Virág Erdős

Poems

Translated by George Szirtes

 

A Lying Tale
Hazudós mese

Virág Erdős
is an idiomatic phrase employed in the south of Buda
like "bungee jumping",
people tend to say it when
they can't think of anything else to say.

Virág Erdős
is a natural disaster,
perpendicular,
twelve letters.

Virág Erdős
is a telecom subscriber package
providing your call
is what you chose to call about.

Virág Erdős
is a multi-purpose group of products:
it is in fact up to you what you do with her.

Virág Erdős
is an amphetamine-derivative
the only hitch being that it is difficult to stop using her.
Virág Erdős
is a post-traumatic stress disorder,
the kind that might cause a man sitting in front of the TV, for example,
to think of something,
leap to his feet
and do something really...wow!

Virág Erdős
is a government bond that pays interest,
but whatever you say
I'll blow the lot, no argument.

Virág Erdős
is a 'freestyle T-shirt'
bearing the message
'NO'.

Virág Erdős
is an ever more ardently protected species
like the Storkfinch, the Meadowchick and the Dwarfhawk:
to kill one, to catch one,
to disturb her natural habitat,
to collect her brood or her eggs
is expressly forbidden.

Virág Erdős
is the notorious doyenne of programme hackers,
but relax, they've tracked her down.

Virág Erdős
is "only human".

Virág Erdős
is a member of the Alliance Insurance Consortium
so it will not surprise you to know
that she guarantees you a secure long-term future.

Virág Erdős
is a Fiery Pokemon.

Virág Erdős
is a dangerous worm in your programme
you just have to click on her
and you're in deep trouble.
Virág Erdős
is a feral mutant
and I can't understand how they let her on our TV screens.

Virág Erdős
is what is called an Xtreme Sport
the kind where you find a sponsor
then smash your head against a wall.

Virág Erdős
is a wholly new remix
the only problem is
elements of hip-hop are included in the package.

Virág Erdős
no such brand name.

Virág Erdős
is one of the best known Hungarian writers
but sadly she is dead,
or rather, not dead, it's just that
she always gets home very late.

Virág Erdős
is the other best-known Hungarian writer,
she writes texts for sweatshirts and windscreens,
apparently, it was she who wrote:
'I love Budapest'.

 

Virág Erdős
recently graduated from Eötvös University, Budapest, in Hungarian literature, and already has four volumes of poems to her name.