George Murnu
George Murnu was a Romanian university professor, archaeologist, historian, translator and poet of Macedo-Romanain/Vlach origin. He was born in Veria on 1st of January 1868 (at that time still part of the Ottoman Empire now part of Greece) and after attending the courses of the Romanian primary and seconadry schoolsin Macedonia at Bitola, he enrols and eventually graduates the University of Bucharest. In 1893 at only 25 years he is appointed professor at the University of Jassy and shortly afterwards was awarded a scholarship by the Romanian State in order to complete his postgraduate studies in Munich, Germany and after several years he returns to Romania having gained the title of 'doctor in philology'. A fruitful scholarly activity follows which culminates in Murnu becoming profesor agregat de arheologie la Universitatea din Bucureşti that is the head of the archaeology chair at the University of Bucharest. In 1909 he is appointed by the Minister of the Public Instruction and Cults as 'Director of the National Archaeological Museum' in Bucharest. Murnu has translated an accomplished version of the Odyssey and Iliad in the Romanian language. He also wrote original -pastoral inspired- poetry both in literary Romanian and in his native Veria Vlach dialect. Murnu was a sympathizer of the right-wing Iron Guard and was an intimate friend of the Vlach seccessionist politician Alkiviadis Diamandi di Samarina but after the second world war, probably due to his age and prestige was not intended any trial. He was elected a full member of the Academia Româna. He dies at the venerable age of 89 in Bucharest, on November the 17th, 1957. Today, a street in the Romanian Black Sea port of Mangalia is called 'George Murnu' in his honour.
Works
Românii din Bulgaria medievală [The Romanians in the Medieval Bulgaria]
Studiu asupra elementului grec ante-fanariot în limba română [Study on the pre-phanariote Greek element in the Romanian language]
Poetry written by Murnu
Cântecul plaiurilor noastre
Din bură de codrii răsună chemare
Din glasuri de păsări, de frunze, de crengi
De şoapte lungi, de fântâni, de izvoare
Cu lacrimi de umbră, cu zâmbet de soare;
Şi clopote-aud, cunoscute tălăngi
De turme răzleţe pe văi şi pripoare
Grailu armânescu
Grailu-a meu di mumã, grailu-a meu di tatã
Vatra-a mea iu ni-ardu anilii tse-am bãnatã
Grai picurãrescu di pãduri shi plae
Zbor tse-avdzâi dit gura-a paplui shi-ali mae
Zbor di budzã vrutã, dumnidzascã nilã
Niurismã di frangã shi di trandafilã.
Lavã di cãshare, boatse di cãlivã
Suflã vindicarea a ta dultse livã.
Adiliat di moscu, duh di primuvearã
Bana ni-u cutreamburi ca unã fluiarã
Tse di dor pitrunde noaptea tu pundie
Inima-ni ti cântã, mâna-ni tut ti scrie.
Stau, tsi-ascultu plângul, jalea shi niholu,
Ved încrutsiliatã Soia-ni ca Hristolu
Shi mizie li-si-avde zborlu-a tãu dit gurã.
Scumpa-a mea fântânã tse anarga curã,
Mâne, poate mâne, di dushmani biutã,
Va si-armâni tu etã pondã shi tãcutã.