D. 590, took prisoners
three Slavi, who were sent from the Baltic as ambassadors to the Khan
of the Avars. These envoys carried, instead of weapons, a kind of
guitar. They stated, that, having no iron in their country, they did
not know how to manage swords and spears; and described singing and
playing on the guitar as one of the principal occupations of their
peaceful life.[3] The general prevalence of a musical ear and taste
among all Slavic nations is indeed striking. "Where a Slavic woman
is," says Schaffarik, "there is also song. House and yard, mountain
and valley, meadow and forest, garden and vineyard, she fills them all
with the sounds of her voice. Often, after a wearisome day spent in
heat and sweat, hunger and thirst, she animates, on her way home, the
silence of the evening twilight with her melodious songs. What
spirit these popular songs breathe, the reader may learn from the
collections already published. Without encountering contradiction, we
may say, that among no other nation of Europe does natural poetry
exist to such an extent, and in such purity, heartiness, and warmth of
feeling, as among the Slavi." [4]
Although we recognize in the last sentence the voice of a Slavic
enthusiast, we copy the whole of his remarks as perfectly true; and
would only add, that we do not consider "heartiness and warmth of
feeling" more a characteristic feature of Slavic than of Teutonic
popular poetry.
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