MIHAI LULA – 01.01.1928
STREHAIA
Today, the 6th of August 2004 we are in Strehaia talking to ount Lulla. Live long and have luck! Well I found you!
You´d be blessed as well!
Please let us know who you are. Whose daughter are you, what is your father’s calling?
My name is Lulla.My father was Ciomaga.
And what was his wife´s name?
Lolli…Lolli. There was a big typhus out there at the Bug. Stay put and let me tell you.
Please, Aunt Lulla let us know what you remember about the Bug, how people took you and brought you there.
How they brought us? They took us tormented, they beat us and they beat out parents, my father and my mother. We stayed there for three years, at the Bug; my brothers wanted to run away when the Russians came upon us. Were those the Russians? Those Germans, those Russians… When we returned from there … my father left me three times behind so he could carry my mother, so he left me back. They would make a fire, put potatoes in the heated ashes and leave me there by the fire, but I would run and catch up with them.. In order too keep my mother, they left me behind, as they were worn out and could no longer carry me. My brother, Goro, lift me up in his arms and put me in a bag on a horse so we can pass and return to this other side.You know what he told to my father, to my mother? “Father, mother, wherever we die, she will die with us! Don´t you see, this one´s just like scabies, she knows that we want to leave her behind, so she stays glued to us “. So my brothers, Goro and Florea, cared for me. My brother Florea is stil alive … all the others have died. They took me, they put me on a small donkey, a mule, to carry me over here. And so they brought me back… when they saw us light a fire they would fire guns on us, they would bomb us wherever they saw us stopping to make food. There came the bomb and the bomb killed. What were we supposed to do? We stayed hungry, suffering, bitter, being beaten by those germans who brought us there. Eventually my brothers took me with them. .
How old were you?
Pretty old. I was seven, following them around like a pest. Wold not take my eyes of them … They only wanted my mother, they did not want to leave her behind, made a big fire and put potatoes in the hot ashes… poverty should swallow them potatoes, they were red ones, about this big..
„Stay here, we´ll be back soon“! But as they left, swush, I followed them. I was running after them and after my brother. My brother died becouse of the daughters-in-law … this is what he said: „Hey, Florea, lets take her with us. Wherever we die, she will die with us! Can´t you see, she´s stuck to us?“ this said my brother Goro, God bless his soul!
And after this, they took us.
When we returned, those Russians, entered our tent. They came for us. The Russians. They came searching for us in our places, where we came from, there they came for us.
What did they do to you?
The Russians? They shoot us, in order to kill us, with those pistols, just to kill us.
We were not lighting fires any more. My Granddad, Koka, my Granddad, they shot him in his leg and the bullet got trough his leg, right here. [showing]
Why did they shoot him?
They shot him ´couse he stormed at them Russians. They were talking their talk, the Russians. They shot him becouse he was talking back and becouse it was not allowed to lit the fire, we were not supposed to light fires. We stayed with our parents, hungry, bitter, beaten. My mother was left lame because of a typhus infection.
They killed a woman, my aunt…
Which one? What was her name?
I forgot her name … and a dog came …. uuuu … go away…. a dog came where he was not supposed to come and got to her guts … it took all the vinasse out of her body, everything inside her … teared her appart …
Was she dead?
Dead, she was killd her there, on the spot where she lit a fire to cook. They hit her with that bomb. There were hounds over there… had nothing to eat, to hell with them. They ate out of her, they ate so much until they got her verry guts. Got everything out of her .. are you listening? Suffering, bitterness, we were very poor, we had no water to drink and no food to eat. We had no food, and no things to make food of, they killed our parents. When they slapped my father´s backthroat, I thought that at that moment it was over and I would die there too, as there is no one left to bring me back. They hit him right here, they would hit with whatever they came across, those Russians. And that´s how we remained there for four years, and after four years, we crossed on this side of the Dniester.
You stayed for two years
Dniester. For two years or… No, we stayed longer. After all this time, we were to return, to come back home. There was other kind of sorrow on the way back. They followed us, these ones. Just to see how we are, how we arrived, where we were… the Russians came and killed us, shot the horses. My fathers carriage was left there with five hundered gold coins like these, in it. My father used ti give it away, he gave it to poor people who had no money so they could pay for crossing over. Now they took my fathers gold, they took the gold from my mothers belt where she had it hidden sewn in on the belt, from there they took my mothers gold.
Suffering, bitterness, being beaten up and poverty, devoured us at the Bug …
Aunt Lulla, I heard that you know the songs of the Bug. Live long, have luck and be healthy ! Can you please sing one song for us!
My head hurts.
I kindly ask you to sing just one song for us!
Well, give me something to drink so that I sing.
God will give you strength!
Well then, talk to him to take away the pain I have in my throat and here in my legs.
Do not worry.. Drink! When you will hear the word of God you will stop drinking.
Be blessed, may your children live long lives! And your grandchildren too.
God be with us! Jesus Christ be with us!
That was it. I took a sip!
Where the Danube coils
On the shipments it stops.
Stop singing, little girl,well,
Let’s stop sighing.
Laai lai lalaila, mai.
The Germans came on us
They beat us up and killed us
Aa Lailai laila, mai.
My mother says to me,
Come with me, man.
Come with me, man.
The German shot the rifles
And it shortened our days.
And it shortened our days, man.
That was sinful, man
That was so sinful
He killed a whole country.
Beaten and bitter
Aa Lailai laila, mai.
Come brothers, come sisters,
Come brothers, come sisters,
Iam your only hope, man.
I don’t have a father, do not have a mother
No one to do us justice
If only I had a man
I’d fight with everyone
I’d fight with everyone.
I am tired…
What I lost and what I had, man
Ate the horses and chariot
Antonescu destroyed us.
Antonescu destroyed us, man.
He took my horses and my chariot
And we came on foot
On foot, on foot, man.
Put those feet on
Avavau I lingerand linger
You ate me, Antonescu, man.
Yeah, what you charmed us with
With wooden houses, man.
With wooden houses, man.
You ate me, Antonescu, man
You ate my chariot and my gold coins
You ate my chariot and my gold coins
You beat us, you made us miserable, man
You killed us, man
If only the worms would devour you Antonescu
Yes, you’ve done a lot to us
When we wished upon good things
You were shooting at us, man.
You beat us, you killed us,
You beat us, you kill us
You took the gold coins from us.
You killed our donkeys, man
Our donkeys you killed
They had bells around their necks, my father’s horses, and they shot and killed them. Do you hear that? They actually killed my fathers donkeys, the ones he took over there and we got there and when we had to return, they shot us with guns, and bullets and killed the horses. They had blue tassels at the ears, I can see it as now how they shot them .
Be cursed Antonescu’s head
Why did he bother about my donkeys
And the gold chain on my neck, man?
You ate me, Antonescu
You took the gold chain from my neck
And the chariot I had along
You killed the donkeys
You killed the donkeys
Mother, do the laundry
The troops are waiting for me, man.
I would wash them for you, dear
But the Russians wouldn’t let me
They were throwing a bomb at me.
Antonescu and the Russians
They beat us, they killed us
They left us naked.
Be blessed!
Lets God be with us!
May God be with you and take all the pain from you!
He may take them!
May He give you strength and be beside you, and never leave you!
You too stay healthy and be blessed!
If Gogu was still alive, he would have told you more.
Gogu was your brother?
My husband
Your husband was?
The boy of Drilla. Zambilla was my mother in law, you know Zambilla? Drilla´s son. Yo do know Zambilla, my mother in law?
I do not know her.
But Văcaru (Cowboy) you know?
I do not know him either. But I heard of him.
Zăriano do you know? The old Gogu, you know him?
I heard about him. I did want to come this winter to meet him but I could not, I know he was quite old, he was 105 years old. God rest his soul!
God rest his soul!
It´s a pitty he did not live a little bit longer to tell us his story.
He is gone.
