The Ballads of Marko Kraljević/Marko Kraljević and the Perilous Bogdan
MARKO KRALJEVIĆ AND THE
PERILOUS BOGDAN
Early one morn three Serbian Vojvodas
Journeyed from Kossovo toward the rocky sea-coast.
One was Marko of Prilep,
The second was Relja of Pazar,
The third Miloš of Pocerje.
They took their way near by a vineyard,
That 'longed unto Bogdan, a full perilous knight.
Now Relja of Pazar spurred his horse,
And urged him through the vineyard,
And brake and did scathe in the rich vineyard.10
Therewithal spake Marko to him, saying:
"Get thee forth of the rich vineyard, Relja!
Hadst thou known whose is this vineyard
Thou hadst ridden thy horse a great way round,
For it 'longeth unto the Perilous Bogdan.
Once afore I passed this way,
I brake and did scathe in the rich vineyard,
And the Perilous Bogdan perceived and saw me,
On his slender Arab mare he rode,
And I durst not await Bogdan,20
But fled by the rocky shore;
The Perilous Bogdan pursued after me
On his slender Arab,
And but for my war-horse Sharatz,
Of a surety had he taken me.
But my Sharatz drew ever forward,
And the mare began to fall behind.
And when the Perilous Bogdan saw it,
He drew his heavy mace,
And hurled it after me by the rocky shore,30
And smote me on the silken girdle.
With the mace-handle, pobratim, he smote me,
And dashed me on to the ears of Sharatz,
That scarce might I recover seat,
And escape along the rocky shore.
That is seven years agone,
Since then have I passed this way no more."
They held talk of this matter,
When there arose a cloud of dust,
And it came to the vineyard by the level shore.40
The three Serb knights looked up,
And lo! the Perilous Knight was there,
With a fellowship of twelve knights with him.
And when Marko Kraljević saw it.
He spake unto Relja and unto Miloš, saying[1]:
"Hearken ye, my two pobratims!
See where he comes, the Perilous Knight!
Meseemeth all three we should lose our heads.
But come, let us flee hence[2]!"
But Miloš spake and said:50
"Pobratim, Kraljević Marko!
Today folk deem and say also,
That three better knights of prowess are not,
Than we three Serbian Vojvodas.
Better were it for us three to perish,
Than that we should flee shameful this day."
When Marko heard it,
He spake unto them again, saying:
"How would ye that we divide them?
Whether would ye have ado with Bogdan alone,60
Or with his twelve Vojvodas?"
Miloš and Relja answered him:
"We would have ado with Bogdan alone."
Marko had joy of that word,
And in the same hour Bogdan made onset.
Marko drew his heavy mace,
And drave the twelve Vojvodas before him.
He turned him about once and again,
And lo, he had stricken all twelve from their horses!
Right so he bound their hands,70
And drave them round the vineyard.
And behold there was the Perilous Knight,
Driving tofore him Relja and Miloš,
And the hands of both he had bound.
And when Marko saw it,
He was afeared as never before,
And he began to look whither he should flee.
But on a sudden him remembered,
How each had sworn to other,
That if one should be in straits,80
The others should come to his aid and comfort.
So he drew tight the reins of Sharatz;
He pulled down his sable kalpak on his forehead,
Until the fur made one with his eyebrows.
Then he drew his well-wrought sabre,
And looked darkly upon Bogdan;
Bogdan stood still by the vineyard,
But when he saw the black eyes of Marko,
And saw what was writ therein,
His legs were as palsied under him.90
Marko looked at the Perilous Bogdan,
Bogdan looked at Kraljević Marko,
But neither would have ado with other.
At the last Bogdan spake and said:
"Come, Marko, let us leave this even hand.
Loose thou my twelve Vojvodas,
That I may loose unto thee Relja and Miloš."
Of that word Marko had great joy,
Straightway he loosed unto him his twelve Vojvodas,
And Bogdan loosed Relja and Miloš.100
Then Marko took the wine-skin from Sharatz,
And sat him down for to drink rosy wine,
And he did eat also of the grapes of the vineyard.
And when they were merry with wine,
The three Serbian knights arose,
And took their good steeds.
And Marko spake to Bogdan and said:
"God abide with thee, thou Perilous Knight!
May we meet together in health yet again,
And toast each other in red wine."110
But the Perilous Bogdan made answer:
"God go with thee, Kraljević Marko!
But may mine eyes see thee no more.
In such wise hast thou assailed me this day,
That never shall I yearn after thee to see thee."
Marko went up by the rocky shore,
Bogdan abode by his vineyard.
- ↑ Relja: the winged Relja of Novibazar appears again in the story of Leka's sister. So also does Miloš of Pocerje who is the same as Miloš Obilić.
- ↑ This is one of the occasions on which Marko shows weakness. Goethe asked Talvj to omit "Лутица Богдан" from her translations: "denn hier erscheint Marko seiner unwürdig." For once Talvj did not agree: "Wenn ich das meinige tue den häszlichen Helden Marko berühmt zu machen, ihn beliebt machen, zu wollen, kann mir nicht einfallen." (Ćurčin, pp, 139-140).