Nicolae C. Velo (1882–1924) was an Aromanian poet and diplomat in

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. He was born in 1882 in

Malovište Malovište (, ) is an Aromanian village in the municipality of Bitola, North Macedonia. It used to be part of the former municipality of Capari. History Malovište is an old Aromanian settlement in the region and its establishment dates possi ...

(), then in the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

and now in

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

. After studying at the school in his hometown, Velo entered the Romanian High School of Bitola, still in the Ottoman Empire, and later the now defunct Higher School of State Sciences of

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

, Romania, after which he became part of the Romanian diplomatic corps. His most important works are the

epic poems Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...

of ''Moscopolea'' (" Moscopole") and ''Șana și-ardirea a Gramostil'ei'' ("Șana and the Burning of Gramos"), written in a mixture of the Gramostean, Farsherot and Pindean

dialects A dialect is a variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standardized varieties as well as vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardized varieties, such as those used in developing countries or iso ...

of the

Aromanian language The Aromanian language (, , , , , or , , ), also known as Vlach or Macedo-Romanian, is an Eastern Romance languages, Eastern Romance language, similar to Megleno-Romanian language, Megleno-Romanian, Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian an ...

and with influences from the Romanian poet

George Coșbuc George Coșbuc (; 20 September 1866 – 9 May 1918) was a Romanian poet, translator, teacher, and journalist, best remembered for his verses describing, praising and eulogizing rural life, its many travails but also its occasions for joy. In 19 ...

. In ''Moscopolea'', he refers to the former metropolis of Moscopole today in

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

, which was mostly Aromanian-inhabited, as the "

Third Rome The continuation, succession, and revival of the Roman Empire is a running theme of the history of Europe and the Mediterranean Basin. It reflects the lasting memories of power, prestige, and unity associated with the Roman Empire. Several pol ...

", lamenting its destruction. Velo was also an editor of the Aromanian newspaper '' Românul de la Pind'' ("The Romanian of the Pindus"). He died in 1924.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Velo, Nicolae 1882 births 1924 deaths People from Bitola Municipality Aromanians from the Ottoman Empire Romanian people of Aromanian descent Emigrants from the Ottoman Empire to Romania Romanian diplomats Aromanian poets Romanian poets Aromanian editors Romanian magazine editors Romanian High School of Bitola alumni