VLACH SPIRITUALITY
The Vlach spirituality is centered around two main ideas: the love and fight for freedom and the belief in immortality. The first one was inherent to the spirit of the shepherds moving with the flocks on large areas, while the second one is coming from the ancient belief in immortality, coming from Zalmoxis and his priests.
These two main spiritual beliefs survived beyond time and death. That's why in December 1989, when troops and tanks were brought in Bucharest in order to defend the Communist regime, young people gathered in the front of them saying: "We will dye and we'll be free".
The Romanian spirit is synthesized into the masterpiece of the Romanian folk, the poem Miorita (read Mioritza), where a young shepherd is warned by his young black sheep, Miorita, that his fellow shepherds,
a Ungurean - Hungarian - from Transilvania and a Vrancean from Tara
Romaneasca, plan to murder him and take his flock. The young shepherd, coming
from Moldavia, instead of resisting, accepts his fate, looking forward at his death as at a magnificent sacred marriage, attended by the whole nature.
Here's the English translation of the poem:
M I O R I T A
Translation: W. D. Snodgrass
| Near a low foothill At Heaven's doorsill, Where the trail's descending To the plain and ending, Here three shepherds keep Their three flocks of sheep, One, Moldavian, One, Ungurean, And one, Vrancean. Now, the Vrancean And Ungurean In their thoughts, conniving, Have laid plans, contriving At the close of day To ambush and slay The Moldavian; He, the wealthier one, Had more flocks to keep, Handsome, long-horned sheep, Horses, trained and sound, And the fiercest hounds. One small ewe-lamb, though, Dappled gray as tow, While three full days passed Bleated loud and fast, Would not touch the grass. "Ewe-lamb, dapple-gray, Muzzled black and gray, While three full days passed You bleat loud and fast; Don't you like this grass? Are you too sick to eat, Little lamb so sweet?" "Oh my master dear, Drive the flock out near That field, dark to view, Where the grass grows new, Where there's shade for you. Master, master dear, Call a large hound near, A fierce one and fearless, |
Strong, loyal and peerless. The Ungurean And the Vrancean When the daylight's through Mean to murder you." "Lamb, my little ewe, If this omen's true, If I'm doomed to death On this tract of heath, Tell the Vrancean And Ungurean To let my bones lie Somewhere here close by, By the sheepfold here So my flocks are near, Back of my hut's grounds So I'll hear my hounds. Tell them what I say: There, beside me lay One small pipe of beech With its soft, sweet speech, One small pipe of bone With its loving tone, One of elderwood, Fiery-tongued and good. Then the winds that blow Would play on them so All my listening sheep Would draw near and weep Tears, no blood so deep. How I met my death, Tell them not a breath; Say I could not tarry, I have gone to marry A princess - my bride Is the whole world's pride. At my wedding, tell How a bright star fell, Sun and moon came down To hold my bridal crown, Firs and maple trees |
Were my guests; my priests Were the mountains high; Fiddlers, birds that fly, All birds of the sky; Torchlights, stars on high. But if you see there, Should you meet somewhere, My old mother, little, With her white wool girdle, Eyes with their tears flowing, Over the plains going, Asking one and all, Saying to them all, 'Who has ever known, Who has seen my own Shepherd fine to see, Slim as a willow tree, With his dear face, bright As the milk-foam, white, His small moustache, right As the young wheat's ear, With his hair so dear, Like plumes of the crow, Little eyes that glow Like the ripe, black sloe?' Ewe-lamb, small and pretty, For her sake have pity, Let it just be said I have gone to wed A princess most noble There on Heaven's doorsill. To that mother, old, Let it not be told That a star fell, bright, For my bridal night; Firs and maple trees Were my guests; my priests Were the mountains high; Fiddlers, birds that fly, All birds of the sky; Torchlights, stars on high." |
