Attila József: With All My Heart (Tiszta szívvel)

Without father or mother,
without god or any state,
I have no cradle or cover,
I have no kiss or lover.

Haven't eaten for three days,
neither much nor smaller shares.
Twenty years are my power,
I can sell my twenty years.

If nobody wants to buy them,
then the devil will take them.
I will steal with all my heart,
I will kill too if I must.

Will be caught and then be hanged,
be buried in blessed land
and death-bearing grass will grow
from my heart the glorious.

Translated by: Maria Bencsath

Attila József: You Know There Is No Pardon (Tudod, hogy nincs bocsánat)

You know there is no pardon,
useless is then your sorrow.
Be what you would be: a man.
Behind you, grass will still grow.

The crime will not be lighter,
no use shedding tears after.
That you are the truth for this,
be grateful for that at least.

Don't accuse and don't promise,
to yourself, should not be mean,
don't triumph and don't flatter,
don't follow that other crowd.

Remain to be redundant,
secrets should never be found.
Don’t despise this humanity,
after all, you are part of it.

Remember how you’ve raved
and have begged to no avail.
You became a false witness
at your very own inquest.

In ruin you called for Lord,
for man if there wasn't god.
And found instead wretched kids
in psychoanalysis.

You believed in carefree words,
believed paid supporters,
and look, never were you told
that you were good and not wronged.

Were loved by being cheated,
you can't love since you cheated.
You should squeeze the loaded gun
to your idle empty heart.

Or throw away your principles
and look forward to true love,
for you would trust only those
who trusted you like a dog.

Translated by: Maria Bencsath

Endre Ady: The Fate of Hungarian Trees (Magyar fa sorsa)

Leaves of Hungarian trees
drop and fall off in my heart:
in leaf and in full bloom, this
is the way I have to die.

I came from Sylvania,
from the home of the forests:
didn’t pray but foliated,
and entreated god rarely.

I poured flowers all over,
bloomed for worse and for better:
others were bearing their fruit,
I have blossomed forever.

I am old and a pagan
and still don’t say a prayer:
do keep falling to your death
Hungarian leaves and flowers.

Translated by: Maria Bencsath

Endre Ady : The Best Person (A legjobb ember)

I am entirely full of
Fear, full of weakness, full of love.
I’m a coward:
I am the best living person.

If I plan, time reveals my plan,
If I hate, my hate fades away,
If I get mad,
I will be mad until my death.

In cowardice and in madness,
Nobody glowed any better,
And when I love,
I am the greatest one in love.

If I have doubts, they will be gone,
Silence, if comes, is my cradle,
When I must go,
If asked to go, then I will go.

I can believe, await and cheat,
What I lack is to want something,
And without doubt,
I will die magnificently.
Translated by: Maria Bencsath