Naim Frash\u00ebri (1846-1900) is nowadays widely considered to be the national poet of Albania. He spent his childhood in the village of Frash\u00ebr where he no doubt began learning Turkish, Persian and Arabic and where, at the Bektashi monastery, he was imbued with the spiritual traditions of the Orient. In Janina (Ioannina), Naim Frash\u00ebri attended the Zosimaia secondary school which provided him with the basics of a classical education along Western lines. Here he was to study Ancient and Modern Greek, French and Italian and, in addition, was to be tutored privately in oriental languages. As he grew in knowledge, so did his affinity for his pantheistic Bektashi religion, for the poets of classical Persia and for the Age of Enlightenment. His education in Janina made of him a prime example of a late nineteenth-century Ottoman intellectual equally at home in both cultures, the Western and the Oriental.<\/p>\n

Naim Frash\u00ebri is the author of a total of twenty-two works: four in Turkish, one in Persian, two in Greek and fifteen in Albanian. In view of his sensitive position as director of the board of censorship of the Turkish Ministry of Education in which capacity he was occasionally able to circumvent the ban on Albanian-language books and publications imposed by the Sublime Porte, Naim Frash\u00ebri deemed it wise not to use his full name in many of his publications, and printed only a \u2018by N.H.,\u2019 \u2018by N.H.F.\u2019 or \u2018by N.F.\u2019<\/p>\n

The poetry collections for which Naim Frash\u00ebri is primarily remembered were also published in Bucharest. Bag\u00ebti e bujq\u00ebsija<\/em>, Bucharest 1886 (Bucolics and Georgics), is a 450-line pastoral poem reminiscent of Vergil (70-19 B.C.) and laden with the imagery of his mountain homeland. It proved extremely popular among Frash\u00ebri\u2019s compatriots and was smuggled into Albania in caravans. In it, the poet expresses his dissatisfaction with city life, no doubt from actual experience on the bustling banks of the Bosphorus, and idealizes the distant and longed-for Albanian countryside. It is a hymn to nature in the traditions of European romanticism and yet one of earthy substance in which, like Hesiod (8th cent. B.C.) in his \u2018Work and Days,\u2019 Vergil in his \u2018Georgics\u2019 or the great eighteenth-century Lithuanian poet Kristijonas Donelaitis (1714-1780) in his somewhat less idyllic \u2018Seasons,\u2019 Naim Frash\u00ebri sings of the herds and flocks, and of the joys and toil of agriculture and rural life. In the collection Lulet\u00eb e ver\u00ebs\u00eb<\/em>, Bucharest 1890 (The flowers of spring), he also paid tribute to the beauties of the Albanian countryside in twenty-three\u00a0poems of rich sonority. Here the pantheistic philosophy of his Bektashi upbringing and the strong influence of the Persian classics are coupled harmoniously with patriotic idealism – literary creativity serving the goal of national identity. The verse collection Parajsa dhe fjala fluturake<\/em>, Bucharest 1894 (Paradise and winged words), published together with the spiritual essays M\u00ebsime<\/em>, Bucharest 1894 (Teachings), evinced his affinities for the heroes of the past and for the spiritual traditions of the Orient, in particular for the Persian mystics. Istori\u2019 e Skenderbeut<\/em>, Bucharest 1898 (History of Scanderbeg), is an historical epic of 11,500 verses which Frash\u00ebri must have written in about 1895 in his last creative years and one which the author himself regarded as his masterpiece. It also constituted the poet\u2019s political legacy. Another work of similar proportions, published the same year as the \u2018History of Scanderbeg,\u2019 is Qerbelaja<\/em>, Bucharest 1898 (Kerbela), a Shi\u2019ite religious epic in twenty-five cantos, which deals with the Battle of Kerbela in Iraq in 680 A.D. in which Husein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, was killed. In contrast to the \u2018History of Scanderbeg,\u2019 Qerbelaja<\/em> is a narrative epic devoid of a hero or principal character. Many elements of Naim Frash\u00ebri\u2019s religiosity are also present in Naim Frash\u00ebri\u2019s Fletore e Bektashinjet<\/em>, Bucharest 1896 (Bektashi notebook), which is of major significance for our knowledge of the pantheistic but secretive Bektashi sect of dervishes. Frash\u00ebri hoped that liberal Bektashi beliefs to which he had been attached since his childhood in Frash\u00ebr would one day take hold as the new religion of all Albania. Since they had their roots both in the Muslim Koran and in the Christian Bible, they could promote unity among his religiously divided people. The Notebook contains an introductory profession of Bektashi faith and ten spiritual poems which provide a rare view into the beliefs of the sect which in the nineteenth century played an important role in the survival of Albanian culture, in particular by the illegal distribution of Albanian books.<\/p>\n

The significance of Naim Frash\u00ebri as a Rilindja poet and indeed as a \u2018national poet\u2019 rests not so much upon his talents of literary expression nor on the artistic quality of his verse, but rather upon the sociopolitical, philosophical and religious messages it transmitted, which were aimed above all at national awareness and, in the Bektashi tradition, at overcoming religious barriers within the country. His influence upon Albanian writers at the beginning of the twentieth century was enormous. Many of his poems were set to music during his lifetime and were sung as folk songs. If one compares the state of Albanian literature before and after the arrival of Naim Frash\u00ebri, one becomes aware of the major role he played in transforming Albanian into a literary language of substantial refinement.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Oh mountains of Albania<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh mountains of Albania and you, oh trees so lofty,
\nBroad plains with all your flowers, day and night I contemplate\u00a0you,
\nYou highlands so exquisite, and you streams and rivers sparkling,
\nOh peaks and promontories, and you slopes, cliffs, verdant\u00a0forests,
\nOf the herds and flocks I’ll sing out which you hold and which\u00a0you\u00a0nourish.
\nOh you blessed, sacred places, you inspire and delight me!
\nYou, Albania, give me honour, and you name me\u00a0as\u00a0Albanian,
\nAnd my heart you have replenished both with ardour and desire.
\nAlbania! Oh my mother! Though in exile I am longing,
\nMy heart has ne’er forgotten all the love you’ve given to me.
\nWhen a lambkin from its flock strays and does hear its\u00a0mother’s\u00a0bleating,
\nOnce or twice it will give answer and will flee in her direction,
\nWere others, twenty-thirty fold, to block its path and scare it,
\nDespite its fright it would return, pass through them like an arrow,
\nThus my wretched heart in exile, here in foreign land awaiting,
\nHastens back unto that country, swift advancing and in longing.
\nWhere cold spring water bubbles and cool breezes blow\u00a0in\u00a0summer,
\nWhere the foliage grows so fairly, where the flowers have such\u00a0fragrance,
\nWhere the shepherd plays his reed pipe to the grazing of the cattle,
\nWhere the goats, their bells resounding, rest, yes ’tis the land I\u00a0long\u00a0for.<\/p>\n

…<\/p>\n

[excerpt from O Malet’ e Shqip\u00ebris\u00eb<\/em>, from the volume Bag\u00ebti e bujq\u00ebsija<\/em>, Bucharest 1886. Translated from the Albanian by Robert Elsie]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Words of the Candle<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here among you have I risen,
\nAnd aflame am I now blazing,
\nJust a bit of light to give you,
\nThat I change your night to daytime,
\nI’ll combust and I will wither,
\nBe consumed and be extinguished,
\nJust to give you brightness, vision,
\nThat you notice one another,
\nFor you will I fade and tarnish,
\nOf me there will be no remnant,
\nI will burn, in tears lamenting,
\nMy desire I cannot suffer.
\nOf the fire I am not fearful,
\nI will never be extinguished
\nIf I burn of my desire,
\nTry to shine as best I’m able.
\nWhen you see that I have vanished,
\nDo not think that I have perished,
\nI’m alive, among the living,
\nIn the rays of truth I’m standing,
\nIn your souls do I take refuge,
\nDo not think I’m stranger to you,
\nPatience was bestowed upon me,
\nThus I glow with steadfast courage,
\nDoing good is all I long for,
\nThat you not remain in darkness.
\nForward now and gather ’round me
\nTalk, smile, eat, drink and make merry,
\nLove within my soul is harboured,
\nYes, for mankind am I burning,
\nLet me melt and let me smoulder,
\nTo grow cold I do not wish for.
\nLet my wretched corpse be consumed
\nFor our true God the Almighty,
\nMay my lungs scorch, charred to ashes,
\nFor mankind I’ll melt and vanish,
\nWith me all man’s joys I’ll carry,
\nBear them to the Lord Almighty.
\nHumanity is what I long for,
\nGoodness, gentleness and wisdom,
\nIf you’ll with me be companions?
\nIf you’ll love me as I love you,
\nIf you all love one another,
\nWork not for the Prince of Darkness.
\nVenture towards me, fleeting heart, do
\nCome, approach this fire a little!
\nThough the flame may singe your wings, it’s
\nSure to sanctify your spirit.
\nWith the torch that here consumes me
\nI the eyes of men have opened,
\nBeen of them a true companion.
\nI do know them, they do know me,
\nI’ve observed them all in passing,
\nMothers, kith and kin, and fathers,
\nAll of them are my concern still,
\nAll who lived here on this planet,
\nEven now I see them ‘mongst you,
\nFor I recognize their spirits.
\nI, like you, have changed, transfigured,
\nChanged and altered my companions,
\nMany times have I turned into
\nEarth and wind and fire and water.
\nI’m a spark come from the heavens,
\nFrom the sun I’m glowing embers,
\nThrough the skies I fly, a-soaring,
\nAnd live deep within the ocean,
\nOften in the soil I sleep or
\nTake my rest in fruits and honey,
\nI’m a suckling lamb or kid goat,
\nFlower, grass or leaves a-sprouting,
\nSo much do I have to tell you,
\nYet I fear my speech will fail me.
\nWhat’s the point to put to paper
\nWords this flickering tongue’s inspired?<\/p>\n

[Fjal\u00ebt’ e qiririt<\/em>, from the volume Vjersha p\u00ebr m\u00ebsonj\u00ebtoret t\u00eb para<\/em>, Bucharest 1886. Translated from the Albanian by Robert Elsie]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Flute<\/strong><\/p>\n

Listen to the flute a-speaking,
\nTell the tale of wretched exile,
\nWeeping for this world of sorrow
\nUsing words of truth to spin it.<\/p>\n

Since the day they seized and took me
\nFrom my friends and my companions,
\nMen and women have been weeping
\nAt the echo of my sobbing.<\/p>\n

I have rent my breast from beating,
\nGaping holes have made within it,
\nHow I’ve wept and have lamented,
\nThousand sighs my heart has rendered.<\/p>\n

I’m a friend and blithe companion
\nBoth of this world’s happy people
\nAnd of all folk sad, embittered,
\nWith them do I make alliance.<\/p>\n

Whate’er be the situation,
\nI can weep and mourn in longing,
\nAt any time and any place will
\nMy heart sigh and be a-moaning.<\/p>\n

All the world does listen to me,
\nSees though only my appearance,
\nOf my wishes they know nothing,
\nNor the fire that burns within me.<\/p>\n

People come and gather ’round me
\nWhen I weep and tell of longing,
\nYet they do not know my secret,
\nThus I find no consolation.<\/p>\n

Those abandoned, hearts forsaken,
\nOf the flute become companions,
\nSome, its mellow scales a-hearing,
\nLose their minds, their wits completely.<\/p>\n

Human falsehood and illusion!
\nThe flute’s voice is not mere wind, it
\nHas the fire of love within it
\nWhen that lowly reed is fingered.<\/p>\n

When it plays, the heavens brighten,
\nWhen it plays, do hearts take courage,
\nWhen it plays, the summer blossoms,
\nWhen it plays, the soul’s ecstatic.<\/p>\n

To the rose it lends its fragrance,
\nAnd to beauty adds an aura,
\nGives the nightingale its music,
\nCharm bestows upon the cosmos.<\/p>\n

Of that fire to the heavens
\nRising, flickering and flaming,
\nDoes it make the sun and stars which
\nGod within his hands is holding.<\/p>\n

From that fire, true God Almighty
\nAll the firmament he fashioned,
\nSent the spark of life, creating
\nHumankind after his likeness.<\/p>\n

Fire, oh blessed fire a-blazing,
\nI with you have been united,
\nThus am purified and blended.
\nNever leave me, my beloved!<\/p>\n

[Fyelli<\/em>, from the volume Lulet\u00eb e ver\u00ebs\u00eb<\/em>, Bucharest 1890. Translated from the Albanian by Robert Elsie]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Hope<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have great hope
\nIn God
\nThat he will not abandon
\nAlbania thus,
\nBut that she will shine forth
\nAnd break into blossom.<\/p>\n

May the day dawn
\nThat will bestow upon us
\nA great light,
\nGiving birth to:
\nCivilization,
\nProsperity.<\/p>\n

Fraternity
\nAnd unity
\nAnd compassion
\nAre our salvation.
\nHappy is he who will be present
\nWhen this day comes.<\/p>\n

When Albania
\nWill be radiant
\nAnd misfortune
\nWill be banished
\nForever
\nFrom her sight.<\/p>\n

For Albania,
\nJoyous days
\nAre at hand.
\nThe darkness is receding.
\nHappy is he who will live
\nTo see her reign!<\/p>\n

For the Albanian
\nAnd his language
\nAre at one
\nWith Albania.
\nHappy is he who will
\nBehold her soon!<\/p>\n

Knowledge
\nAnd progress,
\nGoodness
\nAnd humanity
\nWill arise,
\nNever to stray.<\/p>\n

[Shpreh<\/em>, from the volume Lulet\u00eb e ver\u00ebs\u00eb<\/em>, Bucharest 1890, translated from the Albanian by Robert Elsie, and first published in English in History of Albanian literature<\/em>, New York 1995, vol. 1, p. 234-235]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Qerbelaja<\/strong><\/p>\n

We believe in the true God
\nWho is the universe itself,
\nWithout him there is no place,
\nHe is the beginning and the end.
\nWherever we look,
\nWe see his face,
\nHe is everything in this life,
\nHe is the true God!
\nThe blossoming flowers
\nBetray his beauty,
\nHe is the rose,
\nHe is himself the nightingale,
\nAnd when the true God
\nWanted to reveal himself to the world,
\nHe then created man.<\/p>\n

[excerpt from Qerbelaja<\/em>, Bucharest 1898. Translated from the Albanian by Robert Elsie, and first published in English in History of Albanian literature<\/em>, New York 1995, vol. 1, p. 238]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Bird and the Boy<\/strong><\/p>\n

A young boy caught a beautiful bird.
\nIt shook with fear, chirped many a word:
\n“You don’t feel pity that I\u2019m so small,
\nFor just like you, I’ve not grown tall?<\/p>\n

I’m my mother\u2019s only heir,
\nI left her sick in our nest so bare.
\nThe ground is covered deep with snow,
\nThere\u2019s no more brown or green below.<\/p>\n

Poor me, I suffer day and night
\nAnd find no branch that isn’t white.
\nThe weather’s changed to a nightmare,
\nWe\u2019re dying \u2013 famine\u2019s hard to bear.<\/p>\n

Inside my heart you’ve put a stone,
\nBut what of my mother who’s ill, alone?
\nI\u2019ve searched and foraged for two days,
\nFetched her neither seed nor maize.<\/p>\n

Ah! \u2018Twas bad luck that I have wrought,
\nAnd now within your snare I’m caught!
\nMy mom longs for me, as yours must pine.
\nIf I don\u2019t flee, she will decline.<\/p>\n

Poor us, why do you plague us so?
\nWhy don’t you stop this, let me go?
\nI have a soul, and I want to roam,
\nTo cry, to play, to sing… fly home.<\/p>\n

I who lack a human brain,
\nWho have I wronged? Who’ve I caused pain?
\nLeave me in peace, don\u2019t torture me,
\nBecause God sees us, all and thee.<\/p>\n

And he likes the good, rejects the wrong,
\nLoves tenderness, condemns cruel throng,
\nWants righteousness and wisdom’s deed,
\nCasts out the villain and the greed.<\/p>\n

From God I was born unfettered, wild;
\nWhy do you keep me captive, child?”
\nThe boy heard well the sweet bird\u2019s plea,
\nAnd weeping, kissed it, set it free.<\/p>\n

[Zogu dhe djali<\/em>. Translated from the Albanian by Robert Elsie and Janice-Mathie-Heck]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Naim Frash\u00ebri (1846-1900) is nowadays widely considered to be the national poet of Albania. He spent his childhood in the village of Frash\u00ebr where he no doubt began learning Turkish, Persian and Arabic and where, at the Bektashi monastery, he was imbued with the spiritual traditions of the Orient. In Janina (Ioannina), Naim Frash\u00ebri attended […]<\/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-866","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\/866","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=866"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/en.shqipopedia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/866\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":867,"href":"https:\/\/en.shqipopedia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/866\/revisions\/867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.shqipopedia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.shqipopedia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.shqipopedia.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}