Three young travellers travell’d forth to travel:
On their travels met a lovely maiden:
Each will give the lovely maid a present:
One presents her with a fresh-pluck’d apple:
One presents her with bosilka [185a] flowering:
One a gold ring for the maiden’s finger.
He who gave the maiden the bosilka
Said, “The maid is mine—I claim the maiden.”
He who gave the maid the fresh-pluck’d apple
Said, “The maid is mine—I claim the maiden.”
He who gave the gold ring to the maiden
Said, “We’ll go and seek the judge [185b] together:
He shall say to whom belongs the maiden.”
So they went and sought the judge’s presence:
“Judge, thou honourable judge! between us:
We three travellers travell’d forth together,
And we met a maiden in our travels,
And we gave her—gave her each a present:
One of us a green and fresh-pluck’d apple:
One presented her bosilka flowering;
And the third a gold ring for her finger:—
Now decide to whom belongs the maiden.”
Thus the honourable judge decided:
“We present bosilka for its odour:
As a pledge of love we give an apple:
But to give a ring is a betrothing;—
He who gave the ring must have the maiden.”
THE SULTANESS.
Listen! I hear a cry, a cry!
The bells are ringing lustily;
And the hens are cackling all in riot.
No! no! no! the bells are quiet;
The hens at rest with one another:
’Tis the sister calls the brother:
“Brother! I am a Moslem slave:
Tear me from my Turkish grave.
Small the price which sets me free:
Of pearls two measures—of gold but three.”
In vain she calls her brother.—‘O no!
My treasures to my apparel go:
The gold my horse’s bridle must deck:
My pearls must grace my maiden’s neck;
Must buy a kiss—must buy a kiss.’
The maid her brother answer’d with this:
“I am no slave! I am no less
Than the sultan’s chosen sultaness.”
BETROTHING.
Here there is a maiden,
Young, and yet a virgin:
Give her then a husband,
Or give us the maiden,
And we will betroth her
To Ivan the student.
He’s our parson’s nephew—
He has art to write on
Pinions of the eagle.
What shall be his subject?
What—but bright-eyed maidens
And the brows of heroes?
CAUTIONS.
O thou lovely maiden!
Lo! thy praise has mounted
To the monarch’s city!
Maiden! thou hast planted
The six-branch’d kaloper [190a]
And bosilka [190b] early.
But the youths unmarried
Long have been in waiting
To tear up thy balsam—
Thy bosilka pillage.
Know’st thou not they linger
Just to steal thy kisses?
Maiden! maiden! never
Let those youths betray thee!