"I loved a girl who loved me back, but I had to leave her. Why? I do not know. It was like being surrounded by a circle of armed men with their spears facing outwards. Whenever I approached, I bumped into the spear points, was wounded, and had to turn back. I suffered so much. Wasn't she at fault in this? I don't think so, I know. The analogy just now is not complete, I was also surrounded by armed men, who turned their spears inward, that is, against me. As soon as I approached the girl, I was first caught in the spears of my armed men, and I could not go any further. Perhaps I was never able to penetrate as far as the girl's armed men, and if I did, I was already bleeding from the thrusts of my spears, in a daze. Was she left alone? No, another man penetrated her, easily and unhindered. I myself, exhausted from my efforts, watched with such indifference as if I were the air through which their faces met in the first kiss.
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Author
Franz KafkaAll Translations
All Translations
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I loved a girl who loved me back, but I had to leave her. Why? I do not know. It was like being surrounded by a circle of armed men with their spears facing outwards. Whenever I approached, I bumped into the spear points, was wounded, and had to turn back. I suffered so much. Wasn't she at fault in this? I don't think so, I know. The analogy just now is not complete, I was also surrounded by armed men, who turned their spears inward, that is, against me. As soon as I approached the girl, I was first caught in the spears of my armed men, and I could not go any further. Perhaps I was never able to penetrate as far as the girl's armed men, and if I did, I was already bleeding from the thrusts of my spears, in a daze. Was she left alone? No, another man penetrated her, easily and unhindered. I myself, exhausted from my efforts, watched with such indifference as if I were the air through which their faces met in the first kiss.
""Szerettem egy lányt, aki viszontszeretett, ám el kellett őt hagynom. Miért? Nem tudom. Olyan volt ez, mintha fegyveresek köre övezné, akik lándzsáikat kifelé fordítanák. Bármikor közeledtem is, a lándzsahegyeknek ütköztem, megsebesültem, vissza kellett fordulnom. Szenvedtem így sokat. A lány ebben nem volt hibás? Azt hiszem, nem, sőt tudom is. Az iménti hasonlat nem teljes, engem is fegyveresek vettek körül, akik lándzsáikat befelé, vagyis ellenem fordították. Mihelyt a lány felé közeledtem, először is az én fegyvereseim lándzsáiba akadtam, és már innen sem juthattam tovább. Talán a lány fegyvereseiig nem is hatolhattam sosem előre, és ha mégis, már vérezve az én lándzsásaim döféseitől, önkívületben. Egyedül maradt a lány? Nem, elhatolt hozzá egy másik férfi, könnyen s akadálytalanul. Magam, erőfeszítéseimtől kimerülve, oly közönnyel néztem, mintha én lennék a levegő, melyen át arcaik az első csókban összeértek."