Undómea Nainie

This is the translation of a sweet poem by the Hungarian poet Miklós Radnóti, who worked in the first third of the last century before he was killed by Nazis during a forced march to a camp.

Undómea Nainie

A, undómion kólime rohtar:

Lakare ar xiéte quilde;

*Lenkie lorde oronti-karinnar

Lintale siryar púla i sinye.

I reo yalme aulunta palan,

Patean, *vequi hlussesse pateanye,

Miurotalínen nóra i néka kále,

Nípa hala onta i núra huine.

Yáre firininyaron hráva salque,

Salque yo lóte i tuvin *ilmende;

*Tatarrean as nindi olmentar,

Ar tensi i þosse ná taite haime.

Tyulussion téma tiuyala quonda,

*undukúve tenna i quilda lóme,

Lorda Rána *hópelta ta pusta

Ortana leperinganyasse.

Sinyeva sére, elye *suilan,

Urda renyo asto to i malle wíla:

Taiti lúmis lenka endanyasse

I *oioférima faire *lissie lóra.

Elegy At Sunset

Oh, light sins of sunsets,

Inaction and momentary hush;

Slowly over drowsy hilltops

the evening pours swaying rivers.

The noise of the day flows far away,

I walk, as if I were walking in whisper,

The faint light's running on cat's paws,

The deep shadow begets a frail shade.

The flesh of my old dead is grass,

grass and flower, and I find'em everywhere,

I'm standing around with their slender smell

And terror has become such a habit by now.

The row of poplars is a billowing smoke,

The silent night bows down over them,

The lazy Moon rolls forth and stops

On the tip of my upturned finger.

Evening peace, I salute you,

The dust of my hard day flies over the road,

At such times in my slow heart

The ever-ready death gracefully slumbers.

The original:

ALKONYI ELÉGIA