Many times I've walked through Budapest being struck by something I wanted to share. Here, I do just that. What follows are glimpses along life's path that had touched my heart. Enjoy! Budapest Daily Photos recently moved to its own home. The photos here may be enlarged by clicking on them unlike BudapestResources.com website, its previous home.
This lovely statue is right by the bus stop on Roosevelt Sq. where I landed Tuesday night. It was so graceful that I checked on the person it was created for. The statue is of Gabor Szarvas, a Hungarian linguist (1832-1895). The statue is by Gyula Jankovits created in 1899 and the creation stands 3.65 meters high.
The Invitation
It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.
It doesn’t interest me how old you are.
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon...
I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand at the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”
It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.
It doesn’t interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the centre of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.
It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside
when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments.
15 comments:
Unusual because of the delicate looking figure below the strong bust of the linguist.
Statues from such a long time ago ... Don't find too many of those here in Canada
This seems to be quite a piece of art. Altough I never hear about the linguist himself, he must have beens someone real important in Hungary.
The square is very beautiful also.
Very nice statues..I love statues...this one is very interesting with her "tail" as she stretches!
It's beautiful against that blue sky.
Nice photos. Especially the 2nd one. The blue sky contrasted it very well
Alex
Alex's World! - http://www.kakinan.com/alex
Unfortunately, I would be willing to bet that 95% of the average Hungarian on the street has no idea who he is. When I returned, there was a lot of anxiety about my Hungarian as I've not advanced my skills since childhood. (if nothing else, the vocabulary had not developed, then again over 40 years there is the element of changing slang in a living language)
Turns out there is little to be anxious about as the average language skills level is so atrociously low that I can find grammatical mistakes in newspapers and cringe at TV announcers.
The adaptation of foreign words into Hungarian is the second most serious offense. This was one of the things that this linguist whose statue we are enjoying, was hoping to prevent.
Whether it is lazyness or the desire to be 'hip' foreign words are generously used throughout the modern Hungarian and to make matters worse - with Hungarian spelling.
It is at times like this that I salute the French for being so careful with their language.
Thank you all for visiting and leaving your comments. You are what makes this entire blogging experience worth it! :)
What a beautiful statue
Lovely statue and it's nice to have it lit up at night.
Exquisite Isadora! I absolutely love this. What a great capture.
wonderful capture. well done!!!
Lovely statue, Isadora! Today on my blog, I posted the door I told you about previously and with mention of where the inspiration was from...you and Alice!Its a humble door, but nonetheless.Have a good weekend.
Change the lighting and change the perspective, and you have to separate pictures!
Nice statue, well done, well taken photo.
Merry Christmas, or in Portuguese "Feliz natal".
With Images
Very elegant looking statue, and so wonderful that it honors a linguist and not a military hero or politician.
I agree with you about the French being protective of their language. They won't be able to inhibit the language from growing and changing, but it does offer standards that should be adhered to.
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