DOSOFTEI (DOSOFHEIU). - Metropolitan of Moldavia, the first Romanian writer of literary verse. B. c. 1624, perhaps Macedonian-Romanian, he was first a monk, then bishop of Nusi (1658) and of Roman (1659), and metropolitan of Iasi (1671). From 1673 to
1686 he was obliged to take refuge in Poland, where he had pursued his studies and where he d. in 1694.
The author of translations and liturgical books, he obtained printing type from the patriarch of Moscow. D. is especially important for his translation of the psalter, Psaltirea in Versuri (1673), inspired by that of the great Polish poet G. Kochanowski (1577), which is still sung by Polish Catholics. D.'s work is rather that of a scholar: he knew Polish, Greek, Latin, and Slavonic. Nevertheless, some of his psalms, written in short verses, possess unquestionable qualities and have remained popular. They are sung by children in the Christmas colinde (kalendae).