Oh Albania Poor Albania
Oh Albania, poor Albania,
Who has shoved your head in ashes?
Once you were a fine, great lady,
All the world's men called you mother.
Once you had such wealth and goodness,
With fair maidens, strapping young lads,
Herds and land, rich fields and produce,
Flashing guns, Italian weapons,
Heroic fellows and pure women,
You reigned as their best companion.
At rifle's blast, at flash of lightning
The Albanian mastered battle,
Thus he fought and thus he perished,
Leaving ne'er misdeeds behind him.
Whene'er an Albanian swore an oath did
All the Balkans tremble at him,
When he charged in savage battle,
Always he returned a victor.
How fare you today, Albania?
Like an oak tree groundward falling!
Trampled now, the world walks o'er you,
No one has a kind word for you.
Like snow-capped peaks, like fields a-blooming
You were clothed, you're now in tatters,
You've no name or reputation,
In your plight you have destroyed them.
Albanians, you are killing kinfolk,
You're split in a hundred factions,
Some believe in God or Allah,
Say 'I'm Turk,' or 'I am Latin,'
Say 'I'm Greek,' or 'I am Slavic,'
But you're brothers, hapless people!
You've been duped by priests and hodjas
To divide you, keep you wretched,
When the stranger shares your hearth side,
Puts to shame your wife and sister,
You still serve him, gaining little,
You forget your forebears' pledges
You are serfs to foreign landlords,
Who have not your blood or language!
Weep, lament, oh swords and rifles,
The Albanian bird's been snared, imprisoned!
Weep with us, oh dauntless heroes,
For Albania's toppled, face-smeared,
Neither bread nor meat remaining,
Fire in hearth, nor light, nor pine torch,
Drained of blood and of friends' honour,
She's defiled and now has fallen!
Gather 'round now, maids and women,
You with fair eyes know of weeping,
Come and mourn our poor Albania,
She has lost her honour, virtue,
She's a widow with no husband,
She's a mother with no offspring!
Who has the heart to let her perish,
Once a heroine, now so weakened!
Well-loved mother, dare we leave her
To fall under foreign boot heels?
No one wishes such shame on her,
Each of us dreads such misfortune!
Before Albania's thus forsaken
Let our men die, bearing rifles.
Wake, Albanian, from your slumber,
Let us, brothers, swear in common
And not look to church or mosque,
The Albanian's faith is Albanianism!
From Bar down to far Preveza
Shall the sun spread forth its warm rays,
Our forefathers left us this land,
Let none touch it, for we'll all die!
Let us fall as did our forebears
And not shame ourselves before God!
Biography:
Pashko Vasa (1825-1892) was a statesman, poet and novelist. He took part in the revolutions in Italy in 1848 and published an account of his experience in Italy in Italian titled La mia prigionia, episodio storico dell’assedio di Venezia (My imprisonment, historical episode from the siege of Venice). He went on to publish other works that had historical relevance. He was also heavily involved with the Albanian national movement, expressing the idea that all Albanian-speaking territory should be unified (Albanian independence was not an idea that occurred at the time). This led to the publication of the very famous O moj Shqypni (Oh Albania, poor Albania), which appealed for a national awakening. Significantly, it is written in Albanian despite most of Vasa’s publications being in French and Italian.
Questions:
- Why is it significant that Vasa chose to write in Albanian? How does language function within the poem?
- How is the idea of Albania characterised?
- What message is Vasa trying to put across? Who do you sympathise with as a reader?
Other Albanian Literature:
- A Dictator Calls by Ismail Kadare
- The Highland Lute by Gjergj Fishta
- Doruntine by Ismail Kadare
- A Bridegroom at Fourteen by Andon Zako Cajupi
- Under the Banners of Melancholy: Collected Literary Works by Migjeni
Now why not discover Oh Albania Poor Albania in its original language:
O moj Shqypni
O moj Shqypni, e mjera Shqypni,
Kush te ka qitë me krye n'hi?
Ti ke pas kenë një zojë e randë,
Burrat e dheut të thirrshin nanë.
Ke pasë shumë t'mira e begati,
Me varza t'bukura e me djelm t'ri,
Gja e vend shumë, ara e bashtina,
Me armë të bardha, me pushkë ltina,
Me burra trima, me gra të dlira;
Ti ndër gjith shoqet ke kenë ma e mira.
Kur kriste pushka si me shkrep moti,
Zogu i shqyptarit gjithmonë i zoti
Ka kenë për luftë e n'luftë ka dekun
E dhunë mbrapa kurr s'i mbetun.
Kur ka lidhë besën burri i Shqypnisë,
I ka shti dridhën gjithë Rumelisë;
Ndër lufta t'rrebta gjithëkund ka ra,
Me faqe t'bardhë gjithmonë asht da.
Por sot, Shqypni, pa m'thuej si je?
Po sikur lisi i rrxuem përdhe,
Shkon bota sipri, me kambë, të shklet
E nji fjalë t'ambël askush s'ta flet.
Si mal me borë, si fushë me lule
Ke pas qenë veshun, sot je me crule,
E s'të ka mbetun as em'n as besë;
Vet e ke prishun për faqe t'zezë.
Shqyptar', me vllazën jeni tuj u vra,
Ndër nji qind ceta jeni shpërnda;
Ca thone kam fè ca thonë kam din;
Njeni:"jam turk", tjetri:"latin"
Do thonë: "Jam grek", "shkje"-disa tjerë,
Por jemi vllazën t'gjith more t'mjerë!
Priftnit e hoxhët ju kanë hutue,
Për me ju damun me ju vorfnue!
Vjen njeri i huej e ju rri n'votër,
Me ju turpnue me grue e motër,
E për sa pare qi do t'fitoni,
Besën e t'parëve t'gjith e harroni,
Baheni robt e njerit t'huej,
Qi nuk ka gjuhën dhe gjakun tuej.
Qani ju shpata e ju dyfeqe,
Shqiptari u zu si zog ndër leqe!
Qani ju trima bashkë me ne,
Se ra Shqypnia me faqe n'dhe!
E s'i ka mbetun as bukë as mish,
As zjarm në votër, as dritë, as pishë;
As gjak në faqe, as nder ndër shokë,
Por asht rrëxue e bamun trokë!
Mblidhniu ju varza, mblidhniu ju gra,
M'ata sy t'bukur q'dini me qa,
Eni t'vajtojmë Shqypninë e mjerë,
Qi mbet' e shkretë pa em'n, pa nder;
Ka mbet e vejë si grue pa burrë,
Ka mbet si nanë, qi s'pat djalë kurrë!
Kujt i ban zemra m'e e lan' me dekë
Kët farë trimneshe, qi sot asht mekë?
Këtë nanë të dashtun a do ta lamë,
Qi njeri i huej ta shklasë me kambë?
Nuk, nuk! Këtë marrè askush s'e do
Këtë faqe t'zezë gjithkush e dro!
Para se t'hupet kështu Shqypnia,
Me pushkë n'dorë le t'desë trimnia!
Coniu, shqyptarë, prej gjumit çoniu,
Të gjithë si vllazën n'nji besë shtërngoniu,
E mos shikoni kisha e xhamia:
Feja e shqyptarit asht shqyptaria!
Qysh prej Tivarit deri n'Prevezë,
Gjithkund lshon dielli vap'edhe rrezë,
Asht tok' e jona, prind na e kanë lanë
Kush mos na e preki, se desim t'tanë
Të desim si burrat që vdiqnë motit
Edhe mos marrohna përpara zotit.
With credit to:
Original version = https://www.teksteshqip.com/pashko-vasa/poezi-101206.php
Translated version by Robert Elsie = http://www.albanianliterature.net/authors/classical/vasa/vasa_poetry.html