He was born in the town Căinari, in Eastern Bessarabia, which was part of the Russian Empire, now in the Republic of Moldova.

[2] He studied at the theological school of Chișinău, and published his first poems (Țăranii (Peasants), Eu cânt (I sing), Țara (The Country)) in the newspaper Basarabia, where he also published two articles on Moldavian folklore.

In the summer of 1917 he wrote the lyrics for Limba noastră (Our Language),[3] which has been the national anthem of Moldova since 1994.

He also volunteered as a World War One Romanian front priest, at the battle of Mărășești.

He died a month later of epidemic typhus, and was buried at the Chișinău Central Cemetery.