Girolamo De Rada (1814-1903), known in Albanian as Jeronim De Rada, is not only the best known writer of Italo-Albanian literature but also the foremost figure of the Albanian nationalist movement in nineteenth-century Italy.<\/p>\n

Born the son of a parish priest of Greek rite in Macchia Albanese (Alb. Maqi<\/em>) in the mountains of Cosenza, De Rada attended the college of Saint Adrian in San Demetrio Corone. Already imbued with a passion for his Albanian lineage, he began collecting folklore material at an early age. In October of 1834, in accordance with his father\u2019s wishes, he registered at the Faculty of Law of the University of Naples, but the main focus of his interests remained folklore and literature. It was in Naples in 1836 that De Rada published the first edition of his best known Albanian-language poem, the \u2018Songs of Milosao,\u2019 under the Italian title Poesie albanesi del secolo XV. Canti di Milosao, figlio del despota di Scutari<\/em> (Albanian poetry from the 15th century. Songs of Milosao, son of the despot of Shkodra). He was soon forced to abandon his studies due to a cholera epidemic in Naples and returned home to Calabria. His second work, Canti storici albanesi di Serafina Thopia, moglie del principe Nicola Ducagino<\/em>, Naples 1839 (Albanian historical songs of Serafina Thopia, wife of prince Nicholas Dukagjini), was seized by the Bourbon authorities because of De Rada\u2019s alleged affiliation with conspiratorial groups during the Italian Risorgimento. The work was republished under the title Canti di Serafina Thopia, principessa di Zadrina nel secolo XV<\/em>, Naples 1843 (Songs of Serafina Thopia, princess of Zadrina in the 15th century) and in later years in a third version as Specchio di umano transito, vita di Serafina Thopia, Principessa di Ducagino<\/em>, Naples 1897 (Mirror of human transience, life of Serafina Thopia, princess of Dukagjin). His Italian-language historical tragedy I Numidi<\/em>, Naples 1846 (The Numidians), elaborated half a century later as Sofonisba, dramma storico<\/em>, Naples 1892 (Sofonisba, historical drama), enjoyed only modest public response. In the revolutionary year 1848, De Rada founded the newspaper L\u2019Albanese d\u2019Italia<\/em> (The Albanian of Italy) which included articles in Albanian. This bilingual \u2018political, moral and literary journal\u2019 with a final circulation of 3,200 copies was the first Albanian-language periodical anywhere.<\/p>\n

Before Albania had become a political entity, it was already a poetic reality in the works of Girolamo De Rada. His vision of an independent Albania grew in the second half of the nineteenth century from a simple desire to a realistic political objective to which he was passionately committed.<\/p>\n

De Rada was the harbinger and first audible voice of the Romantic movement in Albanian literature, a movement which, inspired by his unfailing energy on behalf of national awakening among Albanians in Italy and in the Balkans, was to evolve into the romantic nationalism characteristic of the Rilindja period in Albania. His journalistic, literary and political activities were instrumental not only in fostering an awareness for the Arb\u00ebresh minority in Italy but also in laying the foundations for an Albanian national literature.<\/p>\n

The most popular of his literary works is the above-mentioned Canti di Milosao<\/em> (Songs of Milosao), known in Albanian as K\u00ebng\u00ebt e Milosaos<\/em>, a long romantic ballad portraying the love of Milosao, a fictitious young nobleman in fifteenth-century Shkodra (Scutari), who has returned home from Thessalonica. Here, at the village fountain, he encounters and falls in love with Rina, the daughter of the shepherd Kollogre. The difference in social standing between the lovers long impedes their union until an earthquake destroys both the city and all semblance of class distinction. After their marriage abroad, a child is born. But the period of marital bliss does not last long. Milosao\u2019s son and wife soon die, and he himself, wounded in battle, perishes on a riverbank within sight of Shkodra.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The earth had transformed the oaks<\/strong><\/p>\n

The earth had transformed the oaks,
\nFresh sea water sparkled
\nBlue at the new day rising;
\nBut the dove of Anacreon
\nLived on in ancient Tempe.
\nOne day it departed for the mountains for water
\nAnd did not return as was its habit.
\nIt did not freeze in the snow
\nNor was it wounded by an arrow,
\nBut flew onward until it landed
\nAt my happy home.
\nWhen the house and land
\nReappeared beside the sea at dawn,
\nWhat joy welled in my eyes.
\nIt awoke me, brushing
\nAgainst the window panes.
\nI arose and looked outside:
\nThe grapes in the ripening vineyards
\nCovered our fields,
\nThe blossoming flax
\nSwayed in the wind,
\nGently smiling, and like its blossoms
\nWas the colour of the sky.
\nYou could look out and forget
\nThe cares of this world.
\nThe gleaners were singing
\nAmidst the sheaves. I had just
\nReturned from abroad, to be reunited
\nWith my sisters. My name was
\nConstantly on my mother’s lips.
\nA joy filled my body
\nLike that of a fair maiden
\nWho, in the warmth of her bed at night,
\nSenses her breasts
\nBeginning to swell.<\/p>\n

[Canti di Milosao, <\/em>excerpt from canto 1, Naples 1836, translated from the Albanian by Robert Elsie, and first published in English in History of Albanian literature<\/em>, New York 1995, vol. 1, p.\u00a0163-164]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Like two radiant lips<\/strong><\/p>\n

The vineyards were golden,
\nFoxes with their exhausted young
\nWere descending from the mountains
\nAt the end of the harvest,
\nAt the time of year when the sun
\nRetreats from such places (as mothers
\nWho have sung and danced retreat from earth),
\nAt the time I left for Fjokat.
\nTall and with embroidered cuffs
\nAnd braided hair
\nBound in a white ribbon,
\nThere was a maiden at the fountain,
\nPensive her brow,
\nHer scarf tied to a blue sash
\nExtending to the ground.
\nThe moment she sensed my presence
\nShe turned towards me,
\nElegant and graceful,
\nTrembling with joy.
\nThe lad: “Will you give me a drop of your water, maiden?”
\nThe maid: “As much as you wish, sir.”
\n“Whose daughter are you, maiden?”
\n“Are you not from here?”
\nWhen as a lad I left home
\nFor Salonika, there were no maidens
\nIn the village with such charm.”
\nLifting her jug
\nShe said blushingly:
\n“I am the daughter of Kollogre”
\nAnd departed, her head uncovered.
\nThough she took that path,
\nThe thorns that covered it
\nDid not scratch her,
\nFor I held them back
\nWith my bleeding arms.
\nWe seemed on that evening
\nLike two radiant lips
\nIn a moment of ecstasy.<\/p>\n

[Canti di Milosao, <\/em>excerpt from canto 2, Naples 1836, translated from the Albanian by Robert Elsie, and first published in English in History of Albanian literature<\/em>, New York 1995, vol. 1, p.\u00a0165-166]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Can a kiss be sweeter?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was Sunday morning
\nAnd the son of the noble matron
\nWent to visit the fair maid
\nTo ask for a drop of water,
\nFor he was dying of thirst.
\nHe found her alone by the hearth
\nBraiding her hair.
\nThey loved one another, but spoke not of their love,
\nThe maiden with a smile on her lips:
\n‘Why must you fly off like the wind?’
\n‘They’re awaiting me for discus throwing.’
\n‘Wait a moment, I’ve kept
\nTwo ripe apples for you.’
\nHolding her combed hair
\nWith one raised hand
\nOver her pale ears,
\nShe plunged the other into her bodice
\nAnd pulled out the apples,
\nPlacing them in his hands,
\nBlushing with embarrassment.
\nTell me, oh lovers,
\nCan a kiss be sweeter?<\/p>\n

[Canti di Milosao, <\/em>excerpt from canto 4, Naples 1836, translated from the Albanian by Robert Elsie, and first published in English in History of Albanian literature<\/em>, New York 1995, vol. 1, p.\u00a0167-168]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Girolamo De Rada (1814-1903), known in Albanian as Jeronim De Rada, is not only the best known writer of Italo-Albanian literature but also the foremost figure of the Albanian nationalist movement in nineteenth-century Italy. Born the son of a parish priest of Greek rite in Macchia Albanese (Alb. Maqi) in the mountains of Cosenza, De […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[66],"class_list":["post-862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-albanian-authors","tag-classical-authors-19th-early-20th-centuries"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.shqipopedia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.shqipopedia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.shqipopedia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.shqipopedia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.shqipopedia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=862"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/en.shqipopedia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":863,"href":"https:\/\/en.shqipopedia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862\/revisions\/863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.shqipopedia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.shqipopedia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.shqipopedia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}