Ben Dunlap: The life-long learner

Translator: Tomas Sooky Reviewer: Richard Hrdlovič

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

"Jó napot, pacák!" Čo, ako to niekto z Vás určite vie,

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

znamená v maďarčine "Nazdar, chalani!",

that peculiar non-Indo-European language spoken by Hungarians

v tom čudnom, neindoeurópskom jazyku, ktorým hovoria Maďari

for which, given the fact that cognitive diversity is

a ktorému, vzhľadom na to, že kognitívna diverzita je

at least as threatened as biodiversity on this planet,

na tejto planéte aspoň tak ohrozená ako biodiverzita,

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

iba málo ľudí pred storočím či dvomi nechávalo budúcnosť.

But there it is: "Jó napot, pacák"

Ale tu ho máme: "Jó napot, pacák!"

I said somebody here must surely know, because

Povedal som, že niekto z Vás to určite vie, keďže

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

napriek tomu, že vo svete nie je až tak veľa Maďarov

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

a že, pokiaľ viem, niet ani kvapky

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

maďarskej krvi v mojich žilách, v každom dôležitom bode môjho života

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

stál vedľa mňa nejaký maďarský priateľ alebo učiteľ.

I even have dreams that take place in landscapes

Dokonca mávam aj sny v krajinách,

I recognize as the landscapes of Hungarian films,

ktoré rozpoznávam ako krajiny z maďarských filmov,

especially the early movies of Miklos Jancso.

najmä z prvých filmov Miklósa Jancsóa.

So, how do I explain this mysterious affinity?

Ako teda vysvetliť túto záhadnú spriaznenosť?

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

Možno je to tým, že štát Južná Karolína, z ktorého pochádzam

which is not much smaller than present-day Hungary,

a ktorý nie je oveľa menší ako dnešné Maďarsko,

once imagined a future for itself as an independent country.

si kedysi vysníval budúcnosť ako nezávislý štát.

And as a consequence of that presumption,

A ako následok tejto trúfalosti

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

bolo moje rodné mesto spálené do tla útočiacim vojskom,

an experience that has befallen many a Hungarian town and village

čo bola skúsenosť, aká postihla mnoho maďarských miest a dedín

throughout its long and troubled history.

počas ich dlhej a pohnutej histórie.

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

Ale možno je tom tým, že v 50. rokoch, keď som bol mladík,

my uncle Henry -- having denounced the Ku Klux Klan

môj strýko Henry, ktorý kritizoval rasistický Ku Klux Klan,

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

a zažil nejeden bombový útok či pálenie kríža vo vlastnej záhrade,

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

žil pod hrozbou smrti, a tak vzal svoju manželku a deti do bezpečia štátu Massachusetts

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

a vrátil sa do Južnej Karolíny, aby sa sám postavil Klanu na odpor.

That was a very Hungarian thing to do,

Bol to čin veľmi maďarský,

as anyone will attest who remembers 1956.

čo dosvedčí ktokoľvek, kto si pamätá revolúciu v roku 1956.

And of course, from time to time Hungarians

Samozrejme, Maďari si z času na čas

have invented their own equivalent of the Klan.

vymysleli svoj vlastný ekvivalent Klanu.

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

Zdá sa mi, že prítomnosť Maďarov v mojom živote

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

je zložité vysvetliť, ale v konečnom dôsledku to pripisujem obdivu,

for people with a complex moral awareness,

ktorý mám voči ľuďom s uceleným mravným povedomím,

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

s dedičstvom viny a porážky, zladeným s odporom a statočnosťou.

It's not a typical mindset for most Americans,

Nie je to typické zmýšľanie väčšiny Američanov.

but it is perforce typical of virtually all Hungarians.

Je však typické pre prakticky všetkých Maďarov.

So, "Jó napot, pacák!"

Takže: "Jó napot, pacák!"

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

Do Južnej Karolíny som sa vrátil po viac než 15 rokoch ako do cudziny

at the tail end of the 1960s,

na konci 60. rokov

with the reckless condescension of that era

s nedbanlivou povýšenosťou voči tomu obdobiu,

thinking I would save my people.

mysliac si, že zachránim svojich ľudí.

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

Nič to, že si iba pomaly uvedomovali potrebu záchrany.

I labored in that vineyard for a quarter century before

Pracoval som v tej vinici štvrť storočia pred tým,

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

než som sa prepracoval do malého kráľovstva spravodlivých na severe Južnej Karolíny,

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

do metodistickej inštitúcie vyššieho vzdelávania zvanej Woffordova univerzita.

I knew nothing about Wofford

O Woffordovi som nič nevedel,

and even less about Methodism,

o to menej o metodizme,

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

ale hneď v prvý deň učenia na Woffordovej univerzite ma upokojilo,

to find, among the auditors in my classroom,

že som medzi svojimi poslucháčmi našiel

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

90-ročného Maďara obklopeného skupinkou Európaniek v strednom veku,

who seemed to function as an entourage of Rhinemaidens.

ktoré vyzerali ako sprievod lesných víl.

His name was Sandor Teszler.

Volal sa Sándor Teszler.

He was a puckish widower whose wife and children were dead

Bol to šibalský vdovec, ktorého žena a deti boli mŕtve

and whose grandchildren lived far away.

a ktorého vnúčatá žili ďaleko.

In appearance, he resembled Mahatma Gandhi,

Výzorom sa podobal Gándhímu –

minus the loincloth, plus orthopedic boots.

bez zásterky okolo pásu a s ortopedickými topánkami.

He had been born in 1903 in the provinces

Narodil sa v roku 1903 vo vidieckej oblasti

of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire,

starej Rakúsko-Uhorskej monarchie

in what later would become Yugoslavia.

v oblasti, z ktorej neskôr vznikla Juhoslávia.

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

V detstve sa mu vyhýbali, no nie preto, že bol žid –

his parents weren't very religious anyhow --

jeho rodičia neboli beztak veľmi nábožní –

but because he had been born with two club feet,

ale pretože sa narodil s vybočenými nohami,

a condition which, in those days, required institutionalization

čo bol zdravotný stav, ktorý si v tom období vyžadoval hospitalizáciu

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

a sériu bolestivých operácií vo veku medzi prvým a jedenástym rokom.

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

Ako mladý muž navštevoval obchodnú strednú školu

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

v Budapešti. Bol bystrý a rovnako skromný

and he enjoyed a considerable success. And after graduation

a tešil sa značnej sláve. Po ukončení štúdia,

when he went into textile engineering, the success continued.

keď sa pustil do textilného priemyslu, úspechy pokračovali.

He built one plant after another.

Staval jednu továreň za druhou.

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

Oženil sa a mal dvoch synov. Mal kamarátov na vysokých postoch,

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

ktorí ho ubezpečovali, že má pre hospodárstvo veľký význam.

Once, as he had left instructions to have done,

Raz v noci, keď pred odchodom rozdal potrebné pokyny,

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

ho k jednej z tovární zavolal nočný strážnik.

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

Chytil jedného z pracovníkov ako kradne ponožky,

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

bolo to v továrni na pančuchy, kde k nakladacej plošine pricúval s nákladiakom

and was shoveling in mountains of socks.

a lopatou nahadzoval kopy ponožiek.

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

Pán Teszler šiel k továrni, postavil sa zlodejovi tvárou v tvár a povedal:

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

"Ale prečo ma to okrádaš? Ak potrebuješ peniaze, stačí o ne požiadať."

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

Keď strážnik videl, kam sa veci uberajú, rozhorčene sa opýtal:

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

"Tak teda zavoláme políciu, však?"

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

No pán Teszler odpovedal: "Nie, to nebude potrebné.

He will not steal from us again."

Už nás viac neokradne."

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

Možno však bol príliš dôverčivý, pretože zostal v krajine

long after the Nazi Anschluss in Austria

dlho po pričlenení Rakúska k nacistickému Nemecku,

and even after the arrests and deportations began in Budapest.

ba dokonca aj po tom, čo sa v Budapešti začalo zatýkať a deportovať.

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

Ako jediné opatrenie si zohnal kyanidové kapsuly uložené v medailónikoch,

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

ktoré mohla celá jeho rodina nosiť zavesené na krku.

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

A potom sa to v jeden deň stalo: spolu s rodinou bol zatknutý

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

a všetkých ich odviezli do domu smrti na brehu Dunaja.

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

V počiatkoch konečného riešenia to bola krutosť vykonávaná rukami –

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

ľudí ubili na smrť a ich telá vhadzovali do rieky –

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

a nik, kto vstúpil do domu smrti, z neho už živý nevyšiel.

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

Prišiel však zvrat, ktorému by ste neuverili ani v Spielbergovom filme.

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

Nacista, ktorý dohliadal na surové mlátenie, bol ten zlodej,

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

ktorý kradol ponožky z továrne pána Teszlera.

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

Mlátili ich kruto. Počas toho surového činu

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

sa však jeden zo synov pána Teszlera, Andrew, opýtal:

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

"Je už čas na kapsuly, tatko?"

And the Gauleiter, who afterwards vanishes from this story,

A nacista, ktorý sa neskôr z príbehu vyparil,

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

sa naklonil k pánovi Teszlerovi a zašepkal mu do ucha:

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

"Nie, nevyberajte kapsuly. Pomoc je na ceste."

And then resumed the beating.

A potom ich začal opäť mlátiť.

But help was on the way, and shortly afterwards

A pomoc... pomoc bola na ceste a krátko na to

a car arrived from the Swiss Embassy.

prišlo auto zo švajčiarskeho veľvyslanectva.

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

Odviezlo ich tajne do bezpečia. Boli zaevidovaní ako občania Juhoslávie

and they managed to stay one step ahead of their pursuers

a podarilo sa im byť krok pred prenasledovateľmi

for the duration of the War, surviving burnings and bombings

počas celej 2. svetovej vojny – prežili požiare a bombardovania

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

a na konci vojny aj sovietske zatýkanie.

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

Pán Teszler dostal pravdepodobne časť peňazí na švajčiarske účty,

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

pretože sa mu podarilo previezť rodinu najprv do Veľkej Británie,

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

potom na Long Island a napokon do centra textilného priemyslu na juhu USA.

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

Zhodou náhod bolo týmto centrom mesto Spartanburg v Južnej Karolíne:

the location of Wofford College.

sídlo Woffordovej univerzity.

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

Tu začal pán Teszler úplne od začiatku a opätovne dosiahol obrovský úspech,

especially after he invented the process

najmä po vynájdení procesu

for manufacturing a new fabric called double-knit.

na výrobu novej látky nazvanej dvojitý úplet.

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

A potom, ku koncu 50. rokov, keď súdy zakázali segregáciu na školách

when the Klan was resurgent all over the South,

a keď sa na celom juhu USA znova prebúdzal Ku Klux Klan,

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

pán Teszler vyhlásil: "Tieto slová som už počul."

And he called his top assistant to him and asked,

Zavolal si hlavného asistenta a spýtal sa ho:

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

"Čo by ste povedali, kde je v tejto oblasti rasizmus najostrejší?"

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

"Neviem presne, pán Teszler. Myslím, že by to mohlo byť v Kings Mountain."

"Good. Buy us some land in Kings Mountain

"Dobre. Kúpte v Kings Mountain nejaký pozemok

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

a ohláste, že sa tam chystáme postaviť veľkú továreň."

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

Asistent tak urobil a krátko po tom

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

navštívil pána Teszlera biely starosta z Kings Mountain.

Now, you should know that at that time,

Musíte vedieť, že v tom období

the textile industry in the South was notoriously segregated.

bol textilný priemysel na juhu USA notoricky segregovaný.

The white mayor visited Mr. Teszler and said,

Biely starosta prišiel za pánom Teszlerom a povedal:

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

"Pán Teszler, verím, že zamestnáte veľa bielych robotníkov."

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

Pán Teszler mu vraví: "Prineste mi najlepších robotníkov, akých nájdete,

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

a ak sú dosť dobrí, najmem ich."

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

Rovnako ho navštívil aj vedúci komunity čiernych

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

a pastor, ktorý mu vraví: "Pán Teszler, naozaj verím, že

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

vo svojej novej továrni zamestnáte nejakých čiernych robotníkov."

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

Dostal rovnakú odpoveď: "Prineste mi najlepších robotníkov, akých nájdete,

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

a ak sú dosť dobrí, najmem ich."

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

Prekvapivo, čierny pastor si dal záležať viac ako biely starosta,

but that's neither here or there.

ale to nie je dôležité.

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

Pán Teszler si najal 16 mužov, osem bielych, osem čiernych.

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

Mali byť jeho počiatočnou skupinou, budúcimi vedúcimi.

He had installed the heavy equipment for his new process

Dal namontovať mohutné stroje pre nový výrobný proces

in an abandoned store in the vicinity of Kings Mountain,

v opustenom sklade neďaleko Kings Mountain

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

a dva mesiace tam tých 16 mužov žilo a pracovalo spolu,

mastering the new process.

aby si osvojili výrobný proces.

He gathered them together after an initial tour of that facility

Najskôr, po úvodnej prehliadke podniku si ich všetkých privolal

and he asked if there were any questions.

a opýtal sa, či majú nejaké otázky.

There was hemming and hawing and shuffling of feet,

Muži sa iba obzerali a prešľapovali na mieste,

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

až napokon jeden z bielych robotníkov vystúpil dopredu a povedal:

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

"No, áno. Poobzerali sme sa a – je tu iba jedno miesto na spanie,

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

jedno miesto na jedenie, je tu iba jedna kúpeľňa,

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

jeden kohútik s pitnou vodou. To bude táto továreň integrovaná alebo čo?"

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

Pán Teszler na to: "Dostávate dvakrát taký plat ako ktorýkoľvek textilný robotník v tomto regióne

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

a my vedieme podnik takto. Máte nejaké iné otázky?"

"No, I reckon I don't."

"Nie, myslím, že nie."

And two months later when the main plant opened

A o dva mesiace neskôr, keď sa otvorila hlavná továreň

and hundreds of new workers, white and black,

a stovky nových robotníkov, belochov i černochov,

poured in to see the facility for the first time,

sa prihrnuli, aby sa po prvýkrát pozreli na závod,

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

ich privítalo tých 16 vedúcich, belochov i černochov, stojacich bok po boku.

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

Spolu si prezreli závod a spýtali sa, či má niekto nejaké otázky.

inevitably the same question arose:

Samozrejme, objavila sa rovnaká otázka:

"Is this plant integrated or what?"

"Toto je integrovaná továreň alebo čo?"

And one of the white foremen stepped forward and said,

Jeden z bielych vedúcich predstúpil a povedal:

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

"Dostávate dvakrát taký plat ako ktorýkoľvek robotník

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

v tomto priemysle v tomto regióne a my vedieme podnik takto.

Do you have any other questions?"

Máte nejaké iné otázky?"

And there were none. In one fell swoop,

Žiadne však neboli. Pánovi Teszlerovi sa tak

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

jednou ranou podarilo integrovať textilný priemysel v tej časti juhu USA.

It was an achievement worthy of Mahatma Gandhi,

Bol to výkon hodný Gándhího,

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

dosiahnutý prefíkanosťou právnika a idealizmom svätca.

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

Keď pán Teszler vo svojej osemdesiatke odišiel na dôchodok,

adopted Wofford College,

vybral si Woffordovu univerzitu,

auditing courses every semester,

na ktorej každý semester navštevoval prednášky.

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

A pretože bol náchylný pobozkať čokoľvek, čo sa hýbalo,

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

dostal láskavú prezývku Opi, čo v maďarčine znamená starý otec,

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

ktorú používal každý. Keď som sa tam dostal ja, univerzitná knižnica

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

už bola pomenovaná po pánovi Teszlerovi, a keď som v roku 1993 prišiel,

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

univerzitný zbor sa rozhodol vyznamenať sa a vymenovať pána Teszlera za profesora univerzity.

partly because at that point he had already taken

Sčasti aj preto, že v tom období už absolvoval

all of the courses in the catalog, but mainly because

všetky prednášky na zozname, ale najmä preto,

he was so conspicuously wiser than any one of us.

lebo bol výrazne múdrejší ako ktokoľvek z nás.

To me, it was immensely reassuring that the presiding spirit

Mňa to nesmierne upokojovalo, že vedúcim duchom

of this little Methodist college in upstate South Carolina

tejto maličkej metodistickej univerzity na severe Južnej Karolíny

was a Holocaust survivor from Central Europe.

bol človek zo strednej Európy, ktorý prežil holokaust.

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

Bol naozaj múdry, ale mal aj úžasný zmysel pre humor.

And once for an interdisciplinary class,

Raz som na jednej z interdisciplinárnych prednášok

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

premietal úvodnú scénu zo "Siedmej pečate" Ingmara Bergmana.

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

Keď sa stredoveký rytier Antonius Blok vrátil z bezvýznamných

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

križiackych výprav a prišiel ku skalnatým brehom Švédska,

only to find the specter of death waiting for him,

kde naňho už čakalo zjavenie smrti,

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

v tme miestnosti sedel so svojimi študentmi aj pán Teszler.

as death opened his cloak to embrace the knight

A keď smrť roztvorila svoj plášť, aby ním hrozivo

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

zahalila rytiera, začul som roztrasený hlas pána Teszlera:

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

"Aj, aj," hovorí: "Toto nevyzerá veľmi dobre."

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

No bola to hudba, najmä opera, ktorá bola jeho najväčšou vášňou,

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

a keď som ho po prvý raz navštívil v jeho dome, poctil ma tým,

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

že som mohol vybrať, ktorú hudobnú kompozíciu si vypočujeme.

And I delighted him by rejecting "Cavalleria Rusticana"

Potešil som ho, keď som pred operou "Cavalleria Rusticana"

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

uprednostnil "Hrad kniežaťa Modrofúza" od Bélu Bartóka.

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

Milujem Bartókovu hudbu rovnako ako pán Teszler,

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

ktorý mal doslova všetky jeho vydané hudobné nahrávky.

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

A bolo to práve v jeho dome, kde som po prvý raz počul

Bartok's Third Piano Concerto and learned from

Bartókov "Klavírny koncert č. 3" a kde mi o ňom

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

pán Teszler prezradil, že bol skomponovaný v neďalekom Asheville v Severnej Karolíne

in the last year of the composer's life.

toho roku, keď Bartók umrel.

He was dying of leukemia and he knew it,

Vedel, že umiera na leukémiu,

and he dedicated this concerto to his wife,

a tento koncert venoval svojej manželke,

Dita, who was herself a concert pianist.

Ditte, tiež koncertnej klaviristke.

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

Do pomalej, druhej časti, nazvanej "Adagio religioso",

he incorporated the sounds of birdsong that he heard

vkomponoval štebot vtákov, ktorý počul

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

za oknom na jar, o ktorej vedel, že bude jeho poslednou.

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

Predstavoval si budúcnosť svojej manželky, ktorej nebude súčasťou.

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

A je úplne jasné, že táto kompozícia je jeho záverečným vyznaním sa Ditte –

it was first performed after his death --

prvýkrát bolo predvedené po jeho smrti –

and through her to the world.

a cez ňu aj celému svetu.

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

A rovnako zreteľne vypovedá: "Je to v poriadku. Všetko to bolo nádherné.

Whenever you hear this, I will be there."

Kedykoľvek toto začuješ, budem tam."

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

Dozvedel som sa to iba po smrti pána Teszlera, že

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

za nápis na hrobe Bélu Bartóka v meste Hartsdale, štát New York

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

zaplatil Sándor Teszler. "Jó napot, Béla!"

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

Krátko pred tým, ako pán Teszler umrel vo veku 97 rokov,

he heard me hold forth on human iniquity.

ma začul, ako som rozoberal tému ľudskej zločinnosti.

I delivered a lecture in which I described history

Dával som prednášku, v ktorej som dejiny opísal

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

celkovo ako prílivovú vlnu ľudského trápenia a surovosti

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

a pán Teszler za mnou prišiel po prednáške a s miernou výčitkou mi povedal:

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

"Viete, pán doktor, ľudský tvor je zásadne dobrý."

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

A vtedy a tam som sa zaprisahal,

that if this man who had such cause to think otherwise

že ak tento muž, ktorý mal toľko dôvodov uvažovať o tom inak,

had reached that conclusion,

dospel k takémuto záveru,

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

tak nemôžem ani ja uvažovať inak, až kým ma spod mojej prísahy neoslobodí.

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

Teraz je však mŕtvy a moja prísaha mi ostala.

"Jó napot, Sandor!"

"Jó napot, Sándor!"

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

Myslel som si, že séria mojich maďarských učiteľov prišla ku koncu,

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

ale takmer bezprostredne na to som spoznal Francisa Robicseka, maďarského lekára,

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

srdcového chirurga z mesta Charlotte v Severnej Karolíne, ktorý sa blížil k svojej osemdesiatke.

who had been a pioneer in open-heart surgery,

Bol priekopníkom operácie na otvorenom srdci

and, tinkering away in his garage behind his house,

a ako domáci majster vo svojej garáži za domom

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

vynašiel veľa prístrojov, ktoré sú obvyklou súčasťou tých operácií.

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

Od svojich lekárskych začiatkov v Budapešti bol tiež nesmiernym zberateľom umenia,

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

ktorý začal zbierať holandské umenie a maďarské maľby zo 16. a 17. storočia

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

a keď prišiel do Spojených štátov, prešiel na španielske koloniálne umenie,

Russian icons and finally Mayan ceramics.

ruské ikony a, napokon, na mayskú keramiku.

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

Je autorom siedmych kníh, šesť z nich je o mayskej keramike.

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

To on rozlúštil mayský kódex, čím umožnil bádateľom, aby priradili

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

k hieroglyfom na mayskom rukopise piktogramy z keramík.

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

Keď som ho po prvýkrát navštívil, prezreli sme si jeho dom

and we saw hundreds of works of museum quality,

a pozreli stovky umeleckých diel muzeálnej kvality.

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

Potom sme zastali pred zavretými dverami a Dr. Robicsek s očividnou hrdosťou

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

povedal: "A teraz prichádza zlatý klinec programu."

And he opened the door and we walked into a

Otvoril dvere a vošli sme do miestnosti

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

s veľkosťou 6 x 6 metrov bez okien, v ktorej boli od podlahy po strop

crammed on every shelf his collection of Mayan ceramics.

police plné jeho zbierky mayskej keramiky .

Now, I know absolutely nothing about Mayan ceramics,

O mayskej keramike síce neviem vôbec nič,

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

ale chcel som mu zalichotiť, ako sa len dalo. Povedal som:

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

"Ale Dr. Robicsek, toto je úplne úchvatné."

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

"Áno," povedal. "To vraveli aj ľudia z Louvra.

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

Nenechali ma na pokoji, až kým som im nedal jeden z kusov.

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

Ale ten nestál za to."

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

A tak mi napadlo, že by som mohol Dr. Robicseka pozvať

to lecture at Wofford College on -- what else?

na Woffordovu univerzitu, aby tam urobil prednášku – ako inak? –

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

o Leonardovi da Vincim. A tiež, že by som ho mohol zoznámiť

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

s mojím najstarším poverníkom, ktorý študoval dejiny Francúzska na Yalovej univerzite

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

pred viac než 70 rokmi a vo veku 89 rokov ešte stále riadil

largest privately owned textile empire with an iron hand.

najväčšie súkromné impérium v oblasti textilného priemyslu železnou rukou.

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

Volá sa Roger Milliken. Pán Milliken so stretnutím súhlasil

and Dr. Robicsek agreed. And Dr. Robicsek visited

a súhlasil aj Dr. Robicsek. Dr. Robicsek prišiel

and delivered the lecture and it was a dazzling success.

a prednášal – malo to úžasný úspech.

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

Potom sme sa stretli v rektorskom dome, na jednej strane s Dr. Robicsekom,

on one hand, Mr. Milliken on the other.

na druhej s pánom Millikenom.

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

A až v tej chvíli, keď sme si posadali k jedálenskému stolu,

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

som si uvedomil, aké nesmierne riziko hrozilo.

Pretože dať dokopy týchto dvoch titanov, týchto dvoch pánov sveta

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.

bolo také, ako zoznámiť Godzillu s Mothrou medzi mrakodrapmi Tokia.

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

Ak by spolu nevychádzali dobre, mohli by nás všetkých udupať k smrti.

But they did, they did like each other.

Nestalo sa tak. Vychádzali spolu dobre.

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

Vychádzali spolu veľkolepo – až do úplného konca večere,

and then they got into a furious argument.

keď sa zaplietli do šialenej hádky.

And what they were arguing about was this:

Hádali sa o nasledovnom:

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

či bola druhá časť filmu Harry Potter tak dobrá ako prvá.

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

Pán Milliken tvrdil, že nie. Dr. Robicsek nesúhlasil.

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

Ja som sa však ešte stále snažil pochopiť, že títo titani,

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

títo páni sveta pozerali vo voľnom čase Harryho Pottera,

keď si pán Milliken zmyslel, že by mohol hádku vyhrať, ak povie:

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."

"Myslíte si, že je rovnako dobrá iba preto, že ste nečítali knihu."

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

Dr. Robicsek sa zmätene zaknísal na stoličke, no ihneď sa pohotovo prebral,

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

naklonil sa dopredu a povedal: "No, to je síce pravda, ale stavím sa,

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

že ste šli na ten film s vnúčaťom." "Áno, šiel som," uznal pán Milliken.

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

"Aha!" Dr. Robicsek na to. "Ja som šiel na film úplne sám."

And I realized, in this moment of revelation,

A v tej chvíli som si uvedomil,

that what these two men were revealing was the secret

že to, čo obaja muži odhalili, bolo tajomstvo

of their extraordinary success, each in his own right.

ich mimoriadneho, zaslúženého úspechu.

And it lay precisely in that insatiable curiosity,

Spočívalo presne v tej nenásytnej zvedavosti,

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

tej neskrotnej túžbe vedieť – bez ohľadu na predmet,

no matter what the cost,

bez ohľadu na cenu,

even at a time when the keepers of the Doomsday Clock

dokonca aj v časoch, keď správcovia "Hodín súdneho dňa"

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

sú ochotní staviť sa hoci aj o peniaze, že ľudstvo tu už v roku 2100,

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

iba o necelých 93 rokov nebude.

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

"Žite každý deň tak, ako by bol Váš posledný," vravieval Gándhí.

"Learn as if you'll live forever."

"Vzdelávajte sa, akoby ste žili naveky."

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

A práve toto je moja vášeň. Presne toto.

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

Je to ten neuhasiteľný, neoblomný smäd po vzdelaní a skúsenostiach,

no matter how risible, no matter how esoteric,

bez ohľadu na to, aké sú smiešne či tajné,

no matter how seditious it might seem.

bez ohľadu na to, aké poburujúce sa zdajú byť.

This defines the imagined futures of our fellow Hungarians --

Toto určuje predstavenú budúcnosť našich Maďarov,

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

Robicseka, Teszlera a Bartóka rovnako, ako aj moju.

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

A domnievam sa, že rovnako aj každého z Vás.

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

A k tomu stačí už iba dodať: "Ez a mi munkánk, és nem is kevés."

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

Toto je naša práca. A nebude ľahká.

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

"Ez a mi munkánk, és nem is kevés." Jó napot, pacák!