ALa in-Hunga ian P isone s’ Song
om he Beginning o he Eigh een h Cen u y1
Rumen Is án Csö sz
ABSTRACT
‘Inolus, Inolus’ is one o he mos mys e ious ex amilies in eigh een h-cen u y Hunga ian popula
poe y. I eme ges in bo h La in and Hunga ian manusc ip e sions, p ima ily in Eas T ansyl a-
nia and la e a ound Deb ecen oo. The sec e he o o he p isone ’s song is ajailed obbe who was
sen enced o dea h. He mou ns his own a e lea ing amo al o hose a ound him, o o pos e i y.
Acco ding o some esea che s, his song is abou aRumanian ou law leade , Gligo e Pin ea. O h-
e s ied o iden i y ague A menian e e ences in he ex . A eassu ing solu ion has no ye been
ound. Ano he complex mo i is he hidden easu e in he linden ee, abou which he p o ago-
nis migh ha e sen some encoded message in La in om he p ison. This opic is e y popula in
ales bu no in linguis ic con ex , so we a e almos unable o decode i . I is a ypical model-poem o
ou popula poe y and wa ns us agains a oo easy and quick in e p e a ion; mo eo e , i gi es us
s eng h and pa ience o p o ec us om he dange o a‘ oo clea -cu o be ue’ inal conclusion.
KEYWORDS:
p isone song, ou law, La in, Romania, Hunga y
Sha e he linden ee un il i allows i sel o be sha ed
(ea ly Hunga ian p o e b)
János Bocsko Junio began collec ing his songbook2 on 16May 1716, in Csíkszen lé-
lek ( oday’s Leliceni), ase lemen loca ed in he Eas e n bo de o T ansyl ania.
The e was a umou abou i being he wo k o aku uc soldie (someone igh ing on
P ince Fe enc Rákóczi’s side), as he li le pocke -sized book is ull o songs which
we e popula in his his o ical pe iod. Rega dless, he collec o o hese songs mus
ha e been as uden a he ime, mos p obably in Csíksomlyó ( oday’s Sumuleu,
dis ic o Mie cu ea Ciuc). La e he became he assesso o Csíkszék; ou las da a
on him is om 1767, allowing us o calcula e his age. His a he , Mihály Bocsko ,
was hiding in Molda ia wi h his ellow- igh e s, a e he all o he Rákóczi’s Wa
o Independence (1703–1711). His son pe haps selec ed hese ku uc songs o ill he
i s uni o his bookle o s eng hen his amily he i age and iden i y (Csö sz 2003,
pp.20–30).
1 In Hunga ian: Egy la in–magya abének a18.század elejé ől (Csö sz, 2017, pp.87–110).
T ansla ed by É a Pe őczi and Dá id Szabó. Special hanks o he help o László Szö ényi,
Is án Vadai†, Benedek Zsigmond, Is án Kilián†, Imola Küllős, Judi Gulyás, Má ia Domo-
kos, And ás Szabó, E nő Albe †, and Adél Csa a.
2 Cluj-Napoca, Uni e si y Lib a y Lucian Blaga, Special collec ion, Ms. 12. In de ail: S oll,
2002, n .180.
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10 STUDIA ETHNOLOGICA PRAGENSIA 1/2023
This poe ical collec ion was enla ged by János Bocsko by 1739 and he o de o ex s
was la e modi ied (Ibid., pp.9–20). This a icle is abou wo poems which can be ound
in he opening pa o he ‘ancien codex’, unde ahea ily deco a ed inne on ispiece
( oday si ua ed a 65a–b). The mys e ious La in ex consis s o 25 e ses, wi h he in-
cipi , ‘Inolus, Inolus, co di mihi solus’. I is ollowed by aHunga ian e sion o 17 e ses,
bu he wo a ian s a e no closely connec ed.3 We ind ‘cu es’ in bo h, while in he
La in e sion some poo ly copied lines also appea . The i s s ophe o he Hunga ian
poem se es as an a gumen a ion and eminds us o he i le o la e a ian s:
The pain ul song o a amous hillside highwayman,
Who was imp isoned by his innume able sins.4
The pa allel o his o iginal La in s ophe looks like his:
Inolus, Inolus, joy o my hea ,
Whose iendliness owa ds me was b igh .
Acco ding o he ansla o , ‘Inolus’ is he name o ape son, and he is men ioned by
he imp isoned highwayman, bu he is no add essed in he oca i e case (*Inole), he
is no pe sonally named, bu a he spoken abou . The au ho hen bids a ewell o he
moun ains ich in sil e , o he ocky landscape and hills and woods, in a e y pas-
siona e s yle:
Thou, small hills abo e, c y o me,
And hou, o my being ap isone , agile lowe s.
Though my body will be aken in p ison, alas,
The a ewell o you won’ happen un il my dea h. ( e ses 5–6)
A e hese highly poe ical lines, he hie add esses he linden ee di ec ly:
My kindes gi l, ich in easu es,
C y, my only hope, plan o my pleasu es.
Towa ds he soil mo e you highe b anches,
Send you lea es he e in hei ull g eenness! ( e ses 7–8)
And ali le bi la e :
Oh, my mos p ecious ee, Iwill no see you again,
Send alamen o you son, hope ully no in ain!
3 Ea lie Iassumed he Hunga ian e sion o be he i s (due o he many mis akes and mis-
unde s andings o he La in a ian s), bu Iam no su e now (Csö sz, 2005, p.214).
4 Bocsko Codex, 67b. All he Hunga ian e se ci a ions ha e been published only in English.
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RUmEN ISTVáN CSöRSz 11
The e was no ee iche han hou upon he ea h,
The one who inds hou, inds pleasu es. ( e ses 12–13)
A e all hese yea nings, he con esses his sins and asks God o ake him o hea en a -
e his dea h:
Take my inal a ewell, which Ibid he e, unde a es ,
Unde you b anches Ican’ es any u he .
Joy o my hea , emain in good heal h,
Woe, I’m punished o my sins in hei ullness!
Oh, judicious God o engeance, Iask Thee
To be me ci ul wi h sin ul me,
Gi e me aplace a You doo in hea en
And be blessed o i , o e e , amen. ( e ses 14–17)
The mos e iden di e ence be ween he Hunga ian ex and János Bocsko ’s La in
e sion is he lack o Ch is ian cadence; ins ead, his ex is uled by my hological al-
lusions. This is no acciden al: i all hese a e old by he cha ac e o an an ique, o
an allego ical, ic i ious ex , his pe son is no p aying, no appealing o he Ch is ian
God. The Hunga ian e sion hus g ea ly di e s om la e a ian s. I is suspicious
ha , hough Bocsko was amilia wi h he Hunga ian ex , he g ea ly elied on his
pe sonal memo y, p oducing asomewha mixed, bu eshened e sion, e e ing o
some pa s aken om he La in e sion.
Sicelides Musae,
D iades puellae,
Da e gemebundos
T is e oce sonos.5
Ano he impo an poin is he ‘D iades puellae’ line. Dedica ing apa o he s ophe
o d yads is na u al, as in G eek my hology hey we e he souls, nymphs o he ees
and he singe expec s sympa hy and ea s om hem, sha ing his ill a e. O pheus is
also men ioned in he La in e sion o s eng hen he my hological local colou as, in
O id’s e ses, he ees— many haun ed, su e ing souls— a e lis ening o he song
o O pheus (Me amo phoses, Book 10). This is p obably why in he Hunga ian ex he
linden ee is called ‘my li le gi l’, pe soni ying his lo ely plan , and e e encing
a ans o ma ion, based upon he g ea La in mas e . In his way, we can y o cla i y
he linden ee simile om se e al di ec ions.
5 The adap a ion o he e se in ano he Hunga ian e sion: ‘G oup o nymphs, beau i ul
choi o he Pa cas, mou n me wi h wails and you i e-co ded lu e!’ Memo ial o Mihály
Dezső (1729–1761), pp.66–9. Az Pin yi Eneke (‘Song o Pin ea’), e ses 15–16.
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12 STUDIA ETHNOLOGICA PRAGENSIA 1/2023
The La in ex o Bocsko could ha e been ep esen a i e o ano he gen e: alo e
song, sung by agi l, who was unable o egain he hea o he un ai h ul belo ed. I
his supposi ion is ue— hough no ela i e o his La in e sion is known— hen
his ex amily ollows he same pa e n as o he pieces o public poe y in he se en-
een h and eigh een h cen u ies. These all eme ge om alo e heme, bu his heme
la e abandons he songs, and hey li e hei li es as lamen s, hiding peoples’ o p is-
one s’ songs. The widely known ‘Őszi ha ma u án’ (A e he Au umn Dews), ‘Bok os
búk habjai’ (Wa es o G ea Sadness), e c., a e all amo ous a ewell-songs o cou ing
ones (E.g. Csö sz, 2016, p.43). Simila changes can be wi nessed in he ex amily o
‘I’m aP isone , Wai ing o be Se F ee’, he i s e sions o which e e undoub edly
o he soul being imp isoned by lo e, a he han a eal, conc e e imp isonmen si u-
a ion (Csö sz & Küllős, 2015, p.411).
This ex amily can be ollowed o almos ahund ed yea s. In he c i ical edi-
ion, wi h Imola Küllős (Ibid., p.79), we ied o summa ise all known ac s abou his
song, bu a inal conclusion has no ye been eached. The seemingly well-o de ed
a ia ions a e hiding dozens o ques ions, a he as p oo o ou s eady sea ch han
ou wisdom.
The ‘Inolus, Inolus’ song is known om eigh een h and nine een h cen u y manu-
sc ip s, i s om T ansyl ania, bu om o he egions as well. Whe he he e was
ap in ed e sion is no known. The i s a ie ies we e Ca holic, he la e ones e i-
den ly P o es an . Mos a ie ies a e bilingual, consis ing o pa allel La in and Hun-
ga ian e ses, hough some imes hese consis o only one e se. Fi een a ie ies
a e known.
1. Bocsko Codex (1716–1739), 65a–67b. ‘Inolus, Inolus, co di mihi solus’.
25 La in e ses.
2. Bocsko Codex (1716–1739), 65a–67b. ‘Egy ő hegyi ol aj kese es éneke’ (ALamen
Song o aChie Moun ain Thie ).
17 Hunga ian e ses.
3. Memo iale o Mihály Dezső (1729–1761), 66–69. ‘Az Pin yi éneke [Song o Pin ea]’.
Inolus, Inolus, co de mihi solus.
22 e ses (11 La in, 11 Hunga ian, al e na ely).
4. Szádeczky-Miscellania (1755), pp.256–257. ‘Inolus, Inolus, co de mihi solus’.
4 e ses (2 La in, 2 Hunga ian, al e na ely).
5. Balás Józse -ék. (1784–1787), 102a–103b. ‘Inolus, Inolus, co da mihi solus’.
22 e ses (11 La in, 11 Hunga ian, al e na ely).
6. Dá idné Sol á i (1790–1791), n .174, ‘Inolus, Inolus, co de mihi solus’.
20 e ses (10 La in, 10 Hunga ian, al e na ely), wi h p imi i e musical no a ion.
7. Songbook o Im e Szeel (1790–1794) pp.104–105. ‘Inolus, Inolus, co de mihi solus’.
16 e ses (8 La in, 8 Hunga ian, al e na ely).
8. Holmi o Sámuel Rákosi (1791), 47b–49a. ‘Egy meg oga o ol aj éneke [Song o an
A es ed Thie ]’. ‘Inolus, Inolus, co de mihi solus’.
28 e ses (14 La in, 14 Hunga ian, al e na ely).
9. Songbook o Má on Ve ess (1793), 78a. ‘Inolus, Inolus, ki mia szí em bús’.
2 Hunga ian e ses.
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RUmEN ISTVáN CSöRSz 13
10. Academic Collec ion o Poems (end o he eigh een h cen u y), 6a–7a. ‘Can io ele-
gans’. ‘Inolus, Inolus, ki mia szí em bús’.
12 e ses (6 La in, 6 Hunga ian, al e na ely).
11. Miklós Janko ich: Nemze i Dalok Gyűj eménye [Collec ion o Na ional Songs] (a e
1800), ol III, 173a–b. ‘Inolus, Inolus, co de mihi solus’.
20 e ses; copy o he a ian VI.
12 Songbook o János Rese ka (1801), 45b–46a. ‘Inolus, Inolus, co de mihi solus’.
12 e ses (6 La in, 6 Hunga ian, al e na ely).
13. Songbook o Sándo Jánosi (1802), p. [123], ‘Inolus, Inolus, co de mihi solus’.
The page is cu om he manusc ip , we know he incipi only om he con en s.
14. Ádám Pálóczi Ho á h: Ö öd élszáz Énekek [450 Songs] (1813), n .206. sz. ‘Inol az ö -
mény hegyekben’ [Inol in he A menian Moun ains]. ‘Inolus, Inolus, co de mihi
solus’.
2 e ses (1 La in, 1 Hunga ian), wi h simple musical no a ion.
15. Collec ion o János Ve ess (1828–1830), 235. ‘Mindenha ó Is en, ki agy az egekbe’.
2 Hunga ian e ses.6
A e he i s La in e sion by Bocsko , wo pu ely La in a ie ies we e ound.
Songbook om Lőcse / Le oča (1768), pp.129–130. ‘A ia de Inolo’.
Songbook o Má on Lang (1789), 13b–14a.
Thei ex s a e simila , bo h de i ed om he Highlands o Hunga y ( oday: Slo a-
kia). The pu ely La in e sions we e composed ea lie han he bilingual ones. Apa
om he ex by János Bocsko , jus one o ally Hunga ian e sion is known, ci ca
1828.
I is no a a e phenomenon ha in he Bocsko Codex bo h he La in and he
Hunga ian ‘U ex ’ di e om la e a ie ies. This collec ion is an excep ional one
in many ways: i was ga he ed in an e hnog aphically pe iphe al egion, in Al-Csík
(Lowe Csík), asmall and hidden illage. I s epe oi e is he e o e mo e unusual
han hose collec ed in college ci cles. On he o he hand, Bocsko ew o e and en-
la ged he poems. Because o he c ea i i y o i s au ho and he a e elemen s wi hin
his local adi ion, his collec ion may be conside ed an excep ional piece o public
poe y. These indi idual ea u es a e such ha on i s la e pages we ind u he p is-
one s’ songs and lamen s w i en by he collec o , making i aco-mingling o adi-
ional and pe sonal elemen s (E. g. ibid., pp.60–62).
The la e e sions play a e y impo an ole. These a e connec ed o he wo in-
ne s ophes o he Hunga ian ex o Bocsko , and wi h he inal Ch is ian p aye ,
which he lea ned somewhe e by hea and ci ed ‘a andom’; he e is no ace o i
in his La in e sion. E en he opening o mula was al e ed, in he Bocsko ex we
ind: ‘Inolus, Inolus, joy o my hea …’, implying he p esence o aposi i e pe son
(o place?), bu in la e Hunga ian e sions a o ally di e en message can be seen:
6 See in de ail: (Ibid., pp.412–415).
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14 STUDIA ETHNOLOGICA PRAGENSIA 1/2023
Inolus, Inolus,
The s a e o my hea is scandalous,
The ock o A menus
Is b inging back my ‘ ap us’.7
In p ose:
‘Inolus is he cause o my so ows; hey can be healed only by A menia’.
Looking a he able below, we see wo impo an ac s: 1) The Hunga ian equi alen s
do no include all o Bocsko ’s ex s and 2) The i s Hunga ian e sion does no ha e
asequel; he la e ansla ions keep o aphase ea lie han he ‘U ex ’, o a he i s
pa allels.
The ex below is mo e o less comple e:8
Song o aCap u ed Thie
Inolus, Inolus,
Co de mihi solus,
Rupes Ameniae,
Meae deliciae.
Quando os con emplo ,
Sempe le e cogo ,
Pe os Ameniae
Gaza [!] eliciae.
Co pus cap i a u ,
Gaudis p i a u ,
Mens ibi aga u ,
Ubi ec ea u .
Lugi e socium,
Lugi e cap i um,
Nam ego lugebo
Vos sempe de lebo.
Tilia, ilia,
Dilec a ilia,
Indos au ea,
Ex e na lignea.
7 Memo ial o Mihály Dezső (1729–1761), pp.66–9. Az Pin yi Eneke, e se 2.
8 Holmi (mixed collec ion) o Sámuel Rákosi (1791), 47b–49a; RMKT XVIII/15, n .79/VIII.
Inolus, Inolus,
The s a e o my hea is scandalous,
The ock o A menus
Is b inging back my ‘ ap us’.
My eyes a e lowing wi h ea s
When looking a my dea s,
To my humble shel e
And o my easu y, he ea e .
My body is si ing in chains,
In my hea no happiness emains,
My b ain is walking o and o,
Sadness u ns in o happiness, so.
C y o e his p isone ,
Send him ea s o e e ,
While I am lamen ing
Un il I’ll be hanging.
My g eenes linden ee,
My only easu y,
G asping you ichness again
Would be my eedom, my gain.
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RUmEN ISTVáN CSöRSz 15
Flo ibus hian es,
Ramo um enelis,
Plo a e lac imis,
Sublimi p opensi.
Gladicibus [?] on is
Taesse eam ludi ,
Beo um dixe i ,
Qui e succede i .
Sicediles Musae,
D iades puellae.
Da ae genebundae,
T is e sono oce.
Mon es, mei mon es,
Ad amici on es,
Vale e sodales,
Sub imb is la en es.
Nec cho eas ducam,
Nec ca mina dicam,
Amplius sono um
Bis sona con icum [!]
Si possem uge e,
Ca ce es umpe e,
Non os elinque em,
Sed ad os edi em.
Sal e, dulcis pinus,
Talle o um signus,
Si e conspice em,
Sub diu jace em.
Summus mise ico s,
Co dis mei aces,
Dolui o [!] queso,
Exaudi o p aeces
Jamque o es polli
Po i um pe en i,
Qua e co dis sono
Alleluja dixi.
Towa ds he soil
Mo e you highe b anches,
Send he e you lea es
In hei ull g eenness!
The one can be happy
Whoe e inds you, eally,
As all my good deeds
Mo ed in o you body.
You also, my dea nymphs,
Fo me in cho us sing,
Play you i e-co ded ly e
Un il my soul’s inal expi e’!
And now, you, high moun ains,
Quick o en s and bushes,
I p ay you o o ge my sins
And ell me some good hings.
All my a ou i e songs,
All my belo ed dances,
I’m bidding you a ewell,
Pomp and joy he e won’ dwell.
I I could un om he e,
F ee walk would be so dea ,
I would si a you doo ,
Like a ai h ul pas o .
My spa kling, good ‘ oo man’,
Keepe o my ‘angel’ [‘Thale ’]
I I could ouch you shel e ,
Could I be a ee goe .
God o ue jus ice,
Ha e o all sin, le me ask Thee
To ake his sinne , me,
To hy holy me cy!
Gi e me place a
You doo in hea en,
And be blessed o i ,
Fo e e , amen!
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The age o his p isone s’ song is s ill unce ain, only Bocsko ’s da a gi es us some
clues. Mos p obably i was composed ea lie han he pe iod when i was pu down
(1716–1718), bu i is impossible oday o p opose ace ain yea .
Close eading o he ex is a e y di icul ask. One hing is su e: an imp isoned
pe son, clea ly desc ibed as ‘achie hillside highwayman’, bids a ewell o his coun-
y and his iends. This can be lea ned p ima ily om he i le; he ex o he song
does no men ion ha i s he o was a hie . Bu he hidden easu es a e men ioned,
being concealed in he ca i y o alinden ee (‘ ilia’) o in apine ee (‘pinus’) and ou
he o would gain much by eaching his easu e. The La in ex does no e e o he
ac ha he imp isoned he o will be hanged, bu i is a eal Lei mo i in Hunga ian
a ian s. I is no hing o he han ha , a e lec ion o he Hunga ian he i age o a e-
well songs o pe sons sen enced o dea h.
Bu wha can be ound abou he conc e e he o o his poem? Acco ding o some
schola s i was ace ain Vasile Feke e (Black Vasile) who ough in he ku uc a my and
wi h his oop o hie es, escaped o he hills o Gye gyó ( oday: Gheo gheni). The Ge -
man (Aus ian) soldie s ied o ca ch him, wi h no success, and he con inued igh -
ing agains hem. The p oblem is, ha ‘Vasile’ is anickname, he belonged o Rákóczi’s
ci cles, and his eal name was László Mojszén (Se es, 2007, p.360). In spi e o being
ac uel and b u al hie (o pe haps o his s ange ‘me i ’) in he ku uc a my he go
highe and highe posi ions. In 1710 he was commanding 150–200 soldie s. We know
absolu ely no hing abou his imp isonmen , a leas no abou alonge one, i ing in o
apoem. A e he gene al amnes y he emained (mos su ely) asoldie and an o ice o
he Habsbu g a my. Consequen ly, he was no a adi ional highwayman, and his sup-
posed imp isonmen would no ha e led o he gallows. And om olklo e he is o ally
missing. No like ano he he o-candida e, Pin e Gligo e (Pin ea, he he o, 1670–1703),
he o he amous e olu iona y pe son. Acco ding o Ká oly Köllő, ‘[Józse ] G adányi9
could ha e hea d one a ie y o hese in Má ama os, whe e he bilingual ‘ku uc’ songs
we e no ‘ou o ashion’ in he nine een h cen u y’. His announcemen e e s o only
one sen ence o G adányi, un o una ely, wi hou any ex ological simila i y (1796).
AHunga ian manusc ip (The Memo ial o Mihály Dezső, 1729–1761) connec s his
song o ano he one, en i led The Song o Pin yi. And The Song o he Famous Thie Pin ye,
was, acco ding o him, ‘amanusc ip om he diso de ed ma e ial o he Re o med
College o Kolozs á / Clausenbu g [ oday: Cluj]’.
Pin ea Vi ez is conside ed oday aRumanian na ional he o, and no jus an e -
e yday hie — which he ne e was, only he eigh een h-cen u y unjus eco de
conside ed him one. Bu we can ha dly p o e he iden i y o he Inolus-song wi h
any o he Pin ea-ballads, hough in he Rumanian olklo e and in some Hunga ian
legends— he was also he he o o innume able pieces o poe y. Józse G adányi’s
U szuly (‘Bea ’), aRumanian pe son om Má ama os (G adányi, 1796, pp.46) could
ha dly accep aHunga ian-La in song as his model, while being amilia wi h dozens
o simila Rumanian ones.
Pin ea did no die in p ison, he ell in ba le o he owne ship o he own Nagy-
bánya ( oday: Baia Ma e), on 14 h Augus 1703, acco ding o o he s he con inued o
9 One o he bes known Hunga ian epic poe s in he eigh een h cen u y (1725–1801).
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RUmEN ISTVáN CSöRSz 17
igh somewhe e else. In Rumanian olklo e he appea s in anoble ole: no as ap is-
one , bu as a ue-bo n he o wounded in aba le o u ns in o as o m when— upon
his black s allion— he escapes om his enemies.10
We can mee ‘ he song o achie moun ain highwayman’ in many u he pa a-
ph ases. I can lead us o he ci cle o T ansyl anian olk-ballads, o he a che ype o
‘The G ea Moun ain Thie ’, which i s appea ed in he Molda ian collec ion o Ince
János Pe ás, eco ded in 1843.11 The an i-he o o his shocking s o y is abou o kill ‘an
A menian p ies ’, while his wi e— belonging o ano he na ion, ic im o a o ced
ma iage12— is c ying a home. The husband e u ns, makes inqui ies, kills he and
sends he body as a igh ening example o B assó ( oday B aşo ). Consequen ly, we
ha e a ela ed he o and somehow ela ed ci cums ances; bu he s o y i sel is o ally
an upside down one: ha man can’ be cap u ed and e enged, and he woman is an in-
nocen ic im. The e is no wo d abou eg e ing sins, com o , o hidden easu es.
Bu wha can we do wi h he ‘A menian line’ in he song? Though in he majo i y o
he eigh een h-cen u y a ia ions o he ‘Rupes A meniae’ (Cli s o A menia, II:-
XIV) i is epea ed e e y ime, his ac inc eases ou ins abili y. In he ex by János
Bocsko ano he wo d, ‘a geniae’ appea s he e and he ansla es i as ‘huge cli s
ich in sil e ’. In he i s s ophe o he VIII a ie y he e y wo d ‘Ameniae’ is no
he ill-spelling o ‘A meniae’, bu one o he wo ds ‘amoeniae’ (kindness). In his case
he A menian e e ence can be conside ed as ag amma ical e o o he ea ly copy;
due o he La in educa ion and cul u al expe ience o he copying pe sons, ‘sa u a ed
by’ he elemen s o La in and G eek poe y. The e o e, his au ho ial logic became
e iden o Ádám Pálóczi Ho á h in 1813, so much ha in 1813 he o mula ed he i le
like his: ‘Inol in he Moun ains o A menia’.
Bu e en in he case o ha ing an A menian hie as ahe o (i migh be possible!),
i would be a he s ange o men ion A menia as he coun y o eedom. The na i es
o A menia could ha dly ha e such expe iences in se en een h-eigh een h cen u y
T ansyl ania. A ha ime, hey became aspo adic na ion; a e he occupa ion o
hei homeland, hey we e h own h oughou he Balkan Peninsula and T ansyl-
ania. One hing migh be possible: a hie o A menian o igin could be longing o
his home coun y as he symbol o hei los na ional eedom, when, pe haps in he
mys e ious coun y o ‘Inolus’— p obably in Molda ia o T ansyl ania— he became
imp isoned.
Bu a e we able o unde s and his opening line a all? This ‘Inolus’ can be ageo-
g aphical name, bu no an accu a e one: p obably he ‘Imaus’, ( he La in-G eek name
10 Pape s in Hunga ian: Domokos, 1959, pp.418–28; Niculescu, 1988, pp.157–72.
11 ‘Vidd el jó széjel, búma , / Vidd el bána oma …’ (Blow away, good wind, my so ow and
my ouble). (Domokos & Rajeczky, 1956, pp.61–3). Abou he ype o his ballad: Va gyas,
1976, ol. II, n .20 (‘The wi e o he Rogue’); Küllős, 2012, pp.402–9.
12 One o he sub ypes o his ballad desc ibes he o ced ma iage om he pe spec i e o
he wi e, Bo bála Sep ődi, who was ma ied o in Poland. The ballads a ian he sub-
ype ‘Rákóczi kis ú i’ (Young Mas e Rákóczi) is abou he agg essi e iancé, which migh
ha e been impo ed o Hunga y by Mediae al Vallonian se le s (i belongs o he sub ype
Ma ianson).
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