OCTAVIA GALESCU

MATTHEW IN THE ENCHANTED GARDEN OF GRANDMA

IMAGINARY MUSICAL DIALOGUES WITH ALL SORTS OF LIVING BEINGS
The National Library of Romania (CIP)

OCTAVIA GALESCU

Matthew in the Enchanted garden of Grandma: Imaginary Musical

Dialogues with all sorts of living beings/OCTAVIA GALESCU.

-Bucharest: Publishing house U.Z.P., 2023

ISBN 978-630-6504-30-5

(C) All rights to this edition are reserved to the author

Work published with the support of the „Theodor Grigoriu” Foundation

Covers Andreea TOMA

The dialogues and paintings are made in collaboration with Matei Radu Octavian
Andrei GALESCU (student at „Dimitrie Bolintineanu" Theoretical High School,
Bucharest)

Translator Ana BOTEZ

Publishing house U.Z.P.

-The Union of Professional Journalists of Romania

Phone: +40 021.317.92.25; Fax: +40 021.313.06.72

www.uzp.org.ro; contact@uzp.org.ro

Adress: Bvd Gheorghe Magheru no 28-30

Sector 1, Bucharest, Romania

 OCTAVIA GALESCU

MATTHEW IN THE ENCHANTED GARDEN OF GRANDMA

IMAGINARY MUSICAL DIALOGUES WITH ALL SORTS OF LIVING BEINGS
They say that our loved ones never die but become invisible instead.
Maybe they even become... Angels. They are beings that don’t
disappear but stay in our hearts forever. In such a special place there is
someone, the one that was called Cornelia GALESCU, a devoted Mother
and an extraordinary Grandmother!
 PREAMBLE

When we lose someone we love, our life becomes meaningless and our
soul feels empty inside, with a void impossible to be filled. Our children’s feelings
in such moments are even stronger and they feel like they were abandoned for
unknown reasons or causes that they believe are essential. God’s gift comes to
light, when you feel inspired to transform this „devastating void” into a spiritual
adventure, that takes place in the Enchanted Garden of Grandma, in a dialogue
with the most cherished animals, that are close to children, through which they
often feel understood and protected. This miracle has been accomplished by
Octavia Galescu for her nephew, Matthew. But not only just for him, as it
fascinates us (the grown- ups) just as much, through the capacity to combine the
real with the imaginary, scientific facts (about animals that become human when
speaking their own language) combined with lyrical images and a fairytale setting,
bringing to our attention the most significant artistic creations from stories,
cartoons, famous movies, that filled our childhood and do so even today to a
musical understanding, through the world of all living beings, big and small.
Surprisingly or not, animals were and are even now an inspiration for composers.
We are talking about classical music (chamber music, opera, symphonic music,
etc.) that is for a certain audience, more difficult to approach, but through the
means of animals’ voice it becomes much more attractive and tangible.

The book, illustrated by Matthew’s drawings becomes a guide/handbook of

refined meanings and nuances all coming from the wise and loving Grandma, put
together for us, small or older children, advising us to dwell on the land of
scientific or art knowledge, learning to cherish everything our ancestors left us, a
creation that enriches our lives.

dr. Mihaela Marinescu GRIGORIU

 The Enchanted Garden of Grandma

Once upon a time... well yes that is how every story begins older or
newer..., a magic formula, through which we enter the land of imagination, where
everything is possible! As such, let’s imagine we are in a city of this planet, on one
of its little streets full of multicoloured flowers and tall trees like guardians, in a
fairytale cottage, where one day a cute, lovely and much awaited boy was born.
Matthew, the one loved by the whole family: mother, father, grandparents, aunt
and other relatives... He was so happy and full of joy because he was surrounded
by so much love and care! One time his whole world shattered because... a small
secret was about to be revealed. The one that says, we people, but even all living
beings come to this world, to fulfill the missions we were sent here for. Once this
was done we leave to other dimensions, precisely to Heaven maybe even
Paradise! That is what happened with one of his Grandmas! Tears and pain... but
a flicker of hope remained... the cottage and especially the Enchanted Garden of
Grandma. Therefore Matthew would walk every day, through this wonderful
universe which seemed the nicest in the world! One of these days, guess what?,
he found a little trunk with ornaments and unique paintings, that belonged to
Grandma. Intrigued, Matthew opened it and found an envelope inside... From
Grandma to Matthew. Nervous, he opened it. It was a letter just for him.

Dear Matthew,

I hope that you will cherish my little garden every day, because you don’t
even know what marvels you can find and what holy experiences you can live in its
universe! Therefore, please take care of it and especially discover its mysteries.
Yes! You read well. Discover it! You will never be alone as you will be accompanied
by my adored doggie Maya! But I have a proposal for you or moreover a wish: to
write down in a journal every happening that you will go through. Every one you
will meet, what sort of advice you will get... Oh and there are so many other
things...! I wish you good luck and don’t forget about me! And now our secret
greeting: A hug Mother.

Signed: Grandma

Matthew kept thinking how to fulfill his Grandmother’s wish. He made all
sorts of plans and prepared himself for a real expedition, under the careful
supervision of his Grandmother’s doggie, Maya. But how would he start? And
then everything became clear. He remembered that Grandma had all sorts of
books and that one day by browsing them he would definately find the answer.
And that’s how it was! There was one last volume left on his Grandma’s
nightstand. It was a book of the great Romanian artist, Mihai Eminescu, a well-
known Romantic poet, novelist, and journalist, generally regarded as the most
famous and influential Romanian poet. So, Matthew took it and saw a bookmark
on one of its pages. And he began to read:

Thousand small blue butterflies, thousand swarms of bees

Flow in shining rivers over flowers full of honey

Fill the summer breeze with perfume and coolness

Of the flies‘ flock whispering celebrations...

But what sort of noise we hear? Buzz of bees?

Everyone is staring and they do not know where it’s coming from

Until they catch a glimpse of the spider web between the bushes, that looks like a
bridge

Onto which a flock passes by making lots of noise

Ants are passing by carrying big sacks of flour with their mouths

To bake for the wedding, pies and loaves

And the bees bring honey, a small dust of gold

For the bug, the master craftsman to make earrings.

(„Călin - Pages from a fairytale”)

It looks as if this is the Enchanted Garden of Grandma! My Grandma...

whom I miss so much. I hope I can fulfill your wish! Tomorrow I start a marvelous
journey!
Enjoy/ Have some honey
 The Bees

- Good morning, dear Maya, my so trusted and quiet friend! Did you wake up as
early as I did? This means that you are just as anxious as I to explore everything
there is to be explored in the Enchanted Garden of Grandma!

- Woof…, woof…, woof!

- How full of joy and happiness you are! You are so delighted that you’re wagging
your tail! Let’s go! Shh... Do you hear what I hear?

- Buzz, buzz, buzz! Welcome, dear Matthew! But what are you doing so early in
the Garden?

- Welcome! Oh…, but do you know who I am?

- Yes, all the living beings have found out about Grandma’s wish and we thought
that every day, we are going to introduce ourselves and reveal some of our
secrets but the world’s as well!

- Thank you from the heart! Extraordinary! I didn’t see this coming! You took me
by surprise! Isn’t that so Maya?

- Woof…, woof…, woof!

- I forgot you have the role of an observer and you are my protector as well!
Therefore...

- Therefore, let’s introduce ourselves... we are The Bees, the small creatures of
Gods, the symbol of tidiness and diligence!

- As I was saying, I thought of fulfilling my Grandma’s wish and begin a journey of

knowledge and comprehension of this world! To find out everything or as much
as possible...

- Oh... It’s a journey of initiation!

- I wish it was so! For now, I would be happy to find out as much as I can about
the living beings from this Enchanted Garden. So...

- Dear Matthew, about us, the bees, a lot is known and has been written! „Our
way of life” has been analysed from old times, because it seems something really
special!

- I believe so too, because even in our days you remained the same, special living
beings that connect Heaven and Earth. I have the feeling that your own existence
has got something divine, like a spiritual aura around you. At the same time you
have the possibility to travel the whole world...

- You can say so! Also, we are very organised! Each one of us has been knowing its
mission for centuries even! We all know our own place and the type of work we
must do! The hard- working bees, the drone- bees and of course, the Queen! It
has been said for a number of times that the honeycombs are a wonder of
technology, because we know how to mold the wax building hexagonal cells - the
most efficient way to fill the available space!

- Surely, this is a secret of the universe! I am convinced that there is a magical

formula, through which honey and wax come from flowers and honeycombs are
so unique by their own structure. This is something really miraculous and I would
call it perfection! Honey..., hmm... how delicious it is..., and the wax so special!

- Yes, dear Matthew, the ancients named honey „the nectar of the Gods” or „the
dew fallen from the stars”!

- How beautifully put! By the way, how did the Ancient world portray you?

- In Ancient Egypt we were considered the symbol of royalty, strength, creativity

and wisdom. There is even an Egyptian legend according to which, we, the bees
have been created from Ra’s tear, The God of Sun. Then, in Ancient China we
were thought to be the symbol of marriage, love, happiness, fortune, peace and
prosperity.

- You were trustworthy allies of different Gods as well!

- Yes, dear Matthew! Therefore, in Ancient Phrygia and Greece we represented
fertility, harvest time and provisions. For this reason, we have been associated
with the Goddesses: Cybele and Demeter. In Ancient Rome we were considered
to be the symbol of beauty and continuity of life (through pollination), being
associated with Goddess Diana. Then, in Ancient India we represented
reincarnation, peace and fortune, therefore we were associated with the Hindu
Gods, Krishna and Shiva.

- Other times, other worlds... But now, I found out from all sorts of tables and
graphs that the 3280 calories from a kilogram of honey are equivalent with 50
eggs, 6 litres of milk, 1,7 kilograms of veal, 2,1 kilograms of fish, 40 oranges and
25 bananas! A whole lot of numbers and groceries! I feel dizzy!

- No wonder honey has been named by the Thracians „the living food”.

- I read somewhere that you, the bees, live less than 40 days?

- It seems so... in our short life we visit at least 1000 flowers. With all this, we
recently find it hard to do so!

- I heard something... about all sorts of natural enemies, parasites or predators

(spiders, wasps, Prigoria or the bee- eater, viruses), artificial enemies,
pesticides..., but even about the destruction of bees’ natural habitat. I hope that
we, people, realise that you, the bees, are the vital force of the planet. Let’s
remember that for 50 million of years since you appeared on Earth, you (the wild
ones but even the domesticated ones), have contributed enormously to the
evolution of the vegetable kingdom, the way we know it today. Who doesn’t
know that Albert Einstein, who was also worried about this phenomenon, would
say: If bees would disappear the man would only have a few years left to live!

- We also hope that this extraordinary connection between Heaven and Earth will
not be destroyed! We wish that you, people, would be more careful and take care
of all the living beings!

- This is a serious sign of alarm! But meanwhile, I would like to find out something
about you. Is it true that you were a prototype for... the drones as well?
- Oh, yes! It is something artificial but it seems very popular and it imitates our
flight, our way of flying!

- As a matter of fact, from what I’ve read, it’s all about a small flying machine that
lacks the human pilot, and it is handled by a digital automatic pilot on board,
either by a remote from a ground- based control center or one that is situated in
another aircraft that is being flown (piloted). Like it or not, the drone has become
something useful nowadays, giving us the means to go anywhere in space!

- Yes, but it doesn’t fly from flower to flower to facilitate fertilisation, it doesn’t
make the honey so delicious (amazing) nor the wax...

- Sure... it is just a handy instrument that imitates nature...

- Dear Matthew, what do you think all of this means?

- Maybe, another stance of the world today, of what beauty or better said luxury
means for the modern people... Something that can be built with lots and lots of
money to satisfy our vanity: the most expensive houses in the world!

- Oh, yes... we have the beehives, the equivalent of your houses...

- My dear companions, you should know that there is even a top of all the most
expensive houses in the world, among we count Antilia from Mumbai (India)
composed of 28 floors, with an architecture inspired by Indian tradition and
where 600 people work; one in Los Angeles in which it seems there is a floor
where the famous French King Napoleon kneeled to ask Josephine for her hand in
marriage; and the Leopolda Villa on the Cote d’Azur, built by King Leopold the
Second of Belgium with a surface of 7500 square meters, located on a true green
paradise, laid on 8 hectares where 50 employees work permanently! They are all
equipped with modern utilities, movie theaters, swimming pools, gyms, tennis
courts, huge garages with top cars, but also with treasurable art collections!

- Dear Matthew, this sounds like something hard to describe... wealth beyond
measure... that pleases the eye but not sure if the soul as well! Please mark my
words that temptations lure you at every step! The Universe isn’t all about
money, money and money again!
- My dear bees, you are right... we praise the material world too much instead of
the spiritual one!

- You should know that from Ancient times we, the bees, have been a source of
inspiration for symbols, myths, legends, stories, poems, fables, philosophical
meditations, coats of arms, blazons, metaphors and musical compositions! For
example, we, the bees, have been present in many literary writings such as fables,
some of them being signed by Antiochus Dmitrievich Cantemir, the son of Ruler
Dimitrie Cantemir, one of the most important representatives of Romanian
history and culture, the most important promoter of Romanian humanism and
pre- enlightenment from the 17th- 18th centuries. Furthermore we have also
been included in some proverbs that kept their value over time: Friendly words
are like a honeycomb, sweet for the soul and healthy for the bones. But let’s go
back to... our sound... buzz…, buzz..., buzz!

- How wonderful! You are right, it’s like, again, in the silence of the Enchanted
Garden of Grandma your buzz can be perceived like a tune... as a matter of fact
there are thousands of wings moving at the same time! What a musical effect!

- Did you know that we, the bees, have been a source of inspiration for the
classical music authors?

- How interesting! I would like to know more!

- At the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th there lived the
English composer Robert Johnson, the one that created a great deal for the stage
but also several pieces with subjects about nature and of course about us, the
bees. Later on, Willoughby Bertie the IV, Count of Abingdon wrote a charming
song called The Wanton Bee.

- Extraordinary, how famous you were at the English Court! And what voices! La la
la, oh, pardon me…, buzz, buzz, buzz...

- Dear Matthew, you have to know that there were also instrumental pieces in
which the melodic lines, performed rapidly, have almost accurately reproduced
our flight or the so called buzz. Therefore, the great Romantic poet of the piano,
the immortal Frédéric Chopin composed the Study in f minor The Bees and in the
19th century also, François Schubert created one of the most fascinating piece for
us, Bagatelle op. 13 no. 9 entitled just The Bee, a perpetuum mobile for violin and
piano (a piece that is often misattributed to Franz Schubert, due to the similarity
of the two artists’ names).

- As far as I remember, the wasps and bumblebees are included as well in your
family.

- You are right! I wonder who hasn’t heard at least once, of the famous The flight
of the Bumble- bee signed by Nikolai Rimsky- Korsakov for his masterpiece The
Tale of Tsar Saltan? The work has been inspired by a fantastic tale, in which the
son of the Tsar has been turned, no more and no less, into a bee!

- I heard about this flight, which, starting 1900, became one of the well- known
pages of classical musical literature, performed in various timbre versions (solo,
chamber or orchestra). It is a moment of virtuosity, through which you could
almost hear the thousand wings beating at the same time!

- And as for wasps, in 1909, Ralph Vaughan Williams, another great English
composer, imagined an entire music for the stage, based on the texts signed by
Aristophanes.

- But are you known only in Europe?

- Dear Matthew, we are also known overseas, in America. Emily Dickinson wrote a
poem Bee, I’m expecting you! which inspired John Duke (one of the most
important American artists from the beginning of the 20th century) to compose a
song.

- The 20th century! Filled with financial turmoils, social but also human. Let’s
never forget the atrocities committed during the two World Wars!

- Those years everyone suffered! And so have we, the bees, of course. During that
time, Hans Krasa created Brundibar (The Bumblebee/The Beetle) which has been
represented by the children from the Concentration Camp Theresienstadt
(Terezin) in the occupied Czechoslovakia.
- I feel like I’m suffocating from so much pain and I choke on the thought of how
many tears have been shed! Why don’t people think more of doing good deeds,
think of what they can do to help others instead or why don’t they wish to seek
and build a place much closer to what Heaven represents?

- Dear Matthew, we hope that such events never happen again but we know
history repeats itself and people don’t always learn their lessons!

- My, my... lessons, again! Everywhere I hear of lessons or homework... Romanian

language, Mathematics..., rules on how to behave, what to do and what not to
do! It seems like an entire encyclopedia, like something hard to chew on! How
could a child ever manage?!

–With lots of care, attention, even diplomacy and wisdom!

- Hmmm… Let’s return to our business! Are there any other composers who
wanted to get inspired by you, musically speaking?

- Yes, Michael Nyman, a renowned artist, from Great Britain also, who in 1991
composed the Concerto for saxophone and orchestra entitled Where the Bee
dances.

- Dear bees, but I seem to have seen you on the big screen also, isn’t that so?

- Oh... yes, ever since the beginning of the 30’s and until now, various feature,
documentary and animation movies have been made. But out of these the one
that is dearest to us is called Ferdinand, produced by Walt Disney in 1938, which
even won the Oscar for the best short animation movie/cartoon! How could one
forget the way our little stinger transformed Ferdinand the gentle bull into a
„hurricane” of... energy? What imagination did Munro Leaf (the writer), Dick
Rickard (the director) and Albert Hay Malotte (the composer) have! They created
something amazing hence…

- Amusing moment... for us, the viewers! Dear bees, I learned a great deal of
things today! I didn’t even realise how quickly the time has passed. It is already
evening and it is time to retreat ourselves. Dear Maya, my so trusted and quiet
companion let’s go!
- Woof..., woof...,woof...

- Yes, I know you agree. Good night my dear bees! I’m very curious who I’m going
to meet tomorrow!

- Good night, dear Matthew! And do not forget what you learned about us!

Matthew was so excited of all he had heard and seen! And he was happy
especially because he could keep his word! To write a journal just as Grandma
asked him to.

- My Grandma, the smart one! She had an extraordinary idea! I can’t wait for...
tomorrow!
 The Storks and the Frogs

The next day, early in the morning, Matthew along with Maya, his so
trusted and quiet friend, rushed straight to the Enchanted Garden of Grandma.
But everything seemed still! Not a sound, not a wing fluttering, no birds chirping,
nothing! Only if you would have paid attention you would hear from time to time
a... clatt... clatt...what could it be?

- Look! said, Matthew, I didn’t even notice by now... a small oasis of water. How it
shines in the morning rays of sun! But who is this, clattering? Do you know, dear
Maya?

- Grr..., grr..., grr... (the sound the dog makes when it growls).

- Good morning, dear Matthew! It’s me...

- Who is it?

- The stork! Don’t you recognize me anymore???

- How come you got this name... stork, which many could confuse with... fork?

- Let me remind you! We, the storks, bring all the children into the world... for
humans, animals and birds!

- Even me??? How come? Where do you get so much strength from?

- In fact, in order to perform this mission we had a contest!

- Contest, competition... whenever I hear these words I get shivers all over! I don’t
like them! Why do we always have to compete? Doesn’t it suffice that we merely
exist and everyone has their own qualities?

- Dear Matthew, the opinions are divided! On one hand you are right, on the
other hand, the goal of a competition is to pick the best or the most qualified!
Finally, for this contest, of bringing children into the world, 20 of our
representatives signed up.

- Quite a lot! This means the stake was high! But how do you manage between
yourselves?

- In fact, we lead a life, wholly dedicated to family values, people’s care, family
relations and love braided with dedication and loyalty. We live accordingly to
some values that the people today have forgotten to respect, to follow!

- Maybe you are right. Let’s hope that the young generation will acknowledge that
„to exist”, one must change for the better. But let’s go back to... anyway, who
won the competition?

- Dear Matthew, out of all participants, the white stork has been chosen, the one
that met most of the demands: Purity, represented by the almost all white
plumage and the Dimensions - big enough to carry a child, either by a basket on
its back or using its beak. Of course, another thing was, how far they could fly
from one pole to another (we are talking about Earth), and how high they could
reach, when flying into the sky or as one would say from Earth to Heaven.

- Oh..., the same as bees. They also connect Heaven and Earth!

- According to a Christian legend, when baby Jesus was born, in the manger in
Bethlehem, every animal from the whole world came to Him to praise Him. They
bowed down and prayed in front of Him. Among these animals there was also a
stork. When the stork saw baby Jesus did not have a place to put his head down,
then it tore its soft feathers from the chest and made Him a pillow. Baby Jesus
was grateful to the stork and blessed it! Starting that moment, we became a
symbol of the birth and protection of newborns!

- How touching!

- Therefore, dear Matthew, the white stork became the star of our family..., you
should know, the white stork is one of the most known birds to appear on...
stamps, 120 issued by over 60 states! Moreover, it is considered the national bird
of Lithuania and Belarus, and it was also the mascot of Poland at the Expo Fair
2000 from Hanover!

- I didn’t even know that the white stork has such an important role! But what are
your features, your traits?

- Dear Matthew, we, the storks, are birds of large size, also called „wading birds
/long- legged”, with a family that consists of 20 species and six types, all bundled
in three big groups or tribes, and we are the second most commonly found
migratory species on the Globe, after the European Hornet’s Nest. Usually, we live
near the water, on swampy grounds, moist plains or fields, where we eat all sorts
of creatures..., meaning we are semi- aquatic and carnivorous birds.

- Wait a minute! Did I just hear well? Are you carnivorous? Meaning, you eat
meat?

- We eat frogs, tadpoles, fish, insects and their larvae (larva), worms, mollusks,
snakes, lizards, small birds and small rodent mammals, including baby rabbits,
moles and sometimes baby birds.

- Oh, my! You scare me!

- Well, no... why? Don’t you eat chicken thighs, schnitzels, and ribs?

- Yes, but I have never imagined that a bird eats something like this...

- Dear Matthew, let us tell you another secret. You won’t believe it but we are...
mute, we don’t speak. We have the habit of clattering with our jaws (making a
specific sound)! Clatt, clatt... is actually a sound we make when our beaks are
opening and closing with a rapid movement.

- It’s good that you can actually communicate by clattering!

- Indeed, we use our clattering for many purposes: as an alarm sign but also for
means of communication between us birds, which can differ from situation to
situation.

- But still I believe you represent something else as well!

- Dear Matthew, you guessed right! This is a matter concerning philosophy more...

- Philosophy???

- That culture discipline (subject), that studies the knowledge of forms and
processes of thought, through which the sense of existence is looked for, under
its most general aspects, meaning, everything that is connected to the world and
life.

- Ugh..., it seems so complicated...

- To understand better, we will tell you something about us, from a philosophical
point of view. Since Ancient times, it has been said about us, that we do not leave
this world, meaning we don’t die but instead we fly to certain islands, where we
turn into people. In other words, we gain human souls!

- I see..., interesting! It must be a special place, where not anyone can go!

- Yes, that’s right! In fact, it is an ideal place.

- Do you have any other... philosophical ideas?

- In Roman mythology, we were considered the holy birds of Goddess Venus. In

those times, if a stork would set up its nest on a rooftop of a house, it was
considered that its inhabitants were blessed by Venus with a never ending love.
Since then, about us, the storks, it is said that we are the birds that bring fortune
and harmony. Therefore, to make as many people as possible happy, we thought
of building our nests on the rooftops or on the chimneys of all the houses and big
buildings or even on pillars!

- You bring happiness? This is really an extraordinary fact!

- Yes, isn’t this something? Happiness... the one everyone is longing for, that
wonderful state of well being, that positive and pleasant emotion. Happiness...
the one that is sometimes mistaken with abundance, wealth and prosperity, other
times is associated with gratitude, cheerfulness and intense joy. Yes, yes,
happiness... so hard to find nowadays!
- I wish I had the chance to offer it to as many people as possible...

–Dear Matthew, this is exactly what we, the storks, do because we don’t stay in
just one place. We travel all the time... from East to West... from North to South...
I was joking! What is real is our migration plan from Europe to Africa and Asia.
Meaning, we fly from the cold and temperate areas to the warmer ones! Every
year over 500.000 storks along with other migrating birds form flocks that are 200
km long! This migration trigger, with an extraordinary precision, brought us the
name „clock birds” (as we have the precision of a clock), because we arrive on
time, at the exact same dates and same moments according to the calendar.

- I remember I once read somewhere, that if you have optimal conditions it is

possible to reach 1.200- 1.500 m and even 3.300 m above ground (in height)! How
amazing... to be able to fly through the Universe! What view you must have up
there! And when I see the flocks of all sorts of birds it’s like I catch a glimpse of...
planes!

- How right you are, dear Matthew! Imagine that without our flight, of the storks,
no one would have even spoken today of... aircraft!

- What do you mean?

- People have always been attracted to this idea, of flying. Since Antiquity and
until the 19th century, a lot of machines have been built, like artificial wings, used
by Icarus, then kites, flying dragons, like the ones imagined by Tito Livio Burratini
or big balloons with hot air designed by Bartolomeu de Gusmao and the
Montgolfier brothers. It was not until 1889, that Otto Lilienthal managed to build
a glider or a hang glider based on our way of flying (of the storks).

- I know that in the advancement of global aviation, three big Romanian

inventors and engineers had an important role.

- Dear Matthew, that is true. It is about the achievements of Aurel Vlaicu, Traian
Vuia and Henri Coandă, which have led to the birth of Romanian aviation
simultaneously with the one worldwide.

- Each one of them has been considered a genius of aviation...

- Yes. At the beginning of the 20th century, precisely in 1906, Traian Vuia became
the first man in the world that flew with a machine heavier than air. Then Aurel
Vlaicu built a plane, that in 1912, won five prizes at an air rally, in Austria, where
40 pilots from seven countries competed!

- Quite a performance for those times! I heard that, in 1977, a movie about Aurel
Vlaicu was produced and directed, by Mircea Drăgan, with Gabriel Oseciuc in the
leading role, and with a special music created by Theodor Grigoriu, an artistic
personality of the Romanian contemporary school!

- Dear Matthew, you are right. And let’s mention also Henri Coandă, the
discoverer of the effect that bears his name, „Coandă effect”, who in 1910, built
the first plane with jet propulsion, simply called „jet”.

- Impressive... they must have studied a lot to achieve such results!

- Without hard work and learning, even if you are talented you can’t be
„someone”!

- By the way, did anyone write about your performances or are you just bragging
about it?

- Since Ancient times, we have been the subject of some fables written by Aesop,
famous fabulist and storyteller: The fox and the stork, The farmer and the stork
and The frogs who wanted a king. Then, our name was mentioned in the works of
two classics of Ancient literature: Horatius, one of the most important Roman
poets from the „golden age” or the „Augustan age” and Ovid or Ovidius, another
charming Roman poet exiled by Augustus to Tomis, on the faraway land of the
Black Sea (Pontus Euxin), namely the city Constanța, as it is known nowadays.
Later on, Hans Christian Andersen dedicated us a whole story called The Storks
and Wilhelm Hauff another one, entitled The story of Caliph Stork.

- But what about music, were you, the storks, also included?

- Of course, especially in the music for animation movies like: Dumbo, produced in
1941, by the famous Walt Disney, in which one of our representatives, would
bring all sorts of babies for all the mommies... what beautiful musical moments
imagined by Frank Churchill and Oliver Wallace! Then again, we, the storks
became subjects for the contemporary jazz music, where we were dedicated
different works like: Stork suite - World promenade, composed in 2007 and
performed by Nihad Hrustanbegovic on the accordion.

- I thank you, dear storks, for everything! It has been so interesting! Isn’t that so,
my dear Maya, my so trusted and quiet companion?

- Woof..., woof..., woof...,

- We hope that you learned something from us too! Good luck and success
onward!

- So be it! Farewell!... Hmm... but it seems there is someone else next to the small
water oasis... actually I see something greenish, no tail, with its back legs longer,
suited for jumping, with a large mouth and huge (bulging) eyes! I wonder what
could this be my dear doggie Maya?

- Hmm..., hmm..., hmm...

- Welcome, dear Matthew! But why do you look at me, so surprised?

- I wish you would introduce yourselves so I should know who I am talking to!

- You are right, this is civil! Our name is...

Out of the blue a real Trio... is heard, that is...three voices... not just one...

You all know froggie Croak

The best singer on the lake

She sings in every tone, croak, croak

Without the microphone, croak, croak

When there’s a concert in the reeds

Her name comes first on the poster

She’s got big success on lake

And she’s even printed on disks, croak... croak…

- Therefore, the world knows us by the name... Frogs, and we just imitated a
song, famous, between 1950- 1960, in Bucharest (the capital of Romania) sung by
the Grigoriu Trio, a light music band, founded in 1946 by three brothers - George,
Angel and Caesar.

- Wait a minute! Did you say frogs? In Romanian language the „frog” represents
the door’s lock, which squeaks most of the times, like croak, croak…, I didn’t think
that this is a living being... But, what can you actually do? Because, to me, you just
seem little, greenish and a bit... ugly!

- Oh, Matthew! It is not polite to say something like this to someone!

- I always forget! Grandma always pointed out I should be polite! But... I still have
got a lot to learn... and especially, not to forget all the advice she has given me!

- Dear Matthew, we consider that every living being from the Universe has got its
beauty and its purpose! Look, we, the frogs, sing all day, croak, croak, croak... we
feed others... also, we have the possibility to change our colours due to different
factors, and we have big, gold eyes, capable of distinguishing everything around
us, and especially the movement.

- How come?

- Let us show you what we can do with them, on land and in water!

- Oh, I see, your eyes become bigger when you are watching (standing guard), but
are also covered by a translucent eyelid and even retracted, under your skull,
underwater, or when you swallow a bigger prey.

- Actually, we, the frogs, are animals from The Tetrapods Amphibians class,
meaning, we are the first vertebrates with head, body and four limbs (two in the
front and two in the back). We are many species. Now, to introduce you, all my
„relatives”... Common toad or European toad (Bufo bufo from Latin bufo „toad”),
Eastern Spadefoot (Pelobates Syriacus), European green toad - the one, that, in
the opinion of some people, could compete for the nicest eyes in the world of
Amphibians, the European tree frog, the most loved among us, the Marsh frog,
the Edible frog, Pool frog, Agile frog, Common frog, Moor frog, Pinocchio frog...

- Pinocchio... I knew this is only a story, about a boy who lied all the time, and
because of this, his nose would grow more and more with each lie... I didn’t know
that amongst you are... liars!

- Yes..., but as you know, The lie has short legs, but the Truth always comes out!.

- Yes, I know! I experienced this on my own skin, what it means to be lying... brr…,
I don’t even want to remember...

- Let’s go back! We also have to tell you, dear Matthew, that we, the frogs, have
attracted the attention of many creators, especially those, that wrote fables,
parables always valid, examples worthy to be followed. Therefore, since old times
and until today, we can encounter as main characters, the chatty and wise frogs in
interesting dialogues with other animals, like the cow, the ox, or the crocodile.
Not to mention, the famous story of Grimm brothers, in which a beautiful prince
was turned into the ugliest frog, but who would become a prince again, only if he
would have been loved as the ugliest frog!

- Love... one of the loveliest feelings! Without it, nothing would have ever existed!
Love... the one that moves the sun and the stars, like Dante Alighieri mentioned
once, in his masterpiece, entitled The Divine Comedy!

- I believe you are too young for such a story... in which, an imaginary journey
through the Inferno, Purgatory and Paradise is described, as well as stories with
mythological heroes or with worshipped people, like Beatrice, who offers us a
walk through the planetary spheres, flying in a state of bliss, above the stars.

- How interesting! But let’s go back to you, frogs...

- Let us tell you that we conquered the 7th art of the world - Cinematography. I
wonder who can forget about Kermit the frog, a real hero for us, the one that
delighted the hearts of so many people, in the Muppets productions from 1955 up
to 2016. „He” is also the one that performed the successful singles Being green
and Rainbow connection for The Muppet Movie, the first feature film with
Muppets!

- Kermit... longest- living character, full of humour and inventiveness, one that
would always know how to get out of every messy situation and would find a
solution to every problem! But it feels like I knew another character from the
movie industry...

- Yes, of course, the frog Oache, a character that appeared in the 1980’s, from
the fantastic movies Maria Mirabela (a well- known Romanian movie about two
girls, who go to the woods for a walk and encounter several magical creatures),
Maria Mirabela in Tranzistoria (another famous Romanian animation movie,
about the adventure of two girls, who get lost, in a fabulous world inside a
television set, hence Tranzistoria), produced by the well- known Ion Popescu-
Gopo (1923- 1989), a prominent personality in the Romanian cinematography and
the founder of the modern Romanian cartoon school. How can one forget the
songs of frog Oache, created by Eugen Doga with the lyrics written by Grigore
Vieru? Maria Mirabela, a masterpiece of Romanian cinematography, that won
famous distinctions at home, but also in Greece, Estonia, Italy, The United States
of America and Ecuador. What times!

- I would also like to be someone, maybe a star, but without making any effort...
just playing...

- Try, maybe you will succeed... perhaps until you get older, dear Matthew, a
magic formula will be found... until then, you must keep on learning...

- Yeah..., nothing new... I thought it was easier in your world... but it seems not...

- Nothing is easy... What you give, you get! So, therefore take notice! The
thought is what attracts everything in our life!

- I understand. To be careful what and how I think! I also wished to ask you if
someone had created a portrait of you, in classical music?
 - Whoa..., a lot of artists! For example, Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber, in Sonata
Representativa, in 1669, presented us, the frogs, through dissonant sounds and
bouncing rhythms. Then, Georg Philipp Telemann, in the Overture- Suite Alster,
created the sequence Die concertierenden Frösche und Krähen, where we prove
our artistic talent in a real concerto of frogs and ravens. And Georg Philipp
Telemann, also offered us a performance chance in his Concerto in A Major for
violin and orchestra, entitled Frogs, composed in 1720. If you listen carefully, you
can definately recognise our voices, as they are unmistakable...

- Aah..., I wished to ask you something else. Anyway, where do you live?

- We, the frogs, have the possibility to live, both in water (where we take shelter
and form our own families), as well as on land (where we feed ourselves). Under
these conditions, we breathe two ways: coetaneous (through skin) and
pulmonary (through lungs). Meaning, we get the chance to live and know two
worlds! The terrestrial world and the maritime (naval).

- If we look at things this way, you are really privileged! You have the possibility
to describe the world underwater... maybe you even have the chance to meet
other fabulous creatures, maybe sirens, those mythological beings with the shape
of a woman, with bird- like legs and wings or with a fishtail, who, through their
songs, would lure the sailors, into dangerous places!

- The sirens, imagination igniters...you can find them in Homer’s Odyssey, in

Leonardo Da Vinci’s writings, and later in Silence of the Sirens book, imagined by
Franz Kafka. But, regarding the underwater world, you must talk to the Turtles,
some sort of relatives (from the frog’s family), that belong to the Reptile class,
from the order Testudines.

- Meaning, we have to get to the seas’ and oceans ‘shore! What can we do
Maya? Only by barking and wagging your tail, I don’t believe it is possible! But,
wait a minute! We are in the Enchanted Garden of Grandma! We must find a
solution or a portal/gateway, through which we can travel anywhere we want!
 - Nothing easier! Close your eyes and... that’s it! Take a look, you are on a
faraway beach, where, slowly, very slowly even, something is approaching you...

- Good afternoon, dear Matthew! I heard you were looking for us!

- How fast word travels in your world also!

- But, what did you think... we are up to date also!

- Dear turtles, I would like to find out how you survive underwater and especially
what is going on, in there?

- For this, we adapted ourselves to the sea environment. We have a body

encased in a bony shell, formed from two parts: carapace (the top) and plastron
(the bottom) through which our head, the four short limbs and tail come out. You
should know we’ve also got claws and a beak!

- I see, well good to know!

- We’ve got different dimensions, from the smallest to the most gigantic, of 1- 2
m (meters) length and 700 kilograms! We are all sorts of species, land species,
sweet water or sea species, approximately, around 356!

- 356???!!! So many? So many relatives...mothers, fathers, grandparents,

brothers, sisters, cousins... I would get them mixed up...

- Our sight and smell are developed, we manage living without food, even for a
year, we have the ability to quickly regenerate (regrow), and some of us even
come to be over 200 years old!

- 200 years old? You would have a lot to tell...

- What not...

- I would be interested in finding out something about... submarines!

- The history of submarines’ navigation is an old one, dating ever since the
Alexander’s The Great or Alexander Macedon period. In the time of Tir’s city siege
(332 before our era) he used some submarine bells similar to those used by the
divers of our time. After countless attempts, in 1578, William Bourne, a British
mathematician, designed (drew) the plans for a submarine, and in 1620, Cornelius
van Drebbel, a Danish inventor, built one of the first submarines. Between 1775-
1776, the father of submarine navigation, the American inventor David Bushnell
shaped the submarine into a final form, building the first submarine, which he
named Turtle. It was being powered by a propeller, pedaled by a man and had 1
knot speed.

- I can imagine what a fascinating universe must be there, in the depths of the
seas and oceans!

- Probably, Jules Verne thought the same, when he wrote his famous novels, in
the midst of the 19th century - 20.000 Leagues under the sea and the Mysterious
island. What a visionary! I wonder who hasn’t read about Nautilus (inspired by
the model Plongeur/Diver, built by the French Navy) captained by the fearless
Nemo?

- But, I thought I also heard something about a ship, Calypso?

- Oh, yes. Her name is related to the activity of Jacques- Yves Cousteau, the one
that was an extraordinary explorer of underwater life, in oceanography area,
photographer, movie producer and submarines inventor. He was the one who
revealed unknown and inaccessible places to the public, but moreover, studied
people’s ability to live in submarine homes, in a special habitat built underwater,
called Precontinent or Conshelf/Continental Shelf.

- Something phenomenal! I could never think of such thing..., hmm..., to live

underwater...

- You should know, that Jacques- Yves Cousteau visited Romania as well, for a
number of years, and The University of Bucharest was among the first in Europe,
which, after 1990, founded a Cousteau department.

- Talking about Romania... I don’t believe I met you!

- There are two species that adapted here: Hermann’s Tortoise (Testudo
Hermanni) and Spur- thighed Tortoise (Testudo Graeca).
 - I thought I would find you near the seas and oceans, but look, what a surprise!

- Dear Matthew, a lot is said about us, but that would mean we should talk for
days. However, I will point out the fact that we have often been a subject for
fables written in antiquity, by Aesop, and then for Jean de La Fontaine, in the
France of 17th century. I wonder who hasn’t heard about the famous competition
between the rabbit and the turtle?

- A real example of what you can do with patience, tenacity and wisdom!
Namely, everything it takes to be a winner! Well done! But have you been
portrayed in music as well?

- The most famous proof of musical influence dates from 1886, and has been
achieved by the French composer, Camille Saint- Saëns, in his full of humour and
fantasy musical suite, entitled Le Carnaval des animaux/ The Carnival of the
Animals. Actually, it is a moment that brought us, the turtles, fame amongst
classical music lovers! That is, we perform, in a version, adapted to us, in slow
rendition (lento) and sitting, the famous Galop infernal (commonly called the Can-
can) from Jacques Offenbach's operetta Orphée aux enfers/Orpheus in the
Underworld!

- You deserve all the applause!

- Well, if it came to fame and money, how can we not name the beloved series
The Ninja Turtles from the years 1980- 1990, where we, the turtles, flaunted our
other talents as well, of masters in martial arts, of mighty fighters and defenders
of the modern world!

- Dear turtles, I thank you for this wonderful incursion! But..., something is
happening to me... my eyes are closing!

- Woof....,wo…of..., w... o... o... f...

- What is it Maya? Oh, no... we are back in the Enchanted Garden of Grandma! I
believe it was time! The evening came! A good sleep will give us enough energy
for another journey!
 The Skylarks and the Cuckoo

- Come on Maya, my so trusted and quiet companion, wake up...

- Grr..., grr..., grr...

- Don’t roll over on the other side, as I absolutely wish to be, at dawn, in the
Enchanted Garden of Grandma, as I am very curious, who is coming to meet me
today? Oh, but I hear something... What do you say, Maya?

- Grr..., gr..., g...r...

- Ah, you’re still sleepy! Yes, but I hear some sounds..., how beautiful they are...
but, perhaps too many... and I see some grains or seeds... I wonder if it is, the
chickens? Although, I don’t believe they woke up so early! Dawn is barely
starting... It seems someone is competing with me, because I usually wake up
early in the morning... my Auntie calls me... Early bird!

- Good morning, dear Matthew! Hehehe... we are the noisiest of birds, but at the
same time, the only in the world that sing when flying! How could you confuse
us? Hear??!!

- I apologize!!! But, I still can’t realise who you are!

- Well..., we are... the Skylarks! Dear us, we are migrant birds, from the order
Passeriformes. We have got a medium size or small body, around 13- 15,
maximum 20 centimeters, and we fly up to 100 meters high!

- So low!

- Look who’s talking! Someone that can’t even fly 1 centimeter!

- Yes, because I haven’t got wings!

- They can be built!

 - Yes, I know, I found out from the Stork... something about Icarus!

- Icarus?

- Yes, the son of Daedalus, the symbol of genius and Ancient technical and
artistic skill, the one that created the famous Labyrinth from Crete. But, he got
punished for this. That is, he got locked up along with his son, Icarus, in his own
edifice. Still, Daedalus found an ingenious way to escape. He built two sets of
artificial wings! Only, Icarus, avid to reach new heights and driven by the ambition
to touch the sun, crashed (fell down).

- Do you realise now, what it means not to listen to your parents?

- Yes, you are right! I’m lucky to have parents, who teach me to do something
useful and learn essential things for living! I try as much as possible to follow their
advice!

- Let’s go back to our own, dear Matthew! We, the skylarks, are also called Plow
birds or Farmer’s clock or The farmer’s calendar, because, when we start singing,
it is a known fact, that it is good to sow the oats and to plough the fields for the
corn to be sown.

- Ah..., some sort of agricultural birds!

- Yes, you could say so!

- From what I’ve studied, I found out, that you compile 92 species. How can you
differentiate yourselves, one from the other?

- By the colour, the shape of the beak, but especially by the environment we live
in. We prefer open spaces, plains, meadows, and the cereal cultivated areas, to
have the source of food at hand.

- Oh..., other living beings with lots of relatives! I guess you have a „star” as well!

- Out of everyone, the most well- known are the Eurasian skylark and Woodlarks,
with a similar plumage, dark brown, with bigger and smaller, black- brown spots,
where a white with dark lines is added, either rusty- brown with many spots, in
the shape of brown- black drops, where a rusty- white is added.

- Until now, I have noticed that every living being has got a twin in the world!

- Because, it’s no good to be alone, dear Matthew! Isn’t it more interesting to

have someone to talk to, to sing...?

- Oh, yes... instead of talking, singing... it would be complicated, for us, people...
sometimes we barely get along using words... but, maybe for you, skylarks... it is
different!

- Of course, from morning till evening we... sing... and, especially, when we rise
to fly! Therefore, we are known as singing birds! We reach the heights and we go
down in the same place, hovering with our almost tight wings. Then, regardless
the flight, if it’s straight or in wavy lines, we perform different trills (songbirds)
and chirping, that are „ringing” overseas... over the valleys and hills... over
pastures and mountain hills.

- What a wonderful, unforgettable voice!

- Dear Matthew, our song is swift, complex, variable, being performed in a range
of low frequency, which includes between 160- 460 syllables. Depending on the
force of each syllable and its degree of maturity, the length of a song can vary
between 2 to 30 minutes!

- Oh, how nice! To rise singing and flapping wings rapidly! It is an interesting
method of touching the Sky!

- Isn’t that so? In a way, we, the skylarks, are „seen” as holy birds, as we brought
water on the cross, to Jesus, and out of gratitude, we were given this wonderful
voice. In other words, we reach for the higher aim, the Ideal. On the other hand,
we are mediators between Heaven and Earth, which means, we send the
Earthlings’ wishes, up to Heaven!

- I find that all the winged beings, that I met so far, connect the two dimensions
of the Universe: Heaven and Earth!
 - Since sometimes, our song seems full of desire and yearning, we, the skylarks,
have become the symbol of unfulfilled love, of suffering in love. But who hasn’t
heard of the beautiful legend of Lie, the girl, in love with the Sun? In fact, it is said,
that we, the skylarks, are a metamorphosed depiction of the girl who fell in love
and wanted to marry the Sun, but got punished to live far from him (here, the Sun
is personified, hence „him”), to avoid him, without ever touching him.

- A beautiful story, and a parable also! But, I believe, you still have got a mission!

- Oh, yes, dear Matthew. We haven’t forgotten! That, to reach... the Sublime!

- The Sublime?

- Oh, yes... the highest form of perfection, of completion... it is something all

grand, amazing and wonderful!

- But where can this „sublime” be found?

- It is best represented in all arts. Our song has been an inspiration for many
poems or stories, compared to other birds! But, you can encounter the Sublime,
especially, in Music. As Garabet Ibrăileanu, a Romanian novelist, critic and literary
historian, but also an extraordinary aesthete, who lived between 19th to 20th
centuries, said: Music, either it is nothing or it belongs to the sublime....

- There..., to understand, you, the skylarks, are labeled also, depending on your
musical style?

- Yes, dear Matthew, you guessed right. We are grateful to the big classical
composer, Joseph Haydn, considered, the father of the Quartet and Symphony,
who, in 1790, granted us serious consideration, in one of his Quartets – op 64 no.
5 in D Major. A little later, Ralph Vaughan Williams bestowed us ... The Lark
Ascending, initially for violin and piano, completed in 1914, and then revised for
violin and orchestra. It is a sensitive piece, in a single movement, inspired by the
Poem 122, under the same name, written by George Meredith.

- But, in our homeland...

 - Guess, who is invited as a special guest? The one and only bird, symbol of
Romania... Lia, the skylark!

- Lie, Lie, dear skylark...

Please tell me

Why do you fly in the wind

And you reach the ground

Lie, dear skylark.

Lie, dear skylark

Why do you sing on the field

Without your male lark

Alone on the field

Lie, dear skylark

Lie, dear skylark

Not singing on the valley...

- What longing, pathos and drama...

- Dear Matthew, originally, it seems that this song has been a dance song, widely
spread, found in the repertoire of fiddlers from Hungary, Serbia, Macedonia,
Poland, Georgia, Bulgaria and Romania. Then it was brought to light, for the first
time, by the pan flute player, Angheluș Dinicu and the violinist, Sava Pădureanu,
at the International Expo (Exhibition), from Paris, in 1889, on the occasion of the
inauguration of the Eiffel Tower. Later, it was rendered skillfully by Grigoraș
Dinicu (Angheluș’s nephew), unrivalled violinist, and by Fănica Luca, a real pan
flute virtuoso.

- Skylarks… what virtuosity of trills and chirping… what musical wonders!

- In the midst of the 20th century, we, the skylarks, have been masterly handled
by two great members of the Romanian school: George Enescu – the one that
included us (the skylarks) in his first Romanian Rhapsody No. 1 op 11 in A major
(1901- 1902), a masterpiece of the genre, and Theodor Grigoriu, in the three,
charming and original, Skylarks- Haiku- s, with lyrics by Șerban Codrin, from the
collection Beyond Silence- Journey with birds, from 2001.

- You have to be a genius, to do something like this, to comprise everything in an

instant...

- Yes, it`s true!

- But, dear skylarks… what is a Haiku?

- Haiku is the renown Japanese poetry with a fixed form, composed of 17

syllables, distributed to three verses, made up from five, seven, five syllables. It is
something like a small jewel that incorporates an image or a word that speaks
about subjects (themes) regarding nature, seasons, plants, flowers, insects and of
course birds. In 1999, the first International Contemporary Haiku Symposium was
held for the purpose of reorganizing the traditional rules of the genre, so that it
could be adapted to every nation’s culture.

- My dear skylarks, you have just simply delighted me! How many things I found
out! I thank you very very much! Have a wonderful time!

- Thank you, dear Matthew! Have an interesting journey ahead!

- Woof…, woof…, woof!

- This is Maya’s answer also, my so trusted and quiet companion! But, is it just
me or is there someone else as well?

- Coo- coo! Coo- coo!

 - It resembles a cuckoo clock that gives you the exact time! But it’s rather not… I
wonder who it is? It keeps hiding behind every plant or little tree from the
Enchanted Garden of Grandma. I must go look for it. Come on Maya, let’s go!

- Coo- coo! Coo- coo!

- There’s that sound again… I won’t rest until I find out who it is! Yet it resembles
with a song of a bird! Maya, what do you say, are we going to find it?

- Hmm…, hmm…, hmm…

- Welcome, dear Matthew! Our name is… Cuckoo!

- But, how come you’ve got this name? Isn’t this a joke?

- No, that is our name! Ever since the Geto- Dacians, we were called Kuko and
Koiko, and many plants have been named after us: Cuckoo’s milk (Spurge),
Cuckoo’s boot (Primrose), Cuckoo’s wheat, Cuckoo’s tongue (Moonwort),
Cuckoo’s corn flour, Cuckoo’s bead, Cuckoo’s apple, Cuckoo’s peas, Cuckoo’s
honey, Cuckoo’s corn, Cuckoo’s chair, Cuckoo’s spit, Cuckoo’s shadow (all of these
are plants and these are their Romanian names) …

- Oh…, interesting! And what kind of birds are you?

- We are migrating birds that belong to Cuculiformes order, Cuculidae family. We

are more or less flying birds, but instead we run better and eat insects more.

- I assume, you too, have many relatives also, even in the entire world!

- We comprise 100 species, scattered all over the world and we like to walk all
over, through the deciduous forests, through the groves from the shores of
flowing waters, sea coast, on the outskirts of towns and even in the steppe
regions.

- I take it you are cuckoos in Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and America?

- Yes, the cuckoos from Europe have a greyish with blue- grey hue plumage, with
a long, motley tail and with very heavy feathers, the ones from Africa have a gold,
metallic- greenish and yellow plumage, the ones from Asia and Australia have
spurs, and the ones from North America, are either weepy yellow- billed or
runners (with long tail and a toupee on their head).

- But what is your purpose on this Earth?

- Dear Matthew, first of all, we are gifted with the simple chant, but that of
speech as well, meaning we bring news.

- Did I hear well that you also have the gift of divination?

- Yes, we are also known as the „oracle- birds”. It is said, that the way the
cuckoo’s song finds you that is how you are going to be for the rest of the year as
well. That is why it’s good to have money on you, to be full (satiated), happy, with
clean thoughts and at peace with everybody.

- I see! This is to be remembered!

- Our song has been, for a long time, an indicator used to measure time.
Therefore, according to the folk calendar (named Orthodox as well), we are being
heard starting from Annunciation Day up to Lady’s Bedstraw night or until Saint
Peter, when we „get hoarse” (Romanian folklore traditions)! Therefore, when the
spring starts, we get our voice back, because we eat the first spring buds or sing at
Heaven’s Gate, and then, when we eat cherry buds or barley grain, we turn silent
(mute)! There is also a saying: The cuckoo doesn’t sing until it sees a spring bud.
And then, there is another one: The cuckoo is silent, summer is gone. That is why,
in the ancestral Romanian traditions, we, the cuckoos, have been considered the
holy, joy bringing, God willing (to His liking) bird!

- How nice it must be singing at the Heaven’s Gate! And especially to attend such
special celebrations! What privileged birds!

- Dear Matthew, indeed! Annunciation or Cuckoo’s Day, celebrated annually on

the 25th of March in the time of Lent, is one of the greatest celebrations of
Christianity. Every year we are reminded of the moment, in which the Archangel
Gabriel told Virgin Mary that she will give birth to Jesus Christ.
 - Actually, it is a celebration of the joy of living but also of nature’s rebirth!

- Therefore, as you can see, we are engaged in many activities. Besides the ones
already mentioned, we also manage love issues... in Romania we even have the
„cuckoos ‘game”, a custom with masks, in Japan we represent the symbol of
unshared love, and in India, we are given as an offering to the god of desire,
Kamadeva.

- So far, all good and beautiful, but I feel something unpleasant... is following!

- Yes, we also have a huge flaw..., we don’t really fancy being parents, and as
such we leave our children in other foreign nests.

- What a shame! How so, not to love your children? You’re running from
responsibilities! As it isn’t easy to make a family and especially to take care of it!
Now I understand where the expressions Alone as a cuckoo (all alone) and To be
brother with a cuckoo (expresses the thought of loneliness) come from!

- Stop scolding us! That’s how we are! Coo- coo! Coo- coo!

- You are singing to me, so that you can extricate yourselves! Nice method to
dodge out of it! But, finding out so much about you, now I can explain myself, the
existence of so many literary creations, starting with the ones specific to
Romanian folklore and continuing with legends, poems and stories.

- It is something, isn’t it?

- Dear cuckoos, lucky for you, you are playful and always up to playing pranks!
You keep hiding and make others look for you... you make them curious through
your so simplistic song, comprised of two identical syllables: Coo- coo!

- Well, dear Matthew, over the centuries, our so simplistic, syllabic song caught
the eye but especially captured the heart of many composers, from Johann
Caspar Kerll to Benjamin Britten, mainly from the 17th up to the 20th centuries.
We seem to be on the first place at... reproductions from nature to classical
music.
 - Really? I can’t abstain myself not to remember an old Romanian saying, that I
believe, would fit you like a glove: Ignorance is bliss! (If you are stupid, you’re
lucky). Imagine that: to be representative for many masterpieces of the universal
musical literature!

- Johann Caspar Kerll was among the first authors, who dedicated us a piece for
the organ or the clavichord Capriccio sopra il Cucu, where our song has been
reproduced about... 200 times! Then, in 1669, Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber has
offered us a moment (exclusively for us) in his Sonata Representativa.
Approximately, around the same time, in the France of King Louis the XIV, a well-
known clavichordist, Louis- Claude Daquin, composed us another piece of
virtuosity that bears our name!

- I almost hear your song!

- Then two masters of the pre- classical period have created for us, the cuckoos,
full works, even… concerts. It’s about Antonio Vivaldi and his Concerto RV 335 in
A major for violin and orchestra Il Cucu/The cuckoo and Georg Friedrich Händel
and his Concerto HWV 295 in F major for organ and orchestra The cuckoo and the
Nightingale, where in the second part, the organ renders the two familiar sounds
that the cuckoo sings, followed by the entire, full of flourishing song that the
nightingale sings.

- But, what about the 19th century, is there anything?

- Around 1869, Johann Strauss- the son, master of dancing miniatures (short
instrumental or orchestral pieces), offered us a special gift – Polka op. 336 Im
Krapfenwald’l Polka/Polka in Krapfen’s Woods. We had a fulminating success
even from the premiere! Coo- coo! Coo- coo!

- The everlasting Strauss family and its music! Who could forget the New Year’s
Eve concerts, broadcasted from Wien, live all over the world, on the 1st of
January every year!

- Let’s go back… when the renowned French composer, Camille Saint- Saëns, has
granted us a place of honor, in his well- known Suite Le carnaval des animaux/The
Carnival of the Animals: Le coucou au fond des bois/The cuckoo in the Depth of the
Woods. A clarinet and two pianos express everything about our song, of the
cuckoos’!

- Yes, amusing moment!

- Then, dear Matthew, two representative artists of the 20th century have
skillfully portrayed us: Frederick Delius, in his piece from 1912 entitled On hearing
the First Cuckoo in Spring and Ottorino Respighi, the one that, in his Suite from
1928 The Birds, highlighted us in the last part of Il cucu/The cuckoo, on a music
inspired by the one signed by Bernardo Pasquini.

- But, is there any Romanian cuckoo?

- Yes... even something for Toți cucii/All cuckoos, a miniature from the cycle Cinci
piese/Five piece, composed during 1965- 1974 by Ștefan Zorzor.

- As such, different portraits of the cuckoos everywhere, surprised in different

poses... I can’t believe it, how much I’ve learned today as well. But time goes by
so fast, that the evening just came. Let’s go, my dear Maya, after so much running
around I see you are a bit tired... you can barely move your paws! Good night,
dear cuckoos!

- Good night, dear Matthew! And I hope you will have a special day tomorrow as
well! As you know, since we possess the gift of prediction... we are sure, that
tomorrow, you are in for a huge surprise!
 The Dinosaurs

- Oh...look, how it is pouring! As they say... it’s raining cats and dogs or
scientifically speaking... it’s raining very heavily, the raindrops are huge, many and
they are falling rapidly. You know, dear Maya, I always wondered where the rain
is coming from or better said... its raindrops?

- Mm..., mm..., mm...

–Mm- hmm, you’re a bit sleepy, my so trusted and quiet friend! Look, a raindrop
slipped into my palm and it seems it’s whispering something... I should lean in to
hear better...

- Dear Matthew, I will tell you our secret... ssh... the rain forms itself under a
certain timetable.

- Listen to this, nature has got its own timetable, not only us at school!

- Therefore, the waters on Earth get heated too much sometimes from the Sun,
and start perspiring, meaning they emanate some vapors... millions... that go up
and up...! There, these vapors gather around and form a small and cute cloud.
And, as we know from Mathematics, 1+1=2... a cloud with another cloud... give
birth to a black, big, heavy cloud... up for a fight, namely... a storm! Being so high
and a bit cold, the vapors condense and turn into... raindrops. Well then you
should see, that the black, big, heavy cloud turns to tears... and these are the
raindrops that reach the ground, to fulfill their mission... to water the whole
vegetation and to take care of the Planet’s waters!

- We discovered something, isn’t it? Thank you, raindrop, for the secret you have
just revealed... now, please go back to your timetable, so that we do not ruin the
system! Goodbye... ssh... Interesting, dear Maya, isn’t it?

- Woof..., grr..., grr...

 - But, what should we do? I see that this rain is not going to stop anytime soon! I
don’t think that we are going to go to the Enchanted Garden of Grandma today!
Maybe a day of rest will do us good! I think you like the idea as well... I see you
went back to your place and you’re looking at me, with your eyes almost closed!
Mm- hmm, the rain is making us sleepy...

- Zzz..., zzz..., zzz...

- I should be quiet, as Maya has already fallen asleep! I think I’m going to lie
down as well... but I’m not going to sleep, but instead, think of something...
maybe, think of the water cycle in the Universe, maybe think of how the Earth
was once! I think this is a good idea... zzz..., zzz..., zzz...

When you’re in dream world, you can travel anywhere, which is exactly
what happened with Matthew and his lovely doggie, Maya, his so trusted and
quiet companion! Just like the cuckoo predicted, the two friends will be taking
part in an unexpected event!

- Dear Maya, I wonder where we are?

- Grr..., grr..., grr...

- What a weird view... what colours... The Sky hardly looks the same, nor does
the Earth resemble what we know...

- Welcome, dears!

- Who is talking to us? Where are we?

- Throughout your dreams, you have ended up millions of years behind...

- How???

- Yes, you are in a faraway era of Earth... the era, when we appeared, we... The
Dinosaurs, that diverse group of reptiles, from the smallest up to the most
gigantic, considered the biggest animals of all times! We ruled the World from the
land, water and even air. Our rise, reign and extinction have been carried out
within almost 200 million years!
 - If you only knew how much I’ve been longing to see you with my own eyes!

- Dear Matthew, your wish has been granted! Therefore, I hope you will enjoy
this unique experience!

- But, where does this name... „dinosaur” come from?

- Actually, only in 1842, the term „dinosaur” got introduced and defined by
British Paleontologist, Richard Owen, to describe someone „frightfully big”!

- And, what were your beginnings?

- It is said, that we, the dinosaurs, were part of the group Archosaur (crocodiles
of our times are part of it) and of a class with two important divisions: Saurischia
(the so- called, „reptile- hipped”, from the Greek „sauros”, meaning „lizard” and
„ischion”, meaning „hip joint”) and Ornithischia (so- called, „bird- hipped”, from
the Greek stem „ornith”, meaning „of a bird” and „ischion”, plural „ischia”,
meaning „hip joint”).

- I know that so far, over 500 dinosaurs genera and 1000 distinct species have
been identified!

- The scientists have classified us like this: depending on the type of food:
herbivorous and carnivorous dinosaurs, depending on our type of walking: biped
dinosaurs (two- legs’ walk), quadruple dinosaurs (four- legs’ walk), depending on
our background (the places we lived in): avian dinosaurs (birds) and non- avian
dinosaurs (terrestrial and maritime), depending on size: small dinosaurs
(approximately 50 cm) and gigantic dinosaurs (40 meters long and 20 meters
high).

- This got me hooked as well! Your physical strength and your fearful look!

- Our arsenal included also some sort of horns, sometimes a very sharp beak,
special teeth, scales like some sort of breastplates, feathers, all sorts of claws, and
especially the tail! Often (frequently), these were the weapons we used to fight,
but at the same time, these were the elements, used to communicate visually,
but also auditory, through hissing (wheezing), teeth grinding, or through making
vocalizations with the mouth closed, like prattling.

- For us today, it is such a far- off and unknown era!

- Dear Matthew, the Universe was, is and will be full of mysteries! It is said that,
the history of Earth began 4- 5 billion years ago, when important changes took
place, in the structure, climate and life of this Planet.

- Actually, I know something about... Fantasia!

- Fantasia?

- Yes, dear dinosaurs! Fantasia, from 1940, an animated film produced by Walt
Disney, where the beginnings of Earth are described, from the creation of the
Planet, to the first living creatures, followed by the reign and extinction of the
dinosaurs!

- And I wonder, how were these images portrayed, from a musical point of view?

- For example, let’s take the ballet music Le sacre de printemps/The Rite of
Spring by Igor Stravinsky. Even Walt Disney said: It is perfect for prehistoric
animals... dinosaurs, flying lizards and prehistoric monsters!.

- Wow, listen to you! This has not even crossed our mind... Fantasia, and the
music envisioned by Igor Stravinsky! Powerful and full of life! Dear Matthew, we
feel like dancing now! Stomp..., stomp..., stomp...

- Watch out... cause you’re going to flip us over… you’re doing the same, as the
dinosaurs from the movie Istorie scurtă/ Short history, directed by the
unforgettable Ion Popescu- Gopo! A short film in which a hero loved by everyone
is encountered, with a longish head, with a silly and serious look, with slim hands
and feet and with a round belly, in other words... Omulețul/ „The Little Man!

- Who is he? I don’t ever remember having met him in the Triassic!

- Not at all... He is Omulețul/The Little Man, of Ion Popescu- Gopo, the one,
curious by nature. He is a suggestive character, musically represented by three
notes (c, b, b- flat)... skillfully set up by Dumitru Capoianu... Omulețul/The Little
Man, a real charmer around 1957, even at Cannes, where he received the coveted
(so much craved/wanted) trophy of cinematography: Palme d’Or/The Golden
Palm! But, dear dinosaurs please carry on!

- To understand better, how it’s been and how the transformations (changes)
occurred, we have to tell you about the evolution of the Earth, split in four big
Eons: Hadean, Archaic, Proterozoic, Phanerozoic – and each, split into eras,
periods, and ages.

- It seems so complicated! But what is an Eon?

- A division of Geologic time, and the time is measured in Ma (millions of years),

every unit representing the period of approximately 1.000.000 years behind. Out
of all Eons, we will stick to Phanerozoic.

- I’m all eyes and years!

- Due to extraordinary events, the Phanerozoic Eon was split into three big
geological eras: Paleozoic or „Early life”, that lasted between 542- 251 Ma (with
six periods – Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous, Permian),
Mesozoic or „Middle life”, that unfolded between 251- 66 Ma (with three periods
– Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous) and Cenozoic or „New life”, that started at 66 Ma
(with three periods as well – Paleogene, Neogene and Quaternary).

- How long it took for the Earth to evolve and life... what to say!!! But still, when
did you, dinosaurs, appear?

- For us, the dinosaurs, the Mesozoic era is the most important. It isn’t called for
nothing „the dinosaurs ‘era”! What are you doing Matthew? I see you’re not
paying attention!

- Yes, I am! But what can I do if I saw something purple with a few black spots,
that is fooling around!

- Ha- ha- ha! Yes... it is the famous Dino, Flintstones’ family pet, around... 1966!
 - How? Dinosaur... a pet, that acts... like a dog???!!! Listen to this Maya, what do
you say?

- Woof, woof, woof!

- Yes, you’re wagging your tail a bit surprised! I remembered this cute series, the
distinctive (remarkable) theme song, created by Hoyt Stoddard Curtin, and the
memorable animals, the non- avian dinosaurs, sabre- toothed cats or saber-
toothed cats (cats with sword teeth) and the mammoths, the ancestors of
elephants today.

- Just to see, how much appreciated we are! But, let’s go back, I’m trying to tell
you again about our history! Therefore, the Mesozoic era or „Middle life” covered
three periods – Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous. It started and ended, through
the socalled extinction phenomenon, when a lot of species just disappeared!

- Nature! It is amazing and has its own principles! Who knows why everything
had to disappear?

- The Triassic lasted approximately 50 million years (between 250- 200 million
years ago). The Jurassic lasted for 55 million years (between 200- 145 million
years ago), and the Cretaceous was the longest period of the Mesozoic, that
lasted 79 million years (between 145- 66 million years ago).

- Almost 200 million years! It makes your head spin!

- Dear Matthew, in the Triassic (early, middle and late), besides various reptiles,
birds, crocodiles and big amphibians, the first real dinosaurs were born:
Pterosaurs (a new group of reptiles, able to fly) with its two families –
Rhamphorhynchoids (with long tail) and Pterodactyloids (with short tail) and
namely Coelophysis, one of the first specimens, with one of the biggest brains
ever existed in a dinosaur – big as a peach. And not only that... the dinosaur was
able to run... 50 km/h!

- What happened in the Jurassic?

 - In the middle Jurassic, that lasted 12 million years (between 175- 163 million
years ago), we, the dinosaurs, became the real stars! We were all over the place,
in big groups... Brachiosaurus, Diplodocus and Apatosaurus (so- called deceptive
lizards) ... species of gigantic animals, herbivorous, that were 25 meters long and
weighed 80 tons! Interesting to know, the neck... looooong and the tail...
looooong... that, was being used most of the times as a whip during the fights
against the Ceratosaurus and Allosaurus, animals from the carnivorous category
that hunted within the group, being considered ones of the most dangerous
species, and known as the most powerful predators.

- I even remember the fierce fights between Velociraptors and Protoceratops...

they looked like boxers in the ring...

- Yes, dear Matthew! These fights weren’t for fun and weren’t practiced as a
sport, but were rather a matter of honor and supremacy or either for food!

- Brachiosaurus seems to be star material (someone very famous)!

- It’s true, in honor of this species, a main asteroid of the belt 1991 GX7, was
called 9954 Brachiosaurus. And it was also „casted” in various roles, in the movies
Jurassic Park, Star Wars and Dinosaur. But our story goes on!

- You have a very looooong history..., almost 200 million years... it means
something!

- Another important moment for us, the dinosaurs, was the Cretaceous, the
longest era from the Mesozoic, with two periods: early and late. In these times,
other types of dinosaurs have appeared from the gigantic, carnivorous category,
like Mosasaurus (the new predator, the new master of the seas, one of the most
dangerous of marine animals), Carcharodontosaurus or „shark toothed lizard”,
Spinosaurus and Iguanodon or „the iguana tooth”, the second dinosaur that
received a scientific name after the Megalosaurus, in 1824.

- One of them seems familiar... oh, yes... Carcharodontosaurus, that appeared in

an episode of the television series of BBC – Dinosaur Planet, called Alpha’s Egg!
 - Then, in the late Cretaceous, we, the dinosaurs, evolved through other
dominant species, like Tyrannosaurus, Ankylosaurus, Triceratops and Hadrosaurus
or „duck- billed dinosaurs” (with a beak similar to the duck’s). At the same time, it
was the moment of another mass extinction Cretaceous- Paleogene, when 75 %
of the life from Earth simply vanished, including all non- avian dinosaurs. Better
said, all that weighed over 10 kilograms!

- Yes, I recognized a few „trendy” dinosaurs, well- known today. The

Tyrannosaurus became the archetypal prototype and one of the most popular
dinosaurs in the 20th century, exhibited in museums, used in advertising, on
postal stamps and of course, in movies!

- Dear Matthew, in the movie Jurassic Park, directed by Steven Spielberg,

besides Brachiosaurus, Dilophosaurus, Gallimimus, Parasaurolophus, Spinosaurus,
Velociraptor, Triceratops, the star was obviously Tyrannosaurus Rex, often called
T- Rex or „tyrant lizard king”, with over 50 species! It was one of the biggest
predators and one of the biggest land carnivores of all times! It was one of the
last non- avian dinosaurs!

- I also remember the soundtrack created by the unrivalled John Williams!

Jurassic Park, a movie that made history in the field (the subject of dinosaurs)!
Furthermore, The American Movie Institute considered Jurassic Park, the 35th
most exciting movie of the science fiction genre!

- There have been, around the same time, the Ankylosaurus, a large group of
herbivorous dinosaurs, with armor and horns, and of course Triceratops or the
„three- horned face”, one of the biggest and most common horned herbivorous
dinosaurs.

- I remember that, also, this dinosaur, Triceratops became known in our days,
because he was „picked”, as a character for the animation series Harry and His
Bucket Full of Dinosaurs, and was used in the game Dinosaur King, in various
movies, but also in the documentaries Walking with Dinosaurs, produced by BBC
and in the Prehistoric Park.
 - Dear Matthew, and after such a glorious history, during which we dominated
the entire Earth, from the land, from the seas and even from the air... the end
came... our extinction (disappearance) forever...! Total mystery! Why did we
appear and disappear without any traces???!!!

–Some traces have been found... from your remains scattered all over the world,
so much has been written... and more than 145 movies have been produced! In a
way, you became a durable part of the global culture.

- It means something, having stayed in the collective memory!

- How not to? You have been the dominant terrestrial vertebrate from the late
Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous, for almost 200 million years! And, the proof
lies in the mythologies of different countries, where you are compared to the
European Dragon, the Hydra but especially the dragon!

- Dragon?

- Yes, in Romania, in the so called Valea Dinozaurilor/Valley of the Dinosaurs, in

the Geopark of Dinosaurs, Țara Hațegului/Hațeg Country, certain Ancient
mammals have been discovered but other dinosaurs as well, that received the
name Balaurul bondoc/Stocky dragon! Actually, the dragon is a fantastic animal of
enormous size, either a snake with wings, feet and more heads (usually, three,
seven, nine, even twelve), or a combination between a snake, crocodile and lion,
with one or more heads, that are spitting fire!

- How interesting!

- Frequently, the dragon would become the negative character in the fascinating
Romanian fairy tales, but also a model for the carvers. From 2005, Mircea
Cărtărescu, a contemporary Romanian author (poet, prose writer, essayist,
literary critic and journalist) managed to write the Enciclopedia
zmeilor/Encyclopedia of Dragons. In the first part, the Universe, we learn in detail,
with well- made plates and maps, everything about a dragon: anatomy, races,
geography, history, occupations and tools, language, civilization, science, arts and
literature, etc. The categories of dragons can be found in fairy tales under the
following names: dragon of dragons, mother of dragons, dog dragon, dragon with
fangs, mioritic dragon, Asian dragon... In the second part of the volume, the Tales,
there are 10 stories about certain species and events of dragons. Some of them
are in the classical style – the eternal confrontation between the dragon and Făt-
Frumos (in Romanian mythology, he is the hero who fights with dragons and
witches to free his beloved, princess Ileana Cosânzeana) and others about
dragons and the confrontation between certain species.

- But in Romanian classical music how are we describe?

- In 1960, the composer, Carmen Petra- Basacopol created the Suite op. 15 for
piano Impresii din Muzeul Satului/Impressions from the Village Museum, where
the first of the six miniatures, received the name Balaurii de pe poarta mare
(Banat) /The Dragons at the Big Gate (Banat- geographical and historical region,
straddling between Central and Eastern Europe) ... a suggestive musical portrait!

- Dear Matthew, we enjoyed the fact, that you reminded us of the old times,
when we were „someone”, but now it’s time to disappear again! Hocus- Pocus!

Suddenly, everything went back to normal... Matthew and Maya woke up

and looked surprised at one another! They had indeed experienced a fantastic
journey!
 The Elephants

- But, hold on Maya, where are we? I believe we are stuck in a time loop... we
are trapped in time... we are lost in space (same as the Quantum Leap
phenomenon)!!! What should we do, my dear Maya, if there is no way to go back
home???!!!

- Grr..., grr..., grr...

- Yes, Maya, my beloved doggie, my so trusted and quiet friend! I believe we are
stuck in that faraway era... But I hear something!

Company: Hup! Two, three, four

Keep it up! Two, three, four

Hup! Two, three, four

Keep it up! Two, three, four

Colonel Hathi: Company, march along!

Company: Oh, the aim of our patrol?

Through the jungle we march,

How amusing is to stomp,

Maybe we will run into a mosquito and a stallion,

Colonel Hathi: Is a military goal!

Company: Is a military goal!

Keep it up! Two, three, four

Hup! Two, three, four

Keep it up! Two, three, four

Hup! Two, three, four

By the ranks or single file

Quietly we sit and sing,

Discipline we want,

We will have!

Hathi Jr. In a military style!

Company: In a military style!

Colonel Hathi: To the rear! March!

Hup! Two, three, four

Keep it up! Two, three, four…

- Wow! A real march! What drill! You could say you’re in the army! Lucky they
are a squad of... e, here, he is here... let’s find out who is it about! I salute you!
Please introduce yourselves!

- We are a squad of... Elephants... from the Elephantidae family, the only
surviving family of the order Proboscidea. Other relatives of ours are long
extinct... in the late Pleistocene, in the time of quaternary glaciation (ice age) that
killed 50 % of the types with a weight over 5 kilograms from the entire world!

- Welcome, dear elephants! But I know you have a place especially designed for
the drill!
 - Oh... yes, it’s the jungle, portrayed so well by the famous author, Rudyard
Kipling, in 1894, and then, in the animation movie The Jungle Book, directed by
Wolfgang Reitherman and produced by Walt Disney, in 1967!

- Not to mention the soundtrack, pictured by George Edward Bruns in

collaboration with the Sherman brothers (Robert and Richard) and Terry Gilkyson!

- We will always remember them as they made us famous! I wonder who ever
welcomed you with great fanfare... in a marching rhythm... just like we have?

- We admit no one! But who were your ancestors? I believe there have been
many species! The same, as with dinosaurs!

- Among the first dinosaurs, we can name: Palaeoloxodon namadicus,

Gomphotheres, Loxodonta (with at least two species, Loxodonta Africana -
African bush elephant and Loxodonta Cyclotis – African forest elephant),
Deinotherium („terrible beast”), one of the largest mammals ever existed,
Mammuthus or the Mammoths, Mastodons, like Anancus arvernensis and
Elephas (with the species Elephas recki, Elephas antiquus, Elephas falconeri and
Elephas cypriotes - The Cyprus dwarf elephant).

- So many names! But really, where does this come from... „elephant”?

- Probably, our name comes from an Indo- European language, possibly

Phoenician, that was adopted after, by the Ancient Greeks and Romans. Also,
there is a scientific name for the African elephants, Loxodonta or „oblique- sided
tooth”, coming from Greek language. Homer used the Greek version when he
referred to our tusk, and after Herodotus’ time, the term has spread in our world
fully!

- Actually, when did you appear for the first time?

- We, elephants, have appeared in the Cenozoic/Neozoic („New life”) era that
began at the end of Cretaceous Mesozoic. That is, when the last terrestrial
dinosaurs disappeared. An era that lasts today as well, during which, the
evolution of mammals and man continues!
 - What are you saying to me? Other eras, ages??? No more!!!

- Dear Matthew, listen and learn! The Cenozoic era or the „New life” era, has
been split into three big periods: Paleogene, that took place 40 million years ago
(comprised of the Paleocene Epoch, the Eocene Epoch and the Oligocene Epoch),
Neogene, that unfolded 22 million years ago (made up of the Miocene and
Pliocene Epoch) and Quaternary, that began 1,8 million years ago (with other two
epochs, Pleistocene and Holocene). Meaning, we came close to your time...

- Close???!!! You are talking about millions of years ago... and all kinds of
changes...

- Well, yes! We are only 66 million years behind...

- Only???!!!

- Well, in this period (of million years), right after the disappearance of reptiles,
on ground plane, the mammals (marsupial and placental) became the dominant
class! Therefore, the animals of the Pachyderm order have appeared, that is, the
mammals with thick skin, almost hairless and some of them with hoof legs. They
were split into Proboscideans or Pachyderm with trunks or long nose (we,
elephants), simply Pachyderm like hippopotamus, rhinos, pigs and Solipeds,
namely... horses.

- And, how would you describe yourselves?

- Dear Matthew, we, the elephants, are big, herbivorous animals, with a thick
skin, usually of dark colour, with a height of almost 4 meters and a weight over
10.000 kilograms, of which, the brain weighs 5 kilograms, much more than any
terrestrial animal and the heart can even weigh 20 kilograms!

- And what do you eat and how do you sleep?

- We like all types of vegetation, including grass, fruits, leaves, bark and roots.
We eat 300 kilograms of food and we drink 160 litres of water every day! When it
comes to sleep, we sleep standing up, about two or three hours per day. That is
why we have strong feet, and our soles are covered with a soft membrane, that
helps us walk quietly (without making too much noise)!

- Wow, is there something else?

- We are the only mammals that have... a chin!

- Gee, how interesting!

- We may not see right but our hearing is excellent! An elephant can hear sounds
made by the trunk of another elephant, from a distance of 5 kilometres. Our
sense of smell is good also! The African elephant has got the most developed
sense of smell from the whole animal kingdom.

- I heard that, even if you are so big you are scared of...

- Yes, dear Matthew, of ants and bees! Even if they are small... they can take us
down!

- I see, just like the saying The small log overthrows the big chariot (proverb used
and heard in the Romanian rural communities - in life, you can stumble upon
small obstacles, when you’re not paying attention to all details, and as such, the
result can be devastating)!

- How about that! Usually, we „reach” 70 years old!

- What places do you like to live in?

- The savannas, forests, deserts and swamps. Well yes, and we like living near
water! In order to be able to drink, wash ourselves and play with our trunk...

- Oh, yes, the trunk... that made you famous! How can one forget the wonderful
satirical fable, rendered with so much beauty (charm) by the late artist Toma
Caragiu (famous Romanian comedian)? Elefantul, vrăbiuța, plus bursucul și
maimuța/The Elephant, the little birdie, plus the badger and the monkey! Ha-
haha... such good quality humour! But, let’s go back!
 - For us, the trunk is essential and it varies from species to species! Therefore,
the African elephant has got two extensions that resemble the fingers from the
tip of the trunk, those helping the elephant to grab and take the food easier to
the mouth. Instead, the Asian elephant has got only one trunk which is vital for
drinking and eating. As such, the trunk wraps itself around a piece of food, to
bring it to the mouth. Moreover, the trunk’s capacity to make powerful flips and
various moves, allows us to lift weights up to 350 kg!

- Wow, listen to that! How many things you can do with a trunk!!!

- You should know, that the elephant trunks have multiple features, including
breathing, smelling, touching, grabbing objects, but also producing sounds and
imitating them. As a matter of fact, we, the elephants, have got the ability to
learn to purr, to chirp, to whistle and even to buzz.

- I never imagined how important the trunk is!

- And, we are not finished yet! Because we have manners, we use our trunk to
salute as well!

- Yes, but you also... play with... the trunk!

- Yeeesss! Especially with the... water drops! We throw them up... and down...
on the sides! We have the „gift” to sense water from a distance of approximately
20 kilometres, and to detect rain from a 240 km distance! Also, we are capable to
retain, in our trunk, 8,5 litres of water. But we also like mud... because we use it
as a sunscreen (sun protection) and against insect bites! You should know that we
have a sensitive skin!

- Besides the trunk, you also possess something out of the ordinary... the ears!

- Dear Matthew, the big pavilions of our ears help us control our body
temperature (heat). When we are hot, we flap our ears, and the blood is flowing
through our veins and cools down to 9 degrees Celsius (48.2 degrees Fahrenheit).
We use our ears, also to signal different dangers or to show our anger!
 - The ears..., yes..., are also the subject of the animation movie... Dumbo, the
little elephant... from 1941, directed by Ben Sharpsteen and produced also by
Walt Disney!

- I would also add, that the African elephant ‘ears are bigger and they have the
shape of the African continent, whereas the Asian elephants ‘ears are smaller and
rounder.

- I noticed your teeth and tusks! They look a bit different!

- We have 26 incisors (teeth) and unlike other mammals, our teeth have their
own rotation cycle during our life. Therefore, we have 6 sets of teeth!

- Wow! But what about the tusks?

- These are the ones that are visible, one on the left, one on the right and their
dentin is known as ivory. We are hunted for the ivory! We use our tusks to „dig”
for water, salt and roots, to peel and mark the trees, but also to move the trees
and the branches that stand in our way. Also, we use them for attacking and for
defending ourselves in various fights!

- If you are so big, with trunk, huge ears and tusks how do you move around?

- We, elephants, on dry land, have a normal walking and a rapid one, similar to
running, with a speed of 25 km/h! We move around back and forth, but we do not
jump. Also, in water, we feel just as good, we swim at least six hours without
touching the bottom of the water, with a speed up to 48 km/h! And when we look
at water, we are among the fewest animal species that recognize our image in the
mirror!

- But, wait a minute... do you have the ability to show your feelings?

- Yes, dear Matthew. We, elephants, are sociable and loyal, we even put our life
in danger in order to save one of our fellows when needed. We celebrate as well
when one of our babies is born or cry when a member of our family dies! It is said
that, when Lawrence Anthony, known as The Elephant Whisperer, author of the
book The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild, died, a
herd of elephants came home to him to mourn him, as he has helped many of us!
You know, we, elephants, we never forget, we have an excellent memory and we
are also grateful!

- Impressive! This is a true life lesson! I wonder what else will I find out about
you?

- Generally, we live in societies consisting of many family groups, that are led by
the oldest female. Meaning, we live in matriarchy!

- Matriarchy?

- Let me tell you a secret! I believe our leadership system constituted a model for
that human social system from the period of the primitive commune setting, in
which one ethnic affiliation was established on a maternal line and the woman
would have the main lead in the economic and social life!

- Ssh... I won’t tell anyone! Secret! But how did you manage to survive so far, as
the dinosaurs didn’t manage?

- With great difficulty, both literally and figuratively! Out of almost 200 species,
only three remained: the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) or the African
bush elephant, the African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) and the Asian
elephant (Elephas maximus) with its three subspecies: the one from Sri Lanka, the
Indian one and the one from Sumatra. That’s it!

- It’s still better than nothing, right?

- Of course! But it seems we’ve come to an end because the African elephants
are on the list of vulnerable species and the Asian one is classified as being on the
verge of extinction. One of our biggest threats is the commercial trade with our
ivory tusks that can only be obtained if we are killed (murdered)! The statistics say
that almost 100 of us, elephants, are being killed every day for the „ivory”! It is
true that a pair of elephant tusks (ivory) can even weigh 200 kilograms!

- How dreadful! Let’s hope you will still be among us!

- We hope so, too!

 - Oh..., I remembered... I wished to ask you about the white elephant as well?

- The White elephants are specific to the Asian space, precisely met in South-
East Asia - Burma, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, being considered sacred animals
that bring peace and prosperity.

- Related to you, elephants, I know there are a few special interpretations.

- Yes, in Buddhism, it is said that Buddha has been a white elephant reincarnated
in human. It is also said that his mother, Gautama Buddha (also called Maya) has
dreamt that a white elephant is entering her womb. This was a sign predicting the
birth of a future great man who would become either a „Chakravartin”
(conqueror of the world) or a great wise man. Then, in Hinduism, one of the most
important deities, who was believed to bring success, good luck and would fulfill
people’s wishes - Ganesha, is represented as an elephant’s head. And in the
Islamic tradition, year 570, when Muhammad was born, was the Year of the
Elephant!

- I know you are also the object of some religious beliefs?

- Yes, it’s true, of course in Africa and Asia, our lands... Therefore, in Central
Africa, it is believed that the souls of the dead ancestors live inside the elephants.
That is why, the leaders are buried with our tusks. And in Asia, especially in
Sumatra, Airaavatha (Airavata), the father of all elephants, represented the
thunder, the storms but also the rainbow.

- I am convinced you became a subject for various forms of art as well!

- Ever since Ancient times, we have been considered the „bearers” of many
symbols: on one hand, the symbol of power, force, strength, longevity and on the
other hand, the symbol of honor, stability and patience, but we also represent on
one hand trust, dignity, pride and on the other hand, we represent wisdom,
sociability, care and loyalty. Moreover, we have been the element of colour,
meaning, all that is exotic!

- I remember different characters from literature and film...

 - We, elephants, in children’s stories, have been taken as a role model with ideal
human values, like in: The Elephant’s Child from the cycle Just So Stories by
Rudyard Kipling, The Saggy Baggy Elephant by Kathryn and Byron Jackson, Babar
by Jean de Brunhoff, Elmer the Patchwork Elephant from a series of children
picture books of the British author, David McKee and Horton Hears a Who!, from
the children book signed by Theodor Seuss Geisel, best known as Dr. Seuss.

- I am convinced you attracted musicians’ attention as well!

- Yes, of course, dear Matthew! We have an interesting moment in the well-

known animation movie... Fantasia ... produced by Walt Disney... where, on the
music of the famous Danza delle Ore/Dance of the Hours from the opera La
Gioconda by Amilcare Ponchielli... we are presented as gentle, delicate... but also,
playful... especially with water drops... or with the bubbles we make with our
trunk!

- Wonderful images!

- Then, we have another important role in the score entitled Le Carnaval des
animaux/The Carnival of the animals of the French composer, Camille Saint-
Saëns, where a contrabass, accompanied by the piano is worth every cent! It’s the
same as with turtles, it’s just a musical joke. The melodic line is taken from A
Midsummer Night’s Dream by Felix Mendelssohn and from Ballet des
Syphes/Dance of the Spirits by Hector Berlioz and overlaid on the rhythms of a
waltz!

- What an ingenious idea! I even imagine you, elephants, waltzing with such
grace... one, two, three... one, two, three...

- A little later, in the 20th century, two interesting musical works have been
created, in which, we, the elephants had the main lead. It is about the one called
L’histoire de Babar, le petit elephant/The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant by
Francis Poulenc, inspired by the book of Jean Brunhoff and the other one entitled
Circus Polka: For a Young Elephant by Igor Stravinsky. Both have been composed
between 1940- 1945, and they are musical portraits, brilliantly „shaped”, in
different nuances. Therefore, in the French space, a narrator amazes us with the
wonderful sounds of some berceuse, musette, waltz, march, polka, nocturne,
whereas, in the Russian space, we get a little „shaky” from the numerous rhythms
and spirited (energetic, lively), melodic sounds of a polka, especially created for a
ballet of 50 elephants, dressed in their so popular pink tutus!

- What show it must have been! Elephants... playing as... ballet dancers,
ballerinas!

- Over a few more years, around 1961, Henry Mancini, for the movie Hatari!,
composed a song that became a hit – Baby Elephant Walk, winner of the Grammy
Award.

- For a few moments, my old childhood song seems to be ringing in my ears...

isn’t that so, Maya? Come on, let’s sing it!

An elephant, was swinging,

On a spider’s web,

And because, it didn’t tear,

He called another elephant.

Two!

Two elephants, were swinging,

On a spider’s web,

And because, it didn’t tear,

They called another elephant.

Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine...

Ten elephants,
Were swinging,

On a spider’s web,

And because,

the web tore,

All elephants fell down!

- Ha, ha, ha! It must have been very funny to see so many elephants with their
feet up in the air!

- Mm- hmm..., we are happy to part with a smile on our faces...

- We thank you, dear elephants, for everything!

- We wish you a pleasant journey home!

- Oh, yes... I hope, dear Maya, we find, at once, the road... heading... home,
again!

- Mmm...,mmm...,mmm...

- Let’s see if it works! Let’s just close our eyes and suddenly be... Well, we did it!
Dear Maya, I’m happy! And you as well, as I see you wagging your tail, really
excited! Hooray! We are home!

So, Matthew and his doggie, Maya, his so trusted and quiet friend, came
back home, safe! After a good sleep, the next day, the two of them, will be ready
again, to continue the journey, through the Enchanted Garden of Grandma!
 The Butterflies

- I have a feeling, today it is going to be a lovely day! What a clear sky... of a blue
colour that seems infinite! Oh..., but look! How lovely it is there! They look as...
flying petals! Look, what acrobatic lines! To the right, to the left! Well, dear Maya,
my so trusted and quiet friend, don’t run after... him or her!

- Woof..., grr..., woof...

- What beautiful appearance and what delicate moves... barely felt! I wonder
who it is?

- Good morning, dear Matthew! It’s us, the Butterflies!

- Welcome! Butterflies? I’ve heard this word before, in other circumstances. If I

remember well, once, when I was watching a sport competition, someone talked
about the butterfly stroke (a swimming technique) and more often, when people
receive a piece of paper with the written sum they earn at work, that is also called
„butterfly” (Romanian word for salary slip)! Many times, this expression doesn’t
bring excitement (as the wages in Romania are quite small)! I’m too young to
understand what is with these „butterflies” (salary slips) slightly... unattractive!
But, now, if I look at you, I notice you are so delicate and exquisite! Butterflies...,
such a melodious word! But still, I feel I heard another name for you... „butterfly”!

- Yes, in some places of the world, that is how we are called... because, it seems
that, initially, we have been detected only when we were flying over the butter
pots... hence the name „butterfly”, composed of two words: „butter” and „fly”.

- But what are you? Or better said who are you?

- We are a bunch (multitude, ton) of insects with „wings covered in scales”, from
the order Lepidoptera, with a cylindrical body and of small size, with a head,
thorax (chest) and abdomen (the lower part). The wings and legs are attached to
the thorax. Usually, the wings are covered by chitinous scales, that have the role
to imitate nature, to help us camouflage but they also have the role of
thermoregulation. Actually, the wings are transparent, consisting of many layers
that are so thin that you can almost see through them, and when the sunlight
shines upon them, so many colours can be observed (almost like a rainbow) ... We
also possess eyes, a trunk „proboscis”, like a tube (a long, flexible tongue).

- Elephants have got a trunk as well... of other dimensions, of course! Usually,

when I hear this word, „insect” I get to think of something that is stinging or
pinching and has a rather unattractive appearance! But, what a... surprise!

- And like every other living being that respects itself, we are over 180.000
species, grouped in 128 families and 47 superfamilies, of which are recognised
Hedylidae (moths), Hesperioidea (Skippers) and Papilionoidea (the so- called real
butterflies) which is comprised of over 15.000 species!

- Oh..., no! You are quite a lot! I bet you sure have your own „stars”?

- Dear Matthew, we have a few well- known representatives: The Monarch

butterfly, with a wingspan of 10 cm and a weight between 0.25 to 0.75 grams,
which moves around every year, on a long distance, sometimes over 4000 km!
Then, in the category „the largest day butterfly” – Queen Alexandra’s birdwing
from Papua New Guinea, with a wingspan of over 25 cm! The world largest night
butterfly – Bombyx Atlas (Atlas moth) and also the smallest butterfly of the world
– Western Pygmy Blue from U.S.A, with a wingspan of a little over 1, 25 cm and
Zizula, a widespread butterfly species, known from West Africa across Tropical
Asia to Northern Australia with a wingspan (of the frontal wings) of only 6 mm!

- It looks as if we are at the Oscar Awards‘Ceremony... Dear butterflies, I would

like to find out what your everyday life looks like?

- Like every other Lepidoptera, we, butterflies have also got an unusual cycle of
life, in four stages: we go from the stage when we are just an egg, to the larva
(caterpillar) stage and then into pupa (chrysalis) stage and through a spectacular
metamorphosis we turn into... butterflies! And you won’t even believe it, but our
life span lasts between 2 days and 11 months (like the Brimstone butterfly)! The
famous Indian writer and philosopher, Rabindranath Tagore has observed very
well that: The butterflies count the moments, not years, and they still have enough
time. Therefore, we try not to lose anything and live life to the maximum!

- And what do you eat?

- We love the nectar and the pollen of the flowers and even honey! In fact, after
bees, we come second in the biggest group of pollinators. And because we also
need minerals and salts, we occasionally sip a bit of liquid, from the mud puddles
or from the tears of big mammals.

- And how do you distinguish the Universe?

- We have got certain methods... better said, we have a very well- developed
sensory system. Therefore, through the antenna we can control our balance
during flight and we can also identify the most important flavours, we detect a
perfume, from a distance greater than 1,6 kilometers! Then, with the help of our
legs, actually with the three pairs, covered in scales and soft threads, we feel the
vibration and sometimes the sound. And, by using the two sets of eyes, some
simple and others composed, situated on our head, we can get a panoramic view.
Also, our sight/vision includes a spectrum of colours, from ultraviolet to infrared
and we can distinguish red from green and yellow.

- How interesting!

- And let us tell you another secret, dear Matthew! In some regions, if there is
spring and the first butterfly you see is of red colour but only red, this means you
will have a lucky (fortunate) year, full of accomplishments!

- I see..., I will pay more attention from now on! I know you have a lot of
favourite colors...

- White, blue, orange, yellow... but they should be bright and shiny to show off
(bring out) our various symmetrical and asymmetrical figures, even complex
models. To defend ourselves, sometimes, we perfectly imitate the environment.
That is why, you will feel like you saw tree leaves or owl eyes on our wings...
 - You managed to build an extraordinary defense mechanism!

- Yes, because we, the butterflies, are never allowed to be wrong!

- It’s amazing..., someone without faults! But why?

- It’s simple, if we fail, we pay with our lives! We are careful where we are being
born, what we dress with, so that our enemies won’t find us and we also take
care of our wings... so that no one touches them...

- Oh..., no! How many rules!

- Dear Matthew, without a solid education you cannot really survive in this
world! Haven’t you convinced yourself of that so far?

- Oh... Well, yes..., but... And what are the places you are flying over?

- We, butterflies, travel the whole world, from the tropical forests up to the
meadows and tundra. We don’t need a passport or other documents... as we are
free living beings!

- So, how are you getting around?

- We fly 50 km/h or even faster, with our own means of flying... the transparent
wings... and with them we use also...

- Also, what?

- The antennas! Yes, dear Matthew, you heard well! If those are straight, a little
thickened on the top, we are day- butterflies, if they are feathery or jagged, we
are the night butterflies.

- Is it really possible...? It is something rather special...

- I’m sure you have heard about our ability to detect... the length of the day.
With the help of some small organs placed on the antennas, we, butterflies, can
figure the exact position of the Sun above the Horizon, when it is on the East or
West side. That is, at sunrise and at dawn.
 - Amazing! Usually, you are more day butterflies, isn’t that so?

- It’s true! That is why we have been classified as creatures of the Light and Sun.
In fact, the lack of heat makes us immobile (motionless), like statues!

- Listen to that! A photo, please! Flash... flash... Maya, please step out of the
shot! Wow, would you look at that, I think you are jealous!

- Grr..., grr..., grr...

- I got some beautiful shots! I’m certain you have more „skeletons in the closet”!

- We, butterflies, on this planet, we’ve been flapping our wings for about 56
million years... and we always accompanied people...

- And in what way did people appreciate you?

- Dear Matthew, the Ancient Egyptians have studied our anatomy and have
attributed us the statute of beauty and form (shape) perfection. And for many
people, like the Aztecs and the Mayans, we represented a symbol of life passing,
but also of hope in immortality. Then, under the influence of the Brahmanism,
people believed, that after death, the human soul can return to Earth, in the form
of a... butterfly. In India, if you would whisper a wish to a butterfly and then let it
go, certainly your wish would be fulfilled, and in Japan, if a butterfly would fly
inside a house, that meant it brought happiness.

- What about the Greco- Roman antiquity?

- Psyche goddess has been considered the embodiment of the soul and life,
being represented as bearer of butterfly wings. And also, for the Ancient Greeks,
the word „psyche” meant „butterfly”, and its significance was „soul”.

- Dear butterflies, I believe you are another wonder of the Universe! You are a
symbol of beauty, esthetics and uniqueness, all encompassed in a dash of life,
that weighs only a few grams!
 - Dear Matthew, it is said that the beauty is in the eye of the beholder, it exists in
the person that admires it, in the person’s soul! For this reason, I guess, you
people, see us, butterflies, as... real patterns of beauty.

- And how would you not wish to be a part of this all the time! This explains the
existence of some collections, dedicated to you ever since the Renaissance!

- We know that among the first collectors we can count: the King Leopold of
Belgium, Princess Therese of Bavaria, Carl von Linne, ennobled due to his
scientific activity, the barons Emilio Turati, Walter and Lionel Rothschild, the tsar
and the Romanov family, and from Romania, the prince Aristide Caradja, the one
who has lost his fortune for his passion. He even bought two exotic butterflies,
with a sum equivalent to two purebred oxen, exorbitant sum for the period of the
year 1930!

- I heard that there are places dedicated to you, butterflies?

- Yes, there is the town called Bordano from Italy, the so called Commune of
butterflies, where there is a space, specially designed, actually, a five- body
building, with different atmospheres/environments, in which butterflies from five
continents can be admired. And not only that! One can buy all sorts of objects
with the symbol of the butterfly, from the tie pin to trousers, from plates to
bottles of wine!

- Wow! I also want..., now, but now..., something like thisss...!

- Of course, you do, dear Matthew, stop kicking your spurs (a Romanian saying
about haste)!

- That is how I am when I want something! I don’t have patience and I don’t even
want to realise why there are some things I can get now, while other not...

- To take your mind of this, let’s better tell you about us further.

- I hope it will be just as interesting!

- Dear Matthew, our dance of the wings and colours, has attracted many
artists... who dedicated us various moments... lovely literary pages, like The story
of the three butterflies or Princess butterfly, but also charming paintings
envisioned by Vincent van Gogh and Salvador Dali.

- Certainly, the composers followed...

- In an unexpected large number!

- You are probably classified also, depending on the addressed (approached)

styles!

- You have indeed guessed right, dear Matthew! There is a... classic butterfly,
presented figuratively! In other words, the Cherubino character impersonates a
butterfly that flies from flower to flower... without thinking of not upsetting
anybody! It is a moment from the famous opera The marriage of Figaro, created
by the one that was considered a wonder child of the universal music – Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart: Non piu andrai or in other words You shall go no more or
Butterfly, you have no wings left!

Non più andrai, farfallone amoroso,

Notte e giorno d'intorno girando,

Delle belle turboando il riposo,

Narcisetto, Adoncino d'amor”…

We mean:

„No more, you amorous butterfly,

Will you go fluttering round by night and day,

Disturbing the peace of every maid,

You pocket Narcissus, you Adonis of love…

 - Dreamers and full of sentimental effervescence, the romantic composers have
found numerous audible „coats” for you! So, dear butterflies, you became the
stars of the 19th century!

- Oh, yes! It’s true!

- I have discovered that Franz Schubert, dedicated you, in 1820, a lied... where a
voice and a piano, tell us a story, through the eyes of a butterfly – about the joy of
tasting nectar, about the bounce from flower to flower, from morning to evening,
about the pleasure of feeling the summer heat but also about the innocence of
youth... Then, came into scene... an interesting pair, the butterfly and the piano!

- Yes, dear Matthew! From 1831 up to 1836, a few extraordinary instrumental

pieces have been created, concise, but so beautiful... perhaps, just to remind us
how short our life is!

- Therefore, Robert Schumann, in the Suite op. 2, entitled Papillons/Butterflies

imagined a masquerade ball, to which 12 pairs of... virtual butterflies have
attended... and Frédéric Chopin, in the Etude op. 25, no. 9, in G- flat major, played
with the piano keys in such a way, that you even get the feeling that he wished to
catch the wings of a butterfly... Then, Edvard Grieg managed to capture the
bouncing flight of the butterfly, that is looking for the sweet nectar, but also the
heat of the sun rays, in the Piece op. 43, no. 1, from his cycle of Lyrical songs, and
Moriz Rosenthal brought back in the spotlight, through virtuosity passages, the
movements of the transparent wings of a butterfly!

- What delightful moments! It’s almost impossible not to be charmed by these

musical vibrations!

- Towards the end of the 19th century, you, butterflies have become a bit...
francophone.

- Dear Matthew, what do you mean by this word... francophone?

- Well, this means „French- speaking”, without French being a native language
for the speaker...
 - I see... but, we are free living beings... we visit all the places... we even visit...
the francophone.

- Dear butterflies, between the years 1879- 1918, you have been placed in the
spotlight, especially by the francophone artists. It all started with the poem Les
papillons/Butterflies by Théophile Gautier. The theme is love and the poem
speaks about a lover that wishes ardently if he had the wings of a butterfly, he
would not stop to kiss a single rose, but would fly straight to his love, the flower
of his soul. These wonderful lines have become a source of inspiration for two
other jewelries for voice and for piano. One, composed by Ernest Chausson and
the other, by Claude Debussy.

- Oh... yes, what delicacy and sensitivity...

- Then, Gabriel Fauré imagined a piece for cello and piano, full of virtuosity, that
would imitate your flight, and later, Camille Saint- Saëns, dedicated you a
moment, for voice and orchestra, on a delicate poem, signed by Renée De Léché.
How could you not love these musical sounds, from which stand out the dialogues
between the flute and voice!

- But, dear Matthew, you should know we have been appreciated in other
European places as well...

- Yes, I know, at the beginning of the 20th century, I believe you ended up on
British land as well... just in time... when... a ball... was taking place... in your
honour. Actually, it’s about the music of an Overture- concert, full of refinement
and originality, created by Frederic Hymen Cowen. Around the same time,
Edward Elgar, published the Suites no. 1 and no. 2, entitled The Wand of Youth or
Music to a Child’s Play, in which (in the second one), he introduced a real dance of
the moths and butterflies.

- While wandering through various cultural spaces, you should know, we ended
up in Italy as well..., where a master of the opera – Giacomo Puccini, has given us
a lot of importance, in an original way. He personified us into an amazing woman
from Japan, at the beginning of 20th century, the little Cio- Cio- San... who loved
the American lieutenant with the price of her life… many tears, sighs and grief!
 - No, no, I don’t want to feel sad... so far everything has been so beautiful... I
seem to have heard something, that, if you fall passionately in love with someone,
you feel a lot of butterflies flapping their wings, inside your stomach! On this
subject, I even read something special, written by Valeria Mahok: Only when the
love butterflies place themselves on the rose of the heart, that is when you truly
understand the turmoils of the soul!. I wonder if it’s true?

- Until you will find out on your own, dear Matthew... we will tell you about a
love story of Asian origin, precisely, a legend from China. Two lovers, just like
Romeo and Juliet, fallen in love like falling stars, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai or
shortly, Liang Zhu, in order to meet again after their tragic death, they turned
into... butterflies. In 1959, two Chinese composers – He Zhanhao and Chen Gang –
musically transformed this legend, into a Concerto for violin and orchestra,
entitled The Butterfly lovers, that became one of the most beloved pages from the
Chinese symphonic literature.

- If it weren’t for you, dear butterflies, none of this music would have ever
existed! But, something... from my land, Romania...

- Oh, yes..., of course. Also, around the beginning of the 20th century, Enrico
Mezzetti, a musician with Italian origins, closely linked to the artistic world from
Iași (city in Romania), offered us a wonderful Dance of butterflies, a capriccio for
piano, and, around 1901, Ion Scărlătescu dedicated us a moment, in the Six
symphonic sketches. Later, Theodor Grigoriu, captured us in two stances. First, in
1987, in Partita a Sonar no. 1 for flute, precisely in the last part, Gioco/The Game
with the motto: The Odyssey of a Butterfly, and the second one, in 1999, when in
a Haiku, achieved (accomplished) with such fantasy, he described us as an
outstanding Museum of butterflies, in the collection Beyond Silence- Spirit of the
plain. Just for a moment, if you close your eyes and fly with us, you feel and hear
the vastness of the Romanian Plain, with its mysteries and charm.

- What special sounds! What beauty and emotion you’re spreading, dear
butterflies!
 - Dear Matthew, it’s getting dark, and you know we depend on the Sun...
therefore we wish you a journey as interesting further and do not forget us!

- You are right! So many wonders in the Enchanted Garden of Grandma! I almost
don’t feel like leaving! I wish to discover them all, at once! But... tomorrow is
another day also! Good- bye, dear butterflies!
 DOMESTIC BIRDS (POULTRY)

The sextet Hen- Rooster, Goose- Gander, Duck- Drake

- Today, I have been thinking of going to a special place from the Enchanted
Garden of Grandma... there, where the almighty and all- ruling are... the domestic
birds! What do you say, dear Maya, my so trusted and quiet friend? Please, do
not scare them... so they don’t think we have come to... hunt... them... instead
of... paying them just a... visit!

- Woof..., hmm..., grr...

- I am sure that we will discover interesting things about them also and learn a
lot as well! Especially since these living beings have once been wild and due to
their capacity to adapt and survive in any environment, they have become...
domestic... Oh..., but what noise! Even a... sextet... actually, three families in a
choir... the Hen- Rooster, Goose- Gander and Duck- Drake! Listen to those
sounds... „Cluck- Cock- a- doodle- doo, Hiss- hiss…Honk- honk and Quack- quack-
quack”!

- Welcome, dear Matthew! It’s good you came down so early to sit down and
talk to us and observe our lifestyle! I hope you liked our welcome, I mean you
and... oh..., a... doggie..., she doesn’t bite, does she?

- No, don’t worry! She is Maya, my so trusted and quiet friend!

- Woof..., woof..., woof...

- Let’s start with the introductions!

- Dear Matthew, we are the... Hen and Rooster... a duo from a subspecies of
birds from the genus Gallus of the family Phasianidae, divided into two
subfamilies: Phasianinae and Perdicinae. We have been domesticated for meat,
feathers and eggs. Of course, we have wild relatives around South- East Asia,
India, Indonesia and Europe. Furthermore, the Phasianidae includes: partridges,
quails, guinea fowls, pheasants, turkeys and the peacocks.

- Well, this means you have a lot of relatives too!

- We are more than 150 species, of different colours, models and sizes, but
according to the 2013 census, worldwide we were approximately 52 billion of
hens, the hen, being the most common bird in the world!

- What is your story, as domestic birds?

- It is said that, long time ago, in South- East Asia and Oceania, dogs, pigs and we,
the Gallus birds were the first domesticated living beings.

- Listen to that, my dear Maya! Probably since then, you, dogs, have become our
most faithful friends!

- Woof..., woof..., woof...

- And how would you describe yourselves?

- We, the hen and rooster are domestic birds that live on the ground, meaning
„terrestrial”, we are not very big and we have a head, neck, body, wings and legs.
On top of the head, we have a red ridge, that is smaller in hens and bigger in
roosters, and about our neck it is said that it has more bones than the... giraffe’s!

- Wow! I never even imagined that there could be a resemblance between the
neck of a Gallus and the one of a... giraffes! I learn new things all the time!

- Our body is covered with feathers, and altogether, we, the hens, reach a
maximum weight of 4,5 kg, and the roosters reach approximately 5 kg. Even
though we have wings, we don’t fly much but we walk fast, with a speed of... 14
km/hour! Furthermore, our feet have four toes with claws and the roosters have
also got spurs.

- I see..., probably about this spur... my auntie keeps telling me..., not to kick it
while I’m anxious (Romanian saying) ... And how long do you live?
 - We live, between 5- 10 years and with some exceptions, even 20 years... in case
we don’t end up in a soup pot or in the oven, cooked as a steak!

- Oh..., please don’t speak to me about these culinary dishes, as I’m getting
hungry! But right, what do you eat?

- Being omnivorous birds, we eat grain (birdseed), seeds, herbs, leaves, insects,
worms and larvae (grubs). Since we do not have teeth, we swallow the whole
food, and then it is being chopped up inside by our strong gizzard!

- What are the differences between a hen and a rooster?

- We, the roosters are slightly bigger than a hen. We have an expanded fleshy,
red ridge, a pointed and strong beak, a multicoloured plumage (especially the
tail), and strong spurs on our legs! We usually give the waking up call by crowing
or singing from a higher place... with our one- of- a- kind voice that has been
accurately „playing” the famous tune for thousands of years... „Cock- a- doodle-
doo!” In some countries, there are even organised competitions, to designate the
best rooster at singing... Cock- a- doodle- doo!

- How funny! A competition of... „waking” clocks (alarm clocks) ... live clocks!

- Yes, dear Matthew. We, the roosters, are also, the „bosses” of some gaggle
(flocks) of hens. Actually, it is said that you can learn the art of courtesy from us,
the roosters. This refers to the fact that, when a rooster finds something good to
eat, he calls the hens to eat first, or if any hen is ever attacked, the rooster comes
to her rescue. In an old text, the Talmud, traditionally called Shas, there is an
extraordinary quote: One can learn modesty from the cats, the honest endeavour
(effort) from the ants, the chastity from the pigeons and the gallantry (chivalry)
from the roosters! But we can also be feisty if any of the hens doesn’t listen to us
and extremely jealous if another rooster dares even to look at our hens. We
suddenly become fire and brimstone of... jealousy! Sparks are flying, or better
said, feathers and flakes are falling because we fight for blood (roosters are
known to be aggressive in fights)!

- Oh..., then it is best that no one makes you jealous, dear roosters!
 - Therefore, we, the roosters, have become the symbol of masculine virility,
courtesy, courage, manhood and of heroism!

- Now, I understand why you were chosen the national symbol of France, the so
called Gallic Rooster, of some French cities (Walloon rooster), of the French
community from Belgium and Portugal (The Rooster of Barcelos). Also, you have
been used as a mascot for various sports teams, from France, Great Britain,
Turkey, Australia and America. And you, roosters, were also designated to
represent a star sign in the Chinese calendar.

- Dear Matthew, as you can notice... we have many things to do! We don’t even
know how to manage with so much work anymore!

- But there is something else also! You have often been present, in various
religious beliefs systems and religious denominations! I would like to know more!

- In this regard, there are a few directions tied to the traditions of different
civilizations. Therefore, in Asia (China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines),
we were being offered as a gift to worship the ancestors, the spirits and the
deities. We, roosters, were also believed to have the power to bring back the
dead to life or to fulfill wishes. Therefore, during hundreds of years, we had an
important role in Animism, Shamanism, Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism and other
tribal religions of different Asian areas.

- What about other regions of the world?

- In the Hebrew tradition, we had the role of sacrifice birds for the Yom Kippur,
the Day of Atonement, in a ritual called Kapparot. For this ceremony, a woman
would bring a hen, and the man, a rooster. Even though this is not a sacrifice in
the biblical sense, death reminds the sinners that their life is in God’s hands. Also,
in the important books of the wise Jewish, it is written, that a certain heavenly
bestowal (manifestation) gave us, the roosters, intelligence and different roles,
among them being the awakening role. In a way, we have become the Voice of
the Officer of Time!
 - How interesting..., you, roosters, are the Voice of the Officer of Time... yes,
that’s about right..., because with your singing, you actually mark (set) the passing
of the hours, minutes, seconds...

- We, the roosters, faced also an important moment in the history of Christianity.
In the New Testament, Jesus Christ, the son of God, predicted that Peter will deny
Him (will not acknowledge Him) three times before the Rooster sings that day,
that since then, we have been considered both the symbol of vigilance but also of
treason. Later on, Pope Gregory I, known as Saint Gregory the Great, declared the
rooster the emblem of Christianity, in memory of the happening with Saint Peter,
Pope Leo IV placed the figure of the rooster on the Old St. Peter’s Basilica, and
Pope Nicholas I ordered that the figure of the rooster be placed on every church
bell tower.

- I found out so many things about you, roosters. But, let’s pass on to the ladies
also... cluck, cluck... that is you, the hens!

- Dear Matthew, we, the hens, have been compared with the Pleiades by the old
Nordic people..., precisely with the one of the most renowned stellar swarms also
known as the... Mother hen with chickens! According to Dionisie Linția, an
esteemed ornithologist from Banat (a geographical and historical region in
Romania), we, the hens, are classified into several types: European (with a
smooth head and a bigger or smaller ridge/comb, with a tuft of posterior
feathers), Cochin (hen), originally from China (a large breed, with a large chest
and a broad back, long legs, short tail and the eggshell, brown- yellow), Malay
(with a slim body, a long neck and long bare legs, large strong head with a short
but thick ridge), Bantam (small breed), featherless hens, with the neck without
feathers (that produce many eggs), and the ones with a silky plumage (broody
hens).

- Tough mission for a rooster to... lead so many types of hens! He must be
skillful, brave, fierce, strict but wise as well!

- That is his mission and he must complete it in the best conditions!

- What is your daily schedule, dear hens?

 - Even though we do not have phones or tablets, Facebook or Tik- tok we like to
communicate and socialize through... „pecking”. Early in the morning, we gather
around and speak face to face about the problems we have to solve! Our priority,
on the agenda, is the food and the nesting sites. We can „sing” over 30 types of
sounds, to transmit different messages, if necessary, some even with threats.

- As you were well saying, you, hens, are also called... „mother hen”?

- We are named „mother hen”, the moment we become... mommies. 21 days

approximately, we stay in a special place built in a nest, and we sit on the eggs, to
hatch them. During all this time, you should know, we talk to our unborn babies
(from the egg, of course), we are careful to turn the eggs around, several times a
day, so that when they come out from the shells, they ought to know what to do,
and how to handle life on their own.

- I like the fact that you are so careful with your babies! Just like all the mommies
and the daddies from the world!

- Yes, dear Matthew! It is one of the main purposes of parents from the entire
planet!

- Now, dear hens and roosters, I’m curious to find out, how did people,
throughout history, perceive you?

- We came to being known, even from the middle of the 15th century BC (before
Christ), in Egypt, Persia, later in Greece and Rome. We were considered either
„oracle- birds” or „sacred birds”, being present in different religious beliefs
systems and religious denominations (cults), or sacrifice birds (for Ares, Heracles
and Athena), or we were being used for special ceremonies, either destined for
various competitions or exotic birds, real delicacies for the lavish (sumptuous)
parties of the time. There even remained a Roman cookbook from that time,
attributed to a gourmet (food lover) and a great lover of luxury – Marcus Gavius
Apicius. He has offered us 17 chicken recipes, over time!

- Wow… It looks delicious! But, in the field of arts...

 - Also, from Antiquity, are dated the first achievements. Our figure (the hens’
image) has been reproduced on old ceramic, in red and black colours, but also in
the texts around that time, like the ones of poet Cratinus, in the comedy The birds
by Aristophanes, in the writings signed by Homer and in Aesop’s fables.
Afterwards, in Romanian cultural tradition there are many sayings, more or less
intriguing, such as to sleep with the chickens, meaning, to sleep early, to have the
chicken’s blindness, that means not to see well, to get chicken’s skin, meaning to
get goosebumps or to be cold or scared, the chicken singing in the house,
meaning a woman is leading in a marriage.

- I am sure that you also, dear hens and roosters, have been attractive subjects
for the musical field as well...

- Of course, Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, in his already famous work Sonata
Representativa, from 1669, offered us a special moment The Hen and the Rooster,
where, we, the hens, are being represented by loud sounds, and the roosters, by
a more high- pitched, strident musical line/nuance. Later on, in 1727, Jean-
Philippe Rameau created a wonderful piece for the clavichord, that was dedicated
to us, the hens. It has become one of the most famous and in which we reveal
without any hesitation, our song... cluck,cluck (the sound the hen makes)!

- I believe that this gallery holds a classical portrait as well.

- Oh... yes, the one created by Joseph Haydn, the father of the quartet and
symphony... Between 1785- 1787, the great artist composed six symphonies,
called Parisian. One of them, no. 2 is dedicated to us, hens. In the second part, the
theme, comprised of repeated notes played at the oboe solo and the
appoggiaturas from the violins, show you the real us and how we are.

- Your „babies” are in some cute (lovely) and suggestive sequences also!

- Yes, dear Matthew. In 1874, Modest Mussorgsky, in his already well- known
Suite Pictures at an Exhibition - A remembrance of Viktor Hartmann, showed a lot
of interest in them, in the sequence entitled The dance or ballet of unhatched
chicks in their shells, a cute little scherzo.
 - We will still stick to the Russian space, as I have remembered a very tangled
story about a golden cockerel...

- It is about a poem, from 1834, written by Alexander Pushkin that was the
source of inspiration for the last work, composed between the years 1907- 1909,
by Nikolai Rimsky- Korsakov: The Golden Cockerel, an opera in three acts, with a
short prologue and epilogue. The role of the rooster, a mysterious one, of
premonition, has been destined for a strong soprano voice or for a mezzo-
soprano voice with a large ambitus. The score, on its own, has been a model for
Efrem Zimbalist, who created the Concert- Fantasy Le coq d’or/The Golden
Cockerel, for violin and piano, and also a model for Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji,
who composed different variations entitled Il gallo d’oro/The Golden Cockerel.

- I believe there is something amusing towards the end of the 19th century...

- Oh... yes, of course... Le Carnaval des animaux/The Carnival of the Animals by

Camille Saint- Saëns and our short intervention Hens and Roosters. The
string/chord instruments, without the cello and the contrabass, the two pianos
and the clarinet, suggest the rooster’s singing and the pecking of the hens.

- We ended up in the 20th century...

- Yes, with The Birds Suite, composed in 1928, by Ottorino Respighi... with a
wonderful moment, dedicated to us, the hens... having as a model, guess who,
the... Rameau chicken! What wonderful music! But of a different effect was the
ballet Les animaux modeles/The Model Animals, created by Francis Poulenc, in
the tumultuous 1940, when Paris was under Nazi occupation. It was not random
(by accident) that the French author took the inspiration from the famous fables
written by Jean de la Fontaine. Every character – from a grasshopper to a bear,
from a lion in love to the two fighting roosters – has been brought back to life, in
a gloomy and dramatic atmosphere.

- In the Romanian universe I wonder, do we find you?

- Of course, dear Matthew. We, the hens and the roosters, have been
„approached” in various works. Therefore, we are present in one of the Four
fables for piano, by Paul Constantinescu, from the 1932 year, entitled Un cocoș cu
ochii scoși/A rooster with the eyes removed, in which, the melodic line is filled
with the spirit and the essence of Romanian music. Then, in one of the pieces that
form the remarkable collection The Children’s Corner. 10 miniatures for piano,
created by Diamandi Gheciu, in 1963, in the sequence called The Rooster and the
Hen. Later on, the percussionist and the composer, Nicolae Albulescu, imagined a
Cloșca cu pui/Mother hen with babies and Irina Hasnaș, in 2006, brought to light
Cocoșul sau Vestitorul Luminii/The Rooster or the Herald of the Light, in a
contemporary timbral game, between the violin, clarinet/bass clarinet and piano.

- I have learned so many interesting things from this amazing duo – the hen and
the rooster! I thank you for everything!

- We thank you too, dear Matthew, for having listened to us! But now, it is time
for other birds that live among us, to step in.

- Honk..., honk..., honk! Hiss... hiss... Welcomeee!

- Welcome!

- We are the family, composed of the Goose and Gander and our children,
called the geese! We are migrating birds, wild and domestic from the family
Anatidae. This group is composed of the genera Anser (grey geese, like the
domestic ones), Branta (also called Brent geese – black geese, like the Canadian
goose) and Chen (white geese like the Snow goose or the Polar goose). But we
have some distant relatives also, like the swans and a subfamily with two
branches: Cereopsis (The Cape Barren goose) and Cnemiornis (prehistoric goose
from New Zealand).

- Where did you get this name from?

- It seems the name is coming from a Proto- Indo- European root „ghans” (hence,
goose).

- But, you, for how long have you been here?

 - It is not known exactly, but it is assumed, after the examination of some fossils,
that we have been present on this planet since 10 million years ago. Precisely,
from the Miocene, the first part of the Neogene, that started 23 million years ago
and ended 2,588 million years ago.

- Eras..., periods..., epochs... again... I’m fainting!

- Dear Matthew, this is the history of the Earth that you must know! The
Miocene was a period ranging from the warm Oligocene to the cold Pliocene.
Miocene is of great importance, as the geological phases of the Himalaya zone
have been stabilised then. Still in those years, various mammal species
(rhinoceros, hippos, whales, bears, monkeys, deers) have evolved, also birds, and
among these, we were also present, the geese and ganders.

- Himalaya? It has such an interesting ring (it sounds nice)! What does it mean?

- Himalaya is a special place, situated in Central Asia, between the Indo- Gangetic
Plain, in the South, and the Tibetan Plateau in the North! It is also known as The
Roof of the World, Abode of snow and The special place of gods and goddesses.
From Ancient times, it has been considered a space with a unique spirituality,
being also a source of inspiration and revelation.

- I never knew something like this existed on Earth!

- Yes, dear Matthew, it is said, that in Judaism, Moses received the 10

Commandments on Mount Sinai, in Christianity, Jesus Christ preached on the
same mountain, in Islamism, the prophet Muhammad received the revelation of
the Qur’an (Koran) on Mount Jabal al- Nour, and in the Himalaya the Buddhism
was born.

- Where does this name „Himalaya” come from?

- From the Sanskrit language, where „hima” means snow and „alaya” – abode
/home. It is the region where the big rivers from South Asia are flowing, like the
Yellow River, the Yangtze, Irrawaddy, Mekong and Cambodia, where the highest
mountains are, including the Everest, Kangchenjunga and Makalu. On this vast
territory there are a few states: Nepal and Bhutan that include, the South slopes,
then the Tibetan Plateau from the Chinese province with the same name, India
and Pakistan that include sections from the Southern part, namely South- West.
Today, it has become one of the most popular places for various expeditions,
organised by climbers from all over the world.

- What an interesting rest stop! But, my dears, geese and ganders, let’s go back
to you!

- So, we, the geese and ganders, either wild or domestic, swim, fly and walk on
land. It seems that our initial birthplace has been the Arctic region, where in fact,
nestle, the wildest geese species and from where, in winter, they migrate to the
areas with temperate or tropical climate.

- And what do you look like?

- At geese, the male differs from the female, only by size. Generally, we, the
domestic geese, are of large breed, with a weight that ranges from 8 to 11 kg. In
regarding our life length, we live up to 20 years. We are usually grey on our backs
and on the sides and white on the chest or we can be of white colour and
greyishbrown. We have a long neck and an orange beak, that has some sort of
nail on top, with which we dig through mud and some of us have a fleshy
excrescence, in the superior part, sometimes coloured red or black called
„caruncle”. It is an element you will also find at roosters, turkeys and swans.

- What it means to be relatives... even distant!

- Our feathers, white, grey or black, even the puff, are soft and warm. They don’t
get wet because we smear (grease) them with a special oil, produced by a gland,
situated at the core of the tail. New feathers grow in about six weeks. Our
wingspan is between 149- 168 cm. Our feet’s toes are orange and they are united
by a membrane that helps us swim so well. We moult once a year and that is the
only moment we cannot fly.

- Many times, I have seen you walking a bit wiggly...

- Oh... yes, we seem heavier... but we walk with „dignity”, keeping our long neck
straight and the chest, well- defined. Yes, we have a special walk... so well
portrayed, around 1970, by Wolfgang Reitherman, in a production of the famous
Walt Disney. I wonder who has not been charmed by the wonderful musical story
about some aristocratic... cats but also by the famous geese, twin sisters, Abigail
and Amelia Gabble from Great Britain, who were on a trip in France. Their goal
was to find their uncle, Waldo – the eternal partier (a person that likes to party all
the time). How cute they are with their blue and pink bonnets... and, especially,
what marvelous hissing voices!

- Hiss... hiss... honk- honk- honk! What cute sounds! And unforgettable! But,
what do you eat?

- Dear Matthew, we, the geese and ganders, are a bit of a gourmet (food lovers),
that is, we eat a lot and appreciate good quality food. We like diversified menus
that include grass, seeds, leaves and roots, worms, snails and even insects.
Because we have a very good memory and a herd instinct, pardon, a flock instinct,
well developed, we find food easily! Therefore, many breeders use us to plough
the agricultural parcels: to clean the fields, before cultivating different plants.

- From what I know, you love water...

- Actually, you are going to see us, the geese and ganders, everywhere (as we are
kind of „walkers”): on dry land, but also near rivers, lakes, ponds... where we get
the chance to meet one another... Emden goose, of white colour, with orange legs
and beak, Toulouse goose, Holmogor, Alsatian goose, The Grey Goose of Landes,
the black goose, summer goose... you should hear us then... because we are very
sociable, we may even use 10 different sounds in order to communicate...

- By the way, in Romanian folklore, it is believed, that, you, the geese and
ganders, are living beings with a special instinct: to defend your territory, even
better than a dog can. Oops, Maya, you have some extraordinary competitors!

- Grr..., grr..., grr...

- Yes, we are as vigilant as dogs, at the slightest noise, we began to scream,

alarming everyone. We have a unique sensibility and a prompt reaction to
anything foreign. In fact, these qualities have been recognised ever since the
Romans. No wonder they named us the Geese of the Capitol. The legend says
that, in 930 BC (before Christ), when the Gauls entered Rome at night, the only
ones that alerted people of the danger, were us, the „the sacred geese” from
Juno’s temple, the wife of Jupiter, in the Roman mythology, protector of women
and marriage.

- Wow..., amazing... for some birds! But how do you live?

- Well, we live within a group also, in flocks, but we are monogamous birds,
permanent pairs all year. Like the swans, the male, that is, the gander, helps the
female to build the nest. Usually, mother- goose lays 5- 8 eggs that are being
hatched up to 28- 30 days. Then, after only 24 hours since coming out from the
eggshell, the babies accompany their parents in the water. Although, in
comparison to hens we lay less eggs and this is only seasonal. And here, there are
different situations. For example, the domestic geese from China, such as Huoyan
goose, can lay up to 200 eggs, compared to Emden goose, that lays no more than
40- 50 eggs, but the difference is that, these eggs can weigh up to 9 kg for the
females, and 10 kg for the ganders.

- And after all, why were people so interested in domesticating you?

- Dear Matthew, for a few important things: meat, eggs, fat, feathers and flakes.
Approximately 700 million geese are being sacrificed every year for meat,
especially for foie gras – a famous dish, made from our goose liver, a culinary
treat, discovered ever since the antiquity, by the Egyptians. And to make this treat
more delicious, a method, valid even today, has been used: „stuffing the goose”
with large amounts of bread, fresh figs and even with a kilogram of grains a day!

- Wow! This is something! But what about the artistic field, have you ever been
an inspiration?

- How could we not? In numerous happenings, described so skillfully, by the

Grimm brothers, in The Golden Goose and The Goose- Girl.

- From everything you have told me so far about yourselves, dear geese and
ganders, you are some extraordinary birds. Maybe, that is why, in Romanian,
there are so many expressions, in which you are involved... „to spoil the barley on
the goose”, meaning, to offer something, to sacrifice something useful, precious,
good, on someone who doesn’t appreciate what they receive, „that’s another
goose”, meaning it’s completely something else, another understanding, another
attitude towards a situation, „a goose good for plucking”, a naive and trustful
person, that one could take advantage from, or „goosefoot”, from the physical
beauty industry, that is, the sum of wrinkles that form at the corner of the eye.
And many others!

- Dear Matthew, but there is something that bears the name of Mother Goose!

- Really, who is it?

- It is the generic name for a woman from the country, that is supposed to be at
the origin of stories and lyrics. In a weekly magazine, La Muse Historique/The
Historical Muse, edited by Jean Loret, in the middle of 17th century, the following
phrase showed/turned up: ...comme un conte de la Mère Oye, which means ... like
a story of Mother Goose. That is how this term came to being known and began
being used. Many writings followed, and in 1695, the initiator of fairytales as a
literary genre, Charles Perrault, published a collection of fairytales Histoires ou
contes du temps passé, avec des moralités/Stories or tales from the past, with
morals, with the subtitle Contes de ma Mère l'Oye/The Tales of Mother Goose.

- And what role did this special character have?

- The role of having inspired even the composers. Often, Maurice Ravel, would
participate in various, weekly meetings, where he would have the chance to meet
the artists of the time: the painter Paul Scordes, the poets Léon- Paul Fargue,
Tristan Klinger, the pianist Ricardo Viñes and the composers Florent Schmitt,
André Caplet, Manuel de Falla and Igor Stravinsky and in the cenacle Godebsky,
Pablo Picasso, Serghei Diaghilev and Edouard Vuillard.

- The High Society of the Arts!

- Well, dear Matthew, Maurice Ravel, impressed by the fantastic world of

Charles Perrault’ stories and of other authors, for the children of Godebsky’s
family, created the cycle of pianistic miniatures Ma Mère l'Oye/Mother Goose, in
1908, that he, then, orchestrated it for ballet. There are five charming images
with flowing musicality and varied colours: Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant:
Lent/Pavane of the Sleeping Beauty, Petit Poucet: Très modéré/Little Tom
Thumb/Hop- o'- My- Thumb,„Laideronnette, impératrice des pagodes:
Mouvement de marche/Little Ugly Girl, Empress of the Pagodas, Les entretiens de
la belle et de la bête: Mouvement de valse très modéré/Conversation of Beauty
and the Beast and Le jardin féerique: Lent et grave/The Fairy Garden.

- What it means to have talent and knowledge... you can create masterpieces!

- Of course, dear Matthew, now it is our turn to retreat, as there is another pair
waiting to step in!

- I thank you, dear geese and ganders! It has been another special encounter! So,
who else is going to come?

- Quack- quack- quack...

- Listen to that, Maya! What do you say?

- Woof..., woof..., woof...!

- It is not the case to compete. You know you will always be with me, my so
trusted and quiet, dear friend!

- Welcome, we are the family, comprised of the Duck and Drake, and our
babies that we call ducklings. We are migrating birds, also from the Anatidae
family, but smaller than our relatives, the geese and the swans.

- Welcome, dear ducks and drakes! Wait a bit, nobody moves! Duck! Oh..., is it
Donald Duck? Oh..., what an honour! He is the one that appeared in more movies
than any Disney character! He is officially considered the third most popular,
animated hero of all times!

- Obviously, Walt Disney got his inspiration from us, the ducks, in 1934, when he
created the character that became famous in the entire world! Donald Duck, the
one, wearing a sailor shirt, a beret, a red bow- tie as well, but no trousers, unless
he was going for a swim!

- Who would not love this cute duck, with an explosive personality and temper,
and introduced, of course, in the so suggestive song Donald Duck, or better said
No One but Donald Duck, his musical signature (mark), from 1947 up to 1959.

- Quack- quack! We are very proud of this success (triumph)! Who would have
thought we would become the stars of the Universe!

- Let’s come down to Earth and better tell us a few things about you, dear ducks
and drakes!

- So, we are popular, sociable and unpretentious birds, that love, both the land,
and the water, no matter if it’s sweet or salty. That is why we are present
everywhere in the world, except the frozen region from the South of the Earth –
Antarctica.

- Maybe you are a bit too bragging!

- Dear Matthew, it is best to introduce ourselves just as we are! Even though it

may sound like we are repeating ourselves, we must tell you that, just like the
geese, either wild or domestic we are good swimmers and flyers. The drakes are
slightly bigger than the ducks, with a more colorful plumage and a few feathers on
the tail, oriented towards the upper side.

- I presume you have a lot of relatives too!

- We are almost 150 breeds, depending on the colour of the plumage, the shape
of the body and the productive qualities!

- You definitely have your own „stars”!

- Yes, dear Matthew. Especially among the ornamental breeds, that include: the
mandarin duck or rainbow duck (Anas Galericulata), spread in the Far East, in
China, Japan, Korea, of small size, covered by flakes, disposed in white, blue,
orange and green stripes, and then, the duck with a toupee, the bride- duck, with
mottled or striped feathers, the Bahamas duck and the Madagascar duck, that
unfortunately is almost extinct!

- Out of the domestic ducks who is the most famous?

- From this category are known: Khaki Campbell duck, of brown colour, with
green beak and orange legs, the Peking duck, originating from China, of white
colour, that can reach up to 4- 5 kilograms, the Aylesbury duck, the best breed for
meat, the Labrador duck, originating from India, beautifully coloured, in black,
green- silver metallic, the Orpington duck, with yellow plumage, good laying duck,
the Muscovy duck or the silent (quack- less) duck, massive, with white neck and
head and the body covered by black, green, brown or blue feathers.

- I think it’s such a delight for someone to be watching you! So many colours,
what beautiful plumage (s)! I believe you have always been appreciated!

- In Asian culture, the Mandarin ducks have symbolized the unity and marital
bliss, and for the Native Americans we represented „the scout” (the guide), on
land, in water and in the sky!

- How beautiful! But still, what would your portrait be, generally speaking?

- Dear Matthew, we have a special beak, wide and flattened, used for digging,
and its margins are fine serrated, like a strainer, that helps us feed inside the
water as well. Even if we have a small beak, some „specialised” ducks can even
swallow big fish. Then, we have eyes with three lids, a short and chunky body,
with the aspect of a skiff (boat), and short legs, with the fingers united through a
membrane, that helps us swim and dive much easier. Due to our chubby body and
small feet, our walk, on land, is heavy and wiggly (sloppy). But our charm stands
in... a very cute tail!

- I heard that you, ducks, have the ability to wag your tail...

- Woof..., woof..., grr...

 - Please, don’t get upset Maya! Look, there are others that can wag their... tail.
And not only that, I understood that, it is also used as a model for the face of...
men?

- Yes, that’s right, dear Matthew. Beard or whiskers (moustache), in duck’s tail,
with the ends, twisted in a spiral!

- I have never heard something like this before!!!!! What about your feathers
and puffs?

- Just like the goose, our feathers and puffs are soft and warm. And they also
(the same goes for the goose) don’t get wet, due to the special oil, produced by a
gland situated at the core of the tail. The polar duck puff is good for pillows,
sleeping bags and for special winter apparel.

- What can you tell us about your home?

- We, the ducks and drakes, only need a space, covered in grass, and sunny but
with shady places, with a small pool (basin) or water nearby and a shelter for the
night, usually oriented towards East. But, even if we love the water, we must
avoid humidity, because it can cause us pain in the legs.

- We must all take care of our health! I believe I can say, that, freedom without
health means nothing but also health without freedom, is not something good
either! In life, you must always be careful to have a balance in everything you do!
By the way, to keep your health, what diet do you follow?

- Just like the geese, we also have a diverse menu: seeds, herbs, insects, worms
but also aquatic plants, small amphibians, small mollusks, shellfish and even fish.
Although we are not food lovers, we weigh a little more than a hen, that is,
between 2 and 6 kg.

- But, how long do you live?

- We reach the age of 15, unless we are hunted for food or for some sport with
the... rifle! Usually, we do not live by ourselves, but together with other animals
similar to us. We build simple nests, in hollows or bushes, where we hatch our
eggs, for 22- 30 days. But there is something you will not like... we are not good
mothers either. Often, if we get scared of something, we leave and never come
back.

- Oh, I see..., similar to the cuckoos!

- But, in our case, the role is taken over by someone else... usually, by a bigger
hen, that help us getting born, that is, 10- 13 ducks... who, to tell you honestly,
are a bit naughty!

- What to say, like parents, like children! But, let’s go back! I know you are
popular for meat, eggs and puff.

- Yes, our meat is very tasty! Who has not heard of duck with cabbage or duck
breast, roasted in Cantonese style, with rice? And our eggs are bigger and
according to some, tastier than hen eggs.

- Why do people fancy you so much?

- Perhaps, due to our look, our tail and walk, but also could be our undeniable
quacking that makes us very funny! Quack- quack!

- Oh..., yes! I hear some very funny and famous Romanian songs, ringing in my
ear O rățușcă stă pe lac/A duck is sitting on a lake and Șade rața pe butoi/The
duck is sitting on a barrel! Ha- ha- ha...

- Yes..., but you should know we appeared in other circumstances as well...

- Meaning?

- In 1783, in the nacelle (basket) of the first hot air balloon from history, built by
the Montgolfier brothers, we were among the first passengers, together with a
rooster and a sheep! Again, we are proud that we were among the first
participants in this kind of flight that tested the endurance of a living being in such
a journey!

- But what about literature?

 - The wonderful Hans Christian Andersen, the famous author of children’s
stories, dedicated us a story too, in 1843: The Ugly Duckling, where the hero is a
baby swan, who thought he was an ugly... duck! A story, that, in 1939, Walt
Disney transposed, in a cartoon, that won the Oscar for the best cartoons’ theme,
in 1940. The cartoon was directed by Jack Cutting and Clyde Geronimi, and
partially, the soundtrack was composed by Albert Hay Malotte.

- What about your „place” in the classical music?

- Even in this musical universe we found the right place, in the creation of one of
the greatest authors of the 20th century. It is about Sergei Prokofiev, the one who
created a symphonic fairytale for children, in 1936, entitled Peter and the Wolf. In
this delightful story, our role was accorded (given) to the oboe, that imitates us
perfectly, in the two sequences: The Duck and The Wolf swallows the duck.

- Therefore, my dear „winged”, from morning till evening, I have been closer to
your world! I can even tell you that I never thought I would have an agenda so full
of events!

- Dear Matthew, we thank you for the attention you paid us, and in the end, we
have prepared our sextet again: „Cluck/Cock- a- doodle- doo, Hiss- hiss/Honk-
honk and Quack- quack- quack”!

- A group... beyond compare! I have got acquainted and learned so much from
you, the large family of domestic birds: Hen- Rooster, Goose- Gander and Duck-
Drake! Let’s go Maya, my so trusted and quiet friend! Let’s rest, since already for
tomorrow, two charming living beings have announced their presence!

- Woof... woof... woof...?

- I will not tell you who they are! It’s a secret! Ssh...
 The Swans

- Dear Maya, what do you say, if today, we will go to the Enchanted Garden of
Grandma and make the most again, of the small water oasis. I believe you still
remember it; it is the place where we met the storks and the froggies!

- Woof..., woof..., woof...?

- Yes, I know... I owe you one! Soon, you will find out who our special guests are!

- Mmmm..., mmm..., mm...

- Look, what a view! It is something of a surreal beauty! What long, gracious neck
and arched in the shape of letter S ..., two winged (birds)... almost wrapped by an
imaginary string of gold and silver, where one can catch a glimpse of the Sun and
the Moon! You can feel the love and loyalty of the two that float together so
elegantly! They are two creatures quite special, who transpose us, out of a
sudden, in a completely different world! What an image, just like a slice of
Heaven! It is something magnificent! I am so astonished!

- Good morning, dear Matthew! We are the... Swans... from the large family,
Cygnus...

- Welcome! What a beautiful name! It suits you!

- We, the swans, on one hand, are considered masters of the primary elements
of air, earth and water! On the other hand, we are associated with beauty,
elegance, nobleness, gentleness and pureness!

- You certainly come from another world and you have come here to make our
souls happy! To come back from dreaming, let’s start singing... look, this is a
rhyme... attention, not a slime... How do we recognize you?

- We, the swans, are the distant relatives of the geese and ducks. We are part of
the family Anatidae, and we are ones of the largest flying, migrating birds but we
are also good swimmers. We can manage on land as well, even if a bit harder due
to our short legs.

- What is your secret, of being so gracious?

- Dear Matthew, this is how we were created! We have over 25.000 feathers on
our body, also flakes and puff, usually, of white or black colour, making us look
like a... heavy bird, but yet... so elegant!

- I know you have strong wings also...

- Our wingspan can reach up to, even three meters..., we fly up to 60- 85 km/h...,
we flap our wings slowly and with our neck straight. It is true, to get a head start,
we need about ten meters, and to land, about four! Our flight reaches big heights,
and we are usually together with our family. Our flock is unfolded diagonally, or in
the shape of letter V, the leader being a member of ours, older and more
experienced!

- I have seen you too. Your flight is spectacular! And everything runs in the
family... oh..., how lovely!

- We too, swans, have got families and we pick a pair for life. This focus of ours,
to find the perfect partner, has been noticed ever since the Ancient times. In the
old days, in Hinduism, there were two swans, Ham and Sa! They formed a couple
that would feed itself with the honey from the blossomed lotus of knowledge!
That is how the Hamsa birds came up, the force of life – prana, in which Ha is the
sound of the breath through exhalation and Sa is the sound of the inhalation! And
in the Celtic myths and legends, it was said, that the creatures (living beings) can
move through different worlds, and the souls can travel into the sunset, to the
Land beyond... only if they turn into... swan- pairs!

- If I understood correctly, you, the swans, have been considered the symbol of
love, union, partnership and relationship! Extraordinary! I sit here and listen to
you and I am simply charmed! But what other secrets will you reveal to us?
 - Dear Matthew, even though we have two eyes with three eyelids, some of us
have red eyes. Then, the beak, bigger or smaller, is serrated, with little, sharp
fangs that help us grab our food. Its hue varies, from full black to black with white
and red spots, to red with white spot, to orange and dark yellow. Our body ends
with a tail, with long and strong feathers, and our legs are either dark black, dark
grey or even pink.

- I met you near the small water oasis, in the Enchanted Garden of Grandma! But
where do you like to hang out the most?

- We like to hang out near the swamps, lakes and puddles, with rich and tall
vegetation, rush (cattail) and reed. This environment offers us everything we
need. Especially... grass, roots, seeds, cereals (grains), worms, aquatic plants,
seaweed but also fish, frogs and mollusks. Usually, we search for places to build
the nests... for the future generations!

- I heard you possess an extraordinary intelligence, even better than the

dolphins’!

- Dear Matthew, so they say! We would also like to add to our extraordinary
intelligence, a particular visual memory (of faces especially) and also the fact that,
we always remember the way we were treated by someone!

- I assume you, too, have numerous species!

- In the entire world, we are just a few species, of which, five, with the plumage
completely white – the Mute Swan (Cygnus Olor), the Singing Swan (Cygnus
cygnus), the Whistling Swan (Cygnus columbianus), the Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus
buccinator), the Bewick Swan (Cygnus bewickii) and two swans with black
plumage – the Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) and the Black- Necked Swan (Cygnus
melancoryphus). The black swans were discovered in the year 1967, by Willem de
Vlamigh, in Australia and New Zealand.

- I have found out, that, in Finland, the white swans were designated as national
birds, in Denmark they were associated with the symbol of royalty, in turn, in
Australia the black swans became the official birds of this continent. Also, all the
mute swans from England and Wales are considered property of the Queen of
England. On Romanian land, where can we find you?

- In Romania, we are usually found, during summer, in the Danube Delta and in
some puddles, in the South, and then we migrate to the South of Caspian Sea. On
these Romanian lands we are represented by: the winter swan, the summer
swan, the small swan or the Tundra swan and the black swan that can be found
especially in the Zoos.

- But, I sense there is something else also...

- Oh... yes, you are referring to our so called song... Swan song... that can be
heard from miles away...

- And the „one” that was associated with the last gesture of a great artist, before
he passed away!

- Yes. It became a... fashionable... metaphoric expression! It all started from the
fact that, we, swans, being silent for the most part of our life, would sing
something magnificent, only before passing away. In other words, the swan dies
singing and sings when dieing! It is a phenomenon widely debated ever since the
antiquity and up to our days!

- And what is the truth?

- If I tell you the answer, then there is not going to be any secret, and we love...
mystery!

- Ever since the beginning of our meeting, I’ve been meaning to ask you, where
does this beautiful name... swans... come from?

- Our name... has got an interesting history and many meanings. For example, in
the Greek mythology, we represented the symbol of metamorphosis, of
transformation. Therefore, in one of the legends, Zeus, in order to seduce Leda,
disguised himself as a swan, and that is how their twin children were born, out of
swan eggs: Castor and Pollux, Clytemnestra and Helen of Troy „the most beautiful
of mortals” (Pollux and Helen of Troy were Zeus’ children and Castor and
Clytemnestra were the children of Leda and Tyndareus, Leda’s husband – all the
four children conceived the same night). Another story reminds us that Zeus,
impressed by Cycnus’ suffering (Cycnus being the king of Liguria) who lost his
friend (Phaeton), turned him into a... constellation, named The Swan. And in the
Hindu and Buddhist traditions, we, the swans, were the vehicle of the Gods and
their favourite form of transmutation (transformation).

- Extraordinary! I never imagined how many things you can find out, just by
pronouncing the word... Swan! But did I hear well? Something about a
constellation? What does it mean?

- A constellation is one of the 88 parts (zones) in which the vault or the celestial
sphere is split (divided). Most of the times, it apparently represents, just a
grouping, an assembly, a bundle of stars, that, united by an imaginary line,
resemble a certain object, animal or god. For the majority of visible constellations,
from the Northern hemisphere of Earth, the denominations exist ever since the
antiquity.

- And about your constellation, of the swans...

- It is one of the easiest to recognise, as it contains an asterism (an imaginary

form on the sky), in the shape of a cross, named the Northern Cross. Therefore,
the Swan constellation became the constellation of Jesus Christ, of His cross. The
name was given by Ptolemy, around the second century, and much later, in 1627,
Julius Schiller named it also Saint Helena with the Cross.

- But let’s go back to the history of your name!

- Also, in Greek mythology, we were a symbol of muses, of music, being

dedicated to Apollo. On his birth, Zeus gave him a lyre and a chariot pulled by, not
by horses... but by the white swans. We took Apollo to the seashore, beyond the
land of the winds from North, to the Hyperboreans that live under a sky that is
always clear. We also accompanied Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty,
known in the Roman mythology, as the goddess Venus, and in others, known as
Ishtar or Astarte. Well, she had a chariot also, pulled in Heaven, by... swans! And
we cannot forget to name Orpheus, the great musician, poet and prophet, who
was turned into a swan also, after his death. Due to our grace, in the Far East and
for the Celts, we were considered the symbols of poetry and song.

- What stories from the old days...

- Oh, dear Matthew..., let’s not forget the story that spoke about a hunter, who
once surprised three unbelievably beautiful women, who were bathing in a lake.
The three women were actually swans, who had left their feathered clothes on
the lakeside. As the hunter stole one of the garments, one of the swans being left
featherless (without the feathered clothes) couldn’t fly anymore so she became
his wife. But, the swan- lady did not forget her origins and... at some point, flew
back into the world she came from. After all, she belonged to the Sky/Heaven!

- In a way, it’s true! Let’s not forget you are symbolic creatures, that belong to
the three dimensions of the Universe – Heaven (sky), Earth and Water – and the
fact that you are able to float (hover) smoothly everywhere, even over the waves
of emotions!

- More than that! In the Egyptian mythologies, but Indian as well, we, swans, are
responsible with hatching the World Egg, the Primordial Egg, out of which the
World is born! Children, born this way, out of Earth and Water, were brought
(into this world), not by storks, but by us... the swans! Actually it is said, that, the
whole Universe, turned up, out of a Swan Egg, and people’s soul took the shape
of a swan. Then, in Chinese mythology, but also for Slavic people, Scandinavians
and Iranians, we, the swans, represented the Heaven Maiden, from which, the
human species was born!

- In a way, you are the creatures of purity and eternity!

- Dear Matthew, but also of the Light and Life! Since antiquity and until now, all
people have imagined that we, the swans, especially the white swans, represent
the immaculate, sacred birds, that live epiphany of Light, that appearance or
manifestation of Divinity, of God! Perhaps, due to these reasons, the Mother of
Lord Jesus Christ chose us, as one of her most important symbols!
 - You have transmitted me a state of bliss! How wonderful it is... I don’t even
know what to say anymore! Dear swans, beautiful, elegant, noble, gracious and
mysterious..., I have never met any other creature until now, that would have
been so present in so many dimensions of the Universe, in so many worlds, from
here and beyond, in so many stances and strong symbols! Honestly, you kind of
blew my mind!

- Indeed, we, swans, have a unique status! Since Ancient times, we have become
one of the strongest symbols from the Universe!

- It is something out of the ordinary! I am convinced that you have been a source
of inspiration for numerous artistical masterpieces!

- Dear Matthew, indeed! We have been described, in thousands and thousands

of pages, in the writings of Aristotle, Pliny the Elder, Ovid, in the fables signed by
Aesop (The Swan and the Goose), Jean de La Fontaine (The Swan and the Cook) or
Grigore Alexandrescu, Romanian poet from 19th century (The Swan and the
Raven’ babies), in the unforgettable legends (Lohengrin knight from the „Legend
of the Holy Grail”), in the fairytales written by Hans Christian Andersen (The Ugly
Duckling and The Wild Swans), in the poems created by other Romanian writers,
artists, poets, novel writers from 19th century, such as Vasile Alecsandri, Mihai
Eminescu and Șt. O. Iosif, but also in the famous paintings by Leonardo Da Vinci,
Cesare da Sesto, Raphael, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Nicolai Abildgaard, Paul
Cezanne...

- Impressive! I don’t think that your beauty, purity, elegance and grace have
gone unnoticed by the masters of the sounds, the composers...

- It’s true..., one of the nicest moments from the 17th century was dedicated to
us, by Orlando Gibbons, one of the most esteemed organist and English creator of
those times. In 1612, he published a series of madrigals and motets, from which
can be mentioned the Madrigal The Silver Swan, that became one of the most
famous from this literature. A choral jewellery, through which, Orlando Gibbons
musically illustrated... the death of a swan.
 - A tragic end that inspired Alfred Tennyson also, in 1830, in his poem The Dying
Swan. The poem’s atmosphere has been transposed into a moment of ballet solo,
by Michel Fokine especially for the famous Anna Pavlova. This was taking place in
1905, when the great artist portrayed an unforgettable swan on the music, so
skillfully pictured by the French composer, Camille Saint- Saëns, in his Suite Le
Carnaval des animaux/The Carnival of the Animals, from 1886. Since then, it has
become a point of reference in the history of ballet that inspired entire
generations of ballet dancers! And the music signed by Camille Saint- Saëns is just
divine... slow but so gracious, from which one can distinguish the song of a cello,
accompanied by two pianos. What a majestic moment!

- Dear Matthew, Anna Pavlova has been one of the greatest ballerinas of all
times, the first one to have made tours around the world, with her own company.
She had a tough mission, that to bring the ballet to the attention and especially in
the hearts of the public. She has managed to do that with a memorable triumph!
We, the swans, have meant everything for her! To reproduce our unique moves
as truthful as possible, she bought a house with a huge garden and an ornamental
lake, where she received us with so much warmth. She has been photographed
frequently, with one of us, called Jack, which she considered to be her friend. In
1931, according to the legend, on her dying bed, the last words of the great
ballerina, Anna Pavlova, were those, of being dressed with the swan costume, for
one last dance!

- And also from the world of ballet, arrive a few famous swans... even from a
mysterious lake, so wonderful illustrated by one of the great composers, Pyotr
Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Who has not heard at least once, of the musical masterpiece
Swan Lake and especially the famous swans’ theme or the story of princess
Odette, who was turned into a white swan by the wizard, Von Rothbard, of Odile,
the black swan and of the beautiful prince, Siegfried? Starting with 1877, ever
since it was presented for the first time in Moscow, at the well- known Bolshoi
Theatre, this music has not lost its charm! With the Swan Lake, one of the most
popular from the history of the genre, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky has bestowed a
special glow upon the classical ballet.
 - From the opera another legendary swan has arrived next to us: Lohengrin, the
son of the Holy Grail knight, a mysterious knight from the German mythology.
Actually, it is a story of a savior from another world, who would always show up
on Earth if someone was in danger. His only condition was he remained
anonymous and he was never going to be asked what his name is, who he was
and where he was coming from. He would always arrive on a boat pulled by a
swan!

- What a legend...

- Yes, a story that determined King Ludwig II of Bavaria, to name his castle
Neuschwanstein/New Swan Stone, and the great German composer, Richard
Wagner, to create, in 1850, an opera in three acts with the title... Lohengrin. That
is how, Elsa de Brabant and... the swan... Lohengrin..., the one coming from
another Universe, freed from selfishness, violence, evilness and full of divine
grace, came up forever, in the history of lyrical theatre.

- You can barely find any words... to describe everything... maybe, just to say...
you feel like on top of the world!

- You should know, dear Matthew that we, the swans, creatures of the „world
beyond” have managed to notice these superior states of the Being, on the verge
to free itself and return into the Absolute, towards the supreme Principle!

- We are talking here, about sheer philosophy!

- But let’s go back, as we also wanted to tell you that ever since the end of 19th
century, between 1895- 1919, the Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius described us
perfectly, in some of his works. In the Symphonic poem The Swan of Tuonela, as
part of the Suite op 22 Lemminkäinen (a young, jovial hero, who has many
adventures, in which he is sometimes helped by his mother), inspired by Kalevala,
the Finnish literary epic, then in the Scene music White Swan, after the name of
the play written by August Strindberg and in the end of the Fifth symphony,
where the line of the horn points out our majestic movement and the sounds of
our callings. It seems that this last movement from the Symphony, got created in
1915, after Jean Sibelius watched the flight of 16 swans, describing it in his
journal, as one of the great experiences of my life! A Finnish artist as well,
Einojuhani Rautovaara, in 1972, created one of the most famous works, inspired
by the world of so many living beings: the Concerto for birds and Orchestra
Cantus Arcticus, in which, in the third part, you will recognise our voices, when we
take off to migrate.

- Certainly, my meeting with you too, has been one of the most special
experiences I took part in, since I have been wandering through the Enchanted
Garden of Grandma! From now on, I and Maya, my so trusted and quiet friend,
will be looking at you in a different light! I thank you, dear swans!

- We have enjoyed talking to you too, dear Matthew! But it is time to say
goodbye and wish you further, a journey just as interesting!

- Come on, my dear Maya, let’s go... I am so impressed..., I believe you too... as
you’re not even saying a timid... Woof!

The two best friends left, thinking of what they have seen and heard! The
swan... it is amazing what it represents for the whole Universe! What myths,
legends, symbols...

- Indeed, what extraordinary idea my Grandma had! What beauty and how many
things I have discovered in her lovely Garden! I’m anxious to find out who else I
am going to meet next and what interesting things are going to be revealed to
me!
 WILD ANIMALS

The Sextet Fox (Vixen) – Reynard, Wolf – She- Wolf and Bear
(Boar) – Sow

- Close to the Enchanted Garden of Grandma, there is a grove (small forest) as

well. Another mysterious place and good for research. Therefore, Matthew along
with his cute companion, doggie Maya, thought of exploring it.

- My dear Maya, prepare yourself! Don’t be afraid! Let’s imagine we would go on

a small trip to the mountains!

- Woof..., woof..., woof...

- The way you’re wagging your tail and spinning yourself I would say you agree
with me. This means it is a good idea... Therefore, let’s take advantage of such a
beautiful day! I can’t wait to wander through this place also, a bit wilder... So
many walkways! Oh..., I think I hear a rustle! Maya, sit next to me! Don’t go away!

- Gr..., gr..., gr...

- Shh..., don’t make too much noise! Look..., I see something..., a different kind
of a sextet, that is, other six living beings... a fox (vixen) – a reynard, a wolf – a
shewolf and a bear (boar) – a sow... Oh..., these are fearsome wild animals...,
maybe it would be best to go back, dear Maya!

- Stay put and do not move!

- Who is raising their voice to us, in such a manner?

- It’s us, the Foxes and Reynards... scientifically called Vulpes vulpes... There is
even the expression foxy, meaning a redhead woman or a sneaky and tricky
woman, and for the French it’s Monsieur et Madame Renard (in French „renard”
means fox)!
 - Nice to meet you! But..., oh..., yes, now I just remembered that you actually...
devour... hens, geese, ducks and probably, even... swans!!! Oh, my!

- What should we do... we have to eat also...

- In the Romanian popular belief it is said about the man who is lazy and an avid
eater that he is... a wolf when eating and a fox when working, like the famous
expression „hungry as a wolf”. In other words, an avid eater eats like a wolf and a
lazy man works like a fox (almost doing nothing, trying to sneak out, escaping
work, just like the fox is sneaky).

- Well... these words, probably come from the fact that, we kill more than we eat
for a single meal and bury the rest for some other time..., besides the domestic
birds, we also eat harmful creatures, like rats, so we do a lot of good also... we
also like field mice, gophers, beavers, squirrels, bunnies (rabbits)...

- I understand you have a special way of hunting?

- Dear Matthew, we detect the prey, even if we don’t see it, it’s suffice to smell it
or hear it, but we do not run after it, instead we jump on it with our front paws,
just like cats! We have extraordinary instincts that turned us into good hunters.

- But, there is something else... do you guide yourselves by taking into account,
the magnetic field of the Earth?

- Yes, it is true, like the birds and turtles, we too, the foxes and reynards, possess
this „sense”!

- And you also „find” yourselves in a constellation... Vulpecula, the little fox,
identified in the 17th century, that also includes the star Alpha Vulpeculae or
Vulpecula cum ansere or most common Anser, that refers to the little fox, that
holds... a goose... in its... jaws.

- Interesting, isn’t it? We are also Up... in the Sky, in the Northern part!

- But..., you are always up to... cheating, and... shortening... tails...

 - In this world, we have to manage... that is why we resort to some sort of wit
(cleverness), that resembles cunning (trickery)... that helps us trick the most naive
or gullible!

- For this reason, in the Romanian popular tradition you are considered a symbol
of intelligence and cunning. Yes..., in a way you are right... you have to be careful
all the time so that no one fools you... Dear fox, I wonder, what would the bear
say... who, because of you, ended up with no tail... like in the one of the beloved
Romanian children's books written in the 19th century by Ion Creangă: Ursul
păcălit de vulpe/The Bear Fooled by the Fox.

- It is possible you will meet him also, later... perhaps he will tell you more...

- Until then, please tell us who you are!

- Dear Matthew, we, the foxes and reynards, are included in the family Canidae,
family of the wild, carnivore mammals, together with the wolf, jackal and the
raccoon dog. We are of medium size, with a narrow muzzle and pointed ears. Our
fur has got a variety of nuances, from a fire red to white, grey and silver. We are
approximately 25 species, but the most well- known are the red fox, the largest of
us, the silver fox and the arctic/polar fox.

- Besides, you are being hunted for your thick/dense and silky fur but also for
your so smoothly skin. The colour of your fur is quite important, isn’t that so?

- Yes, because depending on the environment we live in, it helps us camouflage,

that is, to blend in with the rocks and mountains or even with the snow, but also
to survive at low temperatures of up to - 70 degree Celsius/- 94 Fahrenheit! We
feel very good in the boreal and temperate forests, in the mountains, in the
tundra, islands, plains, in the steppe, in the cultivated fields, meadows, pastures,
deltas, everglades, dry areas, villages, but also in the outskirts of towns, in the
parks...

- I have noticed you have gorgeous eyes too... unique, even! In the daylight they
seem yellow- gold and at night time... green! They are a bit hypnotic... I wonder
how many world mysteries have these eyes seen?
 - Especially at night, that is how they are showing. We manage either day or
night, as the eyes have the pupils, vertically oriented, in order to see the light,
regardless of its intensity. Also, we have the aid of our sensible whiskers, the ones
from our muzzle but also the ones from our feet and we are capable to retract our
claws also. To tell you a secret, we love to walk „on the tips of our toes”, creating
an image of some animals with an elegant walk, similar to the one of the gracious
distant „relatives” (sisters) – the cats.

- I realized you have a lot in common with the cats! But what fascinates me, in
your case, is...

- Yes, we know... our long and bushy tail, usually with a white tip at the end!
Generally, our body has got under 1 meter length and the tail, approximately 30-
40 cm. Well, we use our tail to cover ourselves during winter, but also to cover
our tracks in the snow... and also with the help of our tail we communicate with
other foxes, through signals.

- You are phenomenal!

- Even if we are quite small, we have got „some” speed, up to 70 km/h and are
appreciated for our ability to climb trees, even on the most fragile branches.

- I have found out you live in some sort of bunkers?

- Ha- ha- ha... in our world they are called underground/subterranean hollows
and dens (foxholes), that usually have, most of the times, more exits. This helps us
escape easier from other predators!

- But how long do you live for?

- Approximately 10- 14 years and we like to hunt and sleep by ourselves. We are
not the adepts of living within the packs! Only when we are raising our babies,
then we are living within the family, with a small number of members (in a closed
circle). Even so, at present, we have become the most numerous carnivorous
species from the world, being considered the animal of the future!
 - Dear foxes and reynards, on a symbolistic level, you are being presented in a
paradoxical way... precisely, duplicitous: either a common figure, some sort of
trickster, either a smart creature, that tricks others into doing what it wants,
either a nocturnal hunter that steals more than it hunts, either a living being, with
an out of the ordinary sharpness of the mind.

- Dear Matthew, in a way it is true! We are living beings that adapt to any
situation, to any environment! In the European, Western myths and folk
traditions we were considered living beings with a few uncommon, out of the
ordinary traits – intelligence, smartness, skillfulness, wisdom, tactfulness,
adaptability but also audacity (boldness), cunning, trickery and a bit of intrigue.

- Actually, as they say in the Romanian folklore, that God „gave the trickery to
the fox and craftsmanship to the man!”. And in a confrontation with the wolf and
bear, you, foxes, have always been the winners. It is a victory of the intelligence
over the physical strength. Usually, you have been described as the full
embodiment of perfidy, in a natural state, as the result of the instinct and fight for
survival, for life saving or for food. In a way, it is our biological way of being!

- And in Peru it was believed, we were the perfect warriors, who fight only by
using their minds!

- I have done some research and found out, that, you, dear foxes and reynards
represent a few deities as well!

- We have been considered the partners of the forests, mountains and

vegetation Gods, in Mesopotamia we were considered the sacred animals of
Goddess Ninhursag, and in Japan the symbol of the rice (Shinto) and one of the
rain spirits.

- You were looked upon as messengers as well.

- As an intermediary between two worlds – that of the living and that of the
dead. Better said we were gifted with supernatural powers, to facilitate the
dialogue between the living souls and the souls of the dead. As it is also said, we
are at the borders of the world beyond, as an animal- guide.
 - But, in the Asian Universe who are you?

- We, the foxes and reynards, were named either „huli jing”, in China, „kitsune”,
in Japan or „kumiho/gumiho”, in Korea. We were represented by the fox with
nine tails and we were considered spirits with magical powers, with dual traits,
rather inclined to trickery, disguised, either as attractive women or as mystical,
sacred creatures.

- I am convinced, that due to all these talents, you have become one of the most
popular animals from all around, being the main character in the European
literature, for hundreds of years. Usually, you have the role of advisors or guides
of the hero from the fantastic fairytale.

- Dear Matthew, you guessed right! See, what it means to be around us...
Therefore, the fox theme has been used in many ways, either for the realistic
description of animals, for the exposure/display of some living beings, with
human abilities, for rendering some tricks or for illustrating as examples, some
magical transformations from a man to a fox and vice versa.

- One should keep reading..., no joke..., what was written with and about you!!!

- I wonder who has not heard of the famous fables from Antiquity? There are 28
fables in the „Foxes” category signed by Aesop (The Fox and the Goat, The Fox
and the Grapes, The Fox and the Lion, The Lion, the Bear, and the Fox) or by Jean
de la Fontaine (Le Corbeau et Le Renard/The Crow and the Fox , Le renard et la
cigogne/The Fox and the Stork). Some are short and some are long but all of them
are historically and morally interesting.

- And , later?

- There are numerous legends, medieval stories and fairy takes with Reynard
imagined by Carlo Lorenzini /Carlo Collodi, Antoine de Saint- Exupéry and the
Grimm Brothers (The Wolf and the Fox).

- I believe that around the 20th century, you have been distributed in various
feature and animation movies.
 - In 1937, a first appearance had been recorded in The Tale of the Fox/Le Roman
de Renard by Ladislas Starevich. An artistic partnership with the cinematography
world, that still goes on...

- What about the classical music universe, is there any portrait?

- Dear Matthew, ever since the 19th century, the beloved fable of the master,
Jean de la Fontaine, Le Corbeau et le Renard/The Crow and the Fox, has become a
source of inspiration for a few famous composers, in the world of the operetta.
Among these were: Jacques Offenbach, in 1842, Benjamin Godard, in 1872,
Charles Lecocq, in 1885, André Caplet, in 1919, Maurice Delage, in 1931, Xavier
Benguerel i Godo, in 1998.

- And what about the 20th century, how were you portrayed?

- More precisely, during the First World War, in 1916, Igor Stravinsky composed
a chamber opera- ballet, entitled Renard, Histoire burlesque chantée et jouée/The
Fox: burlesque tale sung and played. The libretto has been created, based on
some Russian folk stories, from the collection made by Alexander Afanasyev. The
theme has got a moral touch, in which, Renard (the fox) – the main character,
manages to fool the rooster twice, who, with a stroke of luck, gets saved by the
cat and the goat. In the end, the fox gets punished and killed. A bit later, around
1924, Leos Janacek introduced the opera The Cunning Little Vixen, in which, the
characters have been musically illustrated through all sorts of folk songs and
dancing rhythms known in the Czech space. The ending here is not a happy one
either, as this time as well, the fox gets sacrificed.

- But by the Romanian musician are something composed?

- The interesting world of fables attracted the Romanian artist Paul

Constantinescu, who, between the years 1928- 1932, created The four fables for
piano, where one of them is dedicated to the two characters, named ... The Crow
and the Fox. In fact, how could you not let yourself be charmed by the intelligence
and cunning of the fox, that afterall, succeeds in taking the crow’s cheese...
 - Thank you, dear foxes and reynards, for everything you have revealed about
yourselves... but we will linger into the forest next to the Enchanted Garden of
Grandma, since another family arrived at our meeting...

- Owooooo...

- Brrr..., it’s a bit scary! What a terrifying howl!

- Welcome, dears! We are the Wolves and She- wolves... scientifically called
Canis Lupus and Canis Rufus, the largest carnivorous animals from the Canidae
family. We are part of the wild, predatory animals category, in which are also
included the coyotes, the jackals and various types of foxes and reynards.
Moreover, we are considered the dog ancestors, the first animal domesticated by
man.

- Honestly, we are kind of scared by you!

- Our welcome greeting was for you, our special guests! The howl you heard, we,
the wolves and she- wolves, use it to connect with the more distant members of
the group, to gather before the hunt, to warn the rival packs to go away, to
attract for mating or simply, just to escape... loneliness. So, you sit quiet, as we
are not going to do anything..., but instead, we will reveal you some of our
secrets!

- That’s better... but, you’re a bit too... many...

- Dear Matthew, we live in a community, called „pack”. A pack can have two or
up to 20 members, depending on the environment factors and the food supplies.
In charge of every pack there is a „pair- alpha” that benefits from many
advantages: priority to food supplies and reproduction, meaning only the „pair”
has got the priviledge to have babies. The babies are born with blue eyes that
change into yellow, at the age of eight months.

- Oh..., but I didn’t know your rules are so strict...

- Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to survive... as such, we have to comply with

nature’ rules... and to respect the rigorous hierarchy of the pack we belong to...
Within the pack, a wolf has got a single partner for life, as we are very devoted
animals. Still here, if there are fights for power, the one who gets defeated is
either killed or banished from the group.

- I know you have a strong endurance to pain and a great courage during fight!

- We are middle sized animals, with a length of approximately 130 cm, with a
height between 60- 90 cm, and with a weight up to 80 kilograms maximum.
Generally, females are smaller and of lighter weight. Since we use only our toes
and not the whole paw, we reach the speed of 65 km/h when running, and they
also help us stop abruptly and return when needed. Also, the fact we have
webbed feet helps us swim even 13 km.

- I heard once, that you actually don’t turn your head...

- So it is said, but it is only a visual effect as we have the neck’s muscles

extremely powerful, hence the impression we have a stiff neck. Actually, with the
help of these muscles, we carry the food and we also have the possibility to
maintain the head’s position so we can see better what’s ahead of us!

- And how many species are you?

- The two important species are the common grey wolf from the East- European
and Scandinavian (Canis Lupus) forests and the red wolf (Canis Rufus) with various
subspecies that reach between 23 and 38 cm. Out of these are included: the
Arctic wolf, forest wolf, North- American wolf, steppe wolf, lowland wolf, desert
wolf, Polar wolf, white wolf, Arabic wolf, Italian wolf, Mexican wolf, Dingo wolf.
Some of them are almost extinct!

- I have noticed you have a special fur also!

- Dear Matthew, our fur has got two layers: the one on the surface (with coarse
hairs), that protects us from water and dirt and the inside layer (softer), which is
resistant to water and isolates our body better. The inside layer gets renewed
annually, at the end of spring or in the beginning of summer, through molting.

- What are your colours?

 - Our colours vary from dark grey to brown grey, with soft nuances of black.
Typical are the black spot from the back and the white one surrounding/covering
the muzzle. Therefore, the fur is reddish- grey during summer and light grey in the
winter, similar to the white of the snow, to help us camouflage every time is
needed.

- But what are the places you live in?

- We like the plains, the forests, the tundra, the taiga, the plateaux and the
mountains, that we are crossing for about 10- 12 years... in fact, it was stated that
one third of our life is being spent by moving continuously. The latitude influences
our weight and height quite a lot, that grow directly proportional with it, and the
mating period varies itself as well, depending on this factor.

- In these conditions, have you got any home?

- Yes, it is called a den and it is set up in galleries with many exits, in foxholes and
underneath the roots of old trees.

- Being predators how are your senses?

- We, the wolves and she- wolves have our smell, hearing and vision, very well
developed! We detect any noise, even almost 10 km away.

- I know you possess a so- called secret weapon!

- Yes. It is about our extremely powerful mouth and specialised teeth! A „bite” of
ours can be extremely dangerous, since we „carry” over 50 deadly parasites! Our
mouth holds 42 teeth, good for stabbing, ripping and crunching bones. The health
and integrity of dentition ensures us our life. Any wound or injury condemns us to
death by starving.

- By the way, what do you like to eat?

- Usually, we revel with stag, deer, moose, wild boars and even buffalos and
domestic animals, like sheep and goats. But we are also satisfied with small prey,
like mice, frogs, lizards, insects.
 - And how much do you eat?

- Our food ration/portion in order to survive, is 1,1 kg daily, but usually for a
meal, we eat 9 kg of meat, to assure us the food for more days in order to
compensate for the days, when we don’t have any food.

- It is also said that, where you are, dear wolves and she- wolves, are also the
ravens as they feed themselves with your leftovers. And I have found out
something else as well: you are also considered the „sanitaries” of nature.

- It is true, dear Matthew. In many cases we eliminate the old, sick and
nonperforming types. In this way we help with the natural selection and maintain
the vigorousity of the plundered animals’ populations.

- Now I realise why you aren’t so loved by shepherds and by the other living
beings also... I wonder who can forget about the well- known fairytale The goat
and her three kids, written by the famous figure of the 19th century Romanian
literature, Ion Creangă, and what happened with the baby goats?

- Yes... a pretty sad chapter for us, as we were fooled in the end by the... goat
and received our punishment (since two of the kids were killed by the wolf and
only the third one, who was more obedient, survived) ... But, let’s go back... we
use certain tactics, from the strategy of envelopment of the prey, on the flanks, to
gradually leading the prey to closed areas and hounding it, that is, chasing it until
exhaustion. Of course, our big feet help us, with a footprint of the paw, of
approximately 13 cm long and 10 cm wide.

- Indeed, you are masters of the hunting technique... However, more than the
physical performances, you impress with a remarkable intelligence. Many times,
you manage to avoid even the traps meant for you. That is why, the Lapps say the
bear has got the mind of a human and the strength of seven humans but the wolf
has got the strength of a human and the mind of seven humans.

- I believe that the description is more than fair!

- Dear wolves and she- wolves, although you are not even the largest or the
strongest of the carnivorous predators, you have managed to impose, ever since
Ancient times, into the collective mind. It is true, your image has known various
contradictory representations, either of beasts eating humans, children, fearsome
creatures, even detested, or, of a dominant figure due to your beauty, wilderness,
strength and intelligence, or of a guide of the souls to the world beyond.

- It is true, ever since Ancient times we have been allocated certain roles.
Therefore, on one hand we were considered either a symbol of the Light and Sun,
being associated with Apollo Lykaios, or on the other hand, a symbol of the
Darkness and Night, or the symbol of the universal warrior hero for the Persians,
Iranians, Armenians and Dacians, or primordial animals in Hinduism, Buddhism
and in Indian myths, where any attack upon us was being punished by death and
the destruction and losing of immortality.

- But what about the Greek- Roman mythologies?

- In these spaces, we were attributed perhaps one of the most important and
essential roles, that of motherhood, fertility and desire. Therefore, two she-
wolves are relevant: Mormolyke, nanny of Acheron and Lupa Capitolina, a symbol
of the Roman Empire and Rome city, the one who fed Romulus and Remus.

- What impressed me the most, was the fact that, you, dear wolves and she-
wolves, have been identified with Sirius, the brightest Star, noticeable with the
naked eye, from the sky, furthermore, one of the most important and sacred stars
from symbolism and cosmology.

- Yes, dear Matthew, it is true. For a big part of the civilizations, Sirius was called
The Wolf Star, Blue Beast, The Blue Celestial Wolf, The Guardian of Celestial
Palace or The Celestial Wolf, as a symbol of the Uranian light that joins the white
deer, that represents the Earth. And in this context, the Milky Way was known as
The Wolf Trail.

- You had a special place also on the Geto- Dacians ancestral lands.

- Oh..., yes..., Dacia, (in ancient times, the country inhabited by the Geto-
Dacians, who was ruled by Kings like Burebista and later Decebalus, became a
Province of the Roman Empire), considered once the land of the wolves. It is said,
that the wild animals, regardless of their strength and constitution, can be tamed
and trained. With our exception, of the wolves and she- wolves!

- I read you would rather starve to death or in battle just to win the prey, rather
than giving up freedom. That is how you became the prototype of the natural-
born warrior and a model of dignity. That is also why you have been chosen as a
totem by the Geto- Dacians. Fearless warriors, they also wanted to resemble and
act like the Wolf- God that they summoned in fight and in other circumstances.
That is how the numerous legends were born.

- In one of the legends, the white wolf was the main attraction. It is said, that a
priest, that all the living beings listened to, had been turned, by the supreme God
of Dacians, that was a God of Heaven, Zalmoxis, into a wolf but not any kind of
wolf, but a white one, that became the symbol of the animals from the
Carpathian Mountains and the protector of Dacia. And another legend, describes
a happening, related to King Decebalus, the one who got saved by a tamed wolf
that sacrificed itself in the end.

- It seems that this event determined the great Dacian ruler, to choose for the
flight flag, the symbol of a wolf’s head with an open mouth that had a body in the
shape of a snake. The head was made from bronze or silver and was fixated with
the neck in a pole, and the body was manufactured from textile material.

- It is true, dear Matthew! When the wind was blowing, this flag would puff up
and make sounds that would imitate our howling (of the wolves). The hissing had
a double role. One, to scare the enemies away and another one, to encourage the
Dacian warriors. A special Dacian symbol, that can be found in the hands of
Decebalus’ soldiers, in the scenes depicted from the Trajan’s Column, in Rome, a
monument that describes the Dacian battles from the years 101- 102 and 105-
106.

- What historical times... What valiant and brave people lived on those lands! I
wonder where else did you linger, what other place? I’m thinking, in what way
have you been perceived in the universe of Arts?
 - In fables, this is where we were most often „approached”... in the ones written
by Aesop (The Wolf and the Lamb, The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, The Boy who
cried Wolf), by Jean de La Fontaine (The Wolf and the Dog”, and by some
important Romanian artists from 18th to 19th centuries, such as: Gheorghe
Asachi (The Wolf and the Lamb), Grigore Alexandrescu (The Moralist Wolf, The
Fox, the Horse and the Wolf) and Andrei Mureșanu (The Wolf facing death).

- I believe you have been present in proverbs, stories or fairytales more as

characters with a... bad/negative reputation. I wonder who did not hear about the
well- known saying The wolf changes his coat, but not his character?

- Examples of this negative reputation can be found in the Little Red Riding Hood
by Charles Perrault, in The Wolf and the Fox by Brothers Grimm, in The Jungle
Book by Rudyard Kipling, and later on, in Never Cry Wolf, the memories of Farley
Mowat.

- I am convinced you have been distributed in numerous movies, artistical or

animation...

- Of course, who does not remember about the story Three Little Pigs that were
trying to escape from us (the wolves) ... transposed into the animation movie Silly
Symphony, produced in 1933, by Walt Disney, directed by Burt Gillett and with
the wonderful soundtrack, that also includes the song Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad
Wolf?, imagined by Frank Edwin Churchill?

- ... in 1934, it won the Academy Award for the best animation short film...

- Out of the artistical movies especially one stood out, the one called Dances
with Wolves, directed, played and produced by the famous American actor, Kevin
Costner, inspired by the book bearing the same title, by Michael Blake, written in
1988. The music was signed by John Barry Prendergast, known in the movie
industry, due to the soundtracks, produced between the years 1963- 1987, for the
series, James Bond.

- But, what about classical music, did anyone portray you?

 - Since, quite often, the wolves’ hunt and our „attacks” were present in the
Russian literature, in the works signed by Leo Tolstoy, Anton Chekhov, Nikolay
Nekrasov, Ivan Bunin or Leonid Pavlovich Sabaneyev, it was predictable to be
present in the Russian musical universe as well. Two examples stand out: Little
Red Riding Hood and the Wolf from the ballet Sleeping Beauty, created in 1889 by
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, but especially, the symphonic fairy tale, Peter and the
Wolf, composed in 1936, by Sergei Prokofiev.

- Oh... yes, it is a musical story full of humour and unexpected, in which, the
characters are being played by... instruments. In this context, you are being
represented by the sound of three horns. The action implies capturing the wolf
that ate a duck that is saved in the end. The wolf is forgiven but gets sent to the...
zoo. But what about Romanian works, do we find you there?

- Yes, in a short, intense, dramatic sequence, entitled Wolves, from the cycle of
Six songs op. 49, by Mihail Jora, on the lyrics by Mariana Dumitrescu. It is perhaps
one of the most mysterious and impressive songs, of this great composer,
considered the father of the Romanian lied genre.

- Dear wolves and she- wolves, our meeting has been interesting as well, and it
seems I am not so scared as before! But evening is coming and...

- Owooooo... this is us, saying good- bye and introducing another family of large,
wild mammals!

- We should be careful, dear Maya, my so trusted and quiet friend! Let’s see who
is getting closer to us! Keep your eyes open! And I don’t even want to hear any
growl! But still..., it seems someone is talking?

- Grrr..., grrr..., grrr...

- We... will call a doctor... oh,… if only Grandma were here, she would have
known in a second what to do to save someone’s life... She was such a good
doctor! She could find a cure for everyone… Someone needs help!!!

- Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof...

 - Dear Maya, you can bark now... perhaps someone hears us... even though we
are still in the middle of the forest next to the Enchanted Garden of Grandma!

- Dears..., do not panic! Nothing happened! This is our language...

- I see... but who are you?

- Bruin or Teddy Bear... stuffed bear... so often sung... I wonder who did not hear
the famous song, sung by Elvis Presley?

- Indeed, in the entire world, the majority of children have a teddy bear, as a
dear friend!

- Actually, it all started from an event a bit unusual! It was around 1902, when
Theodore Roosevelt, president of America, refused to shoot a black American
bear, tied to a tree. In his memory, the stuffed bears... Teddy, appeared...

- Nice to meet you!

- Dear Matthew, actually... we are the Bears and Sows... and we have come to
get acquainted at this meeting... of course, if we are welcome!

- Of course... only, we had such a terrible scare! We need a few moments to

recover... but if I look at you... you seem... giants! I know in Romania you are also
known by your nickname Moș Martin/Santa Martin or even by The Old Man! But
who are you?

- We, bears and sows, Ursids or Ursidae, are a family of large mammals, from the
suborder Caniformia. With a few exceptions, we are wild living beings of large
size, voluminous and massive, with thick fur and short tail, hidden in the fur’s
hairs. We have got a round head, an elongated muzzle and generally truncated,
short and thick neck, short ears and the eyes, relatively small, black or brown,
large paws with strong, curved and non- retractile claws.

- You are so... immense, regardless of the angle we look at you... with a two- leg
or four- leg walk... slow, heavy... even though, you run fast... and, about your
voice, what can we say... it is imposing, sonorous... like a voice of bass- baritone!
 - There is something else special about us... we are plantigrade animals, meaning
we are able to touch the ground with our whole foot, when walking, using our
toes and metatarsals, something similar to you, humans!

- But, what do you eat that you are so...

- We are omnivorous animals... we eat everything we find... vegetables, fruits of

all kinds, grain, seeds, roots, leaves, succulent herbs, tree buds, earthy moss. But
we also like fish, seals, stags, small mammals, birds, birds’ eggs, insects and ants.
Out of all..., hmm..., the best are honey and raspberry!

- Mmm… It sounds so good! But, dear bears and sows... I believe there is more...
you certainly have a special way of sleeping..., to avoid, as much as possible, the
winter season...

- Oh... yes..., you mean hibernation... Many researchers conducted studies on us

and reached the conclusion that we actually sleep very soundly...

- To explain better, during winter, you retreat yourselves to a shelter, to avoid

the bad weather. During all this time, your body temperature remains constant,
and the basic functions, like respiration and circulation, continue without any
alterations.

- Then, if the weather becomes warmer, we wake up very easy and return to our
„mundane”. It is an uncommon situation for other hibernating mammals.

- Probably, due to you, many people have become interested in the cryogenic
phenomenon... especially, since 1967, when the first human got „frozen”.
Generally, it’s about a technique of producing low temperatures... of the so-
called „deep freeze”. Actually, this is another attempt to find a gate to...
immortality...

- Difficult, and in a way, a foolish aspiration... to seek immortality..., that ability

to live forever...

- For some, it is essential... but, let’s go back... Who were your ancestors?
 - Dear Matthew, we come from different families/branches. Either from the
family of the old Canine, out of which the dogs, foxes, wolves and coyotes got
born or from the Miacids, insectivorous animals, that lived in the time of
dinosaurs. In fact, about us, bears and sows, it is said, that we „came” to this
universe, approximately 27 million years ago!

- So, this means you have been on this Earth for some time now, and you have
seen and lived a lot...

- By the way, do you know how you can find out our actual age?

- No... I can’t wait for you to tell me!

- Well, the most accurate method is to count the rings, from a section of a
tooth’s root. And there is a a lot to count... since we have 42 teeth, some of even
4 cm long... and not only that, some of them are adapted for meat consumption,
and others, adapted especially, for plant consumption!

- Wow! Look at that..., how many things you can learn from a... tooth! I presume
you are numerous species as well?

- In Eurasia and North America live many species and subspecies, like the brown
bear – the most resistant species, that can reach even 1000 kg, with the
subspecies, Grizzly Bear – the one, that can eat even 40 times a day, the giant
from Alaska and the black American bear – one of the largest land mammals and
the most common among us, that has as a subspecies, the so- called „spirit bear”,
considered sacred bears, and in South America, the Andean bear, short- faced
bear or spectacled bear – one of the most rarest specimens of our family.

- Who lives in Asia?

- On this continent, live the Asian black bear or the white- chested bear, Ursus
Thibetanus or the moon bear, since it has a white- yellow spot on the chest, in the
shape of a moon, the Panda bear – the one that eats 99% bamboo, and is
recognised for the black spots around its eyes, ears and the whole body, the Sun
bear – with the smallest size, shortest fur, but the longest claws and tongue, the
lazy bear, of small size, with the most bristly and long fur, a ridge around the face
and claws in the shape of a long sickle and finally, the coconut bear – considered,
the smallest bear in the world and the only tropical species. Some of these species
and subspecies build real „homes” in the trees also, where they eat, hide and
even sleep.

- What about the Nordic frozen areas of the Arctic Ocean, does someone live
there too?

- Of course, the polar bear with the scientific name Ursus maritimus, and with
white fur, that becomes yellow with age, specialised in seals hunt. He is born on
land but mostly lives his life in the water or on ice. That is why his body is adapted
to low temperatures and to walking on snow and ice. Out of us (bears), he is the
best swimmer underneath water as well, having the ability to close his nostrils. He
can cross 160- 320 km without stopping, with a speed of 6- 10 km/h. He can
detect smells from a 30 km distance and the prey also, even if it’s a meter below
the ice. Fun fact: the car number plates from the North- East area of Canada,
check this out..., have the shape of a... polar bear!

- What a nice gesture! Let’s not forget the polar bear has been a source of
inspiration for a few stories and various animation or artistical movies... Such as
the beloved Romanian novel Fram, ursul polar/Fram, the polar bear by Cezar
Petrescu, published in 1931 and transposed in 1983, into a miniseries, called
Fram, directed by Elisabeta Bostan, with some of the greatest Romanian actors
and with a soundtrack signed by Temistocle Popa!

- Indeed, it was such wonderful movies…

- But, what about other relatives of yours, are there any?

- Yes. The closest to us are the Pinnipeds, the category of semi- aquatic
mammals, from which we mention the seal, the walrus, the sea lion and the fur
seals.

- What kind of bear is there on Romanian land?

 - The Romanian brown bear or the Ursus Arctos, the authoritarian master of the
mountain forests, vast and hard- to- reach. According to Statistics, the Carpathian
Mountains hold the largest European habitat of brown bears.

- In this context, regardless of the natural environment, where else can we find
you?

- Usually, we love to walk or climb the trees from the vast and dense forests,
through the rocky areas. We also love being around flowing or still waters, rich in
nourishment. Generally, we are nocturnal or crepuscular animals, therefore
during the day, we stay hidden in the large hollows of the trees or in dens.

- What would be the main elements that define you as a species?

- The robust physical constitution, with the skin around the neck, 20 times
thicker than the human’s, with a stomach that can hold up to 70 kg of meat and
of course with the senses very well developed and extremely fine... the smell, the
hearing and the vision..., by the way we see everything in colours. And besides
the polar bear, that has white fur, the rest of the species have a brown- black or
red fur.

- I assume you possess other important qualities as well?

- We are very intelligent animals, with an excellent memory and quite a big
brain, and with the ability to use tools for playing or for hunting.

- But then, how did you let yourselves get fooled by the fox...

- Well... dear Matthew, this is another story..., we have been naive and the foxes
took full advantage of that!

- Many times, I have heard, that your prestige derives not necessarily from your
size and physical strength, but rather from a certain „wisdom”, rarely
encountered in the world of animals.

- Almost all world civilisations considered us symbols of strength, power,

renaissance, maternal love but also symbols of some miraculous living beings that
hold secrets to cure illnesses and to get rid of everything that is not good. Our
„lard” brings strength and health to sheep and cattle.

- In what way were you represented dear bears and sows, during so many
centuries?

- Of course. The cult of the bear, as a spirit of the ancestors, has been present in
the first Asian cultures (Chinese, Korean), Siberian and Finnish. As such, we
became the national animal, in Finland. Then we „took” the form of different
deities, like Artio, Celtic bear goddess, where we became the symbol and emblem
of the warrior class or in the Archaic Greek cult, we are related to the goddess
Artemis, deity with the shape of a bear, of the moon and vegetation, with her
vestals dressed in bear fur. On another hand, some historians believe that the
name of the god Zalmoxis (Zamolxes, Zamolxis, Zamolxe) - considered the
supreme god of the Geto- Dacian Pantheon, the Great Reformer of the Geto-
Dacian religion - derives from the word Zalmos, which means „bear skin”,
because when he was born he was covered with the fur of this animal.

- What role did you have in other Ancient myths?

- In one of them, it is said that Zeus, in love with Callisto, determined Hera, his
wife, to turn Callisto into a... bear, out of jealousy. Callisto’s son not knowing what
happened was on a verge of committing a tragedy. Since he was the one who
injured his mother while hunting, Zeus, to avoid an unfortunate outcome, turned
both of them into stars (Great Bear and Little Bear) and placed them in the sky.

- Probably, this is how I heard that you have two constellations... up in the sky...
that bear your names.

- Yes, dear Matthew. Those are: Ursa Major (Great Bear) or the Big Chariot and
Ursa Minor (Little Bear) or the Small Chariot, visible in the Northern Hemisphere,
identified once by Ptolemy. In other words, Big Bears and Small Bears. Ursa Major
(Great bear) is composed of seven shining stars, considered the oldest and the
most well- known constellation from history. This has often been mentioned in
the works signed by Homer, Edmund Spenser, William Shakespeare and Alfred
Tennyson. Instead, Ursa Minor/Small Chariot is famous due to its most shining
stars, Ursae Minoris, the star that marks the position of the North Celestial Pole,
Polaris or „the bear’s guardian”.

- I have observed, that during time, you have been either respected, feared,
worshipped and honoured or „shown” in fairs and made to dance in courts, to the
amusement and joy of everybody present. Quite often, in Romanian traditions,
dear bears and sows, you have been considered „the dogs of God” and you have
been granted the role to protect the hero against the evil powers.

- Indeed, we are very well portrayed in traditional Romanian culture. There are
even a few days dedicated to us. For example, the date of 1 August has been and
is considered Bear’s Day/Macovei, a protective deity of bears, that took the name
from the seven brothers Macabei, according to the Orthodox belief, kept strictly,
so that we do not attack the flocks and grazed herds from the mountains. Also,
the Autumn Martins (12- 14 November) must be mentioned, and the Winter
Martins (1- 3 February), days that overlap, partially, the wolves’ celebrations (The
Filips). What is interesting, is the fact that, Bear’s Day has been adopted by most
Europeans and celebrated on the 2nd of February, also known as Stretenia or
Candlemas, a Christian Holy Day. On the same date in areas of the United States
and Canada this has been marked as Groundhog Day. Both these events have in
common the weather forecast element for the next period.

- Actually, you have been considered oracle- animals of foresight and time
orientation. But, what is happening during this day?

- It is said that this is the time, we, the bears and sows, wake up from
hibernation and come out of the den and look at our shadow in the snow. If it is
sunny and clear and we can see our own shadow, then we go back to the den and
sleep for six more weeks, predicting the winter will be prolonged. On the other
hand, if it’s cloudy and we do not see our own shadow, we no longer stay inside
the den but stay outside, predicting the winter has come to an end. So, the
farmers know what the weather will be like according to our behaviour and can
predict the optimal time of managing the crops over the year.

- I see..., you have the role of heralds of spring... of nature being reborn...
 - Yes, you can call us that.

- But I feel there is something more...

- We know what you mean... you are thinking about some Romanian rituals, in
which we have the main roles.

- There is the so called „bear game” or the „game with the bear’ mask”,
practiced especially in winter, holiday that came from the Geto- Dacians rituals. In
addition to the bear game, the games of deer, goat and the New Year
masquerade tradition are of the same origin.

- For the bear game, a group of men go from house to house, in the country, and
put quite a show for people and in the end they receive some money. The bears
are trained, taught to dance in front of people. It is a show where we, the bears,
die and come back to life again... kind of a dramatic symbolism, of the same myth,
of nature being reborn.

- But, are you present in the field of arts? For example, in literature?

- Dear Matthew, we became popular in a few fairytales and interesting stories

like, A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond, Gentle Ben by Walt Morey, but
also The Three Bears with different versions, written by Robert Southey, Lev
Tolstoy and Romanian novelist, Mihail Sadoveanu.

- But what characters are made after you or about you in the world of feature
and animation movies?

- Among the first heroes, can be named: Yogi Bear from Jellystone Park, featured
between the years 1961- 1962, in a series of animated movies, produced by
Hanna- Barbera, and then Winnie the Pooh, the one from 1966 by Walt Disney,
having as a source of inspiration the stories of Alan Alexander Milne and Ernest
Howard Shepard.

- Oh... and the famous Baloo from The Jungle Book, produced by Walt Disney
also, in 1967, after the book written by Rudyard Kipling.
 - It is a movie with an extraordinary soundtrack, containing the song The Bare
Necessities, produced by Terry Gilkyson, nominated for the Oscar Award, for the
best original song.

- Having as a source of inspiration the same book, signed by Rudyard Kipling, the
Romanian composer, Carmen Petra- Basacopol, composed in 1979, the Suite op
61 Jungle book for harp solo. In the third section, she gave Baloo bear the right
place, who seems to be… waltzing... one, two, three... one, two, three...

- Oh..., how beautiful! I never imagined us, bears, dancing, and even with such
elegance... Many animated characters followed, among we can count the series
Kung Fu Panda, with three of its movies, in 2008, 2011 and 2016, in which Po, a
clumsy panda bear is chosen as the Dragon Warrior by the Master, capable to
understand the secret behind the Dragon Scroll. And then, the series Masha and
the Bear, broadcasted since 2009, with the big- hearted Bear, who doesn’t get
upset no matter what situations he is going through.

- Did anyone else have the „courage” to describe you, in the classical field?

- As they say... dear Matthew, few, but good! A classical portrait was imagined
by Joseph Haydn, in his Symphony no. 82 in C major, commonly known as the
Bear Symphony, that is part of the series, of the so- called Parisian symphonies,
created in 1786. Most certainly, you will find us, especially in the last movement,
accompanied by the sounds of a bagpipe..., to reminisce the music, used, in the
times we were the dancing bears, found on the streets of various cities from the
18th century.

- Then, I believe you have been „approached” later as well?

- Precisely, after almost two centuries. Therefore, in 1915, Béla Bartók composed
a Sonatina for piano, initially subtitled Sonatina on Romanian folk themes, where
in the second movement, called Medvetanc/Bear Dance, the author used folk
songs to render the sounds made by a bear. Later, around 1931, Béla Bartók
produced also the orchestral version of this opus, known as Dances from
Transylvania. Shortly, between the years 1944- 1945, Dmitri Shostakovich,
composed a cycle of Seven short songs op 69, A Child’s Exercise Book, for piano,
for his daughter, Galiana, in which the fifth sequence is dedicated to a... novice...
bear.

- Dear bears and sows, I have not even realised how the time has passed! It’s
already evening... so, we will say goodbye to you too!

- Dear Matthew, we also thank you for the attention you paid us!

- I am going to have unforgettable memories about this sextet of wild animals

too... a Fox - a Reynard, a Wolf – a She- wolf and a Bear – a Sow... and of course,
your such wonderful world!
 Fireflies, Blackbirds and Nightingales

- Dear Maya, my dear doggie, my so trusted and quiet friend... how tired we
were! We slept a lot... Look! It’s past midday! Oh..., but, wait a minute..., I have a
proposition...

- Woof..., woof... woof...

- It is not about a delicious treat, but about a different kind of stroll through the
Enchanted Garden of Grandma!

- Grrr..., grr...., gr...

- We will go later, in the evening! I also wish to meet the living beings, who,
perhaps, being a bit shy are reticent to come out during the day!

Indeed, just before sunset, Matthew and Maya got ready for a new
experience!

- So, I guess it is pretty late... let’s start! Look Maya, what beauty! So many
lights... I wonder who it is?

- Good evening, dear Matthew... we are the Fireflies, those insects from the
order Coleoptera (Lampyris noctiluca), that have on the last abdominal segments,
some organs that emit this fluorescent light.

- You seem to be from some sort of a fairytale... some small „flying lights”!

- So far, with all the available technique, there isn’t any machine that can imitate
us... that is, to deliver as much energy, with a low percentage of heat!

- Certainly, you are another wonder of the Universe!

- The light emitted by us is considered 1.000 times stronger than the light
produced by a candle.
 - I believe this is where, the famous Romanian director, Ion Popescu- Gopo got
his inspiration from, when he created... Twinkler (a firefly), the wonderful
character from the Romanian movie Maria Mirabela! How can we not remember
the music especially created for him (for the Twinkler) by the well- known
composer, Eugen Doga?

- Therefore, my dears, Matthew and Maya, please let us come along... the
evening has come and we know the alleys from the Enchanted Garden of
Grandma, quite well. Of course, we will „light” the way... oh..., watch out...,
something can be heard already...

- Oh..., yes! What a voice..., what a tune..., I would really like to find out who it
is?

- Good evening, dear Matthew..., we are the the Blackbirds, singing birds from
the Turdidae family! We are birds of small size, partially migrating (in the
mountain areas) or mainly sedentary (in the warm, low regions).

- Good evening, dear blackbirds! How come we found you here... at Grandma’s?

- We love being close to humans. But we are scattered all over the globe, and we
also like to live in the deciduous mountain forests, in the low and hill forests, on
the river valleys, in the water’ groves, in the „cuts” of the forests, groves, parks
and gardens.

- Does it seem to me or do you really have a feeble body?

- Dear Matthew, we are birds that don’t exceed 25 cm per length and have only
60- 149 grams in weight!

- Wow... what do you eat that you are such tiny birds?

- We look for food, especially on ground- level, among herbs, in the litter at the
base of the bushes and trees. Our menu includes fruits, forest fruits, seeds,
earthworms, a variety of insects and among the fallen leaves... worms.

- This is probably not enough!

 - To us it is sufficient, even for the 20 years that we live, usually in isolated
families, only in pairs. But when we leave from the Northern areas to the
Southern ones, then we form a group.

- What colour is your plumage, as it is already evening and I can’t seem to

distinguish it?

- The most popular of our kind is the forest blackbird or the European blackbird
(Turdus Merula). The Mister (aka the male) is completely black with a golden beak
and a yellow ring around the eyes, whereas the lady (aka the female) is brown
with dark areas, sometimes with spots and stripes in the chest area!

- Oh, I see..., costumes fit for a ceremony!

- Well..., yes..., you could say so!

- And what other relatives do you have?

- Depending on the colour of the plumage, we are grey blackbirds or with collars,
common water rock thrush, Northern water thrush, Southern water thrush,
Oriental or Balcanic, Asian, African or Australian. We were featured on a number
of stamps issued by European and Asian countries and we became the national
bird of Sweden.

- Do you have any distant relatives as well?

- Yes, the oriole and the nightingale!

- I can’t wait to meet the nightingale also... but, until then I wish you could tell
me a bit about your greatest talent!

- Oh..., of course! Dear Matthew, we were anxious to tell you that we, blackbirds
are loved for one of the most beautiful songs, heard, from the end of January
until the beginning of summer...

- Yes, indeed, it is something truly special... a multitude of sounds, out of which

something strong as a leitmotif can be distinguished... „chink- chink- chink” ...
 - Our song is always cheerful, like a multi- nuanced and emphasized whistle, only
when we rest on the highest branches of the trees!

- To be closer to the sky! But, do you sing only at night?

- Usually, yes... and we also like to sing after the rain... when nature seems
recharged!

- It is impossible not to be impressed by this melody... if you close your eyes, you
could almost believe you have a... flute... at hand! Such a wonderful voice in such
a fragile body!

- Our „song” has been found in many myths, rituals but especially in the poems
and novels signed by Georg Trakl (Song of a captive blackbird), Robert Musil (The
Blackbird) and some important Romanian philosophers, novelists and poets, such
as Lucian Blaga (The ballad of the blackbird), Radu Țuculescu (The black blackbird),
Grigorie Vieru (The blackbird inside the bread...).

- In the musical field, also in the 20th and 21st centuries, you have been
portrayed so real, in an original musical language, by two great creators: French
composer, Olivier Messiaen, who, between the years 1941- 1985, became one of
the specialists of the works inspired by birds’ music, and Romanian composer,
Theodor Grigoriu, who always astonished through the profound comprehension
of life and art. In 2001, he imagined a short story about you (blackbirds), in the
Haiku called Blackbird, with lyrics by Romanian author, Șerban Codrin, from the
collection Beyond silence – Journey with birds.

- Dear Matthew, we thank you for the visit, but we will leave as another special
guest has also arrived!

- Who is it? I’m very curious!

- You shall see... or better said, hear right away!

- Good- bye dear blackbirds! And now, sweet fireflies, quickly... Light up the
alleys... Indeed, something can be heard out of a corner of the Enchanted Garden
of Grandma... Come on dear Maya, my so trusted and quiet friend, hurry!
 - Where are you, dear fireflies?

- Here! Dear Matthew, only you must pay attention to us and in a moment, we
will get to the place where all those magnificent sounds come from!

- ....„chew- chew... chew- chew ... jug- jug- jug” ..., what amazing sounds and so
high pitched..., followed by a rapid series of clear, intense notes... and then, the
breaking point... oh... yes..., „trill- trill- trill”... richly nuanced trills and clear
whistles, that end either with an embellishment or with a sudden sharp note, or
with a sound resembling a whip popping noise..., a break and... done, this rush is
over... oh..., but no..., everything is starting again! What an amazing voice! I
wonder who it is? The nightingales I was so longing to meet?

- Welcome, dear Matthew! Yes, it’s us, the Nightingales, better said the two
sisters: the red nightingale (Luscinia Megarhynchos) and the thrush nightingale
(Luscinia Luscinia)!

- Oh, I see... How interesting! Therefore, the two „singing- sisters”... two Prima
Donnas! I know there is usually only one, but there are exceptions also! How
come we do not see you on „stage”? It seems like you are somewhere in the
backstage, we can only hear you!

- We don’t really like to „show off”! We are actually shy, secretive, mysterious,
skittish...

- You hide better than the cuckoo!

- And moreover, we are not that attractive either!

- My dears, physical beauty is not always essential. In time, it disappears and

what remains is only... the inside, what exists in the heart and soul!

- Perhaps you are right, dear Matthew! We prefer being heard rather than be
seen! In fact, there is even a story that says that in the beginning of time, no bird
had a colorful plumage. Then, we were summoned by God, so that He could give
each a colour... but, it is just, that we arrived too late and there wasn’t any other
colour available. They were all given! Instead of a colorful plumage, like
compensation, God gave us this wonderful voice! Among the people, in Romanian
folk traditions, there is a saying: The nightingale is not beautiful, but its song is
from Heaven!.

- How interesting! There will always be a balance in nature! In your case, an

exceptional voice, presented in a regular „outfit”! But who are you actually?
Please introduce yourselves!

- We, the nightingales, regardless of species, are part of Turdidae and

Muscicapidae families. Precisely, we are insectivorous, migrating birds, of small
size and with a uniform and discreet colour of the plumage. The ones from the
red nightingale category, have a brown colour plumage on the back, brown- red
on the tail and white- grey on the inferior parts. Instead, the ones from the thrush
nightingale or Philomela category have a brown- red- olive colour plumage on the
back, with a washed brown- red nuance on the tail, a white neck, bordered by
two barely noticeable grey stripes, the chest and flanks, „sprinkled” with vague
brown spots and a white abdomen.

- Philomela..., I think I have heard this name before... something to do with a

myth...

- Yes. It is about the Philomela myth, the one who has passed through a series of
dramas. To ease the suffering, the gods of Olympus decided to turn her into a...
nightingale.

- How sad!

- A myth that had profound philosophical and artistic implications, later on. Thus,
it became the central point of the tragedy Tereus by Sophocles, of the
Metamorphoses signed by Ovid, but also of other masterpieces imagined by
Chrétien de Troyes, Geoffrey Chaucer, John Gower, George Gascoigne and
Thomas Stearns Eliot, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, in 1948.

- Interesting! I don’t know why, but people have always been drawn more to
tragedies rather than comedies!
 - Perhaps that is how it is, dear Matthew! You know people better than us,
nightingales, who spend our lives more hidden than out in the open!

- By the way, where do you like to spend your time?

- We, the red nightingales, stay on land or perched somewhere in the dense
vegetation. We don’t fly too far nor too high. We like the lowland areas, but full of
dense undergrowth, groves and forests, hedges or thickets with lots of bushes. In
turn, we, the thrush nightingales, stay hidden somewhere close to land or on land
and we move by jumping on our slightly longer, light pink legs. We too, prefer the
dense vegetation, often high, from the lowland areas with bushes, small trees and
bushes from the plain river valleys, from the floodable meadows, but also next to
the river banks, on the edges of the lakes, swamps or puddles.

- And what do you like to eat?

- Usually, our menu includes as a main course – insects and larvae (especially
bugs and ants), to which we add spiders, small night snails, worms and other
invertebrates of small size. We also „taste” some berries and seeds like:
elderberries, common dogwood, Cornelian cherry, alder buckthorn, currant,
European gooseberry, wild strawberry, bird cherry or hackberry and saskatoon or
Pacific serviceberry. We find them, either on soil (on the ground), either through
the layers of foliage. Therefore, we, nightingales, especially the red ones, are
considered among the most useful birds, as we eat large amounts of insect pests.
- And how long do you live?

- We, the nightingales, live eight years of life... usually, solitary. Meaning, we
prefer solitude, being alone! But you should know, we have families too, only
each year we get a different partner and babies!

- Interesting way of living! Now I can explain myself better, Mihai Coman’s,
researcher’s statement: In our folklore (Romanian one), the nightingale’s song
doesn’t predict spring, or the changing of the weather, neither the beginning of
agricultural work. It is a solitary bird, whose sad and endearing song seems to
blow back on itself.
 - This is our destiny!

- I was saying that the blackbird is a small size bird, but I believe you, nightingales
resemble in size with the sparrow, except you are more delicate, dainty, lively and
slender.

- We have 15- 16 cm in length, and our weight ranges between 16- 39 grams!

- How „light” you are! Like a snowflake! But what voice you have, of an
indisputable beauty, strong and grand, in such a fragile body! I wish it could be...
infinite!

- Actually, it was discovered that we, nightingales sing three types of songs, all
just as sonorous and strong, that can be heard from afar: a territorial one, a
courting one, gentler, slower, associated more with pairs formation and nest
building, and the third song, a contact one, which is quite fragmentary and short,
used for communication.

- Sometimes, I seem to have heard you... shouting!

- You are right, dear Matthew! We have a few „shouting” categories: contact,
courting, alarm and warning.

- Let’s go back to your amazing song. I believe that your name comes from this
song?

- Exactly, our name comes from our habit of singing, especially, in the middle of
the night, but also in the dawn of clear mornings, when nature is in full
effervescence... in other words, we are considered some sort of night guardians!
In fact, it is said that we are a bird loved by God, named like this, as all night we
sing awake. We do not sleep, instead we stay awake so that everything unfolds
under the sign of beauty and harmony!

- Wonderful! And who is the star among you, dear nightingales?

- Usually, the one who has got a remarkable song through its richness, variety
and vigour is the... Mister nightingales... the ones, who, when they sing, have got
an impeccable posture! Vertical, with the head held high, with the beak and
mouth open, and with the feathers from the neck puffed, flapping the wings
simultaneously on each side of the body, and vibrating up to tail!

- What presence..., even if it is harder to be... seen!

- Actually, there are two singers that represent us. The Mister of the red
nightingale category is the master of the melodious and pretty to the ear song,
long and mourning, with strong, crystal clear sounds, whistles and of course with
the distinctive trills, that are ringing, especially in the dead of warm nights, from
spring up to July! In turn, the Mister of the thrush nightingale category, perhaps
doesn’t have that well- known crescendo but is a master of the solemn song, with
a tone higher than that of the red nightingale, with staccato phrases and with a
series of sounds similar to bells’ ringing, sometimes mixed with notes, slightly
tawdry.

- Wow! You are both amazing singers! I had the possibility to calculate... there
are 250 phrases and 600 different typical units! An absolute record!

- It is said that we, nightingales, at least the red one, are capable to produce
1000 different sounds, in comparison with the Eurasian skylark that manages to
produce 340 different sounds, and with the blackbird, that produces 100 different
sounds!

- It is something...

- It seems that the scientists wanted to find out the secret of our song, and
ended up with the conclusion that the complex trills of the gentlemen are meant
to show the ladies, that they will be good husbands and fathers. The more
successful the trill, the more chances are that they are perceived as good „family
men”.

- Certainly, this is a possible theory! No other bird’s song resembles yours! It is

something unmatched in the Universe!

- There is a legend that speaks about a competition, organised once, by the

Emperor of Birds. The participants were: the golden oriole, the blackbird and the
nightingale. Why were they chosen? Because, in animals’ opinion, the golden
oriole has a unique and beautiful clothing, covered in golden feathers that
sparkle, the blackbird – has a black and dazzling as silk costume, and the
nightingale, even though it has a simple and humble clothing, „owns” the most
beautiful, endearing, sweet, pleasant and charming voice. Since then, we, the
nightingales, became famous and have been classified as ones of the most
gorgeous singers from all of the birds’ kin!

- I told you so... Prima Donnas or better said muses, of a special charm for the
numerous artists from the literature world or the musical one!

- In most cases, in myths, legends and stories, we, the nightingales, have been
associated with loneliness and suffering, being described as an elegiac bird, like
the turtle dove. The characters are either a bride, a godmother or an emperor’s
daughter, that due to some unfortunate events, wish to be turned into... birds,
but not any kind, only in... nightingales, to live alone, but at the same time to sing
their sad fate.

- Yes, this astonished me also... to be so privileged, to have such a gift... but

instead to express such sadness!

- It is not really like that! Dear Matthew, during history, we have been respected
and loved for all our qualities!

- For example, how were you perceived in Antiquity?

- We have been described as an embodiment of beauty, immortality and of

absolute freedom. Essences noticed by the Ancient Greeks, in a multitude of
writings signed by Homer, Aristophanes and Callimachus, and according to Plato,
we have been the emblematic bird of Thamyris, the bard (traditionally, a poet
reciting epics) of Thracia. Then, in the Roman Empire, we valued more than the
slaves and soldiers. People would pay large amounts of money to have us as close
as possible!

- Oh, yes..., each in a cage! Even if it was made from gold, still it was called just
a... cage!
 - We were content even like this! Well, also, ever since the Roman domination, a
culinary dish remained in history, one that became the most famous in the
gastronomy world. That is, to say, the one cooked from just... singing birds!

- Thank goodness, that after such a delicacy, the one who tasted such a thing did
not start to... sing... cause then, I believe he would have taken your place!

- Then, in Ancient Japan, it was believed that our trills would repeat Hokke- kyo
or the Lotus of the Good Law Sutra, one of the most loved from the entire
Buddhist canon. In the Korean Peninsula, we were dedicated a whole dance, the
one of the „spring nightingale”, Chunaengjeon, often presented at the Joseon
Dynasty Court. And in the Persian, Urdu and Turkish cultures, the love of a
nightingale for a rose, has been used as a metaphor, to describe the poet’s love
for God.

- What impressed me was the fact that you have been considered the symbol of
love also, not any kind, but the profound one, with an unexpected connection
between melancholy and joy, love and loss, life and death.

- Who does not remember the tragic story of the famous lovers, described with
such artistry by William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet? At some point, the two
youngsters have been counseled on one side by a skylark, and on the other side
by a nightingale. As such, the skylark’s advice was that to save their lives with the
price of separation, and the nightingale’s advice was that to remain together with
the price of life. And they chose the... nightingale’s way!

- By the end of the 18th century, and especially in the 19th century, you became
masters of a superior art that inspires the author.

- We were best portrayed in the poems signed by William Wordsworth, Percy

Bysshe Shelley, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and John Keats, but also in the fairytales
imagined by Brothers Grimm (The Enchanted Nightingale and The Nightingale and
the Blindworm), Hans Christian Andersen (The Nightingale) and Oscar Wilde (The
Nightingale and the Rose).
 - Your such beautiful voice, your such lovely sounds, the impromptu and creative
trills, all... became a source of inspiration for numerous musicians also.

- Dear Matthew, it is true. The virtuosity of our voice has always been associated
with the diaphanous, dainty but also agile sounds of the flute, a wonderful wind
instrument. Furthermore, our image of melancholy, sadness and also love beings
has been glorified. And the most approached subject was that of our
„partnership” with the sublime rose, such a special flower, often close to Holy
Virgin Mary.

- So, who is the first on the musicians’ list?

- On a „à la mode” (fashionable) text, in the 16th century... Je suis déshéritée, in

an open translation... I am desperate that my dear friend has left me..., in 1550,
the French composer, Pierre Cadeac, created a piece for choir a capella. Right
away, various versions have appeared in the vision of some great artists of the
time, like Jean Maillard, Orlando di Lasso and Giovanni Perluigi da Palestrina. And,
in 1664, Jacob van Eyck, an important Dutch artist published the collection The
Flute’s Pleasure Garden or Garden of Delights, with songs inspired from the folk
tradition. That was also the moment when... English Nightingale became famous!

- You are at the height of pre- classicism... when the almost identical imitation of
the birds’ song was being fashionable!

- It is true, dear Matthew! In 1722, the French author, François Couperin,

„offered” us a few moments, in one of his notebooks for harpsichord: Le rossignol
en amour/The nightingale in love, Double du rossignol/Two nightingales and Le
rossignol- vainqueur/The victorious nightingale. They are melodic lines, richly
adorned with complex accompaniments. And in 1731, the Italian artist, Pietro
Torri, probably in love as well with our song, created an aria called Quando il
flebile usignolo/When the feeble nightingale included in Dramma per musica -
L’Ippolito (Italian- from the classical Greek Hippolytos, composed of the elements
„hippos- horse” plus „lyein- loose, release”).

- How charming it is rendered, your leaving the nest, through the means of some
embellishments, specific to the mezzo- soprano voice!
 - Then, the one who bestowed us the honor to appear in the title of a sequence
from his creation, was Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber in his already mentioned
Sonata Representativa from 1669. You will definitely recognise our singing, in the
stylized melodic line of the violin, in Nachtigal!/Nightingale! In the German
universe, but with connotations in the English one as well, there are two more
interesting works signed by Georg Friedrich Händel. It is about the Concerto in F
major for organ and orchestra The Cuckoo and the Nightingale, composed in
1739, and a very special moment May no rash intruder, that remained in history
with the title Nightingales’ Chorus, from the Solomon’ oratorio, created between
the years 1748- 1759.

- Since you are mysterious, secretive, shy but also full of love, you became the
emblematic bird of Romanticism!

- In 1783, Gedichte von Ludewig Heinrich Christoph Holty wrote a poem entitled
Auf den Tod einer Nachtigall/On the death of a nightingale, that became a pretext
for various instrumental songs or lieds, for voice and piano, signed by Graf von
Dietrichstein Moritz, August Harder, Franz Schubert and Carl Schultz. Then, the
repertoire enriched itself with two short works entitled Die Nachtigall/The
Nightingale: an a Capella choir, from the cycle op. 59, created between the years
1837- 1843 by Felix Mendelssohn and a lied/song from the cycle of 15 Children’s
Folk Songs, composed in 1857 by Johannes Brahms.

- What soothing atmospheres... and melancholic...

- Our charming song, from the acute register, with all sorts of trills can be found
also in... The Nightingale with Russian perfume, produced in 1827, by Russian
composer Alexander Alyabyev. A song so loved, that it is said, that the great
sopranos, Pauline Viardot, Adelina Patti and Marcella Sembrich introduced it in
Rosina’s music lesson, from the famous opera The Barber of Seville by Gioachino
Rossini. A beautiful song, great Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s favourite, that had been
picked up and „reworked” by other famous artists, like Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka,
Mily Balakirev and Franz Liszt.

- How beautiful!
 - And from a Russian perfume, we suggest you another... from a Nordic country,
Norway. Being... Under the Lime Tree, in a secret place for lovers, so beautifully
described by Walther von der Vogelweide, we have been „uncovered” in a
lied/song, from the cycle op. 48, created by Edvard Grieg, between the years
1884- 1888: Die verschwiegene Nachtigall/The Silent Nightingale!

- What lovely sounds! I wasn’t expecting anything else! But let’s continue our
incursion in the world of music, accompanied by you, nightingales, in the 20th
century also!

- At the beginning of the 20th century, no one knew what was going to happen,
that is, the drama of the Two World Wars. So, everyone wanted to have a life as
nice as possible but also to follow their passions. For Camille Saint- Saëns, the
French composer, the discovery of other worlds was essential. That is how he met
the spouses, Dieulafoy, Jeanne Henriette Magre and Marcel- Auguste,
archaeologists, who had the chance to explore Persia and also brought exhibits
from there, to Louvre, the famous museum in Paris. Jane Dieulafoy also wrote
several books, among them being included the novel Parysatis. After a Persian
legend, published in 1890. Later, it was turned into a theatre play in three acts,
with a prologue and 11 scenes, for which Camille Saint- Saëns composed the
music, in 1902. In the second act, we have been dedicated a moment – The
Nightingale and the Rose. It is a song without any words, suggested by a Greek
singer, that the composer heard in Alexandria (city in Greece).

- What amazing vocalisations, what vocal virtuosity, but what harmonies... so

special! You feel as if you were right in the middle of a kingdom, but not just any
kind, the one of the mighty Queen of Persia, of Parysatis.

- And from Persia, we will take a leap to... Ancient China! How? Easy, through the
means of other musical masterpieces, from the 20th century. Therefore, in 1908,
Igor Stravinsky, ever since he was a student at the Music Academy from Sankt
Petersburg, finished his first opera, The Nightingale, having as a source of
inspiration, the fairytale imagined by Hans Christian Andersen. Later, in 1917,
from the music of this opera, the great Russian composer, also made a symphonic
poem called The Song of the Nightingale. The atmosphere is a special one, since
we are at the court of the Faraway China’s Emperor, where there were two
nightingales, a natural one, that charmed through her gentle and touching voice,
and the other one... artificial, mechanic, but who was golden and shining!

- How colorful is everything! What sonorities... some, impressionist shimmering,

some exotic! But, what an idea! To wish to replace a living being with something
close to a... robot!

- We must adapt! Afterall, the living beings are winners, as they possess
something that can hardly be found anywhere else... Soul!

- You are so right, dear nightingales! Let’s continue... What other musical
surprises have you prepared for us?

- A special lyrical moment... from the Spanish realms. Fascinated by Francisco de

Goya’s paintings, Enrique Granados, a representative artist for the Spanish
composition school, in 1911, created a Suite for piano, entitled Goyescas.
Actually, a series of six musical paintings, grouped three of each. A few years
later, in 1916, he orchestrated them for his opera, with the same title, that he
presented for the first time, in 1916, in New York. Well, in addition to the rhythms
of jota and fandango, that alternate with the melancholic lines, Enrique Granados
introduced us (the nightingales) in the sequence called Quejas o la Maja y el
Ruisenor/Complaints, or the Maiden and the Nightingale. Actually, it is about
another love story with an unhappy ending... later, in the night, under the
moonlight, in the palace garden, Rosario is listening to our song, sad and
nostalgic, that predicts the tragic end of her lover, Fernando!

- I feel like bursting into tears too... and I used to believe you only bring
happiness and joy!

- This is life! Full of unexpected! But we will tell you a secret also... in 1940,
Consuelo Velazquez, impressed by this nightingale song, imagined by Enrique
Granados, turned it into a wonderful and unforgettable song... Besame
mucho/Kiss me a lot!

- That’s better... yes, another musical genre, another atmosphere...

 - Dear Matthew, in the 20th century also, precisely in 1928, Ottorino Respighi, in
his already famous Suite Birds, dedicated us a whole part – L’usignuolo/The
Nightingale, even on the theme of the folk song Engels Nachtegaeltje/English
Nightingale, transcribed by the virtuoso Jacob van Eyck. And the great Italian
artist also, for colour, used for the first time, a recording of a real bird, a
nightingale, in the Symphonic Poem Pines of Rome!

- Interesting approach!

- In 1965, Benjamin Britten, went back to our leitmotif The Nightingale and the
Rose, in the first song of the cycle op. 76 The Poet’s Echo for high- pitched voice
and piano, inspired by the poems signed by Alexander Pushkin, translated by one
of the composer’s friends, the tenor Peter Pears. Created, during the time of the
author’s visit in Dilijan, Armenia, the opus has been dedicated to his friends – the
soprano, Galina Vishnevskaya (Galya) and her husband, Mstislav Rostropovich
(Slava), the phenomenal cellist, but also a pianist and conductor.

- I wonder if you were ever „approached”, in Romania?

- Yes, by Theodor Grigoriu, as we already know, one of the most important

Romanian composer representatives of the 20th century, who offered us our
moment of glory, in the Haiku The Nightingale, on the lyrics by Romanian author
Șerban Codrin, from the collection Beyond silence – Journey with birds, in 2001.

- Dear nightingales, the meeting with you has been a pleasure as well, even
though a bit... melancholic...

- Our dears, Matthew and Maya, it is almost morning... therefore, we will

retreat, along with the blackbird and the fireflies!

- Where are you, dear fireflies, to light our way?

- Here, here... We are ready! Let’s go!

- What an unexpected night! What interesting experiences we have lived again,

in the Enchanted Garden of Grandma!
 Cats and Doggie Maya

After such an intense „musical” night, as soon as they got home, Matthew
and Maya, fell asleep instantaneously. They certainly dreamt all sorts of chirping...
some more beautiful than others... „chew- chew... chew- chew” ... „jug- jug- jug”
... „trill- trill- trill” ...!

- We slept quite a lot! What interesting things we have learned from our
nocturnal walk! Ah..., I still have those wonderful voices on my mind! Oh..., but
something is jamming me! Other voices???!!! Really, all living beings wish to
become prima Donnas or what???!!!

- Meow- meow- meow... Woof- woof- woof...

- Well, yes... I am all „melted”! What fluffies, what funny voices, what cute
creatures... So, the next living beings ready to enter the scene...

- Meow..., Yowl..., Purrfect...!

- Hmm..., I wonder what is so „perfect”?

- Woof..., woof..., woof...

- Yes, dear Maya, you are agitated and on the verge to bite something... but
these are not intruders, but another pair of furries...

- Welcome, dear Matthew! Indeed, we are the Cat and Tomcat, or better said
the Cats or Pussycats!

- Welcome! One can say that you, cats, along with the doggies, are the most
common domestic animals, in the entire world. But I’d better let you introduce
yourselves!

- We, cats (Felis Catus or Felis Silvestris Catus) are mammals and belong to the
carnivorous order, of the Felidae family, subfamily Felinae. As wild relatives, we
enumerate the European wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) and the African wildcat
(Felis Silvestris lybica), that compile the species, Felis Silvestris. Now, there are
over 500 million domestic cats, distributed in approximately 60 breeds!

- And when did you first get domesticated?

- It seems that on the sites where Turkey and Cyprus are located, a cat species
similar to us would have existed 9500 years ago, and then, in Ancient Egypt, 3500
years ago at least, we became known and used to keep mice away.

- In fact, in the Muslim world, as well as in Ancient Egypt, you have been simply
worshipped!

- Yes, certainly. When we were dying, we were being mourned by the whole
family, who, as a sign of respect, would shave their eyebrows.

- It is said, that the Bastet goddess was depicted as a cat, sometimes taking the
warlike appearance of a lioness. Actually, in the Ancient world, you, the domestic
cats, have been found, both in the Greek and Roman empires, even though you
were considered animals that do their thing with the... tail that flutters... an
amusing way to introduce someone!

- Dear Matthew. Yes... Most of the times, we have been found in the proximity
of Artemis goddess, and in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the story goes, that, in order
not to be recognised, goddess Diana turned into a... cat. But we have been
present in the Celtic culture also, as a warden of the world beyond, and in the
Nordic mythology, Freya, the goddess of love, beauty and fertility, was depicted,
riding a chariot pulled by... cats. Still, in the Nordic- European space, we were
considered a blessing for new born and a good sign for the family.

- How have you been depicted in other areas of the world?

- In Japan, we have been regarded as sacred animals, the „maneki- neko” cat was
considered a symbol of luck, and in the Muslim culture, we were the ones, that
saved Muhammad from a snake attack.
 - Ever since Ancient times, various traditions existed, in which, the cats have
been described as exalted souls, companions or know- it- all guides, but mute, not
to influence in any way, the decisions taken by humans.

- Dear Matthew, it is possible to be true!

- I believe that you also have all sorts of rankings...

- Yes, there is the largest domesticated cats breed – Ragdoll and of course, the
smallest domestic cats breed – Singapura. Other than that, we are classified,
depending on the length of our hair and of course, colour. As we are many
species, I will just name the breeds Angora and Turkish Angora, Balinese, Birman,
British Shorthair, Cornish Rex, Cream- Shell and Cream- Shaded, Egyptian Mau,
Himalayan, Norwegian Forest, Persian, Ragamuffin, Ragdoll, Siamese, Siberian,
Sphynx, Chantilly- Tiffany and Tonkinese.

- Wow! Even you are so many, dear cats. And what are your characteristics,
physically speaking?

- We are similar to... dogs! We have 250 bones with 30 teeth, an extremely
flexible spine and quite a long tail, made of 20 vertebrae, with the role of
balancing our walk or landing. Since the back muscles are flexible also, and those
of our paws strong... we have a unique suppleness and a wide „leap” during
jumps. Therefore, no one can surpass us in jumping, because we can jump at
heights, five times bigger than our size.

- In fact, they say about you, that you always land on your... feet!

- Because we possess an amazing instinct to rotate our body through the air, to
arch our back and take out our claws, to avoid slipping... and, there you go...
perfect landing!

- I see..., that is why cats have nine or seven lives! Your walk fascinates me also...
it’s like no one can sense your presence...

- We are used to walking slowly on our digital pads. We have the ability to bend
our pads and turn them over. Paws’ pads but also the skin are very sensitive to
vibrations. We sweat through our pads and therefore adjust our body
temperature.

- What can you tell us about your senses?

- Our visual and auditory senses are essential for us. Our eyes have three lids,
membranous, and the intensity of light influences the shape of the eyelid, that
can dilate, into a perfect circle. Most are afraid of us in the dark, mostly of our
eyes. Their fluorescent (glow in the dark) aspect is due to a layer of cells of the
retina, called tapetum lucidum, that acts like a mirror and reflects the light, that
passes through the retina, doubling this way the visual acuity.

- What is there to know about the hearing?

- Dear Matthew, our hearing is very sensitive as well, especially in high

frequencies, going up to 30.000 hertz! We rotate our ears to 180 degrees, aided
by the 32 muscles, that control all these movements. Each ear’s pavilion can
locate the origin of a noise and the distance from where this is produced.

- And the smell?

- The smell is extremely important to delimitate the territory, but also as means
to inspect the food. Same, as in dogs, the nose is our unique trademark.

- But what about colours, can you perceive them?

- Well, dear Matthew, we don’t really perceive colours, especially the red one.

- I understood that, unlike the dog, your taste (cats’ taste) is located at the
extremity of your tongue, fact that allows you to taste without swallowing.

- You should see how sensitive we are when tasting... brrr..., bitter, sour or salty
things but sweet taste is not in our menu, as we simply can’t sense it.

- Wow, listen to that... not to sense the sweet taste... hmm, what a waste, only
when I think it is possible for them, not to like so many culinary wonders... pies,
donuts... cookies, cakes...
 - Like dogs but also horses, we, cats, „taste” ... the smells, due to a whole
system, made of a small organ, lips, two little orifices, located in the back of the
incisors and two little sacks of liquid, situated in the nasal cavities!

- What about your cute whiskers, what do you do with them?

- The 24 whiskers help us avoid the obstacles, by detecting any air pressure
variation, and allow us to figure the space’ dimensions, where we are.

- Due to these senses, you have been attributed so many supernatural powers...
it is said that you have the power to predict disasters... but also other events
too... that is why, especially in the old Romanian customs, you are perceived in a
special „light”, of ambiguity, being considered an animal of contrasts, in which the
good blends with the bad, the innocence with cunning, life with death or the
divine with impurity.

- Yeah... perhaps, sometimes we really haven’t been fully comprehended...

- Or perhaps, sometimes you didn’t know how to make yourselves understood...

- And, in order to make yourself understood, you need science, but also art...

- I bet no one is better than you at... acting..., at meowing..., at hitting with the
head, just to attract attention..., at biting „out of love” ..., at being utterly
obsessed with the paws..., at scratching with your sharp claws..., at offering all
sorts of „gifts” ..., at „purring” quite noisy..., either out of pleasure or when you
are suffering: stressed, hurt or even dying... per total I believe you have around
100 different sounds in your repertoire!

- Dear Matthew, we can see you have studied us pretty serious... and found out
so many of our secrets! You should know though... the more we purr, the better it
is! And one more thing, the more lifted the tail, the happier we are! So, this is
„purrfect”!

- Yes, you purr at a frequency between 25 and 150 Hz, which helps your bones
and muscles to heal. Furthermore, for you, cats, the tail’s position speaks a lot
about your feelings and intentions. Its restlessness represents a sign of menace,
and when it’s oriented downwards, close to the body, it even represents...
insecurity. I would like to know about your fur?

- Our fur is comprised of long hairs, short hairs and... puff... for a better
protection of the whole body.

- Listen to that, puff... just like the birds have!

- And every species of our own looks a certain way... therefore we are white, red,
orange, beige, grey, black, tabby or calico (with a tri- colour coat), with stripes or
with spots.

- A fur and hair that must be well- maintained!

- Yes, in general but with a few exceptions, we, cats, take tremendous care of
„ourselves” ... early in the morning, at noon and in the evening, we have our own
habits of cleaning... we take our time with grooming. We wash ourselves by using
our tongue, and therefore remove all dead hairs, and we polish our fur, while our
saliva is a perfect antibacterial agent. What we do is the human equivalent of
brushing teeth, washing hands, taking a shower... How about you, Matthew, how
well do you do on this subject?

- Well..., let’s say, pretty good, due to my family, that always draws attention
upon the importance of keeping the body healthy! In a way, we follow the saying
Mens sana in corpore sano, meaning A healthy mind in a healthy body!

- Great! Remember it for life!

- But, does it seem to me or you are a bit lazy...

- Yeah, well..., I don’t know if it’s really like that, but in order to be playful and
ready to catch mice, we need rest, namely, a good night sleep. Therefore, we
spend 15 % of our time in a deep sleep, 50 % of our time in a light sleep, and 35 %
we stay awake. We are more active in the morning and in the evening, the best
moments for hunting. We admit we aren’t such good runners and we get tired
easily!

- You too have traveled in space, just like dogs...

 - Felicette, a cat from France, was the first one who participated in such an
event, in October month, of the year 1963, and survived the space flight.

- Along with dogs, you, cats, are also wanted as companions... Who would not
like some cute, funny and playful fluffies?

- Dear Matthew, just to realise how appreciated we are in the modern society,
starting with the year 2002, every year, on the 8th of August, The International
Day of the Cat is being celebrated! And our adventures have been portrayed
everywhere in the world, in various superstitions, poems, poetry, stories and
novels.

- Oh... yes, I remember the portraits of some cats, described so well by Charles
Perrault, Hector Hugh Munro, Lewis Carroll, Arthur Conan Doyle, E. T. A.
Hoffmann, Roald Dahl, Mikhail Bulgakov, Paul Gallico. I wonder if anyone from
Romania ever portrayed you?

- Of course, we were described in different ways, by personalities like Dimitrie

Cantemir, Anton Pann (The Story of the Word), Grigore Alexandrescu (the fables
The Mouse and the Cat and Wild Cat and the Tiger), Mihai Eminescu, Ion Creangă
(Childhood Memories), Ion Luca Caragiale, Tudor Arghezi (in two stories 10 dogs,
10 cats), Ana Blandiana (Occurences in My Garden, the story of Arpagic cat).

- I believe you (the cats), just like dogs, have conquered the world of
cinematography, and more recently the world of Facebook (social media
website)!

- Oh..., yes..., the seventh art! Dear Matthew, who would not like to become an
international star? A status we earned both in the feature movies, and as well in
the animated ones. Thus, who doesn’t remember the little white cat from La
Dolce Vita/The Good Life with Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg, Orangey (a
male marmalade tabby cat) from Breakfast at Tiffany’s with Audrey Hepburn and
George Peppard, Palmer the Cat, from The Richest Cat in the World or Marzipan,
from the Astor Theatre, in Melbourne, with its own Facebook page?
 - But I seem to have enjoyed animated movies more, where you were in the
main lead. Of course, this is only my preference!

- Perhaps you are right, dear Matthew! We, cats, have become famous from
1923, with the silent movie Felix, the cat, where one of the main characters was a
black cat with white eyes and an unforgettable smile. It was such a huge success,
that the image of the cat has been printed on various ceramic objects, on postal
cards and Felix toys have been produced as well. Felix, the cat, was included in
2002, in the top 50 of the most important characters from animated movies, of all
times.

- Another beloved and unforgettable series is the one created by William Hanna
& Joseph Barbera, starting with the year 1940 – Tom and Jerry!

- Unforgettable! Tom has been in some way, an anti- hero, the type of slick and
grouchy, who had only one wish, that to catch and perhaps eat... Jerry, the smart
mouse! So many happenings... some funnier than others... There were an
impressive number of stories, which from 1943 up to 1952, have been rewarded
with the Oscar Award for the best short animated series.

- And also, in 1940, Figaro „appeared” the adorable kitten from the movie
Pinocchio, who always wanted to eat Cleo... the goldfish from the fishbowl...

- Dear Matthew, let’s not forget about other cats and tomcats. For example, the
ones from... Happy Paris or better said, Gay Purr- ee, produced in 1962 by Abe
Levitow and launched by Warner Bros. In this movie, Judy Garland performed her
only role in an animated movie, and for Robert Goulet, this was his first feature
film.

- What wonderful music created by the well- known Yip Harburg, Harold Arlen
and Mort Lindsey! What characters full of „savour” ... Mewsette, beautiful Angora
white kitty, Jaune Tom, a striped, orange tomcat, very handsome, Robespierre, a
small black cat and Meowrice, in a white- black suit, cunning, sneaky and willing
to do anything for his personal gain.
 - And also, from the heart of Paris arrived, in 1970, some... Aristocats... a
Duchess, a cat from the High Society, along with her three kittens, Toulouse,
Marie and Berlioz, but also Thomas O’Malley, the one who helps her.

- What musical sounds and rhythms, created by Floyd Huddleston and Al Rinker
in Everybody wants to be a cat or Terry Gilkyson in Thomas O’Malley Cat ...

- Dear Matthew, after having met these American or French tomcats and cats, I
would like you to get acquainted with a Romanian tomcat. Hence, between the
years 1972 and 1973, the Romanian director, Elisabeta Bostan, managed to put
together two lovely stories, inspired by the world of fables, imagined by Jean de
La Fontaine: Veronica and Veronica se întoarce/Veronica Returns. In fact, the
movie Veronica has been awarded with numerous prizes from the contests in
Tehran, Moscow and Spain.

- Yes. I remember little Veronica (Lulu Mihăescu, Romanian actress) and all sorts
of characters, among them being Danilă the Tomcat (played by Dem Rădulescu,
Romanian actor). I wonder who can forget the sequences Motanul Dănilă/Dănilă
the Tomcat, Motanul la pescuit și Vulpea hoață/The fishing tomcat and the
robbing fox or Motanul Dănilă face reproșuri Vulpii/Dănilă the Tomcat blames the
fox, beautifully orchestrated by the well- known composer, Temistocle Popa?

- Dear Matthew, shortly, around 1976, another tomcat makes the first page, the
one created by Jim Davis, a tomcat who became famous – Garfield.

- Oh... yes. He is an orange cat, quite chubby and who wishes to live the perfect
life. That is, to do nothing, ever... just to linger and eat as well as possible. He is a
master at sipping coffee, hungry for lasagna, and bothered by... dogs. His movie
partners are Odie, the silly dog, Squeak, a little grey mouse, Arlene, a pink kitty,
his girlfriend, Pooky, a teddy- bear and Nermal, his rival, whom he is jealous of, as
he knows that this is „the cutest little cat in the world”.

- And now, we would like to present you, perhaps the most famous pussycat...
Puss in Boots, the one who aroused the imagination of so many artists!
 - Puss in Boots... an unusual pussycat, who, aided by wit and trickery, managed
to gain power, wealth and the princess’s hand in marriage for his poor master...
how beautiful was he described by Giambattista Basile, Giovanni Francesco
Straparola and of course by Charles Perrault.

- A story with a huge impact on world’s culture!

- And which was „taken over” in different stances by composers, like Pyotr Ilyich
Tchaikovsky, in the third act of the ballet The Sleeping Beauty and Maurice Ravel,
in his work Contes de ma Mère l'Oye/The Tales of Mother Goose.

- Dear Matthew, Walt Disney also transposed him (Puss in Boots) in a short black
& white, animated movie, in 1922, and a bit later, the Puss in Boots was adapted
by the famous Japanese writer and director, Hayao Miyazaki, followed by an
anime feature film, distributed by Toei, in 1969. The main character, Pero, named
after Charles Perrault, became the mascot of Toei Animation since then.

- Adaptations and distributions in other animated movies followed, like Shrek, a

movie about an orange tomcat, played by... Antonio Banderas.

- Puss in Boots had many appearances in the lyrical theatre also... through Cesar
Cui, in 1913, Xavier Montsalvatge, in 1948 and Cornel Trăilescu, in 1961.

- The Romanian... Puss in Boots, composed by Cornel Trăilescu, in a libretto by

Tudor Mușatescu and Nina Stoiceva, has been introduced, for the first time, on
the stage of the Romanian Opera from Bucharest, in 1964. The show became one
of the most long- lasting creations from the Bucharest Opera’s repertoire, in
which the soprano, Magda Ianculescu, performed so skillfully, along with the
tenors, Valentin Teodorian and Ioan Stoian.

- Actually, we say, that in the classical music universe, we are best portrayed!
And the musical portraits dedicated to us are interesting and unique at the same
time, one more interesting than the other! I believe you agree, dear Matthew!

- There is no doubt!
 - Like other living beings, in our case also, Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber, in
1669, in Sonata Representativa, made us „talk”, in the sequence entitled Die
Katz/The Cat, through the means of a „glissando/musical slide”, that imitates
our... one of a kind... meowing! Then, Domenico Scarlatti, between the years
1738- 1739, composed a Getaway in d minor... which doesn’t mean he ran away,
but instead this is a polyphonic musical form from that time, that consists of the
imitative exposure on multiple voices, of one, two or less often, three themes,
after a precise, tonal- harmonic plan. Well, according to the legend, the theme – a
series of ascending notes that seem to defy the traditional harmony, was
composed by... his cat, Pulcinella! A theme picked up and arranged by Georg
Friedrich Händel, and later by Franz Liszt.

- And slowly, slowly..., on tiptoes (cat’s paws) ... we came close to the 19th
century...

- Precisely, around 1825. By tradition, after every performance or concert, the

performer or performers offered an „encore” ... It is said, that Gioachino Rossini...
thought of something very amusing... a Duetto Buffo di due Gatti/Comic duet for
two cats, for two sopranos and a piano or string orchestra. The melodic lines are
inspired by one of his operas Otello, but the enchantment of this duet comes from
the juicy dialogue between us, the cats... and our famous... meow!

- Towards the end of the century, between 1893- 1896, in his Suite op. 56 Dolly,
Gabriel Fauré offered you two sequences (movements): Mi- a- ou and Kitty- valse.
And just like that, in... waltz... rhythms... one, two, three, one, two, three...
meow..., we are floating... towards 20th century...

- Between the years 1914- 1921, three great composers created various songs
for the piano, being influenced by French culture, by its music, by the romantic
and impressionist harmonies. Therefore, Heitor Villa- Lobos offered us a funny
opus O gato e o rato/The Cat and the Mouse, then Bohuslav Martinu The Cats’
Procession on the Night of Solstice, a small but interesting paper, with folk
influences but also jazz, and Aaron Copland, inspired by the fable written by Jean
de la Fontaine The Old Cat and the Young Mouse, offered us a scherzo The Cat
and the Mouse.
 - Let’s not forget the Cat from Peter and the Wolf, by Sergei Prokofiev, the
famous symphonic fairy tale from 1936, full of humour but also lessons, in which,
like we mentioned before, the characters are being played by a musical
instrument that describes their character. Who, do you believe, represents you
dear living beings?

- As far as we know it’s the… clarinet, another important, wooden wind

instrument…

- Dear cats…, but in 1982, you conquered Broadway through a fascinating

musical… that sort of a musical and theatrical show with a story, spoken dialogue,
songs and dance…

- One can say it was even a mega phenomenon! It is about the musical Cats,
imagined by Andrew Lloyd Webber, after the collection Old Possum’s Book of
Practical Cats written in 1939, by T.S. Eliot. A show full of colour, with an
exceptional music, from which, the beloved sequence Memory is also a part. The
action concentrates itself on a competition between cats, that takes place once a
year, to pick the one that will reach the Heaviside Layer, that means Heaven, and
be reborn into a new life.

- Wow! What a success! To be for such a long time in the spotlight…

- Yes, isn’t that so? It means something! But, dear Matthew, you should know
that in the last few years we dedicated ourselves to composition also!

- Well…, I can’t believe it! How did you manage that?

- With the help of the Lithuanian artist, Mindaugas Piecaitis and his cat, Nora,
the new web sensation, we created a CATcerto! That is a a play for piano and
orchestra, in which, through the help of a video, the musical notes that Nora plays
on the… soloist instrument, the piano, are being introduced! At one point, the
whole ensemble makes a “meow” sound as if it was speaking to… Nora!

- I hope this doesn’t go to your head…, so…, let’s return to calmer sonorities! Is
there something… involving you, the cats, in the Romanian universe?
 - Of course! We have been muses for many plays, dedicated to this wonderful
instrument with black and white keys that we keep playing on, the piano.
Therefore, Paul Constantinescu, Romanian composer, in his Four Fables, from
1932, offered us… The cat with Bells, and Anatol Vieru, Romanian composer as
well, in the cycle Din lumea copiilor/Die Kinderwelt/Children’s World. 20
miniatures for piano op. 20, from 1958, offered us a short sequence but
suggestive, with one of our partners The Dog and the Cat. Then, Mihail Jora,
Romanian composer, in 1964, in the cycle Pictures and Pranks, described us in the
plays… Mutzachi trage pe Mitz Mitz de coadă/Mutzachi pulls Mitz Mitz by the tail
and Mitz Mitz, and Rodica Sutzu, also a Romanian composer, in Children’s Album
op. 29, from 1966, offered us the miniature Pisica la pândă/The Cat on the prowl.

- I thank you dear cats for this meeting, but I must go, as Maya, my doggie, my so
trusted and quiet friend is eagerly waiting for me!

- Of course, dear Matthew, we were delighted with this dialogue also. It was as
we say… purrfect! Meow!

- Yes…, how wonderful and beautiful it is in the Enchanted Garden of Grandma!

It was, is and will be my secret place! But it seems I can hear something or
someone that is speaking something… Shh… I should sneak… like a spy… to see
who this is and to hear better:

Puppy with curly hair,

Steals the duck from the coop

And it swears it didn’t

But we caught it in its mouth

And an egg in its pocket,

Come to the Court!

I won’t go ‘cause I was once

And I’ve fallen in a puddle.

- Riddle me this… I wonder who this is? I should look more careful, but I can only
see Maya…

- You don’t know how long I have been waiting for this moment, dear Matthew!

- Who is talking to me?

- Me, Maya, Grandma’s so beloved Doggie!

- You???... are speaking???

- I have waited for my turn quietly also… I have so much to tell you… But
beforehand you should know that I am enormously grateful to your Grandma…
She accepted me, just as I was…, a deserted and abandoned doggie…, without any
education!

- How impressed I am, dear Maya! Yes, my Grandma had a Heart of Gold! How I
miss her… I miss her very much!

- So do I, dear Matthew! I sometimes burst into tears… but I wipe them in secret
as I do not want to be overwhelmed by memories…, how much she taught me,
and especially how much she spoiled me!

- My dear Maya! How happy am I to have you near me!

- I am also pleased that Grandma offered me the chance to accompany you in

your extraordinary journey, through her Enchanted Garden!

- I know you are always present, wherever you are needed!

- Dear Matthew, we, the Male and Female Dogs, in other words the Dogs, we
are the animals closest to humans, and in most cases, we are even capable to
sacrifice our lives to defend our masters!
 - It is not said in vain that you are „human’s best friends”: loyal, intelligent,
devoted, loving and sometimes even amusing.

- Do you know where this saying is coming from?

- I can’t wait for you to tell me!

- Well, dear Matthew, from a tragicomic event. It is said, that in Missouri, around
1870, a farmer sued his neighbour for having shot his dog. It seems this saying
(„human’s best friends”) would have been mentioned in the courtroom, and it
became iconic for us!

- Dear Maya, how good it is that you exist on this earth!

- And due to our unconditional love, we are a good company and comfort for
people. And moreover, we contribute to the recovery from personal trauma, like
the loss of a loved one.

- I felt this support coming from you, my dear Maya! That is why I always
considered you my so trusted and quiet friend! And even more, a member of my
family, with full rights!

- I know dear Matthew, and I am extremely happy! That is why I wag my tail, out
of contentment! On the other hand, I can feel when you are happy, sad or angry,
as I can read these emotions on your faces!

- Talking about our tail… you should learn that, it has been a source of inspiration
for two important composers of the Romanian School, from the 20th century. It is
about Mihail Jora, considered the father of the lied/song and ballet music from
Romania, who dedicated you the sequence „Grivei aleargă după coada lui/Grivei
is running after its tail”, in the cycle op. 25 for piano, „Poze și pozne/Pictures and
Pranks”, composed in 1948. And Diamindi Gheciu paid attention to you, in a
moment entitled „Grivei își prinde coada/Grivei catches its tail”, from the cycle
„Colțul copiilor. 10 miniaturi pentru pian/Children’s corner. 10 miniatures for
piano”, created in 1963.
 - How interesting…, how beautiful „our running around our tail” was musically
portrayed…!

- In my opinion, you, the dogs, are part of the family with the most intelligent
animals!

- It is said that we can distinguish 150- 200 words, including signals and
movements associated with them! We observe the objects first by their
movement, then after their glow and only in the end, by their shape. Of course,
there is the category of the Smartest Dogs in the World, in which we include
Border Collie, the Poodle and the Golden Retriever! But there is also something
else… we don’t have the notion of time… Maybe we are just drifting into…
infinity!

- Oh… how interesting! Someone who can live outside of a fundamental concept
of mathematics, physics and philosophy!

- I don’t know what to say about the already mentioned disciplines but we are
good just the way we are!

- Dear Maya, so it is about living outside the perceived time, on one hand, like a
dimension of nature, and on the other hand, like a continuous flux, irreversible,
that is flowing only one way! There are various theories that claim infinity is only
a number in mathematics, in philosophy it is seen as something that can be
related to space and time, and both in theology and philosophy, there are
concepts, that contain the notions of „Absolute” or „Paradox”.

- It is possible… it’s like that! We never thought of so many theorems… but only
thought of how good it is to be free!

- By the way, what are your origins actually?

- It seems that we, dogs, come either from the species called Tomarctus, that
lived 15 million years ago, either from the big family Canidae that includes the
wolf as well. It was proved that we, dogs and wolves both have 99,6 from the
DNA similar. It is just that we, Canis familiaris or Canis lupus familiaris are among
the first carnivorous animals that have been domesticated, on one hand due to
our behavioral qualities, on the other hand due to the sensorial abilities and our
physical attributes.

- How long did this process last?

- The transformation process, from the stage of wild animal to the domestic one
lasted approximately 100.000 years. In the beginning, we only had a practical
relationship with humans, in the sense that we were being used only for guarding
flocks and for hunting.

- I wonder if any species withstood the time?

- It was established that the Oldest Breed of dogs comes from Egypt and it is
known under the name of Saluki.

- I realise that you too have a lot of relatives!

- Depending on the shape, sizes and colours we are divided into numerous
categories: large size (over 65 cm) – German Dog, Saint Bernard, Irish Wolfhound,
medium size (50- 65 cm) – Labrador Retriever, German Shorthaired Pointer, small
size (35- 50 cm) – Shetland Sheepdog, Border Collie and the smallest size (under
35 cm) – Chihuahua, Bichon Maltese. According to the latest numbers, we are 703
pure dog breeds and other thousands of combinations that is approximately 450
million of dogs!

- Wow! Even though you are so many species, I believe you have something in
common?

- Well, anatomically speaking we (dogs) are all identical! Hence, we possess 321
bones and 42 teeth, the big ones, and 28 teeth, the small ones!

- I don’t ever recall having found something like this in other living beings! But
how long do you live?

- There are some differences here, as depending on the breed, one dog can live
between 8- 15 years, and with exceptions up to 18- 20 years! It’s in the records
that the longest- living dog was an Australian Cattle Dog, that reached the age of
29 years and 5 months!
 - And what do you like to eat?

- We eat various foods, and meat is one of them to which we add vegetables and
cereals. But we get very sick from chocolate, raisins, grapes, onion and garlic.
There is something to be mentioned here… we are not looking for these foods, it
is our masters’ duty to provide food for us (in case of domesticated dogs)!

- How about your senses?

- Dear Matthew, we have been gifted with an extraordinary nose. In fact, it is

said that every dog’s nose has got a unique mark, like fingerprints for people. Our
nose is almost every time moist, as we have a thin layer of mucosa, used to
absorb the scent. That is why, after we sniff out a scent, we lick our nose to get a
sample, in order to remember it well! And one more tiny detail! We have the
ability to perceive scents from objects situated even 15 meters underground! The
Bloodhound breed can recognize a great number of scents simultaneously.

- You are true detectives! I can understand now why you are being trained for
certain missions of uncovering different substances or devices! But after making
such effort..., aren’t you... sweating?

- Well, dear Matthew, you won’t believe it, but we are really sweating through
our... tongue! We have sweat glands on our skin, but especially on our pads which
are situated at the bottom of our legs, but their main goal is not to cool down the
body. The thermoregulation is being produced through our breathing, mostly at a
fast pace, with our tongue out and through salivation.

- Now this explains why you are always sticking your tongue out... to cool down!
But what about your ears, what can you tell me dear Maya?

- We, dogs have a multitude of muscles in order to move our ears... about 18 of
them for a single ear. But there is a representative from the Lundehund breed
who can fold his ears closed!

- Oh…, I wonder who does not remember of a famous duo composed of two
pure breed dogs, with amazing ears? It’s about Napoleon, a big Bloodhound, slim,
with brown fur, dark brown ears and a red collar around his neck and Lafayette -
a Basset Hound, chubby, with short brown legs, with white fur and a black collar…
two four- legged with different personalities, but whose only hobby was
surveilling any humans approaching their territory…

- Memorable moments, part of the beloved animation movie The Aristocats,

directed by Wolfgang Reitherman and launched by Walt Disney, in 1970, with a
soundtrack signed by George Bruns.

- Dear Maya, how do you communicate?

- Most of the times, we communicate through barking, growling, but also

through our facial expression. The dogs from the Beagle and Border Collier breeds
bark the most, while those from the Basenji breed can’t bark at all. I will tell you a
secret as well! You should know that, when we show our teeth, it doesn’t
necessarily mean we are smiling, but this is rather a sign of warning, of
aggression.

- It’s good to know! But how do you differentiate among yourselves?

- Dear Matthew, we are many, but each with its qualities. The dogs from the
Newfoundland breed are excellent swimmers as opposed to the ones from the
Basset Hound breed, who cannot swim at all. The Greyhound dog is the fastest
dog as he can reach a speed between 65- 72 km/h, the Cesky Terriers are the
rarest because there are only 350 left, and those from the Chow- Chow breed
have their tongues, a dark blue colour towards purple.

- What can you tell me about the colours of your furs, dear Maya?

- I, for example, have got an interesting fur… white with dark colours but with
drops also, almost as if they were soaked in black ink… you can say the nature
„painted” us, in colours from white to brown with spots, to black also… but, some
of us change our colour as we grow. The Dalmatians are born white and the black
spots appear later. Instead, the dogs from the Airedale breed are born completely
black and as days go by, as they get old, their fur turns either grey or brown.

- I have noticed something else special about you… when you sleep you seem to
be dreaming?
 - Yes, that is true… we can dream… How beautiful, isn’t it?

- Oh…, yes… How beautiful it is to let yourself get caught in your thoughts, in
your imagination… it feels like you’re floating…

- Let me bring you back to reality, dear Matthew! There is more… when we turn
in, we run around in circles for a few times, as we cannot forget where we came
from, the times when we were wild. The instinct remained, when we were
scratching the ground before sleeping, in order to get ready for sleep.

- I wonder if there was ever anyone who would have the ambition to possess as
many dogs as possible?

- You should know that there was someone. Apparently, in the whole history of
mankind, there was only one human, Kublai Khan, one of the most important
Mongolian rulers, from the dynasty of Yuan, who was the owner of 5000 dogs
from the Mastiff breed! He probably followed the Romans’ trend, who during
battles, behind the horsemen, used the dogs of this breed dressed in light
armours.

- Each has got his own passions and vanities! I assume you too have your own
„stars”?

- Oh, of course… countless… the Labrador occupies the first place in popularity,
as he has a kind personality, is intelligent and very obedient. Many times, his
abilities have been „used” for the care of helpless people. Then Rin Tin Tin was
the first Hollywood dog star. He even signed all his contracts with the help of his
paw!

- By the way, I read that, there are approximately 1.000.000 dogs in the United
States of America, who were named primary beneficiaries of their masters’
testaments!

- Yes, dear Matthew, there are also representatives like these among us… very
rich or with high- ranking positions, along state presidents or great artists!
 - Let’s not forget Laika, a dog from Russia, who was the first to travel with a
spaceship called Sputnik, around the world, in 1957. A female dog who got
related after, to Charlie - the terrier of American president, J. F. Kennedy!

- Another amazing example, who melted everyone’s hearts from everywhere,

was the legendary Hachiko, from the Akita Inu breed. He remained in humanity’s
memory for the devotion to his master, even long after his death. In Japan, he
even became a national symbol of loyalty!

- An impressive life story, which was transposed to the big screen in two movies:
a Japanese movie, in 1987, with Tatsuya Nakadai and an American movie, in 2009,
with Richard Gere in the cast and with a soundtrack signed by Jan Andrzej Pawel
Kaczmarek.

- You should know, dear Matthew, that each year, on the 8th of March,
Hachiko’s devotion is being honoured through a formal memorial, at the Shibuya
train station in Tokyo, to which hundreds of animal lovers attend!

- As you have always been close to us every step of the way, you, dogs, have
become the subject of numerous quotes, aphorisms, proverbs, sayings, stories
and poems. A memorable portrait, actually a version of a story written in lyrics,
skillfully put into words, is the one made by Tudor Arghezi, a Romanian writer
best- known in 20th century, in his volume Prisaca/The Apiary, published in 1954.
Who is the main character? The unforgettable Zdreanță/Rag, the one with the
porcelain eyes!

- We, dogs, also had an important role in the life of great composers of the
universal classical music. For most of them, we have been the reliable, ideal
partners, to whom they would present their masterpieces for the first time. As
such, one of our representatives, named Gigons, attended the writing of the
famous Bagatelle Für Elise composed in 1810 by Ludwig van Beethoven but
published in 1867, forty years after the composer's death in 1827.

- Between the years 1992- 2012, a series of eight movies was made, entitled
Beethoven but with no relation to the life and creation of the great Titan from the
Bonn. Who outshined in this production? A cute Saint Bernard, in the role of his
life!

- Let’s go back to the Romantic period when it seems that Frédéric Chopin
composed The Minute Waltz, initially known as Waltz of the Little Dog, inspired by
the naughty dog of George Sand, the little Marquis. Later on, Richard Wagner,
turned out to be a big dog lover… Leo - the bulldog, Peps - Charles Spaniel, Pohl -
the Labrador and Russ - a dog from Newfoundland. They have been the witnesses
of many events from the so agitated life of the Bayreuth Master. Later on, in
Paris, in the middle of 20th century, during the last years of the greatest
Romanian artist George Enescu's life (composer, violinist, pianist, conductor) the
one who accompanied him until his last moments was Mutzerli, his faithful
puppy.

- Dear Maya, there is no way we can name all the dogs that are music lovers…

- But we cannot overlook from this conversation, the play Walking the Dog,
created by George Gershwin in 1937, for the movie Shall We Dance, with the
most famous Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. In 1960, the sequence got published
as… Promenade, where a doggie must first know how to dance before knowing
how to walk… through the means of the easiest rhythm and most captivating
song!

- Tammy, Fritz, Heidel, Emma- Jean and Yoda do they mean anything to you?

- Would I know, dear Matthew? Could they possibly be dogs’ names?

- Yes, for these especially, George Crumb, American composer, wrote the Suite
for guitar and percussion Mundus Canis/A Dog’s World, in 1998. Therefore, in A
Dog’s World, the author revealed, through the means of special harmonics, a
series of musical portraits of the dogs his family owned.
 - Interesting way to show your feelings for the most faithful animal of humans.
But you should know we also made it in the movies, in two specific genres: in the
artistic movie and especially in the animated movie.

- Right at the beginning of cinematography, you were the headlines along with
the great actors of the time. As such, in 1918, in the short movie without sound,
the so- called silent movie, Charlie Chaplin offered you the chance to be on the
big screen, in Scraps, A Dog’s Life, written, directed and produced by himself. How
could one forget those images, when a poor man, a vagabond, saves a puppy, a
cute stray, teased by other dogs, and these two become inseparable? How to
forget these scenes, when in a bar, Charlie Chaplin „hides” the dog in his trousers,
but the tail is still visible and keeps the pace with the rhythm of the music played
by the bar’s band?

- Indeed, these are memorable moments at the beginning of 20th century…

followed by two other dog „masters” of the silent movie – Strongheart and Rin Tin
Tin, two dogs from the German Shepherd breed, who played in various movies
between 1921- 1931.

- I believe there was also a training school to get to the attention of the stars
from the American cinematography world!

- Dear Matthew, around 1926, a man called Carl Spitz, passionate about dog
training, moved from Germany to America. He opened one the first schools of dog
training called Dog Training School Spitz Hollywood. Therefore, the animals
trained by him got to star in different silent movies: Buck, a Saint Bernard who
played next to Clark Gable, in the movie Call of the Wild, The Great Danish Prince
in the movie Wuthering Heights and Musty in the movie Swiss Family Robinson.
Success and popularity were to come with the puppy Terry the Cairn Terrier, who
became a great cinema star. First, in the movie Bright Eyes with Shirley Temple,
and then in the musical The Wizard of Oz, produced by Metro- Goldwyn- Mayer,
in 1939, starring as Toto.

- The extraordinary film The Wizard of Oz … ones of the most watched, partially
directed by Victor Fleming and starring the one and only Judy Garland, in the
main lead. The songs from The Wizard of Oz have been created by Harold Arlen,
on the lyrics written by Edgar „Yip” Harburg. Out of these, the song Over The
Rainbow received the Oscar award for The Most Original Song and was voted by
the American Movie Institute as the best song from the history of
cinematography.

- That is just to see where one can reach, even if you are just a… dog!

- Each has its own mission on this Earth…, even in your case, dear Maya!

- Another star was Lassie, from the Collie breed, who starred in 1943, in her first
movie Lassie Come Home, where her fellow partners were the youngsters, Roddy
McDowall and Elizabeth Taylor. Other movie series followed, in which Lassie
portrayed the best qualities of a dog: courage, loyalty and total selflessness.

- After Strongheart and Rin Tin Tin, the two stars of the silent movie, Lassie was
the third animal who received a star on the Walk of Fame from Hollywood!

- In our days, another German Shepherd conquered our hearts – Inspector or

Kommissar Rex, created by the screenwriters Peter Hajek and Peter Moser. From
1994 up to 2015, a few series have been directed in certain European places,
especially in Austria and Italy.

- Dear Maya, I am now suggesting you to change the register a bit and to focus
our attention towards the animated movies as well!

- Well, along Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck and Goofy,
Pluto is part of the group „Sensational Six”, the biggest stars of the Disney
universe. Pluto/Pluto the Pup has been active on the big screen from 1930 up to
1953, in 89 movies! Pluto was that yellow- orange dog, medium sized, with black
ears, but who isn’t speaking but instead expresses himself through his humoristic
personality! He was a happy and adventurous dog but who would panic when
facing something unknown!

- Dear Maya, as I am joking now… Pluto would freeze out of panic!

 - Another character followed, who became well- known. Actually, a strong
American bulldog but a bit naive, with sharp teeth and a small tail. Almost all the
time agitated and angry if the bone or chicken drumstick would be taken away
from him. He was tough with everybody but very gentle with his son, Tyke.
Usually, he would be accompanied by two other partners… Did you guess who I’m
talking about?

- I am thinking he cannot skip from our meeting… a character known ever since
1942 from the movie Dog Trouble, and who spoke for the first time in 1949, in a
movie where he played the role of a bodyguard. It is about the… Spike dog
accompanied by the everlasting Tom and Jerry!

- Well…, but you should know dear Matthew, that even in Europe, more
precisely in France, a special dog existed who had as a partner a… cat. They would
fight constantly and drive each other crazy but were actually best friends.

- I believe I know who they were… Pif et Hercule/Spiff and Hercules, from the
year 1948, in a successful series (130 episodes) with Pif’s adventures, a brown-
yellow dog and with Hercule, a black and white cat, who had the same enemy –
Krapulax, a very naughty boy! Later, until 1979, the magazines Pif Gadget and
Super Hercule have been released.

- Many other animated characters followed, more and more sophisticated and
who rendered our traits even more and more convincing.

- Let’s return to America… to Walt Disney and his famous productions.

- Dear Matthew, two duets from his animated movies remained memorable.
First, the one from 1955, The Lady and the Tramp, where you can notice what
changes in life can a… plate full of spaghetti bring…, romantical adventures and …
a beautiful music…, imagined by Oliver Wallace, that contains also the songs Bella
Notte/The Wag of a Dog’s Tail and What a Dog/He’s a Tramp. And the second
duet, from 101 Dalmatians, from 1961, inspired by the book written by Dodie
Smith and all this played on a suggestive music created by Mel Leven. The couple
Pongo and Perdita who stood up to Cruella de Vil and saved… 101 dalmatians,
among these being their own puppies as well. A story about parents’ role to
protect their own kids but also kidnapped or orphan children!

- A special place is reserved also for the series Scooby- Doo, which was one of the
most long- lasting productions, from 1969 until 1998. The most loved version is
the one in which Scooby- Doo, a speaking dog, along with his four teenage friends
(Fred „Freddie” Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley and Norville „Shaggy”
Rogers) travel with a van called The Mystery Machine and solve all sorts of
enigmas about phantoms, mythical monsters and other supernatural forces!

- Dear Matthew, as you know, time is ruthless…, especially when it is so

enjoyable, it passes so fast! So, therefore I will retreat and I will go back to being
Maya, your doggie, your so trusted and quiet friend…

- My dear, Maya… I am so happy you accompanied me during this trip through

the Enchanted Garden of Grandma!

- How not to! I promised Her I will always accompany you!

- How I miss my Grandma, the smart and wise one!

- I also miss her, dear Matthew! Certainly, the special moments spent with
Grandma, full of warmth and emotions will remain in our souls!

- That is true, my dear Maya!

- In fact, it is said that Grandparents never die, as They are the symbol of the
family! And after they go to Heaven, they continue to live in our Hearts and Souls!

- That is how I feel too! What amazing idea my Grandma had… to find as much
as possible about Nature and its wonderful Living Beings from her Enchanted
Garden! What an amazing journey! What a breakthrough voyage in this
wonderful Universe, perhaps mysterious, that utterly fascinated me with its
marvels!

I thank you, dear Grandma, for everything!

Appendix

Other literary works inspired by the world of animals (others than the ones already presented
in the book)

Elena Apostol

Song for bassoon „Playing with the cat”

Song for four bassoons and a snail

Johann Sebastian Bach

Cantata BWV 208, also known as „The Hunting Cantata” „Was mir behagt, ist nur die muntre
Jagd!/What pleases me is above all the lively hunt!”

The Ninth Movement „Schaffe konnen sicher weiden/Sheep may safely graze”

Filaret Barbu

Vaudeville „The White Nightingale”

Bela Bartok

The Cycle „Mikrokosmos” for piano – „From the Diary of a Fly”

44 Duos for two violins – „Mosquito Dance”

Amy Beach

Four Sketches op.15 for piano – No.4 „Fireflies”

Ludwig Van Beethoven

Symphony no.6 op 68 in F major „Pastoral”

Leonard Berstein

Operetta „Candide” („Golden sheep pair”)

Louis Beydts

Cycle „Chansons pour les oiseaux/Songs for the birds”

- „Stabbed pigeon”

- „The Blue Seagull”

- „The Blue Bird”

- „The Canary in the Cage”

Constantin Bobescu

Song for voice and piano/ symphony „The Grasshopper and the Ant” (lyrics by Romanian
author, Tudor Arghezi)

Nicolae Brânduș

Ballade- Symphony - II. „The Brave and the Horse”

Tiberiu Brediceanu

Waltz for salon orchestra „Sparrow”

Choral song „The Cuckoo has left”

Elisabetta Brusa

Song „The Ant and the Grasshopper”

Sergiu Celibidache

Suite for orchestra in 13 parts „The Pocket Garden/Der Taschengarten”

- No.3 „The Duck’s Sermon”

- No.6 „The Beetles’ Dance”

- No.9 „Hedgehog, where are you?”

- No.11 „Quacks of Thanks: One Hedgehog turns into two”

Ignacio Cervantes

Song „Chirp- Chirp/The Grasshopper”

Nicolae Chilf

Suite for children for piano solo – No.6 „In the Garden amongst Turtledoves”

Tudor Ciortea

Octet „Some of Pacala’s Exploits” - The fourth part - Allegro vivace „Sheep Dance”
Dora Cojocaru

Song for children’s choir „Looking for snails” (lyrics by Ion Barbu)

Liviu Comes

Suite for two violins „Two Hedgehogs”

Florin Comișel

Symphonic poem with reciter „The Goat and Her Three Kids”

Paul Constantinescu

Four fables for piano – No.4 „Goody Hoopoe Quarelled with Goody Owl”

Aaron Copland

Suite „The Red Pony”

Francois Couperin

„Le moucheron” („The Midge”)

Dan Dediu

Work op.3 for voice, recitator and piano „Prayer for a butterfly” (lyrics by V. Voiculescu)

Seven Bagatelles for piano op.27 „Introductions and Hedgehog’s Songs”

Leo Delibes

Song „The Nightingale”

Gheorghe Dima

Song for voice and piano „A wolf came from the grove” (lyrics by George Cosbuc)

Choir „Cuckoo with the gray feather”

Violeta Dinescu

Choir for children „Chive” (lyrics by Ana Blandiana)

Erno Dohnanyi

Three pieces op.44 for piano No.2 Nocturne – „Cats on the Roof”
Antonin Dvorak

Songs „The Forest Pigeon”, „The Lark”, „The Little Bird”, „The Sparrow”

Ludovico Einaudi

The piece „Golden Butterflies”

Edward Elgar Song „The Owls”

George Enescu

Suite op.28 „Childhood Impressions” - „The Grasshopper”

Alexandru Flechtenmacher

Vaudeville „The Cat’s Staircase”

Jacques de Gallot

Piece „The Pigeon”

Edvard Grieg

25 Songs and Norwegian Folk Dances op.17

- „Oh, the Pig Had a Snout”

- „Solfager and the Snake King”

- „The Cleg and the Fly”

- „Kulok/Cow call”

- „The Raven’s Wedding in Kraakeland”

Charles Tomlinso Griffes

Song for piano/orchestra „The White Peacock”

Theodor Grigoriu

Haikus

- „Turtledove”, „The Hawk” from the cycle „Beyond the silence – Journey with birds”

- „Great Bustards” from the cycle „Beyond the silence – The spirit of the plain”
Ferdinand Rudolph von Grofe/Ferde Grofe

Suite „The Grand Canyon” – No.„Grasshoppers and distant thunder”

Deborah Henson- Conant

Song „The Nightingale”

Alan Hovhaness

Piece op.327 „Love Song Vanishing Into Sounds of Crickets”

Alma Cornea- Ionescu

Songs for piano in Romanian traditional folk style „From the Children’s World” - No.7 „Playing
wolf and sheep”

Iosif Ivanovici

„The White Doves”

Polka „The Little Mouse”

Clement Janequin

„Le Chant Des Oiseaux/The Song of Birds”

- No.3 „The Nightingale”

- No.4 „The Cuckoo”

Mihail Jora

Four Songs op.16 on lyrics by Tudor Arghezi - No.3 „Cow”

Zoltan Kodaly

Variations on a Hungarian Folksong – „Peacock” Variations

Gustav Mahler

Symphony No.1

Andre Messager

Operetta „Veronique” Act II Duet Florestan- Veronique (Duet of the Donkeys) (De- ci, de- la,
cahin- caha)
Olivier Messiaen

The Bird Catalogue. Book 1. „Golden Oriole”/Book 3. „The Tawny Owl” „Petites esquisses
d’oiseaux/Little sketches of birds”

Darius Milhaud

Ballet music op.58 „The Ox on the Roof”

Modest Mussorgsky

Song „A Society Tale.The Goat”

Songs’ cycle „The Nanny” - No.3 „The Bug”

Song „The Song of the Flea” (lyrics from Goethe's „Faust”)

Marțian Negrea

Three Miniatures for piano (for children) – „Melc, melc codobelc/Snail, snail”

Ștefan Niculescu Opera- ballet for children „The Apolodor Book” (libretto/text by Gellu Naum)

Carl Nielsen

Songs „Song of the Siskin”, „Welcome little Nightingale”

Pauline Oliveros

„El Relicario de los Animales/The Sanctuary of Animals”

Carl Orff

Cantata „Carmina Burana” – „Olim lacus colueram/Once I Lived on A Lake”

Ion Nonna Otescu

Ballet „Ileana Cosânzeana/Goldilocks” - „Grasshoppers’ dance”

Carmen Petra- Basacopol

Suite for children „Jungle Book” for harp solo („Bagheera Panther”, „Birds’ council”, „RikkiTikki-
Tavi a mongoose from colonial India, „Kaa Snake”, „Falk Bandar- Log monkey”)

Ballade op.27 for voice and orchestral ensemble „The Death of the Deer” (lyrics by Nicolae
Labis)
Georgeta Petrescu

Suite for children - No.6 „Little Cricket”

Josquin Des Prez

Song „El Grillo/The Grasshopper”

Sergei Prokofiev

Cycle „Music for children” – „March of the Grasshoppers”

Ballet „Cinderella” - Act 1 No.14 „Grasshoppers and Dragonflies”

Sergei Rachmaninov

Piece „The Sea and the Seagulls”

Einojuhani Rautavaara

Concerto for birds and orchestra „Cantus Arcticus/Arctic Song”

Maurice Ravel

Opera „L’enfant et les sortileges/The Child and the Spells”

Ned Rorem

Song „The Silver Swan”

Gioachino Rossini

Opera „The Thieving Magpie”

Doina Rotaru

Song for flute solo „The Dragonfly”

Albert Roussel

Pantomime- ballet „Le Festin de l’araignee/The Spider’s Feast”

- No.2 „Entry of the Ants”

- No.3 „Dance of the butterfly”

Kaija Saariaho

Song „Seven Butterflies”

Harald Saeverud

Song for piano „The Hare and the Fox”

Camille Saint- Saens

The Suite „Carnival of the Animals” („Introduction and Royal March of the Lion”, „Kangaroos”,
1Wild Donkeys”)

Paul Schoenfield

Four Parables for piano and orchestra – No.4 „Dog Heaven”

Franz Schubert

Lied/Song „The Trout”

Quintet D.667 in A major “The Trout”

Emil Scarlat Skeletti

„The Cricket and the Ant”

„The Little Bird”

Tom Scott

Music for organ and piano „The Composer and the Mouse”

George Skeletti

Waltz „The Oriole”

Mihail Andreescu- Skeletti

„The Swan‘ Song”

The symphonic poem „The Bison’s Death”

Miguel Llobet Soles

„Canciones populares Catalanas/Catalan folk songs” – „The Nightingale”

Johann Strauss, the son

Operetta „The Bat”

Josef Strauss

Waltz op.164 „Village Swallows”

Polka Mazurka „The Dragonfly”

Igor Strawinski

Opera „The Bear”

Dmitri Sostakovici The music of the movie „The Gadfly”

Rodica Sutzu

Album for children – No.8 „Sparrows chirping”

John Tavener

The collection „Songs of Innocence and Experience” – „The Lamb”

Georg Philip Telemann

The Symphony TWV 50:1/„Cricket’s Symphony”

Anatol Vieru

Collection of miniatures for piano „From Children’s World”

- No.3 „My Friend Bunny”

- No.4 „Curly Teddy Bear”

- No.5 „Cat and Dog”

- No.61„The Monkeys”

Antonio Vivaldi

Concerto op.10 No.3 RV 428 in D major for flute and orchestra „Il Gardellino/The Goldfinch”
Roman Vlad

“The Seagull”. Song variations (Soprano, Baritone) and danced (libretto by Anton Pavlovich
Cehov)

William Walton

Opera „The Bear”

Alexandru Zirra

The symphonic poem „The Goat and Her Three Kids”

Howard Shore/David Henry Hwang

Opera „The Fly”

OCTAVIA GALESCU
Studies: 1988- 1993 University of Music from Bucharest, The Faculty of Music, Musicology and
Composition, MUSICOLOGY Department, graduate with a STATE DIPLOMA (1993), in the class
of Prof. univ. dr. and Dr. h. c. mult. Octavian Lazăr Cosma

Journalist activity within the National Romanian Broadcasting Company (ROROR):

1993- 1996 Musical and special recordings at the Opera- Operetta Department,
1996- 2004 Musical editor and Producer at the Musical Varieties Section
2004- 2013 Musical editor and Producer at the International Musical Exchange Section
2013- present Senior editor and Producer at Radio Romania Musical Channel

2018 Member of the Professional Journalists Union from Romania (UZPR)

2021 Member of the Union of Musical Critics and Editors from Romania (UCRRM).

International attendance:

Croatia – at the International Children Festival from Sibenik, as a guest of the Children Comic
Opera Ensemble, from Bucharest

Czech Republic – attending the Gala Concerts and the tours from South of Bohemia with the
young Romanian musicians, specially trained by Radio Romania Musical Channel for the
International Radio Competition „Concertino Praga” (first prize in 2013, second prize in 2016
and honorable mentions in 2007, 2013, 2016 and 2019)

World Conference of Journalists from Republic of Korea – 2017, 2020, 2021 and 2022

„Prix Italia” Radio contest, as a member of the international jury - 2021 edition

„UNESCO World Day for Cultural Diversity, Dialogue and Development” in Geneva – 2021

Publications:

Specialized articles in professional magazines/journals and in the recent years, on the website
of Radio Romania Musical Channel.
Published books:

2001 Centenar- Marcel Mihalovici/Centenary- Marcel Mihalovici, Editura Muzicala/Musical

Publishing (one chapter)

2008 Ghid- Opereta, zarzuela, musical/Guide- Operetta, zarzuela, musical, Editura Bunavestire,
Blaj/Bunavestire Publishing, Blaj (a few chapters)

2009 Îngerul de pe umărul meu/The Angel on my shoulder – Daniela Vlădescu, Editura

Bunavestire, Blaj/Bunavestire Publishing, Blaj (a chapter)

2010 Parfum de aloe/Aloe perfume – Silvia Sohterus, Editura Bunavestire, Blaj/Bunavestire

Publishing, Blaj (a chapter)

2019 Virtuozitate și cantabilitate, Repere istorice pentru melomani/Virtuosity and musicality,

Historical guidelines for music lovers, Editura Muzicala/Musical Publishing

2020 Matei în Grădina minunată a Bunicii, Dialoguri sonore imaginare cu tot felul de
viețuitoare/Matthew in the Enchanted Garden of Grandma, Imaginary musical dialogues with
all sorts of living beings, UZPR Publishing

Hobbies: Ikebana, Painting (Egyptian mural, Chinese and Aztec), Korean language
CONTENTS

PREAMBLE

The Enchanted Garden of Grandma

The Bees

The Storks and the Frogs

The Skylarks and the Cuckoo

The Dinosaurs

The Elephants

The Butterflies

DOMESTIC BIRDS (POULTRY)

The Sextet Hen- Rooster, Goose- Gander and Duck- Drake

The Swans

WILD ANIMALS

The Sextet Fox (Vixen) – Reynard, Wolf – She- Wolf and Bear (Boar) – Sow

Fireflies, Blackbirds and Nightingales

Cats and Doggie Maya

APPENDIX

CV OCTAVIA GALESCU
 Once upon a time... well yes that is how every story begins older

or newer..., a magic formula, through which we enter the land of

imagination, where everything is possible!

As such, let’s imagine we are in a city of this planet, on one of its

little streets full of multicoloured flowers and tall trees like warden, in a

fairytale cottage, where one day a cute, lovely and much awaited boy

was born. Matthew, the one loved by the whole family: mother, father,

grandparents, aunt and other relatives... He was so happy and full of joy

because he was surrounded by so much love and care!

One time his whole world shattered because... a small secret was

about to be revealed. The one, that we people but even all living beings come to this world, to fulfil the

missions we were sent here for. Once this was done we leave to other dimensions, precisely to Heaven

maybe even Paradise! That is what happened with one of his Grandmas! Tears and pain... but a flicker of

hope remained... the cottage and especially the Enchanted Garden of Grandma. Therefore Matthew

would walk every day, through this wonderful universe which seemed the nicest in the world!

One of these days, guess what?, he found a little trunk with ornaments and one of a kind paintings,

that belonged to Grandma. Intrigued, Matthew opened it and found an envelope inside... From Grandma

to Matthew. Nervous, he opened it. There was a letter just for him.

Dear Matthew,

I hope that you will cherrish my little Garden every day, because you don’t even know what marvels you can

find and what holy experiences you can live in its universe! Therefore, please take care of it and especially discover

its mysteries. Yes! You read well. Discover it! You will never be alone as you will be accompanied by my adored

doggie Maya!

But I have a proposal for you or moreover a wish: to write down in a journal every happening, that you will

go through. Every one you will meet, what sort of advice you will get... Oh and there are so many other things...!

I wish you good luck and don’t forget about me!

And now our secret greeting: A hug Mother!

Signed: Grandma

Matthew kept thinking how to fulfil his Grandmother’s wish.