Once when the emperor held court,
all his liegemen came to his levy
save only Mark Kingson,
who came next day instead.
The emperor said to him: 5
"Thane of mine, Mark Kingson,
why cam'st thou not to court when I did summon thee,
but com'st instead today?"
Mark answered this to him:
"As God's my witness, honorable Emperor, 10
your holding court means nothing to me now,
when all my thought's of what's been plundered from me.
Minya of Koshtur has plundered me
and pillaged all my mansions;
gathered all the valuables I kept in them, 15
then set them afire.
He has even taken mine own wife to be his slave."
When the honorable emperor heard that,
he said to Mark:
"Hush, Mark Kingson - fear not! 20
As for the treasure which he has plundered from thee,
I'll grant to thee the revenue of taxes from three villages
for three years, with nothing of it due to me.
As for his burning of thy mansions,
we shall levy volunteers among the Vlachs 25
to build new mansions for thee handsomer than those which formerly thou hadst.
As for his taking of thy wife to be his slave,
I have thirty daughters:
make whichever one of them who pleases thee thy wife."
When Mark had understood him, 30
he liked no part of what was offered.
So Mark answered him again:
"As to what you've proposed, my honorable Emperor,
that you will make a grant to me of tax revenues from three villages,
I'll not collect such taxes, 35
because the destitute would curse me if I did.
As to what you've proposed, my honorable Emperor,
that you will levy volunteers among the Vlachs:
if they were to build new mansions for me,
the Vlachs would heap their imprecations on me; 40
and as to what you said, my honorable Emperor,
about your thirty daughters,
I'll wed with none of them,
for I think there is no reason why I might not find my own wife again.
Therefore I beg of thee, my dear lord, 45
grant me thirty of thy Janissaries
to go with me to Kostur City,
where I'll test whether God and a warrior's luck may vouchsafe
that I bring the keys of Kostur to thee."
When the emperor had understood him, 50
this is what the warrior said to him:
"Take as many of them as you wish, Marko."
So Mark took thirty Janissaries,
dressed them all in habits of black
as though they were fathers of Mount Athos, 55
and set out with them for Kostur City.
They came safely to Kostur
and found the city's gates were standing open
with young soldiers posted there as sentries,
who were putting stones when they arrived. 60
They gave solicitous greetings:
"God's help be with you, young soldiers!
Is Minya of Kostur at home?
We've come to bless his mansions."
The young soldiers answered them: 65
"Good health to you, fathers of Mount Athos!
Minya of Kostur is at home."
Therewith they went to their master
and told him:
"Dear master, as God is your witness, 70
certain fathers from Mount Athos have come to visit you;
they wish to bless your mansions."
So the fathers from Mount Athos
entered into Minya's shining mansions.
Mark's wife was watching at the window 75
and recognized her lord's horse.
She said to the monks:
"As God is your witness, fathers of Mount Athos,
how came you by my lord's horse?
Did he sell it to you for the means to pay a debt, 80
or did he, misfortunate, decease
and leave the horse to you for remembrance of his soul in your prayers?"
The black-clad monks replied to her:
"As God's our witness, young slave woman,
he did not sell the horse to us for means to pay a debt, 85
but died, poor miserable fellow,
and left it to us for our remembrance of his soul in prayer."
When Mark's lady had heard this,
she let the tears run down her shining face
and moreover said, young thing that she was: 90
"Alack-a-day, my dear lord,
I am abandoned then to be a slave as long as I may live."
When Minya of Kostur heard her say that,
he struck her on the face, hard
- so forbearing was his blow 95
that it knocked out three healthy teeth,
and blood ran down her cheek.
When Mark Kingson saw that happen
he could not keep his feelings pent,
but swiftly unsheathing his sabre the warrior 100
hacked off Minya's arm at the shoulder
and, warrior that he was, said to his foeman moreover:
"Blast your arm! Strike the woman not!
She's my own wedded wife!"
Again he brandished his sabre in his strong right hand, 105
and this time cut off Minya's blond-haired head.
Then he collected all the treasure in the place
and set fire to it,
took his wife in prize
and carried off the keys to Kostur City too 110
- took them to the honorable emperor, and said:
"Know thou this, my honorable emperor!
Warrior that I am, I've stormed
Kostur and taken it for thee." 114