Pui de lei

"Pui de lei" (transl. "Lion Cubs") is a Romanian patriotic poem. It was written by Ioan S. Nenițescu, author of many other patriotic poems, with "Pui de lei" being one of his most famous ones.^[1] It was published by him in 1891 in his work^[2] Pui de lei. Poesii eroice și naționale,^[3] in which he compiled several other poems inspired in the Romanian War of Independence in which he participed.^[2] Ionel G. Brătianu composed a song for the poem in 1902.^[4]

The song, along with other ones that also evoke Romania's past and ancestors, was promoted by the Romanian communist authorities.^[5] In fact, in 1980, during the 2050th anniversary of the establishment of a centralized Dacian state, the song was officially sung. At the time, there were people who followed a tendency, known as Dacianism (or Dacomania), in which the Dacians were glorified within Romanian history.^[6]

However, the song was broadcast in Radio Bucharest (now known as Radio Romania International) by dissident employees on the morning of 21 December 1989, during the Romanian Revolution against the communist government, as a sign of the national uprising that was happening in Romania.^[7] In addition, it has been interpreted by the Romanian Land Forces.^[1]

Lyrics

The lyrics of the song and their English translation are the following:^[3]

Eroi au fost, eroi sunt încă Și-or fi în neamul românesc! Căci rupți sunt ca din tare stâncă Românii orișiunde cresc. E vița noastră făurită De doi bărbați cu brațe tari Și cu voința oțelită, Cu minți deștepte, inimi mari. Și unu-i Decebal cel harnic, Iar celălalt Traian cel drept Ei, pentru vatra lor amarnic Au dat cu-atâția dușmani piept. Și din așa părinți de seamă În veci s-or naște luptători, Ce pentru patria lor mamă Vor sta ca vrednici următori. Au fost eroi, și-or să mai fie Ce-or frânge dușmanii cei răi Din coastă Daciei și-a Romei În veci s-or naște pui de lei.

Heroes there were, and there still are And there will be in the Romanian nation! For they are born out of hard rock The Romanians everywhere they grow. It's our inheritance From by two men with strong arms And with steel-like wills, With clever minds, great hearts. One is Decebalus the diligent, The other Trajan the just They, for their homeland Have bitterly fought so many enemies. And out of such parents Fighters will always be born, Who for their motherland Will stand as the next worthy ones. There were heroes, and there still are Who will defeat the evil enemies Out of Dacia's and Rome's side Forever lions cubs will be born.

References

1. Motoc, Corneliu (2020). "Ioan Nenițescu". Misterele Dunării (in Romanian). Vol. 12. pp. 78–83.
2. Vârgolici, Teodor (1976). Ecourile literare ale cuceririi independenței naționale (in Romanian). Editura Eminescu. pp. 1–300.
3. Hariton, Silviu Radian (2011). "Nationalism, heroism and war monuments in Romania, 1900s-1930s". New Europe College Yearbook (11): 183–237.
4. Chelaru, Carmen (2018). "Romanian national anthems, historical, stylistic and aesthetic considerations". Artes. Journal of Musicology. 18 (1): 207–229. doi:10.2478/ajm-2018-0013. ISSN 2558-8532.
5. Cristescu, Cosmina (2018). "Romanian poets published in the textbooks under Ceaușescu's communist regime" (PDF). The Challenges of Communication, Contexts and Strategies in the World of Globalism (in Romanian). 5: 112–118.
6. Negoiță, Cătălin (2018). "Dacopații și "rescrierea" istoriei. Cum poate o aberație, repetată de o mie de ori, să devină adevăr". Analele Universității "Dunărea de Jos" Din Galați (in Romanian). 17 (1): 117–129.
7. Stech, Frank J. (1992). "Upheaval in Europe: PSYOP Communications Lessons Learned". Special Warfare: 13–17.

External links

• "Pui de lei" on YouTube