A Rumanian Ballad and its English Adaptation

in this paper is to trace the process of which this English poem is the. end-product. The theme of the builder who sacrifices his wife to ensure the stability of the building on which he is engaged is widespread in the folklore of S.E. Europe. In Rumanian folklore-and Rumania is the source of Call's poem-the builder is Megterul Manole (i.e. Manole the Master Builder), while the building is the monastery church at Curtea de Arge? in Wallachia. In Greece the builder is Manole, but the building is the bridge of Arta. In Bulgaria the builder is Gojko and the building the castle of Skadar. In Hungary the builder is K6miives Kelemen (translated by Dr. Ninon Leader in her book Hungarian Classical Ballads and their Folklore as 'Clement Mason'). The building is the castle of Deva in Transylvania.2 In outline the motifs common to the S.E. European ballads on this theme are as follows

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• Hungarian Classical Ballads and Their Folklore

  Ellen Ettlinger, Ninon A M Leader•Man•1967

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