The Ballads of Marko Kraljević/Marko and the Moor
MARKO AND THE MOOR
A black Moor builded him a manor,
He builded a manor of twenty storeys,
By the wide blue sea.
And when the Moor had finished his manor,
He set glass in the windows thereof,
And spread therein silk and velvet,
And thus he spake to his manor:
"Wherefore shouldst thou be desolate on the sea-coast, O manor?
There be none to come and go about thee,
For I have no mother nor no sisters, 10
Nor have I yet married me;
But I swear my wife shall come and go about thee,
Else am I not the son of my mother,
But the offspring of an Arab mare.
I shall woo the Sultan's daughter,
And either he shall give her to me,
Or he shall come out into the field against me."
Thus spake the Arab to his manor,
And forthwithal he wrote a letter,
And sent it to Stamboul to the Sultan: 20
"Sire, Sultan of Stamboul!
By the sea I have builded a manor,
And none cometh and goeth about it,
For I have not yet married me,
Give me then thy daughter in marriage;
But if thou wilt not give her to me,
Come out into the field against me."
The letter came to the illustrious Sultan;
When he perceived what the letter told him,
He let seek knights of prowess, 30
And he promised gold out of measure
To whomsoever should slay the black Arab.
And there went forth hardy knights a many,
But not one returned to Stamboul.
In sore straits was the Sultan,
For his best knights were gone from him,
The black Arab had slain them all.
Nor was that thing the most grievous,
For now the black Arab made ready
To go forth from his white tower by the sea-shore. 40
He put on him fine raiment,
And girded on his rich-wrought sabre,
And made ready his grey Arab mare;
About her he made fast the sevenfold saddle-girth,
And bridled her with a gilded bridle;
He made fast his tent to the saddle-bag on one side,
And on the other side he hanged his heavy mace;
He flung him upon his horse's back,
And slung his battle-spear behind him,
And straightway went to white Stamboul. 50
When he was come before the gate of Stamboul,
He struck his spear into the ground before the gate,
And to the spear he tied his Arab steed.
Then he pitched his white tent,
And on Stamboul he laid a tax
That each night they should give him a barren sheep,
A baking of white bread,
A cask of strong rakia,
Two casks of red wine,
And a fair damsel. 60
And she served him with red wine,
And at night he kissed her fair face.
And each day he sent a damsel to the land of Talia,
And thereby gained gold out of measure.
And so for three months he continued.
And a greater shame the Sultan suffered,
For the Moor bridled his slender mare,
Through white Stamboul city he urged her,
And went straightway to the Sultan's palace.
With a loud voice he hailed the Sultan: 70
"Ho, Sultan, bring forth thy daughter;"
Right so he drew his heavy mace,
And beat therewith on the Sultan's palace,
That he shattered the glass in the windows.
And the Sultan being in sore straits,
To his shame yielded his daughter to him.
The Arab sate him down and spake of the wedding:
"Fifteen white days will pass," quoth he,
"Or I may reach the level sea-coast,
And gather the gay wedding-guests." 80
Forthwith he mounted his slender mare,
And went forth to the level sea-coast
For to gather the gay-clad wedding-guests.
When the Sultan's daughter heard it,
She hissed like an angry snake:
"Dear God!" she cried, "Woe is me!
For whom have I been reared and tended?
For a black Arab, for to be his wife!"
But when dark night was come,
The Sultan's Sultana dreamed a dream, 90
And in the dream one spake to her, saying:
"There lieth within your empire
The wide plain of Kossovo,
And Prilep castle stands in the plain of Kossovo,
And in Prilep dwells Kraljević Marko,
And men praise him for a good knight of prowess.
Send therefore, a letter to Marko Kraljević,
Call him your son-in-the-true-God,
Promise him gold out of measure
If he but save your daughter from the Moor." 100
When day dawned on the morrow,
The Sultana ran to the Sultan's majesty,
And told what she had dreamed in her dream.
And when the Sultan understood her words,
With speed he wrote a firman,
And sent it to white Prilep,
Even to Kraljević Marko;
"Son-in-God, Kraljević Marko!
Come to me to white Stamboul;
Slay me this black Arab, 110
That he take not my daughter from me,
And I shall give thee three charges of gold."
The firman went to Kraljević Marko,
And when he received the firman,
And when he saw what was writ therein,
He said to the Sultan's courier[1]:
"God be with thee, thou royal messager,
To the Sultan my father, greeting.
I dare not adventure me against the Moor,
For the Moor is a full perilous knight, 120
And if he should take the head from my shoulders,
Of what avail were three charges of gold?"
The courier went back to the illustrious Sultan,
And told what Marko had spoken.
When the Sultana heard it,
She indited another letter,
And sent it to Kraljević Marko:
"Son-in-God, Kraljević Marko,
Give not my daughter to the Moor,
And thou shalt have five charges of gold." 130
Marko Kraljević received the letter,
And when he saw what was writ therein,
He said to the imperial courier:
"Hie thee back, thou royal messager!
Hie thee back, and tell my mother-in-God
I dare not adventure me against the Moor.
The Moor is a full perilous knight,
He will take the head from off my shoulders,
And I prefer mine own head
Before all the treasure of the illustrious Sultan." 140
The courier went back and told the Sultana
The words that Marko had spoken.
When the Sultan's daughter heard it,
Lightly she leapt to her feet,
And seized pen and paper.
She struck the pen into her face,
She drew blood from her cheek,
And wrote a letter to Marko:
"Brother-in-God, Kraljević Marko,
I call on thee as my brother-in-God, 150
And as my kum in God,
And in thine own Saint John,
Give me not over to the black Arab,
And thou shalt have seven charges of gold,
And a sevenfold present[2],
Not of things woven or spun,
Nor such as passeth through the weaver's loom,
But thy gifts shall be wrought of fine gold,
And I shall give thee a golden salver,
Whereon a twisted snake 160
Lifteth up his head on high,
Holding in his teeth a precious stone,
That shineth so as ye may sup by night
As it were by the light of day.
And I shall give thee a well-wrought sabre,
That hath a threefold hilt of gold,
Wherein be three precious stones.
The sabre is worth three of the Sultan's cities,
And I shall affix the Sultan's seal,
That the Vizier's self may not slay thee 170
Without he obtain permission of the illustrious Sultan."
She sent a courier with the letter to Marko.
When the letter came to Marko,
And he saw what the letter told him,
Forthwith Marko spake and said:
"Woe is me, my sister-in-God!
It were ill to go, and worse not to go,
For though I fear not Sultan nor Sultana,
Of God and Saint John I am in sooth afeared.
Therefore will I follow this adventure to the utterance." 180
He sent back the courier without message,
For neither said he "I come," nor "I come not,"
But he went to the slender tower,
And did on gear meet for a journey.
About his shoulders he cast his cloak of wolf-skin,
On his head he set his cap of wolf-skin,
He girded on his well-forged sabre,
And took also his battle-spear.
He descended to Sharatz's stable,
And made fast the sevenfold saddle-girth. 190
Then he filled with wine a wine-skin,
And hanged it on the right side of Sharatz,
And on the left side he hanged his heavy mace,
That the saddle should not slip to this side nor to that
Then he flung him on the back of Sharatz
And right so went forth to white Stamboul.
When he was come to white Stamboul,
He went neither to Sultan nor yet to Grand Vizier,
But to the new inn he went,
And there he would tarry the night; 200
But before the dark of night was come,
He led Sharatz to a lake,
For to water him with cold water.
But Sharatz would not drink of the water,
But looked ever round about him.
And behold a Turkish maiden,
Cloaked in a shawl of gold!
When the maiden drew nigh to the lake-side,
She bowed her down before the green lake.
"God aid thee, green lake," quoth she, 210
"God aid thee, my eternal home!
In thee I would be for ever!
Liever were I wedded with thee than with the Moor."
Then did Kraljević Marko make known his presence:
"Ha, Lady," quoth he, "thou Turkish maiden!
What is it that urgeth thee into the lake?
Wherefore wilt thou wed thee with the lake?
Into what sore straits art thou come?"
The Turkish maiden made answer:
"Let me pass, foul churl! 220
Wherefore dost thou ask since thou canst not help me?"
But she told him all from beginning to end,
How it was she sought refuge in the lake.
"And at the last," quoth she, "they spake to me of Marko,
That dwelleth in the castle of Prilep,
They said that Marko was a worthy knight,
That could slay the Arab an he would;
Therefore did I call him my brother-in-God,
I called him my kum-in-Saint-John,
And promised him many gifts of price. 230
In vain! Marko will not come,
He will not come, may his mother lose him!"
But Kraljević Marko spake and said:
"Curse me not, sister-in-God,
For thou seest Marko Kraljević in his proper person."
When the fair damsel heard it,
She threw her arms about Marko's neck.
"Brother-in-God, Kraljević Marko,
Give me not, I pray thee, to the black Arab!"
Answered her again Kraljević Marko: 240
"Sister-in-God, thou Turkish maiden,
Whilst my head is mine own,
I will not give thee to the black Arab.
Speak no word to any concerning me,
Save only to the Sultan and Sultana.
Let somewhat be prepared for my supper,
See that there be no stint of wine,
And let it be sent to me to the new inn.
And when the Moor cometh with his guests,
Let him receive fair welcome,250
And let them give thee to the Moor,
That there be no brawling in the palace.
For I know how I shall save thee,
If God and knightly fortune prevail."
Right so went Marko to the new inn,
The damsel hied her to the Sultan's palace,
And told the Sultan and Sultana
That Kraljević Marko was come thither.
When the Sultan and the Sultana heard it,
They let make him a lordly supper, 260
Therewith also red wine out of measure,
And let carry it to the new inn.
Now while Marko sat drinking his wine,
They began to shut the houses in Stamboul city,
And now came the innkeeper for to close his doors,
And Kraljević Marko asked him:
"Wherefore dost thou close thus early?"
Straightway the innkeeper made answer:
"God save us, thou unknown knight!
A Moor hath wooed the Sultan's daughter, 270
And hath won her and shamed our Sultan,
And this night he cometh for the damsel.
Great is the terror of the Moor,
And for this cause we close thus early."
But Marko suffered not the door to be shut,
But stayed where he was that he might see the Moor,
And his gay-clad wedding-guests.
And now a sound arose in white Stamboul,
And behold the swarthy Moor,
Riding upon his slender Arab mare, 280
With five hundred wedding-guests with him,
Five hundred swarthy Arabs.
A Moor was dever, the chief guest[3] a Moor,
And a swarthy Moor was the bridegroom.
His mare bounded furiously beneath him,
That from her feet the stones flew up,
And beat upon shop and tavern.
When they were come before the new inn,
The Arab communed with himself:
"Dear God, what great marvel is this! 290
All Stamboul hath closed its doors
Because of the great terror of my name,
Alone the door of the new inn is not closed.
Whether doth no man lodge there?
Or is there any so dull and witless,
That he knoweth not yet of my renown?"
The Arab went to the Sultan's court,
And there through the dark night he tarried.
When day dawned on the morrow,
The Sultan led forth his daughter to the Arab; 300
The damsel's garments were made ready
And twelve pack-horses took the burden.
Across Stamboul went the Arab,
With the damsel and the wedding-guests with him.
When they were come before the new inn,
The door of the inn stood ever open.
The Moor urged forward his slender mare,
For to see who might be in the tavern;
And within the tavern sat Marko,
And ever the red wine he was drinking. 310
He drank not as men are wont to drink,
But he drank from a basin of twelve okas;
Himself drank half, and half he gave to Sharatz.
Fain would the Moor have picked a quarrel,
But Sharatz tethered to the doorpost,
Suffered him not to enter in,
But kicked his mare in the ribs.
The Moor returned to the wedding-guests,
And they went on together to the market-place.
Then arose Marko Kraljević, 320
He turned his wolf-skin cloak inside out,
Inside out his cap of wolf-skin;
He made fast the girths on Sharatz,
On one side he hanged a full wine-skin,
And he hanged his great mace on the other
Lest the saddle should slip this way or that.
He took also his battle-spear,
Then he sprang on the back of Sharatz,
And hied him to Stamboul market-place.
When he overtook the wedding-guests, 330
Forthwith he stirred up a conflict,
He drave through them that were behind to them that were before,
And when he had urged Sharatz nigh to the damsel,
He slew the kum and the dever.
Word was brought to the black Arab:
"Woe betide thee, black Arab!
A knight hath fallen upon thy wedding-guests;
His horse is not as other horses,
But piebald like as a cattle-beast;
Nor is the knight like as other knights, 340
He weareth a cloak of wolf-skin,
And on his head is a cap of wolf-skin;
In his teeth is something black
That is as large as a lamb of half a year.
When he came he stirred up conflict,
He drave through the guests from rear to front,
And he hath slain kum and dever!"
The Moor turned about his grey Arab mare,
And cried to Kraljević Marko:
"Woe betide thee, thou unknown knight! 350
Which devil hath persuaded thee,
That thou shouldst come among my wedding-guests,
And slay the kum and the dever?
Art thou a witless churl that knowest naught of me?
Or art thou a knight of worship that hath lost his reason?
Or is life become a weariness to thee?
By the faith of my body,
I shall gather up the reins of my mare,
Seven times shall I leap over thee,
Seven times over thee, and seven times back, 360
And then shall I smite off thy head!"
But Kraljević Marko answered:
"Lie me no lies, black Arab!
If God and knightly fortune will it,
Thou shalt not leap so far as now I stand,
How then shalt thou leap over me?"
Ah, hadst thou but seen the black Arab,
How he tugged at his mare's bridle,
And strake her with the sharp stirrup-irons!
For in good sooth was he minded to overleap him. 370
But the war-wise Sharatz suffered it not,
But rose up on his hind legs,
And on his fore-legs received the Arab mare;
With his teeth also he laid hold on her,
And rent off her right ear,
That the mare was all bathed in blood.
Ah, had one been there to see,
How hero ran in upon hero,
The swarthy Moor upon Kraljević Marko!
But neither might the Moor slay Marko, 380
Nor yet might Marko slay the Moor,
And ever the clash of sharp swords endured!
Thus, for four hours, they drave each against other.
And when the black Arab saw
That Marko was like to prevail against him,
He turned about his slender mare,
And fled across Stamboul market-place.
Marko pursued after him,
But swift was the wild Arab mare,
Swift was she, swift as the mountain Vila, 390
And well had she outstripped Sharatz,
But Marko bethought him of his mace;
He swung it round about and cast it,
And smote the Arab fair between the shoulders.
The Arab fell down, and when Marko was come,
He cut off the Arab's head,
And laid hold upon his slender mare.
Right with that he returned back through Stamboul market-place,
But of the wedding-guests there was none nowhere,
Alone remained the Sultan's fair daughter,400
And round about her the twelve pack-loads,
That held fair garments of the damsel.
So Marko returned to the damsel,
And took her to the Sultan's palace,
And spake to the illustrious Sultan:
"Behold, Sultan, thy fair daughter!
And behold the head of the Arab!
Behold also the twelve pack-loads,
Wherein are the fair garments of the damsel."
Therewith he turned about his Sharatz, 410
And right so departed unto white Prilep.
When day dawned on the morrow,
The Sultan made ready seven charges of gold,
And the damsel prepared a sevenfold present,
Not of things woven or spun,
Nor of such as passeth through the weaver's loom,
But her gifts were wrought of fine gold.
She sent him a golden salver,
Whereon a twisted snake
Lift up his head on high, 420
And held in his teeth a precious stone,
That shone so as ye might sup by night
As it had been the light of day.
She sent him also a rich-wrought sabre,
That had a threefold hilt of gold,
Wherein were three precious stones.
Therewith, also, was the Sultan's seal,
That not the Grand Vizier durst do scathe to Marko,
Without the consentment of the illustrious Sultan.
All these she sent to Marko with the message: 430
"Behold, Marko, a little gold for thee,
And if ever thou shouldst lack for money,
Come again to the Sultan thy father."