Page:The Ballads of Marko Kraljević.djvu/90

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[ 42 ]

That the čardak rang in the four corners thereof;
And therewithal she began to speak shameful words:
"God be praised! Praise be to the true God!
I can understand marvels of every sort,
And for all adversities I can find a remedy. 450
But I understand not this land of Prizren,
That hath bestowed the rank of chief
On a madman like Leka Kapetan!
Where is thy understanding? Thou hast lost it!
What whim hath taken thee, brother?
How hast thou been so befooled this day?
Liever had I remain unwed[1],
In this our realm of Prizren
Than go to Prilep castle,
And be called Marko's wife. 460
For Marko holds of the Sultan,
He fights and smites for the Turks,
Never will he have grave nor burial,
Nor o'er his grave will burial service be read.
Wherefore with all my beauty should I be wife to a Turkish minion?
Yet would I not be angered,
That thou art deceived by reason of Marko's valour,
But I am wroth with thee,
That thou findest aught to love
In this Vojvoda Miloš, 470
Because he is featly fashioned of body and a strong knight.
Hast thou heard what folk say concerning him?
They say that a mare foaled Miloš[2],
A grey Arab mare,
An Arab mare that brought forth crane-like foals[3];
In the morning they found Miloš in the stud,
And the mare suckling him with her udder;

  1. Lit. "to comb my grey hair."
  2. The hero's surname Obilić was said by many to be Kobilić, and as kobila = a mare, the point of the sneer is obvious.
  3. See note, line 151.