"JOHN THE VALIANT" "Based on the poem by Sándor Petõfi As translated by Anton N. Nyerges" "Dear jewel of my love, Iluska, my soul!" "Look here a little!" "Look here, ¡n the whole w¡de world, you are my one and only joy." "Look at me w¡th those eyes that are like the blackthorn." "Come and let me hold you in my arms." "Come up on the bank for only a moment, and let me plant my soul on your red mouth." "Johnny, you know I'd be glad to come out." "But I have to finish my washing." "I have to hurry, or I'll get a beating." "You know I'm a stepch¡ld, and you know my mother." "Come out, my pigeon!" "Come out, my dove!" "I will quickly do with a kiss and a hug." "Besides, your stepmother's nowhere near." "Please don't let me waste to death." "Indecent creature!" "You disgraceful thing!" "You dare to do this and shame the world?" "You sleep around all day." "Just look at you!" "The Devil take you..." "Enough of that now!" "Ya hear me, Ma?" "Hold your mouth, or I'll shut it up!" "Don't ya dare hurt Ilus w¡th a single word, or I'll knock out the rest of your teeth!" "If ya don't want me to burn your house down, don't ya dare mistreat this poor orphan." "She works and slaves away enough, and you give her only dry bread in return!" "Now go, my Iluska." "You st¡ll have a tongue to complain with if she hurts you." "Don't count them, good master." "Why deny it?" "There are a lot missing." "I'm terribly sorry, but what can I do?" "Don't joke, Johnny." "You know I don't like tricks." "As long as ¡t's going good for you, don't make me angry." "A pitchfork, a pitchfork!" "Let me stick him through!" "Ay, robber!" "Ay, gallows bird!" "May the crows pick out his eyes!" "Is th¡s why I kept you?" "Is this why I fed you?" "You'll never escape the hangman's noose!" "Get out of my sight!" "Don't let me see you again!" "And now, my lovely Iluska..." "And now, my dear rose..." "God bless you." "Think of me sometime." "When you see a tumbleweed driven by the wind, may ¡t br¡ng you the memory of your fugitive lover." "Johnny, my soul, go if you must." "God be with you every step." "When you see a broken flower lying in the road, may ¡t br¡ng you the memory of your withering lover." "One for you..." "And one for me." "One for you..." "And one for me." "One for you..." "And one for me." "And one for you." "And one for me." "God give you a good evening!" "You unlucky man!" "Who are you to dare set foot in this door?" "Who are your parents?" "Do you have a wife?" "Whatever you have, they will never see you again." "Whoever has reason to fear for his I¡fe would be wise to avoid this place." "But life is not dear to me." "And whoever you are, I enter without the least bit of fear." "I'll tell you one thing, little brother..." "You are a real brave lad, I declare!" "God made you to be a robber." "You despise life and scorn death." "We need you..." "Let's shake on it!" "It's good fun to pillage, And to collect treasure." "We have precious things here, The chest is full of gold." "There you see a burly barrel, But it doesn't contain brandy." "Jewels shine in it, hundreds of them, Fire-red and blue like the sky." "Sometimes you must kill for treasure, Bandits joyfully dance in blood." "Blade flashes, gun fires, It's easier to take from the dead." "Join us, you'll have a fair share!" "We will shake hands on it tonight." "We have a fiery wine today, Let's drink to our fellowship!" "I am your companion." "Here's my hand on it!" "This is the finest hour of my ugly life!" "Let's give a toast, my men!" "This is a holy wine we're drinking, Stole this yesterday from the cleric." "Take the pitcher and help yourself, Give it a kiss, a passionate one!" "I will stuff my sack, and take ¡t home for you, my lov¡ng Iluska!" "You'll no longer be a slave to your mean stepmother." "I shall make you my wife..." "God wants it so." "I shall bu¡ld a house in the middle of the village, and take you there as my lovely bride." "We will while away the time happily, like Adam and Eve in Paradise." "Oh God my Maker, what am I saying?" "Shall I take money that has a curse of blood on every piece?" "How can I be happy and prosperous with treasure like that?" "I'd gladly become a soldier!" "If only they'd have me..." "If I could only join up with you," "I would look the world right straight in the eye." "Think it over well, my countryman." "We are not on our way to have a good time, but to kill." "The Turks have attacked the people of France, and we are on our way to help France." "Well then, I'd l¡ke all the more to be set on a saddle and horse." "If I cannot kill, I will be the victim of my sorrow." "War is something I like a great deal." "True, unt¡I now I have only known a donkey since I am a shepherd by trade." "But I am a Magyar." "We were created for the horse." "And the horse and saddle were created for us." "Bleak land of Italy, full of rosemary forests," "Dark storm clouds bring heavy snow." "Italy is full of snow-frost," "Winter never ends there," "Even the soul is freezing." "Johnny Corncob, have you regret," "Joining the army?" "You look like a fine hussar on your horse," "You would make a great lieutenant," "You would make a great lieutenant." "The Land of the Mongols has no end," "The sun cannot go round it in a day." "Grim landscapes, abandoned paths," "Fight hundreds of evils," "A million dog-headed men are on the watch." "Attack!" "Johnny Corncob, have you regret," "Joining the army?" "You look like a fine hussar on your horse," "You would make a great captain," "You would make a great captain." "Far, in India there's a sky-high mountain," "Whoever reaches the top is stewing in sweat." "The sun is so close it burns you," "One more hour and they'll be there," "Oh, let's hope the horses will make it!" "Johnny Corncob, have you regret," "Joining the army?" "You look like a fine hussar on your horse," "You would make a great colonel," "You would make a great colonel." "Finally they arrived in France," "The King and his daughter were long expecting them." "The evil Turks were all over the place." "His majesty and the princess," "Had been hiding for a while." "Is this not a sad situation, my brothers?" "I once had wealth that rivaled the treasures of Darius, and now I must struggle with the greatest destitution." "Don't worry, Your Majesty, King of France!" "We'll make these wicked people dance, for having treated you so badly." "Tonight we shall rest a bit, because the journey was long and we're a bit tired." "But tomorrow, as soon as the sun rises, we shall reconquer your land." "But what about my daughter, my lovely daughter?" "How will I find her?" "The leader of the Turks has captured her." "Whoever br¡ngs her back can count on receiving her hand." "Valiants, follow me!" "Charge!" "No, Your Grace, stay here." "Your arms are no longer strong enough for battle." "I know that time has not diminished your courage, but what use is courage when your strength is gone?" "Stop, heathen!" "Stop, or I'll open a gate in your body through wh¡ch your miserable soul can flee to Hell." "Brother, you are more than big enough for one man." "Stand still and I'll divide you in two." "My dear liberator!" "In my gratitude, I will do everything." "If you want me, I will be your wife." "My dear, let us go to your good father, the king, and talk the matter over." "I have prepared everything, and it is all ready to serve in the hall." "Listen to me, you noble heroes." "Listen to me, you noble heroes!" "Listen to me, you noble heroes!" "I have something very important to say." "First of all, tell me your name, you brave hero who saved my daughter." "Johnny Corncob is my name." "As of today, I give you another name." "Hereafter you will be called:" "John the Valiant." "My good John the Valiant, listen to what I have to say." "Because you have saved my dear child, take her for your wife." "Let her be yours." "And the two of you will sit on the royal throne together." "I w¡sh to thank the goodness of Your Grace, which I do not deserve." "At the same time, I must declare..." "I cannot accept." "It would be a long story to explain why I can't accept, but I fear I would bore Your Graces, and I do not w¡sh to be burdensome to others." "Speak, my son, and you can be sure we will listen." "It must be a mere trifle that disturbs you." "I never told my Iluska to save her love just for me, and she never told me to be faithful." "And yet we both knew that we always would." "Therefore, lovely pr¡ncess, do not count on me." "If I cannot have my dear Iluska," "I shall take no other girl in this world, even if death were to overlook me." "I shall not constrain you to marry, my son." "But do not refuse what I want to give you as a token of my gratitude." "Now, John the Val¡ant, savior of my daughter:" "Take th¡s sack and all that's ¡n ¡t, to make yourself happy, and your bride." "I would keep you longer, but I know you wouldn't stay, for you wish to be with your beloved." "So go then..." "But let your colleagues rema¡n to enjoy a few more days of pleasure and rest." "Bon voyage and good luck!" "Oh Iluska, beautiful ángel of my soul..." "Do you sense what happiness is in store for you?" "That your bridegroom is bound home with treasures?" "That at last after many struggles, we may be wed." "In marr¡ed i¡fe, we'll be happy and wealthy, never to depend on another man again." "Where is Iluska, where?" "Poor Uncle Johnny." "She's buried in her grave." "Tell me the truth." "She's married, isn't she?" "I'd rather know she's w¡th her husband than in her grave." "Why didn't I fall in battle?" "Why didn't I find a grave in the sea?" "Why, why d¡d I come into th¡s world?" "Why?" "Only to be stricken by so many lightning bolts and torments!" "And how did she die?" "What happened?" "Ay, the poor creature had many troubles." "But ¡t was her stepmother who ruined her health." "The mean one paid for it in the end though, because she had to take a beggar's stick." "You're my only treasure." "The remains of my beloved." "Show me the way, and I shall follow you." "But even the grave won't stop him," "Such love knows no fear." "John continues his bitter path," "To find his beautiful lover underground." "The land of giants is limited by the sky," "No man can ever cross it." "Beyond that, the sun won't ever rise," "The whistling wind brings only funeral songs." "In the Land of the Dead," "There live only sorrowful shadows." "Since you are here, come and d¡ne w¡th us." "If you don't swallow a boulder, we'll swallow you." "Accept our ¡nvitat¡on, or we w¡ll season our dry meal with the grist of your body." "I'll do it if you wish, why not?" "I shall join you for dinner." "I ask only one th¡ng, and this you might do:" "Break off a little piece for me to start." "Take it." "This is but a noodle." "Next, you'll get a dumpling." "Now bite!" "Bite your own miserable life!" "And I'll bet your teeth will break!" "Inv¡te me to another d¡nner I¡ke this!" "It sticks in your gullet!" "Our Lord and King!" "Have mercy on us, have mercy!" "We accept you as our ruler." "But do not harm us, we are your slaves!" "What our brother said is our common w¡sh." "Do not harm us, for we are your slaves." "Accept us as your slaves forever." "I accept your offer, but with one provisión." "I cannot stay here." "I must go on." "But I shall leave someone here ¡n my place." "Whoever it will be is all the same to me." "I only ask of you one thing:" "That if I ever get into trouble, you'll appear at my side when I call." "Merciful lord, take this whistle with you." "We will come whenever you call your slaves." "Are you able to wade across this sea?" "Am I able?" "I should think so!" "If you can, take me!" "Come sit on my shoulders." "Like this..." "Now grab ahold of my hair." "Look, there's the shore!" "That's only an island." "What kind of an island is it?" "Fairyland, you must have heard of it often." "Fairyland, the end of the world." "Beyond that, the sea disappears into nothing." "Take me there, my faithful slave." "Because above all else, I want to see it." "It is no easy matter to gain entry there, for the gates are guarded by terrible monsters." "Don't worry about that, just take me." "We shall see whether I make it or not." "And to this day, in the glorious circle of the fairy nation," "In the arms of his beloved Iluska," "His Grace John the Valiant is the happy sovereign of Fairyland." "THE END" "TO CELEBRATE THE 150th ANNIVERSARY OF THE POET'S BIRTH"