapjának megvirradtát.
Hundred-and-one canon shots from the Gellért mountain citadel signal the sunrise of Habsburgi Árpád's most high name day."Habsburgi" is the Hungarian adjectival form of "Habsburg", functionally equivalent to the German "von Habsburg". While even in Jókai's time the King's name would have had localized forms in all his subjects' languages, his consistently being referred to by this name (paired with his portrayal as an unabashed hungarophile) suggests that the Hungarian form of his name is preferred by the King above the Austrian (and all other) versions. Be aware that Hungarian name order places the family name first, and given names last.
Habsburgi Árpád Magyarországnak ez idő szerint dicsőségesen uralkodó királya, nemkülönben a Magyarországgal szövetséges országoknak császárja, királya, nagyfejedelme, őrgrófja és a többi.
Habsburgi Árpád is at this time Hungary's gloriously ruling King, additional also being Kaiser, King, Chief Prince, Archduke, et cetera of the countries in union with Hungary.Austria appears to be explicitly omitted and grouped in with all other countries in union with Hungary--further indication of the King's partiality toward Hungary. It is interesting, though perhaps politically not otherwise feasible, that Jókai, writing mere decades after Hungary's second uprising against the Habsburgs, imagines a future Hungary still under a Habsburg but with the sort of favoured status Austria previously enjoyed. Albeit it may simply be a case of Jókai being among those who saw the Ausgleich as being a positive step in the right direction.
Huszonhét év előtt – tehát 1925-ben – a római szent Kúria által „honalapító” Árpád a szentek közé emelteték.
Twenty-seven years ago--therefore in 1925--the Roman Holy Curia raised "the homeland-founder" Árpád to sainthood.While I am not certain whether "Roman Holy Curia" is the correct translation, it is unambiguous in the original that the Catholic Church is meant.
It should be pointed out that Habsburgi Árpád is the King of Hungary, Kaiser of Austria, et cetera... in other words, the Ruler of Austria-Hungary and all its holdings in the novel's time frame, circa 1952. Whereas Árpád (the first, or "the homeland-founder") is the "Fejedelem" (Grand Patriarch) of the Hungarian tribes moving in to Europe and conquering much of historical Hungary, circa the 890's.
Oka volt a kanonizációnak azon körülmény, miszerint a legmagasabb királyi anya újszülött fiát egyenesen e névre óhajtá kereszteltetni, leghívebb népe iránti rokonszenvének tanújeléül.
One reason for the canonization was the circumstance, according to which the most high Queen mother desired specifically to name her newborn son with this name, as a sign of her affections for her most loyal thede.I use the (I believe Middle English) word "thede" to mean "people" as an abstract grouping of people who are ethnoculturally linked. Basically equivalent to the Greek "demos". I do this in order to avoid an ambiguity between "people" as in "multiple individuals" and "people" as in "a mass of individuals treated as a collective singular", since such an ambiguity does not exist in the Hungarian. It is also interesting that Hungarians are characterized as "most loyal", again, as at the time of the novel's writing the second Hungarian uprising is still fairly recent history.
De mindenekfölött erős védok volt Árpád kanonizáltatására az a nevezetes történelmi adat, mely az első magyar fejedelem fehéregyházai sírjának fölfedeztetése alkalmával jött napfényre.
...
De legnevezetesebb volt a cölöpkriptában talált aranylánc, mely éppen a sisakos koponyát köríté, s melyhez egy hármas arany kereszt volt foglalva (a minőt manapság is használnak Dél-Oroszországban a raszkolnik szektáriusok). Ezzel be lett bizonyítva, hogy Árpád fejedelem már a honfoglaláskor, ha konfirmálva nem volt is, de formaszerint keresztyénnek állítható: ami annak az okát is kideríti, hogy miért viselt a nyelvrokon kazár fejedelem Mén Marót ellen oly hosszan tartó hadjáratot, aki ugyanis soknejű volt, tehát Mahomed-hitű.
But above all else a strong defense/reason for Árpád's canonization was the notable historical detail that came to light upon the discovery of Hungary's first Grand Patriarch's grave at Fehéregyháza.Be aware that many cities mentioned in the book that may today be outside of Hungary are very likely considered/treated by the novel to be Hungarian cities, albeit doubtless many with significant non-Hungarian minorities or even local or regional non-Hungarian majorities.
...
But most remarkable was the golden chain (necklace) found within the wooden crypt, surrounding the hatted skull('s neck), and to which a triple cross was attached (such as the raskolniki sectarians still wear in Southern Russia). With this it was proved that by the time of the Conquest Grand Patriarch Árpád was, even if unconfirmed, basically a Christian: which also explains why he long waged war upon the Khazar Grand Patriarch Menumorut, who was a linguistic kin, who of course was a polygamist and therefore of Mohamed's faith.
The triple cross is doubtless the Eastern Orthodox cross with the crooked crossbar toward the bottom.
In contrast with the accepted practice, I translate "Fejedelem" (whose most direct [albeit not literal] translation would be something like "Great Head [of the Nation]") neither as "Chieftain" nor as "Grand Prince", since the title sound as (if not more) majestic in Hungarian as the Hungarian words for "King" (Király) or "Emperor" (Császár). Also, the authority of the Fejedelem was not meaningfully lesser than that of the King, despite definitely being both different and different in scope in some ways. I view the translations "Chieftain" and "Grand Prince" as historically rooted (and doubtless altogether subconscious) attempts to deemphasize the prestige/significance/legitimacy of non-Christian/non-European rulers. In light of all this, I find "Grand Patriarch" to be the most satisfactory translation and will consistently use it instead of the aforementioned alternatives.
Kánoni indoka volt e kanonizációnak az, hogy Árpád, ki egy egész népet kihozott a pogányságnak világrészéből, Ázsiából, s azt a keresztyénség keblébe átvezérelte, méltán sorozható a „hittérítők” legnagyobbjai közé,
The canonical justification for the canonization was that Árpád, having lead an entire thede out of the pagan part of the world that is Asia right into the bosom of christendom, can rightly be considered among the greatest "evangelists",Méltó oka volt a kanonizációnak pedig az, hogy a szomorú korszakban oly balcsillagzatok jártak Európa fölött, melyeknek befolyása alatt a még mindig rómainak nevezett, de Rómát elhagyni kényszerült egyházi fejedelmi kúria koronás fejével együtt legbiztosabb menedékét találta a „négyfolyamú” országban ... a pápa Pozsony városát választá lakhelyéül,
A worthy reason for the canonization was that, influenced by the unfortunate stars of a sad era in Europe, the Church Curia still calling itself Roman was forced to leave Rome and with its crowned head found safest refuge in the "four rivered" country ... the Pope chose the city of Pozsony as his place of residence,Pozsony despite it being Slovakia's capital as Bratislava in our present day, should be imagined as a Hungarian/Austro-Hungarian city, having been home to Hungary's parliament just a few decades before the writing of this novel.
Tehát 1952. július 15-én százegy ágyúlövés hirdeté Szent Árpád napjának megvirradtát.
So on July 15th of 1952, hundred-and-one canon shots announce the beginning of Saint Árpád's day.Thus Jókai's book begins about 80 or so years in the future (counting from its 1872 publication).
kétszáznegyven léggömb emelkedik ki ... mik ezer mérte (mètre) hosszaságú köteleken tartva s egymáshoz fűzve, az új stratégia vívmányát mutatják fel; amikből az ostromló sereg fejére trinitrin, durranilin, dinamit, nitromannit és pyroxilin lövegeket lehet hajigálni, anélkül, hogy az röppentyűivel a mennyei tűzaknákat elérhetné; legfőbb rendeltetésük levén pedig az ostromló léggömbök hasonértékű ellensúlyozása.
two-hundred-and-forty hot-air balloons rise up ... which are both tied to the ground and to each other by thousand meter long ropes, showcasing the new advances in strategy; from them "trinitrin" (Nitroglycerin?), "durranilin" (?), dynamite, "nitromannit" (Mannitol hexanitrate?) and "pyroxilin" (pyroxile?) shells can be dumped onto the heads of the besieging troops, without their bullets (?) in-turn being able to reach these heavenly fire-mines; though their primary purpose being the countering of likewise besieging hot-air balloons.This is extrapolation from the existing use of non-steerable balloons used in warfare by the time of the writing of this book.
S mind a kétszáznegyven hadi léggömb körös-körül fel van lobogózva őfelsége minden országainak színeit képviselő zászlókkal, ... s egy villanyütésre legöngyölődik ... a Duna fölött huszonhárom zászló, őfelsége valamennyi országainak címereivel.
And all the two-hundred-and-forty martial hot-air balloons are surrounded by flags representing all of His Majesty's country's colours, ... and from an electric signal (?) roll down ... over the Danube twenty-three flags, with all of His Majesty's countries' coats of arms.More emphasis on cultural pluralism.
Az az ing egy páncéling.
Húsz rét tafota erősen összevissza varrva selyemmel képezi ezt a páncélt. Feltalálója, ki ezt felajánlá, saját testén állta ki a próbát, puskagolyóval húsz lépésről, revolverrel közvetlen közelből engedve magára lövöldöztetni, a páncélt nem bírta a golyó átszakítani. E páncél neve „gambisson”.
That shirt is an armour-shirt.Unfortunately I am uncertain of the meaning of the word "tafota", though it might mean something like "sheet" or "contiguous length of fabric". The point seems to be that a lot of fabric is layered... which, while may sound rather like a kevlar bullet-proof vest, also has earlier analogues.
Twenty rét (altogether 4200 sq. m - 17460 sq. m) tafota (?) strongly sewed back and forth with silk forms this armour. Its inventor, who had offered it up, tested it upon his own body, allowing himself to be shot at with a gun from twenty steps' distance, and with a revolver from point-blank range. The bullet could in neither case rip through the armour. This armour is called "gambisson".
– Felség, azt fel kell venni. Az olasz király őfelségére kétszer lőttek rá, a francia köztársaság elnökére háromszor, az angol király őfelségére négyszer, a spanyol királyra csak egyszer, de nyolc fegyverből, a szerb királyt el is találták, az orosz cárt nem is említve, .. a Mahmud szultán őfelsége ellen utóbbi időkben merényeltetett.
- Your Majesty, you must wear it. The Italian King was shot at twice, the French Republic's President thrice, the English King four times, the Spanish King just once but from eight different weapons, and the Serb King was actually hit too, not to mention the Russian Czar, ... recently did Sultan Mahmud experience an attempt on his life.A list that gives an idea about the sort of international political circumstances envisioned by Jókai at the time of the beginning of his novel.
pápa elhagyta Rómát, később Avignont is; s egy ideig Máltában időzve, végre Pozsonyba menekült, s erős ellentétben volt a világi kormányokkal. Azonkívül Magyarországra menekültek az európai államoknak változás következtében eltávozott fejedelmei, volt itt nápolyi és spanyol Bourbon-, Welf-, Bonaparte- és Orléans-, Romanov-, Chambord-, Coburg- és Karagyorgyevics-dinasztia: s azoknak a monarchia mind menedékjoggal és protekcióval tartozott, úgyhogy egy időben kétféle teljes diplomatiai corps működött az udvarnál, egyik a legitim, de elűzött praetendenseké, másik az illegitim, de tettleges hatalomé. ... mindenkinek a saját nyelvén kellett válaszolnia, azon időben a francia nyelv diplomáciai általánossága a nemzetiségi elv érvényre jutása által meg levén szüntetve: tehát spanyolul, angolul, franciául, németül, románul, olaszul, szerbül, görögül és törökül (az orosz nincs közötte, hogy miért nincs, azt majd megtudjuk később)
the Pope left Rome, then later Avignon too; and spent some time in Malta, finally fleeing to Pozsony, being in strong opposition to the worldly governments. Furthermore to Hungary did flee the former leaders of European countries where changes had manage to unseat them. There were Napolitans and Spanish Bourbon, Welf, Bonaparte and Orléans, Romanov, Chambord, Coburg and Karadyordyevich dynasties: and to all of them the Monarchy owed refuge and protection, so that at any given time, there were two full diplomatic corps at the court, one belonging to the legitimate but exiled pretenders, the others to the illegitimate but de facto powers. ... everybody had to be answered in their own language, by that time the general use of French as the language of diplomacy having been ceased under the aegis of nationalism: therefore the answers had to come in Spanish, English, French, German, Romanian, Italian, Serbian, Greek, and Turkish (Russian not being on the list for reasons that will become clear later)More insight into the political state of Europe.
Végre a légen keresztül röpült fel őfelsége a királyi vár erkélyeig, egy óriási léggömb csónakjában, a léggömb tetején ülő aeronautának hűségére volt bízva az alatta lebegők élete: egy meggyújtott gyufa elég az egész léggömböt egyszerre fellobbantani, s az aeronauták mind internacionalisták.
Finally His Majesty flew through the air all the way to the Royal Castle's terrace, in his gigantic hot-air balloon boat, trusting the lives of those floating thus to the aeronaut sitting atop the hot-air balloon: for a single lit match could explode the entire hot-air balloon in an instant, and all the aeronauts are internationalists.I chose this excerpt primarily for the vague political implication about aeronauts therein.
Átellenben a királlyal ül az észak-amerikai államok követe, s a menü hátlapjára jegyezget valamit.
Across from the King sits the ambassador of the north-american states, and he is scribling something onto the back of his menu.The phrase "north-american states" is very close to the colloquial Hungarian name for the United States of America (i.e.: "Amerikai államok" which would translate to "American States"). It is not clear at this point in the book whether the suggestion is that the United States and Canada (and perhaps Mexico?) merged into a single Union, or whether despite being separate countries they opt to present joint diplomatic representation abroad.
Őfelsége nemcsak a misén jelenik meg a Szent Árpád-székesegyházban, hanem az egész délelőttöt arra fordítja, hogy a protestánsok, óhitűek és héber vallásúak templomaiban is fölkeresse a szent szertartásokat, nehogy valamelyik hitfelekezet háttérbe téve érezze magát, s emiatt zúgolódjék.
His Majesty does not only show up at the mass held at Saint Árpád church, but spends the entire morning seeking out the holy rituals in the temples of the Protestants, Old-Faithers and those of the Hebrew religion, lest one of the faith-groups feel ignored and become discontent.More cultural pluralism. I am not certain what "Old-Faithers" refers to... but it is conceivable that the idea is that this is a faith-group that (believes itself to have) revived the pre-Christian Hungarian pagan religion... or perhaps started a uniquely Hungarian flavour of Christianity supposedly based on pre-European-contact Christianity of the Hungarians. (Such notions were entertained and even popular at one time, but by now and have long been discredited.)
A simpler explanation might be "Old-Faithers" referring to Orthodox Christians... but this is the first time I have encountered the term, so I cannot meaningfully connect it to either the former or the latter theory conclusively.
Ő tudja, hogy Oroszországban mi történik. Az orosz respublika borzasztóan fegyverkezik. A roppant néptömegek, mik a nemesség ellen fellázadtak, foglalkozást keresnek, s valami nagy organizáló talentum alakítja át a hadsereget. Észak-amerikai kéz dolgozik benne. A hadi léggömböket, miket eddig csak várostromokhoz használtak megdöbbentő sikerrel, most újabban csatatéri működésre alkalmazták, melyben a lovasság is szerepet játszik.
He knows what is happening in Russia. The Russian Republic is arming itself at an alarming rate. The great masses of people, that had rebelled against the nobility, now seek professions, and some great organizing talent is reshaping the army. North-America has a hand in this. The martial hot-air balloons, that until then had only been used for castle sieges, and with great success too, they now have started to employ for use on the battle-field, in a way incorporating the cavalry too.There will be more about Russia in chapter 2.
Foreword
{The below is the full translation of Jókai's "Foreword" to "The Novel of Next Century".}
This work makes no demand to be considered one among the many so-called "state novels", like Thomas Moor's well known "Utopia" that attempts, through worthy fancies, the [development|bringing about] of mankind's state of artless perfection on a [barren|mere] island; Holberg's "Niels Klim's Underground Travels"; Swift's masterwork of "Gulliver's Travels" that draw a picture through satire of the travestied relations of familiar states; or Campanella's "Civitas Solis"; or Cabet's "Voyage en. Icarie" that was created primarily in the service of party ideologies; or Terrason's "Sethos" that was supposedly compiled in the tradition of Egyptian hieroglyphs; or Fénelon's "Telamach"; or the imaginative and mythical descriptions of the mysterious Kingdom of "Ophir", and the countries and islands of "Scydromedia", "Dimocala", "Ajaoja", "Nova Atlantis", and "La Basiliade de Bilpai"; or the satire of "Eldorado" that mocks the other ideal state novels.
Other novels are called to present a tale, born only of the imagination, in a way that convinces the reader that it could really have happened; this novel will present a historical event that has not "yet" happened, and will grapple with the difficult task, to present the facts and the characters, the future age's inner and outer world, in such a way so as to make the reader say: this might yet happen!
There will not be in this novel Utopian states, Icarian people; its scenes will not be yet to be discovered islands; the story, throughout, takes place in the known world, and develops from situations that exist today, from notions that impact the world today.
I summoned for the task understanding, faith, and imagination.
I studied to understand the historical world: the reasons and phases behind the evolution, development, dissolution, and rebirth of states; I came to admire and envy the civilization-spreading nation gians, and amidst this awe I also felt love, concern, and an inspiring thirst for life toward my own small and backward nation and homeland.
I followed the great [ideas|paradigms] {of the age/ages}, that strive to remake the world in a new mold, and their great struggles with opposing notions. I saw titanic battles amidst armed millions in the wake of these [ideas|paradigms]: for human rights in America, for spiritual freedom and national unity in Italy, for national revival in Poland, for religious superstition in East India, for European power-balance in Crimea, for pride in France, and for an abstract state-concept between Austria and Prussia, and then for a societal principle in Paris. These were battles that consumed millions and an ocean of blood, and their [ideas|paradigms] whether victorious or defeated, continue to live.
And I had to also discover amidst the great struggles, the separate battles of smaller groupings of human interests, in which many small interests continuously boil and chafe against one another, only occasionally calmed by a national catastrophe, but sometimes downright validated thereby: racism, national hatred and an instinct for self-preservation; the inability of political parties to find common ground, the open parliamentary fights, traditions and innovation, the insidious leagues; holy and not holy, and not holy only because of holy unions, on political, social, and religious grounds; Jesuitism, Internationale, Nihilism; among them the Mohamedan fatalism, which impacts world history through its immovability, and the individual interest that stalks beneath great struggles to personalize for the inheritors of royal aspirations: the families that sleep-walk amidst royal dreams, the adventurers that hunt for crowns, and other hunters who make sport against crowned heads.
Behold the building blocks of the eternal war.
And this eternal war demands [general|contiuous] armament. The whole male gender--from childhood unto old age--armed, and the weapons always changing, continuously perfected, surpassing one another with new advantages, the art of war raised to the level of mastery and science.
The continuous arms race binds terrible sums of money: in machines that provide no utility; in constructions that provide no benefit; and in human masses that do no work. The states' debts, on this account, grow to mythical sizes, and the greater they become, the heavier the taxes, the more difficult the life of the worker, the industrialist, and the land owner; while the [flighty-minded] entrepreneurs, the [money chasers] can all the more easily acquire easily-gotten wealth. The war wages on between capital and labour.
And the more easily money is accumulated at the top levels of society's hierarchy, the easier they collapse into society's boglands. The Kings, high priests, ministers, bankers, lords, generals, and people's representatives also have parasites, many of them in fact: men who can be bought, patented cheats, thieves of public property, mercenaries, flatterers, idle men, writers-for-hire, [gatherers], [compromisers|appeasers], transporters, sinecurists, stewards, [concessioners], campaigners, and thirsty, hungry masses of people. The flow of gold will be swallowed by sand, and it will become a swamp. And if the character of men is submerged by the flow of gold, what is woman to do? The people of Phaeax takes payment for all things, and gives all things for payment. Love, art, music, sculpting, painting, and literature all yield to serve the hedonist whose wealth was gained with ease. The war wages on between the moral foundations of life and societal decay.
And as family life grows looser, so will the old world's population grow, and the more people there are, the less bread there is. Slowly every forest is cut down, to plow the land left in its stead, every valley is dug up, to force it to yield its store of coal; but the gifts of nature are not endless, the way old tales reckon; the blackmailed earth will give way to year after year of poorer and poorer yield of crops and produce, the [sky] itself shall turn hostile due to the violent deforestation, and the price of coal shall in a hundred years grow fourfold. The man of the old world is hungry and cold. The war wages on between man and the earth.
And this shall end with the defeat of the former. The overpopulated old world will spill forth foam at its edges. And all that it expells, will hurry to the new world. Therein there is space enough still. The Jesuit and the philosopher, the lot of those who lost their crowns, and the exiled rebels; the aspiring industrialist, and the wandering fraudster, the martyrs of liberal thinking, and the charlatans, the inventors, and the believers of all folly, the German and Russian cosmopolitans, and the smaller ethnicities' unsatisfied members will find enough space for both clever and foolish ideas, for the founding of both praiseworthy and condemnable companies. And the overabundance of these elements will change America's present character. The legions of expatriates will demand influence over Europe's affairs. And that will be easy for North America. The perfection of transportation will bring the old world close to it. It will need no large army, for in its half of the world it shall have no neighbour all, once it absorbs Canada and Mexico as well; its financial sources are limitless, its lands are rich, and its income exceeds its expenses twenty-fold. It also has no responsibility toward anyone in the old world, not from interest, not from friendship, not from alliance, not from debt, not from linguistic kinship, not from religious brotherhood, not from national admiration, nor by its past or its future. It will take full advantage of its position too, and will freely press upon Europe with the whole of its influence. The war wages on between the old world and the new world.
And let us now add that a hundred years from now there will still be people -- many of them -- who love their homelands, who will strive to alleviate humanity's great ills, who ennoble peasant morality, who spread enlightenment, who create something from nothing by striving to raise manpower into god{like}power; the guard of the public good will continue to be "legion!", but in opposition to these shall stand another giant, whose name is Nihil, Nothingness, who believes in nothing, not in God, not in the homeland, not in the nation, not in an afterlife, not in the state, not in human laws, not in family, not in honour, not in poetry; those who deny the past and cares not for the future, those who have no other goal than today, no other ruler than "I", no other law than to do as he pleases.
The war wages on between "God" and "animal" -- both appearing in human form.
Is this not what must come to pass in the next hundred years?
This is no fantasy, no prophecy, this is knowledge! understanding! And does a faith not naturally follow this knowledge, that it cannot forever continue that way?
Upon this faith stands the work that I am writing. My novel has two parts, one is called "the eternal war", until it becomes impossible; the other is called "the eternal peace", once it becomes a necessity and is realised.
But, the whole things is built upon a hypothesis. Upon an invention, that will change the world.
I know, because of this, I will be declared a "madman". However I shall be in good company, with Fulton who in 1805 was called a "madman" by the Parisian Academy of Sciences, because he claimed that steam could power ships. Grey, on account of his notion of railroads, was called a "madman" in 1815 by the Edinburgh Review. S Stephenson, on account of his steam-train, was nearly committed to the madhouse by the members of the English parliament in 1825.
Therefore I believe in the realisation of an invention, that has been sought by so many from Daedalus to Coxwel and Lamountain, in search of the solution to the mystery of the sky, who entered its domain, but could not find what they sought. Somebody will find it one day.
And this will set the limit of the eternal war.
It will force disarmament onto millions prepared to genocide one another, sending cannons and guns back to the smeltery, to create machines of labour from them; the gunpowder will instead be used to avert natural disasters, the soldier along with his horse will be sent home to plow the land instead.
It will turn those demanding thrones into peaceful citizens.
It will put an end to the insanity of racism, and will show the brother in the former enemy. It will put an end to diplomatic scheming.
It will free the slaves, and will make voluntary service a sweet labour.
It will open new avenues for those who yearn for praise and glory; it will spread enlightenment to every part of the world, becoming victorious over blind faith and all its fake apostols.
It will put an end to taxing by the state, to customs duties, monopolies, and will still bring wealth to the governments.
It will bring correct ratios into commerce and monetary circulation, and will divide the income according to intelligence and talent, designating the place of the scientist, the poet, the artist and the {agricultural} day-worker, and will make each satisfied with his lot. It will put an end to mindless behavior and corruption.
It will place societal morals onto stable ground, and will resanctify the altars of family life, love, and ideals.
It will put an end to the death penalty and to jails; and will find for the enemies of civilized society punishment that will fix them and be a blessing unto the whole of humanity. It will correct the imbalance between the old world and the new world.
It will help make victorious the humanitarians, and will force the surrender of the enemies of humanity, some of whom wear masks and some of whom do not.
It will bring back the Siberian exiles to their rejuvenated homelands.
It will exert influence over the weather, and will penetrate the secrets of nature.
It will lighten the impact of epidemics, and will restore man's machinery of life to its ancient state of perfection.
It will dry out the Ganges and La Plata's morasses, terrible hotbeds of cholera and yellow fever, and will liberate three parts of the world from their ravaging plagues.
It will enhance technology with new materials, that will be useful to all, and which will be more noble than gold, but cheaper than iron.
It will take out of ocean water a billion tonne's worth of silver, and will put it into circulation.
It will have one continent's plentitude [exchanged|traded] with that of another.
It will drive extinct ravaging beasts in their jungles and grasslands.
It will take civilization amidst wild peoples, and will bring light to those of other colours, and will give opportunity to every ethnicity to rise gradually; it will turn every man human.
It will populate the great wastelands. It will guide rivers through the Sahara, and will populate the inlands of Africa and Australia, so that humanity's one-time cradle, that is a desert today, can become a paradise once more.
It will take away the ocean's fearsomeness, and will make shipwrecking and the loss of sent goods impossible.
It will put an end to vows of celibacy, and will return priests to family life.
It will give woman an honoured standing in society, it will consider children a treasure of the state and will care for them accordingly.
It will give existence only to a single party, whose motto shall be: patriotism through labour.
It will build churches only for one religion, whose dogma is: clear-headed humanitarianism.
It will lengthen the day for man, and shorten the work therein.
It will raise the word of honour as strong as law, and make conscience the first {or primal?} judge and arbiter.
It will ease traveling, and will make the whole of the earth known to man.
And it will help discover even the nook of land, where {other descendents of} the Magyars ancestors live, cut off form the outside world, and will make them into a kindred nation.
These are the creative [ideals|ideas] of my work.
If knowledge and imagination were as strong as my faith!
Because my faith is strong in that humanity is moved forward by great ideas in each age, which permits no falling back.
The classical age raised man higher through poetry. The Hebrew age by familiarizing man with moral laws. The teachings of Jesus brought salvation through the religion of love. But still remains the honour that raises man to the highest state of perfection -- and that {honour} is [knowledge|understanding].
The triumph of [knowledge|understanding] will be when the mortal who says of himself, "I am God!" puts down his crown before the mortal, who says, "I am Man!"
And then it is possible -- for there is no impossibility in the universe -- that the creator will even indulge the now perfect mankind by correcting the fault in the earth that is primary cause of weather irregularities, namely the tilt of the earth's axis.
It is with this that my novel shall end.
This work makes no demand to be considered one among the many so-called "state novels", like Thomas Moor's well known "Utopia" that attempts, through worthy fancies, the [development|bringing about] of mankind's state of artless perfection on a [barren|mere] island; Holberg's "Niels Klim's Underground Travels"; Swift's masterwork of "Gulliver's Travels" that draw a picture through satire of the travestied relations of familiar states; or Campanella's "Civitas Solis"; or Cabet's "Voyage en. Icarie" that was created primarily in the service of party ideologies; or Terrason's "Sethos" that was supposedly compiled in the tradition of Egyptian hieroglyphs; or Fénelon's "Telamach"; or the imaginative and mythical descriptions of the mysterious Kingdom of "Ophir", and the countries and islands of "Scydromedia", "Dimocala", "Ajaoja", "Nova Atlantis", and "La Basiliade de Bilpai"; or the satire of "Eldorado" that mocks the other ideal state novels.
Other novels are called to present a tale, born only of the imagination, in a way that convinces the reader that it could really have happened; this novel will present a historical event that has not "yet" happened, and will grapple with the difficult task, to present the facts and the characters, the future age's inner and outer world, in such a way so as to make the reader say: this might yet happen!
There will not be in this novel Utopian states, Icarian people; its scenes will not be yet to be discovered islands; the story, throughout, takes place in the known world, and develops from situations that exist today, from notions that impact the world today.
I summoned for the task understanding, faith, and imagination.
I studied to understand the historical world: the reasons and phases behind the evolution, development, dissolution, and rebirth of states; I came to admire and envy the civilization-spreading nation gians, and amidst this awe I also felt love, concern, and an inspiring thirst for life toward my own small and backward nation and homeland.
I followed the great [ideas|paradigms] {of the age/ages}, that strive to remake the world in a new mold, and their great struggles with opposing notions. I saw titanic battles amidst armed millions in the wake of these [ideas|paradigms]: for human rights in America, for spiritual freedom and national unity in Italy, for national revival in Poland, for religious superstition in East India, for European power-balance in Crimea, for pride in France, and for an abstract state-concept between Austria and Prussia, and then for a societal principle in Paris. These were battles that consumed millions and an ocean of blood, and their [ideas|paradigms] whether victorious or defeated, continue to live.
And I had to also discover amidst the great struggles, the separate battles of smaller groupings of human interests, in which many small interests continuously boil and chafe against one another, only occasionally calmed by a national catastrophe, but sometimes downright validated thereby: racism, national hatred and an instinct for self-preservation; the inability of political parties to find common ground, the open parliamentary fights, traditions and innovation, the insidious leagues; holy and not holy, and not holy only because of holy unions, on political, social, and religious grounds; Jesuitism, Internationale, Nihilism; among them the Mohamedan fatalism, which impacts world history through its immovability, and the individual interest that stalks beneath great struggles to personalize for the inheritors of royal aspirations: the families that sleep-walk amidst royal dreams, the adventurers that hunt for crowns, and other hunters who make sport against crowned heads.
Behold the building blocks of the eternal war.
And this eternal war demands [general|contiuous] armament. The whole male gender--from childhood unto old age--armed, and the weapons always changing, continuously perfected, surpassing one another with new advantages, the art of war raised to the level of mastery and science.
The continuous arms race binds terrible sums of money: in machines that provide no utility; in constructions that provide no benefit; and in human masses that do no work. The states' debts, on this account, grow to mythical sizes, and the greater they become, the heavier the taxes, the more difficult the life of the worker, the industrialist, and the land owner; while the [flighty-minded] entrepreneurs, the [money chasers] can all the more easily acquire easily-gotten wealth. The war wages on between capital and labour.
And the more easily money is accumulated at the top levels of society's hierarchy, the easier they collapse into society's boglands. The Kings, high priests, ministers, bankers, lords, generals, and people's representatives also have parasites, many of them in fact: men who can be bought, patented cheats, thieves of public property, mercenaries, flatterers, idle men, writers-for-hire, [gatherers], [compromisers|appeasers], transporters, sinecurists, stewards, [concessioners], campaigners, and thirsty, hungry masses of people. The flow of gold will be swallowed by sand, and it will become a swamp. And if the character of men is submerged by the flow of gold, what is woman to do? The people of Phaeax takes payment for all things, and gives all things for payment. Love, art, music, sculpting, painting, and literature all yield to serve the hedonist whose wealth was gained with ease. The war wages on between the moral foundations of life and societal decay.
And as family life grows looser, so will the old world's population grow, and the more people there are, the less bread there is. Slowly every forest is cut down, to plow the land left in its stead, every valley is dug up, to force it to yield its store of coal; but the gifts of nature are not endless, the way old tales reckon; the blackmailed earth will give way to year after year of poorer and poorer yield of crops and produce, the [sky] itself shall turn hostile due to the violent deforestation, and the price of coal shall in a hundred years grow fourfold. The man of the old world is hungry and cold. The war wages on between man and the earth.
And this shall end with the defeat of the former. The overpopulated old world will spill forth foam at its edges. And all that it expells, will hurry to the new world. Therein there is space enough still. The Jesuit and the philosopher, the lot of those who lost their crowns, and the exiled rebels; the aspiring industrialist, and the wandering fraudster, the martyrs of liberal thinking, and the charlatans, the inventors, and the believers of all folly, the German and Russian cosmopolitans, and the smaller ethnicities' unsatisfied members will find enough space for both clever and foolish ideas, for the founding of both praiseworthy and condemnable companies. And the overabundance of these elements will change America's present character. The legions of expatriates will demand influence over Europe's affairs. And that will be easy for North America. The perfection of transportation will bring the old world close to it. It will need no large army, for in its half of the world it shall have no neighbour all, once it absorbs Canada and Mexico as well; its financial sources are limitless, its lands are rich, and its income exceeds its expenses twenty-fold. It also has no responsibility toward anyone in the old world, not from interest, not from friendship, not from alliance, not from debt, not from linguistic kinship, not from religious brotherhood, not from national admiration, nor by its past or its future. It will take full advantage of its position too, and will freely press upon Europe with the whole of its influence. The war wages on between the old world and the new world.
And let us now add that a hundred years from now there will still be people -- many of them -- who love their homelands, who will strive to alleviate humanity's great ills, who ennoble peasant morality, who spread enlightenment, who create something from nothing by striving to raise manpower into god{like}power; the guard of the public good will continue to be "legion!", but in opposition to these shall stand another giant, whose name is Nihil, Nothingness, who believes in nothing, not in God, not in the homeland, not in the nation, not in an afterlife, not in the state, not in human laws, not in family, not in honour, not in poetry; those who deny the past and cares not for the future, those who have no other goal than today, no other ruler than "I", no other law than to do as he pleases.
The war wages on between "God" and "animal" -- both appearing in human form.
Is this not what must come to pass in the next hundred years?
This is no fantasy, no prophecy, this is knowledge! understanding! And does a faith not naturally follow this knowledge, that it cannot forever continue that way?
Upon this faith stands the work that I am writing. My novel has two parts, one is called "the eternal war", until it becomes impossible; the other is called "the eternal peace", once it becomes a necessity and is realised.
But, the whole things is built upon a hypothesis. Upon an invention, that will change the world.
I know, because of this, I will be declared a "madman". However I shall be in good company, with Fulton who in 1805 was called a "madman" by the Parisian Academy of Sciences, because he claimed that steam could power ships. Grey, on account of his notion of railroads, was called a "madman" in 1815 by the Edinburgh Review. S Stephenson, on account of his steam-train, was nearly committed to the madhouse by the members of the English parliament in 1825.
Therefore I believe in the realisation of an invention, that has been sought by so many from Daedalus to Coxwel and Lamountain, in search of the solution to the mystery of the sky, who entered its domain, but could not find what they sought. Somebody will find it one day.
And this will set the limit of the eternal war.
It will force disarmament onto millions prepared to genocide one another, sending cannons and guns back to the smeltery, to create machines of labour from them; the gunpowder will instead be used to avert natural disasters, the soldier along with his horse will be sent home to plow the land instead.
It will turn those demanding thrones into peaceful citizens.
It will put an end to the insanity of racism, and will show the brother in the former enemy. It will put an end to diplomatic scheming.
It will free the slaves, and will make voluntary service a sweet labour.
It will open new avenues for those who yearn for praise and glory; it will spread enlightenment to every part of the world, becoming victorious over blind faith and all its fake apostols.
It will put an end to taxing by the state, to customs duties, monopolies, and will still bring wealth to the governments.
It will bring correct ratios into commerce and monetary circulation, and will divide the income according to intelligence and talent, designating the place of the scientist, the poet, the artist and the {agricultural} day-worker, and will make each satisfied with his lot. It will put an end to mindless behavior and corruption.
It will place societal morals onto stable ground, and will resanctify the altars of family life, love, and ideals.
It will put an end to the death penalty and to jails; and will find for the enemies of civilized society punishment that will fix them and be a blessing unto the whole of humanity. It will correct the imbalance between the old world and the new world.
It will help make victorious the humanitarians, and will force the surrender of the enemies of humanity, some of whom wear masks and some of whom do not.
It will bring back the Siberian exiles to their rejuvenated homelands.
It will exert influence over the weather, and will penetrate the secrets of nature.
It will lighten the impact of epidemics, and will restore man's machinery of life to its ancient state of perfection.
It will dry out the Ganges and La Plata's morasses, terrible hotbeds of cholera and yellow fever, and will liberate three parts of the world from their ravaging plagues.
It will enhance technology with new materials, that will be useful to all, and which will be more noble than gold, but cheaper than iron.
It will take out of ocean water a billion tonne's worth of silver, and will put it into circulation.
It will have one continent's plentitude [exchanged|traded] with that of another.
It will drive extinct ravaging beasts in their jungles and grasslands.
It will take civilization amidst wild peoples, and will bring light to those of other colours, and will give opportunity to every ethnicity to rise gradually; it will turn every man human.
It will populate the great wastelands. It will guide rivers through the Sahara, and will populate the inlands of Africa and Australia, so that humanity's one-time cradle, that is a desert today, can become a paradise once more.
It will take away the ocean's fearsomeness, and will make shipwrecking and the loss of sent goods impossible.
It will put an end to vows of celibacy, and will return priests to family life.
It will give woman an honoured standing in society, it will consider children a treasure of the state and will care for them accordingly.
It will give existence only to a single party, whose motto shall be: patriotism through labour.
It will build churches only for one religion, whose dogma is: clear-headed humanitarianism.
It will lengthen the day for man, and shorten the work therein.
It will raise the word of honour as strong as law, and make conscience the first {or primal?} judge and arbiter.
It will ease traveling, and will make the whole of the earth known to man.
And it will help discover even the nook of land, where {other descendents of} the Magyars ancestors live, cut off form the outside world, and will make them into a kindred nation.
These are the creative [ideals|ideas] of my work.
If knowledge and imagination were as strong as my faith!
Because my faith is strong in that humanity is moved forward by great ideas in each age, which permits no falling back.
The classical age raised man higher through poetry. The Hebrew age by familiarizing man with moral laws. The teachings of Jesus brought salvation through the religion of love. But still remains the honour that raises man to the highest state of perfection -- and that {honour} is [knowledge|understanding].
The triumph of [knowledge|understanding] will be when the mortal who says of himself, "I am God!" puts down his crown before the mortal, who says, "I am Man!"
And then it is possible -- for there is no impossibility in the universe -- that the creator will even indulge the now perfect mankind by correcting the fault in the earth that is primary cause of weather irregularities, namely the tilt of the earth's axis.
It is with this that my novel shall end.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)