TitleJANUARY MIHAI EMINESCU

15 JANUARY 1850 – 15 JUNE 1889 On 15 January 2014 we celebrate 125

years of death of Romanian poet Mihai Eminescu.Born MIHAI EMINOVICI, was a romantic poet, novelist and journalist, often regarded as the most famous Romanian poet.Eminescu was an active member of the Junimea literary society and he worked as an editor for the newspaper “The Time” (Timpul).His poetry was first published when he was 16 and he went to Vienna to study when he was 19.The poet’s Manuscripts contains 46 volumes and approximately 14.000 pages, were offered by Titu Maiorescu as a gift to the Romanian Academy during the meeting that was held on 25 January 1902. In his poems he frequently used metaphysical, mythological, and historical subjects.In general his work was influenced by the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer.

His Family

His father was Gheorghe

Eminovici from Călineşti, a Moldavian village in Suceava county..He crossed the border into Moldavia, settling in Ipoteşti , near the town Botoşani. He married Raluca Iuraşcu, an heiress of an aristocratic Moldavian family. Eminescu is the seventh of the children of c aminar Gheorghe Eminovici. His grandparents live in Călinesti of Cuparencu, not far from Suceava, Transylvanian village founded by immigrants at that time. Paternal grandparents died from the cholera epidemic of 1844, and poet born much later, did not know and did not evoke them in his work.

From 1858 to 1866 he attended school in Cernăuți.He finished 4th grade as the 5th

of 82 students, after which he attended two years of gymnasium.The first evidence of EMINESCU as a writer is in 1866.In January of that year Romanian teacher ARON PUMNUL died and his student in Cernăuți published a pamphlet,” Lăcrămioarele învățăceilor gimnaziaşti” ( Tears of the Gymnasium Students)in which a poem entitled “La mormântul lui Aron Pumnul” ( At the grave of Aron Pumnul) appears, signed “M.

Eminovici” .On 25 February his poem “De-aş avea” ( If were to have ) was published in Iosif Vulcan’s literary magazine “Familia” in Pest .This began a steady series of published poems(and the occasional translation from German).Also, it was Iosif Vulcan, who disliked the Slavic source suffix “-ici” of the young poet’s last name, that chose for him the more apparent Romanian “nom de plume” MIHAI EMINESCU”.In 1867 he joined the troupe of Iorgu Caragiale as clerk and prompter, the next year he transferred to the troupe of Mihai Pascaly. Both of these were among the leading Romanian theatratical troupes of their day, the latter including Matei Millo and Fanny Tardini – Vlădicescu.He soon settled in Bucharest, where at the end of November he became a clerk and copyist for the National Theatre. Throught this period, he continued to write and publish poems.

He also paid his rent by translating hundreds of pages of a book by Heinrich Theodor Rotscher..Also at this time he began his novel “Geniul Pustiu”( Wasted Genius),published posthumously in 1904 in an unfinished form.

From October 1869 to 1872 he studied in Vienna. He was counted as an “extraordinary auditor” at the Faculty of Philosophy and Law. He was active in student life, befriended Ioan Slavici, and came to know Vienna through Veronica Micle .He became a contributor to CONVORBIRI LITERARE ( Literary Conversations),edited by “Junimea” ( The Youth).The leaders of this cultural organization, Petre P. Carp, Vasile Pogor, Iacob Negruzzi and Titu Maiorescu exercised their political and cultural influence over Eminescu for the rest of his life. Impressed by one of Eminescu’s poems,”Venere şi Madonă”(Venus and Madona),Iacob Negruzi, the editor of “Convorbiri Literare” traveled to Vienna to meet him. In 1870 Eminescu wrote three articles under pseudonym “Varro” in “FEDERAŢIUNEA” in Pest on the situation of Romanians and others minorities in the Austro-Hungarian

Empire. He then became a journalist for newspaper “ALBINA”(The Bee) in Pest. From 1872 to 1874 he continued as a student in Berlin, thanks to a stipend offered by “Junimea”.

CENTRAL LIBRARY

IAŞI

From 1874 to 1877 he worked as director of the Central Library in Iaşi, substitute teacher, school inspector for the counties of Iaşi and Vaslui, and editor of the newspaper “Curierul de Iaşi”(The Courier of Iaşi),all thanks to this friendship with Titu Maiorescu,the leader of “Junimea” and rector of University of Iaşi. He continued to publish in “Convorbiri Literare”.He became a good friend of Ion Creangă,whom he convinced to become a writer and introduced to the Junimea Literary club. In 1877 he moved to Bucharest,where until 1833 he was first journalist ,then (1880)editor-in-

•chief of the newspaper TIMPUL ( The Time).During this time he wrote“Scrisorile”,”Leceafărul”,Odă in metru antic”,etc Most of this notable editorial pieces belong to this period,when Romania was fighting the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 and throughout the diplomatic race that eventually brought about the

International recognition of Romanian independence, but under the condition of bestowing Romanian citizenship to all subjects of Jewish faith. Eminescu opposed this and another clause of the Treaty of Berlin. Romania’s having to give southern Bassarabia to Russia in

exchange for Northern Dobrudja, a former Ottoman province on the Black Sea. In June 1883,the poet fell seriously ill,and was interned in the hospital Dr.Şuțu. In December 1883,his volume “Poesii” appeared,with a selection of poems and with a preface by Titu Maiorescu.

ICONOGRAPHYEminescu is omnipresent in Present day – Romania. His statues are everywhere. His face was on 1000 lei banknote issued in 1998 and

is on the new 500 lei banknote issued in 2005 as the highest denominated banknote.Many schools and other institutions are named after him. The anniversaires of his birth and his death are celebrated each year in many Romanian cities ,and they became national celebrations in 1989 ( the centennial of his death ), and 2000 ( 150 years of his birth, proclaimed Eminescu ‘s year in Romania ).

IAŞI

CONSTANŢA

The Lake

Water lilies load all overThe blue lake amid the woods,That imparts, while in white circlesStartling, to a boat its moods.

And along the strands I'm passingListening, waiting, in unrest,That she from the reeds may issueAnd fall, gently, on my breast;

That we may jump in the littleBoat, while water's voices whelmAll our feelings; that enchantedI may drop my oars and helm;

That all charmed we may be floatingWhile moon's kindly light surroundsUs, winds cause the reeds to rustleAnd the waving water sounds.

But she does not come; abandoned,Vainly I endure and sighLonely, as the water liliesOn the blue lake ever lie.

Lacul codrilor albastruNuferi galbeni îl încarcă,Tresărind în cercuri albeEl cutremură o barcă.

Şi eu trec de-a lung de maluri,Parc-ascult şi parc-aşteptEa din trestii sã răsarăŞi sã-mi cadă lin pe piept;

Sã sărim în luntrea mică,Îngânaţi de glas de ape,Şi sã scap din mână cârmaŞi lopeţile sã-mi scape;

Sã plutim cuprinşi de farmecSub lumina blândei lune �Vântu-n trestii lin foşnească,Undoioasa apă sune!

Dar nu vine... SinguraticÎn zadar suspin şi sufărLângă lacul cel albastruÎncărcat cu flori de nufăr.

LACUL

Years have trailed past!...

Years have trailed past like clouds over a country,And they'll never return, for they're gone forever,And I no longer enjoy such light EndeavourAs the magic of folk songs or the land of fairy

Which as a child filled me with wonder,Not quite understood yet meaning so much to me,And now these shadows try to recapture meIn this hour of mystery, this twilight hour.

These trembling fingers touch the strings in vainTo find the right notes from the fading memoryOf youth, so that my soul can vibrate again.

Everything's disappeared from the horizon of that distant plainAnd you can no longer hear the voice of past harmony.Behind me time gathers . . . and I darken!

Trecut-au anii ca nori lungi pe şesuriŞi niciodată n-or să vie iară,Căci nu mă-ncânta azi cum se mişcarăPoveşti şi doine, ghicitori, eresuri,Ce fruntea-mi de copil o-nseninară,Abia-nțelese, plin de-nțelesuri -Cu-a tale umbre azi în van mă-npresuri,O, ceas al tainei, asfintit de sară.Să smulg un sunet din trecutul vieții,Să fac, o, suflet, ca din nou să tremuriCu mâna mea în van pe liră lunec;Pierdut e totu-n zarea tinerețiiŞi mută-i gura dulce-a altor vremuri,Iar timpul creşte-n urma mea... mă-ntunec!

Trecut-au anii!.....

To the star

The radiance from that new-born starWill take many thousands of yearsTo travel a path that comes so farTo finally reach our eyes.

Perhaps it died while on its wayThrough infinite blue space,Yet only now does its light strayTo shine upon your face.

Slowly climbing the dark skiesIs the dead star's icon:Invisible when it did exist,Today, we see an illusion.

And so it is when passion's fledLost in the depths of night,The light of our love, now dead,Still haunts us in its flight.

La steaua care-a răsărit E-o cale-atât de lungă, Că mii de ani i-au trebuit Luminii să ne-ajungă.

Poate de mult s-a stins în drum În depărtări albastre, Iar raza ei abia acum Luci vederii noastre.

Icoana stelei ce-a murit Încet pe cer se suie; Era pe când nu s-a zărit, Azi o vedem, şi nu e.

Tot astfel când al nostru dor Pieri în noapte-adâncă, Lumina stinsului amor Ne urmăreşte încă.

La Steaua

And If...

And if the branches tap my pane And the poplars whisper nightly, It is to make me dream again I hold you to me tightly. And if the stars shine on the pond And light its somber shoal, It is to quench my mind's despond

And flood with peace my soul.And if the clouds their tresses part

And does the moon out blaze, It is but to remind my heart I long for you always.

Şi dacă ramuri bat în geamŞi se cutremur plopii, E ca în minte să te amŞi-ncet să te apropii.

Şi dacă stele bat în lacAdâncu-i luminându-l, E ca durerea mea s-o-mpacÎnseninându-mi gândul.

Şi dacă norii deşi se ducDe iese-n luciu luna, E ca aminte să-mi aducDe tine-ntotdeauna.

Şi dacă……

Desire Come now to the forest's springRunning wrinkling over the stones,To where lush and grassy furrowsHide away in curving boughs.

Then you can run to my open arms,Be held once more in my embrace,I'll gently lift that veil of yoursTo gaze again upon your face.

And then you can sit upon my knee,We'll be all alone, alone there,While the lime tree thrilled with raptureShowers blossoms on your hair.

Your white brow with those golden curlsWill slowly draw near to be kissed,Yielding as prey to my greedy mouthThose sweet, red, cherry lips . . .

We'll dream only happy dreamsEchoed by wind's song in the trees,The murmur of the lonely spring,The caressing touch of the gentle breeze.

And drowsy with this harmonyOf a forest bowed deep as in prayer,Lime-tree petals that hang above usWill fall sifting higher and higher.

Vino-n codru la izvorulCare tremură pe prund,Unde prispa cea de brazdeCrengi plecate o ascund.

Şi în braţele-mi întinseSă alergi, pe piept să-mi cazi,Să-ţi desprind din creştet vălul,Să-l ridic de pe obraz.

Pe genunchii mei şedea-vei,Vom fi singuri-singurei,Iar în păr înfiorateOr să-ţi cadă flori de tei.

Fruntea albă-n părul galbenPe-al meu braţ încet s-o culci,Lăsând pradă gurii meleAle tale buze dulci...

Vom visa un vis ferice,Îngâna-ne-vor c-un cântSinguratece izvoare,Blânda batere de vânt;

Adormind de armoniaCodrului bătut de gânduri,Flori de tei deasupra noastrăOr să cadă rânduri-rânduri.

Dorința

Venus and Madonna Oh, ideal lost in night-mists of a vanished universe:People who would think in legends - all a world who spoke in verse;I can see and think and hear you - youthful scout which gently nodsFrom a sky with different starlight's, other Eden's, other gods.

Venus made of blood-warm marble, stony eyes which often flash,You embodied in a goddess woman's beauty, charm and dash:Arms as soft as is the thinking of an emperor born a poet;Woman's own divine attraction, still enticing as I saw it.

Raphael enwrapped in dreaming as below a starry sky- Just a spirit drunk with light-rays and with Springs that never die -Saw you and thus dreamed of Eden - flowery and redolent, -Saw you as a queen of heaven, 'mong the angels' merriment,

And upon the empty canvas traced the God-Star of the Sea,With a star-adorned tiara, with her bland smile, maidenly,Pale complexion framed by gold rays - angel-like yet feminine:After woman have been modeled angels in the vaults serene.

Thus myself, lost in the darkness of a life bent on the lyre,Noticed you - a shallow woman, poor in soul and poor in fire -And I wrought from you an angel, gentle as the magic day,When, upon a life laid barren, blandly smiles a lucky ray……..

Venere şi MadonăIdeal pierut în noaptea unei lumi ce nu mai este,Lume ce gândea în basme şi vorbea în poezii,O! te văd, te-aud, te cuget, tânără şi dulce vesteDintr-un cer cu alte stele, cu-alte raiuri, cu alți zei. Venere, marmură caldă, ochi de piatră ce scânteie,Brat molatic ca gândirea unui împărat poet,Tu ai fost divinizarea frumuseții de femeie,A femeiei, ce şi astăzi tot frumoasă a o revăd. Rafael, pierdut în visuri ca-ntr-o noapte înstelată,Suflet îmbătat de raze şi d-eterne primăveri,Te-a văzut şi-a visat raiul cugrădini îmbălsămate,Te-a văzut plutind regină printre îngerii din cer Şi-a creat pe pânză goală pe Madona Dumnezeie,Cu diademă de stele, cu surâsul blând, vergin,Fată pală-n raze blonde, chip de înger, dar femeie,Căci femeia-i prototipul îngerilor din senin. Astfel eu, pierdut în noaptea unei vieți de poezie,Te-am văzut, femeie stearpă, fără suflet, fără foc,Şi-am făcut din tine-un înger, blând ca ziua de magie,Când viața pustiită râde-o rază de noroc. Am văzut fața ta pală de o bolnavă beție,Buza ta învinețită de-al corupției muşcat,Şi-am zvârlit asupră-ți, crudo, vălul alb de poezieŞi paloare-i tale rază inocenței ei I-am dat. Ţi-am dat palidele raze ce-nconjoară cu magieFruntea îngerului-geniu, îngerului-ideal,Din demon făcui o sântă, dintr-un chicot, simfonie,Din ochirile-ți murdare ochiu-aurorei matinal. Dar azi vălul cade, crudo! dismețit din visuri sece,Fruntea mea este trezită de al buzei tale-nghețS-Şi privesc la tine, demon, şi amoru-mi stins şi receMă învată cum asupră-ți eu să caut cu dispreț!..........

Now it's autumn...

Now it's autumn, leaves roam and scatter,Again the wind flings heavy drops against the glazing;And you're reading old letters, tattered and fadingAnd retrace a whole life-time in just one hour.

With sweet trifles you enjoy such time-wasting,You'd hate to be disturbed by a tap on the shutter;For when it's sleeting outside, it's so much betterTo dream by the fireside, sleepily nodding.

So I stay in my chair, staring into the fire,Dreaming of old tales and a fairy queen's sighs;Around me the mist rises higher and higher;

Suddenly the rustling of silk makes me rise,Steps so soft, barely touched by the old floor . . .Then with slender, icy hands you hide my eyes.

Afară-i toamnă, frunză 'mpraştiată,Iar vântul svîrle 'n geamuri grele picuri;Ş i tu citeşti scrisori din roase plicuriŞi intr'un cias gândeşti la viața toată.Pierzându-ţi timpul tău cu dulci nimicuri,N'ai vrea ca nimeni 'n uşa ta să bată;Dar şi mai bine-i, când afară-i sloată, Să stai visând la foc, de somn să picuri.Şi eu astfel mă uit din jet de gânduri,Visez la basmul vechiu al zinei Dochii,În juru-mi ceața creşte rânduri-rânduri;De odat'aud foşnirea unei rochii,Un moale pas abia atins de scânduri...Iar mâni subțiri şi reci mi-acoper ochii.

Afară – i toamnă

Sleepy birds

All those sleepy birdsNow tired from flightHide among the leavesGood-night!

Only the spring whispersWhen the wood sleeps silently;Even flowers in the gardensSleep peacefully!

Swans glide to their nestSheltering among the reedsMay angels guard your rest,Sweet dreams!

Above a night of sorceryComes the moon's graceful light,All is peace and harmonyGood-night!

Somnoroase păsărelePe la cuiburi se adună,Se ascund în rămurele -Noapte bună!Doar izvoarele suspină,Pe când codrul negru tace;Dorm şi florile-n grădină -în pace!Trece lebăda pe apeÎntre trestii să se culce -Fie-ți îngerii aproape,Somnul dulce!Peste-a nopții feerieSe ridică mîndra lună,Totu-i vis şi armonie -Noapte bună!

Somnoroase păsărele