Drawings by János HÁY.
Hungarian Poetry: István Bálint
István Bálint is an actor, theatre - director, poet who had to leave Hungary in 1976 with a group of theatre people led by Péter Halász. Called the Squat Theatre they settled a year later in New York. After leaving Hungary became very soon internationaly known in the avantgarde theatre-world. The group dissolved in the late eighties. After the collapse of socialism in East-Europe, Bálint returned to Budapest in 1990. Now he works there as a free lance artist.
ISTVÁN BÁLINT

Seaport Dialogues II



In the golden afternoon
The dog of Satan’s dreaming Moon,
Half-eaten bone in the sky.
Heavy dinner, heavy dream.
From the landing-stage I hear a scream!
Like a street dance, evil trance.

Canibal, carnival,
good bye son, I bolt you down.
It just tastes fine in the hell,
all my jokes’re selling well.

Slowly moving we both swear
never to be prisoner.
It was a nice honeymoon,
We are cursed and very soon.


Seaport dialogues III

54.

Good and bad only the freedom for.
Danse macabre Rock and Roll!
But a godlike stranger walks the water
and landing at you as a brand new boat.
’Sire, my husband’s the capitan.
’Girl, I’m the scapegoat.

After New York


3.

Right now!

There is a man and a little girl
walking down the lane, hand in hand.
Among the sunflowers stands a junky,
who turns around.
Anna Frank and Imre Kertész are passing by.
There is gigling and laughter from afar.
I’m straight. Great!


Seaport dialogue with T.G.M.

(de-voting)


Ezra Pound and Heiddegger’re killing time in hell.
They are playing kard, sixhundred sixty six.
Their heart is pumping blood and mud.
It’s a hungarian game and a fix.

But no help between our big rivers,
no help beyond the good and bad.
Everybody’s cheering aloud, ri-ri-ri Hungary!
But Our Lady is sad. Virgin Mary for Hungary.


Sex, Drogs and Rockandroll


Please, give me God a cloud in the sky
Swimming slowly above my head.
I lay down my knive and spoon and ... why?
I’m a looser, I said.

 
  © All rights belong to the authors or their heirs. 2004.
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