Ben Dunlap: The life-long learner

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"Jó napot, pacák" Which, as somebody here must surely know,

„Yo napot, pacak!“ Što, vjerojatno netko od vas ovdje zna,

means "What's up, guys?" in Magyar,

znači „Što ima, ljudi?“ na mađarskom,

that peculiar non-Indo-European language spoken by Hungarians

tom jedinstvenom ne-indoeuropskom jeziku koji govore Mađari

for which, given the fact that cognitive diversity is

i za koji, s obzirom na činjenicu da je spoznajna raznovrsnost

at least as threatened as biodiversity on this planet,

najmanje ugrožena kao biološka raznolikost na ovom planetu,

few would have imagined much of a future even a century or two ago.

bi rijetki mogli zamisliti bilo kakvu budućnost prije stoljeće ili dva.

But there it is: "Jó napot, pacák"

Ali eto ga: „Yo napot, pacak!“

I said somebody here must surely know, because

Rekao sam da netko ovdje zasigurno zna

despite the fact that there aren't that many Hungarians to begin with,

unatoč činjenici da nema toliko mnogo Mađara ovdje,

and the further fact that, so far as I know, there's not a drop

a sljedeća činjenica je da s obzirom na to koliko znam do sada, nema ni kapi

of Hungarian blood in my veins, at every critical juncture of my life

mađarske krvi u mojim venama, u svakom je kritičnom trenutku moga života

there has been a Hungarian friend or mentor there beside me.

pokraj mene bio prijatelj ili mentor mađarske nacionalnosti.

I even have dreams that take place in landscapes

Čak imam i snove koji su smješteni na mjestima

I recognize as the landscapes of Hungarian films,

koja prepoznajem kao mjesta iz mađarskih filmova,

especially the early movies of Miklos Jancso.

posebno ranih filmova Miklosa Jancsoa.

So, how do I explain this mysterious affinity?

Dakle, kako objašnjavam ovu misterioznu sklonost?

Maybe it's because my native state of South Carolina,

Možda je to zbog moje rodne države Južne Karoline

which is not much smaller than present-day Hungary,

koja nije mnogo manja od trenutne Mađarske,

once imagined a future for itself as an independent country.

a nekad je zamišljala da će u budućnosti biti zasebna i neovisna država.

And as a consequence of that presumption,

I kao posljedica te pretpostavke

my hometown was burned to the ground by an invading army,

moj je rodni grad spaljen do temelja od vojske

an experience that has befallen many a Hungarian town and village

koja je nasilno ušla u njega, iskustvo koje je zadesilo mnoge mađarske gradove i sela

throughout its long and troubled history.

u njihovoj dugoj i problematičnoj povijesti.

Or maybe it's because when I was a teenager back in the '50s,

Ili je to možda zato što, dok sam bio adolescent, tamo negdje 50-ih godina,

my uncle Henry -- having denounced the Ku Klux Klan

moj je ujak Henry istupio iz Ku Klux Klana

and been bombed for his trouble and had crosses burned in his yard,

i nakon toga bio bombardiran zbog svog problema i paljeni su mu križevi u dvorištu –

living under death threat -- took his wife and children to Massachusetts for safety

živeći pod prijetnjama smrću odveo je ženu i djecu u Massachusetts zbog sigurnosti

and went back to South Carolina to face down the Klan alone.

te se vratio natrag u Južnu Karolinu da bi se suočio s Klanom nasamo.

That was a very Hungarian thing to do,

To je bila stvar koju bi vrlo vjerojatno Mađari napravili,

as anyone will attest who remembers 1956.

kao što će bilo tko potvrditi tko se sjeća 1956. godine.

And of course, from time to time Hungarians

I naravno, s vremena na vrijeme Mađari su

have invented their own equivalent of the Klan.

imali vlastiti ekvivalent Klanu.

Well, it seems to me that this Hungarian presence in my life

Pa, čini mi se da je ovu mađarsku prisutnost u mom životu

is difficult to account for, but ultimately I ascribe it to an admiration

teško objasniti, ali naposljetku pripisujem je divljenju

for people with a complex moral awareness,

ljudima sa složenom moralnom svijesti –

with a heritage of guilt and defeat matched by defiance and bravado.

s nasljeđem krivnje i poraza u paru s prkosom i razmetanjem hrabrošću.

It's not a typical mindset for most Americans,

To nije tipično razmišljanje za većinu Amerikanaca.

but it is perforce typical of virtually all Hungarians.

Ali je silom okolnosti tipično za gotovo sve Mađare.

So, "Jó napot, pacák!"

Dakle, „Yo napot, pacak!“

I went back to South Carolina after some 15 years amid the alien corn

Otišao sam natrag u Južnu Karolinu nakon nekih 15 godina među strancima,

at the tail end of the 1960s,

na samom kraju 60-ih

with the reckless condescension of that era

s nemarnim prijezirom te ere,

thinking I would save my people.

misleći kako mogu spasiti svoje ljude.

Never mind the fact that they were slow to acknowledge they needed saving.

Bez obzira na činjenicu da su bili veoma spori u priznavanju da im treba spas.

I labored in that vineyard for a quarter century before

Radio sam u tom vinogradu četvrt stoljeća prije

making my way to a little kingdom of the just in upstate South Carolina,

no što sam otputovao u malo kraljevstvo pravednosti na sjeveru Južne Karoline,

a Methodist-affiliated institution of higher learning called Wofford College.

metodistički orijentiranu ustanovu višeg školovanja zvanu fakultet Wofford.

I knew nothing about Wofford

Ništa nisam znao o Woffordu

and even less about Methodism,

i još manje o metodizmu,

but I was reassured on the first day that I taught at Wofford College

ali ohrabrio sam se prvog dana kada sam došao predavati na fakultet Wofford

to find, among the auditors in my classroom,

kada sam među slušateljima u svojoj predavaonici

a 90-year-old Hungarian, surrounded by a bevy of middle-aged European women

našao devedesetogodišnjeg Mađara okruženog „jatom“ Europljanki srednjih godina

who seemed to function as an entourage of Rhinemaidens.

za koje se činilo da funkcioniraju kao pratnja Rininih kćeri.

His name was Sandor Teszler.

Njegovo ime bilo je Sandor Teszler.

He was a puckish widower whose wife and children were dead

Bio je nestašni udovac čiji su žena i djeca umrli,

and whose grandchildren lived far away.

a unučad je živjela veoma daleko.

In appearance, he resembled Mahatma Gandhi,

Na prvi pogled sličio je Mahatmi Gandhiju –

minus the loincloth, plus orthopedic boots.

bez tkanine oko kukova, ali s ortopedskim čizmama.

He had been born in 1903 in the provinces

Rođen je 1903.

of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire,

u staroj Austro-Ugarskoj provinciji

in what later would become Yugoslavia.

koja je kasnije postala Jugoslavija.

He was ostracized as a child, not because he was a Jew --

Prognan je kao dijete, ne zato što je bio Židov –

his parents weren't very religious anyhow --

njegovi roditelji ionako nisu bili pretjerano religiozni –

but because he had been born with two club feet,

nego zato što je rođen s dva kriva stopala,

a condition which, in those days, required institutionalization

a to je stanje koje je u to doba zahtjevalo institucionalizaciju

and a succession of painful operations between the ages of one and 11.

i niz bolnih operacija između prve i jedanaeste godine života.

He went to the commercial business high school as a young man

Kao mladić išao je u komercijalnu poslovnu srednju školu

in Budapest, and there he was as smart as he was modest

u Budimpešti. I tamo je bio pametan i skroman

and he enjoyed a considerable success. And after graduation

te je uživao znatan uspjeh.

when he went into textile engineering, the success continued.

Nakon što je maturirao, kada je upisao tekstilno inženjerstvo, uspjeh se nastavio.

He built one plant after another.

Gradio je tvornice jednu za drugom.

He married and had two sons. He had friends in high places who

Oženio se i dobio dva sina. Imao je prijatelje na visokim pozicijama

assured him that he was of great value to the economy.

koji su ga uvjeravali da je jako važan za ekonomiju.

Once, as he had left instructions to have done,

Jednom, nakon što je naredio što se sve treba napraviti,

he was summoned in the middle of the night by the night watchman at one of his plants.

noćni ga je čuvar pozvao usred noći u jednu od njegovih tvornica.

The night watchman had caught an employee who was stealing socks --

Čuvar je uhvatio zaposlenika koji je krao čarape –

it was a hosiery mill, and he simply backed a truck up to the loading dock

to je bila tvornica čarapa i on je jednostavno parkirao kamion na pristanište za utovar

and was shoveling in mountains of socks.

i zgrtao je hrpetine čarapa.

Mr. Teszler went down to the plant and confronted the thief and said,

Gospodin Teszler otišao je do tvornice i suočio se s lopovom i rekao:

"But why do you steal from me? If you need money you have only to ask."

„Ali zašto kradeš od mene? Ako trebaš novac, samo trebaš zamoliti.“

The night watchman, seeing how things were going and waxing indignant,

Noćni čuvar je, vidjevši kako se stvari odvijaju, ogorčeno

said, "Well, we're going to call the police, aren't we?"

rekao: „Pa, morat ćemo zvati policiju, zar ne?“

But Mr. Teszler answered, "No, that will not be necessary.

Ali gospodin Teszler je odgovorio: „Ne, to neće biti potrebno.

He will not steal from us again."

Neće ponovo ukrasti od nas.“

Well, maybe he was too trusting, because he stayed where he was

Pa, možda je bio previše povjerljiv zato što je ostao tamo gdje je bio

long after the Nazi Anschluss in Austria

dugo nakon nacističkog pripajanja Austrije

and even after the arrests and deportations began in Budapest.

i čak nakon što su počela uhićenja i protjerivanja u Budimpešti.

He took the simple precaution of having cyanide capsules placed in lockets

Kao jednostavnu predostrožnost uzeo je kapsule cijanida smještene u medaljone

that could be worn about the necks of himself and his family.

koje su nosili svi članovi njegove obitelji uključujući i njega.

And then one day, it happened: he and his family were arrested

I onda se jednog dana dogodilo: on i njegova obitelj uhićeni su

and they were taken to a death house on the Danube.

i odvedeni su u kuću smrti na Dunavu.

In those early days of the Final Solution, it was handcrafted brutality;

U tim ranim danima Konačnog Rješenja stvari su se rješavale brutalno –

people were beaten to death and their bodies tossed into the river.

ljude su tukli do smrti i njihova tijela su bacana u rijeku –

But none who entered that death house had ever come out alive.

ali nitko od onih koji su ušli u kuću smrti nije izašao van živ.

And in a twist you would not believe in a Steven Spielberg film --

I u raspletu, u koji ne biste povjerovali ni u Spielbergovom filmu,

the Gauleiter who was overseeing this brutal beating was the very same thief

dogodilo se da je Gauleiter koji je nadgledao ovo brutalno mlaćenje bio baš onaj pljačkaš

who had stolen socks from Mr. Teszler's hosiery mill.

koji je krao čarape iz tvornice gospodina Teszlera.

It was a brutal beating. And midway through that brutality,

Bilo je to brutalno premlaćivanje. I usred te brutalnosti

one of Mr. Teszler's sons, Andrew, looked up and said,

jedan od sinova gospodina Teszlera, Andrew, pogledao je prema gore i rekao:

"Is it time to take the capsule now, Papa?"

„Je li je sada vrijeme da uzmemo kapsulu, tata?“

And the Gauleiter, who afterwards vanishes from this story,

I Gauleiter koji kasnije nestaje iz ove priče

leaned down and whispered into Mr. Teszler's ear,

nagnuo se i šapnuo na uho gospodinu Teszlera:

"No, do not take the capsule. Help is on the way."

„Ne, nemojte uzeti kapsulu. Stiže pomoć.“

And then resumed the beating.

I onda je nastavio tući.

But help was on the way, and shortly afterwards

A pomoć je bila na putu i ubrzo nakon toga

a car arrived from the Swiss Embassy.

stigao je auto iz švicarske ambasade.

They were spirited to safety. They were reclassified as Yugoslav citizens

Odvedeni su na sigurno. Reklasificirani su kao jugoslavenski državljani

and they managed to stay one step ahead of their pursuers

i uspjeli su ostati korak ispred svojih progonitelja

for the duration of the War, surviving burnings and bombings

svo vrijeme trajanja rata preživljavajući paleže i bombardiranja

and, at the end of the War, arrest by the Soviets.

i na kraju rata Sovjeti su ih uhitili.

Probably, Mr. Teszler had gotten some money into Swiss bank accounts

Gospodin Teszler je vjerojatno imao nešto novaca na računima švicarske banke

because he managed to take his family first to Great Britain,

jer je uspio odvesti svoju obitelj u Veliku Britaniju

then to Long Island and then to the center of the textile industry in the American South.

zatim na Long Island i onda u središte tekstilne industrije na američkom jugu.

Which, as chance would have it, was Spartanburg, South Carolina,

To središte sasvim je slučajno bio grad Spartanburg u Južnoj Karolini,

the location of Wofford College.

mjesto fakulteta Wofford.

And there, Mr. Teszler began all over again and once again achieved immense success,

I tamo je gospodin Teszler počeo ispočetka i opet je doživio ogroman uspjeh,

especially after he invented the process

pogotovo nakon što je stvorio postupak

for manufacturing a new fabric called double-knit.

za proizvodnju nove tkanine nazvane duplo pletenje.

And then in the late 1950s, in the aftermath of Brown v. Board of Education,

I onda u kasnim pedesetima nakon posljedica tužbe Brown protiv Odbora za obrazovanje,

when the Klan was resurgent all over the South,

kada je Klan ponovo oživio posvuda po Jugu,

Mr. Teszler said, "I have heard this talk before."

gospodin Teszler je rekao: „Čuo sam već prije ovaj govor.“

And he called his top assistant to him and asked,

I pozvao je svog najboljeg asistenta i pitao ga:

"Where would you say, in this region, racism is most virulent?"

„Što bi ti rekao, gdje je u ovoj regiji rasizam najrasprostanjeniji?“

"Well, I don't rightly know, Mr. Teszler. I reckon that would be Kings Mountain."

„Pa ne bih točno znao, gospodine Teszler. Mislim da je u Kings Mountainu.“

"Good. Buy us some land in Kings Mountain

„Dobro. Kupi nam neku zemlju u Kings Mountainu

and announce we are going to build a major plant there."

i objavi da ćemo tamo graditi veliku tvornicu.“

The man did as he was told, and shortly afterwards,

Čovjek je učinio kako mu je rečeno i ubrzo

Mr. Teszler received a visit from the white mayor of Kings Mountain.

nakon toga gospodina Teszlera je posjetio gradonačelnik Kings Mountaina, bijelac.

Now, you should know that at that time,

Moram vam reći da je u to vrijeme

the textile industry in the South was notoriously segregated.

tekstilna industrija na Jugu bila zloglasno izdvojena.

The white mayor visited Mr. Teszler and said,

Gradonačelnik bijelac je posjetio gospodina Teszlera i rekao mu:

"Mr. Teszler, I trust you’re going to be hiring a lot of white workers."

„Gospodine Teszler, vjerujem da ćete zapošljavati mnogo bijelih radnika.“

Mr. Teszler told him, "You bring me the best workers that you can find,

Gospodin Teszler mu je odgovorio: „Dovedite mi najbolje radnike koje možete pronaći

and if they are good enough, I will hire them."

i ako su dovoljno dobri, zaposlit ću ih.“

He also received a visit from the leader of the black community,

Također ga je posjetio i vođa crnačke zajednice,

a minister, who said, "Mr. Teszler, I sure hope you're going to

svećenik, koji je rekao: „Gospodine Teszler, nadam se da ćete

hire some black workers for this new plant of yours."

zaposliti nešto crnih radnika u toj svojoj novoj tvornici.“

He got the same answer: "You bring the best workers that you can find,

Dobio je isti odgovor: „Dovedite mi najbolje radnike koje možete pronaći

and if they are good enough, I will hire them."

i ako su dovoljno dobri, zaposlit ću ih.“

As it happens, the black minister did his job better than the white mayor,

S obzirom na to kako se dogodilo, crni je svećenik napravio bolji posao od bijeloga gradonačelnika,

but that's neither here or there.

ali nije bilo ni na jednu stranu niti na drugu.

Mr. Teszler hired 16 men: eight white, eight black.

Gospodin Teszler zaposlio je 16-ero ljudi, osam bijelaca, osam crnaca.

They were to be his seed group, his future foremen.

Oni su bili njegova matična grupa, njegovi budući nadzornici.

He had installed the heavy equipment for his new process

Postavio je tešku opremu za svoj novi program

in an abandoned store in the vicinity of Kings Mountain,

u napuštenom skladištu u blizini Kings Mountaina

and for two months these 16 men would live and work together,

i dva mjeseca je ovih šesnaestero ljudi živjelo i radilo zajedno,

mastering the new process.

savladavajući novi program.

He gathered them together after an initial tour of that facility

Okupio ih je zajedno nakon početnog obilaska postrojenja

and he asked if there were any questions.

i pitao ih imaju li kakvih pitanja.

There was hemming and hawing and shuffling of feet,

Bilo je kašljucanja, meškoljenja i lupkanja nogama

and then one of the white workers stepped forward and said,

i onda je jedan od bijelih radnika prišao naprijed i rekao:

"Well, yeah. We’ve looked at this place and there's only one place to sleep,

„Pa, da. Pogledali smo ovo mjesto – i tu je samo jedna prostorija za spavanje,

there's only one place to eat, there's only one bathroom,

jedna prostorija za jelo, jedna kupaonica, jedno vodocrpilište.

there's only one water fountain. Is this plant going to be integrated or what?"

Hoće li ova tvornica biti integrirana ili što?“

Mr. Teszler said, "You are being paid twice the wages of any other textile workers in this region

Gospodin Teszler je rekao: „Plaćeni ste duplo više nego bilo koji tekstilni radnik u regiji,

and this is how we do business. Do you have any other questions?"

a mi ovdje ovako radimo. Imate li drugih pitanja?“

"No, I reckon I don't."

„Ne, mislim da nemam.“

And two months later when the main plant opened

I dva mjeseca kasnije kada se glavna tvornica otvorila

and hundreds of new workers, white and black,

i kada se stotine novih radnika, crnih i bijelih,

poured in to see the facility for the first time,

sručilo da vide postrojenje po prvi puta,

they were met by the 16 foremen, white and black, standing shoulder to shoulder.

susreli su se sa šesnaestero nadzornika, crnih i bijelih, kako stoje jedan do drugoga.

They toured the facility and were asked if there were any questions, and

Obišli su postrojenje i upitani su imaju li ikakvih pitanja. I

inevitably the same question arose:

neizbježno, pojavilo se isto pitanje:

"Is this plant integrated or what?"

„Hoće li ovo postrojenje biti integrirano ili što?“

And one of the white foremen stepped forward and said,

Jedan od bijelih nadzornika je prišao naprijed i rekao:

"You are being paid twice the wages of any other workers

„Plaćeni ste duplo više nego ijedan drugi radnik

in this industry in this region and this is how we do business.

u ovakvoj industriji na ovom području i tako ćemo raditi.

Do you have any other questions?"

Imate li kakvih drugih pitanja?“

And there were none. In one fell swoop,

I nije ih bilo. U jednom naletu,

Mr. Teszler had integrated the textile industry in that part of the South.

gospodin Teszler je ujedinio tekstilnu industriju u tom dijelu Juga.

It was an achievement worthy of Mahatma Gandhi,

To je bilo dostignuće dostojno Mahatme Gandhija,

conducted with the shrewdness of a lawyer and the idealism of a saint.

provedeno s lukavošću odvjetnika i idealizmom sveca.

In his eighties, Mr. Teszler, having retired from the textile industry,

U svojim osamdesetima gospodin je Teszler, nakon što je otišao u mirovinu iz tekstilne industrije,

adopted Wofford College,

upisao fakultet Wofford –

auditing courses every semester,

slušajući predmete svaki semestar.

and because he had a tendency to kiss anything that moved,

I s obzirom da je imao tendenciju ljubiti sve što se micalo,

becoming affectionately known as "Opi" -- which is Magyar for grandfather --

postao je poznat kao Opi – što na mađarskom znači djed –

by all and sundry. Before I got there, the library of the college

po svemu raznovrsan. Kada sam došao tamo, knjižnica fakulteta

had been named for Mr. Teszler, and after I arrived in 1993,

nazvana je po gospodinu Teszleru, a kada sam se vratio 1993.,

the faculty decided to honor itself by naming Mr. Teszler Professor of the College --

fakultet se odlučio počastiti imenujući gospodina Teszlera fakultetskim profesorom.

partly because at that point he had already taken

Djelomično zato što je u tom trenu već odslušao

all of the courses in the catalog, but mainly because

sve smjerove iz kataloga, ali uglavnom zato što je

he was so conspicuously wiser than any one of us.

bio toliko evidentno pametniji od bilo koga od nas.

To me, it was immensely reassuring that the presiding spirit

Za mene je bilo neizmjerno ohrabrujuće to što je predsjedajuća duša

of this little Methodist college in upstate South Carolina

ovog malog metodističkog fakulteta u sjevernoj Južnoj Karolini

was a Holocaust survivor from Central Europe.

bila žrtva holokausta iz srednje Europe.

Wise he was, indeed, but he also had a wonderful sense of humor.

Bio je zaista mudar, ali je također imao odličan smisao za humor.

And once for an interdisciplinary class,

I jednom, na interdisciplinaron predavanju,

I was screening the opening segment of Ingmar Bergman's "The Seventh Seal."

prikazivao sam otvoreni segment Sedmog pečata Ingmara Bergmana.

As the medieval knight Antonius Block returns from the wild goose chase

Kako se srednjovjekovni vitez Antonius Blok vratio s potjere za divljim guskama

of the Crusades and arrives on the rocky shore of Sweden,

i stigao na kamenu obalu Švedske

only to find the specter of death waiting for him,

samo da bi pronašao predosjećaj smrti koja ga čeka,

Mr. Teszler sat in the dark with his fellow students. And

gospodin Teszler je sjedio u mraku sa svojim prijateljima studentima. I

as death opened his cloak to embrace the knight

kako je smrt otvorila svoj plašt da bi prigrlila viteza

in a ghastly embrace, I heard Mr. Teszler's tremulous voice:

u mrtvački zagrljaj, čuo sam drhtavi glas gospodina Teszlera:

"Uh oh," he said, "This doesn't look so good." (Laughter)

„Oh, oh“, rekao je, „To baš ne izgleda dobro.“

But it was music that was his greatest passion, especially opera.

Ali glazba je bila njegova velika strast, posebno opera,

And on the first occasion that I visited his house, he gave me

i prvi puta kada sam mu došao u posjet, dao mi je čast

honor of deciding what piece of music we would listen to.

da odaberem koji ćemo glazbeni komad slušati.

And I delighted him by rejecting "Cavalleria Rusticana"

I oduševio sam ga odbijajući „Cavalerriu Rusticanu“

in favor of Bela Bartok's "Bluebeard's Castle."

u zamjenu za Bluebeard's Castle Bele Bartoka.

I love Bartok's music, as did Mr. Teszler,

Volim Bartokovu glazbu, kao što je volio i gospodin Teszler

and he had virtually every recording of Bartok's music ever issued.

i doslovno je imao svaku snimku Bartokovih skladbi koja je ikada objavljena.

And it was at his house that I heard for the first time

I u njegovoj sam kući po prvi puta čuo

Bartok's Third Piano Concerto and learned from

Bartokov Treći koncert za klavir i naučio od

Mr. Teszler that it had been composed in nearby Asheville, North Carolina

gospodina Teszlera da je to skladao pokraj Ashevill-a u Sjevernoj Karolini

in the last year of the composer's life.

u zadnjim danima života.

He was dying of leukemia and he knew it,

Umirao je od leukemije i znao je to,

and he dedicated this concerto to his wife,

i posvetio je taj koncert svojoj ženi

Dita, who was herself a concert pianist.

Diti koja je i sama bila koncertni pijanist.

And into the slow, second movement, marked "adagio religioso,"

I u polaganom, drugom pokretu naznačio adagio religioso,

he incorporated the sounds of birdsong that he heard

pripojio je zvukove ptičjeg pjeva, koje je čuo

outside his window in what he knew would be his last spring;

kroz prozor, u nešto za što je znao da će biti njegovo posljednje proljeće.

he was imagining a future for her in which he would play no part.

Zamišljao je budućnost za nju, a u kojoj njega neće biti.

And clearly this composition is his final statement to her --

I jasno, jasno je da ova kompozicija daje konačni iskaz njoj –

it was first performed after his death --

prvi puta je izvedena nakon njegove smrti –

and through her to the world.

i kroz nju prema svijetu.

And just as clearly, it is saying, "It's okay. It was all so beautiful.

I kao da jasno kaže – „U redu je. Sve je bilo tako divno.

Whenever you hear this, I will be there."

Kad god ovo čuješ, bit ću tu.“

It was only after Mr. Teszler's death that I learned

Tek nakon smrti gospodina Teszlera saznao

that the marker on the grave of Bela Bartok in Hartsdale, New York

sam da je oznaku na grobu Bele Bartoka u Hartsdaleu u New Yorku

was paid for by Sandor Teszler. "Jó napot, Bela!"

platio Sandor Teszler. „Yo napot, Bela!“

Not long before Mr. Teszler’s own death at the age of 97,

Nedugo prije smrti gospodina Teszlera u devedeset i sedmoj godini,

he heard me hold forth on human iniquity.

čuo me kako javno govorim o ljudskoj grešnosti.

I delivered a lecture in which I described history

Držao sam predavanja u kojem sam opisao prošlost

as, on the whole, a tidal wave of human suffering and brutality,

u cijelosti kao plimni val ljudske patnje i brutalnosti

and Mr. Teszler came up to me afterwards with gentle reproach and said,

i gospodin Teszler mi je nakon toga prišao i rekao:

"You know, Doctor, human beings are fundamentally good."

„Znate doktore, ljudska bića su u osnovi dobra.“

And I made a vow to myself, then and there,

I zakleo sam se sam sebi, tada tamo,

that if this man who had such cause to think otherwise

ako ovaj čovjek koji je imao svo pravo misliti drugačije,

had reached that conclusion,

zaključio to,

I would not presume to differ until he released me from my vow.

ja neću pretpostavljati drugačije sve dok me ne oslobodi zakletve.

And now he's dead, so I'm stuck with my vow.

I sad je mrtav, a ja sam zapeo sa svojom zakletvom.

"Jó napot, Sandor!"

„Yo napot, Sandor!“

I thought my skein of Hungarian mentors had come to an end,

Mislio sam da je došao kraj mojim mađarskim mentorima,

but almost immediately I met Francis Robicsek, a Hungarian doctor --

ali ubrzo nakon toga sam upoznao Francisa Robicseka, mađarskog doktora,

actually a heart surgeon in Charlotte, North Carolina, then in his late seventies --

zapravo kardiokirurga u Charlotteu u Sjevernoj Karolini koji je tada bio u svojim kasnim sedamdesetima

who had been a pioneer in open-heart surgery,

i bio je pionir u otvorenim operacijama srca

and, tinkering away in his garage behind his house,

i krpajući u svojoj garaži iza kuće

had invented many of the devices that are standard parts of those procedures.

izumio je mnoge uređaje koju su standardni dijelovi ovih postupaka.

He's also a prodigious art collector, beginning as an intern in Budapest

Također je i čudnovat skupljač umjetnina, koji je započeo kao pripravnik u Budimpešti

by collecting 16th- and 17th-century Dutch art and Hungarian painting,

skupljajući nizozemske i mađarske slike iz šesnaestog i sedamnaestog stoljeća

and when he came to this country moving on to Spanish colonial art,

i kada je došao u ovu zemlju prešao je na španjolsku kolonijalnu umjetnost,

Russian icons and finally Mayan ceramics.

ruske ikone i na posljetku keramiku Maya.

He's the author of seven books, six of them on Mayan ceramics.

Autor je sedam knjiga, šest od njih o keramici Maya.

It was he who broke the Mayan codex, enabling scholars to relate

On je dešifrirao Mayanski kodeks, omogućujući učenjacima da povežu

the pictographs on Mayan ceramics to the hieroglyphs of the Mayan script.

oznake na keramici Maya s hijeroglifima Mayanskih spisa.

On the occasion of my first visit, we toured his house

Kada sam ga prvi puta posjetio, proveo me kroz kuću

and we saw hundreds of works of museum quality,

i vidjeli smo stotine radova muzejske kvalitete

and then we paused in front of a closed door and Dr. Robicsek said,

i zaustavili se ispred zatvorenih vrata i doktor Robicsek je rekao

with obvious pride, "Now for the piece De resistance."

s očiglednim ponosom: „Sada komad otpora.“

And he opened the door and we walked into a

I otvorio je vrata i ušli smo u veliku prostoriju

windowless 20-by-20-foot room with shelves from floor to ceiling, and

bez prozora s policama od stropa do poda

crammed on every shelf his collection of Mayan ceramics.

napunjenim njegovom kolekcijom keramike Maya.

Now, I know absolutely nothing about Mayan ceramics,

Nisam pojma imao o keramici Maya,

but I wanted to be as ingratiating as possible so I said,

ali želio sam biti što umiljatiji. Pa sam rekao:

"But Dr. Robicsek, this is absolutely dazzling."

„Ali doktore Robicsek, ovo je totalno zaslijepljujuće.“

"Yes," he said. "That is what the Louvre said.

„Da“, rekao je, „to su mi rekli iz Louvra.

They would not leave me alone until I let them have a piece,

Nisu me puštali na miru sve dok im nisam dopustio da dobiju komad,

but it was not a good one." (Laughter)

ali nije bio dobar.“

Well, it occurred to me that I should invite Dr. Robicsek

Učinilo mi se da bih trebao pozvati doktora Robicseka

to lecture at Wofford College on -- what else?

na predavanje na fakultetu Wofford, o čemu drugome

-- Leonardo da Vinci. And further, I should invite him to meet

nego o Leonardu Da Vinciju. I dalje, trebao sam ga pozvati da upozna

my oldest trustee, who had majored in French history at Yale

mog najstarijeg pratitelja koji je diplomirao francusku povijest na Yale-u

some 70-odd years before and, at 89, still ruled the world's

prije nekih 70-ak godina i u 89-oj je još uvijek sa željeznom rukom upravljao

largest privately owned textile empire with an iron hand.

najvećim privatnim tekstilnim carstvom.

His name is Roger Milliken. And Mr. Milliken agreed,

Ime mu je Roger Milliken. I gospodin Milliken se složio,

and Dr. Robicsek agreed. And Dr. Robicsek visited

a složio se i doktor Robicsek. I doktor Robicsek je došao

and delivered the lecture and it was a dazzling success.

i održao predavanje i to je bio fantastičan uspjeh.

And afterwards we convened at the President's House with Dr. Robicsek

I nakon toga smo se našli u predsjednikovoj kući s doktorom Robicsekom

on one hand, Mr. Milliken on the other.

na jednoj strani i gospodinom Millikenom na drugoj.

And it was only at that moment, as we were sitting down to dinner,

I baš u trenu kad smo sjedili za stolom i večerali,

that I recognized the enormity of the risk I had created,

prepoznao sam nevjerojatnost rizika koji sam stvorio.

Jer spojiti ovu dvojicu velikana, ovu dvojicu gospodara svemira

because to bring these two titans, these two masters of the universe

together -- it was like introducing Mothra to Godzilla over the skyline of Tokyo.

zajedno je poput predstavljanja Mothre Godzilli iznad Tokya.

If they didn't like each other, we could all get trampled to death.

Ako se ne svide jedan drugome, mogli bismo svi biti nasmrt pregaženi.

But they did, they did like each other.

Ali jesu. Svidjeli su se jedan drugome.

They got along famously until the very end of the meal,

Izvrsno su se slagali sve do kraja obroka

and then they got into a furious argument.

kad su zapeli u užasnoj prepirci.

And what they were arguing about was this:

A prepirali su se o tome

whether the second Harry Potter movie was as good as the first. (Laughter)

je li drugi dio filma Harry Potter jednako dobar kao i prvi.

Mr. Milliken said it was not. Dr. Robicsek disagreed.

Gospodin Milliken je rekao da nije.

I was still trying to take in the notion that these titans,

Doktor Robicsek se nije složio.

these masters of the universe, in their spare time watch Harry Potter movies,

Još uvijek sam pokušavao shvatiti da ovi velikani, ovi gospodari svemira u svoje slobodno vrijeme gledaju Harryja Pottera,

a tada je gospodin Milliken pomislio da će pobijediti u prepirci s argumentom poput ovog:

when Mr. Milliken thought he would win the argument by saying,

"You just think it's so good because you didn't read the book."

„Misliš tako samo zato što nisi pročitao knjigu.“

And Dr. Robicsek reeled back in his chair, but quickly gathered his wits,

I doktor Robicsek se nagnuo unazad na svojoj stolici, ali se brzo snašao,

leaned forward and said, "Well, that is true, but I'll bet you went

nagnuo naprijed i rekao: „Pa, to je točno, ali kladim se da si ti išao

to the movie with a grandchild." "Well, yes, I did," conceded Mr. Milliken.

gledati film s unucima.“ „Pa jesam,“ priznao je gospodin Milliken.

"Aha!" said Dr. Robicsek. "I went to the movie all by myself." (Laughter) (Applause)

„Aha!“ rekao je doktor Robicsek. „Ja sam išao u kino sasvim sam.“

And I realized, in this moment of revelation,

I shvatio sam u tom trenutku otkrivenja

that what these two men were revealing was the secret

da su ova dvojica muškaraca otkrili tajnu

of their extraordinary success, each in his own right.

svog izvanrednog uspjeha, svatko na svoj način.

And it lay precisely in that insatiable curiosity,

I ležao je točno u toj nezasitnoj znatiželji,

that irrepressible desire to know, no matter what the subject,

toj nezadrživoj želji za znanjem – bez obzira na to što je tema,

no matter what the cost,

bez obzira na to kolika je cijena,

even at a time when the keepers of the Doomsday Clock

čak i u vrijeme kad su čuvari Sata sudnjeg dana

are willing to bet even money that the human race won't be around

voljni napraviti okladu da ljudska rasa neće moći

to imagine anything in the year 2100, a scant 93 years from now.

doživjeti 2100. godinu, oskudne 93 godine od sada.

"Live each day as if it is your last," said Mahatma Gandhi.

„Živi svaki dan kao da ti je posljednji.“ rekao je Mahatma Ghandi.

"Learn as if you'll live forever."

„Uči kao da ćeš vječno živjeti.“

This is what I'm passionate about. It is precisely this.

U vezi toga sam strastven. Baš zbog toga.

It is this inextinguishable, undaunted appetite for learning and experience,

To je nešto što je nemoguće ugasiti, neustrašiv apetit za učenjem i iskustvom

no matter how risible, no matter how esoteric,

bez obzira koliko smiješno, koliko ezoterično

no matter how seditious it might seem.

ili buntovno izgleda.

This defines the imagined futures of our fellow Hungarians --

To definira zamišljene budućnosti naših prijatelja mađara,

Robicsek, Teszler and Bartok -- as it does my own.

Robicseka i Teszlera i Bartoka, kao i moju.

As it does, I suspect, that of everybody here.

A vjerujem i svih vas ovdje.

To which I need only add, "Ez a mi munkank; es nem is keves."

Čemu jedino moram dodati: "Ez a mi munkank; es nem is keves."

This is our task; we know it will be hard.

„Ovo je naš zadatak. Znamo da će biti težak.“

"Ez a mi munkank; es nem is keves. Jó napot, pacák!" (Applause)

"Ez a mi munkank; es nem is keves." Yo napot, pacak!