# Old Postcard Message



## Greenunicorn

Hello!
I've bought some postcards from an antique stall and one of them is written in Hungarian. I'd really like to find out what the message contains. Can somebody help, please? I'll attach here a scan of it (first half is scan1 and the second half is scan2, to keep the size as large as possible). Thank you!


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## Zsuzsu

Hi there,

It's quite difficult to translate because the author's handwriting is barely legible, he doesn't use punctuation marks and stuff like this, and the language he uses is a bit uneducated. Furthermore, the letter contains a lot of spelling mistakes. I'll give it a try, though:

"My dear Klári,

I let you know that in the *evening* (? _I am not sure about "evening" because the word is difficult to read_) I got your letter you sent to Bucarest/in Bucarest and now I am in Arad. I went to your house, too, and now I am going on to Vienna and *?* (_I can't read this word_) back to Bucarest. We are transporting pigs - this will be my task from here on, so you can see I am at not a bad place.

*I send you my love* from home (_literally: "I kiss you", which is a common closing phrase in Hungary but I think it is not so usual in English_),

Love, 

Jani

I went home for Pentacost, only *you didn't *(_I'm not sure of this_). The train is shaking (_maybe it is not very idiomatic in English_) a lot, that's why I'm writing like this (_he refers to his illegible handwriting_)."

That's it. Others might be able to figure out the words I couldn't read.


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## Greenunicorn

Hi Zsuzsu!
Thank you very much for your efforts! I was expecting a more romantic message, since the front of the postcard is quite romantic  But it's still very interesting! If you want to see the postcard, follow this link to my blog: http://lachrysomelereveuse.blogspot.com/2009/06/from-jani-to-klari.html
Thanks again!!


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## Zsanna

Hello all,

I can't see any of the two links with the original handwriting fully but for the beginning I'd say that it is not "in the evening" but, in Hungarian: "de Bukerestbe" (= but in Bucarest), so "I (would like to) let you know that I received your letter in Bucarest..." (and not where he is at the moment).
I would also add that as it is written using the formal way of addressing, we cannot know really what the connection was really between Jani and Klári. 
Unfortunately, even the postcard itself does not help in that. (I find it strange if a man sends a card _about_ a woman _to_ a woman... Maybe he didn't have a choice.)


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## Greenunicorn

Thank you, Zsanna! Yes, that is quite intriguing...Hmm, who knows what story lies behind it...


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