Two Days in Chujava, chapter 2 · Slovak

Deň pekný

A Beautiful Day

I

Ale videla Chujava i deň veľmi pekný, radostný, slávny, lež. až po rokoch, keď sa v nej všetko na lepšie premenilo, ba sa stalo svojím opakom.

But Chujava also witnessed a very beautiful, joyful, glorious day, though only years later, when everything in the village had changed for the better, indeed, had become the very opposite of what it once was.

Ako to prišlo, vyrozumieme z opisu slávnosti, odbavovanej v Kobzayovskom kaštieli.

How this came about, we shall learn from the account of a celebration held at the Kobzay mansion.

Vidíme tu všeobecný čerstvý ruch, len nie taký, aký bys’ v panskom dome očakával.

Here we see a general bustle of activity, but not the kind one would expect in a nobleman's house.

Na dvore vidno mnoho rozmanitých príležitostí, ale nie sú to ani koče ani batáre, lež maľované vozíky, ba i obecné vozy.

In the courtyard stand all manner of conveyances, but they are neither carriages nor covered wagons, merely painted carts and even municipal wagons.

V čeľadníku sedí za jedľovým stolom mnoho pohoničov, ale sú to len obecní sluhovia a sedliaci, nie vyšnurovaní držitelia opraty s rukavičkami.

In the servants' quarters, many drivers sit around a firwood table, but they are merely village servants and peasants, not smartly dressed coachmen with gloved hands on the reins.

Po chlievoch žuje sence mnoho cudzích koní, ale nie sú to vysoké paripy, lež len obecné väčšie-menšie škapky.

In the stables, many visitors' horses are munching hay, but they are not tall, noble steeds, merely ordinary nags, large and small.

V kuchyni varí sa a smaží, lež nie kuchár obskakuje železné ohnisko, ale ženské s bielymi záponkami.

In the kitchen, pots are boiling and food is frying, but it is not a cook tending the iron hearth; rather, it is women wearing white aprons.

Taniere, misy, sklenice odnášajú a prinášajú nie mládenci v dolománoch, lež dievčatá s bielunkými opleckami, lesklými živôtikmi a belavými záponkami.

Plates, bowls, and glasses are carried back and forth not by young men in dolman jackets, but by girls wearing spotless white blouses, shiny bodices, and pale aprons.

V panskej jedálni sedí za dlhým dubovým stolom mnoho hostí, ale nie sú to pyšní aristokrati, lež skromní evanjelickí farári, učitelia so svojimi manželkami a dakoľko svetských pánov a paní.

In the manor's dining room, many guests sit around a long oak table, but they are not haughty aristocrats. Instead, they are humble Protestant ministers, teachers with their wives, and a few gentlemen and ladies from secular society.

Ženské, medzi ktorými i dakoľko paničiek, zaujímajú čestnejšie miesto, posledné domový pán, farár Rastic.

The women, among them several ladies of gentle birth, occupy the places of honour, while the last place belongs to the host, Pastor Rastic.

Čo?

What?

Farár domovým pánom v kaštieli Kobzayho?

A pastor the master of the house in the Kobzay mansion?

Tak je, a čo viac, pansláv Rastic.

Indeed, and what is more, Rastic is a Pan-Slavist.

Hostina platí jeho narodeninám, ku ktorým sa zišli zblízka i ďaleka počestní priatelia, všetci takí osvedčení Slováci, že by sa bolo mohlo zaviesť vyšetrenie o panslavistickom sprisahaní.

The feast is being held in honour of his birthday, for which respectable friends have gathered from far and near, all such staunch Slovaks that an investigation into a Pan-Slavic conspiracy might well have been launched.

Preto i rozhovor sa viedol výlučne v reči slovenskej a bol dôverný, srdečný, hlučný, veselý, bo všetci boli v najlepšom rozmare.

Accordingly, the conversation was conducted exclusively in Slovak. It was intimate, warm, lively, and cheerful, for everyone was in the highest of spirits.

Nikto nehľadel pred seba zadumane, ako býva neraz pri väčších hostinách: lež žartovali, smiali sa, rozprávali si vospolok novinky, hovorili o veciach národných a krajinských, o uda- lostiach doma i za hranicami.

No one sat staring pensively into the distance, as so often happens at large banquets. Instead, they joked, laughed, exchanged news, and talked about national and provincial affairs, about events at home and abroad.

II

Prípitky započal starší bratstva Lukáč.

The toasts were begun by Lukáč, the senior member of the brotherhood.

„Ty,“ hovoril obrátený k Rasticovi, „zrodil si znovu obec. Aký to rozdiel medzi Chujavou bývalou a terajšou. Keď som ťa uvádzal do úradu, vyzerala tak, že sa človek až zle cítil pri pohľade na ňu. Chalupy boli všetky drevené, z neotesaných brvien alebo prútia, bez dymníkov, s vetchými pozalamovanými strechami, nadto tak neporiadne rozmetané ako stračie hniezdo. Dvory plné hnojnice a smetí, neopravené sady a záhrady, pustá divočina. Prázdna škola klesala na hromadu. Ešte i tie ošarpané krčmy hrozili židom a pijanom zalomením. Náhle človek z hradskej cesty zišiel v daždivej chvíli, bahuriny v suchej koľaji také, že až osi zem rýpali. Zo všetkého vyzerala tá najkrajnejšia spustlosť, chudoba, bieda, červíctvo. Chujavčania boli rozkričaní ako ľudia korheľskí,

"You," he said, turning to Rastic, "have brought the village back to life. What a difference between Chujava as it was and Chujava as it is now! When I installed you in office, the place looked so wretched that one could hardly bear the sight of it. All the cottages were wooden, built of rough-hewn logs or wicker, without chimneys, and with decrepit, broken roofs. Moreover, they were scattered about in such disorder as a magpie's nest. The yards were full of manure and rubbish, the orchards and gardens neglected, the whole place a desolate wilderness. The empty schoolhouse was crumbling into a heap. Even the shabby taverns threatened to collapse upon the Jews and drunkards. Whenever someone left the main road in rainy weather, they found such deep mud in the ruts that even the cart axles scraped the ground. Everything spoke of the most extreme neglect, poverty, misery, and wretchedness. The people of Chujava were as loud and unruly as habitual drunkards,

neúctiví, spurní, bezbožní.

disrespectful, rebellious, and godless.

A teraz!

And now!

Všetkého toho opak.

The very opposite of all that!

Sídlo nešváru a chudoby premenilo sa v sídlo poriadku a zámožnosti.

A place of disorder and poverty has been transformed into a place of order and prosperity.

Najspustlejšia obec stala sa mohutnou; najbiednejšia dedinka prevyšuje veľmi mnohé z našich poľných mestečiek.

The most dilapidated village has become flourishing; the poorest little hamlet now surpasses many of our provincial market towns.

To všetko tvoje dielo, brat.

All this is your doing, brother.

Za krátky čas vykonal si veci veľké.

In a short time, you have accomplished great things.

Večná ti pamäť i sláva!“

May your memory and glory endure forever!

"Sláva, večná sláva!“ zdvihli všetci so štrngotom poháre. Rastic sa uklonil zdvorile. „Premena k lepšiemu je, pravda, zrejmá, ale zásluhy chybne pripisuješ mne samému. Vidíš, brat môj. Za celých desať rokov, toľko temer ako tu, farároval som v Žabci, a nič spomenutiahodného som nevykonal! Prečo? Bo som stál ako prst samotný. Učiteľ, panstvo, dvorské osobníctvo, župní úradskí,všetko

"Glory, everlasting glory!" everyone cried, raising their glasses with a clink. Rastic bowed politely. "The improvement is certainly obvious, but you wrongly attribute all the credit to me alone. You see, my brother, I spent a full ten years, almost as long as I have been here, serving as a pastor in Žabec, and accomplished nothing worth mentioning! Why? Because I stood alone, like a finger. The teacher, the gentry, the estate officials, the county administrators—everyone

bolo proti mne, znižovali, uvádzali ma v ošklivosť pred ľudom, ako sa to vodieva rozkričaným panslávom. Mal som čo robiť, aby som sa len v úrade udržal, tak soptilo na mňa zhora podporované renegátstvo.“

was against me. They belittled me and made me hateful in the eyes of the people, as is customary with outspoken Pan-Slavists. I had my hands full simply trying to keep my position, so fiercely did the renegades, backed by those in power, rage against me."

„Hanba a potupa renegátom a ich patrónom!“

"Shame and disgrace upon the renegades and their patrons!"

zahučali spolusto- lovnici.

the fellow diners roared.

„Oni hatia náš národný vývin. Pre nich väzíme vo večnom barbarstve.“

"They obstruct our national development. Because of them, we remain trapped in eternal barbarism."

Rastic pokračoval ďalej.

Rastic continued.

„Že tu môžem preukázať dačo, to pošlo odtiaľ, že sme sa ako divom zhromaždili štyria horIiví, obetaví, rázni milovníci ľudu slovenského, ja, učiteľ Semenák, pravotár Stupnický a úradník Rozumovský. S týmito, páni, musím deliť svoje zásluhy a činím to vyznanie s radosťou.“

"The fact that I have been able to accomplish something here stems from the extraordinary circumstance that four ardent, devoted, and determined friends of the Slovak people came together: myself, the teacher Semenák, the solicitor Stupnický, and the official Rozumovský. Gentlemen, I must share my credit with these men, and I gladly make that acknowledgment."

„Pán úradník Rozumovský bol, tuším, tu prvý,“ pretrhol ho Lukáč.

"Mr. Rozumovský, the official, was here first, if I remember correctly," Lukáč interrupted.

„Jeho,“ prisvedčil Rastic, „povolal prvého do služby Kobzay. On potom uviedol pána pravotára Stupnického, oba pritiahli mňa, ako spolužiaka, a ja som bol taký šťastný utrafiť na učiteľa Semenáka. Styria sme potom spojili svoje rozličné schopnosti a podporovali sa vosplok proti vonkajším nástrahám. Protivníci darmo búrili proti nám, stavali nám rozličné osídia, chceli nás ohnusiť ľudu, keď sme boli zajedno, podporovali sa i radou i pomocou. Čo by ľahko boli vykonali s jedným, to nemohli vyviesť so štyrmi. Ale i čo sa docielilo, to sa docielilo spojenými silami všetkých. Potom i zriedkavé priaznivé okolnosti treba vziať do úvahy.“

"Indeed," Rastic agreed, "Kobzay first summoned him into his service. He then brought in Mr. Stupnický, the solicitor. The two of them drew me in, as a former fellow student, and I was fortunate enough to find the teacher Semenák. The four of us then combined our various abilities and supported one another against outside threats. Our opponents raged against us in vain, laid all manner of traps, and tried to make the people despise us. But as long as we stood united, we supported one another with both advice and practical help. What they could easily have done to one man, they could not accomplish against four. And whatever was achieved, it was achieved through the combined efforts of us all. We must also take into account the rare favourable circumstances."

„Pekne od teba,“ pochválil ho Lukáč, „že uznávaš i cudzie zásluhy. Ale, buď rečeno bez obrazenia tvojich spolupracovníkov, tys‘ predsa bol podnetom a dušou všetkého. Mohol bys‘ nám vyložiť, čo všetko sa tu dialo od tvojho príchodu, ako ste doeieliIi také skvelé výsledky.“ "Rozprávaj, brat,“ ozvali sa mnohí z farárov. “Od muža tak blahodarne pôsobivšieho jest čomu sa učiť.“

"It is generous of you," Lukáč praised him, "to acknowledge the contributions of others. But, without wishing to offend your colleagues, you were surely the driving force and the very soul of it all. Could you tell us what has happened here since your arrival, and how you managed to achieve such splendid results?" "Tell us, brother," many of the ministers called out. "There is much to learn from a man whose influence has been so beneficial."

„Pamätajte,“ odporoval Rastic, „že nie sme sami. Tu, hľa, i vaše drahé ženičky a dcérky. Mám ich nudiť suchým rozprávaním vecí prísnych?“

"Remember," Rastic objected, "that we are not alone. Look, here are your dear wives and daughters too. Should I bore them with a dry account of serious matters?"

„Aj!“

"Oh, come now!"

vzala slovo pani Lukáčová, „pán brat je zdvorilý, a tým nás obrazil. Či už my ozaj nemáme žiaden zmysel pre veci vyššie? Nič iného nás nezaujíma ako klebety a šialené parížske módy? To veru pekná poklona. Žiadosť pánov je i našou. Prosíme ju vyplniť.“

Mrs. Lukáčová spoke up. "Our dear brother is being polite, but in doing so he has insulted us. Do we truly have no appreciation for higher matters? Are we interested in nothing but gossip and the latest Parisian fashions? That is certainly a fine compliment! The gentlemen's request is ours as well. We beg you to grant it."

„To bude,“ dodali iné panie, „najväčším pôžitkom, aký sa nám v Chujave dostať môže.“

"It would be," the other ladies added, "the greatest pleasure we could enjoy here in Chujava."

„Tak už teda,“ uškrnul sa Rastic, „odporovať nemožno. Vina ne-

"Well then," Rastic smiled wryly, "there is no resisting you. It will not be my fault

bude moja, keď sa panie sestry a paničky zle u mňa zabavia.

if the good ladies and young ladies find my account poor entertainment."

III

„Predoslať musím,“ odkašlal, „že moje pôsobenie pošlo ďaleko

"I must begin," he said, clearing his throat, "by explaining that my work here has extended far

za medze, ktoré som si prvotne vytýčil.

beyond the limits I originally set for myself.

Prišiel som do Chujavy jedine s tým, že budem ako možno najlepšie vzdelávať cirkev, vyučovať ľud, čo je vlastné naše povolanie.

I came to Chujava with the sole intention of educating the church as best I could and instructing the people, which is our proper calling.

Na polepšenie hmotného jeho stavu nemal som ani pomyslenia.

I had not even considered improving their material circumstances.

To prišlo potom neočakávane.

That came later, quite unexpectedly.

Náš slovenský ľud je po celej krajine, v dedinách i po mestách, nadmieru zanedbaný, ako úhorom ležiaca, nikým neoraná roľa.

Throughout the country, in both villages and towns, our Slovak people are terribly neglected, like a field lying fallow, left unploughed by anyone.

Vyššie a zámožnejšie stavy sa ho zriekli, vrchnosti sa ho cudzia, starajú sa len o vykynoženie jeho reči.

The higher and wealthier classes have abandoned them, the authorities regard them as strangers, and their only concern is to stamp out their language.

Ešte i tí, ktorí z ľudu pošli, pohŕdajú ním, zapierajú ho, aspoň nič oň nedbajú, niet v nich žiadnej túžby mimo chleba, žiadnej národnej hrdosti a horlivosti ako v sy- noch a dcérach iných národov.

Even those who have sprung from the people despise them, disown them, or at least take no interest in them. They have no aspirations beyond earning their daily bread, no national pride or fervour such as is found among the sons and daughters of other nations.

O svoj národ nedbajú, bo výchova im ho odcudzila, za nesvoj nemôžu sa srdečne oduševniť.

They care nothing for their own nation, because their upbringing has alienated them from it; they cannot wholeheartedly devote themselves to something they regard as foreign.

To príčina, že i farári a učitelia u nás sú zväčša len nádenníci a ľud zostáva!

This is why even our pastors and teachers are, for the most part, mere hired labourers, while the people remain

akousi mŕtvou masou.

a kind of lifeless mass.

Takým nádenníkom bol i môj predchodca v úrade.

My predecessor in this office was just such a hired labourer.

Pokladal sa za veľkého vlastenca, pchal sa do kaštieľov, ľudom oproti tomu pohŕdal.

He considered himself a great patriot, pushed his way into manor houses, and despised the common people.

Neznal ani jeho reč, len ledabolo, a chlubil, vystavoval sa tým, ukazoval svoju barbarskú nevedomosť ako dôkaz, že on nie je panslávom.

He barely knew the people's language, and boasted of that fact, flaunting his barbarous ignorance as proof that he was no Pan-Slavist.

Vykázal ako-tak svoju kázeň, či v chráme či na smetiskách, a tým koniec jeho pastierovaniu.

He delivered his sermon somehow or other, whether in the church or among the rubbish heaps, and that was the end of his pastoral duties.

Bol by chcel maďarizovať ľud, ale to chodí s veľkým ustávaním, dal teda pokoj.

He would have liked to Magyarize the people, but that required far too much effort, so he gave up.

Mal na starosti len gazdovstvo a karty.

His only concerns were farming and playing cards.

Pre svoje maďarónske handabandy a necirkevného ducha, frivolné zásady náboženské, zaľúbil sa odrodilými pánikom a dostal ich priazňou faru mastnejšiu.

Because of his Magyarone intrigues, unclerical disposition, and frivolous religious principles, he won the favour of the renegade gentlemen and, through their influence, obtained a more lucrative parish.

Ľudu, farníkom neosožil nič.

He was of no benefit whatsoever to the people or his parishioners.

A neschopný, zhovädilý učiteľ nielen, že povolaniu svojmu ne- zodpovedal, lež i škodil cirkvi premnoho.

And the incompetent, brutish teacher not only failed to fulfil his calling, but also did immense harm to the church.

Od neho vychádzala hlavne skaza.

He was the chief source of corruption.

Za štyridsať rokov svojho úradovania pokazil celú obec, vychoval pokolenie pijanské, nemravné, ošemetné, bezbožné.

During his forty years in office, he corrupted the entire village, bringing up a generation of drunkards, immoral rogues, cheats, and godless people.

Keďže bol súčasne zapisovateľom, chodil ustavične so sedliakmi po krčmách, pil v richtárskom dome.

Since he was also the village clerk, he constantly frequented taverns with the peasants and drank at the village headman's house.

A na nešťastie bol v obci obľúbený, lebo vedel mnoho trpieť, lichotiť a učiniť sa vážnym.

And unfortunately, he was popular in the village, because he knew how to endure a great deal, flatter people, and make himself appear important.

Sprostáci ho počúvali ako dákeho proroka.

The fools listened to him as though he were some kind of prophet.

Chodil ustavične za kmotra, jeho žena za kmotru.

He was constantly serving as a godfather, and his wife as a godmother.

Temer všetky deti boli jeho krstniatka.

Almost all the children were his godchildren.

Aspoň na žiadnych krstinách nechýbal.

At the very least, he never missed a christening.

Tak i žiadne veselie, ani oddávky, ani kar neobišli sa bez neho.

Nor did any celebration, wedding, or funeral feast take place without him.

Tých pár detí, ktoré prišli do tej biednej školy v zimných mesiacoch, ani za tri roky čítať nenaučil a rozpustil tak, že to pred očami jeho všetečiIo, nezbedy vyvádzalo, šeptalo,

The handful of children who attended that wretched school during the winter months were not even taught to read in three years. Instead, they became so unruly that, right before his eyes, they would meddle in everything, misbehave, whisper,

klmalo, bilo sa.

lie, and fight.

Tak vychodili z jeho dielne samí ošemetní rozpustilci.

Thus, his school turned out nothing but troublesome little hooligans.

Udelil i tým akéhosi zlého ducha, ktorí vcele nechodili do školy. Za mnohé roky premenil celú obec na Sodomu.“

He even instilled a kind of evil spirit in those who never attended school at all. Over the course of many years, he turned the entire village into a Sodom."

„Sedliaci,“ skočil mu do reči Kaňuch, „pripovedali si, že nikdy viac takého dobrého rechtora mať nebudú, a predsa zachádzali s ním vždy skrbne, často nadmieru neuctivo. Plácu mu nikdy, ani ako učiteľovi ani ako zapisovateľovi, povýšiť nechceli. Za písanie prosieb, závetov, zmlúv a iných súkromných vecí nikdy mu iné nedali ako žajdiček toho smradu, ktorý vypili s ním. Jeden lotrovský korheľ, akýsi Humenský, zneuctil ho neslýchane na ulici, nadával mu s veľkým krikom a tykaním do zbojníkov, lotrov, starých huncútov. Farár i obžaloval oplana, ale čo? Slúžny ešte učiteľovi vyčítal kapitolu, že sa nadrapuje s ľuďmi.“

"The peasants," Kaňuch interrupted, "kept telling themselves that they would never again have such a good schoolmaster, and yet they always treated him meanly, often with the utmost disrespect. They never wanted to raise his pay, neither for his work as a teacher nor as a clerk. For writing petitions, wills, contracts, and other private documents, they never gave him anything more than a little jug of the foul stuff they drank with him. One scoundrel of a drunkard, a fellow named Humenský, insulted him outrageously in the street, shouting at him and addressing him familiarly as a bandit, a rogue, and an old rascal. The pastor even brought a complaint against the lout, but what came of it? The district magistrate actually reprimanded the teacher for getting above himself and quarrelling with the people."

„Rozprávajú ľudia doposiaľ o tom kúsku uhorskej spravodlivosti,“ pokračoval Rastic, „učiteľ však bol pravým morom obce. Čo si s ním počať? Ani ho odstrániť, bo ľud predsa bol s ním spokojný, ani nahradiť jeho nedbanlivosť, bo fúkal ako jež, metal a šmáral všetko, keď som prišiel do tej školy.“

"People still talk about that little example of Hungarian justice," Rastic continued, "but the teacher was a veritable plague upon the village. What could one do with him? One could neither dismiss him, since the people were satisfied with him, nor make up for his negligence, for he bristled like a hedgehog, throwing things about and rummaging through everything when I first came to that school."

IV

„Na šťastie moje i obce starý pijan o pár mesiacov dokončil beh života a jeho miesto zaujal terajší môj verný spolupracovník Semenák. On spojuje v sebe pre národného učiteľa dostatočné vedomosti so zriedkavou horlivosťou a nezištnosťou. Druhý by bol započal s tým: „Vystavte mi školu a polepšite plácu, pri ktorej vyžiť nemôžem.“ Ale Semenák nie tak. On chcel si napred získať lásku a vzkázať sa zásluhami. Konal teda omnoho viac, než čo by i najprísnejší sudca za najvyššíplat bol požadovať mohol, a trpel ako Jób. Chodil sám z domu do domu, láskal dietky, nahováral rodičov, vodil sám chlapcov a dievčatá do školy, daktorým z nich i knižočky daroval.“

"Fortunately for me and for the village, the old drunkard died a few months later, and my present faithful colleague Semenák took his place. He combines the knowledge expected of a teacher devoted to the national cause with exceptional zeal and selflessness. Another man would have begun by saying: 'Build me a school and increase my salary, for I cannot live on what I am paid.' But Semenák was different. First, he wanted to win people's affection and establish his worth through his deeds. He therefore did far more than even the strictest judge could have demanded in return for the highest salary, and he suffered like Job. He went from house to house himself, fondled the children, persuaded their parents, personally led the boys and girls to school, and even gave some of them little books as gifts."

„To bolo kus krušnej a kyslej práce,“ pretrhol ho Semenák.

"That was a hard and thankless task," Semenák interrupted.

„Nedajbože presvedčiť ich o potrebe výučby. Keď som sa odvolával na židov, že oni žiadne dieťa bez výučby nenechajú a žiadne náklady na to neoľutujú, odvetili mi: „U žida je to jeho živnosť, jeho hlavné dedičstvo, u nás sprostákov nič. Čisi sa dačo učil, či nie, všetko jedno. Hľa, Humenský chodil i do latinských škôl, a čo z neho? Ani len richtárstvo dodriapať sa nemôže a je posledný v obci. Nejeden, čo školy nevidel, má sto ráz viac poctivosti.“

"Good heavens, how difficult it was to convince them that education was necessary! When I pointed to the Jews, saying that they never left a child uneducated and never begrudged the expense, they answered: 'For a Jew, education is his trade, his chief inheritance. For us simpletons, it is worth nothing. Whether a man has learned anything or not makes no difference. Just look at Humenský: he even attended Latin schools, and what has he become? He cannot even manage to get himself elected village headman and is the lowest man in the village. There are plenty who have never seen the inside of a school and yet possess a hundred times more honesty.'"

„A či nemajú pravdu?“

"And are they not right?"

ozval sa učiteľ Škorec. ,,I ja mám v obci takého mudráka, ktorý aj listy a prosby sedliakom píše, a predsa je to ten najväčší lump, korheľ, galgan.

Teacher Škorec spoke up. "I too have such a clever fellow in my village, one who even writes letters and petitions for the peasants, and yet he is the biggest scoundrel, drunkard, and good-for-nothing.

Mám zasa.iných, ktorí si veľmi počestne vedú, sú dobrí gazdovia, dobrí čeľadní otcovia a predsa do školy nikdy nechodili. Na tom naozaj veľmi málo záleží, či sedliak a chalupník vie čítať alebo nie.“

Then I have others who lead thoroughly respectable lives, are good farmers and good heads of families, and have never attended school. It really makes very little difference whether a peasant or smallholder can read or not."

„Áno,“ pokrútil hlavou Semenák, „ak sa len čítať deti naučia a potom nič viac, alebo len cudzie reči, ako Humenský v svojich latinských školách. Ale treba i vecné vedomosti deťom dať a uspôsobiť ich k rozumeniu kníh, aby sa potom ďalej vzdelávali samy. Potom treba sieť tých škodlivých povier roztrhnúť, do ktorých je ich rozum v dome rodičovskom zasnovaný. A čo nadovšetko, treba v nich vzbudiť pravú bázeň božiu, zošľachtiť ich srdce a vôľu, zásobiť ich dobrými mravnými zásadami. Vtedy škola nebude dačo zbytočného. Dorastie pokolenie rozumné a mravné. A to tiahne za sebou i hmotné blaho.“

"Yes," Semenák said, shaking his head, "if children are merely taught to read and nothing more, or if they learn only foreign languages, as Humenský did in his Latin schools. But children must also be given practical knowledge and taught to understand books, so that they can continue educating themselves. Then the web of harmful superstitions in which their minds have become entangled in their parents' homes must be torn apart. Above all, they must be taught true reverence for God, their hearts and wills refined, and their minds furnished with sound moral principles. Only then will schooling cease to be something useless. A sensible and virtuous generation will grow up, and material prosperity will follow in its wake."

„Tak je,“ prisvedčil Rastic, ,a môj šľachetný priateľ a pomocník Semenák činil to s nezlomnou vytrvalosťou, zriedkavým sebazaprením.

"Quite so," Rastic agreed, "and my noble friend and assistant Semenák carried out this work with unshakable perseverance and extraordinary self-denial.

Neviazal sa na hodiny a prísnu povinnosť.

He did not confine himself to fixed hours or the strict requirements of duty.

Súc sám jediný, podelil si dietky, podľa pokroku, na triedy a aby sa jedny netúlali, keď sa zapodieva s druhými, hneď zvolal zvonom staršie, hneď mladšie.

Being the only teacher, he divided the children into classes according to their progress, and to prevent some from wandering about while he attended to others, he would ring the bell to summon first the older pupils, then the younger ones.

Učí cez celý deň, ba ešte i v noci, pri svojich sviecach.

He teaches throughout the day, and even at night by candlelight.

A činí to

And he does so

s takou láskou, že ho. deti majú radšej než vlastných rodičov.

with such affection that the children love him more than their own parents.

Obstupujú, oblapujú ho, vešajú sa na neho.

They crowd around him, embrace him, and cling to him.

Lebo ihrá a baví sa s nimi, je s deťmi deckom.

For he plays and has fun with them; with children, he becomes a child himself.

Pri peknej chvíli vyvedie ich na dvor, do záhrady,

When the weather is fine, he takes them out into the courtyard, into the garden,

na pole a práve vtedy učí ich najviac, keď o učení ani zdania nemajú.

and into the fields, and it is precisely then that he teaches them most, when they have no idea that they are being taught.

Deti samy pýtajú poučenie, tak vie vzbudiť v nich duševnú samo-činnosť.

The children themselves ask to be taught; such is his ability to awaken their intellectual initiative.

Zaopatrí im tu i tam i spoločnú zábavu s rodičmi; preto

From time to time, he also arranges outings and amusements for them together with their parents; consequently,

i týchto oduševňuje.

he wins the parents over as well.

Nikdy ste takú kypiacu ochotu nevideli.

You have never seen such overflowing eagerness.

Deti plačú ak ich rodičia zdržujú od školy.

The children cry when their parents keep them away from school.

Pokuty žiadne nepoužíva, ani nepotrebuje.

He uses no punishments, nor does he need to.

Jeden prísny pohľad alebo slovo je dostatočná pokuta.

A single stern look or word is punishment enough.

Bude to svet; keď takto vychované pokolenie zaujme postať života.

What a wonderful world it will be when a generation raised in this way takes its place in life.

O školský plat nikdy sa neuháňal, nenabehoval, neodkazoval na ro-dičov.

He never pressed for his teaching salary, demanded payment, or sent word to the parents about it.

Tak sa stalo, že predtým prázdna škola preplnila sa a úspech bol prekvapujúci.

Thus the school, once empty, became overcrowded, and the success was astonishing.

Rodičia len ústa otvorili, čo to všetko tie ich detinky vedia a počali sa ich hanbi.

The parents could only gape in amazement at all that their little ones knew, and began to feel ashamed of themselves.

Bo neraz, keď činilí alebo pohovorili dačo.neslušného, deti ich zavrátili a harušili.

For often, when they did or said something improper, their children rebuked them and corrected their behaviour.

Pán učiteľ dobre rátal, že úspech vo výučbe vystaví aj školu.

The schoolmaster had rightly calculated that success in teaching would also establish the school.

Za dva roky trápil a tiesnil sa v budovisku starom, na tretí mal pohodlnú murovanú školu.

For two years he struggled and cramped himself in the old building; by the third year, he had a comfortable brick schoolhouse.

Podliaci sa darmo odvolávali na pána s veľkým nosom, hovoriac:

The scoundrels appealed in vain to the big-nosed gentleman, saying:

„Nech buduje školu, keď nás o peniaze zozbierané

"Let him build the school, since he robbed us of the money we collected

na ňu ozbíjal.“ „Čo tých ža1ôb?“ odvetili rozumnejší. „Ak budeme

for it." "What's the use of such complaints?" the more sensible ones replied. "If we are

len vtedy mať školu, keď. sa pri terajších pánoch spravodlivosti dovoláme, škoda nám i hovoriť o škole.“ Ochotní donútili neo- chotných, a hoci panstvo nedalo na to kúska dveva predsa vystavali školu poriadnu, spolu s inými budoviskami, chlievmi, humnom, sypárňou. Pán učiteľ už vtedy pojal si tovarišku života.“

to have a school only when we can obtain justice from the authorities as they are now, there is no point even talking about a school." The willing ones forced the unwilling, and although the estate owners contributed not so much as a piece of timber, they nevertheless built a proper school, along with other buildings, including pigsties, a threshing barn, and a granary. By then, the schoolmaster had also taken a wife."

„Za ten čas,“ ozval sa tento, „stravoval ma pri svojom stole pán farár z lásky.“

"During that time," the teacher spoke up, "the pastor kindly gave me my meals at his table."

„Ako by nie,“ riekol Rastic.

"Naturally," said Rastic.

„Veď ste pracovaili aj za mňa. Nedo-

"After all, you were working on my behalf as well. He would not even

volil mi, bratia ani vierouku prednášať.

allow me, brothers, to teach religious doctrine.

„Deti sú,“ vraj, „už len na

He said, 'The children are already accustomed only to

mňa privyknuté. Aby sme ich nemýlili, chcem ich sám účiť všetké-mu.“ A mal pravdu. ]a by som nikdy nebol dokázal získať si v takej miere tú mrvu.“

me. So as not to confuse them, I want to teach them everything myself.' And he was right. I could never have won their affection to such an extent."

„Som vôbec“ ,pokračoval, „ctiteľ a milovník učiteľov. Vy, páni, ste hlavní vzdelávatelia ľudu. Bez vás nič by neosožili všetky naše kázne, hoc by cicerónske boli. Mládež poučiť a zošľachtiť, to hlavná vec. So starými hriešnikmi už nič nevykonáš. Cením teda vysoko vaše obťažné povolanie. Ale so svojím dobrým učiteľom som zvlášť spokojný. Je to muž na to narodeny, žije vcele svojmu úradu,

"In general," he continued, "I am an admirer and devoted friend of teachers. You, gentlemen, are the principal educators of the people. Without you, all our sermons would be of no avail, even if they were as eloquent as Cicero's. The most important thing is to educate and ennoble the young. Nothing can be done with old sinners. I therefore hold your demanding profession in the highest regard. But I am especially pleased with my own good teacher. He is a man born for the task, devoting his entire life to his calling,

pokračuje v ňom s akýmsi svätým zápalom. Čo iným nechuť a omz-losť, to jemu pôsobí najväčšiu radosť.“

and pursuing it with a kind of holy zeal. What others find unpleasant and tedious brings him the greatest joy."

„Našlo by sa to i viac ochotných,“ ozval.sa Škorec, „keby ľud bol

"There would be more willing teachers too," Škorec remarked, "if the people were

vďačný a farári takí ako vaša velebnosť.

grateful, and if pastors were like Your Reverence.

Ale v sedliakovi niet kvapky

But there isn't a drop of

uznalosti.

gratitude in a peasant.

A odkedy dostal slobodu a vlastníctvo, je ešte stokrát

And ever since he gained freedom and property, he has become a hundred times

skrbnejší a ošklivejší.

more miserly and meaner.

Vystatuje sa:

He boasts:

„Ja pán, ja pán.“

"I'm the master, I'm the master."

Ale len žerie

But all he does is eat

a pije, len sebe povyšuje z roka na rok plácu, učiteľovi ešte ujíma.

and drink; he raises his own wages year after year, while cutting the teacher's pay.

Predtým. pracoval so statkom za tridsať grajciarov cez deň, teraz

Before, he worked with the livestock for thirty kreuzers a day; now

žiada päť zlatých.

he demands five florins.

Ale rechtor dostáva i teraz len. tak štyri grajciare

But even now the schoolmaster gets only about four kreuzers

kľúčového, ako keď si za to mohol kúpíť funt mäsa.

for a key, just as much as he could once have bought a pound of meat for.

Ba ešte i z toho mu nestydatec utiahne.

Indeed, the shameless fellow even withholds some of that.

Krúti hlavou, že zabudol, že stratil, že mu

He shakes his head, claiming he's forgotten, that he's lost it, that he

veru chýba grajciar.

is indeed a kreuzer short.

Ale ak prídeš po spievaní do jeho domu, vrhne

But if you come to his house after the singing, he'll toss

ti práve tak dva grajciare ako tulákovi žobrákovi.

you just two kreuzers, as though you were a wandering beggar.

Na oferu ti vrhne gombičku bez uška, alebo ešte vezme z kôpky, nie žeby vrhol svoj

For the collection, he'll toss in a button without a loop, or even take one from the pile, rather than give his own

žobrácky polgrajciar.

miserable half-kreuzer.

Sprostý nádenník teraz žiada na deň zlatovku,

A common day labourer now demands a florin a day,

a učiteľovi nepadne na deň ani pol zlatovky.

while the teacher doesn't earn even half a florin a day.

Neostýchajú sa ani na

They don't even hesitate to cause damage in the

poli škodu zrobiť.

fields.

Tu ti spasú lúku, úrody, tam skradnú zemiaky, mak, kapustu.

Here they'll let their animals graze your meadow and crops; there they'll steal your potatoes, poppies, and cabbage.

Keď som bol. na tom driečnom „náhrodňom náukobehu“, kde sme všetko poznali, čo ministerstvom poslaní učbári nevedia a doma.sa vystavili klebetám, akýsi planý človek poorezoval mi všetky klasy v krížoch.

When I was at that fine "national educational gathering," where we knew everything that the teachers sent by the ministry did not, and where we made ourselves the subject of gossip back home, some worthless fellow cut down all the ears of grain in my field, right across the middle.

Sedliak je neuznalý nevďačný tvor.

The peasant is an unappreciative, ungrateful creature.

A z pánov farárov kto je taký láskavý oproti svojmu pomo-cníkovi ako vaša velebnosť? Vedia len rozkazovať a bremená nakladať, ktorých sami sa prstom nedotknú.“

And among the reverend parish priests, who is as kind to his assistant as Your Reverence? They know only how to give orders and pile on burdens that they themselves would not lift a finger to touch."

„Práve to je, „odvetil Rastic, „že môj Semenák nedal sa mýliť žiadnou nevďačnosťou, z ktorej i jemu sprvu hojne za podiel sa dostalo. Uznali, že je dobrý učiteľ, ale mu nič nedali. Ba našli sa i mudrci, ktorí na jeho vecné vyučovanie reptali, že len hlupstva kadejaké učí. Navyknutí hľadať všetku múdrosť v reči, boli by chceli aby deti učil po maďarsky a po nemecky. Čo im vraj po všetkom keď nebudú rozumieť, čo hovoria páni? To pravda, že teraz obsiahol zaslúženú odmenu: ale či to mohol predvídať? Ani zďaleka. Lebo podzvidhnutie tak hlboko padlej obce záviselo od nenadálych udalostí.“ V

"That is precisely the point," Rastic replied. "My Semenák refused to be discouraged by any ingratitude, though at first he received more than his fair share of it. They acknowledged that he was a good teacher, but gave him nothing. Indeed, there were even wiseacres who grumbled about his practical teaching, saying that all he taught was one foolish thing after another. Accustomed as they were to seeking all wisdom in language, they would have liked him to teach the children in Hungarian and German. What good was everything else, they asked, if the children could not understand what the gentlemen were saying? It is true that he has now received his deserved reward, but could he have foreseen that? Not in the least. For the revival of a village that had sunk so low depended on unforeseen events." V

„Úmysly naše,“ pokračovať Rastic, „boli spočiatku skromné, obmedzovali sa len na naše vlastné povolanie, na školu a výučbu. Náhle každodenná škola prišla trochu do poriadku, chcel hneď pán učiteľ zaviesť i nedeľnú školu pre dospelejšiu mládež. Ale ja som ho odhovoril od toho. Dajte tomu, reku, nateraz pokoj. Škoda to započínať, o čom možno predvídať, že sa nedzarí. Napred si musíte odchovať inakšiu mládež. Terajšia rozbujnelá a zhovädilá vám nepríde. Za možné som orpoti tomu uznal zavedenie skromnej opatrovne maličkých. Zvolajúc po nešpore gazdov a gezdiné na faský dvor,

"Our intentions," Rastic continued, "were modest at first, confined solely to our own calling, to the school and teaching. As soon as the daily school had been put somewhat in order, the schoolmaster wanted to establish a Sunday school for the older youths as well. But I talked him out of it. Let that wait for now, I said. There is no point in starting something that is likely to fail. First you must bring up a different generation of young people. The unruly, brutish lot you have now will not come. Instead, I considered it feasible to establish a modest nursery for little children. After vespers, I summoned the farmers and their wives to the parish courtyard,

takto asi som ich oslovil: Drobné deti zapríčiňujú vám v čas poľných prác veľkú starosť.

and addressed them more or less as follows: Little children cause you great worry during the busy farming season.

Po poli ich so sebou všade vláčiť nemôžete, doma musíte zanechať pri nich staršie deti, ktoré by alebo do školy ísť mali, alebo vám pomáhať mohli.

You cannot drag them around the fields with you everywhere, and at home you have to leave older children to look after them, children who ought either to be attending school or could be helping you with your work.

Potom deti samy všeličo dokážu, najmä s ohnňom.

Besides, children can get up to all sorts of mischief on their own, especially with fire.

Zamykať ich do chyže už preto neradno, že zdevejú ako zver.

It is not wise to lock them in the room, if only because they will grow wild like animals.

Chceli by ste dačo máličko obetovať, aby ste sa tejto klo-

Would you be willing to sacrifice just a little to rid yourselves of this trou-

poty zbavili a dietky v bezpečnosť uviedli?

ble and keep your children safe?

„Ba veru neviem,“ ozvala sa jedna nevesta, „čo by som dala, keby mi dakto starosť o deti z krku zosňal,“ a ostatné prisvedčovali.

"Indeed, I don't know," one young wife spoke up, "what I wouldn't give to have someone take the worry of looking after the children off my hands," and the others agreed.

„Tomu,“ pokročil som, „ľahká a lacná pomoc. Stará, nevládna Kapustaňa býva vždycky doma, a znáte ju ako triezvu, poctivú, ro-zumnú osobu dobrých mravov. Odneste teda deti k nej. Ona vám ich za maličkú náhradu nielen opatrí, lež i trochu pocvičí. Dajte jej po štvrtke žita od decka, nuž bude vám i jej spomôžené.“

"There is an easy and inexpensive solution," I went on. "Old, infirm Kapustaňa is always at home, and you know her to be a sober, honest, sensible woman of good character. So take your children to her. For a small payment, she will not only look after them but give them a little instruction too. Give her a quarter-measure of rye for each child, and it will help both you and her."

„Ja dám vďačne, i ja,“ ozývali sa radom ženy.

"I'll gladly pay," the women called out one after another. "So will I."

Kapustaňa, s ktorou som už predbežne vec vyrovnal, bola predvolaná a zjednaná.

Kapustaňa, with whom I had already discussed the matter beforehand, was summoned and engaged.

Tak sme mali opatrovňu maličkých, aká môže byť na chudobnej dedinke.

And so we had a nursery for little children, such as one might have in a poor village.

Dietky sa tam nielen ochraňujú, lež i cvičia trochu.

The children are not merely kept safe there; they also receive a little instruction.

Kapustaňa, ich učí, podľa návodu pána učiteľa, ktorý ústav každodenne navštevuje, čísliť, zvieratá, stromy, byliny, kamene poznávať, by i modliť sa a spievať.

Following the schoolmaster's instructions, Kapustaňa teaches them to count, recognise animals, trees, plants and stones, and also to pray and sing. The schoolmaster visits the establishment every day.

Potom im všeličo rozpráva a hry navrhuje.

She also tells them all sorts of stories and suggests games for them to play.

Bo hlavná vec je len zábava a ukrítenie času.

For the main thing is simply to keep them entertained and occupied.

Privykajú deti aj na poriadok, čistotu a spoločenské obcovanie. Pod dozorom budí a ostrí sa v nich i mravný cit, keď ich opatrovkyňa tu pochváli, tam pohaní.“

The children also become accustomed to order, cleanliness and social interaction. Under supervision, their moral sense is awakened and sharpened too, as their caretaker praises them for one thing and rebukes them for another."

„Môžem povedať,“ ozval sa Semenák, „že to potom, keď prídu do

"I can say," Semenák put in, "that when they subsequently come to

školy, ktorá sa im ako omeny predstavuje, na deťoch poznať.

school, which seems like something entirely new to them, you can see the difference in the children.

Ktoré nechodili do opatrovne, nevedia ani do piatich načísliť, sú vcele hlúpe, každého myslenia neschopné: ktoré však chodili, v tých sú duševné schopnosti už trochu vzbudené, ba znajú už i maličké počty a modlitby.

Those who have not attended the nursery cannot even count to five; they are completely dull and incapable of thought. But in those who have attended, the mental faculties have already been stirred a little; they even know some simple arithmetic and prayers.

Omnoho menšia je s nimi klopota. Je to dobrá príprava pre školu.“ VI

They are much less trouble to teach. It is good preparation for school." VI

„Tak sme učinili všetko,“ vzal zasa slovo farár, „čo bolo možné pre duchovmý prospech zvereného nám stáda. Ale na tom nemali sme dosť. Obrátili sme pozornosť na hmotné potreby ľudu, zúboženého pre svoju nedospelosť a chýliaceho sa ku konečnej zábube. Bolelo ma, keď som videl, ako sa mu vodí. Nenadále oslobodený sedliak zle užíval svoju slobobu. Šlo k tomu, že sa uvrhne do stavu tísíc ráz horšieho, než bol pod panštinou, do úplného holomstva a zajatia židovského. Lebo oddal sa ozornému pijanstvu a márnil i sám základ hospodárstva, osminy. Náhle sa dozvedeli, že predtým panské role, lúky sú ich vlastníctvom a že ich možno predať, hybaj, pili a brali na ne ako baran na rohy, až im židia dali výstav a vyháňali nahých z domu. Nadobúdal len triezvy richtár Hučko a skrbný Pelechavý.“

"Thus we did everything," the priest resumed, "that was possible for the spiritual welfare of the flock entrusted to us. But we did not stop there. We turned our attention to the material needs of the people, impoverished by their immaturity and heading towards utter ruin. It pained me to see the state they were in. The peasants, suddenly freed, were making poor use of their liberty. They were on the verge of sinking into a condition a thousand times worse than their former lot under the landlords: into utter destitution and bondage to the Jews. For they had given themselves over to monstrous drunkenness and were squandering even the very foundation of their farms, their allotments. As soon as they learned that the fields and meadows formerly belonging to the estate were now their property and could be sold, off they went drinking and borrowing against them as recklessly as a ram charging with its horns, until the Jews foreclosed on them and drove them out of their homes with nothing. Only the sober village reeve Hučko and the thrifty Pelechavý prospered."

„Tento,“ zamiešal sa úradní Rozumovský, „vytrhol i Kobzaymu

"This man," the official Rozumovský interjected, "even wrested from Kobzay

z ruky tie štyri sedliacke osminy, ktoré tak nadužíval na ukrivdenie sedliakov.

those four peasant allotments that he had so often abused to the detriment of the peasants."

A to dosiahol fígľom.

And he managed it by a clever trick.

„Čo im z tých osmín, pán veľkomožný?“, hovoril potuteľne.

"What good are those allotments to them, Your Honour?" he said slyly.

„Nech mi ich predajú.“

"Let them sell them to me."

Kobzay sa dal povedať, bo sa nachádzal tiež ako neviestkár, hráč a šialený milovník skvostu vo večných ťažkostiach.

Kobzay was persuaded, for he too, as a womaniser, gambler and mad lover of luxury, was constantly in financial difficulties.

„Budem im robiť za ne sto dní s koňmi.“

"I'll work for them with horses for a hundred days in exchange."

Kobzay pristal, bo sme nemali nadostač záprahu, len sto zlatých si ešte k tomu vyjednal.

Kobzay agreed, since we did not have enough teams of horses, but he also bargained for an additional hundred florins.

Kúpa sa uviedla do poriadku a chytrý Pelechavý čo neurobí?

The purchase was duly arranged, and what did the shrewd Pelechavý do?

S dobrými Koňmi robil sebe, pre pána kúpil dve také mršiny, čo bys' ich medou zabil.

He kept the good horses for himself and bought two such sorry nags for the gentleman that you could have beaten them to death with a whip.

Na týchto odrobil sto dní a potom škapky predal so ziskom.

He worked off the hundred days with those, then sold the sorry beasts at a profit.

Hostia sa smiali, slovo prevzal zase Rastic.

The guests laughed, and Rastic took up the story again.

Pelechavý neustúpi v lakomosti a fígľoch žiadnemu židovi, ale ostatní.sedliaci rútili sa strmhlav do priepasti holomstva.

In greed and cunning, Pelechavý is second to no Jew, but the other peasants were hurtling headlong into the abyss of utter destitution.

„Ako to prekaziť?“

"How could this be prevented?"

radili sme sa s pánom úradníkom Rozumovským a pravotárom Stupnickým.

We discussed the matter with the official, Mr Rozumovský, and the solicitor, Stupnický.

Pretriasali sme všetko, a všetko sme našli nedostatočným.

We considered every possibility, but found them all inadequate.

Kázať proti pijanstvu?

Preach against drunkenness?

To znamená hádzať hrach na stenu, hus oblievať, murína umývať.

That would be like throwing peas at a wall, pouring water over a goose, or washing a black man.

Zriadiť spolok striezlivosti?

Set up a temperance society?

Nikto z tých, ktorí ho potrebujú, nepríde do neho.

None of those who need it would join.

Nezostávalo nič iné ako dochovanie zdravšieho pokolenia.

Nothing remained but to raise a healthier generation.

Ale toto príde pozde, keď už zhovädilí otcovia a matky všetko premárnia a deti nebudú mať viac čo ochrániť.

But that would come too late, by which time the brutish fathers and mothers would have squandered everything, leaving their children with nothing to preserve.

Aby sme aspoň trochu opozdili konečnú skazu nešťastných, uva. žovali sme, ako zmierniť tú hroznú úžeru, ktorou si židovstvo ľud kresťanský podmaňuje.

To delay the ultimate ruin of these unfortunate people, if only a little, we considered how to ease the terrible usury by which the Jews bring the Christian population under their sway.

Lebo to až vieru prevyšuje, ako židia vedia koristiť z večných peňažitých ťažkostí aj hýrivých pánikov i zhovädilej sedľače.

For it beggars belief how skilfully the Jews profit from the perpetual financial difficulties of both extravagant gentlemen and brutish peasants.

Len jeden príklad na to.

Just one example.

Za štyridsať zlatoviek musel

For forty florins,

platiť oplanský Humenský takéto úroky: Zasadiť do svojej role štyridsať korcov židovských zemiakov, roľu zo svojho pohnojiť, zemiaky posadiť, dva razy okopať, v jeseni vybrať a domov priviezť.

Humenský of Oplan had to pay interest in the following form: he had to plant forty measures of the Jew's potatoes in his own field, fertilise the land at his own expense, plant the potatoes, hoe them twice, dig them up in autumn and bring them home.

To činí omnoho viac než istina sama a sedliakovi nezvýšil ani jeden vozík hnoja pre jeho potrebu.

This amounts to far more than the principal itself, and the peasant is left without even a single cartload of manure for his own use.

Takto musí dlžník prísť o pár rokov so všetkým činom do rúk veriteľových.

In this way, within a few years the debtor must surrender everything he owns into the hands of his creditor.

A to predsa ľahkomyseľných korheľov neodstraší.

And yet this does not deter the frivolous drunkards.

Len pijú a robia dlžoby.

They do nothing but drink and run up debts.

Daň nikdy nezaplatia ináč ako zo židovského mešca, keď predsa majú zárobok taký, že by tri, štyri dni všetko vyplatili.

They never pay their taxes except with money borrowed from the Jews, even though they earn enough to pay everything off in three or four days.

Čo tu počať, radíme sa.

What could be done about this? We discussed it among ourselves.

Ako týchto ľahkomyseľných bláznov ochrániť aspoň pred tou nesmiernou úžerou, ktorej už i sám zákon otvoril brány dokorán?

How could we protect these reckless fools at least from the monstrous usury to which the law itself has already thrown its doors wide open?

Hotová pomoc bola by bývala v chrámovej pokladnici.

The obvious solution would have been the church treasury.

Ale čože?

But what could we do?

Chrámové peniaze nosia sa napospol do úrokovní.

Church funds are generally deposited in savings banks.

Ich opatrovníci štítia sa zveriť ich sedliakom.

Those entrusted with their care are reluctant to lend them to peasants.

Bo sedliak slovo nikdy nedrží, najmä oproti cirkvi a farárovi.

For a peasant never keeps his word, especially when dealing with the Church and the parish priest.

Spoliehajúc sa na večné zhovievanie a beztrestnosť, úroky za roky a roky neplatí a pritom zas iné dlžoby snuje a pije na úver.

Counting on endless indulgence and impunity, he goes year after year without paying the interest, while running up fresh debts and drinking on credit.

Na preznačenie (intabuláciu) v pozemkových knihách pristať nechce, bo to pri malých sumách je i nákladné.

He refuses to agree to registration of the debt in the land register, since that is costly even for small sums.

A bez toho ani sa nenazdáš, keď počuješ, že osminy sú predané z ruky, alebo prišli na bubon Navr-hnem teda založenie malej vzájähmej pomocnice.

And without such security, before you know it, you hear that the allotments have been sold privately or put up for auction. I therefore propose establishing a small mutual aid society.

„Pomocnica,“ priateľ Stupnický na to, „podmieňuje nielen pôžičky,

"A mutual aid society," my friend Stupnický replied, "requires not only loans,

lež i vklady.

but also deposits.

Jedni musia dať zbytočné peniaze, aby sa druhým mohli požičať.

Some people must put in money they can spare so that it can be lent to others.

V Chujave kto ti, čo dá?

Who in Chujava is going to give you anything?

Spočiatku aspoň nikto nič, bo ľud

At first, at least, no one will contribute anything, for the people

ešte nevie, čo to.

do not yet understand what it is.

Ale dačo predsa učiníme.

But we shall do something nonetheless.

Vypracujeme stanovy

We shall draw up a set of rules

a pošleme na potvrdenie na ministerstvo, aby to malo zákonnú moc.

and send them to the ministry for approval, so that they have legal force.

Do počiatku dáš celú chrámovú pokladnicu.

To begin with, you will provide the entire church treasury.

Táto bude slúžiť za zák-lad a sama len brať celý úžitok.

This will serve as the capital, while the treasury itself will simply collect all the profits.

Väčšie sumy zabezpečíme v pozemkovej knihe, menšie dáme na zmenky a budeme pritom pokračovať vcele podľa zákona, požadovať zovrubné dodržanie času.

We shall secure larger sums by registering them in the land register, and lend smaller ones on promissory notes. In all our dealings we shall act strictly in accordance with the law and insist on punctual repayment.

Keď uvidia, že to nie je žart, naučia sa poriadku. Ja obstarám všet'ko zadarmo.“

When they see that we mean business, they will learn to behave properly. I shall take care of everything free of charge."

„Aby si nebol obťažený,“ hovorím, „povediem ja zápisnice. Ty obstaráš len právne záležitosti, menovite vyberanie dlžôb. Teba sa budú väčšmi báť, a mne neuprositeľnú prísnosť úrad nedovoľuje. Vystavil by som sa najväčšiemu nebezpečenstvu.“

"So that you won't be burdened," I said, "I shall keep the minutes. You will handle only the legal matters, particularly the collection of debts. They will be more afraid of you, whereas my office does not permit me to be unrelentingly strict. I would be exposing myself to the greatest danger."

Tu vidíte, páni, ako sme sa vzájomne podporovali, jeden druhého nedostatky dopl- ňovali.'

There you see, gentlemen, how we supported one another, making up for each other's shortcomings.

Všetko sa čerstvo uskutočnilo.

Everything was put into effect without delay.

Otvorili sme vzájomnú pomocnicu na dedine a nie bez príčiny sme ju tak nazvali.

We opened a mutual aid society in the village, and we did not give it that name without good reason.

Bo našli sa čoskoro i talí, ktorí svoje zbytočné peniaze zverili nám, aby im doma bez úžitku neležali, alebo aby sa s márnotratníkmi,.za svoje užierať a hrdlovať nemuseli.

For soon there were people who entrusted us with their spare money, rather than leave it lying idle at home or risk having to haggle and quarrel with spendthrifts over what was owed to them.

Prichádzali aj zo susedných obcí k nám i o pô- žičku i s peniazmi.

People from neighbouring villages came to us both to borrow money and to deposit their own.

Tak sme vždy s väčšími sumami narábali a vždy viac vyťažili. Doteraz sa chrámová pokladnica zdesaťnásobnila.“

In this way, we were able to handle ever larger sums and earn ever greater returns. By now, the church treasury has grown tenfold."

Starší .

The elder

Lukáč, ktorý to s veľkou bedlivosťou počúval, ozval sa:

Lukáč, who had been listening with great attention, spoke up:

„A či to je účastinársky spolok, tá vaša vzájomná pomocnica?“

"Is this mutual aid society of yours a joint-stock association?"

„Naskrze nie,“ odvetil Rastic.

"Not at all," Rastic replied.

„Vkladatelia berú len úroky, šesť od sta; s výťažkom nedelíme sa s nikým.“

"Depositors receive only interest, six per cent; we share the profits with no one."

„A ako to ide s veriteľmi?“

"And how are things with the borrowers?"

spýtal sa ešte Lukáč.

Lukáč asked further.

„Sprvu,“ slovil Rastie, „bol s nimi kríž. Chceli zachádza:ť, ako zvykli s cirkevnými pôžičkami, driek podržať na večriosť a úroky platiť po rokoch alebo nikdy. Keď ale jeden-druhý sa popiekol, pamätali na svoju povinnosť a dodržiavajú zovrubne čas. Nemiernej úžere učinil náš podnik koniec, keď sa obchod ujal a rozšíril. Už nemohli viac tak lúpiť; museli znížiť i oni úroky. To bol prvý môj krok za medze cirkvi a školy.“

"At first," Rastic explained, "they were a troublesome lot. They wanted to behave as they had with church loans: keep the principal indefinitely and pay the interest after years, or never at all. But once one or two of them got their fingers burned, they remembered their obligations and began observing the deadlines scrupulously. Once our enterprise had become established and expanded, it put an end to excessive usury. The lenders could no longer plunder people as they had before; they too were forced to lower their interest rates. That was my first step beyond the bounds of the Church and the school."

VII

„Ale zostával ešte jeden druh úžery, z ktorého koristili nielen židia, lež i pár zámožnejších sedliakov. Vodilo sa i u nás ako všade. Planí gazdovia vytrovili sa cez zimu

"But there remained another kind of usury, from which not only the Jews profited, but also a few wealthier peasants. Things were much the same in our village as everywhere else. The wastrel farmers squandered everything over the winter

zo všetkého.

they had.

Jedných pritisla daň alebo žid.

Some were squeezed by taxes or by a Jewish creditor.

Museli popredať čo sami

They had to sell off what they themselves

pre svoj dom a hospodárstvo potrebovali.

needed for their households and farms.

Druhí mali veselie, krstiny, pohrebný kar.

Others had celebrations, christenings or funeral feasts.

Museli, mocou obyčaje, napájať celú obec, aby horším i od druhých neboli.

By force of custom, they had to provide drink for the whole village, lest they be thought worse than their neighbours.

Mnohí vláčili bez zvláštnej príčiny korec za korcom do krčmy, mužovia zjavne, ženy a synovia tajne.

Many dragged, without any particular reason, bushel after bushel to the tavern, men openly, women and sons secretly.

Na jar potom ani čo zjesť, ani čo zasiať a posadiť.

Then in spring there was nothing to eat, nor anything to sow and plant.

Koristili z toho obrezaní aj neobrezaní úžerníci.

Both circumcised and uncircumcised usurers profited from it.

Požičiavali zbožie a zemiaky tak, že im dlžník tri za jeden korec vrátiť musel, alebo siali a sadili s chudákmi napoly.

They lent grain and potatoes in such a way that the debtor had to return three for one bushel, or they sowed and planted with the poor on halves.

Takému zdieraniu, myslím si, musí sa urobiť koniec.

Such extortion, I think, must be put to an end.

A pomoc bola snadná.

And the help was easy.

Vo vzájomnej pomocnici ležali práve peniaze bez úžitku.

In the mutual aid fund, money was lying there without any use.

Ohlásim teda cirkevný sbor a rieknem zhromaždeným:

So I shall announce a church assembly and say to those gathered:

„Vystavme priestrannú sypáreň s pivnicou. Mnoho to stáť nebude. Kameňov máme pod nosom dosť, roboty dáte vy. Treba len vápno, drevo, dosky kúpiť a remeselníkov platiť. Ale úžitok chrám boží bude mať veľký. Nakúpime spočiatku nemnožko zbožia a zemiakov a budeme požičiavať. Za každé štyri korce vráti nám dlžník päť. To je maličkosť v prirovnaní s panujúcou medzi vami a úžerou, a predsa sa po čase zásoba nekonečne rozmnoží. Súčastne bude tým obec na prípad neúrody trochu zabezpečená. Skúsili ste už, aké roky prichádzajú na poľných hospodárov. Úrody chýbajú, ba časom práve nič sa neurodí. Tu potom bohatý musí sa vytroviť, chudobnému prichodí zahynúť. V takom nešťastí pomohla by plná sypáreň tak, ako v Egypte za časov Jozefových. Keď je drahota na trhu, vy by ste mali doma kde sa založiť, aspoň na výsev.“

"Let us build a spacious granary with a cellar. It will not cost much. We have stones enough right under our noses, and you will provide the labour. We need only to buy lime, timber, and boards, and to pay the craftsmen. But the benefit to God's temple will be great. At first we shall buy a modest amount of grain and potatoes and lend them out. For every four bushels the debtor will return five to us. That is a trifle compared with the usury prevailing among you, and yet in time the supply will multiply endlessly. At the same time the community will be somewhat secured against the event of a poor harvest. You have already experienced what years come upon farmers. Harvests fail, and at times nothing at all grows. Then the rich man must scrape through, and the poor man is bound to perish. In such misfortune a full granary would help, just as in Egypt in the days of Joseph. When prices are high in the market, you would have something at home to fall back on, at least for sowing."

Skrbec Pelechavý sa ozval:

Skrbec Pelechavý spoke up:

„Pánboh stvoril volky a čert spolky. Nech sa každý stará o seba. Ja mám do vôle božej vždy; prečo nie každý? Veď mne tiež manna z neba nepadá.“

"The Lord God created oxen and the devil created associations. Let each man look after himself. I am always resigned to God's will; why shouldn't everyone be? Manna doesn't fall from heaven for me either."

„Bojíš sa, že ti odpadnú cicky,“ zavrátil ho richtár Hučko a ostatní grúnili.

"You're afraid your tits will fall off," the mayor Hučko retorted, and the others grumbled in agreement.

Pelechavý sa ohliadol po nich srdito:

Pelechavý looked around at them furiously:

„Neviete, čo robíte, chcete vziať na seba daromné bremeno. Čo pán farár povedajú o zabespečení sa na prípad neúrody, to neobstojí. Lebo zemiaky držať sa za dva roky nedajú, i zbožie by stuchlo, keby sa neobnovovalo. Keď ste na jar požičali a nič sa vám neurodí, z čoho navrátite v jeseni? Alebo budete nútení dať posledné, alebo sypáreň zostane na zimu prázdna. Kde tu teda pomoc v biede alebo úľava v čas hladu?“

"You don't know what you're doing, you want to take on a futile burden. What the reverend father says about securing yourselves against the event of a poor harvest won't hold up. For potatoes cannot be kept for two years, and even grain would rot if it were not renewed. If you lent in spring and nothing grows for you, what will you return in autumn? Either you will be forced to give your last, or the granary will remain empty for the winter. Where then is the help in misery or relief in time of hunger?"

To šlo do živého.

That struck home.

Sedliaci, akí sú, počali sa škrabať za ušami a prisvedčovať:

The peasants, being what they are, began to scratch behind their ears and nod in agreement:

„Veď to je veru pravda.“

"Why, that's indeed true."

„Pocúvaj, ty!“

"Listen, you!"

pristúpim ja k nemu.

I'll step up to him.

„Či ty v neúrodnom roku nežiadaš v jeseni naspäť, čo si požičal na jar?“

"Don't you, in a barren year, demand back in autumn what you lent in spring?"

„Horkýže nie!“

"Bitterly no!"

ozvali sa mnohí.

many voices responded.

„I posledné zrno vydrie od nás.“

"He'll wring even the last grain out of us."

„No vidíš!“

"Well, you see!"

reku.

said I.

„Keď tebe musia vrátiť, prečo nie chrámovej sypárni? A ty by si v čas drahoty všetko predal. Ale sypáreň, čo prijala v jeseni, to na jar vypožičia zase, bez ohľadu na ceny. Dačo zrna zanechá sa vždycky aj v zásobe na prípad poľnej nehody.“

"If they must return to you, why not to the church granary? And you would sell everything in time of high prices. But the granary, what it received in autumn, will lend out again in spring, regardless of prices. Some grain will always be left in reserve in case of a field calamity."

To zaúčinkovalo.

That had its effect.

Darmo sa spúdzal ešte Pelechavý s daktorými inými úžerníkmi.

In vain Pelechavý and some other usurers kept quarrelling.

Ostatní sa rozhodli sypáreň bez odkladu budovať, čo sa hneď i uskutočnilo.

The others decided to build the granary without delay, which was immediately carried out.

Položila sa tým úžerníctvu medza i pri článkoch potravných.

Thereby a limit was set to usury even in foodstuffs.

A to som považoval za ostatné, čo som mohol ako farár vykonať.

And I considered this the last thing I could accomplish as a priest.

Na ďalšie podniky som nemyslel. Staral som sa len o to, aby povstalé závody neklesli, lež vždy viac sa vzmáhali.“ VIII

I did not think of further undertakings. I only took care that the enterprises that had arisen should not decline, but rather grow ever stronger." VIII

„Tu ti jedného dňa prikvitne priateľ Rozumovský. „Či vieš, čo nového? Na Kobzayho oborili sa veritelia, predáva majetok.“

"Then one day my friend Rozumovský comes along. 'Do you know the news? Creditors have fallen upon Kobzay; he is selling his estate.'

„Hm, hm!“

"Hm, hm!"

pokrútim hlavou.

I shake my head.

„To sa dalo predvídať. On i ona vedú život nezriadený. On si drží postranné milenky, ona milencov. Nadto ten pochabý skvost a karty, čo tiež obaja jednako milujú. Kobzay taký galgan svojím spôsobom ako Humenský alebo Kožuch. A má už kupca?“

"That was to be foreseen. Both he and she lead a disorderly life. He keeps mistresses on the side, she keeps lovers. Besides that, that foolish finery and cards, which both of them love equally. Kobzay is a scoundrel in his own way, like Humenský or Kožuch. And does he have a buyer already?"

„Trhuje sa,“ vetí priateľ, „s tým obrezaným veľkomožným tam na konci dediny.“

"He's bargaining," says my friend, "with that circumcised grandee there at the end of the village."

Rozumel Dávida Schelma, majiteľa pretým grófskeho majetku.

He meant Dávid Schelm, owner of what had formerly been the count's estate.

Pamätné je, ako prišiel tento chytrák k nemu, bo to objasňuje to rýchle klesanie dávnej aristokracie a dvíhanie sa židov, ktorého koniec bude úplný prevrat všetkých pomerov.

It is memorable how this clever fellow came by it, for it explains the rapid decline of the old aristocracy and the rise of the Jews, whose end will be a complete overthrow of all conditions.

Požičal nič viac ako päťsto zlatých hýrivému, vždy utisnutému grófikovi.

He lent no more than five hundred gold pieces to the profligate, ever-embarrassed young count.

Nikdy, keď sa žid dostavil so zmenkou, peňazí nemal a zakaždým mu dal novú zmenku na dvojnásobnú sumu.

Never, when the Jew appeared with the note, did he have the money, and each time he gave him a new note for double the amount.

Táto vyrástla za krátky čas tak, že gróf bol rád, keď mu žid na majetok , čo stál vyše stotisíc zlatých, osemtisíc doplatil.

This grew in a short time to such an extent that the count was glad when the Jew paid him eight thousand on top for the estate that had been worth over a hundred thousand gold pieces.

Toto je ten Dávid Schelm, ktorého priateľ Rozumovský nazval obrezaným veľkomožným, ako sa teraz bývali otrhaný pálenčiar dá titulovať.

This is that Dávid Schelm whom my friend Rozumovský called the circumcised grandee, as a formerly ragged brandy-distiller may now be titled.

„Čo Kobzay pýta za svoj majetok?“

"What does Kobzay ask for his estate?"

„Za päťdesiapäťtisíc,“ hodil priateľ rukou, „ho púšta, so všetkým statkom i náradím, do ostatnej srsti a retiazky, ten blázon. Boh mu odňal rozum. Žid len lesy da vyrúbať, ta všetko vyplatí, majetok mu zostane zadarmo. Ja, priateľ, som bez chleba.“

"For fifty-five thousand," my friend waved his hand, "he's letting it go, with all the livestock and implements, down to the last hair and chain, the fool. God has taken his reason from him. The Jew need only have the forests cut down, and he'll pay for everything, and the estate will remain his for nothing. I, my friend, am without bread."

Vo mne skrsla nová myšlienka.

A new idea stirred in me.

„Je už zmluva podpísaná?“

"Is the contract already signed?"

„Neviem.“

"I don't know."

Poďme,' hovorím, ,k priateľovi Stupnickému, od neho sa doznáme

'Let's go,' I say, 'to our friend Stupnický; from him we'll learn

istotu.

for certain.'

'

Stupnický; nám rozprával, že sa stránky ešte nepokonali.

Stupnický; he told us that the parties had not yet come to an agreement.

Žid vraj

The Jew, he said,

dáva päťdesiat, Kobzay žiada vyše toho päťtisíc.,Dobre,' dupnem nohou, ,majetok odkúpi obec.',Bah,' zasmial sa Stupnický. ,Tí opití Siléni?

is offering fifty [thousand], Kobzay is asking five thousand more than that. 'Good,' I stamp my foot, 'the community will buy the estate.' 'Bah,' laughed Stupnický. 'Those drunken Sileni?

Len by oni stačili

They'd barely be able

vyplácať rováše krčmárom.

to pay their tabs to the tavern keepers.

U veľmi mnohých z nich by si so sviečkou grajciara nenašiel',Nič to,' reku, ,požičia krajinská úverková banka, keď zaviažu sú

In very many of them you wouldn't find a penny even with a candle.' 'Never mind,' I say, 'the regional credit bank will lend, if they pledge their

časne urbársku časť chotára.',Povedáš dačo,' zamyslel sa priateľ Stupnický. ,Žid nadužíva ťažkosti Kobzayho a ja som jednateľom banky na týchto stranách.

jointly the urbarial portion of the commune.' 'You're onto something,' mused my friend Stupnický. 'The Jew is taking advantage of Kobzay's difficulties, and I am the bank's agent in these parts.

Ale

But

čo sedliaci?

what about the peasants?

Či pristanú tí lajdáci?

Will those rascals agree?

S nimi čím skorej prehovoriť.' ,Zajtra,´ povedám, ,je nedeľa.

The sooner we talk to them the better.' 'Tomorrow,' I say, 'is Sunday.

Prídite po službách božích na faru.

Come to the rectory after the divine service.

Za ten čas hlboké tajomstvo. ´“

Meanwhile, deep secrecy.'"

"Ohlásil som cirkevné zhromaždenie. Sedliaci prišli všetci, z chalupníkov ani jeden. Lebo títo si ťažobia, že rovní im predtým sedliaci stali sa pánmi, nerobia nič, len žerú ,a pijú; oni že teraz musia niesť aj ich bremeno, a k tomu ešte platiť za ich slobodu. Z prirodzenej človeku závisti stránia sa nových pánov, preto ani na zhromaždenie neprišli. Nech vraj idú páni, my aj tak sme tu len robotné hoviadka. A to bolo naše šťastie, že sa odtiahli, bo vec sa musela diať pod pokrývkou.,Triezvi ste všetci?'

"I announced a church assembly. The peasants all came, not a single one of the cottagers. For these complain that the peasants who used to be their equals have become lords, do nothing but eat and drink; that now they must bear their burden too, and on top of that pay for their freedom. Out of the envy natural to man they keep away from the new lords, and so they did not come to the assembly either. Let the lords go, they say, we are nothing but drudging cattle here anyway. And it was our good fortune that they stayed away, for the matter had to be done under cover. 'Are you all sober?'

obzriem sa po prítomných.,I veď snáď len do božieho domu nikto nepôjde opitý,' sloví Pelechavý.,Máme vám oznámiť,' pokročím, ,dôležitú vec.

I look around at those present. 'Why, surely no one would go into God's house drunk,' Pelechavý puts in. 'We have to announce to you,' I step forward, 'an important matter.

Ale musíte sľúbiť mlčať o tom a nejsť za dva týždne do krčmy.'

But you must promise to keep silent about it and not go to the tavern for two weeks.'

Zvedavosť ich primäla k prisľúbeniu.,Ináče,' hovorím, ,je to veľmi radostné, čo vám máme predložiť.

Curiosity made them promise. 'Otherwise,' I say, 'what we have to put before you is very joyful.

Ide o to, či chcete byť pánmi.',Zdá sa,' slovil Hučko, ktorý pre svoju úklončivosť stále úrad richtársky zastával, ,že si pán farár robia žartík s nami.',Žiaden žart,' hovorím. ,Pán Kobzay predáva svoj majetok a Schelm ho kupuje.

It is a question of whether you want to be lords.' 'It seems,' said Hučko, who because of his obsequiousness still held the office of mayor, 'that the reverend father is making a little joke at our expense.' 'No joke,' I say. 'Mr. Kobzay is selling his estate and Schelm is buying it.

Zavládne žid celým chotárom.',Nech zavládne,' kývol plecom Kožuch. ,Co nám z toho?

The Jew will rule the whole commune.' 'Let him rule,' Kožuch shrugged. 'What's that to us?

Jeden nám tak nič nedá ako druhý.'

One gives us nothing, just like the other.'

Humenský dodal: ,Či krstený, či nekrstený žid, všetko jedno.' ,Áno, áno,' povedám, ,ale vždycky zle.

Humenský added: 'Whether a baptized or an unbaptized Jew, it's all one.' 'Yes, yes,' I say, 'but always bad.

Panstvo nech je akékoľvek,

Whatever the lordship may be,

či ctí Krista či Mojžiša, činí s vami, čo žive chce.

whether it honours Christ or Moses, it does with you as it pleases.

Bo tá rovnoprávnosť pred zákonom stojí len na papieri.

For that equality before the law stands only on paper.

Skutkom taký ostáva rozdiel medzi sedliakom a pánom, aký bol pred vymanením.',Už to síce pravda,' poškrabal sa za uchom Kožuch. ,Proti pánovi,

In practice the difference between peasant and lord remains such as it was before emancipation.' 'That's true enough,' Kožuch scratched behind his ear. 'Against a lord,

akúkoľvek ti zrobí krivdu, nikdy nevyhráš.',Súdy a sudcovia sú len na to,' ozval sa hrubý Bučak s bajúzmi,

whatever wrong he does you, you never win.' 'Courts and judges exist only for that,' spoke up the rough Bučak with the side-whiskers,

. ,aby pomáhali pánom a židom utlačovať chudobu.',Ako my tu môžeme,' dodal husár Zajac, ,vyhrať pravotu o lesyt

'. 'to help lords and Jews oppress the poor.' 'How can we here,' added the hussar Zajac, 'win a lawsuit about the forest

Všade dávajú a riám nič.',Tak je,' prisvedčím. ,Pravota sa vlečie už vyše sedematridsať rokov a ešte ani len tá otázka nie je súdne riešená, či ste bývali v úžitku drevobrania.

Everywhere they give, and to us nothing.' 'That's so,' I nod. 'The lawsuit has been dragging on for over thirty-seven years, and not even the question of whether you held the right of wood-gathering has been judicially resolved.

Ani sa nedožijete konca tej komédie.

You won't even live to see the end of that comedy.

Vrhnite teda kríž na všetky pravoty.

So make the sign of the cross over all lawsuits.

Kúpte majetok Kobzayho.

Buy Kobzay's estate.

Nebudete sa potom s nikým pravotiť o pár siah lesa, celý bude váš.

Then you won't be litigating with anyone over a few fathoms of forest; the whole of it will be yours.

Vidíte, v akej tvŕdzi ste pre to drevo.

You see what hardship you endure for that wood.

Panština prestala, a vy predsa iteraz robotujete.

Corvée has ceased, and yet you still keep drudging.

Za tie biedne hromádky prútia robíte temer toľko,ako ste robili pred slobodou za úrek.

For those miserable little heaps of brushwood you do almost as much as you did before freedom, for a pittance.

S mostmi máte ustavičnú klopotu.

With the bridges you have constant trouble.

Vy nemáte drevo, panstvo nechce dať, a predsa vás núti k stavaniu mostov cez slúžneho.

You have no wood, the lordship won't give any, and yet it forces you to build bridges through the bailiff.

Už pre ten les mali by ste sa uchopiť príležitosti, ktorá nikdy viac sa nevráti, predchytiť majetok židovi.',Ale kde peniaze?'

Even for that forest alone you should seize the opportunity that will never return, and snatch the estate from the Jew.' 'But where's the money?'

ozval sa Humenský. ,My sme bedári,' škrabali

Humenský spoke up. 'We are paupers,' the peasants scratched

sa za ušami sedliaci.,Peniaze budú,' riekol priateľ Stupnický. ,Požičia nám krajinská úverková banka.

behind their ears. 'The money will be there,' said my friend Stupnický. 'The regional credit bank will lend to us.

Ja vám vykonám, len zaviažte všetci svoje osminy a dajte mi plnomocenstvo,na uzavretie i kúpy i pôžičky.',Cena je taká lacná,' dodal Rozumovský, ,že sa to temer samým drevom vyplatí, keď dáme les zrúbať.

I'll arrange it for you; only all of you pledge your eighths and give me power of attorney to conclude both the purchase and the loan.' 'The price is so cheap,' added Rozumovský, 'that it will almost pay for itself with the timber alone, once we have the forest cut down.

Čo nie, to vyplatia krčmy, mlyny, jatky a prenájom, ak sami nebudeme gazdovať.

What it doesn't, the taverns, mills, slaughterhouses, and rents will pay for, if we don't farm it ourselves.

Majetok pripadne obci zadarmo.'

The estate will fall to the community for nothing.'

Sedliaci dostali chuť, ale Kožuch im prišepol: ,Neverte, nedajte sa

The peasants got a taste for it, but Kožuch whispered to them: 'Don't believe it, don't let yourselves

ošialiť.

be fooled.'

Pán ta pán, a pánom niet čo veriť.'

A lord is a lord, and lords are not to be trusted.'

Tým sa sklátili, poodstúpili, kImali jeden druhého, šeptali.,Čo šepcete?'

At that they wilted, stepped back, nudged one another, whispered. 'What are you whispering about?'

pýtam sa.,Nuž, to hovoria,' riekol Humenský, ,že prečo nekúpia majetok sami, keď to tak výhodno?',Preto,' odpovedám, ,že nám banka nič nepožičia, bo nemá na čo.

I ask. 'Well, they're saying,' said Humenský, 'why don't they buy the estate themselves, if it's such a good bargain?' 'Because,' I answer, 'the bank won't lend us anything, for it has nothing to lend against.

Vám ale požičia, keď k majetku samému zaviažete i urbársku časť chotára.

But it will lend to you, if you pledge the urbarial portion of the commune along with the estate itself.'

Rozumiete?

Do you understand?

Od vás, ktorí ste chodili do škôl, to mrzko, že pri tak vážnom podniku kladiete prekážky našim dobrým úmyslom.',Pre mňa,' hodil surovo plecom, ,nech zakúpia za päť prstov hoc i celú stolicu.',Veru, to vedzte,' pozriem prísne na neho, ,že všetko pravé bo

It is ugly on your part, you who have gone to school, that in such a serious undertaking you put obstacles in the way of our good intentions.' 'For all I care,' he shrugged rudely, 'let them buy even the whole county for five fingers.' 'Indeed, you should know,' I look at him sternly, 'that all true we

hatstvo leží v piatich usilovných prstoch a nie v mešci.'

alth lies in five diligent fingers and not in a purse.'

Priateľ Rozumovský dodal: ,I ja mám celý úrek po Lipnickom;

My friend Rozumovský added: 'I too have a whole contract after Lipnický;

ja tiež zaväzujem svoje osminy.'

I also pledge my eighths.'

Jednako poplašení sedliaci sa klátili, len Pelechavý ich nutkal ku kúpe, že to bude dobre.

Nevertheless the frightened peasants wavered, only Pelechavý urged them to buy, saying it would be good.

Richtár Hučko sa osvedčil: ,Nemôžeme teraz ani tak, ani inak

The mayor Hučko showed himself: 'We cannot now do either this or that

povedať; musíme sa napred medzi sebou poradiť.',Z vašich porád,' odsekol som mrzuto, ,nikdy nič.

say; we must first consult among ourselves.' 'From your consultations,' I cut in sourly, 'never anything.

Kto najhoršie bude radiť, ten zvíťazí.

Whoever advises worst will prevail.

Nie vaše porady spasia vás, lež dôvera k nám.

It is not your consultations that will save you, but trust in us.

Vy ste slepci, my vaše oči; musíte byť presvedčení, že vás povedieme dobre.

You are blind men, we are your eyes; you must be convinced that we will lead you well.

A aby ste boli, povážte, či nevypadlo všetko dobre, čo ste na radu našu predsavzali?

And so that you may be, consider whether everything has not turned out well that you undertook on our advice?

Rozhodnite sa rýchle, hneď a hneď.

Decide quickly, at once and immediately.

Vec netrpí odklad.

The matter brooks no delay.

Ak sa dozná žid, že vy chcete byť,kupcami, prikryje hneď a vám potom ani za dvojnásobnú cenu majetok neprepustí.

If the Jew learns that you want to be the buyers, he will cover at once and then will not let the estate go to you even at double the price.

Poponáhľať sa teda musíme a mlčať.,Preto som vás zaviazal k chráneniu sa krčmy.'

So we must hurry and keep silent. 'That is why I bound you to avoid the tavern.'

Richtár za tým riekol: ,Spoľahnite sa na týchto pánov.

The mayor then said: 'Rely on these gentlemen.

Ich pravú

Their true

lásku skúsili sme neraz.

love we have tried many a time.

Vždy nám dobre chceli.',Uchopiť sa za čerstva tak vhodnej príležitosti,' riekol rozhodne

They have always meant well by us.' 'To seize such a fitting opportunity while it is fresh,' said resolutely

'Pelechavý. ,Ja zaväzujem všetky svoje osminy.',Nechže teda bude, v mene božom,' vykríkli ostatní; len Kožuch, Humenský a husár Zajac stále odporovali.

'Pelechavý. 'I pledge all my eighths.' 'So let it be, in God's name,' cried the others; only Kožuch, Humenský, and the hussar Zajac kept opposing.

Oni sa na nič nepodpíšu, bo nechcú do nebezpečenstva uviesť svoje osminy.',Dobre teda,' povedám, ,vaše a tie osminy, ktoré, už držia židia, vylučujú sa z podniku.

They will sign nothing, for they do not want to expose their eighths to danger.' 'Very well then,' I say, 'yours and those eighths which the Jews already hold are excluded from the undertaking.

Vy neberiete žiadnu povinnosť na seba, lež ani účasť v nádejnom zisku mať nebudete.

You take no obligation upon yourselves, but neither will you have any share in the hoped-for profit.

Do majetku budeme sa

We shall enter into the estate

dorpáhať len my, ktorí ho kupujeme.',Mnoho šťastia!'

only we who are buying it.' 'Much luck!'

zasmial sa škarede Kožuch.,Tvoje osminy,' premeriam ho prísnym okom, "náležia už i tak

Kožuch laughed uglily. 'Your eighths,' I measure him with a stern eye, "belong already anyway

krčmárom.

to the tavern keepers.

Čo žiadaš za ne?',Šesťsto mi dáva žid.',Predaj ich mne.',A čo by nie?

What do you ask for them?' 'The Jew offers me six hundred.' 'Sell them to me.' 'And why not?

Len nech zaplatia.',I ja tak dám svoje,' ozval sa Humenský. ,I ja,' riekol za ním

Only let them pay.' 'I too will give mine at that,' spoke up Humenský. 'And I,' said after him

ZajacAby sme ostatných' urobili ochotnými, kúpili smejch a vyplatili naskutku, ja a pán pravotár.

Zajac. 'So that we may make the others willing, we bought them up and paid on the spot, I and the learned attorney.'

A to naša účasť v majetku, ktorá i na naše deti prejde.

And that is our share in the estate, which will pass to our children too.

Plnomocenstvá pre pána pravotára boli hneď podpísané.

The powers of attorney for the learned attorney were signed at once.

Ako pokonal vec s Kobzaym, to by najlepšie mohol vyložiť on sám.

How he settled the matter with Kobzay, he himself could best explain.

"

"Hneď po obede," prejai slovo Stupnický, "idem s veľkou úzkosťou ku Kobzaymu. Lebo známa mi bola jeho veľká nenávisť proti sedliakom a Slovákom. ,Nerozkážu,' pýtam sa, ,písať zmluvu so židom?',Ba veru,' zvesil na pohovke smutne hlavu, ,napísať sa musí.

"Right after dinner," Stupnický took the floor, "I go with great anxiety to Kobzay. For his great hatred of peasants and Slovaks was well known to me. 'Will you not be pleased,' I ask, 'to have the contract written with the Jew?' 'Why yes,' he hung his head sadly on the sofa, 'it must be written.

Nechce konečne viac dať ako päťdesiat rovno.

In the end he doesn't want to give more than fifty straight.

Utiskuje ma, prašivec, ale čo robiť?

He oppresses me, the mangy wretch, but what is to be done?

Dlžníci súria.

Creditors are pressing.

Židovi budú čakať, mne nie.',Žiaľ!, hovorím, ,že majetky prechádzajú tak skoro jeden za druhým do židovských rúk.

They will wait for the Jew, but not for me.' 'Alas!' I say, 'that estates pass so quickly one after another into Jewish hands.

Zakrátko budú mať títo hrabiví prišelci prevahu i v majetnej triede a tým opanujú, v spojení s kapitálom, nadobro celú krajinu.

In a short time these grasping newcomers will have the upper hand even in the propertied class, and thereby, in league with capital, will dominate the whole country for good.

A oni sú,' dodal som úmyselne, ,predbežný voj valne na východ šíriaceho sa nemectva.' ,Nuž keď kresťania nemajú peňazí!'

And they are,' I added deliberately, 'the advance guard of Germanism spreading mightily eastward.' 'Well, when Christians have no money!'

nevrie hodil rukou. ,Prečo sa nehlási kupec kresťan ,a dáky

he flung his hand. 'Why doesn't some Christian buyer come forward, and some

dobrý vlastenec?

good patriot?'

Takému by som majetok i dačo lacnejšie doprial.',Ja by som poradil,' prehodil som ostýchavo, ,kupca kresťana.' ,A koho?'

To such a one I would grant the estate even somewhat cheaper.' 'I would suggest,' I threw in bashfully, 'a Christian buyer.' 'And who?'

uprie na mňa zrak zvedavo.,Tunajšia obec bola by hotová odkúpiť majetok.

he fixes his gaze on me curiously. 'The local community would be ready to buy the estate.'

Dala by zaň to

It would give for it that

isté, čo žid sľubuje.',Obec?'

same that the Jew promises.' 'The community?'

zamračil sa Kobzay a vyskočil z pohovky. ,Všivavísedliaci?

Kobzay frowned and jumped up from the sofa. 'The lousy peasants?

Myslia, že budem päťdesiat rokov kliešťami od nich vydieraťpo grajciari?

Do they think I will let them wring it out of me penny by penny with pincers for fifty years?

Ja musím mať peniaze hneď.',Žid tiež,' namietam, ,nezaplatí hotovým grošom, len dlžoby prevezme, pokoná sa s veriteľmi.

I must have money at once.' 'The Jew too,' I object, 'will not pay in hard cash, he will only take over the debts and settle with the creditors.'

Ak by však vaša veľkomožnosť konečne chcela peniaze do ruky, bude i to za dva mesiace.',Ste ich advokát?'

If, however, Your Grace would finally like money in hand, that too will be possible within two months.' 'Are you their lawyer?'

stane mi voči.,A spolu plnomocník,' vytiahnem písmo. ,Všetko je dopredu odobrené, čo uzavriem.',Akokoľvek,' chodil Kobzay prudko po čalúne, ,ja oplanom sedliakom majetok nepredám.

he turns to face me. 'And at the same time their attorney,' I pull out the document. 'Everything I conclude is approved in advance.' 'However that may be,' Kobzay paced impetuously about the room, 'I will not sell the estate to those lousy peasants.

Radšej ho doprajem židovi.',Ale prosím pekne,' nástojím, ,či nie je lepšie napomáhať rozkvet obce než budovanie Jeruzalema v Uhrách?',Nič!'

I would rather let the Jew have it.' 'But I beg you kindly,' I insist, 'is it not better to promote the flourishing of the community than the building of Jerusalem in Hungary?' 'Nothing!'

dupol Kobzay. ,To nebudem trpieť, aby v mojom kaštieli pelešila nevďačná opitá sedľač.

Kobzay stamped. 'I will not suffer an ungrateful, drunken peasantry to roost in my mansion.

Radšej. nech tu smrdí po cesnaku.',

Better that it stink of garlic here.'

Vystúpim teda s posledným dôvodom, ktorý účinkom sa minúť nemohol. ,Obec, reku, dá toľko, ako vaša veľkomožnosť žiada.'

So I come out with the last argument, which could not fail to have its effect. 'The community, I say, will give as much as Your Grace asks.'

Kobzay skrotol očividne, ale ťahal predsa vyššie a jednal ne ústupne.

Kobzay visibly softened, but still he pulled higher and bargained unyieldingly.

Musel som ešte tisícku pridať.

I had to add another thousand.

Ale s tým už bol úplne spokojný.

But with that he was already entirely satisfied.

Zmluva sa hneď napísala a pod písala s doložením, že je neodvolateľná.

The contract was written at once and signed with the stipulation that it was irrevocable.

Pribehol potom naplašený žid, šľuboval o desať, o dvadsaťtisíc viac, ale dobre zaviazaný a namrzený Kobzay ho vysotil. ,Keď vidíš, že majetok toľko hoden, prečo si nedal vtedy?

Then the Jew came running up in alarm, promising ten, twenty thousand more, but Kobzay, well bound and vexed, threw him out. 'When you see that the estate is worth that much, why didn't you give it then?

Prečo si ma tak utiskoval, oplan?

Why did you oppress me so, you lousy wretch?

Chcel si mňa oklamať, oklamal si sám seba.'

You wanted to cheat me, you cheated yourself.'

Proboval potom s nami.

Then he tried with us.

Narucoval nám dvadsaťpäťtisíc a mne osobne päť, aby som nahováral sedliakov na prepustenie majetku jemu.

He offered us twenty-five thousand and me personally five, to persuade the peasants to let him have the estate.

Títo si už teraz, bláhali.

These now, poor things, were already wavering.

Vlastná však sprostači nevďačnosť ani tu nechýbala.

But even here base ingratitude was not lacking.

Oplanský Humenský nadštrkol im zo závisti, že som sa zriekol s pánom a ich o šesťtisíc zlatých oklamal.

The loutish Humenský put it into their heads out of envy that I had made a deal with the gentleman and cheated them out of six thousand gold pieces.

A oni uverili trhanovi tým viac, že ich. popudzovali aj krčmári.

And they believed the ragamuffin all the more because the tavern keepers were egging them on too.

Bolo oproti mne podlých klebiet plno a surového zlorečenia.

There was plenty of vile gossip and coarse cursing against me.

"

"A s peniazmi potom ako?"

"And what about the money then?"

spýtal sa farár Peľuch.

asked the priest Peľuch.

"Bankou vyslaný ohliadač," vetil Stupnický, "dal mienku, že sa môže požičať šesťdesiattisíc. Zostalo nám teda ešte na nákladky štyritisíc. Splácanie drieku s úrokmi uložené je na dvadsať liet v rovných častiach. Kobzay vzal peniaze a pošiel s ťažkým srdcom na druhý skromný svoj majetok. Teraz dostal úrad pri vrchnom súde. Bo to teraz všetko,

"The assessor sent by the bank," replied Stupnický, "gave the opinion that sixty thousand could be lent. So we had four thousand left for expenses. Repayment of the principal with interest is set over twenty years in equal instalments. Kobzay took the money and went with a heavy heart to his second, modest estate. Now he has received a post at the supreme court. For nowadays everything,

čo pošlo z vysokej šľachty, bez ohľadu na schopnosť, zaopatrené byť musí.

that has come down from the high nobility must be provided for, regardless of ability."

" XI

Lukáč zdvihol pravicu s tlejúcou cigarou:

Lukáč raised his right hand with the smouldering cigar:

"Ale teraz nám povedzte, bo to je najzaujímavejšie, ako ste potom hospodárili s tým majetkom, ako splácali dlžobu. "

"But now tell us, for that is the most interesting part, how you then managed that estate, how you repaid the debt."

"Najvýdatnejší prameň dôchodkov," prevzal slovo Rastic,

"The most abundant source of income," Rastic took the floor,

"boli lesy. Bo teraz, pri stále sa množiacich železniciach a fabrikách, ide drevo do ceny. Podelili sme ich, zanechajúc dačo i pre seba, na dvadsať rovných častí. Každý rok vytne a predá sa jedna. To skutočne toľko robí, že málo čo viac platíme do banky. Krčmy, jatka, mlyn boli nám tiež na dobrej pomoci. Bo sprvu za nechali sme všetko pri starom. Za role a lúky dával nám žid päťtisíc prenájmu. Sedliakom sa toľúbila, ale ja som ich z toho zrazil. Majetok, reku, prijali sme záso bený, nie pustý. Načo by sme ho teda dávali do prenájmu? Vyšli by sme zo všetkého, žid by nám budoviská spustošil. A vyťažíme viac ako žig, bo nebudeme potrebovať toľko čeľade, nájomníkov práve nie. Co nebudú stačiť naše záprahy a naši chalupníci, to doplníme my. Spojenými silami pôjdu nám roboty rýchlo. Dáme pritom mnohým chleba, menovite pánom úradníkovi a pravotárovi, ktorých by žid prepustil. So židmi vôbec nechcem mať do činenia. Len krčmárov musíme trpieť do vypršania času prenájmu."

"were the forests. For nowadays, with the ever-multiplying railways and factories, timber is going up in price. We divided them, leaving something for ourselves too, into twenty equal parts. Each year one is cut and sold. That really brings in so much that we pay little more into the bank. The taverns, the slaughterhouse, the mill were also of good help to us. For at first we left everything as it was. For the fields and meadows the Jew gave us five thousand in rent. The peasants liked it, but I talked them out of it. The estate, I said, we took over stocked, not empty. Why then should we lease it out? We would lose everything, the Jew would devastate our buildings. And we will get more out of it than the Jew, for we won't need so many hands, and hired men hardly at all. What our teams and our cottagers can't manage, we will make up ourselves. With joined forces the work will go quickly for us. At the same time we give bread to many, namely to the steward and the attorney, whom the Jew would have dismissed. With Jews I don't want to have anything to do at all. Only the tavern keepers we must put up with until the lease expires."

To bolo odobrené.

That was approved.

Obrábanie majetku prevzali sme sami.

We took over the cultivation of the estate ourselves.

Pánu úradníkovi ponechané vedenie hospodárstva s plnou mocou a s povýšeným platom.

The steward was left in charge of the farming with full authority and an increased salary.

Ja som prevzal bezplatne vrchnú správu, pričom musel som sa presťahovať do kaštieľa.

I took over the supreme management without pay, and for that I had to move into the mansion.

Lebo pre obchod s toľkými ľuďmi, pre tak mnohé zápisnice, písma, skrine moja biedna fara bola priúzka.

For with business involving so many people, with so many records, documents, and cabinets, my poor rectory was too cramped.

Nerád som to učinil, aby som nevzbudil závisť, ale musel som hľadať priestrannejšiu miestnosť.

I did it reluctantly, so as not to arouse envy, but I had to seek a more spacious room.

Pán učiteľ navrhol, aby mi držali pomocníka, takrečeného ka plána, lež za to som sa poďakoval.

The schoolmaster proposed that they keep an assistant for me, a so-called chaplain, but I thanked him for that.

Dohodol som sa, že pri toľkom praktickom účinkovaní dlhé cicerónske .kázne odo mňa žiadať nebudú, ale sa uspokoja s krátkym praktickým napomenutím.

I agreed that with so much practical activity they would not demand long Ciceronian sermons from me, but would be satisfied with a short practical exhortation.

Vymienil som si len, že nikdy na žiadnom pohrebe kázať nebudem.

I stipulated only that I would never preach at any funeral.

"

"To, to!"

"Hear, hear!"

pochválili ho farári.

the priests praised him.

"Bodaj by si toto ničomné bremeno zosňal i zo šije nástupcov."

"Would that you had taken this worthless burden off the necks of your successors too."

"Je zosňaté," zasmial sa Rastic.

"It is taken off," laughed Rastic.

"Nikdy tu viac po smetiskách kázať sa nebude. To je tá najmrzutejšia povinnosť evanjelického kňaza. Z toho nikomu nič. Je to len obeť prinášaná márnomyseľnosti. A kňaz odťahuje sa tým od užitočných prác, ako návštevy školy, činí sa smiešnym, vystavuje klebetám a hubí sa. Nútený bez prípravy do sveta kázať, činí to potom i v chráme, sype neprežuté slovo božie z rukáva."

"Never again will there be preaching at the rubbish heaps here. That is the most dismal duty of an Evangelical priest. Nothing comes of it for anyone. It is only a sacrifice offered to vanity. And the priest is thereby drawn away from useful work, such as school visits, makes himself ridiculous, exposes himself to gossip, and ruins himself. Forced to preach to the world without preparation, he then does so in the church too, and pours out the undigested word of God from his sleeve."

Škorec sa ozval:

Škorec spoke up:

"Tak by bolo treba zrušiť i tie pohrebné verše, ktorými nás učiteľov hlúpa márnomyseľnosť morduje. Ja to činím s najväčšou nechuťou."

"Then the funeral verses should be abolished too, with which foolish vanity tortures us teachers. I do it with the greatest distaste."

"A slušne," prisvedčil Rastic.

"And decently," Rastic nodded.

"Touto ničomnou parádou činí sa i učiteľ smiešnym a odťahuje tiež od svojej svätej povinnosti. Katolícki kantori spievajú tú istú odpytovanku na každom pohrebe; u evanjelikov sa žiada, aby odpytovanka i verše všade boli inakšie a aby ich rechtor sám vyhotovil. Aká to obťažná práca pre učiteľa

"By this worthless display the teacher too makes himself ridiculous and is also drawn away from his sacred duty. Catholic cantors sing the same funeral hymn at every funeral; among Evangelicals it is required that the funeral hymn and verses be different everywhere and that the schoolmaster compose them himself. What a burdensome task for a teacher

a aká daromnosť!

and what futility!

Nevolil by za ten čas učiť deti, pokiaľ pero hryzie na ničomných klapanciach?

Would he not rather spend that time teaching the children, while his pen gnaws away at worthless jingles?

Ja som previedol zrušenie tohoto

I carried through the abolition of this

navždy v cirkvi svojej. My mŕtvych vyprevádzame len so spevom a modlitbou..“

forever in his church. We see the dead off only with singing and prayer."

"A v Nemecku," poznamenal Lukáč,

"And in Germany," remarked Lukáč,

"ani toľko sa nedeje. Cirkevní služobníci zriedka idú s pohrebom, len príbuzní a susedia vyprevádzajú pri všetkej tichosti mftveho. O dôchodky ako ste sa postarali?"

"not even that much happens. Church servants rarely go with a funeral; only relatives and neighbours see the dead off in all quietness. And how did you see to the incomes?"

"Zlepšili sa," odvetil Rastic, "a to primerane nášmu povolaniu. Osminy farské a učiteľské pripojili sa k majetku. Farárovi a učiteľovi ponechané len toľko, aby mal trocha mlieka v dome, mohol si držať pár kravičiek. Miesto toho dostáva všetko hotové, čo len do domu treba, drevo, zrno, stravu, zemiaky, kapustu i pár sto zlatých peňazí. Nemusí teda gazdovať, môže žiť vcele úradu, zvlášť mládeži. Platy sme vymerali dvom učiteľom. I farárovi sme učinili za povinnosť, namiesto tých"ničomných pohrebných kázní, učiť v škole deti každý deň dve hodiny.

"They improved," replied Rastic, "and that in a manner befitting our calling. The parish and schoolmaster's eighths were joined to the estate. The priest and the teacher were left only enough to have a little milk in the house and keep a few cows. Instead of that they receive everything ready-made that the household needs — wood, grain, food, potatoes, cabbage, and a few hundred gold pieces in money. So he need not farm; he can live wholly for his office, especially for the youth. We fixed the salaries of two teachers. And we made it the priest's duty, instead of those worthless funeral sermons, to teach the children in school two hours every day.

"

Peľuch sa spýtal: .

Peľuch asked:.

"A čo ste učinili s chalupníkmi?"

"And what did you do with the cottagers?"

Na to odvetil úradník Rozuniovský:

To that the steward Rozuniovský replied:

"My máme, prirodzene, do činenia len s tými, ktorí ku Kobzayho majetku náležali. Urbárskych odbavili sme vyznačením istých rolí a lúčok pre ich slobodné držanie. Dvorným polepšili sme znamenite. Navrátili sme im odňaté roličky, dali drevo, určili predtým neobmedzený počet povinných dní, zrušili nutnosť pracovať, keď ich odrobia. Tí i títo sú úplne spokojní. "

"We have, naturally, to do only with those who belonged to Kobzay's estate. We settled the urbarial peasants by marking out certain fields and meadows for their free holding. The manorial ones we bettered remarkably. We returned to them the little fields that had been taken away, gave them wood, fixed the previously unlimited number of obligatory days, and abolished the necessity of working once they had done their stint. Both these and those are entirely satisfied."

XII

"Teda kúpený majetok," riekol Lukáč,

"So the purchased estate," said Lukáč,

"stal sa spoločným ima ním osminárov. Čože ste učinili pre účast' v právach a úžitku?"

"became common to the eighths-holders and to you. What did you do about participation in the rights and the profit?"

"To bol tvrdý oriešok' pokýval Rastic hlavou, "pritom boli ťažkosti, ktoré nám zapríčinili mnoho hlavybalenia.

"That was a hard nut,' Rastic shook his head, 'and there were difficulties that caused us much headache.

I postranní robili nám galibu, i našinci.

Both outsiders and our own people made trouble for us.

Tí loptoši, ktorí predali svoje osminy, pri rozhodnom kroku, vidiac úspech, chceli kúpu odvolať, behali na stolicu,po' pravotároch.

Those ragamuffins who had sold their eighths, at the decisive step, seeing the success, wanted to revoke the purchase, ran to the county, to the attorneys.

Krčmári, ktorí už boli dvadsať osmín k sebe pritiahli, domáhali sa tiež k majetku, bo že obec kúpila a v ohci sú i oni.

The tavern keepers, who had already drawn twenty eighths to themselves, also laid claim to the estate, saying that the community had bought it and that they too were in the commune.

S týmito prišlo na pravotu.

With these it came to a lawsuit.

My sme sa držali toho, že nie obec ako taká kúpila, lež spolok nadobudol majetok a že kto nekupoval, zmluvu nepodpísal, za.ničneručil, žiadnu, povinnosť na seba nevzal, tomu nič do kúpy.

We held to the position that it was not the community as such that had bought, but that the association had acquired the estate, and that whoever had not bought, had not signed the contract, had guaranteed nothing, had taken no obligation upon himself, had nothing to do with the purchase.

Súd dal nám zapravdu.

The court found in our favour.

Medzi účastníkmi podniku povstalo veľké vrenie.

Great ferment arose among the participants in the undertaking.

Chceli dokonca mejetok medzi sebou podeliť.

They even wanted to divide the estate among themselves.

Stálo ma to mnoho zápasu, až som im to z hlavy vybil.

It cost me many a struggle before I knocked that out of their heads.

Ustúpili len tomu, že banka bude považovať spolok

They yielded only to this, that the bank would consider the association

za rozpustený, svoje peniaze za ohrozené, položí teda ruky na majetok a pustí ho na bubon.

dissolved and its money endangered, and would therefore lay hands on the estate and put it up for auction.

Nepreraziac s delením, počínali si aspoň spurne, hlavate, surovo, podlo.

Failing to get their way with the division, they at least behaved rudely, headstrongly, crudely, basely.

Keď sa na pozvanie zhromaždili na porady, žiadali oldomáše.

When they gathered at the meetings on invitation, they demanded drinks.

Nechže nám vraj dajú súdoček, nech, veď je to naše, veď máme z čoho.

Let them give us a little keg, they said, come on, it's ours after all, we have the means.

Vyctení za to, prestali chodiť, reptali, že my si sami majetok osobujeme, žerieme a pijeme, im nič nedáme.

Tired out by this, they stopped coming, grumbled that we were appropriating the estate for ourselves, eating and drinking, and giving them nothing.

Keď sa im kázala do roboty, buď nešli, buď prišli neskoro a potom jeden pred druhým zaháľali.

When work was ordered, they either didn't go, or came late, and then idled one before the other.

Kto im vraj rozkáže?

Who, they said, was to command them?

Keď chcem, robím, a keď nechcem, nerobím.

When I want to, I work, and when I don't want to, I don't.

Hnali cez všetky zápovede do lesa statky, pustošili mladé stromky, nedali si rozkázať.

They drove their cattle into the forest in defiance of all prohibitions, laid waste the young trees, and would not be ordered about.

Veď to vraj naše.

Why, it's ours, they said.

Čo komu do toho?

What business is it of anyone's?

Lesníka, keď ich vyháňal, zbili.

When the forester drove them out, they beat him.

Museli sme i stolicu volať na pomoc.

We even had to call the county for help.

Skrotení pandúrmi, chodili vykrikujúc, že sme tyrani, tisíc ráz horší od Kobzayho.

Tamed by the gendarmes, they went about shouting that we were tyrants, a thousand times worse than Kobzay.

Tento vraj bol aspoň úrečitý pán, my sme len takí svetovci odkiaľnoha-odkiaľruka.

He, they said, had at least been a proper lord, while we were just vagabonds from nowhere.

Zvlášť na mňa sa hnevali: ,Hľa, hľa!

They were especially angry at me: 'Look, look!

Nedarmo, že býva v kaštieli, ale si aj počína ako pán, ja jeho toľko a toľko.'

No wonder he lives in the mansion, but he also carries on like a lord, I've had this and that from him.'

Istý surový Bučak, ktorému sme zajali voly, prišiel so sekerou do kaštieľa a hrozil mi smrťou, ak mu voly v okamihu nevydám.

A certain rough Bučak, whose oxen we had seized, came with an axe to the mansion and threatened me with death if I did not hand over the oxen that instant.

Akým ja vraj právom dám zajímať statok? ,Či je majetok jeho?'

By what right, he said, did I have cattle seized? 'Is the estate his?'

vykrikoval. ,Ten všivák, ten svetovec!'

he shouted. 'That lousy wretch, that vagabond!'

Žena plakala, prosila ma so slzami, aby som sa neošklivil s tými zvermi, lež zapľul všetko a vrátil sa do pokoja na faru.

My wife wept, begged me with tears not to demean myself with those beasts, but to spit on it all and return to peace at the rectory.

Ale ja som vytrval v nádeji, že to bude lepšie, i nesklamal som sa.

But I persevered in the hope that it would be better, and I was not disappointed.

Divosi šomrali, ale kus po kuse skrotli:' XIII

The savages grumbled, but bit by bit they grew tame:' XIII

"Dovoľ, brat," pretrhol ho Lukáč, "ty neodpovedáš na moju otázku. Ja to chcem vedieť, v akom pomere stoja k majetku osmi naň.

"Allow me, brother," Lukáč interrupted him, "you are not answering my question. I want to know in what relation to the estate the eighths on it stand.

"Po vylúčení krčmárskych osmín," učinil žiadosti jeho zadosť Rastie,

"After excluding the tavern keepers' eighths," Rastic satisfied his request,

"zostalo ich dvesto päťdesiat. Na každú vydali sa štyri asi také účastiny, ako v úrokovniach a v bankách, teda spolu tisíc. Podľa počtu týchto účastín delí sa celý zisk, prípadne strata, na tisíc čiastok. Trhať účastiny ani pri delení neslobodno, ale, pravda, predávať a kupovať. Vyhľadáva sa len prepísanie na druhé meno na účastine samej a v zápisnici. To isté musí sa stať pri zdedení."

"two hundred and fifty of them remained. For each were issued four shares of roughly the kind found in savings institutions and banks, so a thousand in all. According to the number of these shares the whole profit, or loss as the case may be, is divided into a thousand parts. The shares may not be torn up, nor divided either, but of course they may be sold and bought. All that is required is the transfer to another name on the share itself and in the register. The same must be done on inheritance."

"Ale tak," namietol Lukáč,

"But in that case," objected Lukáč,

"jednako sa vryjú medzi vás židia. Pokúpia účastiny a časom dostanú i prevahu."

"the Jews will worm their way in among you all the same. They will buy up the shares and in time gain the upper hand."

"O to sme sa postarali," ozval sa Stupnický.

"We have seen to that," spoke up Stupnický.

"Do vrchnostensky potvrdených stanov vniesli sme toto: Kedykoľvek sa má preniesť účastina na druhé meno, vždy má právo spolok odkúpiť ju a podržať pre seba. Vtedy sa takáto účastina zruší. Bude ich menej a väčší úžitok pripadne na každú."

"Into the statutes confirmed by the authorities we introduced this: Whenever a share is to be transferred to another name, the association always has the right to buy it back and keep it for itself. In that case such a share is cancelled. There will be fewer of them, and a greater profit will fall to each."

"To sa ľahko dá obísť," namietol zase Lukáč.

"That can easily be circumvented," objected Lukáč again.

"Žid učiní s oplanom i živú zmluvu. Udajú kúpnu sumu, akú spolok nebude chcieť zaplatiť, a potom sa podelia v úžitku."

"The Jew will make even a sham contract with the lout. They will state a purchase price that the association won't want to pay, and then they will split the profit."

"I túto cestu burzovej hre sme zatvorili," vysvetľoval ďalej Stupnický.

"We have closed this path of stock-market gambling too," Stupnický explained further.

"V stanovách stojí aj toto: Ak by spolok, v čas predaja do cudzej ruky, nemohol sa zlahodiť s účastinárom, určí sám hodnotu účastiny. Vezme sa za základ čistý minuloročný dôchodok z účastiny, jej takrečená dividenda, a vyráta sa, koľký tomu odpovedá driek, šesť od sta rátajúc. Tento driek je zákonná cena účastiny. Predavač cenu prijať musí."

"The statutes also contain this: If the association, at the time of a sale into a foreign hand, could not come to terms with the shareholder, it shall itself determine the value of the share. The net income of the previous year from the share, its so-called dividend, is taken as the basis, and it is calculated what principal corresponds to it, reckoning six per cent. This principal is the lawful price of the share. The seller must accept the price."

"Aspoň pozastavujú korheli svoje účastiny," namietol ešte Lukáč,

"At least the tipplers will hold back their shares," objected Lukáč still,

"a obťažia dlžobami."

"and burden them with debts."

"Hja," hodil Stupnický rukou,

"Hja," Stupnický flung his hand,

" v tom už osobná sloboda obmedzená byť nemôže. Kto komu v tom rozkáže? Odvrhnúť človek i sám život môže, nielen imanie. Ale prechod účastín do rúk židovských zamedzený je nadobro, iba že by sami účastinári židov medzi seba prijať chceli, v čom zase potomkov zaviazať nemožno."

"personal freedom cannot be restricted in that. Who can order anyone in that? A man may throw away even his own life, not only his property. But the transfer of shares into Jewish hands is prevented for good, unless the shareholders themselves should wish to receive Jews among them, in which again the descendants cannot be bound."

XIV

"No, múdro ste vy to navliekli," vyznal naposledok Lukáč.

"Well, you have threaded it cleverly," Lukáč admitted at last.

"Všetko sa mi ľúbi, čo tu vidím. Bodaj' by nasledovali obce váš príklad. Naši hýriví pánici predávajú rad-radom majetky, židia a cudzozemci ich skupujú. Je už úžasný počet týchto nových zemských pánov, ktorí aj mestá zaplavujú a všetky živnosti tiahnu k sebe. Pre nich stavajú sa hlavne i železnice. To sú žľaby, ktorými tečie valne do zeme cudzozemstvo a tržba židovská. Cudzozemcom a židom dané slobodné pole pre celkové potlačenie nášho maloletého ľudu. l nosí už Izrael hlavu vysoko. Židia sa vozia nielen po biednom ľude, ako slovenskom tak maďarskom, lež i po tej šľachte, pred ktorou sa nedávno v prachu plazili, vedú i ju rozličnými úskokmi k skaze, prevracajú súdy. Obce by mohli prekaziť tomuto prechádzaniu doteraz ešte vždy akosi privilegovaného majetku do rúk židovských. Lebo obec vždy viac dať môže než žid, hoc i to má svoje medze a chodí s úplnou skazou, ak sa deje bez rozumného vyrátania. Znám sedliakov, ktorí pritom i o svoje osminy prišli, keď pochabo cudzie majetky pokúpili. Ale pri múdrom vyrátaní a povážení všetkých okolností obce viac môžu dať preto, že môžu, ako u vás, prispieť prácou, čo pri dobrej vôli a ochote ani nepocítia. Keby takýchto úplne slobodných a zámožných obcí bolo mnoho, vtedy by celkom inakší život zakypel po krajine, než pri terajšom vysoko veľkomožno-pansko-židovskom hospodárení s pálenčiar-ňami a krčmami. Dedinský ľud by nežil viac len pálenke a židom, stal by sa zámožnejším a tým i osvietenejším. Školstvo by sa zlepšilo, remeslá, obchod, vedy, umenia pozdvihli. Až vtedy by vstúpila do života i naozajstná občianska rovnoprávinosť a sloboda. Teraz je len na papieri. Nadprávie aristokratovešte vždy trvá a dusí život i v obciach i v župách. Zhovädilý ľud nevie použiť svoje právo, ktoré mu dáva zákon. Otrokom tým len sklenka alebo palica. Celý náš ústavný život je pri takom ľude len smiešna komédia. A v terajších pomeroch ľud sa nezmení. Ale nič by tak neprispelo k jeho zošľachteniu jako celkové vymanenie obcí zo zbytkov feudálnych."

"I like everything I see here. Would that other communities followed your example. Our prodigal gentry sell off their estates one after another, and Jews and foreigners buy them up. There is already a frightful number of these new landlords, who flood even the towns and draw all trade to themselves. It is mainly for them that the railways are being built too. They are the channels through which foreignness and Jewish commerce flow mightily into the land. To foreigners and Jews is given a free field for the total suppression of our minor people. Israel already carries its head high. The Jews ride not only over the wretched people, Slovak and Hungarian alike, but over that nobility before which they lately crawled in the dust; they lead it too by various wiles to ruin, and twist the courts. The communities could put a stop to this passing of hitherto still somehow privileged property into Jewish hands. For a community can always give more than a Jew, though that too has its limits and ends in complete ruin if it is done without sensible reckoning. I know peasants who thereby lost even their eighths when they foolishly bought up foreign estates. But with wise reckoning and weighing of all circumstances, communities can give more because they can, as with you, contribute labour, which with good will and willingness they don't even feel. If there were many such entirely free and prosperous communities, then a quite different life would seethe through the land than under the present high-and-mighty lordly-Jewish management with distilleries and taverns. The village people would no longer live only for brandy and the Jews; they would become more prosperous and thereby more enlightened. Schooling would improve; crafts, trade, sciences, and arts would rise. Only then would true civic equality and freedom enter into life. Now it is only on paper. The arrogance of the aristocrat still endures and stifles life both in the communities and in the counties. The brutish people do not know how to use the right that the law gives them. To slaves, that means only a glass or a stick. Our whole constitutional life, with such a people, is but a ridiculous comedy. And under present conditions the people will not change. But nothing would contribute so much to its ennoblement as the complete emancipation of the communities from the remnants of feudalism."

"Vtedy by," dodal Semenák, "i spisba i knižníctvo mali výdatnú podporu. Tí naši pánici, akých najviac, starajú sa len o ničomný skvost, loveckých psov, pálenčiarne a neviestky, židia uviazli vcele v materializme. To sa vrhá z jedného zištného podniku do druhého, nič vyššieho nezná. Strežie len zákon Mojžišov, na novšej spisbe nemeckej má len trpnú účasť, na iných žiadnu. Plesá i teraz okolo zlatého teľaťa. Pokiaľ tu hospodárii Kobzay, chodili mu jedny ma ďarské noviny, Schelmovi jedny nemecké. Iné dielo ani ten nekúpil, ani tento. Jókai celkom pravdive vyčítal slovenským pánom, že keď o slovenskej spisbe ničoho vedieť nechcú, ani maďarskú nenapomá hajú. Teraz chodia do obce tri maďarské, dva nemecké a šesť slovenských časopisov. Založili sme i knižnicu, kupujeme všetky diela slovenské, daktoré i maďarské a nemecké. Žiaci, zbierajúci na školy, odnášali predtým z Chujavy len posmech a harušenie; teraz každý ide, boha chváliac, so štyrmi zlatovkami. Máme i síkačku pre haseniepožiaru. Čo takéhoto dialo sa, pokiaľ tu vládli Schelm a Kobzay? Panstvo čudského rázu len na štyroch sa voziť s qrkálkami, pálenku páliť, poľovať, neviestky fintiť a chudobu utiskovať do krvi. l tá do neba volajúca panská spravodlivosť, to jej nestydaté fackovanie, to prijímanie osôb, to očividné nadržiavanie pánovi vo všetkom by prestali, keby tie šľachtické dvory, z ktorých už zmizli dereše a drábi, prešli do spoločnej ruky mohutných obcí. Koľko vidieckych obcí, toľko by sme mali dakedajších kráľovských miest. Tieto boli prv jedinými sídlami remesiel, priemyslu, tržby a osvety; potom boli "Keby ti to bolo všade tak ako na Chujave,

"Then," added Semenák, "both literature and the book trade would have ample support. Our gentry, most of them, care only for worthless finery, hunting dogs, distilleries, and harlots; the Jews are wholly mired in materialism. They fling themselves from one profit-seeking venture into another, knowing nothing higher. They observe only the law of Moses; in newer German literature they have only a passive part, in others none. They revel even now around the golden calf. While Kobzay managed here, he took one Hungarian newspaper; Schelm, one German. Neither of them bought any other work. Jókai quite truthfully reproached the Slovak gentry that, since they will know nothing of Slovak literature, they do not support even Hungarian. Now there come to the community three Hungarian, two German, and six Slovak periodicals. We have also founded a library; we buy all Slovak works, and some Hungarian and German too. Pupils collecting for schools used to carry away from Chujava nothing but mockery and cursing; now each goes, praising God, with four gold pieces. We even have a fire engine. What of such things happened while Schelm and Kobzay ruled here? A lordship of the rabble kind, only to ride on four with a carriage, to distil brandy, to hunt, to doll up harlots, and to oppress the poor to the blood. Even that justice of the lords crying to heaven, its shameless slapping, its acceptance of persons, its obvious favouring of the lord in everything, would cease if those noble manor farms, from which the stewards and bailiffs have already vanished, passed into the common hand of mighty communities. As many country communities, so many would we have of former royal towns. These were once the sole seats of crafts, industry, trade, and enlightenment; then they were 'If only it were everywhere as it is in Chujava,

" ozval sa učiteľ Kaňuch. "

" the teacher Kaňuch spoke up. "

Ale sú i takí páni, ktorí chvatne nadobúdajú, nie žeby predávali.

But there are also lords who hastily acquire, not to say sell.

V mojom Kálmanovi sedí ti aspoň desať židov.

In my Kálman there sit at least ten Jews.

Ani neje, ani nepije, len majetky a osminy nadobúda, len na zemiakoch a kyslom mlieku.

He neither eats nor drinks, he only acquires estates and eighths, living on potatoes and sour milk.

"To sa rozumie," bránil svoje Semenák,

"Of course," Semenák defended his point,

"že niet všade Kobzayovcov, ale jest ich dosť po krajine. A kde sa príležitosť naskytne, treba sa jej s obozretnosťou a rozumom uchopiť. Vzdychy a žaloby na panskú spravodlivosť sú daromné a nemužné. Treba siahnuť k skutku, usilovať sa, vystavať čertovi zlatý most, aby odišiel, učiniť polovičaté vymanenie, vlastným pričinením celým."

"that there are not Kobzays everywhere, but there are enough of them through the land. And where an opportunity presents itself, it must be seized with prudence and reason. Sighs and complaints about the justice of the lords are futile and unmanly. One must reach for action, strive, build the devil a golden bridge so that he departs, make the half-done emancipation, by one's own effort, whole."

"Len rozdrobenia majetkov," dodal Rastie,

"Only of the fragmentation of estates," added Rastic,

"treba sa chrániť. To vytvára každý nákladnejší podnik, každý pokrok v poľnom hospodárstve. Čo by bolo z našich veľkých, obšírnymi pozemkami vládnúcich miest, keby ich mešťania podelili medzi sebou? Tej chvíle stratili by všetku významnosť. Nič by sa nedialo spojenými silami pre mesto vôbec, vyšší život by v nich zhasol, mešťania premenili by sa na prostých sedliakov. Tak by aj po dedinách s podelením väčšieho majetku všetky z jeho nadobudnutia pošlé blahé následky zmizli. Rozdrobme ho a tam sme, odkiaľ sme vyšli. O pár rokov bude zase všetko divé, pusté, židovské, krčmárske. S držobnosťou rozmnoží sa len pijanstvo drobných statkárov a posledné veci budú horšie ako prvé."

"we must guard. That is what every more costly undertaking, every advance in agriculture, creates. What would become of our great towns ruling broad lands, if their burghers divided them among themselves? That instant they would lose all significance. Nothing would be done by joined forces for the town as a whole; the higher life in them would go out; the burghers would turn into plain peasants. So too in the villages, with the division of a larger estate, all the blessed consequences flowing from its acquisition would vanish. Let us divide it, and we are back where we started. In a few years everything will again be wild, desolate, Jewish, tavern-ridden. With petty holding, only the drunkenness of small landowners will multiply, and the last things will be worse than the first."

"Dobre by snáď bolo," poznamenal Lukáč,

"It would perhaps be good," remarked Lukáč,

"zaviesť pri zakúpení celého chotára česko-bratskú, herrnhuterskú spoločnosť práce a imania i pôžitkov. Vtedy by obce dokonale predstavovali jednu osobu a podlosť jednotlivcov by bola jatá na uzdu. Nikto by nemohol cválať neviazane do pekla, lumpovať, márniť a potom žobrať. Každý by musel pracovať a každý by bol potom všetkým potrebným zaopatrený."

"to introduce, upon the purchase of a whole commune, a Czech-Brethren, Herrnhuter community of labour and property and enjoyment. Then the communities would perfectly represent one person, and the baseness of individuals would be held in check. No one could gallop unbridled into hell, live like a scoundrel, squander, and then beg. Everyone would have to work, and everyone would then be provided with all necessities."

"To by bola druhá krajnosť," protirečil Rastie.

"That would be the other extreme," Rastic contradicted.

"Tým by sa zničila osobnosť, udusil vývin schopností jednotlivcov, premenili ľudia na číre pracujúce mašiny. Ani to hlavatosť slovenská neznesie, do takých medzí pojať sa nedá. Najlepšie je spojiť výhody osobnej slobody s výhodami veľkého majetku. Tento treba udržať pohromade a zanechať pritom každému jeho maličké imanie a slobodné nakladanie so svojou účasťou. Tak sme učinili my."

"By that personality would be destroyed, the development of individual abilities stifled, and people turned into mere working machines. Even Slovak headstrongness would not endure that; it cannot be contained within such bounds. The best is to combine the advantages of personal freedom with the advantages of a large estate. This must be kept together, and at the same time each must be left his little property and free disposal of his share. That is what we have done."

A dobre ste učinili'

And you have done well'

" riekol Peľuch. "

" said Peľuch. "

Celé vaše zriadenie sa mi ľúbi.

I like your whole arrangement.

Je podľa môjho zdania možno najlepšie.

In my opinion it is perhaps the best.

Len to divné pretvorenie jednej z najškaredších obcí v najúhľadnejšiu nám ešte vysvetlíte, rozumiem výstavnosť.

Only you will still have to explain to us that strange transformation of one of the ugliest villages into the neatest; I understand the impressiveness.

Že domy sú z väčšej polovice nové, to pochádza od požiaru.

That the houses are for the greater part new comes from the fire.

Ale to div, že neporiadne roztratené drevené chalupy premenili sa v múranice, postavené za šnúrou, že sa stavajú rad-radom a že vyzerajú z ohľadu podoby aj miery všetky navlas rovnako.

But it is a wonder that the disorderly, scattered wooden cottages have turned into brick buildings set in a line, that they are built row upon row and that, in appearance and size, they all look exactly alike.

"

"Div to spolkovitosti," vzal slovo Rastie.

"A wonder of association," Rastic took the floor.

"Keď požiar obrátil v popol väčšiu časť dediny, prišli pohorelci: ,Nech pomáhajú, nemáme sa čoho lapiť.',Nemáte?'

"When the fire turned the greater part of the village to ashes, the burned-out people came: 'Let them help, we have nothing to hold on to.' 'You haven't?'

reku. ,Hľa, následky vášho ľahkomyseľného hospodárenia!

say I. 'Behold the consequences of your frivolous housekeeping!

Pláčete vždy tie svoje smädné gágory, vystrájate nákladné veselia, krstiny, kary; na možné nehody nemyslíte, proti nim sa neozbrojíte.

You weep always over your thirsty gullets, you stage costly celebrations, christenings, funerals; you do not think of possible misfortunes, you do not arm yourselves against them.

Pozvite všetkých radom, i tých, ktorí nevyhoreli.'

Invite everyone in turn, even those who did not burn out.'

Zhromaždeným rieknem: ,Budovanie stalo sa pre nás všetkých neodbytnou potrebou.

To those gathered I say: 'Building has become an unavoidable necessity for all of us.

Lebo i ohňom ušetrené budúnky sú vetché, trvať dlho nemôžu.

For even the buildings spared by fire are ramshackle and cannot last long.

Ak budete pritom pokračovať každý sám pre seba, nepostačíte.

If you continue at this each for himself, you will not manage.

Zjednoťte sa teda, konajte spojenými silami a vyjdete s polovicou nákladkov, nebude vám treba ani žobrať po dedinách,

So unite, act with joined forces, and you will come out with half the costs; you won't even need to go begging round the villages,

ako činievate.' .,Ako to rozumejú?'

as you usually do.' 'How are they to understand that?'

spytuje sa s kyslou tvárou Pelechavý. ,Nestavajte,' hovorím, ,zase drevené klietky, lež budujte nastálo,

asks Pelechavý with a sour face. 'Don't build,' I say, 'wooden cages again, but build for good,

keď máte dosť kamenia pod nohami.

when you have stones enough under your feet.

Ale nelapajte sa odrazu všetci do stavania a každý o svojej ujme, lež budujte všetci na jednu ruku jeden dom za druhým, až sa všetky vystavajú.

But don't all fling yourselves at once into building, each on his own account, but all build with one hand, one house after another, until all are built.

Vezmite do stálej služby na viac rokov dvanásť murárov, osem tesárov, štyroch tehliarov, dvoch vápenníkov, jedného stolára a jedného zámočníka.

Take into permanent service for several years twelve masons, eight carpenters, four brickmakers, two limeburners, one joiner, and one locksmith.

Títo nech pracujú na mieste bez prestania, pokiaľkoľvek sa nevystavajú všetky domy, chlievy, pivnice, humná, sypárne.

Let these work on the spot without stopping until all the houses, barns, cellars, granaries, and storehouses are built.

Robiť okolo toho so statkom i peši budete všetci anákladky podľa budovísk, ktoré nie všetci potrebujete jednaké.

All of you will work around this with your teams and on foot, and the costs will be according to the buildings, which not all of you need in equal measure.

Sedliak potrebuje viac a väčšie budoviská než chalupník.

A peasant needs more and larger buildings than a cottager.

Aby nepovstala medzi vami škriepka, komu sa má budovať skorej, bude sa budovať zaradom a potom sa určí žrebom, kto má vtiahnui do dvora.

So that no quarrel arises among you as to who is to be built for sooner, building will proceed in order, and then it will be decided by lot who is to move into his yard.

Za ten čas utiahnu sa pohorelei, ktorý do stojacich domov, ktorý na faru, ktorý do kaštiela.

In the meantime the burned-out people will take shelter, one in the standing houses, one at the rectory, one in the mansion.

Tieseň bude sa umenšovai z roka na rok.

The hardship will lessen from year to year.

Spočiatku trpieť musíte.

At first you must suffer.

A keď už tak všetko má povstať nové, použijeme zlé k dobrému, rozšírime a uvedieme do poriadku obec.

And since everything is to rise anew anyway, we shall turn evil to good, enlarge the village and put it in order.

Nebudeme pritom hľadieť na pár siah.

We won't be looking at a few fathoms in the process.

Vymeriame hodne široké dvory a sady, ulicu priestrannú, a postavíme všetky budoviská do radu.

We shall measure out amply wide yards and orchards, a spacious street, and set all the buildings in a line.

Vyznačí sa zvláštna miestnosť i pre remeselníkov, ak by sa ktorí medzi nami časom osadiťa vzbudovať chceli.

A special place will be marked out for craftsmen too, should any wish in time to settle and set up among us.

Takto, hľa, budú vyzerať domy a takto obec!'

Thus, behold, the houses will look, and thus the village!'

ukázal som im nákresy, ktoré už pán úradník vyhotovil.

I showed them the plans that the steward had already drawn up.

"

"Výborná myšlienka!"

"An excellent idea!"

pretrhol ho Peľuch.

Peľuch interrupted him.

"Tak by sa mohli pretvoriť a obnoviť všetky naše škaredé, neporiadne po debrách a kútoch rozmetené dediny."

"Thus all our ugly, disorderly villages scattered over hillsides and corners could be transformed and renewed."

"A veru najpohodlnejšie by sa to dalo uskutočniť," dodal Kaňuch,

"And indeed it could most conveniently be carried out," added Kaňuch,

"vtedy, keď obec stojí. Na popolišti, keď nikto nemá kam hlavu skloniť, zaradom budovať trudno. Netreba čakať na požiar, lež zriecť sa, urobiť všeobecný rozvrh, vymerať územie a tak stavať na príhodnom mieste s celou pohodlnosťou. Našim dedinám bolo by zaradom potrebné preniesť ich na príhodnejšie miesto. Tí starí hľadali len skrýše, aby ich Tatári a kuruci nenašli. Na pohodlnosť vonkoncom nehľadeli, ba aké je na bývanie najnepríhodnejšie miesto, také vyhľadali. Pri novom budovaní hľadí sa i dnes len na to, aby každáchalupa ináč stála. Dvory sú také, akoby sme sa chceli pochlúbiťmajstrovstvom vojsť ta s vozom a obrátiť ho. Je to vždy udalosťplná strachu, keď sa s plným vozom má vojsť do humna alebo na dvor. "

"when the village is standing. On a burnt-out site, when no one has where to lay his head, it is hard to build in orderly fashion. There is no need to wait for a fire, but rather to resolve, to make a general plan, to measure out the land, and so build in a suitable place with all convenience. For our villages it would be necessary in turn to move them to a more suitable spot. The old people sought only hiding places so that the Tatars and the kurucs would not find them. They paid no heed at all to convenience; indeed, whatever place was most unsuitable for dwelling, that they chose. In new building even today the only care is that each cottage stand differently. The yards are such as if we wanted to boast of our skill by driving in there with a cart and turning it around. It is always an event full of fear when a full cart must be driven into a barn or a yard."

Rozosmiali sa na tom všetci, Rastic pokračoval: ,,I mojim ľudkom sa to ľúbilo, len tí odporovali kujonsky, ktorých požiar ušetril.

Everyone laughed at that, and Rastic continued: "My people liked it too; only those opposed it stubbornly whom the fire had spared.

Dali sa však i títo obmäkčiť, vyjmúc zatvrdilého lakomca Pelechavého.

But even these let themselves be softened, except the hardened miser Pelechavý.

Tento fúkal, rozhadzoval sa, že nikomu domy stavať nebude a uvidí, kto ho prinúti.,Čo,' naskočil napokon na neho richtár Hučko. ,Ty celej obci vzdorovať budeš?

He blustered and bragged that he would build houses for no one and would see who would force him. 'What,' the mayor Hučko finally sprang at him. 'Will you defy the whole community?

Vidíš, mrzký lakomec!

See here, you vile miser!

Ani ja som nevyhorel

I didn't burn out either

a predsa sa podrobujem užitočnému poriadku.',Von s tým hnidošom,' vykríkli všetci rozjarení. ,Von s ním z dediny!',Vyhnať ho nemôžeme,' čitkal ich vždy rozvážlivý Hučko, ,ale pretrhneme s ním všetko spojenie.

and yet I submit to the useful order.' 'Out with that carrion!' cried all, roused. 'Out with him from the village!' 'We cannot drive him out,' the ever-prudent Hučko soothed them, 'but we will break off all connection with him.

Nebude nikto z nás obcovať s tebou, keď si taký nevľúdnik.',Do môjho domu nenazri, ani ja nevkročím do tvojho,' osvedčovali sa rad-radom, čo tak dojalo lakomca, že mu slzy vypadli a poddal sa.

No one among us will associate with you, since you are such an ill-natured fellow.' 'Don't peek into my house, and I won't set foot in yours,' they declared one after another, which so moved the miser that tears fell from him and he gave in.

Už sa zdalo byť v dobrej koľaji všetko, keď sa ozval vzdorovite hrubiansky bajúzatý Bučak: ,Počujte ma, vy účastinári.

Everything already seemed to be on a good track when the side-whiskered Bučak spoke up defiantly and rudely: 'Hear me, you shareholders.

Načo nám je Kobzayovský majetok?

What do we need the Kobzay estate for?

Správa nech vystavia pre nás domy.

Let the administration build houses for us.

Veď je to naše.

Why, it's ours.

Do iných nám nič.

What's the rest to us.'

Ani sa za svoje nikomu prosiť nebudeme.'

And we won't beg anyone for what is ours.'

Posledné slová boli namierené oproti mne a surovec utrafil nachuť darebákom.

The last words were aimed against me, and the brute struck the taste of the scoundrels.

Účastinári sa pokolembali, prisvedčovali surovcovi.

The shareholders wavered and nodded to the brute.

Taký vám je ľud!

Such is the people!

Ak mu chceš osožiť, musíš sa ozbrojiť anjelskou trpezlivosťou.

If you want to benefit them, you must arm yourself with angelic patience.

Boli to však len pohorelci, ktorí žiadali, aby im majetok budoval domy.

But it was only the burned-out ones who demanded that the estate build houses for them.

Ktorí nevyhoreli, tí im odporovali, a strhla sa medzi nimi

Those who had not burned out opposed them, and there broke out between them

prudká zvada.

a violent quarrel.

Ja som sa v tomto zmysle osvedčil: ,Majetok Kobzayovský je spoločné imanie účastinárov, domy a osminy sú vaše, vládnete nimi

I declared myself in this sense: 'The Kobzay estate is the common property of the shareholders; the houses and the eighths are yours, you dispose of them

každý pre seba.

each for himself.

Majetok sme ešte ani nevyplatili a s bankou sa nebudeme pohrávať.

We have not even paid off the estate yet, and we are not going to trifle with the bank.

Čo myslíte?

What do you think?

Zastavíme snáď platenie a povieme tým pánom: Čakajte, až vystaviame dedinu?

Shall we perhaps stop paying and say to those gentlemen: Wait until we have built up the village?

Naučili by nás oni!

They would teach us a lesson!

Spolok vystavia domy len pre svojich dvorných chalupníkov, pre kováča a kolára, potom krčmu a jatku, aby svoje právo udržal v platnosti, a sklep pre vaše pohodlie, aby ste nemuseli pre každú maličkosť behať do mesta.

The association will build houses only for its manorial cottagers, for the blacksmith and the wheelwright, then a tavern and a slaughterhouse, to keep its right in force, and a cellar for your convenience, so that you need not run to town for every trifle.

Viac nad toto spolok budovať nemôže.

Beyond this the association cannot build.

Poskytne však i vám značnú pomoc.

But it will give you considerable help too.

Drevo na budovanie a pálenie tehál a vápna ostanete.

You will have wood for building and for burning bricks and lime.

Vidíte teraz, ako dobre sa stalo, že ste prišli k lesom.

You see now how good it was that you came to have the forests.

Co by ste si boli v tomto nešťastí počali?

What would you have done in this misfortune?

A prišiel vám celý majetok ako v snách.

And the whole estate came to you as in a dream.

Grajciara ste zaň neplatili.

You did not pay a penny for it.

A teraz nám, čo sme vám toľké dobrodenie pritiahli, utrhujete, spurne sa proti nám staviate.

And now you revile us, who brought you such great benefit, and stand up rudely against us.

To vedzte, že čo ste poslušnosťou vyhrali, to všetko môžete stratiť zase surovou a nerozumnou spurnosťou.',Neprotivíme sa!'

Know that whatever you have won by obedience, you can lose it all again by crude and foolish defiance.' 'We won't oppose you!'

skríkli všetci, mnohí aj zaplakali. ,Na tohto hrubiana nech nepočúvajú, ale nech činia, čo za dobré uznajú.'

cried all, many even wept. 'Let them not listen to this brute, but let them do what they think good.'

Vidiac ich skrotnutie, riekol som: ,Jedno sa vám ešte zo strany majetku povoľuje.

Seeing them tamed, I said: 'One thing is still granted to you on the part of the estate.

Musíme sa zaobísť nateraz bez vašej pomoci pri poľných prácach.

For now we must manage without your help in the field work.

Nahradíme to nájomníkmi.'

We will make up for it with hired men.'

Potom som pristúpil k otázke peňažnej. ,Podajedni z vás majú pri ruke viac-menej groša.

Then I came to the money question. 'Some of you have more or less a penny at hand.

Nemajúcim vypožičiame všetko, čo jest a bude vo vzájomnej pomocnici.

To those who lack, we will lend everything that is and will be in the mutual aid fund.

Dáte do zálohy svoje účastiny a ne pochybujem, že i mestská úrokovňa ich prijme, bo máme dobrú povesť.

You will pledge your shares, and I do not doubt that even the town savings bank will accept them, for we have a good reputation.

Pozorujte, že vám tu zas vypomáha ten majetok, ku ktorému prišli ste len za svoje krížiky.

Observe that here again that estate helps you out, which you came by only for your little crosses.

Sú i takí, ktorí inde nájdu úverok.

There are some who will find credit elsewhere.

Musíte si teraz ruky rozviazať, ale hrdlo zaviazať, ak sa chcete do pracovať dní blahých a pokojných.'

You must now untie your hands, but tie up your throats, if you wish to work your way to blessed and peaceful days.'

Návrh bol prijatý a hneď sme pristúpili k jeho uskutočneniu.

The proposal was accepted, and we set about carrying it out at once.

Vyhoretá časť už je vystavaná, zostáva ešte nevyhoretú zbúrať.

The burned-out part is already built up; what remains is to tear down the unburned part.

Vtedy bude obec v poriadku.

Then the village will be in order.

A ide nám to vždy ľahšie.

And it goes easier for us every time.

Spolku už i sklep prináša mierny úžitok.

The cellar already brings the association a modest profit.

Dali sme ho do prenájmu, tak i krčmu

We leased it out, and the tavern too

i jatku, počestným kresťanom.

and the slaughterhouse, to honourable Christians.

"

"V žiadnej jatke," ozvala sa pani Lukáčová,

"In no slaughterhouse," spoke up Mrs. Lukáčová,

"žid by sa vonkoncom trpieť nemal. Porazí vždy statok v piatok, aby židia mali čerstvé mäso na šábes, a my už v nedeľu jeme hnilinu, cez týždeň hemží sa červíkmi."

"should a Jew be tolerated at all. He always slaughters the beast on Friday so that the Jews have fresh meat for the Sabbath, and by Sunday we are already eating rot, and during the week it swarms with maggots."

"U nás," prejaI Rastic,

"Among us," Rastic took the floor,

"plemeno židovské je vykorenené okrem toho veľkomožného v kaštieli. Keď sme im odobrali krčmy, jatky, predali aj osminy a vypratali sa. Bo žid bez krčmy, jatky a čachrov nebude. Ich osminy vylúčené z majetku skúpil z väčšej časti skrbný Pelechavý."

"the Jewish breed is rooted out, except for that grandee in the mansion. When we took away their taverns and slaughterhouses, they sold even their eighths and cleared out. For a Jew will not be without a tavern, a slaughterhouse, and shady dealings. Their eighths, excluded from the estate, were mostly bought up by the thrifty Pelechavý."

XVI

"Pri stavaní," pokračoval,

"During the building," he continued,

"pocítili sme zvlášť živo potrebu dobrých miestnych ciest. ,Či to nie je hlúposť,' hovorím im, ,že svoje statky v tom bahne, v tých hlbočizných kolajach zabíjate? Viac im dáte, keď na takej ceste raz priveziete, ako čo by ste po dvadsať vozov kamenia a štrku priviezli.' Namietli, či oni budú stlať cesty pre žida. Na šťastie Schelm neodopieral, poslal i on svoje záprahy, cesty prišli do poriadku. Náš spolkový záhradník vysadil ich po bokoch úrodnými stromkami. On tiež sa stará o sady všetkých. Kdekoľvek sa vybuduje dom, ta i on hneď sa dostaví, riadi založenie sadu, dáva do neho štepy. Lebo za to ho platíme. Nie pre skvost, pestovanie kvetov držíme ho, lež pre do chovávanie a ošľachtenie strornového rastlinstva. Mohli ste idúcky vidieť tie poriadne štepnice a sady pred i za domami. Teraz je to ešte všetko mladé, ale časom bude tento ľud zaopatrený výbornou ovocinou a vezme z toho i pekný groš. Lebo záhradník len tie najvý bornejšie druhy pestuje. Učinili sme mu za povinnosť učiť i chlapcov štepárstvu a dievčatá pestovaniu zeleniny. Ten majetok, ktorý predtým slúžil len márnosti jednej rodiny, slúži teraz mnohonásobne obci a bude slúžiť bohdá i celej krajine. Náhle bude úplne vyplatený, hneď pošleme jedného mladíka do Svajčiarska naučiť sa hotoveniu syra, druhého do Sliezska poznať Dzierzonovské pestovanie včiel. U nás prevádza sa to všetko bez umenia, len tak nazdarboh. Mienime zaviesť i fabriky na súkno a cukor."

"we felt especially keenly the need for good local roads. 'Isn't it folly,' I say to them, 'that you kill your beasts in that mud, in those bottomless ruts? You will get more out of them if you haul once over such a road than if you brought twenty cartloads of stone and gravel.' They objected, asking whether they were to pave roads for a Jew. Fortunately Schelm did not refuse; he sent his teams too, and the roads were put in order. Our association gardener planted them along the sides with fruitful little trees. He also looks after everyone's orchards. Wherever a house is built, there he appears at once, directs the laying out of the orchard, and puts grafts into it. For that is what we pay him for. Not for finery, not for growing flowers do we keep him, but for the cultivation and improvement of tree growth. You could have seen along the way those neat nurseries and orchards before and behind the houses. Now it is all still young, but in time this people will be provided with excellent fruit and will take a pretty penny from it too. For the gardener grows only the very best varieties. We have made it his duty to teach the boys grafting and the girls vegetable growing. That estate which formerly served only the vanity of one family now serves the community many times over and will, God willing, serve the whole country too. As soon as it is fully paid off, we shall send one young man to Switzerland to learn cheese-making, another to Silesia to learn Dzierzon's method of bee-keeping. Among us all this is done without art, just haphazard. We intend to establish cloth and sugar factories too."

"Kebys' ty aspoň dvesto rokov žil," zasmial sa Lukáč.

"If only you lived at least two hundred years," laughed Lukáč.

"Ale keď vy oči zavriete, ktovie, či to všetko za krátky čas nespustne?"..

"But when you close your eyes, who knows whether it will all not fall into neglect in a short time?"

"Dúfam, že nie," potešil ho Rastic.

"I hope not," Rastic reassured him.

"Spolok je dosť mohutný kázať dobrý plat svojim úradským, dostane teda vždy schopných MUŽOV. l výchova učiní svoje. Usilovnosťou pána učiteľovou dorastá pokolenie zdarilejšie než títo chovanci derešov a drábov. Ba i títo starí hriešnici vzali už trochu iné mravy na seba. Rozmnožená záľožnosť činí ich ráznejšími. Pretože už i stoličné vrchnosti prestali sa po nich vláčiť, ich mravný cit urážať, ani korteši nemajú k nim prístup so svojimi haringami a sudmi pálenky, držia už dačo na svoju ľudskú hodnosť. Najväčší rozpustilci zhynuli biedne, lepší berú prísnejšiu, rozvážlivejšiu, ľudskejšiu podobu na seba. Otrocká nestydatosť a nestarostlivosť sa umenšuje."

"The association is mighty enough to command a good salary for its officials, and so it will always get capable men. And upbringing will do its part. Through the diligence of the schoolmaster a generation is growing up more successful than these wards of the stewards and bailiffs. Indeed even these old sinners have taken on somewhat different manners. Increased prosperity makes them more brisk. Since even the county authorities have stopped dragging after them and insulting their moral sense, and the pimps no longer have access to them with their herrings and barrels of brandy, they already hold something of their human dignity. The greatest wastrels have perished miserably; the better ones are taking on a stricter, more prudent, more human form. Slavish shamelessness and heedlessness are diminishing."

"Zle si urobil," ozval sa s úškľabnou tvárou Peľuch, "že si zvýšil farárove dôchodky. Budú sa dobíjať k fare lichí chytráci a vieš, že .rakýchto býva víťazstvo. Stydlivá schopnosť zriedka víťazí. Ani ty bys' nebol tu, keby fara bola bývala bohatá. Ba kebys' teraz zanechal úrad a o rok ho znovu pýtal, neviem, či bys' ho dosiahol"

"You did wrong," said Peľuch with a grimacing face, "to raise the priest's income. Wretched clever fellows will come battering at the rectory, and you know that theirs is usually the victory. Modest ability seldom wins. You yourself would not be here if the rectory had been rich. Indeed, if you were now to leave the office and ask for it again a year later, I don't know whether you would get it"

Hostia sa zasmiali, Rastic odvetil:

The guests laughed, and Rastic replied:

"Správcom majetku farár byť nemusí. Keby sa podarilo ešte tú obrezanú veľkomožnosť z toho kaštie1a vypudiť a celý chotár spojiť, mohol by richtár byť učený muž ako po mestách."

"The priest need not be the estate manager. If we could still manage to drive that circumcised grandee out of the mansion and unite the whole commune, the mayor could be a learned man as in the towns."

"Tak by aj malo byť," vmiešala sa pani Peľuchová,

"So it should be too," put in Mrs. Peľuchová,

"bo tí vaši Chujavania sú už celí mešťania. Coskoro sa tuším i y rúchu prevrhnú. "

"for your Chujavans are already townsfolk through and through. Soon, I fancy, they'll even turn their dress."

Rastic pokrútil hlavou:

Rastic shook his head:

"Nech sa oni len držia svojho národného rúcha. Ono tvorí tiež jednu pásku, ktorou malinké Slovensko je k veľkému Slovanstvu priviazané. Príbuzné rúcho, reč, mravy, povery, to všetko udržuje povedomosť jedného pôvodu, národného spolunáležania. Okrem toho slovanský kraj je tisíc ráz krajší než u západných národov. Francúzskeho sedliaka treba len vidieť, čo to za potvora, vo svojich po kolená siahajúcich nohavičkách a drevených črievičkách. Náš je proti nemu celý hrdina. Radosť vidieťpekného, poriadne oblečeného šuhaja."

"Let them but hold to their national dress. It too forms one of the bands by which tiny Slovakia is bound to great Slavdom. Kindred dress, speech, manners, superstitions — all this keeps alive the awareness of one origin, of national belonging together. Besides, the Slavonic land is a thousand times fairer than that of the Western nations. One need only see the French peasant, what a monster he is, in his knee-length little breeches and wooden clogs. Ours is a whole hero compared with him. A joy to see a handsome, neatly dressed young fellow."

"Ale tie ženské," zasmiala sa Lukáčová,

"But the women," laughed Lukáčová,

"mohli by si predsa letnice zaväzovať na bedrách, nie pod pazuchami. Zdá sa, že chodia vo vreciach.",,Ani to utieranie nosov," zarehotal sa Škorec, "nehodí sa do salónov.

"could surely tie their aprons at the hips, not under the armpits. It looks as if they were walking about in sacks.' 'Nor that nose-wiping,' guffawed Škorec, 'is not fitting for salons.

Zohne sa ti až k zemi, zdvihne letnicu, obráti naopak a vysiaka sa do nej, alebo práve i do košele.

She bends right down to the ground, lifts her apron, turns it inside out and blows her nose into it, or even into her shirt.

"

Strhol sa z toho smiech, paničky sa zapýrili, Rastic zakýval hlavou:

Laughter broke out at that, the ladies blushed, and Rastic shook his head:

"Do letníc som sa ešte nemiešal. Hľadím len, ako stojí na mojej starkej. Ale to som dosť už porúčal dievkam a parobkom, aby si šatky na nos kúpili a nezahadzovali ledabolo, čo páni do vrecht kladú. XVII

"I have not yet meddled with aprons. I only look at how it sits on my old woman. But I have already ordered the girls and lads often enough to buy handkerchiefs for their noses and not to fling away carelessly what the gentry pack into their bundles. XVII

Predsedajúca tlstá pani Stupnická riekla:

The presiding stout Mrs. Stupnická said:

"Ten náš dobrý páh farár na všetko obracia pozornosť, vyjmúc letnice, na čo zase druhí páni najviac hľadievajú. On je ako spruha v hodinách. Ako spruha uvádza do pohybu všetky kolieska, tak on celú obec. Nedá zaháľať nikomu, nájde pre každého robotu. Od jedného podniku zachvacuje obec k druhému. A všetko sa mu darí, bo postupuje rozumne, obcuje vo všetkom spravodlivo a bezzištne, je naozajstným otcom všetkých.'

"Our good father the priest turns his attention to everything, except aprons, which other gentlemen again look to most. He is like the spring in a clock. As the spring sets all the wheels in motion, so he does the whole community. He lets no one idle, he finds work for everyone. From one undertaking he carries the community on to another. And everything succeeds for him, for he proceeds reasonably, deals in all things justly and disinterestedly, and is a true father to all.'

Nech nám ho boh na mnohé letá živí!

May God keep him alive for us for many years!

" S tým vstala. "

" With that she rose. "

Sláva!

Glory!

" vpadli v to všetci a odstrčili stole. Ako odvetou na to zahučal i na dvore presilný výkrik zo stáhrdiel: "

" all burst in and pushed back their chairs. As if in answer to that, there roared in the courtyard too a mighty shout from a hundred throats: "

Sláva!

Glory!

" Zaduneli tri silné výstrely, zaznela čerstvá hudba. To bol výraz srdečnej vďačnosti farníkov. Rastic nechcel robiť žiaden hluk, ale oni zaopatrili bez jeho vedomia aj mažiare i hudcov a vhrnuli sa vo sviatočnom rúchu do dvora. Mládenci boli podperení, dievky v partách, školské deti v tom úbore, v ktorom už ráno boli pozdravili pána farára. Postavili sa všetci oproti dverám do polkola po vrstvách, napred školské deti, potom dievky, potom mládenci, potom ženy, napokon mužovia. Pri samých vrátach stála ešte hŕba otrhaných Cigánov a žobrákov, medzi nimi skľúčený Kožuch a na celom tele sa trasúci Lipnický. Humenského nebolo už na svete. Zajac stál spredpásanou bela vo u záponkou medzi domácou čeľaďou. Vzalo to všetko zlý koniec, tí hrdinovia lumpáctva, ktorých sme na počiatku boli poznali. Všetci mužskí zložili s úctou klobúky, keď holohlaví hostia vyhrnuli sa na povýšené predodverie, kde kedysi pán s veľkým nosom. bol prisluhoval spravodlívosť. Výkriky zasekli, hudba utfchla, keď poctivý richtár Hučko zo stupňa rukou kývol. Predstúpiac so všetkou úctou pred oslávenca, takto sa mu prihovoril: "

" Three strong shots thundered, fresh music sounded. That was the expression of the heartfelt gratitude of the parishioners. Rastic had not wanted to make any noise, but they had, without his knowledge, procured both mortars and musicians, and came pouring into the courtyard in festive dress. The young men were girded up, the girls in their ribbons, the schoolchildren in the very garb in which they had already greeted the reverend father in the morning. They all drew up facing the door in a half-circle by layers: first the schoolchildren, then the girls, then the young men, then the women, and finally the men. Right by the gate still stood a heap of ragged Gypsies and beggars, among them the dejected Kožuch and the all-trembling Lipnický. Humenský was no longer in this world. Zajac stood with his apron tied in front among the household servants. It had all come to a bad end, those heroes of rascality whom we had known at the beginning. All the men respectfully doffed their hats when the bare-headed guests came out onto the raised entrance porch, where once the long-nosed lord had dispensed justice. The shouts broke off, the music fell silent, when the honest mayor Hučko waved his hand from the steps. Stepping forward with all reverence before the guest of honour, he addressed him thus: "

Cirkeva obec chujavská vyslovujú mojím jazykom vašej velebnosti svoju najsrdečnejšiu vďačnosť a najpokornejšiu úctu.

The church community of Chujava expresses through my tongue to Your Reverence its most heartfelt gratitude and most humble respect.

Vy ste ten muž, ktorý ste obec povýšili a zvelebili.

You are the man who has raised up and glorified the community.

Boli sme pred vaším príchodom tí najbiednejší ľudia.

Before your arrival we were the most wretched of people.

Spustlosť naša bola nesmierna.

Our depravity was boundless.

Chýlilo sa k tomu, že všetci klesneme za židovských paholkov.

It was coming to the point that we would all sink into being Jewish lackeys.

Vy ste nás nielen ze židovskej, lež i z panskej poroby vytrhli.

You have torn us not only from Jewish but also from lordly bondage.

Až teraz, yaším pričinením, cítime sa naozaj slobodnými, môžeme žiť dôstojne.

Only now, through your efforts, do we feel truly free and can live with dignity.

Znášali ste s hrdinskou vytrvalosťou nerozumný náš odpor.

You bore our foolish resistance with heroic perseverance.

Nedali ste sa mýliť ani klebetami ani nevďačnosťou, až ste slávne zvíťazili.

You let yourself be misled neither by gossip nor by ingratitude, until you gloriously triumphed.

Živ vás na mnohé, mnohé letá boh.

May God keep you alive for many, many years.

Pamiatka vaša bude požehnaná medzi nami aj u potomstva nášho.

Your memory will be blessed among us and among our descendants.

Privolávame vám z celej duše:

We call to you with all our soul:

Sláva!

Glory!

"

"Sláva!"

"Glory!"

skríkol srdečne celý pestrý zástup.

cried the whole motley crowd heartily.

Rastic odvetil pohnutým, rozplývajúcim sa hlasom:

Rastic replied in a moved, melting voice:

"Sladká je po vystátych mnohých trudoch a prekonaných prekážkach vďačnosť, akú mi teraz, drahí moji, ústami svoho predstaveného prejavujete. Navraciam vám lásku tým, že i ja vzdávam česť vašej dôvere a poslušnosti, ktorá jedine mi umožnila vykonať dačo k vášmu prospechu. Ale nechcem, ani nemôžem to výlučne samému sebe pripisovať, čo dobrého a pekného sa uskutočnilo. Ja samotný nič by som nebol vykonal, keby som nebol našiel verných, oddaných, nezištných pomocníkov. Jedným z nich boli ste i vy, richtárko. Jazyk a rameno vaše stáli mi vždy k službám. Ale hlavní spolubojovníci moji boli a sú títo moji a vaši verní priatelia."

"Sweet, after many hardships endured and obstacles overcome, is the gratitude that you now show me, my dear ones, through the mouth of your headman. I return your love by also honouring your trust and obedience, which alone made it possible for me to accomplish something for your benefit. But I do not want, nor can I, ascribe exclusively to myself whatever good and beautiful has been realized. I myself would have accomplished nothing had I not found faithful, devoted, selfless helpers. One of them was you too, good mayor. Your tongue and your arm were always at my service. But my chief fellow-fighters were and are these my and your faithful friends."

S tým sa objal so Semenákom, Rozumovským a Stupnickým tak, že padnúc si okolo hrdla, utvorili kolo.

With that he embraced Semenák, Rozumovský, and Stupnický so that, falling upon one another's necks, they formed a ring.

Tisíc hrdiel vyrazilo pritom hromovité sláva, mažiare duridi, hudba zaznela, klobúky leteli do výšky, ženy a devy plakali.

A thousand throats burst forth thunderous "glory," the mortars thundered, the music sounded, hats flew into the air, women and maidens wept.

Porosili sa vzájomnými slzami aj objímajúci sa priatelia.

The embracing friends moistened each other with their tears too.

Ba málo bys' našiel suchých očú i na dvore a na povýšenom predodverí.

Indeed, you would have found few dry eyes even in the courtyard and on the raised entrance porch.

Two Days in Chujava: Deň pekný