“Lovely maiden! for the love of heaven,
Wilt thou give one cup of cooling water?
For a fiery fever glows within me;
From my steed I dare not rise, fair maiden!
For my steed, he hath a trick of evil—
Twice he will not let his rider mount him.”
Warm and earnest was the maiden’s pity,
And, with gentle voice, she thus address’d him:
“Nay! not so—not so, thou unknown warrior!
Harsh and heavy is Resava’s water;
Harsh and heavy e’en for healthful warriors;
How much worse for fever-sickening tired ones!
Wait, and I a cup of wine will bring thee.”
Swiftly tripp’d the maiden to her dwelling;
With a golden cup of wine return’d she,
Which she reach’d to Theodore of Stalach.
Out he stretch’d his hand; but not the wine cup,
But the maiden’s hand, he seized, and flung her,
Flung her on his chesnut steed behind him;
Thrice he girt her with his leathern girdle,
And the fourth time with his sword-belt bound her;
And he bore her to his own white [7] dwelling.
THE STEPSISTERS.
Near each other grew two verdant larches,
And, between, a high and slender fir-tree:
Not two larches were they—not two larches,
Not a high and slender fir between them—
They were brothers, children of one mother.
One was Paul; the other brother, Radul.
And, between them, Jēlitza, their sister.
Cordial was the love her brothers bore her;
Many a token of affection gave her,
Many a splendid gift and many a trifle,
And at last a knife, in silver hafted,
And adorn’d with gold, they gave their sister.
When the youthful wife of Paul had heard it,
Jealousy swell’d up within her bosom:
And she call’d, enraged, to Radul’s lady:
“Sister mine! thou in the Lord my sister, [9]
Dost thou know some plant of demon-virtue,
Which may bring our sister to perdition?”
Radul’s wife her sister swiftly answered—
“In the name of God, what mean’st thou sister?
Of such cursed weeds I know not.—Did I,
Never would I tell thee of them, never;
For my brothers love me; yes! they love me—
To their love full many a gift bears witness.”
When Paul’s youthful wife had heard her sister,
To the steed she hastened in the meadow,
Gave the steed a mortal wound, and hurried
To her husband, whom she thus accosted:—
“Evil is the love thou bear’st thy sister,
And thy gifts are worse than wasted to her;
She has stabb’d thy courser in the meadow.”
Paul inquired of Jelitza, his sister,
“Why this deed, as God shall recompense thee!”
High and loudly then the maid protested,
“By my life, it was not I, my brother;
By my life, and by thy life, I swear it!”
And the brother doubted not his sister.
Which when Paul’s young wife perceived, at even
To the garden secretly she hasten’d,
Wrung the neck of Paul’s grey noble falcon,—
To her husband sped she then and told him:
“Evil is the love thou bear’st thy sister,
And thy gifts to her are worse than wasted;
Lo! she has destroy’d thy favourite falcon.”
Paul inquired of Jelitza his sister,
“Tell me why, and so may God reward thee!”