| Was it the rumble of thunder, or of earthquake, | 1 | |
| or of the sea crashing on the strand? | 2 | |
| Or were the winds howling in the mountains? | 3 | |
| Was the border-guard engaging some intruder | 4 | |
| —was it Almighty God's tremendous sound, | 5 | |
| or was it ordnance of the Emperor of Istanbul? | 6 | |
|
| ||
| ...or was it earthquake, | 1 | |
| or the sea crashing on the strand, | 2 | |
| or were winds howling in the mountains? | 3 | |
| Was the border-guard engaging some intruder, | 4 | |
| was it Almighty God’s tremendous sound, | 5 | |
| or else was it ordnance of the Emperor of Istanbul? | 6 | |
| But no: neither was it thunder, nor yet earthquake, | 7 | |
| nor was the sea crashing on the strand; | 8 | |
| neither were the winds howling in the mountains, | 9 | |
| nor yet was the border-guard engaging some intrud[er]; | 10 | |
| it was not Almighty God’s tremendous sou[nd], | 11 | |
| nor ordnance of the Emperor of Istanb[ul], | 12 | |
| it was battle-cannon firing salvoes | 13 | |
| at Glasinac above Sarajevo | 14 | |
|
in the Imperial Province of Bosnia
—that, I believe, is where it happened— | 15 | |
| at the castle of Hasan Alaybey, | 16 | |
| for the Alaybey had commenced to celebr[ate] | 17 | |
| the bringing of a girl from Taslid[ža], | 18 | |
| the daughter of his age-mate, the Dizdar of Taslid[ža], | 19 | |
| for to be his nephew’s bride, wife of Osman B[ey]. | 20 | |
| The girl had only just arrived at her new ho- | 21 | |
| me, and the wedding-party were gathered in the bright courty[ard]. | 22 | |
| The men of elder years were in the parlour, | 23 | |
| while the young men entertained themselves in the bright courty[ard]. | 24 | |
| Some joined in a ring-dance there in the ya[rd], | 25 | |
| while others sat drinking cool dri[nks], | 26 | |
| and still others put large ston[es]. | 27 | |
| Bey Osmanbey was still walking his white hor- | 28 | |
| se, the white war horse of Hasan Alaybe- | 29 | |
| y, there before his stone cas- | 30 | |
| tle, and as his gaze wander- | 31 | |
| ed he caught sight of a rider approaching over the fi- | 32 | |
| eld, one mounted on a post-horse of the worshipful Emper- | 33 | |
| or. The mount groaned and the postrider jangled in the sad- | 34 | |
| dle as he flicked the horse with his riding-crop. | 35 | |
| As the rider drew nearer, | 36 | |
| Bey Osmanbey discerned | 37 | |
|
that he wore the livery of none other
than the worshipful Emperor himself. | 38 | |
|
So the rider came on, driving his white mount hard
until he reached the Bey. | 39 | |
| Then he halted his horse and gave greeting, | 40 | |
| to which Osmanbey replied in kind, | 41 | |
| nor did either forget to inquire about the other man’s health. | 42 | |
| When both had declared themselves well, | 43 | |
| then the Imperial retainer asked: | 44 | |
| “Young man, you who stand here beside your white horse, | 45 | |
| I conjure you by Almighty God whom we love, | 46 | |
| —it is, remember, a servant of the Emperor who asks you— | 47 | |
| where is Glasinac? Which way is it from here, | 48 | |
| and where is the castle of Bey Osmanbey | 49 | |
| —Osman Bey, the son of Omer Bey? | 50 | |
| Is it possible for me to reach him? | 51 | |
| Would I dare to speak with him, | 52 | |
| considering that the Emperor himself knows of him?” | 53 | |
| Osman Bey smiled when he heard this, and said: | 54 | |
| “Retainer of our worshipful Emperor, | 55 | |
|
he is not far to seek, this man of whom you speak,
for no other man who might be mistaken for him dwells hereab[outs], | 56 | |
| though this is the castle of my uncle Hasan Alaybey by right, | 57 | |
| for he himself still sees the li[ght]; | 58 | |
| but the one whom you have approached is Bey Osmanbey. | 59 | |
| It is the Bey who speaks with yo[u].” | 60 | |
| Surveying him, the Emperor’s retainer sa[id]: | 61 | |
| “Perhaps you might attempt to deceive m[e]?” | 62 | |
| “I swear to you by this world and the next, I do not deceive you.” | 63 | |
| The young liveryman thought to himself: | 64 | |
| ‘This fellow is lying to me, not telling me the truth at all.’ | 65 | |
| How could he be Bey Osmanbey | 66 | |
| —this young innocent who hasn’t yet so much as grown moustaches!— | 67 | |
| that the Emperor should have cognizance of him? | 68 | |
| Nevertheless the postrider drew forth the firman which he was carrying. | 69 | |
| He held it forth in his left hand, | 70 | |
| while with his right he drew his sword. | 71 | |
| ‘Should it happen that this truly is the Bey, | 72 | |
| the firman will open for him of its own accord; | 73 | |
| But if he has tried to deceive me, | 74 | |
| my sword will instantly decapitate him.’ | 75 | |
| Now when the Bey caught sight of the firman, | 76 | |
| he straightway did obeisance to i[t], | 77 | |
| then he took it in his hand and kissed i[t], | 78 | |
| whereupon the firman opened for him of its own accord | 79 | |
| and the Imperial postrider put away his swo[rd]. | 80 | |
| So the Bey began to see what the firman had to tell hi- | 81 | |
| m. This is what the Emperor had written: | 82 | |
| “Well now, my dear courtier, Bey Osmanbey | 83 | |
| —Osman Bey, son of Omer Bey— | 84 | |
| behold, my son, how you are known to your Sultan! | 85 | |
| But have you, for your part, heard what has befallen m[e]? | 86 | |
| Certain Christian kings have usurped my pow[er], | 87 | |
| captured an Imperial dep[ot], | 88 | |
| and taken control of Rumelia, | 89 | |
| whence I was accustomed formerly to provision all my army. | 90 | |
| They have captured the city of Hotin complete with its fortifications | 91 | |
| and drawn their new boundary at the Hotka River, | 92 | |
| cutting me off from my Imperial depot. | 93 | |
| Thus have the Four Kings done, who are mightiest of their kind: | 94 | |
| one of them is England, and with him are conjoined the King of France, | 95 | |
| and the Moscovite from the land of Russia, | 96 | |
| and the Maltese king from accursèd Malta. | 97 | |
| It is now seven years | 98 | |
| that I, the Emperor, have been away from Istanbul, | 99 | |
| campaigning in person beneath Hotin all this while | 100 | |
| against the Four Ki- | 101 | |
| ngs, bringing my might to bear against th- | 102 | |
| em. Every day I have bombarded Ho- | 103 | |
| tin, But I have not yet so much as chipped its walls, | 104 | |
| Nor do I know on which side are its gat[es]. | 105 | |
|
So it has come to pass that my hodjas have delved into the
Traditions of The Prophet, | 106 | |
| my hadjis have unrolled the scrolls of La[ws], | 107 | |
| and have given me to understand | 108 | |
| that I cannot conquer without the aid of Bosnia, | 109 | |
| for verily I have no confidence in this other commander | 110 | |
| but only in you, who are to me like unto mine own two precious eyes. | 111 | |
| So soon as this my firman reaches you, | 112 | |
|
look you that you muster up for me my Bosnians
from all the province of Bosnia. | 113 | |
| Only do not muster any mother’s only son, | 114 | |
| nor any man who is newly wed, | 115 | |
| for such men do not fight valiantly for their Emperor, | 116 | |
|
and this is no short campaign of merely seven weeks
to which I summon you, | 117 | |
| but rather a term of seven years; | 118 | |
| neither shall I remit a single day of the enlistment, | 119 | |
| nor yet shall I require one day more.” | 120 | |
| Bey Osmanbey laughed when he read this, and said: | 121 | |
| “O thou bearer of Emperor Suleyman’s firm[ans], | 122 | |
| I know my duty both to God and to this summons, | 123 | |
| and to the Emperor, Sultan Suleyman. | 124 | |
| But as to what the Emperor has written in his firman | 125 | |
| —that I am not to muster any mother’s only son | 126 | |
| nor any man who is newly w[ed] | 127 | |
| (For these conditions, as it happens, touch me myse[lf], | 128 | |
| who am my mother’s only so[n] | 129 | |
| and who have wedded, lo this very day! | 130 | |
| Indeed I have not yet so much as laid eyes on my new bride)— | 131 | |
| still I know what my duty is both to God and to the firman; | 132 | |
| and I shall surely go to serve my Emperor’s army | 133 | |
| without complaint of leaving my young bride. | 134 | |
|
But you, my good man, come in now with me and accept
our hospitality; lodge here with us tonight.” | 135 | |
| “Thank you, Osman Bey. But I may not. | 136 | |
| The Emperor has so commanded me | 137 | |
| that I dare not stop anywhere at night.” | 138 | |
|
So the Tatar immediately turned his white horse about
to go again whence he had come, | 139 | |
| while Osman Bey went into the castle yard. | 140 | |
| There he found some of the wedding guests drinking cool drinks, | 141 | |
| while others of them danced a ring-dance in the courtya[rd]. | 142 | |
| But when Osman Bey had tended his white hor[se], | 143 | |
| he entered the castle and opened the parlour door, | 144 | |
| and found his uncle Hasan Alaybey within, | 145 | |
| surrounded there by a dozen other eld[ers], | 146 | |
| including the learnèd Tahi[r]. | 147 | |
| To this priest the Bey made a sign with his eyes, | 148 | |
| whereupon the priest rose and followed him into the courty[ard]. | 149 | |
| “What is it, my son, Bey Osmanbey?” | 150 | |
| “Good sir, by your precious faith, | 151 | |
| tell no one else what I am about to tell you. | 152 | |
| An Imperial Firman has just now come to me: | 153 | |
| the Emperor requires me to join his army, | 154 | |
| which is besieging Hotin beside the icy Hotka River. | 155 | |
| There I am to campaign against an alliance of four kings. | 156 | |
| The term of my enlistment has been set | 157 | |
| at seven years, nor more nor less.” | 158 | |
| When the priest had perused the firman, | 159 | |
| he returned into the parlour, | 160 | |
|
and there, loud enough that he might be heard,
he said to Hasan Alaybey: | 161 | |
| “Old fellow, Hasan Alaybey, | 162 | |
| it seems your celebration must needs by short-liv[ed]. | 163 | |
|
Early ’though it is, I must even now complete the wedding rites
and join the girl | 164 | |
| to your nephew, Bey Osmanbey.” | 165 | |
| No man gainsayed his wo[rd], | 166 | |
| but all acceded to his intent[ion]. | 167 | |
| So the priest performed the rite of marri[age] | 168 | |
| and the wedding guests turned to the fea[st]. | 169 | |
| But afterwards each man went his separate way to his own home, | 170 | |
| while Osman Bey went in to be with his darling in the bridal cham[ber]. | 171 | |
| Consorting with her there, | 172 | |
| the Bey passed four hours. | 173 | |
| But when the fifth hour came, | 174 | |
| Bey Osmanbey opened a linen-chest | 175 | |
| and drew forth Stambolian clothes. | 176 | |
| The new bride from Taslidža began to cry unconsolably: | 177 | |
| “In the name of God, my Bey, what are you doing? | 178 | |
| What have I done to deserve such ruin, | 179 | |
| that you thus so unexpectedly abandon me | 180 | |
| on our very first evening together here in your chamber? | 181 | |
| Where does this girl dwell, the one whom you hold dearer than me? | 182 | |
| Good health to you, but death to her | 183 | |
| —and when she has died, may you soon return to me!” | 184 | |
| Bey Osmanbey laughed at this: | 185 | |
| “Sweetheart of mine here in my inner chamber, | 186 | |
| nowhere have I anyone more dear to me than yo[u]. | 187 | |
| Have no fear, my lo[ve], | 188 | |
| your Osman Bey is not about to go a-courting. | 189 | |
| Rather, my dear, I am making myself ready here in our room | 190 | |
| because an Imperial firman has reached m[e], | 191 | |
| one in which the Emperor summons me to join his ar[my], | 192 | |
| to muster the fighting men of Bosni[a] | 193 | |
| and wage war with them against four allied ki[ngs], | 194 | |
| Oh my darling, for seven ye[ars]. | 195 | |
| Not one day less will he remi[t], | 196 | |
| nor yet require so much as one day more. | 197 | |
| But come now, tell me truthfully: | 198 | |
| might you wish to leave the castle tomorrow morn | 199 | |
| and plunge my dear mother into mourning | 200 | |
| together with my uncle, Hasan Alaybey, | 201 | |
| and my aunt, the Alaybey’s lady? | 202 | |
| For if you would do that on the morrow, | 203 | |
| then come with me now, and may God keep thee well; | 204 | |
| let me even now take you up behind me on my white horse | 205 | |
| and carry you back again to your father. | 206 | |
| Then marry whomever you wish | 207 | |
| and do not wait the seven years for me, | 208 | |
| for even seven weeks are no joking matter, | 209 | |
| while I shall surely be away full seven years.” | 210 | |
| His bride exclaimed with an adder’s urgent voice: | 211 | |
| “Do not thus rend my heart within my bre[ast]! | 212 | |
| God be thanked for my good fortu- | 213 | |
| ne, that I have chanced to be the bride of an Imperial warri[or], | 214 | |
| for as hecatombs are fattened against the time of festiv[al], | 215 | |
| so are strong men reared to be soldiers of the Emper[or]. | 216 | |
| And fear thee not, Bey Osmanbey: | 217 | |
| I shall not leave thy castle, | 218 | |
| I swear by God, until the day I die.” | 219 | |
| So then the Bey went down through his vaulted castle | 220 | |
| to the stable where he kept his white horse. | 221 | |
| For a lengthy time he busied himself with preparation of the horse. | 222 | |
| “Go now, my dear, and wake my mother. | 223 | |
| One does not travel without due leave-taking.” | 224 | |
| His bride went away and returned with his mother. | 225 | |
| When his mother entered into the yard, | 226 | |
| she saw her son waiting there beside the white horse. | 227 | |
| He kissed his mother’s breasts and said: | 228 | |
| “My dear mother, bless your son, and forgive him, | 229 | |
| for I go to join the Emperor’s army. | 230 | |
| There I shall serve no less than seven years, | 231 | |
| but then again not more than seven years.” | 232 | |
| “Then go, my son; may good luck go with you, | 233 | |
| and may Turks remember where you go and what you do | 234 | |
| from this day forth unto the Judgment Day, | 235 | |
| for so long as ever red flowers blossom on the earth.” | 236 | |
| Then he took leave of his darling wife. | 237 | |
| Thrusting his right hand into his pocket, he sa[id]: | 238 | |
| “Here, my darling, I give you fifty duca[ts]. | 239 | |
| If I should perish—God forbid!— | 240 | |
| these will pay the cost of your remarri[age].” | 241 | |
| “Say not so, my Bey—I kiss your hand! | 242 | |
| You owe me nothing either in this world or in the ne[xt].” | 243 | |
| And so, having said these things, they took leave of one anoth[er]. | 244 | |
| The Bey leapt into his white horse’s sad[dle] | 245 | |
| and turned him toward the ga- | 246 | |
| te, where he passed out of the courtyard, my dear brothers. | 247 | |
| Meanwhile his mother returned into the vaulted cas[tle], | 248 | |
| and his lady also went her way, weeping as she pass[ed]. | 249 | |
| Riding his white horse, the Bey went on | 250 | |
| until he reached the lodge of his ancient-bearer, Ibro, | 251 | |
| whom he wakened while it was still night. | 252 | |
|
“My brother Ibro, dear to me as though you were
the son of my own mother, | 253 | |
| shall we go together to serve the Emperor’s army? | 254 | |
| He has summoned us to serve for seven years, | 255 | |
| and not one day less.” | 256 | |
| “I would go, my Bey, even if the term of service lasted all my life.” | 257 | |
| Immediately Ibro saddled his sorrel horse. | 258 | |
| He too was his mother’s only son | 259 | |
| and recently wed. | 260 | |
| So Ibro mounted his horse. | 261 | |
| His mother attended him as he we[nt], | 262 | |
| and his lady too tendered him her forgive[ness]. | 263 | |
| He asked Bey Osmanbey: | 264 | |
| “Now tell me, Bey, in God’s name, where are we goi[ng]?” | 265 | |
|
“Brother Ibro, we must make our way
to the heart of Imperial Bosni[a], | 266 | |
| to the Imperial city of Travnik | 267 | |
| and the seat of the Vizier of Bosnia, which is the[re]. | 268 | |
| I mean to let the Vizier muster the army of Bosnia for me.” | 269 | |
| So, having said these things, they set out on horseback | 270 | |
|
and went their way, reckoning as they went
the paths and the defiles whereby they travelled. | 271 | |
| But when bright dawn illumined the heavens, | 272 | |
| they came at length to imperial Travnik | 273 | |
| and said their matins in its mosque. | 274 | |
| After they had said their morning prayers | 275 | |
| the Bey gave the firman to the Vizier. | 276 | |
| When he had finished reading it, the Vizier said: | 277 | |
| “Bey Osmanbey, my dear son, | 278 | |
| I shall require a week and one month | 279 | |
| to recruit your corps of troops for you. | 280 | |
| Meanwhile, my son, you may return to your own town of Glasinac.” | 281 | |
| “No, indeed I may not, old sir, Vizier of Bosnia, | 282 | |
| for I was only last night mar[ried], | 283 | |
| and having been with her for but four ho- | 284 | |
| urs I took leave of my darling wife, | 285 | |
| swearing to her by the Faith and by holy law | 286 | |
| that until I am released from service in the Emperor’s ar[my] | 287 | |
| I shall not return home ag[ain].” | 288 | |
| “Well then, my son, you are welcome to lodge here with me.” | 289 | |
| So they took up residence in the Vizier’s guest house | 290 | |
| while he mustered the men of Bosnia from every part of the province. | 291 | |
| He issued letters of levy to all Bosnia | 293 | |
| from Kladuša to Novi Pazar. | 292 | |
| Thus, day by day, an entire month passed. | 294 | |
| But when the fifth week came on, | 295 | |
| the Vizier had assembled the troops, | 296 | |
| Bosnian cavalry from every region of Bosnia. | 297 | |
| Their number, I have heard tell, was twelve thousand. | 298 | |
| Then at last the Vizier went down to the meadowland | 299 | |
| that lies upon the plain of Travnik and addressed the troops: | 300 | |
| “Dear children of mine, fighting men of Bosnia! | 301 | |
| The duty you now assume as you join the Imperial Army corps | 302 | |
| will be to wage war against the Four Allied Kings; | 303 | |
| and your term of service, my children, will be seven years. | 304 | |
|
Whoever among you cannot campaign stoutheartedly
for so long a time, | 305 | |
| let him go home now to his own deme, | 306 | |
| for the Emperor wants no man mustered shamefully.” | 307 | |
| But the troops all shouted as with a single voice, telling him: | 308 | |
| “We have all enlisted of our own volition!” | 309 | |
| Next the Vizier issued an order commanding | 310 | |
| the troops to doff their Stambolian clothes, | 311 | |
| and he gave them other clothes to wear from his own stores. | 312 | |
| The warriors were commanded to wear red trou[sers] | 313 | |
| with shirts of white linen | 314 | |
| and striped gait[ers]. | 315 | |
| But Bey Osmanbey said to him: | 316 | |
| “I’ll lead no such troops as these! | 317 | |
| Anyone seeing them | 318 | |
| would laugh them and me to scorn. | 319 | |
| They’re as motley as a herd of oxen.” | 320 | |
| The Vizier of Bosnia laughed at this, and said: | 321 | |
| “My dear son, you are indeed an innocent. | 322 | |
| A leader of men you may be, but as yet you are not wise. | 323 | |
| The foremost power in the universe is the power of Almighty God, | 324 | |
| and the power of the Emperor of Istanbul is only a little less than that. | 325 | |
| Were his viziers not traitors all | 326 | |
| —they who command his army corps— | 327 | |
| he would not have had to campaign so much as seven weeks, | 328 | |
| not to speak of seven years. | 329 | |
| Were you to lead these Bosnians in full kit | 330 | |
| and dressed in their Stambolian apparel, | 331 | |
| the traitors in the Emperor’s retinue would say: | 332 | |
| ‘Look at these muddy Bosnian provincials! | 333 | |
| It seems they are very wealthy; | 334 | |
| they all look like beys and alaybeys.’ | 335 | |
| And then the Emperor would burden us | 336 | |
| with even heavier taxes than we already pay. | 337 | |
| But when, in contrast, you take them down to Hotin looking thus, | 338 | |
| the traitors will only laugh at the[m], | 339 | |
|
and even the Emperor Suleyman himself
will be bound to weep for pi[ty]: | 340 | |
| ‘Oh my most pitiable Bosnia, | 341 | |
| are the Imperial taxes so oner[ous], | 342 | |
| have they reduced you to such penury | 343 | |
| that you go thus to war, naked to the elem[ents]?’ | 344 | |
| In this way the Emperor will reduce his tax on u[s].” | 345 | |
| Osman Bey concurred in this stratege[m], | 346 | |
| and so he and his ancient-bearer Ibro | 347 | |
| alone retained their Stambolian appar[el], | 348 | |
|
while all the rest wore clothes that made them seem as motley
as a herd of ox[en]. | 349 | |
|
But now the time came for the liturgy of benediction to be pronounced
and for Osman Bey to begin his march, and so he set | 350 | |
| out, leading his Bosnian troo[ps], | 351 | |
| twelve thousand cavalry in a[ll]. | 352 | |
| Ibro preceded them on his sorrel mount. | 353 | |
| Now let them go whithersoever they please. | 354 | |
| [The singer rested.] | ||
| Thus Ibro led the way on his sorrel mount, | 355 | |
| Scouting the route that they should follow for the safety of the horses. | 356 | |
| And where did they bivouac for the night? | 357 | |
| Evening overtook them at Jašina, outside Sarajevo. | 358 | |
| But when they arrived there, the ancient-bearer Ibro turned and said: | 359 | |
| “Osman Bey, my young master, | 360 | |
| I have in former times campaigned with your father | 361 | |
| —your father, Omer the Alaybey. | 362 | |
| You are still an innocent, my Bey, | 363 | |
| being as yet only sixteen years of a[ge]; | 364 | |
| though you are leader of this company, you are not yet wi[se], | 365 | |
| nor is it seemly that I should advise yo[u]. | 366 | |
| But were it my place to say anything about the mat- | 367 | |
| ter, I would not have you bivouac he- | 368 | |
| re. If you do, then tomorrow you shall have to march by way of Saraje- | 369 | |
| vo. But most of your fighting m- | 370 | |
| en hail from Sarajevo ci- | 371 | |
| ty, and as you pass, their mothers will crowd the stre- | 372 | |
| ets and impede your army’s passage with their weeping. | 373 | |
| Were it therefore my place to speak, | 374 | |
| I would have us pass by night through Sarajevo.” | 375 | |
| “Brother Ibro, this is most excellent wisdom.” | 376 | |
| So, having said these things, they decided | 377 | |
| not to bivouac there, my brethren, | 378 | |
| but to march by night past Sarajevo. | 379 | |
| Now when the second —, the third -, | 381 | |
| when the third day dawned | 382 | |
| after the Bey’s departure from Travnik, | 380 | |
| then Osman Bey lost his way | 383 | |
| in a desert place where there was neither house nor homestead | 384 | |
| where he might ask directions, which way he should march. | 385 | |
| So Osman Bey halted his troops, and said: | 386 | |
| “Here’s a consternation for us all, my dear brothers, | 387 | |
| since we ourselves know not where to turn nor what to do.” | 388 | |
| As day broke and the sun rose | 389 | |
| fog hung lay heavy in all the valleys, | 390 | |
| but then a white horse leapt from out the fog | 391 | |
| with a man huddled in its saddle. | 392 | |
| The Bey watched them as they approached. | 393 | |
| Dear God, who was the man? | 394 | |
| Let us look closely and say who he is: | 395 | |
| it was the selfsame postrider | 396 | |
| who first brought the firman to the castle! | 397 | |
| For the Emperor Suleyman had said to him: | 398 | |
| “You are lying! Indeed you have not either gone to Bosni[a] | 399 | |
| nor presented my firman to the Be[y], | 400 | |
| else the fighting men of Bosnia would ’ere this have come to m[e].” | 401 | |
| And then Suleyman the Emperor further said to him: | 402 | |
| “Unless before tomorrow the Bosnians have co[me], | 403 | |
| on the morrow I shall have your eyes put out, | 404 | |
| then have you flayed alive.” | 405 | |
| So the wretched man had mounted on his most spirited white hor[se] | 406 | |
| and left Hotin, full of miser[y]. | 407 | |
| But God vouchsafed that he should live to see the Bey again. | 408 | |
| He spread his arms in gesture of embrace and said: | 409 | |
| “Oh my Bey, you are welcome to me as is the newborn sun. | 410 | |
| Had you not risen on my horizon today, | 411 | |
| tomorrow my precious eyes would have been torn from my head.” | 412 | |
| Riding toward them and dismounting, he shouted a Turkish greeting, | 413 | |
| and the Bosnians returned it in kind. | 414 | |
| Then Osman Bey welcomed him: | 415 | |
| “Postrider of our worshipful Emperor, | 416 | |
| which way lies Hotin?” | 417 | |
| “It is a mere four hours’ riding time from here.” | 418 | |
| “Let us then be on our way, for as the Sultan has required, | 419 | |
| here is the Bey, and here are his Bosnians.” | 420 | |
| Oh, if only we could have been there to see it, brothers, | 421 | |
| when the liveryman turned his white horse abo[ut] | 422 | |
| and laid himself along its ma[ne]. | 423 | |
| Never before had it flown so swiftly as it did the[n]. | 424 | |
| In two hours the white mount covered | 425 | |
| the whole distance of the four hours’ mar[ch]. | 426 | |
| The animal galloped straight to the Emperor’s pavili[on] | 427 | |
| and fell dead in mid-stri[de], | 428 | |
| expiring from the exertion of its headlong rush. | 429 | |
| But the rider felt no pity for the beast, | 430 | |
| since by its destruction he had saved his own life. | 431 | |
| Separating himself from the horse where it lay dead, he rose | 432 | |
| and shouted with all his might: | 433 | |
| “Now give me my due reward, Emperor Suleyman, | 434 | |
| for Bosnia has come, and here are the Bosnians!” | 435 | |
| And lo, the Bey appeared, | 436 | |
| leading his twelve thousand horse- | 437 | |
| men. Suleyman the Emperor marvelled to see them, | 438 | |
| and immediately he gave a word of commmandment: | 439 | |
| “Make ready a fitting place for Bosnia; | 440 | |
| station them upon my right toward the rising sun, | 441 | |
| that I may the better gaze upon them with mine eyes.” | 442 | |
|
Now the number of the Emperor’s viziers, my brothers,
was three hundred, | 443 | |
| they who were the officers of his arm[y]. | 444 | |
| To them the Emperor gave this word of commandme[nt]: | 445 | |
| “Attend me, my viziers! | 446 | |
| When Bey Osmanbey approaches, | 447 | |
| each of you shall kiss his hand, | 448 | |
| for verily there is no other bey to equal him in all my Empire.” | 449 | |
|
Now at this very time a man in years could be seen
going purposefully forth, | 450 | |
| because he happened, my brothers, himself to be a Bosnian. | 451 | |
| Dear God, who was this senior fellow? | 452 | |
| He was Mehmed the Priest, one of the Imperial Council, | 453 | |
| a functionary of Emperor Suleyman, | 454 | |
| his Chamberlain to wit. | 455 | |
| As he had watched, a longing after his own people had seized him, | 456 | |
| and so he went forth now to meet the Bosnians. | 457 | |
| But when he beheld them with his eyes, | 458 | |
| Priest Mehmed raised his arms in gesture of embrace and said: | 459 | |
| “Welcome, my children, fighting men of Bosnia! | 460 | |
|
The Emperor awaits you with the same longing
as a man sick with rheum awaits the warmth of the sun.” | 461 | |
| Let us therefore see what transpired next, my broth[ers]. | 462 | |
| Ibro was first to meet him, and in greeting hi[m] | 463 | |
| he leaned forward over his horse’s mane | 464 | |
| to kiss the priest’s ha[nd]. | 465 | |
| But the venerable Mehmed would not let his hand be kiss[ed], | 466 | |
| and asked instead after the health of the whole compa[ny]. | 467 | |
| But when they had answered that they were we[ll], | 468 | |
| “My dear children, warriors of Bosnia all, | 469 | |
| I too am sprung from Imperial Bosni[a]; | 470 | |
|
my native soil is in the town of Bihać
by the cold waters of the Una River. | 471 | |
| Twenty years I have served the Emperor | 472 | |
| and not in all that time laid eyes upon another Bosnian, | 473 | |
| not even once in all of twenty years, my children. | 474 | |
|
I have come forth to meet you in order that I may
tell you something of the customs here, | 475 | |
| to spare you any loss of dignity or honour. | 476 | |
| Now, my dear children, warriors of Bosnia all, | 477 | |
| when you see the government troops, | 478 | |
| be not intimidated by them, | 479 | |
|
though they are without number and cover all the ground
to beyond the distance that a man can see. | 480 | |
| The foremost power in the universe is the power of Almighty God, | 481 | |
| and the power of the Emperor of Istanbul is only a little less than that. | 482 | |
| My dear son, Bey Osmanbey, | 483 | |
| the three hundred viziers who have been delegated to receive you | 484 | |
| are traitors to a man, I swear to thee upon my precious faith. | 485 | |
| Therefore let none of them kiss your hand. | 486 | |
| Next, my children, warriors of Bosnia, | 487 | |
| you will see three hundred Imperial can- | 488 | |
| non, all trained upon Hoti[n]. | 489 | |
| Do not let them intimidate you. | 490 | |
| [Pause in recording.] | ||
| My dear children, warriors of Bosnia, | 491 | |
| give no heed either to the Emperor’s viziers; | 492 | |
| heed no one else than your own Osman Bey. | 493 | |
| Next you will see the Emperor’s pavilion, | 494 | |
| which is fashioned entirely of gold | 495 | |
| —its peak is all of precious stones— | 496 | |
| and when it moves, it is drawn neither by horses nor by oxen, | 497 | |
| but only upon the commandment of Almighty God. | 498 | |
| Sultan Suleyman presides therein. | 499 | |
| Do not salute it; | 500 | |
| since you are led by your own Osman Be[y], | 501 | |
| the Bey will give your salute for yo[u].” | 502 | |
| Having said these things, he turned and led the way: | 503 | |
| “Now, good men of Bosnia—God keep you all!— | 504 | |
| prepare to gladden the heart of your Emper[or]. | 505 | |
|
All of you strike up a song as you go, singing two-by-two;
let each first pair sing a line and each second pair respo[nd], | 506 | |
| in the selfsame manner as you would sing in a wedding procession.” | 507 | |
| So the Bosnian warriors began to si- | 508 | |
| ng as the Emperor’s viziers watched them pass in rev- | 509 | |
| iew. And as they watched, one would nudge another, say- | 510 | |
| ing: “Look here at these men from Bosni- | 511 | |
| a! Does he seriously suppose they will capture Hotin for hi- | 512 | |
| m? They’re as motley as a herd of oxen.” | 513 | |
| And so it was true, what the Vizier of Travnik had said: | 514 | |
| when Sultan Suleyman observed them, | 515 | |
| he wept great tears and said, | 516 | |
| “Oh, my most pitiable Bosnia, | 517 | |
| are the Imperial taxes so onerous | 518 | |
| That you go to war thus naked to the elements, | 519 | |
| coming to join my army without proper garb?” | 520 | |
| So they passed in review before the Emperor’s pavilion. | 521 | |
| Each man kept his eyes fixed upon his horse’s ma[ne] | 522 | |
| while the Bey saluted the pavili[on]. | 523 | |
| But when at length Osman Bey halted his troops | 524 | |
|
in the place assigned to them to the right of the Emperor,
over against the sun at its ris[ing], | 525 | |
| the Imperial viziers came running to meet hi[m] | 526 | |
| as their worshipful Emperor had command[ed]. | 527 | |
| The Bey would not deign to let them kiss his ha[nd], | 528 | |
| and exchanged greetings with them in words on[ly]. | 529 | |
| But when all had declared themselves well, | 530 | |
| four liverymen came forward, saying: | 531 | |
| “Osman Bey, the Emperor summons you, | 532 | |
| and we are come to conduct you to his levy.” | 533 | |
| Instantly Ibro the ancient-bearer’s sword flashed in hand as he replied: | 534 | |
| “May devils come and conduct you, liverymen of the Emperor! | 535 | |
| You are no retainers of Bey Osmanbe[y], | 536 | |
| and therefore, by my faith, neither shall you conduct him anywhe[re]. | 537 | |
|
It is rather the ancient-bearer Ibro whom the Bey keeps
for such work as that, | 538 | |
| and so it is Ibro who will conduct him to the Emperor.” | 539 | |
| Thereupon Ibro took hold of the Be[y] | 540 | |
| while the rest of the Bosnians drew their sabres | 541 | |
| and formed a ring of steel around their Osman Bey. | 542 | |
| The venerable Mehmed asked them: | 543 | |
| “What in God’s name is this you do, my children?” | 544 | |
| “We keep our lord from harm; | 545 | |
| no one may threaten his life without reckoning with us.” | 546 | |
| “In God’s name, let be, my children. | 547 | |
| Did you but perceive what I understand of this matter, | 548 | |
| you would sing for joy, | 549 | |
| for even now the sun is about to rise upon Bosnia.” | 550 | |
| So Ibro took him to the pavilion, | 551 | |
| and its doors were opened of their own acco[rd], | 552 | |
| and Osman Bey entered the sanctuary, | 553 | |
| into the presence of Sultan Suleyman. | 554 | |
| Innocent that he was | 555 | |
| —he was only sixteen years of a[ge]— | 556 | |
| still he did obeisance and spoke a proper Turkish saluta[tion], | 557 | |
| which the Emperor Suleyman returned in ki[nd]. | 558 | |
| Then he kissed the Emperor’s he[m], | 559 | |
| and the Emperor stroked the Bey with his ha[nd]: | 560 | |
| “Courtier of mine, Bey Osmanbey, | 561 | |
| are you ready to serve God and my firma[n], | 562 | |
| and me, your Sultan, Emperor Suleyma[n]?” | 563 | |
| “I am, my Emperor, most gladly.” | 564 | |
| “So, my dear son, Bey Osmanbe[y], | 565 | |
| it is now seven years that I have been here. | 566 | |
| Full seven years have I celebrated Ramazan in this place, | 567 | |
| campaigning all the while against the Four Kings | 568 | |
| —but without avail. I swear to thee by both this world and the next, | 569 | |
| I have not in all this time so much as chipped | 570 | |
| the wall of bright Hotin, | 571 | |
| nor yet discovered on which side it has its gate. | 572 | |
| So it came to pass that I sent you my firman, | 573 | |
| summoning you to act as my vicegerent; | 574 | |
| it is my will that you assume supreme command of all my army. | 575 | |
| I shall meanwhile get me gone to Istanbul. | 576 | |
| My ardour is spent; I have no zest for yet an eighth year of this war. | 577 | |
| Until this day your name has been Osman Bey; | 578 | |
| From this day forth your name shall be Osman Bey Bosnia.” | 579 | |
| Immediately the Emperor spoke a com[mand] | 580 | |
| and the Imperial Bursar leapt to his fe[et]. | 581 | |
| He came before the Bey bearing fine raiment | 582 | |
| that the Bey might dress him in it there in the Emperor’s pavilion, | 583 | |
|
for by commandment of the Emperor he was to doff all his own clothes
and put on Imperial garb. | 584 | |
| Oh, how marvelous to rela[te] | 585 | |
| the Bey’s dressing there in the holy pavili[on]! | 586 | |
| First he put on undergarments and a shi[rt], | 587 | |
| which they say were of white si[lk]. | 588 | |
| Then, lo, the Imperial Burs[ar] | 589 | |
| handed him richly broidered trou[sers] | 590 | |
| with buttons of gold and bosses of silver; | 591 | |
| the two panels of embroidery reached to his kne[es], | 592 | |
|
one on either side, and diamond-studded piping
ran along each out-se[am], | 593 | |
| while the knees were capped with golden crescents. | 594 | |
| Next he gave him a pair of richly worked waistco[ats]; | 595 | |
| the first was azure with a red lining, | 596a, 597a | |
| the second was of a dusky hue and lined with green. | 596b, 597b | |
| The surface of the outer one was decorated with bosses and loops, | 598 | |
| while the other one had pockets embroidered with thread of gold. | 599 | |
| The outer one had panels of golden broidery on the shoulders, | 600 | |
| and it was tailored with a full sixty vents | 601 | |
| as befits an Imperial Vizier. | 602 | |
| Next he gave him a sash-belt | 603 | |
| nine yards lo[ng] | 604 | |
| with sixty cadlock blossoms embroidered on i[t]; | 605 | |
| its fastenings were all of gold and silv[er]. | 606 | |
| The belt was for the Bey to wrap about himself | 607 | |
| from his waist to his left nip[ple]. | 608 | |
| Next he gave him a holster belt with silver fittings, | 609 | |
| and every third compartment in it was of smelted go[ld]; | 610 | |
| there were in all four and thirty of the[m]. | 611 | |
| Into this belt he thrust four pisto[ls]: | 612 | |
| one pair Grazian, and the other Venetian. | 613 | |
| The Grazian pair were made in Graz, | 614 | |
| [Pause in recording.] | ||
| Oh, the pair of Grazian ones were made in Graz, | 615 | |
| and the Venetian set was made in far-off Venice, | 616 | |
| in the bright Venetic country. | 617 | |
| It had golden hammers and cross-laced butts, | 618 | |
| and instead of common flints it was armed with precious sto[nes]. | 619 | |
|
He set the pistols in his belt with proper space between them
for his swo[rd], | 620 | |
| and I have heard tell that it was inla[id]: | 621 | |
| it slept enveloped in gold, | 622 | |
| and its scabbard was fashioned of ivory. | 623 | |
| The hilt was cast of silver, | 624 | |
| and two precious stones were set thereon. | 625 | |
|
The value of the sword alone
was equal to the price of an Imperial city. | 626 | |
|
But compared with what was yet to come
all this was no more than baubles for some king. | 627 | |
| [Pause in recording.] | ||
| Next he helped him don a tunic with a neck-strap, | 628 | |
| and the tunic covered the Bey to his waist; | 629 | |
| it was decorated with four buttons. | 630 | |
| The first button cost a hundred ducats | 631 | |
| and was cast of pure gold, my brothers. | 632 | |
| The second was worth two hundred Hungarian gold coins, | 633 | |
| and the third, they say, cost all of three hund[red]. | 634 | |
| The fourth had a capacity of half a litre of wi[ne] | 635 | |
| and was fitted at the warrior’s neck; | 636 | |
| it cost four hund[red]. | 637 | |
| Thus, when the warrior would journey any- | 638 | |
| where, and a heroic thirst would oppress | 639 | |
| him, so that he would long for cool wa- | 640 | |
| ter, he would have only to tilt the button at his | 641 | |
| throat to slake the anguish of his | 642 | |
| thirst. When he drank from it, it turned upon a pi- | 643 | |
| vot, so that the traveller need not stop to drink from a cup. | 644 | |
|
But compared with what was yet to come, this too were no more
than a bauble for some king. | 645 | |
| Next, two ensignia were affixed to his breast, | 646 | |
| showing him to be Emperor Suleyman’s deputy. | 647 | |
| Then he gave him a fur-lined cap with panaches | 648 | |
| —it bore thirteen panaches in all, | 649 | |
| the thirteenth of which had a peacock’s plume fixed in it. | 650 | |
| Each panache had a mounting of gold. | 651 | |
|
The movement of the peacock’s plume
set all thirteen of the panaches in motion | 652 | |
| according to the changes of the wind’s direction. | 653 | |
| Next a turban was wrapped about the cap | 654 | |
| —the turban alone was worth three hundred pias[ters]— | 655 | |
| and then a velvet sash atop that, | 656 | |
| which cost two hundred pieces of Hungarian go[ld], | 657 | |
| and was such as a true Imperial Vizier would we[ar]. | 658 | |
| Then he helped him to don a great clo[ak] | 659 | |
| that covered the Bey entirely | 660 | |
| from his boots to his manly neck. | 661 | |
| It had diamond-studded piping along both outer seams, | 662 | |
| all set with precious stones. | 663 | |
| Golden minarets were broidered the full length of the sleeves | 664 | |
| and a serpent was depicted on the garment’s yoke, | 665 | |
| all worked in thread of purest gold, | 666 | |
| with sixty coils depicted. | 667 | |
| Its head lay upon the warrior’s shoulder | 668 | |
| and it held a precious diamond in its mouth. | 669 | |
| [Pause in recording.] | ||
| Its mouth held a precious diamond, | 670 | |
| so that when the warrior travelled | 671 | |
| upon a moonless night, | 672 | |
|
its glow would cast illumination all about the wearer
to the distance of half an hour’s walk. | 673 | |
| Then Sultan Suleyman said to him: | 674 | |
| “Vassal of mine, son of Omer Be[y], | 675 | |
| remain here now beneath Hot[in]. | 676 | |
|
Heretofore the high command has been in the hands
of the Emperor Suley- | 677 | |
| man, but from this day forth it rests with our Osman Bey Bosni[a]. | 678 | |
| Your Emperor returns now to his seat in Istanbul, | 679 | |
| and you meanwhile remain supreme commander in his ste[ad]. | 680 | |
| Let your Bosnian troops rest for three full mon[ths] | 681 | |
| and feed them all the while from the Imperial commis[sary], | 682 | |
| then in the fourth month begin your cam[paign]. | 683 | |
| This thing which I now give you is half of a fir[man], | 684 | |
| which bears half my golden sealing. | 685 | |
| The other half I take with me to Istanbul. | 686 | |
| At such time as you receive my half | 687 | |
| from me in my capital, Istanbul, | 688 | |
| you may then return to your own land.” | 689 | |
| So spake Sultan Suleyman. | 690 | |
| Forthwith the Emperor commanded | 691 | |
| that the warriors of Bosnia be uniformed, | 692 | |
| and so the troops from Bosnia put on | 694 | |
| the standard uniforms of the Imperial soldiery. | 693 | |
| Again the Emperor-Sultan said a word, | 695 | |
| and a golden tent was raised for to be the Bey’s dwelling. | 696 | |
| It signified that Osman Bey | 697 | |
| was the worshipful Emperor’s vicegerent. | 698 | |
| But next the Sultan summoned the whole company of his viziers, | 699 | |
| who duly foregathered in his golden pavilion. | 700 | |
| [Pause in recording.] | ||
| Then the Emperor Suleyman spoke ex cathedra: | 701 | |
| “Hear me, pachas and viziers! | 702 | |
| I am about to go my way to Istanbul city, | 703 | |
| and I leave Osman Bey Bosnia in my stead. | 704 | |
|
From this day forth the supreme command
rests with Osman Bey Bosnia, | 705 | |
| who holds authority over all my army. | 706 | |
| He is the vicegerent of your worshipful Emperor.” | 707 | |
| The Sheik-ul-Islam thereupon stood up | 708 | |
| and immediately pronounced a liturgy of benediction | 709 | |
| for Osman Bey Bosnia. | 710 | |
| Then Osman Bey went forth from the holy pavilion, | 711 | |
| and Ibro met him at the exit. | 712 | |
| Oh, my brothers, with an adder’s urgent voice he said: | 713 | |
| “Were I to die this very day, I would be cont[ent], | 714 | |
| for I have lived to see my Osman Be[y] | 715 | |
| exalted to seniority greater than any vizi- | 716 | |
| er’s. My lord, let me kiss your hand!” | 717 | |
| But the Bey would in no wise accept his adulation. | 718 | |
| Meanwhile the Bosnians came in a body to take their Bey away, | 719 | |
| and lifting him on high with their bright arms, | 720 | |
| they sang this song, my dear broth[ers]: | 721 | |
| “What we have desired, this day we have gain[ed], | 722 | |
| our own lord Osman Bey!” | 723 | |
| All three hundred of the Emperor’s viziers waited on him | 725 | |
| as Osman Bey entered into his own tent. | 724 | |
| Now Kaplen Pasha and Šaranbegović | 726 | |
| were two nephews of the King of France, | 727 | |
| and they were officers in the Imperial Army. | 728 | |
| They proceeded to compose a letter: | 729 | |
| “O King of France, dear uncle, | 730 | |
| you dare no longer rely upon our help. | 731 | |
| Sultan Suleyman is no longer directing the campaign; | 732 | |
| Osman Bey Bosnia is now the supreme commander. | 733 | |
| As I consider the matter, it seems to me probable | 734 | |
| that he will strip us of our powers. | 735 | |
| Among all three hundred of the Imperial viziers | 736 | |
| only one has found the Bey to his liking, | 737 | |
| namely Tartar Pasha from the Empery of the Tart[ars] | 738 | |
| —from some such place or other, called the Tartar Emp[ery]. | 739 | |
| Meanwhile the holy pavilion has proceeded to Istanbul | 740 | |
| with Sultan Suleyman therein.” | 741 | |
| Hardly had the Bey seen the holy pavilion on its way | 742 | |
| than he began forthwith to act, | 743 | |
| for he was not the kind of man who would wait three days, | 744 | |
| not to speak of waiting for three months. | 745 | |
| First he reviewed the Emperor’s entire army, | 746 | |
| and young and old alike watched him as he passed amongst them. | 747 | |
| The traitors complained to everyone who would listen, | 748 | |
| but the Imperial regulars were heard to say: | 749 | |
| [The singer rested.] | ||
| “Oh, if only God in His mercy would grant | 750 | |
| that he might not prove to be a traitor too, like the others!” | 751 | |
| Meanwhile the Bey asked the Padishah of the Tartars: | 752 | |
| “What manner of Imperial encampments are these which I see here?” | 753 | |
| “These are the Emperor’s machine guns, my Bey. | 754 | |
|
Our orders are to assault the enemy’s positions amphibiously,
by means of pontoons.” | 755 | |
| Bey Osmanbey marvelled to hear it: | 756 | |
|
“O my most pitiable Emperor, what a tribulation
this war has been for you, | 757 | |
|
having to struggle against a king
who has the river among his defenses!” | 758 | |
| The Bey immediately commanded that | 759 | |
| the machine guns should commence firing, | 760 | |
| and so all four-and-twenty of them opened fire, | 761 | |
|
and under cover of their fire the Bey next began to lay pontoons
across the Hotka Riv[er]. | 762 | |
| Thus, using oxhides upon cha[ins], | 763 | |
| he soon laid a bridge over the Hotka. | 764 | |
| Not even three hours had passed | 765 | |
| after his saying farewell to the Emperor | 766 | |
| before he had set in motion the work of pontoon-laying over the Hotka | 767 | |
| with floats fashioned from oxhides. | 768 | |
| So the Bey made his bridge | 769 | |
| and sent a wave of government troops in an assault across it. | 770 | |
| It was about midday when he began | 771 | |
| to cross the bright river Hot[ka], | 772 | |
| with his troops fairly tumbling across the pontoon brid[ge], | 773 | |
| and by sundown | 774 | |
| the Bey had entirely encircled the city of Hot[in]. | 775 | |
| The Four Kings observed all this as it happen- | 776 | |
| ed. But the Bey had still further actions in mi- | 777 | |
| nd. Next he command- | 778 | |
| ed the three Imperial siege-guns to open fi- | 779 | |
| re, the guns from Bagh- | 780 | |
| dad, namely The Tunisian, Big Gre- | 781 | |
| en, and Rusty—they say no other is so large as | 782 | |
| it. Each of them consumes eight hundred pounds of powder at a shot. | 783 | |
| But not since the Emperor had first taken the field | 784 | |
| had they ever even once been fired, | 785 | |
| for the viziers would not hear of it. | 786 | |
|
Yet the function of these guns was the razing of towers
and battlements, | 787 | |
| and so, my brothers, when the cannon volleyed, | 788 | |
| they burst the walls of stony Hotin. | 789 | |
| The cavalry were instantly able to enter the city | 790 | |
| twelve abreast. | 791 | |
| The Four Kings sued for quarter: | 792 | |
| “Have mercy, Osman Bey Bosnia, thou Turk! | 793 | |
| Fire no more volleys at us with those cannon; | 794 | |
| spare the innocent children of the city! | 795 | |
| Only give us safe conduct, | 796 | |
| and we shall vacate Hotin of our own accord. | 797 | |
| Pray let there be no trickery | 798 | |
| and no surprise attack upon us.” | 799 | |
| The Bey let no time pass him idly by, | 800 | |
| but promptly gave them safe conduct | 801 | |
| along an avenue well guarded by his own Bosnian warriors. | 802 | |
|
The Bosnians were forbidden so much as to stoop
to pull up blades of grass | 803 | |
| which they might cast upon the foe, | 804 | |
| much less to discharge firearms at them, | 805 | |
| for a promise given must be kept firmer than a rock. | 806 | |
| The whole of that day passed and dark night came on | 807 | |
| while still the Kings’ army spilled out of the city. | 808 | |
| But when bright morning dawned | 809 | |
| Hotin at last stood empty, | 810 | |
| and the Bey occupied [it]. | 811 | |
| The Emperor had fought there for seven wee—, for seven ye[ars], | 812 | |
| but the Bey’s siege of it had not lasted even seven hours | 813 | |
| —indeed they had not so much as fired their small arms | 814 | |
| before they were able to enter Hotin. | 815 | |
| Then the Bey established just government in the city | 816 | |
| and composed a finely written letter to the Sultan: | 817 | |
| “Emperor, fount of authority, you who warm us like the precious sun, | 818 | |
| have I now discharged my responsibility? | 819 | |
| Lo, I have conquered Hotin on your behalf | 820 | |
| and restored your depot to you, | 821 | |
| never so much as firing our small arms. | 822 | |
| May I now dissolve my army? | 823 | |
| For I would feign go home and caress my darling wi[fe].” | 824 | |
| Having writ thus, he sent the let[ter], | 825 | |
| which made its way eventually to Istanbul. | 826 | |
| The Emperor was gladdened by it immeasurab[ly], | 827 | |
| and when, my brothers, he had read it through, | 828 | |
| he wrote another in return to Osman Bey Bosni[a]: | 829 | |
|
“The term of service to which I have summoned you
is no mere seven ho[urs], | 830 | |
| but rather seven years, my Bey. | 831 | |
| Not until the other half of my firman reaches you | 832 | |
| may you return to your homeland.” | 833 | |
| So the Bey wintered where he was. | 834 | |
| Autumn passed, and the dead of winter set in. | 835 | |
| Then the Bosnian troops began to sing: | 836 | |
| “However shall we survive until summer, | 837 | |
| when the Bey once again goes campaigning?” | 838 | |
| And indeed as soon as Flower Sunday came | 839 | |
| the Bey took the field and marched the army | 840 | |
| from Hotin to Buyur Kamenica, | 841 | |
|
the place to which the allied kings had withdrawn
when they evacuated Hotin. | 842 | |
| But when they saw themselves confronted by the power of the Bey, | 843 | |
| they abandoned Kamenica and left it empty. | 844 | |
| The Bey was able to occupy it without sustaining any casualties | 845 | |
| or so much as firing a single small arm. | 846 | |
| Again he composed a finely writ letter to the Sultan: | 847 | |
| “I have reconquered Buyur Kamenica.” | 848 | |
| The Bey wintered there | 849 | |
| And bestirred himself again early the next summer, | 850 | |
| advancing upon the city of Herdžogin, | 851 | |
| for the allied kings had withdrawn to it in their previous retreat. | 852 | |
| But when they saw themselves confronted by the power of the Bey, | 853 | |
| they abandoned Herdžogin and left it empty. | 854 | |
| The Bey was able to occupy it without sustaining any casualties, | 855 | |
| and again he sent a letter to Sultan Suleyman. | 856 | |
| He wintered there, my brothers, | 857 | |
| and bestirred himself again early the next sum[mer], | 858 | |
| advancing upon Kreš and Pak[reš], | 859 | |
| for the allied kings had withdrawn thither in their previous retreat. | 860 | |
| But when they saw themselves confronted by the power of the Be[y], | 861 | |
| they abandoned Kreš-Pakreš. | 862 | |
| The Bey was able to occupy it without sustaining any casualties, | 863 | |
| and he established his own just government therein. | 864 | |
| He sent word to Emperor Suleyman | 865 | |
|
declaring his whereabouts and announcing in which city
he had established his headquarters. | 866 | |
| The Bey wintered there | 867 | |
| and bestirred himself again early the next summer, | 868 | |
| advancing upon the Empery of the Karavlahs, | 869 | |
| the Karavlah Empery and Karabogdan. | 870 | |
| The allied kings had withdrawn thither in their previous retreat, | 871 | |
| but now they evacuated that place too in the same manner as before. | 872 | |
| The Bey was able to occupy it without sustaining any casualties, | 873 | |
| and he established his own just government therein. | 874 | |
| He wintered there, my dear brothers, | 875 | |
| and bestirred himself again early the next seas[on], | 876 | |
|
advancing against an offshore island of modest size
whose coasts were lapped by the azure se[a] | 877 | |
| —an island of modest size, with three and thirty cities situated on it, | 878 | |
| whither the allied kings had withdrawn in their previous ret[reat]. | 879 | |
| But this place too—called Asia Minor—they also evacuat[ed]. | 880 | |
| The Bey was able to occupy it without sustaining any casual[ties], | 881 | |
| and he established his own just government there too, my broth[ers]. | 882 | |
| He reported to his worshipful Emperor: | 883 | |
| “Shall I, my Emperor, soldier on?” | 884 | |
| And the Emperor returned him answer: | 885 | |
| “Fight on, my Bey, for yet a seventh year!” | 886 | |
| The Bey wintered where he was | 887 | |
| and bestirred himself again early in the summer, | 888 | |
| advancing against Herdelj in Russia. | 889 | |
| The Moscow River formed a moat about Herdelj | 890 | |
| before it flowed into the frigid sea. | 891 | |
| The Bey immediately commanded | 892 | |
| that when—, the Imperial machine guns to open fire. | 893 | |
| Then he laid pontoons across the Moscow River | 894 | |
| with floats made of oxhides. | 895 | |
| Thus he quickly constructed a bridge | 896 | |
| and hurried his regulars across it. | 897 | |
| At about noon on that very day | 898 | |
| a firman reached him from the government in Istanbul, say[ing]: | 899 | |
| “Withdraw the army, Osman Be[y]; | 900 | |
| carry the campaign no farther. You are relieved of your command.” | 901 | |
| The Bey tore it up and trod it underf[oot], | 902 | |
|
because he would obey no orders until he received
the other half of the firman he already held, | 903 | |
| as Sultan Suleyman had instructed him to do. | 904 | |
| And indeed the Emperor had not sent the present firman, | 905 | |
| which the worshipful Emperor’s mother had forged, | 906 | |
| for she was sister to the King of Moscovy. | 907 | |
| She pitied her brother the King of Moscovy, | 908 | |
| and so had sent the false firman to the Bey. | 909 | |
| But the Bey destroyed it, | 910 | |
| ever waiting for the matching half-firman. | 911 | |
| So that day passed, and soon it was night. | 912 | |
| Now let us see what the Imperial viziers were about. | 913 | |
| Osman Bey fell fast asleep, | 914 | |
| and all the Bosnian warriors slept too. | 915 | |
| The viziers took it upon themselves to withdraw the regular troops, | 916 | |
| and they drove away with the cannon and the caissons too. | 917 | |
|
But even that were no more than a royal jest
compared with what they did next: | 918 | |
| they cut loose the pontoons | 919 | |
| and destroyed the bridge on the river, | 920 | |
| cutting off Osman Bey’s only avenue of retreat. | 921 | |
| Thus Osman Bey remained behind, entrapped | 922 | |
| with only his twelve thousand Bosnians | 923 | |
| and his mentor, the Tartars’ Padishah, | 924 | |
| with his twelve thousand Tartars. | 925 | |
| When in the morning the Bey arose betimes, | 926 | |
|
there was nothing left for him to do than let big tears
flow down his cheeks. | 927 | |
| Then he wakened his Bosnian warriors: | 928 | |
| “God keep you well, my dear brothers. | 929 | |
| Even were we of a mind to flee, we have nowhere to go, | 930 | |
|
unless we wish to make living sacrifices of ourselves
by leaping into the river. | 931 | |
| All men naturally fear to die. | 932 | |
| Whichever among you has that fear today, | 933 | |
| let him surrender now to the King of Moscovy. | 934 | |
| I shall think no ill of him for it.” | 935 | |
| But all of them shouted at once, saying: | 936 | |
| “Death before surrender!” | 937 | |
| “Then, my brothers, let us say our adieus to one another.” | 938 | |
|
So the lads embraced each other
and kissed one another between the eyes, | 939 | |
| for they all understood that the time had come to die. | 940 | |
|
Meanwhile the King of Moscovy opened a window,
and looking out he asked: | 941 | |
| “Where is the Imperial Army and its batteries?” | 942 | |
| Forthwith he caused the gateway to be opened | 943 | |
| and his army surged out through it. | 944 | |
| “Surrender and live!” commanded the enemy, | 945 | |
|
but to a man the Bosnians replied, “Expect no capitulation from us,
for there will be none!” | 946 | |
| Bey Osmanbey drew up his sleeves, | 947 | |
| while his worthy ancient riding before him | 948 | |
| deliberately lured the enemy’s first fire. | 949 | |
| The forces of the Four Kings’ league met their attack fiercely. | 950 | |
| God a’mercy, brothers, it was an uncordial clash | 951 | |
| in which that small band was blotted out. | 952 | |
| [Pause in recording.] | ||
| The forces of the Four Kings’ league met their attack fiercely. | 953 | |
| Mercy on us, Lord, it was an uncordial clash | 954 | |
|
that happened there between those two terrific powers,
and the blood flowed free | 955 | |
| while the Four Kings kept clamoring | 956 | |
| “Capitulate, Bey Osmanbey! | 957 | |
| Capitulate and save yourselves!” | 958 | |
| But death was the only capitulation they would consent to. | 959 | |
| And so the fighting raged on | 960 | |
| until at the onset of the third ho[ur] | 961 | |
| the old Padishah of the Tartars was slain; | 962 | |
| he was last of all the Tartars to per[ish]. | 963 | |
| The Bosnians meantime kept up their hewing. | 964 | |
| By the onset of the fourth hour of combat | 965 | |
| the whole host of Bosnians had also died, | 966 | |
| and now none was left save only the ancient Ibro | 967 | |
| with Bey Osmanbey at his side. | 968 | |
| Still the voice of Ancient Ibro resonated his determined oath, | 969 | |
| “No capitulation, Osman Bey | 970 | |
| —I swear it by my faith—till death!” | 971 | |
| Then suddenly his Ibro too fell silent. | 972 | |
| Osman’s glance ran to where he was | 973 | |
| and alighted on him at the very instant when his ancient | 974 | |
| Ibro fell dying from off his bay horse. | 975 | |
| Now only Osman Bey remained alive. | 976 | |
| The Four Kings shouted a command in unison: | 977 | |
| “You cannot lay hold of the Bey, | 978 | |
| snare his horse’s legs instead!” | 979 | |
| So they cast down nets of finely woven mesh, | 980 | |
| entangling the legs of the white horse. | 981 | |
| It fell to earth; | 982 | |
| but no sooner had Osman Bey gotten clear of it | 983 | |
| than certain of the enemy sprang upon his back, | 984 | |
| whilst others of them bound his arms. | 985 | |
| Then they took him away to Herdelj city. | 986 | |
| There the Four Kings scrutinized him closely. | 987 | |
| Finally the King of Moscovy stood before him, saying: | 988 | |
| “This is the seventh year that you have hounded us. | 989 | |
| In all this time you have never practiced any vile treachery against us, | 990 | |
| therefore shall none befall you now. | 991 | |
| Osman Bey, in yea—, in min—, | 992 | |
| standing in my courtyard, Osman Bey, | 993 | |
| hear well what I, the King, shall say: | 994 | |
| bow down to me; do me obeisance as your sovereign; | 995 | |
| only kiss my right hand as I extend it to you here. | 996 | |
|
Only this do I require; and having done it, thou art that same instant
free to get thee home to noble Bosnia.” | 997 | |
| But Osman Bey only laughed and said: | 998 | |
| “Ask no obeisance of me till I am dead. | 999 | |
| Do with me what you please. | 1000 | |
| God having willed it so, you have captured me, | 1001 | |
|
and it seems to me that I have earned
whatever recompense you choose.” | 1002 | |
| The King cast him into irons therefore, | 1003 | |
| causing cruel fetters to be forged about his ank[les], | 1004 | |
| chains of steel about his ar[ms], | 1005 | |
| and a steely shackle round his neck. | 1006 | |
| Then he shut him in a dungeon ga[ol] | 1007 | |
| wherein from that day forth for thirteen ye[ars] | 1008 | |
| no ray of either sun nor moon did ever reach the Be[y], | 1009 | |
| nor ever did he glimpse good black soil or green grass, | 1010 | |
| or any living soul who walked the earth. | 1011 | |
| Thus he lay without reprieve upon the dungeon floor | 1012 | |
| until the coming of the fourteenth year. | 1013 | |
| Then a son was born unto the King of Moscovy, | 1014 | |
| who compacted with King Lehović to be its godfather. | 1015 | |
| All the way from Nurim in Italia | 1016 | |
| came Lehović to celebrate the christening. | 1017 | |
| While the two of them were talking, | 1018 | |
| Moscovy began to vaunt: | 1019 | |
| “King Lehović, dear relative, | 1020 | |
| in my dungeon deep I hold a prison[er], | 1021 | |
| who is no other than Bey Osmanbey of Glasinac, | 1022 | |
| Omerbeyson Osman Bey himself.” | 1023 | |
| King Lehović was so amazed to hear this ne[ws] | 1024 | |
|
he answered in surprise so loudly that the whole room
reverberated with the sound, my breth[ren]: | 1025 | |
| “Dear cousin, King of Mosco[vy], | 1026 | |
| pray thee give me Osman Bey of Bosni[a]! | 1027 | |
| When the two emperors made wa[r] | 1029 | |
| and joined in battle on the Field of Koso[vo], | 1028 | |
| his father chanced to take my father prison[er] | 1030 | |
| and caused his eyes to be scooped out while he yet li[ved]. | 1031 | |
| I owe him a debt of vengeance that I fain would pay.” | 1032 | |
| “By my faith, I will not give him thee.” | 1033 | |
|
“Either give him me, or sell him, Moscovy, I care not which;
only I must have him, | 1034 | |
| else we part friendship, you and I, this very day!” | 1035 | |
| The King of Moscovy replied: | 1036 | |
| “Let us not admit between us any breach of amity today. | 1037 | |
| You in fair exchange will cede to me your pair of doughty cannon, | 1038 | |
| Big-Bore Blaster and Green Firebox, | 1039 | |
| that now stand guard defending Lehovo, your capital.” | 1040 | |
| “That shall I do right willingly!” | 1041 | |
|
Thus they came to terms and signed a treaty
formalizing their compac[tion]. | 1042 | |
| “Now bring this man forth to me, who is my mortal ene[my]!” | 1043 | |
| They led the Bey forth from out the dungeon, | 1044 | |
| broke off the steel shackles that still held him fa[st], | 1045 | |
| and bound his arms anew with cordage. | 1046 | |
| Lehović then cast the prisoner into his ship, saying: | 1047 | |
| “Osman Bey Bosnia, you venomous snake, | 1048 | |
| do you perhaps recall the time | 1049 | |
| when the two emperors made war | 1050 | |
| and joined in battle on the Field of Kosovo? | 1051 | |
| Your father chanced at that time to take my father prisoner, | 1052 | |
| and this was the manner of death that he inflicted on him: | 1053 | |
|
he caused his eyes to be scooped out,
the both of them, while he yet lived, | 1054 | |
| and flayed the skin from off his living body. | 1055 | |
| As soon as I am come again to stony Leh, | 1056 | |
| I shall surely pay the debt I owe to you for what your father di[d].” | 1057 | |
| So Lehović set sail for Italy. | 1058 | |
| Day by day they travelled on and night by night they rested, | 1059 | |
| until at length they came to his own la[nd]. | 1060 | |
| There he did not put the Bey in pri[son], | 1061 | |
| but rather placed him in a well-dight cham[ber] | 1062 | |
| where he lapped the Bey in deep and soft furnishings | 1063 | |
| and gratified his every craving | 1064 | |
|
with delicate fresh figs from gardens by the sea
and sweet confections from the market place; | 1065 | |
| and he would serve him lamb’s meat too, | 1066 | |
| with red and ruddy wine to drink. | 1067 | |
| Six full months went by in this same way | 1068 | |
| and a seventh had begun. | 1069 | |
| Bey Osmanbey thought to himself: | 1070 | |
|
“If still the King intends to kill me, by his hospitality
he has surely earned that right, and my forgiveness for it too in both this world and the next.” | 1071 | |
| Then one day the door flew open in the morning | 1072 | |
| and King Lehović walked in. | 1073 | |
| He spread his arms | 1074 | |
| and, running to the Bey, embraced him, | 1075 | |
| then kissed him too between his raven eyes, | 1076 | |
| and asked: “How does your uncle, Commander Hasan? | 1077 | |
| When thou left Glasinac, Bey, | 1078 | |
| was thy mother still alive?” | 1079 | |
| The Bey flushed crimson | 1081 | |
| when he was asked about his mother. | 1080 | |
| “Well, well, Bey Osmanbe[y]; | 1082 | |
| when, you know, the battle happened on the Field of Koso[vo] | 1083 | |
| and the two emperors made war, | 1084 | |
| your father chanced to take my father prisoner. | 1085 | |
| The Turks caught me as well, | 1086 | |
| and your father said to them: | 1087 | |
| ‘Give me this foeman, | 1088 | |
| let me gouge out both his eyes.’ | 1089 | |
| So the Turks gave me to him, | 1090 | |
| and he took me to his Glasinac. | 1091 | |
| There your mother fed and cared for me | 1092 | |
| unceasingly for half a year. | 1093 | |
| But when the seventh month began, | 1094 | |
| your father mounted on his horse | 1095 | |
| and took me up behind him in the saddle. | 1096 | |
| He wrapped me in a coat of his to ward me from the weather | 1097 | |
| and carried me home to the seashore. | 1098 | |
| So time turns, you see, and fortunes change; | 1099 | |
| I now repay to you the debt I owe. | 1100 | |
| Choose what you will: stay here with me, | 1101 | |
| or else go back to noble Bosnia. | 1102 | |
| One thing only do not do; go not to Istanbul, | 1103 | |
| where traitors have indicted you. | 1104 | |
| For when the viziers of the Emperor came home from war, | 1105 | |
| they brought an accusation ’gainst you, | 1106 | |
| saying it was you who had capitulated to the King of Moscovy, | 1107 | |
| and with you all the warriors of Bosnia.” | 1108 | |
| Osman Bey replied to Lehović: | 1109 | |
| “It is to Istanbul that I shall go.” | 1110 | |
| Forthwith the King commanded that a ship be readied | 1111 | |
| and put Bey Osmanbey aboard it. | 1112 | |
| So the Bey sailed off to Istanbul, | 1113 | |
| while Lehović remained in Lehovo. | 1114 | |
| Day after day they travelled and rested night by night, | 1115 | |
| till once upon an evening about the midnight hour | 1116 | |
| the captain brought the ship to rest and said: | 1117 | |
| “We go no farther, Osman Bey. | 1118 | |
| The sea from this place forth is closed to traffic. | 1119 | |
| Here lies the boundary of the Emperor Suleyman’s sovereignty.” | 1120 | |
| So Osman Bey promptly disembarked, | 1121 | |
| and the captain brought his ship about and sailed away. | 1122 | |
| The Bey from where he was could see Stambol in great detail, | 1123 | |
| for all of Istanbul was radiant with li[ght]. | 1124 | |
| There the Bey awaited the dawning of a new da[y]. | 1125 | |
| When morning came he spied a little boat, | 1126 | |
| and in the boat an elder of venerable ye[ars] | 1127 | |
|
with beard all white and tattered clothes, an old man
skiffing in the shal[lows]. | 1128 | |
| At once he recognized the old priest Meh[med], | 1129 | |
| the same, my brothers, who had gone forth to meet him | 1130 | |
| when first the Bey had come to Hotin. | 1131 | |
| But when Priest Mehmed saw the Bey, | 1132 | |
| he brought his boat to shore | 1133 | |
| and, getting out, he greeted him in Turkish wise; | 1134 | |
| the prisoner all forlorn replied in kind. | 1135 | |
| When each had asked the other’s health and each said he was well, | 1136 | |
| “Dear child, go not to Istanbul, | 1137 | |
| for you cannot so much as enter at the city gate. | 1138 | |
| Sultan Suleyman does not himself rule there, | 1139 | |
| but has relinquished his government to Šaranbegović, | 1140 | |
| and they have banished even me, | 1141 | |
| old Ćuprilić, from Istanbul | 1142 | |
| full fourteen year ago. | 1143 | |
| Go home to your own Bosnia, my son, | 1144 | |
| lest traitors somehow hear of you | 1145 | |
| and issue summonses or warrants to your hurt. | 1146 | |
| Obey no summonses, my son, | 1147 | |
| except the half of one that matches what you have.” | 1148 | |
| When they had said these things, they parted company | 1149 | |
| and Osman Bey set out for Bosnia, his native land. | 1150 | |
| Day by day he travelled and rested night by night | 1151 | |
| till time had turned and turned again | 1152 | |
| and Osman Bey approached Imperial Glasinac, | 1153 | |
|
where he looked down from the surrounding heights
at his own mansion of enduring masonry | 1154 | |
|
which he could see, dear brothers,
from a distance of three hours’ walk. | 1155 | |
| There too stood his apple tree with its ruddy fruit | 1156 | |
| and the spring of water flowing cool beneath it. | 1157 | |
| The Bey drank of the cool spring water, saying: | 1158 | |
| “Apple tree of mine with your crimson fruit, | 1159 | |
| one and twenty years it is | 1160 | |
| since I last passed this way | 1161 | |
| and cooled myself beneath your shade. | 1162 | |
| Formerly, when I was at home in Glasinac, | 1163 | |
| each Friday after Jumah | 1164 | |
| I used to ride my horse this way.” | 1165 | |
| But even as he spoke, somewhere nearby | 1166 | |
| a blue tongue of gunfire shattered the stillness. | 1167 | |
| Bey Osmanbey looked about and saw | 1168 | |
| a troop of men approaching over the field. | 1169 | |
| A young man mounted on a chestnut horse led all the company, | 1170 | |
| lapped by the green banner which he bore. | 1171 | |
| A man of elder years followed after, mounted on a white horse: | 1172 | |
| Osman quickly recognized in him his uncle, Hasan Alaybey. | 1173 | |
| The Bey took out a handkerchief | 1174 | |
| and spread it on the green grass, | 1175 | |
|
because you see, my brothers, he had languished long in gaol,
a hapless prisoner. | 1176 | |
| His raven beard had overgrown his breast, | 1177 | |
| his hair hung black about his shoulders, | 1178 | |
|
and, turning in upon his palms, his uncut fingernails
had grown so long he could not close his hand to make a fist. | 1179 | |
| The ancient came to where he was | 1180 | |
| and greeted him, and made his horse to stand, and said: | 1181 | |
| “Forlorn prisoner, what city are you from?” | 1182 | |
| “I am, my son, by birth from Kladuša, city of our Emperor. | 1183 | |
| You perhaps have heard of me, Ali Agha Parmaksuz. | 1184 | |
| I fought with the Bey at Hotin.” | 1185 | |
| The young man gave a shout and asked: | 1186 | |
| “Did you see by any chance what happened to my father, | 1187 | |
| my father Ancient Ibro? | 1188 | |
| My mother tells me only this of him: | 1189 | |
| that he stayed with her for three full weeks, | 1190 | |
| then of a sudden went to war, campaigning with the Bey.” | 1191 | |
| “By my precious faith, my son, I swear to you, | 1192 | |
| I saw with mine own eyes | 1193 | |
| the very moment when your father lost his life | 1194 | |
| beneath Herdelj upon the icy Moska River.” | 1195 | |
|
The young man dropped a golden sovereign
on the outspread handkerchief, | 1196 | |
| descended from his chestnut horse beside the apple tree, | 1197 | |
| and wept, and sobbed, and none could comfort him. | 1198 | |
| Then Hasan Alaybey rode up, | 1199 | |
| and greeted him, and said: | 1200 | |
| “Who are you, estimable prisoner? Whence come you here?” | 1201 | |
| “I am, old sir, by birth from Kladuša, city of our Emperor. | 1202 | |
| They call me Ali Agha Parmaksuz. | 1203 | |
| I fought with the Bey at Hotin.” | 1204 | |
| Then Hasan Alaybey inquired: | 1205 | |
| “Did you not see perhaps what happened to my nephew, | 1206 | |
| my nephew Osman Bey?” | 1207 | |
| “On my lap and my right knee | 1208 | |
| your nephew gave up his soul | 1209 | |
| down in the dungeon of King Moskovich, | 1210 | |
| and then I cast his body out through an embrasure into the sea below.” | 1211 | |
| The old man gat him down from off his prauncing horse | 1212 | |
|
and gave the prisoner five hundred cash,
one for every member of the wedding troop. | 1213 | |
| When the bride arrived riding on a white horse, | 1214 | |
| she too dismounted by the apple tree. | 1215 | |
| Then she asked Hasan Alaybey’s permission: | 1216 | |
| “An’ it please you, I would like to talk with this poor prisoner.” | 1217 | |
| “Speak with him, dear daughter, all you wish.” | 1218 | |
| She kissed the captive’s hand and said: | 1219 | |
| “Forlorn prisoner, what city are you from?” | 1220 | |
| “I am by birth from Kladuša, dear daughter, city of our Emperor.” | 1221 | |
|
“Can you tell me possibly—did you happen not to see—what
befell my husband’s father, | 1222 | |
| father of my husband, Osman Bey?” | 1223 | |
| The Bey flushed crimson | 1224 | |
| and his heart stood still, | 1225 | |
| but he let no tear escape his eye: | 1226 | |
| “Your husband’s father delivered up his soul | 1227 | |
| upon my lap and knee | 1228 | |
| down in the dungeon of the King of Moscovy.” | 1229 | |
| Sobbing, the girl unclasped the necklace ’round her neck | 1230 | |
| and dropped it on the cloth before hi[m]: | 1232 | |
| it was a hundred-ducat stran[d]. | 1231 | |
| Then she cast herself upon the green grass | 1233 | |
| and begged the earth to swallow up her bod[y], | 1234 | |
| but said she would thank God for taking of her so[ul], | 1235 | |
| “Because,” said she, “I am so very wret[ched].” | 1236 | |
| Then a young man came into view ariding on a raven horse | 1237 | |
| and leading yet another, chestnut, by its bridle. | 1238 | |
| But when the chestnut spied the prisoner, | 1239 | |
| dear God, what an exhibition! | 1240 | |
| For it recognized its master. | 1241 | |
| It leapt into the air two spears’ length, | 1242 | |
| while young Mehmed Bey spoke to it from where he sat the raven: | 1243 | |
| “Steady, chestnut of my father!” | 1244 | |
| So the youth rode up and lightly got him down from off the raven, | 1245 | |
| then he kissed the captive’s hands, first the one and then the other. | 1246 | |
| “Forlorn prisoner, what city are you from?” | 1247 | |
| “Dear son, I am by birth from Kladuša.” | 1248 | |
| “Perhaps you saw what happened to my father, | 1249 | |
| my father Osman Bey? | 1250 | |
| My mother tells me only this of him, | 1251 | |
| that he stayed with her a scant four hours, | 1252 | |
| then of a sudden went away to serve the Imperial Army.” | 1253 | |
| “Your father parted from his soul | 1254 | |
| on my lap and my right knee | 1255 | |
| down in the dungeon of King Moskovich.” | 1256 | |
| The young man cast himself upon the green grass and said: | 1257 | |
| “I pray thee take my soul, dear Go[d], | 1258 | |
| and take my flesh, dear Earth!” | 1259 | |
| [The singer rested.] | ||
| Oh, but then the bride announced a race | 1260 | |
| from underneath the apple tree to the mansion of the Bey. | 1261 | |
| The horses fairly flew from off the mark, | 1262 | |
| and all the other wedding guests, my brothers, followed on behind. | 1263 | |
| Let us meanwhile watch Bey Mehmedbey | 1264 | |
| and the forlorn prisoner beside the spring. | 1265 | |
| “Come now,” he said, “and mount my father’s chestnut horse; | 1266 | |
| come with us to my bright mansion.” | 1267 | |
| But oh, my brothers, would that we were there to see | 1268 | |
| how Osman Bey sprang up into the saddle, | 1269 | |
| and how the chestnut turned its head | 1270 | |
| to nuzzle ’bout its master’s feet, | 1271 | |
| and how it sped outrunning all the other horses in the race, | 1272 | |
| so Osman Bey was first to reach his man[sion]. | 1273 | |
| There he saw his mother waiting at a wind[ow], | 1274 | |
| sunk in years and bli[nd]. | 1275 | |
| He galloped ’round the mansion shouting in full voi[ce]: | 1276 | |
|
“Wife of Osman Bey, give me the messenger’s reward
for bringing of glad news: | 1277 | |
| here comes your son a-leading of his darling bride! | 1278 | |
| Give alms moreover to a forlorn captive; | 1279 | |
| give it for the soul of your Bey Osmanbey.” | 1280 | |
| A maid came forth from out the mansion | 1281 | |
| bringing him a gift of bundled linen | 1282 | |
| and a hundred ducats for the welcome message that he bore. | 1283 | |
| Then a man relieved him of the chestnut horse | 1284 | |
| and the Bey was left to sit beside the courtyard gate | 1285 | |
| until the bride arrived with all the wedding gue[sts]. | 1286 | |
| The horsemen in the race came first, leading in the other gue[sts]. | 1287 | |
| The wedding party all banqueted together, | 1288 | |
| then one by one each went his way, every man to his own home. | 1289 | |
| Meantime the Bey bethought him of the captive-prisoner, | 1290 | |
|
the young Bey did, and walked to where the man
was sitting at the gate, and sa[id]: | 1291 | |
|
“Come in, prisoner, and welcome to my mansion
of enduring masonry; | 1292 | |
| nor think me not discourteous this night, | 1293 | |
| distracted as I am by the great sorrow that has seized on me. | 1294 | |
| I should have counted it a happ’er fate had I been killed, | 1295 | |
| had I not lived to see this day, | 1296 | |
|
nor learned that I shall never gaze upon my father
with mine own eyes.” | 1297 | |
| And so he led the prisoner within the vaulted mansion. | 1298 | |
| A ring-dance wonderous to look upon was turning near the hear[th] | 1299 | |
| with a dozen maidens dancing in i[t], | 1300 | |
| whilst Osman’s widow sat beside the hearth, | 1301 | |
| my brothers, poking at the embers as she wept. | 1302 | |
| Lo, the prisoner begged the lovely maidens’ leave: | 1303 | |
| “God keep you well, dear daugh[ters]! | 1304 | |
| Will you let me join your ring | 1305 | |
| and ease me of an ancient longing?” | 1306 | |
|
They said to him “Come in, old man,
and dance to your heart’s content.” | 1307 | |
| So Osman stepped beside them in the ring, | 1308 | |
| and guyed the circle as it turned so it came nearer to the hearth, | 1309 | |
| where he nudged his old dame with his foot. | 1310 | |
|
She cried aloud, and laying hold upon a brand
from off the hearth, she said: | 1311 | |
| “Damn your blackguard honour, forlorn prisoner | 1312 | |
| who brings me only news of death! | 1313 | |
| Do you suppose, God punish you, | 1314 | |
|
that I would in any wise consent to sully
my Bey’s right or reputation? | 1315 | |
|
No blemish on his memory shall come to him through me,
not even in my tomb!” | 1316 | |
| The young bey quickly took her by the hand and said: | 1317 | |
| “Dear mother, do not lash him with such unkind wor[ds] | 1318 | |
| for fear, sweet mum, your recollection of them grieve you later.” | 1319 | |
| Forthwith he took the captive by the hand | 1320 | |
| and led him to a well-dight cham[ber] | 1321 | |
| where he served him supper. | 1322 | |
| The Bey took his supper with an easy mi[nd], | 1323 | |
| then took up his cittern, inlaid with mother-of-pearl, | 1324 | |
| and put it on his lap. | 1325 | |
| As he picked the strings he sang: | 1326 | |
| “O cittern of mine with your pearly inlay, | 1327 | |
| one and twenty years it is | 1328 | |
| since I last sang with you. | 1329 | |
| I do not marvel that my uncle Alaybey | 1330 | |
| did not know me tod[ay]; | 1331 | |
| he has grown old and hard of si[ght]. | 1332 | |
| Nor do I marvel at my own dear mother | 1333 | |
| who gazed at me from out her wind[ow]; | 1334 | |
| she too has lost her vision | 1335 | |
| and so could not identify her so[n]. | 1336 | |
| At my son Mehmed Bey I do not marvel, | 1337 | |
| who could not guess my name tod[ay], | 1338 | |
| for he has never seen his fath[er]. | 1339 | |
|
Nor does my son’s new wife, the maid from Mostar,
make me marvel, | 1340 | |
| nor even my own wife from Tasli[dža] | 1341 | |
| tending embers by the fire, | 1342 | |
| for she would scarce remember me | 1343 | |
| who knew me but four hours. | 1344 | |
| One thing only makes me marvel: | 1345 | |
| how my horse knew who I was.” | 1346 | |
| Osman’s wife was listening while he sang. | 1347 | |
| She went to fetch her mother: | 1348 | |
| “Come hear the goodly song | 1349 | |
| the prisoner is making in the chamber!” | 1350 | |
| She led her to the chamber door, | 1351 | |
| then both of them burst in. | 1352 | |
| They took the cittern from his lap | 1353 | |
| and heaped themselves upon him. | 1354 | |
| Young Mehmed Bey as well heard all this happening | 1355 | |
| and left his newly-wed bride | 1356 | |
| to leap into his father’s lap | 1357 | |
| and hug and kiss him endlessly. | 1358 | |
|
Next there came his new-wed daughter,
and she sat down beside him, | 1359 | |
| and finally his uncle, Hasan Alaybey. | 1360 | |
| So their joyous festivity was twofold, | 1361 | |
| for both the beys were newly wed, | 1362 | |
| Oh! both beys were newly wed. | 1363 | |
| Then they barbered and attended to the prisoner. | 1364 | |
| Not even a week had passed thereafter | 1365 | |
| before a firman arrived from Istanbul. | 1366 | |
| The Bey forthwith destroyed it and ground it underfoot. | 1367 | |
| During the ensuing time, a year and one month more, | 1368 | |
| he tore up seven further firmans. | 1369 | |
| But when the eighth one came, it was the missing half, | 1370 | |
|
and so the Bey made ready for to get him to Stambol,
for now the time had come. | 1371 | |
| His son’s bride had meanwhile borne a son. | 1372 | |
| Opening her chamber door, he said: | 1373 | |
| “Dear daughter, since I shall surely perish | 1374 | |
| when I come to shining Stambol, | 1375 | |
| let me see your treasure, | 1376 | |
| the son whom you are tending in the cradle.” | 1377 | |
| He stroked the baby with his hand | 1378 | |
| and kissed it ’twixt its raven eyes. | 1379 | |
|
“Fare thee well,” he said, “and mayest thou raise thy son
to stalwart manhood. | 1380 | |
| Please now forgive me for my faults, and let us say goodbye.” | 1381 | |
| She lamented like the mourning dove. | 1382 | |
| So he took leave of each and every one. | 1383 | |
| In the yard he mounted on his chestnut horse, | 1384 | |
|
and then young Mehmed Bey walked out with him
to see him on his way. | 1385 | |
| “Dear son, attend thy mother’s counsel; | 1386 | |
| she is a woman without equal in all Bosnia.” | 1387 | |
|
Then he threw his arms about his son
and held him in a close embrace, | 1388 | |
| and fondly took his leave. | 1389 | |
| So Osman Bey went off to Istanbul. | 1390 | |
| Day by day he travelled and rested night by night. | 1391 | |
| But when he came to brilliant Istanbul, | 1392 | |
| the Sultan’s footmen took his horse | 1393 | |
| and Osman Bey approached the Imperial Doors. | 1394 | |
| Ćuprilić the Priest was waiting for him at the entrance. | 1395 | |
| Osman greeted him and stopped to say: | 1396 | |
| “Guard well the doors, let no one pass; I kiss your hands respectfully.” | 1397 | |
| Then Osman Bey proceeded to the audience chamber | 1398 | |
| and, opening the door, went in. | 1399 | |
| There he found the viziers, all three hundred of them | 1400 | |
| who had served with him at Hotin. | 1401 | |
| He bowed and took his place in audience before the court. | 1402 | |
| The viziers snatched away his half-firman | 1403 | |
| and passed it to the Sultan, Suleyman. | 1404 | |
| Suleyman the Emperor uttered a command, | 1405 | |
| whereupon a pair of executioners entered at the door, | 1406 | |
| their bodies black, their garments soaked with gore. | 1407 | |
| They seized Osman by the arms | 1408 | |
| and led him to the block | 1409 | |
| where heads of men were wont to roll, | 1410 | |
| there in the great audience chamber of the worshipful Emperor. | 1411 | |
| Bey Osman only smiled and said: | 1412 | |
| “Why now should I regret the losing of my head? | 1413 | |
| When Sultan Suleyman himself is traitor, | 1414 | |
| so must all his viziers be.” | 1415 | |
| The voice of Šaranbegović resounded: | 1416 | |
| “Cut the head from off his shoulders!” | 1417 | |
| But Suleyman the Emperor inquired: | 1418 | |
| “Why say you that the Sultan in Stambol is traitor?” | 1419 | |
| “For inasmuch as he would have me lose my head | 1420 | |
| before inquiring anything of m[e].” | 1421 | |
| “Say on then, how you wi[ll].” | 1422 | |
| “That man lies who says to thee | 1423 | |
| that I surrendered to King Moskov[ich]. | 1424 | |
|
The traitors in the case are they who left
me on the field of com[bat], | 1425 | |
| and who destroyed the bridge of my retreat. | 1426 | |
| Thus my whole army perished, Emperor, | 1427 | |
| together with the Padishah of Tartary | 1428 | |
| and all his Tartars to a man; | 1429 | |
| only I was taken captive. | 1430 | |
| I lay in prison all the while | 1431 | |
| till Lehović did purchase me.” | 1432 | |
| Therewith the Bey drew forth a letter of petition | 1433 | |
| which King Lehović had given him. | 1434 | |
|
“Shouldst thou not trust this writ itself or what it tells,
or think it forgery, | 1435 | |
| see where it bears the seal of Lehović, the King’s own.” | 1436 | |
| When the Emperor had scrutinized the seal, | 1437 | |
| he read the letter through, | 1438 | |
| then summoned Osman to his throne. | 1439 | |
| “What is it, son, that you would have me do?” | 1440 | |
| “Emperor, give me thy seal, | 1441 | |
| and let me rule in Istanbul from now till fall of night.” | 1442 | |
| So the Emperor gave him the seal | 1443 | |
| and Osman left the court. | 1444 | |
| But when he stood outside the chamber, before the Emperor’s Serai, | 1445 | |
| he summoned up an hundred executioners, | 1446 | |
| and then commanded on his own authority | 1447 | |
| that all the pachas and viziers should leave the council chamber. | 1448 | |
| Each of them, my brothers, on coming forth, | 1449 | |
| he instantly beheaded. | 1450 | |
| Thus he cut down all three hundred of the ministers, | 1451 | |
| save only Šaranbegović | 1452 | |
| and old man Kaplan Pasha. | 1453 | |
| Those two he tied instead four ways amongst four horses, | 1454 | |
| then, driving the animals in four directions, | 1455 | |
| he tore the two to pieces there in Istanbul. | 1456 | |
| Until the fall of night he purged Stambol. | 1457 | |
| “So now, my Emperor, I am avenged.” | 1458 | |
| “What is it more, my son, that you would have me do?” | 1459 | |
| “Let sons inherit from their fathers. | 1460 | |
| Grant Imperial Bosnia your liturgy of benediction | 1461 | |
| that rye and wheat may flourish there aplenty. | 1462 | |
| Let me campaign at will | 1463 | |
| and ask consent of no man.” | 1464 | |
| All this the Emperor did grant, | 1465 | |
| and Osman Bey went home. | 1466 | |
| But first he chose new ministers: | 1467 | |
| Ćuprilić the Priest to hold prime office next the Emperor, | 1468 | |
| and after him Lord Mehmed, | 1469 | |
| who once upon a time, all ragged, had met him in his little boat. | 1470 | |
| So too the Bey established there in Istanbul | 1472 | |
| all ministers of other ranks as well, all new, | 1471 | |
| and then returned to his own province, Imperial Bosnia. | 1473 | |
| Along the winding road he went until he came to Glasinac, | 1474 | |
| then straight on to his own mansion and courtyard. | 1475 | |
| This has been the song of Osman Bey of Bosnia. | 1476 | |
| All this happened long ago, to be remembered now, | 1477 | |
| all things that strong men did in that past time. | 1478 | |
| Let us sing therefore; let us enjoy ourselves. | 1479 | |
|
As I have given you this song,
may God likewise give you good health. | 1480 |