The Ballads of Marko Kraljević/The Marriage of King Vukašin
THE MARRIAGE OF KING VUKAŠIN
Wizenend Vukašin wrote a letter
In white Skadar on the Bojana,
And sent it into Hercegovina
To the white stronghold Pirlitor[1],
To Pirlitor over against Durmitor,
To Vidosava wife of Momčilo;
Secretly he wrote and secretly he sent to her.
In the letter thus he spake to her:
"Vidosava, wife of Momčilo,
What wilt thou in yonder ice and snow? 10
If from the Castle thou lookest up,
Thou hast naught that is fair to see
But only white Durmitor mountain
Arrayed in ice and snow,
In summer as in winter;
If from the Castle thou lookest down,
Yonder gloomy Tara floweth turbulent,
Rolling with it trees and stones;
No ford is there on Tara nor any bridge,
And round about are pine trees and rugged rocks, 20
Therefore do thou poison Vojvoda Momčilo,
Or poison him or betray him into my hands;
Come to me to the level sea-coast,
To white Skadar on Bojana;
I shall take thee for my true wife,
And thou shalt be Lady Queen.
Thou shalt spin silk on a golden spindle,
Silk shalt thou spin, on silk shalt thou sit,
Thou shalt wear velvet and brocade,
And all the broidery shall be of purest gold[2].30
How fair is Skadar on Bojana!
If thou lookest at the hills above the Castle,
Figs and olives are ever growing,
Vineyards also there are, rich in grapes,
And if thou lookest from the Castle downwards,
Yonder fair wheat waxeth,
And round about are green meadows
Wherethrough green Bojana floweth,
And therein swim fishes of every sort 39
That when thou wilt thou mayst eat of them fresh caught."
The letter came to Momčilo's wife.
Heedful she scanned the letter, the wife of Momčilo,
Heedful she scanned it and wrote another letter:
"O my Lord King Vukašin,
Not easy is it to betray Momčilo
Not easy to betray nor yet to poison him;
Momčilo hath a sister Jevrosima,
She maketh ready for him the lordly meals,
She tasteth the dish before him;
Momcilo hath nine dear brothers,50
And twelve nephews—brothers' sons;
They serve the red wine to him,
They drink of each glass before him:
Momčilo hath a horse Jabučilo[3],
Jabučilo a wingéd horse,
That can fly whithersoever he will:
Momčilo hath a sword with eyes[4],
And feareth none save God only.
But hear me now King Vukašin,
Do thou gather together a mighty host, 60
And lead them forth to the level lake,
And lie in a bushment in the greenwood;
A strange custom hath Momčilo,
Each holy Sunday in the morning
He riseth early and goeth on hunting to the lake;
With him he taketh his nine dear brothers,
And his twelve brothers' sons,
And forty henchmen from the Castle;
And when the eve of Sunday is come,
I will singe the wings of Jabučilo,70
I will seal up the keen sword,
I will seal it fast with salt blood,
That it may not be drawn forth of its sheath:
Thus shalt thou slay Momčilo."
When this letter came to the King,
And he perceived what the writing told him,
He was filled with joy.
Straightway he gathered a mighty host.
And came with the host to Hercegovina;
He led them forth to the level lake80
And lay in a bushment in the greenwood.
When now the eve of Sunday was come,
Momčilo went to his bedchamber
And laid him down on the soft pallet;
Soon after his wife entered in also,
But she would not lie on the soft pallet;
Down her cheeks she wept hot tears,
Wherefore Vojvoda Momčilo asked of her:
"Vidosava, my faithful wife.
What great grief is thine90
That thou criest tears down?"
And Vidosava his wife made answer:
"Lord and Master Momčilo Vojvoda,
No ill-fortune is come upon me,
But I have heard a wondrous marvel,
I have heard—I have not seen—
That thou hast a horse Jabučilo,
Jabučilo a wingéd horse,
But on thy horse have I seen no wings,
And I believe it not— 100
Also I fear me that thou art in danger to perish."
Sage was Vojvoda Momčilo,
Sage he was, yet was he deceived,
And to his wife thus he spake:
"Vidosava, my faithful wife,
As touching that I will give thee easy comfort,
Right well mayst thou see the wings of Čile.
What time the first cocks crow,
Get thee forth to the new stable,
Then will Čile let grow his wings 110
And so mayst thou perceive them."
He said, and laid him down to sojourn among dreams.
Momčilo slept but his wife slept not,
On the pallet she listened
For the first cocks to crow;
And when the first cocks crowed,
She sprang from the soft pallet,
She lit the candle in the lantern,
She took with her tar and tallow
And straightway went to the new stable. 120
And in truth it was as Momčilo had spoken,
For Jabučilo did cause his wings to grow,
Down to his hoofs he caused his wings to grow;
Forthwith she smeared his wings,
With tallow and with tar she smeared them
And with the candle she set the wings on fire;
With fire she burnt them up, the wings of Jabučilo,
And what by fire she could not utterly destroy,
She bound up fast around his knees.
Thereafter she hied her to the armoury,130
She took the sword of Momčilo
She dipped it in salt blood,
And returned to the soft pallet.
On the morrow when the dawn whitened,
Vojvoda Momčilo arose,
And to his wife Vidosava he said:
"Vidosava, my faithful wife,
I dreamed a strange dream last night.
A tuft of mist writhed out
From Vasoje's accursed country,140
And twined itself round Durmitor;
Through the mist I took my way
With my nine dear brothers,
And the twelve brothers' sons,
And forty men-at-arms from the Castle;
In the mist, dear wife, we parted,
We parted and met no more.
God wot—this bodeth no good thing."
His wife Vidosava made answer to him:
"Fear not, dear my Lord,150
A good hero hath dreamt a good dream;
Dreams are lies, God alone is truth."
Vojvoda Momčilo made him ready to go forth,
And he came down from the White Tower.
Nine dear brothers await him,
And twelve brothers' sons,
And forty soldiers from the Castle.
His wife led out the white steed,
They mount the good horses,
And fare forth to hunt by the lake.160
When they were come to the lake side,
The mighty host encompassed them about,
And when Momčilo was ware of the host,
He pulled at the sword by his side,
But in no wise could he draw it,
It was as if rooted in the sheath.
Then spake Vojvoda Momčilo:
"Hear ye my brothers!
Vidosava—the she-hound—hath betrayed me,
So give me a sword of the best."170
Quickly the brothers obeyed him
They gave him a sword of the best,
And Momčilo spake to his brethren:
"Hear ye, my dear brothers!
Do ye fall on the flanks of the host
And on the centre will I set on myself."
Dear God, great marvel it was!
A thing worthy indeed to be seen of any man,
How Vojvoda Momčilo hewed about him,
How he brake him a passage down the hillside;180
The horse Jabučilo trampled down more men
Than Momčilo cut down with the sharp sword.
Yet evil fortune met him in the way,
For as he pressed towards Pirlitor,
There met him nine black horses
But of his brothers on them there was not one.
And when Vojvoda Momčilo perceived it,
The hero's heart brake
With grief for his born brothers;
His white hands grew feeble, 190
He might wield the sword no more;
Therefore he smote the horse Jabučilo,
With boot and spur he smote him,
For to make him fly to Castle Pirlitor.
But the good steed might not fly,
And Vojvoda Momčilo cursed him:
"Jabučilo, may wolves devour thee!
In sport we have flown from here together,
Not urged by need, but out of joy of heart,
And today thou wilt not fly!" 200
The brave steed whinnied and made answer:
"Lord and master Vojvoda Momčilo,
Curse me not neither urge me onward;
Today I cannot fly:
May God slay thy Vidosava!
She burned up my wings with fire,
And what with fire she could not utterly destroy
That she bound fast about my knees;
Flee thou, therefore, whithersoever thou mayst."
When Vojvoda Momčilo heard this,210
Tears rolled down the hero's cheeks;
From Čilaš his horse he sprang,
In three bounds he gained the Castle,
But the Castle doors were bolted,
Bolted and barred.
Now when Momčilo perceived his straits,
He cried to his sister Jevrosima:
"Jevrosima, dear sister mine,
Let down to me a length of linen,
That I may escape into the Castle."220
Through her tears, sister to brother answered:
"Brother, Vojvoda Momčilo,
How shall I let down a length of linen,
When my sister-in-law Vidosava,
My sister-in-law—thy faithless wife,
Hath bound my hair to a beam?"
Yet the sister's heart was compassionate,
Anguish was hers for her born brother,
She hissed like an angry snake,
She swung her head with all her strength,230
That the hair was torn from out her head,
And remained on the beam;
She took a length of linen cloth,
She threw it down from the Castle wall,
Momčilo seized the end of linen,
And thus he scaled the Castle wall;
Yet a moment and he had leaped within,
But the faithless wife sped thither amain,
In her hands she bore a sharp sword,
And she severed the linen sheet above his hand; 240
Momčilo fell down from the Castle wall,
The King's henchmen await him,
And on swords and war-spears he fell,
On clubs and battle-maces,
At the feet of King Vukašin;
The King thrust at him with a war-spear,
And pierced him through the living heart.
Then Vojvoda Momčilo lifted up his voice and cried:
"I adjure thee, King Vukašin,
Take not to thyself my Vidosava250
Vidosava my faithless wife,
For she will cause thee to lose thy head also;
Today she betrayeth me to thee,
Tomorrow she will betray thee to another;
Wherefore do thou take my dear sister,
Mine own dear sister Jevrosima,
She will be faithful to thee ever,
And will bear thee a hero like unto myself."
Thus spake Vojvoda Momčilo
Thus he spake compelling his spirit,260
And when he had spoken he gave up the ghost.
When Momčilo was now dead,
The Castle gates were opened,
And Vidosava that she-hound went forth,
And gave welcome to King Vukašin.
She led him to the White Tower,
She made him to sit down at golden tables,
And feasted him with wine and brandy,
With lordly dishes and fine meats of every sort;
Next she goeth to the armoury 270
And thence brought him Momčilo's apparel,
Momčilo's apparel and his weapons.
And now behold a marvel!
That which had reached to Momčilo's knees
Trailed on the ground behind Vukašin;
What for Momčilo had been a fitting helmet
Came down on the shoulders of Vukašin;
What had been a fitting boot for Momčilo
Therein Vukašin could put both his legs;
What had been a fair golden ring for Momčilo280
Therein Vukašin might place three fingers;
What had been a proper sword for Momčilo
Trailed on the ground an ell's-length behind Vukašin.
What had been a coat of mail for Momčilo
Beneath its weight the King cannot bear him up
Then cried King Vukašin:
"Avaj—by the dear God—woe is me!
Lo, what a wanton is this Vidosava!
If today she betrayeth such a knight of prowess,
Whose match there is not in all the world,290
How should she not betray me tomorrow?"
He called his faithful servants;
They seized Vidosava the wanton;
They bound her to the tails of horses;
They drave them apart before Pirlitor,
And the horses rent her living body in sunder.
The King laid waste Momcilo's stronghold,
And took to him Momcilo's sister,
Called Dilber-Jevrosima—the Fair Jevrosima;
He carried her off to Skadar on Bojana,300
And took her to be his wife;
And by her he begat fair offspring,
She bare him Marko and Andrea,
And Marko followed in his uncle's footsteps.
In the footsteps of his uncle Vojvoda Momčilo.
Jabučilo, the winged horse: "It is said that in a certain lake in this region there was a winged horse which used to emerge at night and cover Momčilo's mares as they grazed in the meadows by the lake-side. When he had covered a particular mare he would kick her in the belly in order to cause abortion and thus to ensure that no winged offspring should be foaled. On learning this Momčilo provided himself with drums, kettledrums and other noise-producing instruments. He then drove his mares down to the lake-side as usual, and, during the day, concealed himself close by. At nightfall the horse came up out of the lake and covered one of the mares. As he was about to come down from her, Momčilo began to make a tremendous noise with the drums and other instruments, whereupon the horse took fright and dashed off to the lake without attempting to procure abortion in the mare. The latter thus remained pregnant and in due course foaled the winged horse owned by Momčilo. In the various versions of the story Momčilo's horse is referred to as вранче (the black horse), дорат (the brown) and ђогат (the white). In the version here given it is called Jabučilo and for short Čilaš and Čile" (Vuk's footnote).
- ↑ "Some sing Piritor instead of Pirlitor. It is said that the ruins of this place are still standing" (Vuk's footnote).
- ↑ А још оно што жежено злато: it is difficult to grasp the exact meaning. In all probability it refers to embroidery worked in thread of gold.
- ↑ Jabučilo: Vuk has a footnote which will be found at the end of the ballad. It is too long for insertion here.
- ↑ "I do not know what 'a sword with eyes' means, nor could the singer explain. Perhaps the expression refers to some coloured device representing eyes" (Vuk's footnote). The meaning seems quite clear.