Ben Dunlap: The life-long learner

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Mile Živković

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

"Jó napot, pacák", što, kao što neki među vama zasigurno znaju,

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

na mađarskom znači: "Šta ima, ljudi?",

that peculiar non-Indo-European language spoken by Hungarians

na tom čudnom neindoevropskom jeziku koji govore Mađari

for which, given the fact that cognitive diversity is

za koji bi, imajući u vidu činjenicu da je kognitivna raznovrsnost

at least as threatened as biodiversity on this planet,

bar podjednako ugrožena kao i biodiverzitet na ovoj planeti,

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

nekolicina mogla da zamisli da ima budućnost, čak i pre vek ili dva.

But there it is: "Jó napot, pacák"

Ali on još postoji: "Jó napot, pacák"

I said somebody here must surely know, because

Rekao sam da neko od vas zasigurno zna

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

jer uprkos činjenici da ipak nema toliko Mađara

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

i zbog druge činjenice da, koliko mi je poznato, nema ni kapi

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

mađarske krvi u mojim venama, u svakoj prelomnoj tački mog života

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

imao sam po jednog mađarskog prijatelja ili mentora pored sebe.

I even have dreams that take place in landscapes

Čak sam i u snovima viđao pejzaže

I recognize as the landscapes of Hungarian films,

koje prepoznajem kao pejzaže iz mađarskih filmova,

especially the early movies of Miklos Jancso.

naročito ranih filmova Mikloša Janča.

So, how do I explain this mysterious affinity?

Pa, kako da objasnim ovu tajanstvenu naklonost?

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

Možda zato što je moja rodna država Južna Karolina,

which is not much smaller than present-day Hungary,

koja nije mnogo manja od današnje Mađarske,

once imagined a future for itself as an independent country.

nekada zamišljala svoju budućnost kao nezavisna država.

And as a consequence of that presumption,

I kao posledica te pretpostavke,

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

moj rodni grad je do temelja spalila osvajačka armija,

an experience that has befallen many a Hungarian town and village

iskustvo koje je zadesilo mnoge mađarske gradove i sela

throughout its long and troubled history.

kroz njihovu dugu i problematičnu istoriju.

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

Ili je zato što kad sam bio tinejdžer '50-ih,

my uncle Henry -- having denounced the Ku Klux Klan

moj ujak Henri - nakon što je osudio Kju Klaks klan

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

i bio bombardovan zbog svog ispada i krstovi su mu goreli u dvorištu,

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

živeći pod pretnjom smrti - poveo svoju ženu i decu u Masačusets radi bezbednosti

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

i vratio se u Južnu Karolinu da bi se suočio s Klanom sam.

That was a very Hungarian thing to do,

To je bilo poprilično u mađarskom maniru,

as anyone will attest who remembers 1956.

kao što će bilo ko posvedočiti ko se seća 1956.

And of course, from time to time Hungarians

I naravno, s vremena na vreme, Mađari

have invented their own equivalent of the Klan.

su i sami smišljali sopstvene verzije Klana.

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

Dakle, čini mi se da je ova mađarska prisutnost u mom životu

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

teško shvatljiva, ali ja je naposletku pripisujem divljenju

for people with a complex moral awareness,

prema ljudima sa složenom moralnom svešću,

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

prema nasleđu krivice i poraza uparenim sa prkosom i odvažnošću.

It's not a typical mindset for most Americans,

Nije to tipično američki mentalitet,

but it is perforce typical of virtually all Hungarians.

ali je nužno tipičan za skoro svakog Mađara.

So, "Jó napot, pacák!"

Zato: "Jó napot, pacák"

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

Vratio sam se u Južnu Karolinu nakon nekih 15 godina, u sred sezone kukuruza

at the tail end of the 1960s,

na samom koncu 1960-ih,

with the reckless condescension of that era

s nehajnom snishodljivošću prema toj oblasti,

thinking I would save my people.

misleći kako ću da spasem svoj narod.

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

Ne mareći za činjenicu da ne žure da priznaju da im je potrebno spasavanje.

I labored in that vineyard for a quarter century before

Nadničio sam u tom vinogradu četvrt veka ranije,

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

krčeći sebi put ka malom kraljevstvu pravednika na severu Južne Karoline,

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

instituciji ujedinjenih metodista višeg obrazovanja pod imenom Fakultet Voford.

I knew nothing about Wofford

Ništa nisam znao o Vofordu,

and even less about Methodism,

a još manje o metodizmu,

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

ali sam razuveren prvog dana kao učitelj na Fakultetu Voford,

to find, among the auditors in my classroom,

otkrivši, među slušaocima u učonici,

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

90-ogodišnjeg Mađara, okruženog jatom sredovečnih Evropljanki

who seemed to function as an entourage of Rhinemaidens.

koje su izgledale kao pratnja Rajnovih kćeri.

His name was Sandor Teszler.

Zvao se Šandor Tesler.

He was a puckish widower whose wife and children were dead

Bio je nestašan udovac čiji su žena i deca bili mrtvi

and whose grandchildren lived far away.

i čija su unučad živela daleko.

In appearance, he resembled Mahatma Gandhi,

Pojavom je podsećao na Mahatmu Gandija,

minus the loincloth, plus orthopedic boots.

oduzmite tkaninu oko kukova, dodajte ortopedske čizme.

He had been born in 1903 in the provinces

Rođen je 1903. u provinciji

of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire,

starog Austrougarskog carstva,

in what later would become Yugoslavia.

što će kasnije da bude Jugoslavija.

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

Kao dete je izopšten, ne zato što je bio Jevrej -

his parents weren't very religious anyhow --

roditelji mu uopšte nisu bili religiozni -

but because he had been born with two club feet,

već zato što je rođen sa dva kriva stopala,

a condition which, in those days, required institutionalization

stanje koje je u to vreme zahtevalo institucionalizovanje

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

i niz bolnih operacija od prve do 11. godine.

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

Upisao je kao mladić srednju trgovinsko-poslovnu školu

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

u Budimpešti, i pokazalo se da je pametan koliko i skroman.

and he enjoyed a considerable success. And after graduation

i uživao je značajan uspeh. A nakon mature

when he went into textile engineering, the success continued.

kada je ušao u posao inženjeringa tekstila, uspeh se nastavio.

He built one plant after another.

Gradio je fabriku za fabrikom.

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 uveravali da je od izuzetnog značaja za ekonomiju.

Once, as he had left instructions to have done,

Jednom, kao što je i naredio da se uradi,

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

pozvao ga je u sred noći noćni čuvar jedne od njegovih fabrika.

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

Čuvar je uhvatio jednog radnika kako krade čarape -

bila je to čarapara i on je prosto parkirao kamion do utovarnog doka

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

and was shoveling in mountains of socks.

i utovarivao je gomile čarapa.

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

G. Tesler je otišao do fabrike suočio se sa 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 ti je potreban novac, samo zatraži."

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

Noćni čuvar, videći kako se stvari odvijaju, zavapio je ogorčeno,

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

rečima: "Dakle, pozvaćemo policiju, zar ne?"

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

Ali, g. Tesler je odgovorio: "Ne, nema potrebe za tim.

He will not steal from us again."

Neće više nikad krasti od nas."

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

Pa, možda je bio isuviše poverljiv jer je ostao na istom mestu

long after the Nazi Anschluss in Austria

dugo nakon nacističkog pripajanja Austrije

and even after the arrests and deportations began in Budapest.

i čak i nakon što su počela hapšenja i deportacije u Budimpešti.

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

Jedina predostrožnost koju je preduzeo bile su kapsule cijanida u medaljonima

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

koje su mogli da nose oko vrata on i njegova porodica.

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

I to se jednoga dana desilo: on i njegova porodica su uhapšeni

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;

Tih prvih dana Konačnog rešenja, brutalnost je bila ručni rad;

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

ljudi su prebijani na smrt, a njihova tela su bacali u reku.

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

Ali niko ko je ušao u tu kuću nikada iz nje nije izašao živ.

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

I u preokretu, u koji ne biste poverovali ni u Spilbergovom filmu -

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

gaulajter, oficir koji je nadgledao ova brutalna prebijanja

bio je lopov koji je krao čarape iz g. Teslerove fabrike.

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

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

Bilo je to brutalno prebijanje. I u sred te brutalnosti,

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

jedan od g. Teslerovih sinova, Endru, uspravio je pogled i upitao:

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

"Je li sad vreme da uzmemo pilulu, oče?"

And the Gauleiter, who afterwards vanishes from this story,

A gaulajter, koji nakon toga nestaje iz priče,

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

se sageo i prošaputao g. Tesleru na uho:

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

"Ne, ne uzimajte pilulu. Stiže vam pomoć."

And then resumed the beating.

I zatim je nastavio s prebijanjem.

But help was on the way, and shortly afterwards

Međutim, pomoć je stizala i nedugo potom

a car arrived from the Swiss Embassy.

stigao je automobil švajcarske amabasade.

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

Hitno su prebačeni na sigurno mesto.

Premešteni su u kategoriju jugoslovenskih građana

and they managed to stay one step ahead of their pursuers

i uspeli su da ostanu korak ispred svojih progonitelja

for the duration of the War, surviving burnings and bombings

sve vreme trajanja rata, preživevši požare i bombardovanja

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

i, krajem rata, hapšenje od strane Sovjeta.

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

Verovatno je g. Tesler imao novca na bankovnim računima u Švajcarskoj

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

jer je uspeo da porodicu prebaci, prvo u Ujedinjeno Kraljevstvo,

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

potom na Long Ajlend, a zatim u središte tekstilne industrije na američkom jugu.

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

A to je, igrom slučaja, bio Spartanburg u Južnoj Karolini,

the location of Wofford College.

mesto gde se nalazi fakultet Voford.

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

I tu je g Tesler krenuo ispočetka i ponovo je postigao ogroman uspeh,

especially after he invented the process

naročito nakon što je izumeo proces

for manufacturing a new fabric called double-knit.

proizvodnje novog tkanja poznatog kao duplo tkanje.

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

A onda krajem 1950-ih, nakon slučaja Braun protiv Odbora za obrazovanje,

when the Klan was resurgent all over the South,

kada je Klan ponovo bio u usponu širom Juga,

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

g. Tesler je rekao: "Poznat mi je ovaj govor mržnje."

And he called his top assistant to him and asked,

I pozvao je svoje najbolje asistente i upitao ih:

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

"Gde mislite da je u ovom regionu rasizam najzarazniji?"

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

"Pa, baš ne znam, g. Tesler, valjda bi to bilo u Kings Mauntinu."

"Good. Buy us some land in Kings Mountain

"Dobro. Hajde da kupimo zemlju u Kings Mauntinu

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

i najavimo da ćemo tu sagraditi veliku fabriku."

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

Čovek je uradio kako mu je rečeno i nedugo potom,

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

g. Teslera je posetio beli gradonačelnik Kings Mauntina.

Now, you should know that at that time,

E sad, morate da znate da je u to vreme

the textile industry in the South was notoriously segregated.

tekstilna industrija na Jugu bila pod notornom segregacijom.

The white mayor visited Mr. Teszler and said,

Beli gradonačelnik je posetio g. Teslera i rekao:

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

"G. Tesler, verujem da ćete zaposliti mnogo belih radnika."

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

G. Tesler mu je rekao: "Dovedite mi najbolje radnike koje nađete

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

i, ako su dovoljno dobri, zaposliću ih."

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

Takođe ga je posetio vođa zajednice crnaca,

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

sveštenik, rekavši: "G. Tesler, svakako očekujem da ćete

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

zaposliti nešto radnika crnaca u ovoj vašoj novoj fabrici."

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

Dobio je isti odgovor: "Dovedite mi najbolje radnike koje nađete

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

i, ako su dovoljno dobri, zaposliću ih."

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

I kako to biva, sveštenik crnac je odradio posao bolje od belog gradonačelnika,

but that's neither here or there.

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

no to nije važno.

G. Tesler je zaposlio 16 muškaraca: osam belaca, osam crnaca.

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

Oni su bili njegova udarna ekipa, buduće poslovođe.

He had installed the heavy equipment for his new process

Ugradio je tešku opremu za svoj novi proces

in an abandoned store in the vicinity of Kings Mountain,

u napuštenom skloništu u blizini Kings Mauntina

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

i dva meseca ovih 16 muškaraca je trebalo da živi radi zajedno,

mastering the new process.

savlađujući novi proces.

He gathered them together after an initial tour of that facility

Okupio ih je nakon prvog obilaska postrojenja

and he asked if there were any questions.

i pitao ih je imaju li neka pitanja.

There was hemming and hawing and shuffling of feet,

Bilo je oklevanja i prebacivanja s noge na nogu

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

a onda je jedan beli radnik istupio i rekao:

"Naravno. Pogledali smo ovo mesto i imate samo jedno mesto za spavanje,

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

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

jedno mesto za obedovanje, jedno kupatilo,

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

jednu česmu s vodom. Hoće li ova fabrika da bude integrisana ili šta?"

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

G. Tesler je odgovorio: "Plaćeni ste dvostruko više

od bilo kog tekstilnog radnika u regionu

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

a mi ovako poslujemo. Imate li drugih pitanja?"

"No, I reckon I don't."

"Ne, valjda nemam."

And two months later when the main plant opened

I dva meseca kasnije, kada je otvorena glavna fabrika

and hundreds of new workers, white and black,

i na stotine novih radnika, crnaca i belaca,

poured in to see the facility for the first time,

se slilo da prvi put vide postrojenje,

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

dočekalo ih je 16 poslovođa, crnaca i belaca, kako stoje rame uz rame.

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

Obišli su postrojenje i pitali su ih imaju li neka pitanja, i

inevitably the same question arose:

i neizbežno se javilo isto pitanje:

"Is this plant integrated or what?"

"Je li ova fabrika integrisana ili šta?"

And one of the white foremen stepped forward and said,

A jedan od belih poslovođa je istupio i rekao:

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

"Plaćeni ste dvostruko više od bilo kog radnika

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

u ovoj industriji u ovoj oblasti, a mi ovako poslujemo.

Do you have any other questions?"

Imate li još pitanja?"

And there were none. In one fell swoop,

Nije bilo više pitanja. Jednim naletom,

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

g. Tesler je integrisao tekstilnu industriju u tom delu Juga.

It was an achievement worthy of Mahatma Gandhi,

Bilo je to dostignuće dostojno Mahatme Gandija,

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

izvedeno prepredenošću advokata i idealizmom sveca.

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

U svojim 80-im, nakon što se g. Tesler povukao iz tekstilne industrije,

adopted Wofford College,

upisao se na fakultet Voford,

auditing courses every semester,

slušajući predmete svakog semestra

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

i, kako je imao sklonost da ljubi sve što se pokreće,

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

s naklonošću su ga svi i svja zvali "Opi" - što na mađarskom znači deda.

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

Pre nego što sam stigao tamo, fakultetska biblioteka

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

je nazvana po g. Tesleru i kada sam stigao 1993,

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

fakultet je odlučio da oda sebi počast imenujući g. Teslera profesorom -

partly because at that point he had already taken

delimično jer je u tom momentu već odslušao

all of the courses in the catalog, but mainly because

sve predmete iz kataloga, ali uglavnom

he was so conspicuously wiser than any one of us.

jer je toliko bilo upadljivo da je mudriji od svih nas.

To me, it was immensely reassuring that the presiding spirit

Za mene je to bilo ohrabrujuće da je vodeća duša

of this little Methodist college in upstate South Carolina

ovog malenog metodističkog fakulteta na severu Južne Karoline,

was a Holocaust survivor from Central Europe.

pripadala preživelom iz Holokausta, poreklom iz Centralne Evrope.

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

Uistinu je bio mudar, ali je takođe imao predivan smisao za humor.

And once for an interdisciplinary class,

Jednom sam na međudisciplinarnom predavanju

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

prikazivao uvodnu scenu Ingmar Bergmanovog "Sedmog pečata".

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

Dok se srednjovekovni vitez Antonius Blok vraća iz suludih traganja

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

Krstaških ratova i stiže na stenovite obale Švedske,

only to find the specter of death waiting for him,

jedino zatiče sablast smrti kako ga čeka,

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

g. Tesler je sedeo u mraku s kolegama studentima.

as death opened his cloak to embrace the knight

I kako je smrt raširila svoj plašt da zagrli viteza zagrljajem strave,

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

čuo sam drhtavi glas g. Teslera:

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

"O ne", rekao je, "ovo ne vuče na dobro." (Smeh)

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

Međutim, muzika je bila njegova najveća strast, naročito opera.

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

I kada sam ga prvi put posetio kod kuće, dodelio mi je čast

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

da odlučim koji muzički komad ćemo da slušamo.

And I delighted him by rejecting "Cavalleria Rusticana"

I ja sam ga oduševio odbijanjem "Cavalleria Rusticana-e"

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

u korist "Dvorca Riđobradog" od Bele Bartoka.

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

Volim Bartokovu muziku, baš kao što je i g. Tesler voleo

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

i on je posedovao skoro sve zapise Bartokove muzike koji su ikad izdati.

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

I u njegovoj sam kući prvi put poslušao

Bartok's Third Piano Concerto and learned from

Bartokov "Treći klavirski koncert" i saznao sam

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

od g. Teslera da ga je Bartok komponovao u blizini Ešvila u Severnoj Karolini,

in the last year of the composer's life.

poslednje godine kompozitorovog 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 ovaj koncert svojoj supruzi Diti,

Dita, who was herself a concert pianist.

koja je i sama bila koncertna pijanistkinja.

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

A u sporom, drugom stavu, označenom kao "adagio religioso",

he incorporated the sounds of birdsong that he heard

ubacio je zvuke ptičje pesme koje je čuo

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

spolja kroz prozor, znajući da mu je to poslednje proleće;

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

zamišljao je njenu budućnost, u kojoj on neće imati nikakvu ulogu.

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

I jasno je da je ova kompozicija njegova poslednja izjava ljubavi -

it was first performed after his death --

prvi put je izvedena nakon njegove smrti -

and through her to the world.

i preko nje ga je čuo svet.

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

A tako jasno, on je poručivao: "U redu je. Sve je bilo tako lepo.

Whenever you hear this, I will be there."

Kad god čuješ ovo, biću tu."

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

Tek nakon smrti g. Teslera sam saznao

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

da je spomenik na grobu Bele Bartoka u Hartsdejlu u Njujorku

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

platio Šandor Tesler. "Jó napot, Bela!"

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

Nedugo pre nego što će umreti u 97. godini, g. Tesler

he heard me hold forth on human iniquity.

me je čuo kako javno govorim o ljudskoj grešnosti.

I delivered a lecture in which I described history

Održao sam predavanje u kom sam opisao istoriju,

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

u celini, kao plimni talas ljudske patnje i okrutnosti,

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

a g, Tesler mi je kasnije prišao s nežnim prekorom i rekao:

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

"Znate, doktore, ljudska bića su u suštini dobra."

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

I na tom mestu tada sam se zakleo sebi

that if this man who had such cause to think otherwise

da, ako je ovaj čovek, koji je imao toliko razloga da misli drugačije,

had reached that conclusion,

stigao do tog zaključka,

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

neću pretpostavljati drugačije dok me on ne oslobodi moje zakletve.

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

I kako je on sad mrtav, zaglavio sam se sa zakletvom.

"Jó napot, Sandor!"

"Jó napot, Sandor!"

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

Mislio sam da se moje klupko mađarskih mentora razmotalo,

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

ali gotovo momentalno sam upoznao Francisa Robičeka, mađarskog doktora -

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

zapravo kardio hirurga iz Šarlote u Severnoj Karolini, tada u poznim 70-im -

who had been a pioneer in open-heart surgery,

koji je bio pionir operacija na otvorenom srcu

and, tinkering away in his garage behind his house,

i vrzmajući se po garaži iza njegove kuće,

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

izumeo je mnoge sprave koje su standardni delovi ovih procedura.

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

On je i strastveni sakupljač umetnina, počeo je kao stažista u Budimpešti

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

sakupiljajući holandske i mađarske slike iz 16. i 17. veka

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

a kada je došao u ovu državu, prešao je na špansku kolonijalističku umetnost,

Russian icons and finally Mayan ceramics.

ruske ikone i naposletku na majansku keramiku.

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

Autor je sedam knjiga, od kojih je šest o majanskoj keramici.

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

On je dešifrovao majanski kodeks, omogućujući učenjacima da povežu

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

piktografe na majanskoj keramici s hijeroglifima iz majanskih spisa.

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

Tokom moje prve posete, obišli smo njegovu kuću

and we saw hundreds of works of museum quality,

i videli smo stotine dela, dostojnih muzeja,

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

a zatim smo zastali ispred zatvorenih vrata i dr Robiček je rekao,

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

s očiglednim ponosom: "A sad delić Otpora."

And he opened the door and we walked into a

I otvorio je vrata i ušli smo u

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

prostoriju bez prozora, šest sa šest, s policama od poda do tavanice,

a svaka polica je bila natrpana njegovom kolekcijom majanske keramike.

crammed on every shelf his collection of Mayan ceramics.

Now, I know absolutely nothing about Mayan ceramics,

E sad, ja apsolutno ništa ne znam o majanskoj keramici,

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

ali sam želeo da budem što umilniji, pa sam rekao:

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

"Ali, dr Robiček, ovo je apsolutno očaravajuće."

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

"Jeste", rekao je. "Tako je i Luvr rekao.

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

Nisu me ostavljali na miru dok im nisam dao jedan komad,

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

ali nisam im dao dobar komad." (Smeh)

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

Pa mi je palo na pamet da bi trebalo da pozovem dr Robičeka

to lecture at Wofford College on -- what else?

da održi predavanje na fakultetu Voford, o čemu drugom, već o Leonardu da Vinčiju.

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

Štaviše, trebalo bi da ga pozovem da upozna

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

mog najstarijeg poverenika, koji je diplomirao francusku istoriju na Jejlu

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

pre nekih 70 godina i u 89. je i dalje vladao olovnom rukom

largest privately owned textile empire with an iron hand.

najvećim tekstilnim carstvom u privatnom vlasništvu.

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

On se zove Rodžer Miliken. I g. Miliken je pristao,

and Dr. Robicsek agreed. And Dr. Robicsek visited

i dr Robiček je pristao. A dr Robiček je došao u posetu

and delivered the lecture and it was a dazzling success.

i održao predavanje i bio je to očaravajući uspeh.

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

A kasnije smo se okupili u predsedničkoj kući s dr Robičekom s jedne

on one hand, Mr. Milliken on the other.

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

i g. Milikenom s druge strane.

I tek sam u tom momentu, kako smo sedali da večeramo,

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

shvatio ogromnu opasnost koju sam stvorio,

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

jer spajajući ova dva titana, ova dva gospodara univerzuma

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

bilo je poput upoznavanja Motra i Godzile iznad nebeskog horizonta Tokija.

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

Ukoliko se ne svide jedan drugom, svi bismo mogli da budemo na smrt izgaženi.

But they did, they did like each other.

Međutim zaista su se svideli jedan drugom.

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

Bajno su se slagali sve do samog kraja večere,

and then they got into a furious argument.

a onda su zapali u žučnu raspravu.

And what they were arguing about was this:

A raspravljali su se o sledećem:

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

da li je drugi film o Hariju Poteru podjednako dobar kao prvi. (Smeh)

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

G. Miliken je rekao da nije. Dr Robiček se nije slagao s tim.

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

Ja sam i dalje pokušavao da dođem sebi da ova dva titana,

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

ovi gospodari univerzuma, u slobodno vreme gledaju Harija Potera,

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

kada je g. Miliken, verujući da će pobediti u raspravi, rekao:

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

"Ti samo misliš da je tako dobar jer nisi čitao knjigu."

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

A dr Robiček se zateturao na stolici, no brzo se sabrao,

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

nagao napred i rekao: "Pa, to je istina, ali verujem da si ti išao

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

da gledaš film s unučetom." "Pa, jesam", složio se g. Miliken.

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

"Aha!" rekao je dr Robiček. "Ja sam išao u bioskop sam." (Smeh) (Aplauz)

And I realized, in this moment of revelation,

I ja sam u ovom trenutku otkrovenja shvatio

that what these two men were revealing was the secret

da su ova dva čoveka otkrivala tajnu

of their extraordinary success, each in his own right.

svog neverovatnog uspeha, svaki na svoj način.

And it lay precisely in that insatiable curiosity,

A ona je počivala baš u toj nezajažljivoj znatiželjnosti,

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

toj neodoljivoj žudnji za znanjem, bez obzira na to šta je u pitanju,

no matter what the cost,

bez obzira na cenu,

even at a time when the keepers of the Doomsday Clock

čak i onda kada čuvari sata sudnjeg dana

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

budu oklevali da stave ma cent na to da će ljudska rasa biti tu

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

da zamisli bilo šta 2100. godine, tričave 93 godine unapred.

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

"Živi svaki dan kao da ti je poslednji", rekao je Mahatma Gandi.

"Learn as if you'll live forever."

"Uči kao da ćeš živeti večno."

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

Ovo je moja strast. Baš ovo.

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

Ovaj neutaljivi, neustrašivi apetit za učenjem i iskustvom,

no matter how risible, no matter how esoteric,

ma koliko bio za podsmeh, ma koliko bio ezoteričan,

no matter how seditious it might seem.

ma koliko se buntovnim činio.

This defines the imagined futures of our fellow Hungarians --

Ovo definiše zamišljene budućnosti naše braće Mađara -

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

Robičeka, Teslera i Bartoka - koliko definiše i moju.

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

Koliko definiše, kako mi se čini, budućnost svih vas ovde.

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

Na šta moram samo da dodam: "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 da bude težak.

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

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

(Aplauz)