Sándor Reményik & Ildikó Mecséri

Silent Wonders (poem by Sándor Reményik) & Curiosity (painting by Ildikó Mecséri (MEIL))

Silent wonders

by Sándor Reményik

Do not wait for the earth to shatter,
Sodom's consumption by fire.
Tiny wonders from day to day are
Greater, deeper to admire.  

Come, place your hand upon your heart and
Hear well, observe what it conveys,
Is this fine beating not by far the
Greatest, most wonderous music phrase?  

Come, look into that deep blue Endless,
Look at those tiny silver things:
Not wonderous that your orphaned soul is
Rising towards them, spreading wings?  

Look how your shadow runs before you,
How it expands and shrinks with you.
Not a wonder? Or that the waters
Reflect the heavens for your view?  

Do not expect big things in life, for
Joys are snowflakes, they drift and stray.
Silent, sifting petals of wonder.
In them's God's voice: I'm coming.

*****

Sándor Reményik is a well-known Hungarian poet. He was born in 1890 in Kolozsvár, Austria-Hungary (now Cluj-Napoca, Romania) to a wealthy architect. After he finished high school in Kolozsvár, he began studying to become a lawyer until an eye disease ended his aspirations. He thought that a poet is the architect of the souls. His first poem book have been published in 1918. He was the editor in chief of Shepherd of Fire magazine (Pásztortűz). His poems are full of images of nature, philosophic thoughts and humour. The role of symbolism is also strong in his poems. He has received the Baumgarten award in 1937 and 1941, and Corvin-chain in 1940. Among the Hungarian poets there are only a few, who could express so many valuable thoughts in such a natural sound, like he. His poems have been translated into several languages: English, French, German, Italian, Roman, Swedish, Slovak. After 1945 he was exiled for decades from Hungarian literature, because of political reasons.

Here you can find poems in English from Sándor Reményik: http://www.magyarulbabelben.net/works/hu-en/Rem%C3%A9nyik_S%C3%A1ndor-1890

Leslie A. Kery is the translator of the poem Silent Wonders.

Ildiko Mecseri (MEIL) is a Hungarian artist. She was born in 1971 in Győr (Hungary) Her art deals with spiritual and metaphorical themes drawing her inspiration from the Bible, history and her travel experiences. She was born in Hungary and art has been her passion from her early years, but she studied cultural management and economics in university. Later she has made a career change and painting with oil became her passion as a self-taught artist. She is in constant development and she both uses Alla prima and Flemish techniques. She would like to inspire, motivate and encourage people through her paintings. https://www.mecseriart.com. 

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