George Murnu

George Murnu (Aromanian: Ioryi al Murnu; January 1 1868, Veria, in the Ottoman Empire, now in Greece – November 17 1957, Bucharest) was a Romanian university professor, archaeologist, historian, translator and poet of Aromanian origin.

After attending the courses of the [http://www.vlachophiles.net/rom_schools.htm Romanian primary and secondary schools] in Macedonia at Bitola, he attended the University of Bucharest. In 1893, at age 25, Murnu was appointed professor at the University of Iaşi and shortly afterwards was awarded a scholarship by the Romanian State in order to complete his postgraduate studies in Munich, and, after several years he returned to Romania after completing a doctorate in philology. A fruitful scholarly activity followed, culminating in Murnu becoming a chairman professor of archaeology at the University of Bucharest.

In 1909 he was appointed head of the National Archaeological Museum in Bucharest by the Ministry of Public Instruction and Religious Confessions.

Murnu has translated an accomplished version of the "Odyssey" and "Iliad" into Romanian. He also wrote his own works of poetry (with bucolic themes), both in Romanian and in his native Aromanian language. Murnu was a sympathizer of the far right Iron Guard, and was an intimate friend of the Aromanian seccessionist politician, head of the Principality of Pindus, Alchiviad Diamandi di Samarina. After the end of World War II, Murnu was not subject to legal investigation - probably due to his age and prestige.

He was elected a full member of the Romanian Academy. Nowadays, a [http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=strada+george+murnu+mangalia&btnG=Google+Search&meta= street] in the Romanian Black Sea port of Mangalia bears his name.

Works

* "Românii din Bulgaria medievală" ("Romanians in Medieval Bulgaria")
* "Studiu asupra elementului grec ante-fanariot în limba română" ("Essay on the pre-Phanariote Greek language elements in Romanian")

Poetry written by Murnu

Cântecul plaiurilor noastre (in Romanian)

"Din bură de codri 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 armãnescu (in Aromanian)
"Grailu-a mel di mumã, grailu-a mel di tatã
"Vatra-a mea iu ni-arde anjli tsi-am bãnatã

"Grai picurãrescu di pãdhuri shi ploae
"Zbor tsi-avdzãi dit gura-a paplui shi ali mae
"Zbor di budzã vrutã, dumnidzescã njilã
"Anjurizmã di frangã shi di trandafilã.

"Lavã di cãshare, boatse di cãlivã
"Suflã vindicare-a ta dultse livã.
"Adiljat di moscu, duh di primuverã
"Bana nj-u cutreamburã ca unã fluiarã
"Tsi di dor pitrunde noaptea tu pundie
"Inima-nj ti-cãntã, mãna-nj tut ti-scrie.

"Stãu, tsi-ascultu plãngu, jalea shi niholu,
"Ved ãncrutsiljatã Soia-nj ca Hristolu
"Shi mizie li-si-avde zborlu-a tal dit gurã.

"Scumpa-a mea fãntãnã tsi anarga curã,
"Mãne, poate mãne, di dushmanj biutã,
"Va s-armãne tu etã pondã shi tãcutã.

ources

* Nicolae-Şerban Tanaşoca, "Realism şi idealism în "Chestiunea aromâneascã". Un episod diplomatic din viaţa lui George Murnu în lumina corespondenţei sale inedite" ("Réalisme et idéalisme dans "la question aroumaine". Un épisode diplomatique de la vie de George Murnu a la lumiere de sa corespondance inédite"), in "Revista de Istorie", 1997, 8, nr. 11-12, pp. 719-738.

External links

* [http://www.csbi.ro/ro/publicatii.html George Murnu - Autobiographical fragment in German]
* [http://www.vlahoi.gr/vlahs.asp The Folklore Association of Aromanians (Armãnj) in Veria]
* [http://www.vlahoi.net Vlahoi.net]