Ars Poetica of Gyula Reisz

A true story

Once upon a time there was a just man. One starlit night he had a beautiful dream. In his dream he built a bridge, which was meant to be for everybody. After waking up he immediately began to build the bridge and built it the same way he had seen it in his dream. The people admired it, but didn’t understand why such an effort was made. Our hero became sad, but next morning he decided to ask everyone to go across the bridge. One part of the peoples showed up and astonishingly watched the builder hanging up strange pictures on both sides of the bridge, from one end to the other.

Anybody looking at the pictures felt that the pictures were reflecting the moments of their lives. They also felt that they were the only ones who were made to laugh and cry by the pictures. On seeing many of his fellow-men crying and laughing the builder’s heart started to sink. He felt that he had really succeeded in building a bridge, the bridge of soul, which leads the soul through to the body.

He felt blissfully happy when he saw that having seen all the pictures and walked through the bridge, his fellow-men set foot on the other shore.

“People: make so bold as to cry and laugh indeed!”