BUDAPEST, Hungary—Inspired by an old proverb from childhood, I decided this weekend to take a trip to Budapest. The proverb goes like this:
“Lengyel Magyar két jó barát, eggyütt harcol s issza borát.”
Readers may be forgiven if this old proverb appears unintelligible. After all, Hungarian is a Uralic language with its origins in Western Russia and has nothing in common with English, which is West Germanic in origin.
“Polak, Wegier dwa bratanki, i do szabli i do szklanki.“
The same proverb, in Polish this time, is not likely to make any more sense to a native English speaker either. One version of the proverb in English is this:
“Poles and Hungarians brothers be, united in combat and united in festivity.”
Apparently kids in Hungarian schools are taught this saying at a pretty early age. When I asked some of my Polish friends about its origin in their consciousness, they harked back to their formative years, somewhere around the time of grade 5 history lessons.
The saying is a testament to the very special relationship between Hungary and Poland—so uniquely close and fraternal over the centuries, that among all countries Poland enjoys good diplomatic relations with, this rapport is often described in superlative terms like “the best” and “the closest.”
Most historians tie the saying back to the era of Machiavellian political wrangling and power plays that characterized the geopolitics of 18th century Poland. Apparently Hungary gave refuge to a confederation of nobles who lost a dramatic four-year war to resist Russian influence in Poland. That gesture has left a fingerprint of eternal gratitude on the relations of the two countries.
The good rapport has continued unabated over the centuries. So much so, in fact, that back in 2007, the parliaments of both countries passed a joint resolution declaring March 24 Polish-Hungarian Friendship Day. A monument showing two oak trees with interlaced roots is emblazoned with a famous saying by Stanislaw Worcell, a 19th century Polish diplomat and publicist:
“Hungary and Poland are like two ancient oak trees, each with its own separate and distinct trunk, while their roots, spread out widely under the surface, have imperceptibly intertwined and grown together. Thus the way of being and grit of one are at once the conditions in which the other exists and thrives.”
The parliament grounds in Budapest, where the aforementioned resolution was passed, are definitely a sight to behold, as indeed is the rest of the city.
To learn more about it all, I endeavored to take a guided tour of parliament in the morning of my visit, but alas hadn’t done my homework. My plan was foiled by an official state visit by Chinese premier Wen Jiabao and entourage, making parliament off-limits. Oh well. Maybe next time.
As a footnote, apparently billions of dollars worth of deals between Hungary and China were made that day, including an agreement to build a huge logistics and commercial distribution center for Chinese goods coming into Europe.
I couldn’t help but think about Poland’s recent experience with Chinese construction company COVEC, which by dramatically underbidding the competition, had won the contract to build part of Poland’s main east-west highway linking Berlin and Warsaw. COVEC then proceeded to breach the contract part way through and scuttled off to China, leaving behind tens of millions of dollars in unpaid debts.
The story leaves me wondering if Poland and Hungary won’t end up being brothers in commiseration, united, sobbing into their drinks, should any of the big Hungarian deals go sour too.
An alternative, more literal translation of the earlier saying now comes to mind:
“Poles and Hungarians brothers be, united in sword and united in drink.”
