Rise up, Magyar, the country calls!
It's 'now or never' what fate befalls...
Shall we live as slaves or free men?
That's the question - choose your `Amen'!
God of Hungarians,
we swear unto Thee,
We swear unto Thee - that slaves we shall
no longer be!
For up till now we lived like slaves,
Damned lie our forefathers in their graves -
They who lived and died in freedom
Cannot rest in dusts of thraldom.
God of Hungarians,
we swear unto Thee,
We swear unto Thee - that slaves we shall
no longer be!
A coward and a lowly bastard
Is he, who dares not raise the standard -
He, whose wretched life is dearer
Than the country's sacred honor.
God of Hungarians
we swear unto Thee,
We swear unto Thee - that slaves we shall
no longer be!
Sabers outshine chains and fetters,
It's the sword that one's arm betters.
Yet we wear grim chains and shackles.
Swords, slash through the damned manacles!
God of Hungarians,
we swear unto Thee,
We swear unto Thee - that slaves we shall
no longer be!
Magyars' name will tell the story
Worthy of our erstwhile glory:
We must scrub off - fiercely cleansing
Centuries of shame condensing.
God of Hungarians
we swear unto Thee,
We swear unto Thee that slaves we shall
no longer be!
Where our grave-mounds bulge in grey earth
Grandsons kneel and say their prayers,
While in blessing words they mention
All our sainted names' ascension.
God of Hungarians,
we swear unto Thee,
We swear unto Thee - that slaves we shall
no longer be!
The gathering of souls for a common cause...leadership with repetition in moral and character of the movement is important in this poem. Bits of explanation scattered throughout and then the coming back together for the true cause- FREEDOM.
ReplyDeleteIt's really cool to see an elite stand up and speak for the voiceless in this era. I completely agree about the ending, "that slaves we shall/no longer be!"
ReplyDeleteI also love how they are not asking a god for help. They are telling God, and it's their Hungarian God. I'm really interested in learning more about the history of this 1848 revolution.
I didn't catch this the first time- the idea of telling and relating an experience versus asking for an almighty help. It reminds me of that famous line...."My god, my god, why have you forsaken me??"...almost a cry out for explanation, versus, like you mentioned- an actual prayer of guidance. Interesting communication- it makes me want to pay more attention to the speakers and listeners within the poems.
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