YEARS HAVE TRAILED

PAST...
by Mihai Eminescu

student: Alexandra Preda
coordinator: Alina Stegrescu
CNSS, 2016


Mihai Eminescu (Mihail Eminovici: born on 15 January 1850 15 June

1889) was a Romantic poet, novelist and journalist. Eminescu was an
active member of the Junimea literary society and worked as an editor for
the newspaper Timpul ("The Time").
 Years Have Trailed
Past

Years have trailed past is one of the poems never
published by Eminescu; it first appeared in 1883, in the
Princeps edition.

G. Clinescu says about this sonnet that it "evokes a fabulous

time, lost beyond the threshold of our moving time, in which
childhood keeps its white way, by being unaltered with any
illusion.

This poem is a musing upon the past, an elegy whose

romantic and emotional message consists of the feeling of
sadness, which is caused by the inexorable passing of time.
E TRAILED PAST... TRECUT-AU ANII

Trecut-au anii ca nori lungi

trailed past like clouds over a country,
never return, for they're gone forever, pe esuri
nger enjoy such light endeavor i niciodat n-or s vie
ic of folk songs or the land of faery iar,
Cci nu m-ncnt azi cum
child filled me with wonder, m micar
nderstood yet meaning so much to me,Poveti i doine, ghicitori,
ese shadows try to recapture me eresuri,
of mystery, this twilight hour.
Ce fruntea-mi de copil o-
bling fingers touch the strings in vain nseninar,
right notes from the fading memory Abia-nelese, pline de-
o that my soul can vibrate again. nelesuri -
Cu-a tale umbre azi n van
s disappeared from the horizon of that m-mpesuri,
distant plain
O, ceas al tainei, asfinit de
n no longer hear the voice of past harmony.
time gathers . . . and I darken! sar.

sion by Corneliu M. Popescu S smulg un sunet din

 Poems analysis

THEMES AND MOTIFS:
panta rhei( ancient Greek for the passing of time)-the main theme.
In this poem the passing of time has a subjective nature
represented by a persons inner light which fades away by aging.
This poem shows the despair of the helpless human fighting the
unstoppable waves of time.
the sunset - seen as a mystery time(like in his remarkable work The
evening star)
the shadow - as a projection of the past in the present time
the eternal darkness of death

STYLISTIC FEATURES:
The presence of the suspension marks points out the tension of
lyrical egos trembled soul in the poems title. In addition to this, they
suggest the emotional charge suffered at the contact with time.
Furthermore, the comparison in the first verse emphasizes the speed of
 Childhood vs. Adulthood

This distinction is found in the antithesis between light

endeavor and twilight.
Not quite understood yet meaning so much to me :
Childhood is described as a bright, magical age, when your vitality is
at the highest point and your body is quivering with emotion. On the
other hand, adulthood leans toward the eternal darkness of death.
Although an adult mind is more capable to draw out the meanings
of life, this knowledge brings worries which blur the joyful and restful
light of the memories, thereby letting silence and darkness settle.
 The role of music

Starting from the first stanza the music plays an important role in
setting the atmosphere, by recalling the fairytale time of childhood.
And I no longer enjoy such light endeavor/As the
magic of folk songs or the land of faery
As the story goes on and the years of youth are far behind the
sound of music is getting further from its joyful tone, beginning to fade
away. The poet tries recall a memory as pure and bright as when his
soul was moved for the first time. These trembling fingers touch
the strings in vain/To find the right notes from the fading
memory

The idea of death is paralyzing, thereby he tries to enliven through the

tremble of the music which invoke his early ears, but the attempt fail
and in the end of the poem he stands in darkness and silence.
 Conclusion

In conclusion, in this poem, the temporal
distance between the paradisiacal past and the
melancholic present is felt like an emptiness,
which compress the childhood memories so that
their emotions are replaced by a sad nostalgia
which doesnt resonate with the vibration of the
serene lost years.

Childhood as an irrecoverable emotional

space is found other Eminescus works such as
O, ramai.
 Bibliography

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihai_Eminescu
http://www.referatexp.com/limba-romana/comentariu-mihail-emin
escu-trecut-au-anii
http://www.scribd.com/doc/71450342/trecut-au-anii#scribd
https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panta_rei
https://ro.wikisource.org/wiki/Trecut-au_anii...
http://www.estcomp.ro/eminescu/years.html