The Ballads of Marko Kraljević/Marko Kraljević Recognises his Father's Sword (Variant)
MARKO KRALJEVIĆ RECOGNISES HIS
FATHER'S SWORD
(Variant)
The Sultan's Majesty came down to Kossovo,
With an hundred thousand warriors with him.
And camped by Sitnica river.
And a public crier[1] went through the host,
Offering for sale a damascened sabre.
The naked sword—three hundred ducats;
The sheath thereof—three hundred ducats;
Straps and swordbelt—three hundred ducats;
But none might he find
That would buy the sabre for gold.10
But by chance it fortuned,
That Marko met with the Turk, the merchant.
And Kraljević Marko said:
"O Turk, thou crier of merchandise!
Give me the damascened blade that I may see it."
The Turk gave it without a word,
Marko looked well at the damascened sabre,
And to the crier he said:
"I will give thee nine hundred,
Nine hundred ducats, all of yellow gold, 20
But hear me, thou crier!
Let us seek a secluded spot,
Let us withdraw us from here a little,
That so I may count out to thee all the yellow ducats.
It liketh me not here to ungird me,
And to do off my three belts of gold,
For here I owe much money to a Turk,
He would not suffer me to buy the sword."
The Turk had joy of these words,
So they went up by Sitnica river, 30
Under the white stone bridge.
And Kraljević Marko ungirded,
And did off his three belts of gold;
He spread out a green mantle,
And emptied thereon his three belts of gold.
The Turk fell to counting all the yellow ducats,
What time Marko looked well at the Damascus blade.
And lo, upon the blade three Christian words!
The first was the name of Saint Demetrius,
The second was the name of the holy archangel, 40
The third was the name of King Vukašin.
And when Kraljević Marko perceived it,
He put question to the Turkish merchant:
"O Turk, thou crier of merchandise.
By the one only God,
Whence hast thou this Damascus sabre?
Came it to thee from thy father?
Or did thy wife bring it in wedding portion?
Or didst thou win it in battle?"
The Turk made answer to Marko: 50
"Body of me, thou unknown knight!
I will tell thee soothly!
The sabre came not to me from my father,
Nor did my wife bring it in wedding portion.
But hearken, unknown knight!
On the battle-field did I win the sabre,
When the Serbian Empire perished,
And two emperors fell at Kossovo,
Sultan Murad and Tsar Lazar,
There won I the sabre. 60
While it was yet early I hied me to Sitnica,
That I might water my stout steed,
And as it fortuned,
I came on a green silken tent.
Within the tent there lay a wounded knight.
Grim of aspect he was—God strike him dead!
His moustache fell down on his breast,
He had wrapped himself in a green mantle,
And beside him was the Damascus sabre.
And when the wounded knight was ware of me, 70
He spake, calling me brother-in-God.
'Brother-in-God,' quoth he, 'unknown knight,
Cut not off my head,
For I am grievously wounded,
And right soon will my soul go from me.
Do thou wait but one half hour,
And bury me by Sitnica river.
Lo, I have three belts of gold about me,
And behold my sabre damascened,
The which is worth a thousand ducats, 80
And my silken tent also.'
But of him truly, would I take no gift.
I drew him forth—the wounded hero—
I seized the sabre and cut off his head;
Then I took him by the hand,
Likewise by the right foot,
And cast him into Sitnica river.
It was there I won marvellous great booty,
And there I won me this sabre."
When Kraljević Marko heard it, 90
He spake to the crier of merchandise:
"O Turk, may God do so unto thee and more also!
Him thou slewest was my own dear father,
My father, King Vukašin!
Hadst thou waited for his soul to pass,
Hadst thou buried him yonder,
I would have given thee better burial."
Right so he drew the damascened blade,
And strake off the Turk's head.
He took him by the hand, 100
And cast him into Sitnica river.
"Go, Turk," quoth he, "seek my father!"
Marko returned back to the Sultan's host
Bearing with him both gold and sabre.
The Turkish janissaries questioned him, saying:
"God aid thee, Kraljević Marko!
Whither is gone the merchant?"
And Marko answered the Turks:
"He hath fared further, Turkish janissaries.
He took my ducats and piastres,110
And fared further for to trade by the sea coast."
But the Turks spake among themselves, saying:
"Woe to the Turk that tradeth with Marko!"
- ↑ телал = herald, messenger, one who cries articles for sale.