Privighetoare

There is a small singing bird that is very common in Romania. Sadly, however, the "privighetoare," as it's called, only sings its beautiful songs at night. Craftily, people put the birds in cages and covered them so the birds would think it was night and sing during the day. More ruthless admireres of the privighetoare ripped the eyes out of the birds so they would sing all the time - living in an endless night.

Traian Dorz was imprisoned for 17 years during communism in Romania for writing Christian poetry, and he compared himself to these birds. Imprisioning him and banning him from paper and pencil was like ripping the eyes from the Privighetoare. When they took away the sun, and all that brought light to his world, it withdrew from him the sweetest songs.