Dor

Dor[1]

Where the springs sizzle so hot

And the trout slip from the bear,

Where berries flower, ripe and rot;

Demiurge, oh!,

          Birth me there

Where Her ancient howl is calling,

Carried by your lightning mare;

And the swallows kill their offspring,

Demiurge,

          Ripen me there

When the icy crivăț[2] slithers

And children greet The Son of Man,

Cut my braid before it withers,

Demiurge, oh!,

           Reap me then

When my lips dry on the clay bird

And the wolf cubs leave their den

When the grey sheep warns the shepherd

Dor, oh, dor!

          Burry me then

For so shall my spirit blossom

And my loam palms shall pray then,

To my Mother’s muddy bosom,

That She births me here again.

[1] Dor is an untranslatable Romanian word. By dictionary, dor means “the strong desire to see or see someone or something dear again, to return to a favourite occupation; nostalgia”. However, its Latin origin links it to the word dolus, which means “pain”. Therefore, the translation linked to “missing” doesn’t do it justice, as the one experiencing dor isn’t lacking something, but is rather longing for something. Dor is oftentimes addressed directly, as an entity, in Romanian literature. Traditional songs accuse of, ask, call and beg Dor for various things (“Dor, take me back to the forest” or “Dor, give me back my loved one”.

Its untranslatability doesn’t necessarily come from a grammatical or semantical standpoint, but from the incapacity to relate to the endemic sense of dor, the specific connection between the Romanian cultural identity and the feelings this word expresses - a mythical longing for the land, for the old times, for the loved ones.

[2] Strong and cold wind that blows during winter in Romania from the Northeast.

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Image: Forester's daughter by Nicolae Tonitza