Serbian History 101

"The Death of the Guslar "is one of Serbia's most beloved poems, written by Isidor Bajic, who lived from 1878-1915. This poem defines who the Serbs are as a people. They won't yield to tyranny. "Better a grave than a slave."  Bolje grob nego rob!

Смрт Гуслар "је једна од најомиљенијих песама је Србија, коју је написао Исидор Бајић, који је живео од 1878-1915. Ова поема. Дефинише ко су Срби као народ. Неће дати на тиранију. "Better a grave than a slave: "Боље Гроб него Роб."

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  The GUSLAR

The Serbs have always treasured guslars and their instruments, the gusle, a single-stringed carved wooden instrument that creates a series of long wailing notes when the bow is strung across it. Once the guslar (singer of history) had the attention of his audience, he would sing verse after verse of Czar Lazar and his heroic army, repeatedly recalling the desire and will to fight for freedom.

It was the blind guslars traveling from village to village who kept alive the Serbian sagas and actions of the Serbs against their oppressors.  

The Turks blinded the early-day guslars so they could not carry information of fortifications, weapons and so forth of their mighty armies, which might prove valuable to the ever-restless Serbs.  However, the guslars carried their blindness like a badge of honor, and were highly respected, because though blind, the masterful craftsmen helped Serbia once again be able to "see" Victory. 

By singing over and again the ballads of past Serbian glories would Serbs be able to bear the yolk of tyranny and eventually throw it off, be the oppressors the Turks from long ago or modern-day robbers of Serbian lands, culture and heritage.

(Translation by Christina Tepsick of Youngstown, Ohio, SRBOBRAN 21 June 2006, p. 32.)

The grandfather took his grandson, put him on his knee, and with his gusle he did sing of all that used to be.

He sang to him of Serbian glory, Serbian knights of old. He sang to him of battles fierce and suffering untold.

The grandther's eyes glistened as the tears welled in his eyes. He asked his little grandson to kiss the gusle dear.

The child kissed the ancient gusle and then he asked in awe, "Tell me grandfather, why should I the gusle kiss?"

"You know not, my little Serb, but we your elders do.  When you grow up and think it through, it will all come to you."  

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One of the most famous Gusle players who traveled throughout America was simply known as "Perun!"

Read more about him here:  http://www.njegos.org/emigrants/perun.htm

You can even hear him sing and play his instrument!

"On St. Vitus Day (Vidovdan!) in 1908 he sang "The Battle of Kosovo" seated at the Monument dedicated to the heroes of Kosovo in Krusevac, while a company of soldiers fired a gun salute in his honour."

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Matija Beckovich, one of Serbia’s greatest poets, spoke about the irony of making Serbia the pariah in the world press, in a speech he made in Chicago, November, 1991:

  “Perhaps there was never a time when more was being said about Serbs, and at the same time less was known about them;  never a time when more was known, yet with a more shallowly knowledge and less understanding than before; nor were the Serbs more consciously lied about, more prejudicially judged and more narrowly viewed---all in the name of international law—than is the custom today.  Where a lie spreads easily, the truth penetrates with difficulty.  And who could refute all the lies, who could gather all the scattered feathers?  I come from Serbia that is disheartened, shattered, dazed and isolated—practically her every home houses a refugee, where there is no one who has been made a refugee from Serbia, regardless of faith or nationality.  We take pride in this fact more than we grieve over our own misfortune.”

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Please forgive me if this is not a direct translation, but its a Google Best Guess!

"Можда никада није било време када је још био рекао о Србима, а у исто време, мање је познато о њима, никад време када је био познат још, али са више схаллоулы знања, а мање разумевања него раније, нити су били Срби Више о свесно лагао, више прејудициаллы судио и уже посматрати --- све у име међународног права, него што је то данас обичај. Где је лако шири лаж, истина се пробија са потешкоћама. И који су могли да оповргне све лажи, ко може скупити све разбацане перје? Ја сам из Србија која је Деморализиран, разбијена, изолована и ошамућен-практично сваки њен дом кућа избеглица, где постоји нико ко је направио избеглица из Србија, независно од вере или националности. Поносимо у овој ствари више него што смо туговати над сопственом несреца. " 

 And those lies continued.... but there will always be guslars to carry on the torch for the truth!

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Mim holding the priceless gusle while at the old SNF headquarters at 3414 Forbes Avenue in Pittsburgh's OAKLAND section, under the painting of General "Cica" Draza Mihailovich.

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Photo taken up at Holy Trinity's St. Sava Picnic Grounds in Castle Shannon, PA.

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Everyone loved the kind and loving Mr. Bratich!

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Bishop Nikolai @ the Gusle (WWI)

from SERBIA IN LIGHT AND DARKNESS

(At Lelic Monastery-St. Bishop Nicholas' Tomb, Aug. 2008)

"The Serbian people sang also.  Sitting around the fire in the long winter nights, the Serbian peasants sang their glorious past, their dark present and their hopes for the future.  There is a Serbian instrument called the gusle, more interesting than the Greek lyre, because more appropriate for the epic songs.  It looks also like the Indian instrument tamboura.  Well, as the ancient Greek bards sang their Achilles using the lyre, and as the ancient Indian singers sang their Krishna with the help of the tamboura, so the Serbian epic singers accompanied the gusle with songs on their hero of old, Marko.  Marko was a historic person, a king's son.  He was the never-weary champion of right and justice, the protector of the poor and oppressed, a believer in the victorious good, a man who left an impression on the coming generations like a lightning flash in the dark clouds.  In every village house in Serbia there is a gusle, and almost in every family a good singer with the gusle.  The blind bards sang on the occasion of the festival or a meeting.

"The great (William) Pitt, when once asked from whom he learned the English history so well, replied: 'From Shakespeare.'  To the same question, we Serbs can reply: 'From our national poetry.' It is very rare for a people in the mass to know their past as well as the Serbs know their own.  The Serbs regard their history not so much as a dry science, but rather as an art, a drama, which must be told in a solemn language.  They knew their history, and therefore they sang it; they sang it, and therefore they knew it better and better.

"...... The whole village is the stage, hundreds of singers, moonlight and open starry space.  I am sure you would be much more fascinated by such a Serbian rustic opera than by many modern operas on a stage in London."

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St. Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich is the author of SERBIA IN LIGHT AND DARKNESS.  The whole book can be read by going to this website on Project Gutenberg as it was not copyrighted in the USA.

Serbia In Light and Darkness <----- click here

(I'd do this only AFTER I finished with this whole website.)

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In a way, Stevan Mokranjac (1856-1914), one of Serbia's greatest composers, can also be called a guslar, as he took many old folk songs and wove them together to form RUKOVETS, garlands of songs, to keep the history of the folk songs fresh.

Here are the words to Mokranjac's 5th Rukovet, one of his most popular songs.....thanks to the posting by dundy 991 on YouTube on Oct. 4, 2008. Click below to hear.

 V Peta Rukovet-Fifth Rukovet

Šta to miče kroz šibljiče?
Stoj, doro, stoj, dobro,
stan', stan', stan', devojko, dušo moja,
stoj, ne begaj!

A što si se, Jano, rosom orosila?

... Da l' je srna ja l' košuta?
Stoj, doro, stoj, dobro,
stan', stan', stan', devojko, dušo moja,
stoj, ne begaj!

"Konja sedlaš, kud se spremaš,
ah, moj Kojo, ime moje,
ah, moj Kojo, Kokane?"
"Ja se spremam Beogradu,
moja Fato, moje zlato,
moja dilber-gospođo!"

Povela je Jela dva konja na vodu,
jedno bratovoga, drugo vojnovoga.
Bratovoga konja mutnom vodom poji,
vojnovoga konja bistrom vodom poji.

Moj se dragi na put sprema,
i peva, zlato moje, i peva -
a ja, jadna, konja sedlam,
i plačem, sunce moje, i plačem.

Lele, Stano, mori, malka Stano! Iha!
Za Stana se, mori, Budim bije,
Bile, bile, mori, tri godine
Budim grada, mori, bezistena.
Najmeli se, mori, kleti Turci,
pa razbile, mori, Budim-grada bezistena!
Zarobile, mori, malka Stana!
Lele Stano, mori, malka Stano!

Oj, za gorom, za zelenom,
nešto jasno podvriskuje,
baš ko grlo devojačko.
Ode momče da obiđe,
al' devojče savezano
tankom žicom ibrišima,
pak se moli mladu momku:
"Odreši me, mlad junače,
ja ću tebi seja biti!"
"Imam seju i kod kuće!"
"Odreši me, mlad junače,
ja ću tebi ljuba biti!"
Odreši je mlado momče,
odvede je belu dvoru.

Oj, đevojko, dušo moja...

Višnjičica rod rodila...

... Đe 'no sinoć s tobom stoja',
ostade mi sablja moja!

... Nema višnju koj da bere...

Ajde, more, momičeto,
da igrame, da pevame!
"Kak' će, ludo, mlado,
da igrame, da pevame?
Jošte nisam kokoškite
nahranila, nakrmila!"
Ajde, more momičeto,
da igrame, da pevame!
Haj, haj, ludo, mlado,
da igrame, da pevame! 

The Blind Guslar, Philip Visnich (Filip Visnic)

Слепа Гуслар

(Image above from Wikipedia)

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HARDSHIPS IMPOSED

by the TURKS

The Serbs were kept in bondage by the Turks for 500 years. The April, 1915 issue of National Geographic states:

"Only 37 years have elapsed since Servia (note spelling) escaped the blight of Turkish rule.  When she became independent of Turkey, she had few roads, for roads might be used to march over against the Turks, and Turkey wanted to keep every community isolated.  Nor did she have many schools, for school would give the Serbians the power to read and write, and reading and writing are great aids when a people want to revolt against an oppressive rule.

"BUT, Servia kept her traditions and history alive through oral epic poems, sung by bards playing the gusle, or grandfathers and grandmothers teaching their children." 

"Vidovdan, the day of the Battle of Kosovo, has been commemorated ever since the fateful day in 1389 as an expression of the people's resolve that freedom never be surrended without a struggle, no matter how fierce or bloody. 

"Vidovdan is NOT commemorated as a lost battle or a defeat, but rather a challenge to persevere through suffering, and to see salvation through faith in God and in oneself.

"The Serbs lost their Empire because of an overwhelming  number of Turkish soldiers, but the Serbian people never lost their identity, or sense of purpose, even after 500 years of enslavement.  Kosovo remains a symbol for one's own values and ideals."

The incredible gusle and gundalo (bow) was purchased for the Serb National Federation by Mr. Veljko Miljus from Marko Vukcevic of Kosovo, a shoemaker who worked on it from 1926-1934. Vukcevic wanted to present the gusle to King Alexander and his family.  Unfortunately, before it was finished, King Alexander was assassinated in Marseilles, France. A letter from Mr. Miljus to the SNF explains the whole story.

Stone monument reads:'Za Krst Casni, i Slobodu Zlatnu"  or, "For the Honorable Cross and Golden Freedom."