If you have been following us for a while, you know that we adore English rhymes, songs, poems and stories. Since we parent bilingual, we find it important to make our kids love Hungarian children’s literature as well.

Even though we truly believe in authentic English books, tools and educational materials, we have also experienced that telling our kids’ favorite Hungarian rhymes in English can „fire them up” for language switching when they are not in the mood. So, the „familiar scenes” can work as sort of switching tools between Hungarian and English languages.

If you had had the chance to attend any of our bilingual parenting online courses, especially „DUMAngol Anyatanító VIP” and „52-week-long Premium VIP Program” , you could have read or heard some of our translations, for example, „Hush Little Baby, don’t say a word” or „Pál, Kata, Péter, jó reggelt!”

What we would like to show you today is a power translation of George Szirtes, a British poet and translator of Hungarian origin. He has lived in the United Kingdom for most of his life. He has won a variety of prizes for his work and we can be grateful for several poem translations, so that the world could get to know a little bit more about our unique Hungarian cultural heritage.

On your feet now, Hungary calls you!
Now is the moment, nothing stalls you,
Shall we be slaves or men set free
That is the question, answer me!
By all the gods of Hungary
We hereby swear,
That we the yoke of slavery
No more shall wear.

Slaves we have been to this hour,
Our forefathers who fell from power
Fell free and lived as free men will,
On land that was their own to till,
By all the gods of Hungary
We hereby swear,
That we the yoke of slavery
No more shall wear.

Whoever now his life begrudges
Deserves his death with thieves and drudges,
For setting his own worthless hide
Above his country’s need and pride.
By all the gods of Hungary
We hereby swear,
That we the yoke of slavery
No more shall wear.

The sword shines brighter than the fetters
It is the finery of our betters,
Of slaves and fetters we grow bored.
Leap to my side, ancestral sword.
By all the gods of Hungary
We hereby swear,
That we the yoke of slavery
No more shall wear.

Magyars, once more our name and story
Shall match our ancestors’ in glory
The centuries of shame and hurt
Can now be washed away like dirt.
By all the gods of Hungary
We hereby swear,
That we the yoke of slavery
No more shall wear.

And wheresoever we may perish
Grandchildren those graves shall cherish
Singing our praises in their prayers
To thank us that our names are theirs.
By all the gods of Hungary
We hereby swear,
That we the yoke of slavery
No more shall wear.

Translated by George Szirtes