British ambassador to Romania Paul Brummel recited two poems by Mihai Eminescu to mark the Romanian culture day on January 15. The Embassy posted the videos on Youtube and Facebook.

The ambassador went to Ipotesti, the village where Eminescu was born, and stood by the lake that inspired the Romanian poet to write on of his romantic poems called Lacul (The Lake).

“This is the 15th of January the day of the Romanian culture. It is the date of birth of Mihai Eminescu, Romania's greatest poet and we are here in North East Romania, just outside the village of Ipotesti, where Eminescu spent part of his childhood. And this is the lake known as the lake of water lilies which is said to have inspired one of Eminescu's most famous poems, 'Lacul'('The Lake'),” Paul Brummel said in an intro to the video posted on Youtube.

“It is a romantic poem, it's a poem about a young man who daydreams besides a lake, he dreams of a beautiful young lady appearing to him from out of the lake. The poem is set in the summer and it talks of yellow water lilies. There aren't any water lilies now, there is a scene of white behind me but it is still a very beautiful scene,” he explained before reading the poem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=AbDYsbj9dqQ

In another video posted by the British Embassy on Friday, the ambassador recites Eminescu’s poem La Steaua (At The Star).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uP4Zl58Hoog

Last year, ambassador Brummel also marked the Romanian culture day by reading Mihai Eminescu’s Scrisoarea I (The First Letter).

https://www.facebook.com/BritishEmbassyBucharest/videos/1369503176433659/

Paul Brummel isn’t the first British ambassador captivated by Eminescu’s poetry. His predecessor, Martin Harris also used to mark Eminescu’s birthday by reading one of his poems. Here he is in 2013 reading the famous poem Revedere (Return).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIzmgeHuVbc

In the last years of his stay in Romania, ambassador Martin Harris used to end his speeches at important conferences where he was invited by reciting another one of Eminescu’s great poems, Ce-ti Doresc Eu Tie, Dulce Romanie (What I Wish You, Dear Romania).

Mihai Eminescu, born on January 15, 1850 in the village of Ipotesti, near Botosani, in North-Eastern Romania, is considered to be Romania’s greatest poet. He was also a novelist and an important journalist of his time. To honor his memory, Romania celebrates the national culture day on January 15.

Ten things to know about Romania’s national poet

editor@romania-insider.com