Post by donnie on Dec 7, 2007 6:15:19 GMT -5
I'm reading this interesting book by Lumo Skendo called "Udhëtarët e huaj në Shqipëri" (Foreign travelers in Albania). It speaks of some foreign visitors who've visited our land since the early Ottoman period to the early 20th century. Some notorious are, however, left out, such as Mary Edith Durham.
One of them is Arnold von Harff. He was a German noble from the Rhein region. From Cologne (Köln), he embarks on a great journey with the holy land as a grande destination. This is the title of his work in old(er) German; "Die Pilgefahrt des Ritters Arnold von Harff, von Cöln durch Italien, Syrien, Aegypten, Arabien, Aethiopien, Nubien, Palästina, die Türkei, Frankreich und Spanien ......" well you get the point.
He also visits Albania. This occured between 1496-99. This is all he writes;
"From Ragusa to Dulcin (Ulqin), one hundred milje. This is a beautiful little town, in Venetian control. It is Albanian land. From Dulcin to Durazzo (Durrës) it is 70 milje. The wind was bad. This is a big city, devastated by the Turks, now in Venetian control. This city too is in Albania. The Albanians have a language of their own, which cannot be written properly since they do not have their own letters. I wrote down some of these Albanian words in our own letters;
boicke.................................bioyt (bread)
vene...................................wijn (wine)
oie.......................................wasser (water)
mische..................................fleysch (meat)
jat.........................................kese (cheese)
foeije.....................................eyer (egg)
oitter......................................essich (vinegar)
pylle.......................................eyn henne (hen)
pyske.....................................vyssche (fish)
krup.......................................sals (salt)
myr........................................goyt (good)
kyckge...................................buesse (bad)
megarune..............................essen (eat)
pijnë......................................drincken (drink)
tauerne..................................eyn wirthhuys (tavern)
geneyre.................................eyn man (man)
groëa.....................................eyn frauwe (woman)
denarye.................................wijsgelt (silver coin)
sto.........................................ja (yes)
jae.........................................neyn (no)
criste.....................................got (God, Christ)
dreck.....................................der duuel (devil)
kijrij.......................................eyn kertz (candle)
kale.......................................eyn pert (horse)
elbe.......................................hauer (grain)
fijet.......................................slaeffen (sleep)
mirenestrasse......................guden morgen (good morning)
myreprama...........................guden nacht (good evening/night)
meretzewen.........................guden daich (good day)
ake ja kasse zet ve..............wat haistu dat mir beuelt (?)
kess felgen kyo kaffs............wat gylt dat (how much is it worth)
do daple................................ich wyl it gelden (I will buy it)
laff ne kammijss.....................wessche mir mijn hempt (?)
ne kaffs..................................wie heyscht dat (what's that called)
nea..............eyn
dua..............tzwey
trij................drij
quater..........vier
pessa...........vunff
jast..............sees
statte..........seuen
tette............acht
nante...........nuyne
dieta............tzien
njitgint.........hundert
nemijgo.......dusent
From Durazzo to Saseno (Sazan) we crossed 70 milje in five hour; this is a good sea harbor. Saseno is a small 'nisi' (unit?) of the Turks; here exist two Greek (Orthodox) churches, one with the name of Saint Mary and the other called Saint Nicholas. The king (Sultan) of Turkey owns alot of fine horses here, who graze across the 'nisi'. On the left hand of the harbor is a big village of two thousand fires (households) called Velona (Vlorë). This village can in a time of war give the king of Turkey some 700 horsemen. Above the village placed in the mountains is a castle called Kano (Kanina), where the king of Turkey has a governor (nëpunës in the writer's word). Here in Velona there is much sweet water (river) called Buyona (Buena, Buna), that in Turkey begins from the north and flows out into the sea; this river comes from Shkodra, a big city which the king of Turkey has taken from the Venetians. Here in Saseno there is a sea harbor where the king of Turkey has alot of ships. From here, fourteen years earlier, the ships set sail towards Poellen (Puglia?) and Calabria which are located 50 Lombardian milje from here, and which are under the rule of the king of Naples. There the Turk siezed a big and beautiful city named Idrontum as well as other cities which he held for years and days. Above this place (Vlorë & Kanina) is a high mountain (Himara?)."
p.14-17
One of them is Arnold von Harff. He was a German noble from the Rhein region. From Cologne (Köln), he embarks on a great journey with the holy land as a grande destination. This is the title of his work in old(er) German; "Die Pilgefahrt des Ritters Arnold von Harff, von Cöln durch Italien, Syrien, Aegypten, Arabien, Aethiopien, Nubien, Palästina, die Türkei, Frankreich und Spanien ......" well you get the point.
He also visits Albania. This occured between 1496-99. This is all he writes;
"From Ragusa to Dulcin (Ulqin), one hundred milje. This is a beautiful little town, in Venetian control. It is Albanian land. From Dulcin to Durazzo (Durrës) it is 70 milje. The wind was bad. This is a big city, devastated by the Turks, now in Venetian control. This city too is in Albania. The Albanians have a language of their own, which cannot be written properly since they do not have their own letters. I wrote down some of these Albanian words in our own letters;
boicke.................................bioyt (bread)
vene...................................wijn (wine)
oie.......................................wasser (water)
mische..................................fleysch (meat)
jat.........................................kese (cheese)
foeije.....................................eyer (egg)
oitter......................................essich (vinegar)
pylle.......................................eyn henne (hen)
pyske.....................................vyssche (fish)
krup.......................................sals (salt)
myr........................................goyt (good)
kyckge...................................buesse (bad)
megarune..............................essen (eat)
pijnë......................................drincken (drink)
tauerne..................................eyn wirthhuys (tavern)
geneyre.................................eyn man (man)
groëa.....................................eyn frauwe (woman)
denarye.................................wijsgelt (silver coin)
sto.........................................ja (yes)
jae.........................................neyn (no)
criste.....................................got (God, Christ)
dreck.....................................der duuel (devil)
kijrij.......................................eyn kertz (candle)
kale.......................................eyn pert (horse)
elbe.......................................hauer (grain)
fijet.......................................slaeffen (sleep)
mirenestrasse......................guden morgen (good morning)
myreprama...........................guden nacht (good evening/night)
meretzewen.........................guden daich (good day)
ake ja kasse zet ve..............wat haistu dat mir beuelt (?)
kess felgen kyo kaffs............wat gylt dat (how much is it worth)
do daple................................ich wyl it gelden (I will buy it)
laff ne kammijss.....................wessche mir mijn hempt (?)
ne kaffs..................................wie heyscht dat (what's that called)
nea..............eyn
dua..............tzwey
trij................drij
quater..........vier
pessa...........vunff
jast..............sees
statte..........seuen
tette............acht
nante...........nuyne
dieta............tzien
njitgint.........hundert
nemijgo.......dusent
From Durazzo to Saseno (Sazan) we crossed 70 milje in five hour; this is a good sea harbor. Saseno is a small 'nisi' (unit?) of the Turks; here exist two Greek (Orthodox) churches, one with the name of Saint Mary and the other called Saint Nicholas. The king (Sultan) of Turkey owns alot of fine horses here, who graze across the 'nisi'. On the left hand of the harbor is a big village of two thousand fires (households) called Velona (Vlorë). This village can in a time of war give the king of Turkey some 700 horsemen. Above the village placed in the mountains is a castle called Kano (Kanina), where the king of Turkey has a governor (nëpunës in the writer's word). Here in Velona there is much sweet water (river) called Buyona (Buena, Buna), that in Turkey begins from the north and flows out into the sea; this river comes from Shkodra, a big city which the king of Turkey has taken from the Venetians. Here in Saseno there is a sea harbor where the king of Turkey has alot of ships. From here, fourteen years earlier, the ships set sail towards Poellen (Puglia?) and Calabria which are located 50 Lombardian milje from here, and which are under the rule of the king of Naples. There the Turk siezed a big and beautiful city named Idrontum as well as other cities which he held for years and days. Above this place (Vlorë & Kanina) is a high mountain (Himara?)."
p.14-17