Contributions:texts:historiography:descriptions

1) Descriptio antiqui et hodierni status Moldaviae

Zimbir and Ierunka

Part I

Chapter 9 De animalibus feris et domesticis (About wild and domestic animals)

“Sed in occidentalibus montibus aliud est animal, quod proprium esse nostrae regioni fere ausim. Zimbir Moldavis vocantur, magnitude bovem domesticum aequat, caput tamen minus et oblungum, collum et ventrem graciliorem, pedes altiores, cornua tenuiora et erectiora habet, quorum extremitas acutissima paulisper exterius reflectitur. Animal est ferox et velox, ac caprarum instar per montium praecipitia scandere potest, unde vix nisi sclopeto occisum aut vulneratum capitur. Hoc est illud, cujus caput primus instauratae Moldaviae princeps Dragoss provinciae symbolum esse voluit”

But in the western mountains there is another animal, a beast, which is, I dare to say, particular to our regions. It is called Zimbir by the Moldavians, about the same size as the domestic bull, but it has a smaller and longer head, a slimmer neck and belly, taller feet. The horns are more slender and upright than the bull’s and their extremities are very sharp and turned a little to the exterior. The animal is wild and fast, it can climb the sharpest mountains like the goats, which is why they can hardly be taken unless they are wounded or killed with a gun. This is the beast, whose head the first king of Moldova wanted as a symbol of the province

“…in Moldova et confiniis Pocutiae, avis quaedam, incolis Ierunka, Polonis Gluszka i.e. surda dicta. Gallinae sylvestris speciem referens, sed minor, et ipsa natura fatua et surda. Si venator centum tales in uno arbore invenerit, omnes unam post alteram sclopeto occidere potest, reliquis aspicientibus dum socia cadit. Ceterum carnem habet delicatissimam et albissimam, gustus suavitate perdrices etiam et phasanios superantem.”

…in Moldova and at the borders of Pocutia, a certain bird, which the locals call Ierunka and the Polish Gluszka i.e. called the deaf one. It reminds of the species of the wild hen?, but it is smaller and by nature stupid and deaf. If a hunter finds a hundred of them in a tree, he can kill all of them with the gun, one after the other, while the reminder will watch how the neighbor falls. Moreover, they have very delicate and white meat; the taste surpasses in pleasantness even the partridge and the pheasant.

References

[Cantemir, Dimitrie] Cantemiru, Demetriu. Operele Principelui Demetriu Cantemir. Bucuresti: Tipografia Curtii, 1872 contributor Soloveanu, Catalina, m04soc01@student.ceu.hu, Central European University

2)A Song about the Bison

The source I am going to introduce is a remarkable poem written in the beginning of the Sixteenth Century by Mikola Husouski (ca. 1475/85 -post 1533), a Belarusian (Lithuanian) poet. It is called "A Song about the Bison" or “Carmen de statura feritate ac venatione bisontis” (Song about the stature and ferocity of the aurochs and hunting him). It was written in early 1520-s in Rome, where Husouski was on a diplomatic mission, and published in 1523 in Krakow. This poem-hymn is the most significant of his works, which was written in Latin at the request of Pope Leo X (1513-1521). Pope wanted to know what was the animal like, and Husouski tells it in a beautiful poetic way. In the poem a lively description of rich natural resources of contemporary Lithuania, customs of the period, and patriotic views on history, including praise of Grand Duke Vitaut is presented. This writing is not particularly about the nature, but the main focus of it is the description of a famous “tsar” of Lithuanian forests – bison. The life of these animals is portrayed from their early years up to the old age in a picturesque and sensitive style. The author admires their power, majestic appearance and ethos. After this poem appeared aurochs became a symbol of Lithuania and Belarus later.

References

One can find the Latin text of the poem at the following web-site: http://txt.knihi.com/husouski/zubar-lat.html

The Belarusian translation is here: http://txt.knihi.com/husouski/zubar.html

contributor Kliuchnik, Alena, m04kla01@student.ceu.hu