MARKO IN THE DUNGEON OF AZAK
(Fragment)
Dear God, to thee be praise in all things!
What a knight of worship and hardiness was Marko!
And see how he fareth this day in a dungeon,
The accursed dungeon of Azak!
The dungeon is a strange abode.
Therein the water came to his knees,
And the bones of dead heroes reached to his middle.
And there went to and fro snakes and scorpions;
The snakes sought men's eyes for to suck;
The scorpions sought faces for to mar them, 10
The legs of heroes were loosed from their knees,
And their arms fell from their shoulders.
In the dungeon Marko made dole and sorrow out of measure;
Such dole he made that God himself was ware of it.
And Marko looked out to the market-place of Azak,
If haply he might see one of his own men.
And by the one God, none of his own he saw,
But he saw a fair damsel,
The dear daughter of the King of Azak.
And he called unto her, saying: 20
"Sister-in-God, thou king's daughter!
Draw nigh to me to the window of the dungeon."
The damsel hearkened unto him for God's sake,
For the sake of her brother-in-God.
She came nigh to the dungeon window,
And Marko spake (softly) to her:
"Sister-in-God, king's daughter!
Go to thy father. King of Azak;
Give him fair reverence from me and greeting:
By the true God I beseech him 30
That he let me forth of the accursed dungeon.
On my faith and honour,
