Of pride the Roumanian has little idea as yet; he has been too long treated as a degraded and serf-like being, and the only word approaching this characteristic would rather seem to express the vanity{133} of a handsome man who sees himself admired. Also for dignity the epithet3 is wanting, and the nearest approach to it is to say that a man is sensible and composed if you would express that he is dignified4.
Revenge is cultivated as a virtue, and whoever would be considered a respectable man must keep in mind the injuries done to him, and show resentment5 thereof on fitting occasions. Reconciliation6 is regarded as opprobrious7, and forgiveness of wrongs degrading. But the Roumanian’s rage is stealthy and disguised, and while the Hungarian lets his anger openly explode, the Roumanian will dissemble and mutter between his teeth, “Tine mente” (“Thou shalt remember this”); and his memory is good, for he does not suffer himself to forget. When an injury has been done to him henceforward it becomes his sacred duty to brood over his vengeance8. He must not say a good word more to his enemy nor do him a service, and must strive to injure his foe10 to the best of his ability—with, however, this nice distinction, that he himself do not profit by the injury done. Thus, it would not be consistent with the Roumanian’s code of honor were he to steal the horse or ox of his enemy, but there can be no reasonable objection to his advising or inducing another man to do so. Such behavior is considered only right and just, and by so acting11 he will only be fulfilling his duty as an honest and honorable man.
The Roumanian does not seem to be courageous12 by nature—at least not as we understand courage—nor does courage exactly take rank as a virtue in his estimation, for courage implies a certain recklessness of consequences, and, according to his way of thinking, every action should be circumscribed13, and only performed after due deliberation. When, however, driven to it by circumstances, and brought to recognize the necessity, he can fight bravely and is a good soldier. In the same way, he will never expose his life without necessity, and will coolly watch a house burning down without offering assistance; but when compelled to action under military orders, he will go blindly into the fire, even knowing death to be inevitable14.
What is commonly understood by military enthusiasm is wanting in the Roumanian (at least on this side of the frontier), for he is too ignorant to perceive the advantage of letting himself be shot in the service of a foreign master, for a cause of which he understands nothing and cares less. He is extremely sorry for himself when forced to enlist15, and sometimes becomes most poetically16 plaintive17 on the subject, as in the following verses translated from a popular song:
“To the battle-field I go,
There to fight the country’s foe.
Wash my linen18, mother mine,
All my linen white and fine.[20]
Rinse19 it in thy tears, and then
Dry on burning breast again.
Send it, mother, to me there
Where you hear the trumpet’s blare.
Where the banners droop20 o’erhead,
There shall I be lying dead,
Stricken by the musket’s lead,
Seamed by gashes21 rosy22 red,
Trampled23 by the charger’s tread.”
Something of the spirit of the ancient Spartans24 lies in the Roumanian’s idea of virtue and vice9. Stealing and drunkenness are not considered to be intrinsically wrong, only the publicity25 which may attend these proceedings26 conveying any sense of shame to the offender27. Thus a man is not yet a thief because he has stolen; and whoever becomes accidentally aware of the theft should, if he have no personal interest in the matter, hold his peace, on the Shakespearian principle that
“He that filches28 from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him,
And makes me poor indeed.”
Even the injured party whose property has been abstracted is advised if possible to reckon alone with the thief, without drawing general attention to his fault.
Neither is drunkenness necessarily degrading. On the contrary, every decent man should get drunk on suitable occasions, such as weddings, christenings, etc., and then go quietly to a barn or loft29 and sleep off his tipsiness. Bea cat vrei apoi te calcu si dormi (drink thy fill and then lie down and sleep) says their proverb; but any man who has been seen reeling drunk in the open street, hooted30 at by children and barked at by dogs, were it but once, is henceforward branded as a drunkard. It is therefore the duty of each Roumanian who sees a drunken man to conduct him quietly to the nearest barn or loft.
There are some few villages where even the noblest inhabitants{135} are not ashamed to be seen drunk in the open street, but in such villages the moral standard is a low one throughout.
Another curious side of the Roumanian’s morality is the point of view from which he regards personal property, such as grain and fruit. In general, whatever grows plentifully31 in the fields, or, as they term it, “whatever God has given,” may be taken with impunity32 by whoever passes that way, but with this restriction33, that he merely take so much as he can consume at the moment. This is but right and just, and the proprietor35 who makes complaint at having his vineyard or his plum-trees rifled in this manner only exposes himself to ridicule36. Whoever carries away of the fruits with him is a thief, but, strictly37 speaking, only when he sells the stolen goods, not when he shares them quietly with his own family.
With regard to fowls38, geese, lambs, and sucking-pigs, the rule is more or less the same. Whoever steals only in order to treat himself to a good dinner is not blamed, and may even boast of the feat40 on the sly; but the man caught in the act is punished by having the stolen goods tied round his neck, and being led round the village to the sound of the drum to proclaim his shame to the people. If, however, he has stolen from a stranger—that is, some one of another village—the culprit does not usually lose his good reputation; and he who robs a rich stranger is never considered base, but simply awkward to have exposed himself to the odium of discovery.
The Roumanian only looks at deeds and results, motives41 being absolutely indifferent to him. So the word passion he translates as patima, which really expresses weakness. Thus an om patima—a weak man—may be either a consumptive invalid42, a love-sick youth, or a furious drunkard. Passion is a misfortune which should excite compassion43, but not resentment; and whoever commits a bad action is above all foolish, because it is sure to be found out sooner or later.
An anecdote44 which aptly characterizes the Roumanian’s moral sense is told by Mr. Patterson. Three peasants waylaid45 and murdered a traveller, dividing his spoils between them. Among his provisions they discovered a cold roast fowl39, which they did not eat, however, but gave to their dog, as, being a fast-day, they feared to commit sin by tasting flesh. This was related by the murderers themselves when caught and driven to confess the crime before justice.
While on the subject of fasts, I may as well here mention that those prescribed by the Greek Church are numerous and severe; and{136} it is a well-ascertained fact that the largest average of crimes committed by Roumanians occurs during the seasons of Advent46 and Lent, when the people are in a feverish47 and over-excited state from the unnatural48 deprivation49 of food—just as the Saxon peasants are most quarrelsome immediately after the vintage.
Another English traveller, speaking disparagingly50 of the serf-like, crouching51 demeanor52 of the Roumanians, remarked that “perhaps nothing else could be expected of people who are required to fast two hundred and twenty-six days in the year.”
The inhabitants of each Roumanian village are divided into three classes:
First, the distinguished53 villagers—front-men—called fruntasi, or oameni de frunta.
Second, the middle-men—mylocasi, or oameni de mana adona—men of second-hand54.
Third, the hind-men, or codas (tail-men).
Each man, according to his family, personal gifts, reputation, and fortune, is ranged into one or other of these three classes, which have each their separate customs, rights, and privileges, which no member of another class durst infringe55 upon.
Thus the codas may do much which would not be suitable for the other two classes. The mylocasi have, on the whole, the most difficult position of the three, and are most severely56 judged, being alternately accused of presumption57 in imitating the behavior of the fruntas, and blamed for demeaning themselves by copying the irregular habits of the codas. In short, it would seem to be all but impossible for an unfortunate middle-man to hit off the juste milieu58, and succeed in combining in his person the precise proportions of dignity and deference59 required of his state.
Nor is the position of the front-men entirely60 an easy one. Each one of these has a separate party of hangers-on, friends and admirers, who profess61 a blind faith and admiration62 for him—endorsing his opinion on all occasions, and recognizing his authority in matters of dispute. His dress, his words, his actions are all strictly regulated on the axiom noblesse oblige; but woe63 to him if he be caught erring64 himself—for only in the case of the popa is it allowable for the practice to differ from the preaching. A fruntas may sit down to table with the codas of his own village, whenever they are in his service helping65 him to bring in the harvest or to build a house; but{137} he durst not, under pain of losing caste, be equally familiar with any strange codas.
There are, moreover, whole districts which are reckoned as distinguished, and whose codas take rank along with the mylocasi, or even the front-men, of less aristocratic villages. A single woman, coming from one of these distinguished neighborhoods, may in a short time transform the whole village into which she marries, the inhabitants eagerly studying and imitating her dress, manners, and gestures, down to the most insignificant66 details.
A distinctive67 quality of the Roumanian race is the touching68 affection which mostly unites all members of one family. Unlike the Saxon, who seeks to limit the number of his offspring, the poor Roumanian, even when plunged69 into the direst poverty, yet regards each addition to his family as another gift of God; while to be a childless wife is considered as the greatest of misfortunes.
Numerous instances are recorded of children of other nationalities, who, deserted70 by their unnatural parents, have been taken in by poor Roumanians, themselves already burdened with a numerous family.
There is an ancient Roumanian legend which tells us how in olden times there used to prevail the custom of killing71 off all old men and useless encumbrances72, on the same principle as in Mr. Trollope’s “Fixed Period.” One young man, however, being much attached to his parent, could not resign himself to executing this cruel order; but fearing the anger of his country-people, he concealed73 his father in an empty barrel in the cellar, where every day he secretly brought him food and drink.
But it came to pass that all arms-bearing men were summoned together to sally forth74 in quest of a terrible dragon which was devastating75 the land. The pious76 son, sorely puzzled to know how to provide his father with nourishment77 during his absence, carried together all the victuals78 in the house, lamenting79 to him that possibly he might never return from the expedition, in which case his beloved parent would be obliged to die of hunger. The old man answered,
“If in truth thou returnest not, then life has no more charms for me, and gladly will I let my weak body sink into the grave. But wouldst thou come back victorious80 out of the conflict with the dragon, listen to my words. The cavern81 inhabited by the monster has over a hundred subterraneous passages and galleries which run like a labyrinth83{138} in every direction, so that even if the enemy be killed the victors, unable to find the outlet84, will perish miserably85. Therefore take with thee our black mare86 which goes to pasture with a foal, and lead them both to the mouth of the cavern. There kill and bury the foal, but take the mother with thee, and when the struggle with the dragon is over, she will safely lead thee back to the light of day.”
The son then took leave of his father with many tears, and marched away with his comrades, and when he reached the cavern he obeyed the given directions, without, however, revealing the secret to any one.
After a desperate struggle, the monster in the cavern was slain87; but terror and dismay took possession of the warriors88 when it proved impossible to find the outlet from this dreadful labyrinth. Then stepped forward the pious son with his black mare, and called upon the others to follow him. The mare began to neigh for her foal, and, seeking the daylight, soon hit on the right track, which brought them safely to the mouth of the cavern.
The warriors, seeing how their comrade had saved them all from certain death, now besought89 him to reveal to them how he chanced to have hit on this cunning device. But he now took fright that if he spoke90 the truth, not only his own life but that of his old father would be forfeited91 for having thus dared to disobey the law of the land. Only at last, when all had sworn to do him no injury, did he consent to unseal his lips and tell them how, in his cellar, there lived his father, an old and experienced man, who, at parting, had given him this advice with regard to the mare.
On hearing this the warriors were mightily92 astonished, and one of them called out, “Our ancestors did not do wisely in teaching us to kill the old ones, for these are more experienced than we, and can often help the people with their sage82 counsels when mere34 strength of arm is powerless to conquer.”
All applauded this sentiment, and the cruel law which demanded the death of the aged93 was henceforth abolished.
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1
obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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2
virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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epithet
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| n.（用于褒贬人物等的）表述形容词，修饰语 | |
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dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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5
resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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reconciliation
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| n.和解，和谐，一致 | |
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7
opprobrious
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| adj.可耻的，辱骂的 | |
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8
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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9
vice
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| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
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10
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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11
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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12
courageous
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| adj.勇敢的，有胆量的 | |
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13
circumscribed
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| adj.[医]局限的：受限制或限于有限空间的v.在…周围划线( circumscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；划定…范围；限制；限定 | |
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14
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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15
enlist
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| vt.谋取(支持等)，赢得；征募；vi.入伍 | |
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16
poetically
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| adv.有诗意地，用韵文 | |
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17
plaintive
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| adj.可怜的，伤心的 | |
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18
linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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19
rinse
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| v.用清水漂洗，用清水冲洗 | |
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20
droop
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| v.低垂，下垂；凋萎，萎靡 | |
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21
gashes
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| n.深长的切口（或伤口）( gash的名词复数 )v.划伤，割破( gash的第三人称单数 ) | |
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22
rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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23
trampled
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| 踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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24
spartans
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| n.斯巴达（spartan的复数形式） | |
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25
publicity
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| n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告 | |
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26
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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27
offender
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| n.冒犯者，违反者，犯罪者 | |
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28
filches
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| v.偷（尤指小的或不贵重的物品）( filch的第三人称单数 ) | |
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29
loft
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| n.阁楼，顶楼 | |
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30
hooted
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| （使）作汽笛声响，作汽车喇叭声( hoot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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31
plentifully
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| adv. 许多地，丰饶地 | |
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32
impunity
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| n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除 | |
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33
restriction
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| n.限制，约束 | |
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34
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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35
proprietor
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| n.所有人；业主；经营者 | |
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36
ridicule
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| v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄 | |
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37
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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38
fowls
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| 鸟( fowl的名词复数 )； 禽肉； 既不是这； 非驴非马 | |
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39
fowl
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| n.家禽，鸡，禽肉 | |
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40
feat
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| n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的 | |
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41
motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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42
invalid
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| n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的 | |
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43
compassion
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| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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44
anecdote
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| n.轶事，趣闻，短故事 | |
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45
waylaid
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| v.拦截，拦路( waylay的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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46
advent
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| n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临 | |
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47
feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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48
unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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49
deprivation
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| n.匮乏；丧失；夺去，贫困 | |
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50
disparagingly
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| adv.以贬抑的口吻，以轻视的态度 | |
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51
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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52
demeanor
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| n.行为；风度 | |
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53
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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54
second-hand
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| adj.用过的，旧的，二手的 | |
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55
infringe
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| v.违反，触犯，侵害 | |
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56
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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57
presumption
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| n.推测，可能性，冒昧，放肆，[法律]推定 | |
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58
milieu
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| n.环境；出身背景；(个人所处的)社会环境 | |
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59
deference
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| n.尊重，顺从；敬意 | |
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60
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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61
profess
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| v.声称，冒称，以...为业，正式接受入教，表明信仰 | |
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62
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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63
woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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64
erring
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| 做错事的，错误的 | |
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65
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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66
insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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67
distinctive
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| adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的 | |
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68
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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69
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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70
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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71
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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72
encumbrances
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| n.负担( encumbrance的名词复数 )；累赘；妨碍；阻碍 | |
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73
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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74
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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75
devastating
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| adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的 | |
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76
pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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77
nourishment
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| n.食物，营养品；营养情况 | |
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78
victuals
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| n.食物；食品 | |
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79
lamenting
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| adj.悲伤的，悲哀的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的现在分词 ) | |
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victorious
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| adj.胜利的，得胜的 | |
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cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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82
sage
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| n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的 | |
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83
labyrinth
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| n.迷宫；难解的事物；迷路 | |
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outlet
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| n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄 | |
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miserably
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| adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地 | |
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mare
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| n.母马，母驴 | |
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slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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besought
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| v.恳求，乞求（某事物）( beseech的过去式和过去分词 )；(beseech的过去式与过去分词) | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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91
forfeited
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| （因违反协议、犯规、受罚等）丧失，失去( forfeit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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mightily
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| ad.强烈地；非常地 | |
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aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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