Angielsko-wÄgierska dwujÄzyczna ksiÄ ĆŒka
FordĂtotta: RĂłnay György
TO LEON WERTH
LĂON WERTH-NEK
I ask the indulgence of the children who may read this book for dedicating it to a grown-up. I have a serious reason: he is the best friend I have in the world. I have another reason: this grown-up understands everything, even books about children. I have a third reason: he lives in France where he is hungry and cold. He needs cheering up.
KĂ©rem a gyerekeket, ne haragudjanak, amiĂ©rt ezt a könyvet egy fölnĆttnek ajĂĄnlom. Komoly mentsĂ©gem van rĂĄ: ez a fölnĆtt szĂ©les e vilĂĄgon a legjobb barĂĄtom. De van egy mĂĄsik mentsĂ©gem is: ez a fölnĆtt mindent meg tud Ă©rteni, mĂ©g a gyerekeknek szĂłlĂł könyveket is. Harmadik mentsĂ©gem pedig a következĆ: ez a fölnĆtt FranciaorszĂĄgban Ă©l, s ott Ă©hezik Ă©s fĂĄzik. Nagy szĂŒksĂ©ge van vigasztalĂĄsra.
If all these reasons are not enough, I will dedicate the book to the child from whom this grown-up grew. All grown-ups were once children â although few of them remember it. And so I correct my dedication:
Ha pedig ez a sok mentsĂ©g nem elegendĆ, akkor annak a gyereknek ajĂĄnlom könyvemet, aki valaha ez a fölnĆtt volt. Mert elĆbb minden fölnĆtt gyerek volt. (De csak kevesen emlĂ©keznek rĂĄ.) AjĂĄnlĂĄsomat tehĂĄt kijavĂtom, ilyesformĂĄn:
TO LEON WERTH WHEN HE WAS A LITTLE BOY.
LĂON WERTH-NEK, AMIKOR MĂG KISFIĂ VOLT.
I
I
Once when I was six years old I saw a magnificent picture in a book, called True Stories from Nature, about the primeval forest. It was a picture of a boa constrictor in the act of swallowing an animal. Here is a copy of the drawing.
HatĂ©ves koromban egy könyvben, mely az ĆserdĆrĆl szĂłlt, Ă©s Igaz TörtĂ©netek volt a cĂme, lĂĄttam egy nagyszerƱ kĂ©pet. ĂriĂĄskĂgyĂłt ĂĄbrĂĄzolt, amint egy vadĂĄllatot nyel el. TessĂ©k, itt a rajz mĂĄsolata.
In the book it said: âBoa constrictors swallow their prey whole, without chewing it. After that they are not able to move, and they sleep through the six months that they need for digestion.â
A könyvben ez ĂĄllt: âAz ĂłriĂĄskĂgyĂł egĂ©szben, rĂĄgĂĄs nĂ©lkĂŒl nyeli le zsĂĄkmĂĄnyĂĄt. UtĂĄna moccanni sem bĂr, Ă©s az emĂ©sztĂ©s hat hĂłnapjĂĄt vĂ©gigalussza.â
I pondered deeply, then, over the adventures of the jungle. And after some work with a colored pencil I succeeded in making my first drawing. My Drawing Number One. It looked something like this:
Akkoriban sokat tƱnĆdtem a dzsungelek kalandjain, Ă©s egy szĂnes ceruzĂĄval nekem is sikerĂŒlt megrajzolnom elsĆ rajzomat. Az 1. szĂĄmĂșt. IlyesformĂĄn:
I showed my masterpiece to the grown-ups, and asked them whether the drawing frightened them.
RemekmƱvemet megmutattam a fölnĆtteknek, Ă©s megkĂ©rdeztem Ćket, nem fĂ©lnek-e tĆle.
But they answered: âFrighten? Why should any one be frightened by a hat?â
â MiĂ©rt kellene fĂ©lni egy kalaptĂłl? â vĂĄlaszoltĂĄk.
My drawing was not a picture of a hat. It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. But since the grown-ups were not able to understand it, I made another drawing: I drew the inside of a boa constrictor, so that the grown-ups could see it clearly. They always need to have things explained. My Drawing Number Two looked like this:
Az Ă©n rajzom azonban nem kalapot ĂĄbrĂĄzolt. ĂriĂĄskĂgyĂłt ĂĄbrĂĄzolt, amint Ă©pp egy elefĂĄntot emĂ©szt. Erre lerajzoltam az ĂłriĂĄskĂgyĂłt belĂŒlrĆl is, hogy a fölnĆttek megĂ©rthessĂ©k, mirĆl van szĂł. Mert nekik mindig mindent meg kell magyarĂĄzni. Ez a 2. szĂĄmĂș rajz ilyesforma volt:
The grown-upsâ response, this time, was to advise me to lay aside my drawings of boa constrictors, whether from the inside or the outside, and devote myself instead to geography, history, arithmetic, and grammar. That is why, at the age of six, I gave up what might have been a magnificent career as a painter.
Most aztĂĄn a fölnĆttek azt ajĂĄnlottĂĄk, ne rajzoljak többĂ© ĂłriĂĄskĂgyĂłt se nyitva, se csukva, hanem inkĂĄbb foglalkozzam földrajzzal, törtĂ©nelemmel, szĂĄmtannal Ă©s nyelvtannal. Ăgy mondtam le hatĂ©ves koromban nagyszerƱ festĆi pĂĄlyafutĂĄsomrĂłl.
I had been disheartened by the failure of my Drawing Number One and my Drawing Number Two. Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.
Kedvemet szegte 1. Ă©s 2. szĂĄmĂș rajzom kudarca. A nagyok semmit sem Ă©rtenek meg maguktĂłl, a gyerekek pedig belefĂĄradnak, hogy örökös-örökkĂ© magyarĂĄzgassanak nekik.
So then I chose another profession, and learned to pilot airplanes. I have flown a little over all parts of the world; and it is true that geography has been very useful to me.
MĂĄs mestersĂ©get kellett vĂĄlasztanom tehĂĄt: megtanultam repĂŒlĆgĂ©pet vezetni. NagyjĂĄbĂłl az egĂ©sz vilĂĄgot berepĂŒltem. Ăs valĂł igaz, hogy közben nagy hasznĂĄt vettem a földrajznak.
At a glance I can distinguish China from Arizona. If one gets lost in the night, such knowledge is valuable.
ElsĆ pillantĂĄsra meg tudtam kĂŒlönböztetni KĂnĂĄt ArizonĂĄtĂłl. Ez pedig fölöttĂ©bb hasznos dolog, ha Ă©jszaka eltĂ©ved az ember.
In the course of this life I have had a great many encounters with a great many people who have been concerned with matters of consequence. I have lived a great deal among grown-ups. I have seen them intimately, close at hand. And that hasnât much improved my opinion of them.
Ăgy aztĂĄn Ă©letem folyamĂĄn nagyon sokszor kerĂŒltem kapcsolatba komoly emberekkel. JĂłcskĂĄn akadt dolgom a fölnĆttekkel. Közvetlen közelbĆl lĂĄthattam Ćket. Ăs nem mondhatnĂĄm, hogy ettĆl jobb lett rĂłluk a vĂ©lemĂ©nyem.
Whenever I met one of them who seemed to me at all clear-sighted, I tried the experiment of showing him my Drawing Number One, which I have always kept. I would try to find out, so, if this was a person of true understanding.
Ha olyannal talĂĄlkoztam, aki kicsit Ă©rtelmesebbnek lĂĄtszott, kiprĂłbĂĄltam rajta 1. szĂĄmĂș rajzomat, mert azt mindig magamnĂĄl tartottam. Meg akartam tudni, valĂłban megĂ©rti-e a dolgokat.
But, whoever it was, he, or she, would always say: âThat is a hat.â
De a vĂĄlasz mindig Ăgy hangzott: âEz egy kalap.â
Then I would never talk to that person about boa constrictors, or primeval forests, or stars. I would bring myself down to his level. I would talk to him about bridge, and golf, and politics, and neckties. And the grown-up would be greatly pleased to have met such a sensible man.
Erre aztĂĄn nem beszĂ©ltem neki se ĂłriĂĄskĂgyĂłkrĂłl, se ĆserdĆkrĆl, se csillagokrĂłl. Alkalmazkodtam hozzĂĄ. BridzsrĆl beszĂ©ltem neki, meg golfrĂłl meg politikĂĄrĂłl Ă©s nyakkendĆkrĆl. Az illetĆ fölnĆtt pedig nagyon örĂŒlt neki, hogy ilyen okos emberrel kerĂŒlt ismeretsĂ©gbe.
II
II
So I lived my life alone, without anyone that I could really talk to, until I had an accident with my plane in the Desert of Sahara, six years ago.
Ăgy Ă©ltem magĂĄnyosan, anĂ©lkĂŒl, hogy igazĂĄban bĂĄrkivel is szĂłt Ă©rthettem volna, mĂg egyszer, hat esztendĆvel ezelĆtt, kĂ©nyszerleszĂĄllĂĄst nem kellett vĂ©geznem a SzaharĂĄban.
Something was broken in my engine. And as I had with me neither a mechanic nor any passengers, I set myself to attempt the difficult repairs all alone.
Valami eltörött a motoromban. Ăs mivel se gĂ©pĂ©szem nem volt, se utasom, magamnak kellett nekilĂĄtnom, hogy zöld ĂĄgra vergĆdjem valahogyan, Ă©s kijavĂtsam a sĂșlyos hibĂĄt.
It was a question of life or death for me: I had scarcely enough drinking water to last a week.
Ălet Ă©s halĂĄl kĂ©rdĂ©se volt ez szĂĄmomra. Alig egy hĂ©tre valĂł ivĂłvizem volt.
The first night, then, I went to sleep on the sand, a thousand miles from any human habitation. I was more isolated than a shipwrecked sailor on a raft in the middle of the ocean.
Ott dĆltem ĂĄlomra az elsĆ este a homokon, ezermĂ©rföldnyire minden lakott helytĆl. Elhagyatottabb voltam, mint tutajĂĄn a hajĂłtörött az ĂłceĂĄn közepĂ©n.
Thus you can imagine my amazement, at sunrise, when I was awakened by an odd little voice. It said:
ElkĂ©pzelhetĆ hĂĄt, mennyire meglepĆdtem, amikor hajnalban egy fura kis hang Ă©bresztett föl. Azt mondta:
âIf you please â draw me a sheep!â
â LĂ©gy szĂves, rajzolj nekem egy bĂĄrĂĄnyt!
âWhat!â
â Micsoda?
âDraw me a sheep!â
â Rajzolj nekem egy bĂĄrĂĄnytâŠ
I jumped to my feet, completely thunderstruck. I blinked my eyes hard. I looked carefully all around me. And I saw a most extraordinary small person, who stood there examining me with great seriousness.
Fölugrottam, mintha villĂĄm csapott volna le mellettem. Megdörgöltem a szememet, aztĂĄn jĂłl kimeresztettem. Ăs egy aprĂł emberkĂ©t lĂĄttam, egy teljessĂ©ggel rendkĂvĂŒli kis emberkĂ©t, amint komoly figyelemmel szemlĂ©l.
Here you may see the best portrait that, later, I was able to make of him.
Itt a legjobb kĂ©p, amit kĂ©sĆbb csinĂĄlnom sikerĂŒlt rĂłla.
But my drawing is certainly very much less charming than its model. That, however, is not my fault. The grown-ups discouraged me in my painterâs career when I was six years old, and I never learned to draw anything, except boas from the outside and boas from the inside.
Csakhogy az Ă©n rajzom kĂ©tsĂ©gkĂvĂŒl sokkal kevĂ©sbĂ© elragadĂł, mint amilyen a mintĂĄja volt. Igaz, nem az Ă©n hibĂĄmbĂłl. Mert ami festĆi pĂĄlyafutĂĄsomat illeti, attĂłl mĂĄr hatesztendĆs koromban elvettĂ©k a kedvemet a fölnĆttek, Ăgy aztĂĄn nem is tanultam meg rajzolni, kivĂ©ve a csukott meg a nyitott ĂłriĂĄskĂgyĂłkat.
Now I stared at this sudden apparition with my eyes fairly starting out of my head in astonishment. Remember, I had crashed in the desert a thousand miles from any inhabited region. And yet my little man seemed neither to be straying uncertainly among the sands, nor to be fainting from fatigue or hunger or thirst or fear.
ĂmulattĂłl kerek szemmel nĂ©ztem hĂĄt a kĂŒlönös tĂŒnemĂ©nyt. Ne feledjĂŒk el: ezer mĂ©rföldre voltam minden lakott vidĂ©ktĆl. EmberkĂ©men pedig semmi jele nem volt annak, mintha eltĂ©vedt volna, vagy halĂĄlosan fĂĄradt, halĂĄlosan Ă©hes, halĂĄlosan szomjas lenne, esetleg halĂĄlosan fĂ©lne.
Nothing about him gave any suggestion of a child lost in the middle of the desert, a thousand miles from any human habitation. When at last I was able to speak, I said to him:
EgyĂĄltalĂĄn nem Ășgy festett, mint egy szerencsĂ©tlen gyerek, aki eltĂ©vedt a sivatagban, ezermĂ©rföldnyire minden lakott helytĆl. Mikor vĂ©gre szavamra leltem, azt kĂ©rdeztem tĆle:
âBut â what are you doing here?â
â De hĂĄt⊠hogy kerĂŒlsz te ide?
And in answer he repeated, very slowly, as if he were speaking of a matter of great consequence:
Erre szelĂden, Ă©s mintha valami nagyon komoly dolgot kĂ©rne, megismĂ©telte:
âIf you please â draw me a sheepâŠâ
â LĂ©gy szĂves, rajzolj nekem egy bĂĄrĂĄnytâŠ
When a mystery is too overpowering, one dare not disobey. Absurd as it might seem to me, a thousand miles from any human habitation and in danger of death, I took out of my pocket a sheet of paper and my fountain-pen.
Ha valami nagyon lenyƱgözĆen rejtĂ©lyes, az ember nem meri megtenni, hogy ne engedelmeskedjĂ©k. AkĂĄrmilyen kĂ©ptelensĂ©gnek talĂĄltam, hogy ezer mĂ©rföldre minden lakott helytĆl Ă©s rĂĄadĂĄsul halĂĄlos veszedelemben: elĆvettem a zsebembĆl egy darab papirost meg a töltĆtollamat.
But then I remembered how my studies had been concentrated on geography, history, arithmetic and grammar, and I told the little chap (a little crossly, too) that I did not know how to draw. He answered me:
Hanem akkor eszembe jutott, hogy Ă©n fĆkĂ©nt földrajzot, törtĂ©nelmet, szĂĄmtant Ă©s nyelvtant tanultam, Ă©s egy kicsit kedvetlenĂŒl közöltem az emberkĂ©mmel, hogy nem tudok rajzolni.
âThat doesnât matter. Draw me a sheepâŠâ
â Annyi baj legyen â felelte. â Rajzolj nekem egy bĂĄrĂĄnyt.
But I had never drawn a sheep. So I drew for him one of the two pictures I had drawn so often. It was that of the boa constrictor from the outside. And I was astounded to hear the little fellow greet it with:
Minthogy bĂĄrĂĄnyt soha Ă©letemben nem rajzoltam, papĂrra vetettem neki a kĂ©t rajz közĂŒl, amire egyĂĄltalĂĄn kĂ©pes voltam, az egyiket: a csukott ĂłriĂĄskĂgyĂłt. De hogy elkĂ©pedtem, mikor az emberke azt mondta rĂĄ:
âNo, no, no! I do not want an elephant inside a boa constrictor. A boa constrictor is a very dangerous creature, and an elephant is very cumbersome. Where I live, everything is very small. What I need is a sheep. Draw me a sheep.â
â Nem! Nem! Nem elefĂĄntot akarok ĂłriĂĄskĂgyĂłban! Az ĂłriĂĄskĂgyĂł nagyon veszedelmes, az elefĂĄnt meg olyan behemĂłt nagy. NĂĄlam odahaza minden aprĂł. Nekem bĂĄrĂĄnyka kell. Rajzolj nekem egy bĂĄrĂĄnyt.
So then I made a drawing.
HĂĄt erre rajzoltam egyet.
He looked at it carefully, then he said:
Figyelmesen szemĂŒgyre vette, aztĂĄn:
âNo. This sheep is already very sickly. Make me another.â
â Nem! â mondta. â Ez mĂĄr nagyon beteg. CsinĂĄlj egy mĂĄsikat nekem.
So I made another drawing.
Rajzoltam egy mĂĄsikat.
My friend smiled gently and indulgently.
Kis barĂĄtom kedvesen, de elnĂ©zĆen mosolygott.
âYou see yourself,â he said, âthat this is not a sheep. This is a ram. It has horns.â
â JĂł, jó⊠Csakhogy ez nem bĂĄrĂĄny, hanem kos. Ennek szarva van.
So then I did my drawing over once more.
Megint Ășjat rajzoltam.
But it was rejected too, just like the others.
Ez se volt jĂł neki, akĂĄrcsak az elĆzĆk.
âThis one is too old. I want a sheep that will live a long time.â
â Nagyon öreg. Nekem olyan bĂĄrĂĄny kell, amelyik sokĂĄig Ă©l.
By this time my patience was exhausted, because I was in a hurry to start taking my engine apart. So I tossed off this drawing.
Erre mĂĄr kifogytam a tĂŒrelembĆl. MielĆbb neki akartam kezdeni a motorom szĂ©tszerelĂ©sĂ©nek; rĂĄfirkĂĄltam hĂĄt a papĂrra a mellĂ©kelt rajzot.
And I threw out an explanation with it.
âThis is only his box. The sheep you asked for is inside.â
â TessĂ©k â mondtam. â Ez itt a lĂĄdĂĄja. Benne van a bĂĄrĂĄny, amit akarsz.
I was very surprised to see a light break over the face of my young judge:
Nagy meglepetésemre egyszeriben fölragyogott az arca.
âThat is exactly the way I wanted it! Do you think that this sheep will have to have a great deal of grass?â
â Ez az! Ăppen Ăgy akartam! Mit gondolsz, sok fƱ kell ennek a bĂĄrĂĄnynak?
âWhy?â
â MiĂ©rt?
âBecause where I live everything is very smallâŠâ
â HĂĄt mert nĂĄlam odahaza minden olyan kicsiâŠ
âThere will surely be enough grass for him,â I said. âIt is a very small sheep that I have given you.â
â Biztosan elĂ©g lesz neki. EgĂ©szen kicsi bĂĄrĂĄny.
He bent his head over the drawing.
âNot so small that â Look! He has gone to sleepâŠâ
A rajz fölé hajolt.
â Nem is olyan kicsi⊠NĂ©zd csak! ElaludtâŠ
And that is how I made the acquaintance of the little prince.
Ăgy ismerkedtem meg a kis herceggel.
III
III
It took me a long time to learn where he came from. The little prince, who asked me so many questions, never seemed to hear the ones I asked him.
HosszĂș idĆbe tellett, mĂg megĂ©rtettem, honnĂ©t jött. A kis herceg ugyanis engem elhalmozott kĂ©rdĂ©sekkel, az enyĂ©imet azonban mintha meg se hallotta volna.
It was from words dropped by chance that, little by little, everything was revealed to me. The first time he saw my airplane, for instance (I shall not draw my airplane; that would be much too complicated for me), he asked me:
LassankĂ©nt, vĂ©letlenĂŒl elejtett szavakbĂłl tudtam meg, amit megtudtam. Ăgy mikor elĆször lĂĄtta meg a repĂŒlĆmet (nem rajzolom le: repĂŒlĆgĂ©pet rajzolni az Ă©n szĂĄmomra tĂșl fogas föladat volna), azt kĂ©rdezte:
âWhat is that object?â
â HĂĄt ez meg mi a szösz?
âThat is not an object. It flies. It is an airplane. It is my airplane.â
â Ez nem szösz. Ez repĂŒl. RepĂŒlĆgĂ©p. Az Ă©n repĂŒlĆgĂ©pem.
And I was proud to have him learn that I could fly. He cried out, then:
Szinte hetvenkedtem neki azzal, hogy repĂŒlök.
âWhat! You dropped down from the sky?â
â Hogyan?! â kiĂĄltott föl. â Az Ă©gbĆl pottyanttĂĄl le?
âYes,â I answered, modestly.
â Igen â feleltem szerĂ©nyen.
âOh! That is funny!â
â HĂĄt ez furcsaâŠ
And the little prince broke into a lovely peal of laughter, which irritated me very much. I like my misfortunes to be taken seriously. Then he added:
Ăs fölkacagott, gyöngyözĆ kacagĂĄssal; ez hatĂĄrozottan bosszantott. MegkĂvĂĄnom, hogy komolyan vegyĂ©k a szerencsĂ©tlensĂ©geimet.
âSo you, too, come from the sky! Which is your planet?â
â SzĂłval te is az Ă©gbĆl jöttĂ©l? â tette hozzĂĄ. â Melyik bolygĂłrĂłl valĂł vagy?
At that moment I caught a gleam of light in the impenetrable mystery of his presence; and I demanded, abruptly:
Mintha hirtelen fĂ©ny vilĂĄgĂtotta volna meg rejtĂ©lyes jelenlĂ©tĂ©t.
âDo you come from another planet?â
â Eszerint egy mĂĄsik bolygĂłrĂłl valĂł vagy? â szegeztem neki a kĂ©rdĂ©st.
But he did not reply. He tossed his head gently, without taking his eyes from my plane:
Nem felelt. Csak a fejĂ©t csĂłvĂĄlta lassan, Ă©s a repĂŒlĆmet nĂ©zte.
âIt is true that on that you canât have come from very far awayâŠâ
â Igaz, ezen nem jöhetsz valami messzirĆlâŠ
And he sank into a reverie, which lasted a long time. Then, taking my sheep out of his pocket, he buried himself in the contemplation of his treasure.
Ăs hosszas töprengĂ©sbe merĂŒlt. AztĂĄn elĆvette zsebĂ©bĆl a bĂĄrĂĄnyomat, Ă©s kincse szemlĂ©lĂ©sĂ©be mĂ©lyedt.
You can imagine how my curiosity was aroused by this half-confidence about the âother planets.â I made a great effort, therefore, to find out more on this subject.
KĂ©pzelhetni, hogy izgatott ez az elharapott vallomĂĄs a âmĂĄsik bolygĂłrĂłlâ. PrĂłbĂĄltam hĂĄt többet is megtudni.
âMy little man, where do you come from? What is this âwhere I live,â of which you speak? Where do you want to take your sheep?â
â HonnĂ©t jöttĂ©l, emberkĂ©m? Hol van az az âodahazaâ? HovĂĄ akarod magaddal vinni a bĂĄrĂĄnyomat?
After a reflective silence he answered:
TƱnĆdve hallgatott, aztĂĄn azt mondta:
âThe thing that is so good about the box you have given me is that at night he can use it as his house.â
â Az a jĂł ebben a lĂĄdĂĄban, amit adtĂĄl, hogy Ă©jszakĂĄra hĂĄznak is megfelel neki.
âThat is so. And if you are good I will give you a string, too, so that you can tie him during the day, and a post to tie him to.â
â Persze, persze. Ha jĂł leszel, kötelet is adok, amivel megkötheted. Meg egy karĂłt.
But the little prince seemed shocked by this offer:
Ajånlatom szemlåtomåst meghökkentette a kis herceget.
âTie him! What a queer idea!â
â Megkötni? Milyen ostoba ötlet!
âBut if you donât tie him,â I said, âhe will wander off somewhere, and get lost.â
â De ha nem kötöd meg, elkĂłszĂĄl, elvĂ©szâŠ
My friend broke into another peal of laughter:
Kis baråtom erre megint fölkacagott.
âBut where do you think he would go?â
â ElkĂłszĂĄl? HovĂĄ?
âAnywhere. Straight ahead of him.â
â Mit tudom Ă©n. Az orra utĂĄnâŠ
Then the little prince said, earnestly:
A kis herceg elkomolyodott.
âThat doesnât matter. Where I live, everything is so small!â
â Annyi baj legyen. Hiszen nĂĄlam odahaza olyan kicsi minden⊠â
And, with perhaps a hint of sadness, he added:
Ăs mintha egy kis szomorĂșsĂĄg bujkĂĄlt volna a hangjĂĄban, ahogy hozzĂĄtette:
âStraight ahead of him, nobody can go very farâŠâ
â Nem valami sokĂĄig mehet az orra utĂĄn az emberâŠ