ODE;
Literally, is a song, marked by exaltation of feeling, style,
varying lengths of line and complexity of stanza form.
Prologue
I personify Macedonia as having a Body, Soul and Spirit
Chorus
The word Macedonia, when written is as a magnet to my eyes,
drawing interest to the context in which it is written.
The word Macedonia spoken is as music to my ears. It is as
familiar as my own name.
SONG OF THE BODY
The body of Macedonia is her Zemja, her land
Her rugged majestic mountains
Her green rolling hills
Her deep pleasant valleys
Her great forests of hard and softwood trees
Her beautiful lakes Ohrid, Prespa
Kostur, Dorian and Ostrovo
Her flowing rivers Bistritsa, Vardar and Struma
Her fertile, productive plains
Her mines new and old with riches of coal, iron and copper
Her fecund orchards of all fruits
Her many vineyards producing vintage wines
Her farms small and large supplying local and export markets
Her lovely diminishing villages and her expanding cities
Her roads, the ancient Via Egnitia, mountain and village footpaths
Her modern contemporary paved highways
Her frontiers once stretched by Alexander to compass three
Continents of the then known world, now shrunken to outline
the Republic
This land took its name from her people
Macedonia is the Zemja, the land of the Macedonians
SONG OF THE SOUL
The soul of Macedonia is her Yazeek, her tongue, her language
The language of the Ancients
The language of Homeric times, words which have been
translated as Macedonian in origin by impartial Linguists
The language spoken by Phillip 2, in his court, among his people
and especially to his Army
The mother tongue of Alexander 3
The language of his successors, the generals who split the
newly conquered Kingdoms of Asia, India and Egypt amongst
themselves
The internal language spoken by Ptolomey in Egypt
By Seluecius in the Near East, Lysimachus in Asia Minor
By Antigonus and Antipater in Macedonia
The language spoken when the Turk came
The language spoken during five centuries of the Ottoman yoke
The language spoken when the Turk was gone
The language spoken by the Maladinovs, imprisoned for collecting
and publishing poetry and songs in their native tongue
The language they learned from their Mother's knee
The language they loved, propagated and died for
The language spoken by the first wave of the Diaspora in the early
nineteen hundreds
The language spoken and cherished between themselves in
loneliness and homesickness wherever they emigrated
The language of those partitioned in the Aegean, Pirrin,
Vardar and in Mala Prespa. and is still their mother tongue
The language spoken by those of Vardar, who were incorporated
into Yugoslavia
The language of the following waves of the Diaspora after the
Second World War
Spoken in Europe, Canada, America and Australia
This language spoken in its modern usage nationally
and internationally
This language of our Fathers and Forefathers, today spoken by us
Truly the soul of Macedonia is her Yazeek, her language.
THE SONG OF THE SPIRIT
The spirit of Macedonia is her Narod, her people
This resilient people, proud and persevering in spite of all
that would oppress, suppress and assimilate.
This people whom the Greek orator Demosthenes spoke against
so virulently in the Athenian Council. "These Barbarians"
"These Macedonians" he so scathingly called them
He knew they were not Greek, and of this he continually
reminded the Greek City States. "They are not of us."
Collectively the peoples of the Republic and the Diaspora
these are the Narod; they are the Spirit of Macedonia
Many left the homeland for different shores with not
much more than the clothes on their back
Becoming grateful, law abiding, productive citizens of their
adopted countries
They worked hard and saved diligently, so their
children would thrive and prosper in their new lands
They never forgot who they were or where they came from
And those of Vardar who remained in the land and against
seemingly insurmountable odds formed the Republic.
These who are united in spirit are the Narod
Macedonia and the Macedonians in their rebirth, their
renaissance, their re-awakening, their revival, their resurrection
their rejuvenation, their regeneration
These people are unified in love of their homeland, their language
and nation. Whether in Vardar, Pirrin or Aegean or wherever
they are of one heart of one mind.
What is it that unifies them? It is this phrase
"Nea sme Makedonci" * which unites them in One Spirit
Truly the Spirit of Macedonia is her people.
Chorus
The word Macedonia written is as a magnet to my eyes, drawing
my interest to the context in which it is written.
The word Macedonia spoken is as music to my ears. It is as
familiar as my own name.
Finale
Macedonia has a Body, Soul and Spirit
That is how I understand, define and interpret Macedonia
Macedonia is a LAND (Zemja) her Body
Macedonian is a LANGUAGE (Yazeek) her Soul
Macedonians are a PEOPLE (Narod) her Spirit
A voice from Canada
* We are Macedonians