Musa the Albanian drank wine
in Stambol, in a shining inn;
when Musa had drunk the wine aplenty,
drunk as he was, he began to say:
"Nine long years it has been 5
that I have served the emperor in Stambol;
neither horse nor panoply have I gotten as reward
- nay, not so much as a new coat, nor yet even a second-hand one.
By my unswerving faith,
I'll get me to the level littoral, 10
and there I'll stop the ferry traffic at sea
and close the highways of the coastland.
I'll build a fortress on the coastland,
with iron meat-hooks all about it
- I'll hang the emperor's hodjas and his hadjis." 15
Everything the Turk said drunk,
he did indeed when sober:
away he went to the level coastland,
stopped the ferry traffic at sea
and traffic on the highways of the coastland 20
where the emperor's treasures of revenue were wont to pass
at the rate of three hundred shipments a year
- Musa kept back all for himself,
and built a fortress there in the coastal lowlands,
with iron meat-hooks all about it 25
on which he hanged the emperor's hodjas and hadjis.
When complaints had sufficiently annoyed the emperor,
he sent Chuprilich Vizier to deal with Musa,
and with the vizier went three thousand troops.
When they came to the coastal lowlands, 30
Musa broke the expedition there in the coastlands
and captured Chuprilich Vizier,
whose hands he bound behind his back,
whose legs he bound to his horse;
then he sent the vizier to the emperor in Stambol. 35
The emperor began to advertise for champions,
promising untold wealth
to him who would slay Musa the Brigand;
but whichever one of them went there,
that one never again returned to Stambol. 40
The emperor grew terribly anxious,
but Hodja Chuprilich said to him:
"Milord Emperor of Stambol,
were Marko Kraljevich here now,
he would slay Musa the Brigand." 45
The emperor looked at him askance,
then burst into tears:
"Don't tease me, Hodja Chuprilich;
what makes you mention Marko Kraljevich?"
The flesh will have rotted from his bones by now; 50
it is a full three years
since I put him in my oubliette
- since then I have not once opened it."
Hodja Chuprilich said to him,
"Mercy, milord Emperor! 55
What would you give to a man
who could show you Marko still alive?"
Milord Emperor replied to him,
"I would confer on him the Vizierate of Bosnia
for an uninterrupted term of nine years, 60
during which I would levy not a penny of tax."
The Hodja started till his nimble feet
and opened the prison gates,
and led forth Marko Kraljevich.
When he brought him before the honorable emperor, 65
Marko's hair hung down to the black earth
- part of it he tried to push aside, but with the rest he covered himself -
his nails were such that he might have used them for plowshares;
the dank of the prison stones had destroyed him
- he had taken on the very colour of the grey rock. 70
The emperor said to Marko Kraljevich,
"Are you still somewhat alive, Marko?"
"Emperor, I am - but barely."
The emperor gan tell Marko
all that Musa had wrought against him, 75
then he asked Marko Kraljevich:
"Might you have confidence enough in yourself, Marko,
to go to the level coastlands
and destroy Musa the Brigand?
I'll give you as much treasure as you wish." 80
Marko Kraljevich said to him,
"By worthy God, milord Emperor,
the dank of the prison stones has destroyed me.
I am scarcely able to see with my eyes,
not to speak of doing combat with Musa! 85
Lodge me somewhere in an inn,
put wine and brandy before me,
and thick cuts of mutton,
and white-wheat hardtack
- let me rest for several days; 90
I will tell you when I am fit to fight."
The emperor brought three young barbers:
one bathed Marko, another shaved him,
and the third gave him a manicure.
Then he lodged him in the New Inn, 95
put wine and brandy before him,
and thick cuts of mutton,
and white-wheat hardtack.
Mark rested there for three months
until he had mended his vitality somewhat. 100
The emperor asked Marko Kraljevich,
"Are you able yet to trust your strength?
The poor folk worry me exceedingly
with complaints of curs˙egd Musa!"
Marko said to the honorable emperor, 105
"Bring me some dry cornel wood
that has lain curing nine years in an attic;
let me test what might be possible."
They brought him the dry cornel wood.
Marko squeezed it in his right hand 110
- the wood snapped in two and three pieces,
but no water spurted from it.
"Emperor, by worthy God, it's still not time."
So another month passed
whilst Marko mended somewhat more. 115
When he perceived that he was fit to fight,
he called again for dry cornel wood.
They brought the cornel wood to Marko,
and when he squeezed it in his right hand
it snapped - mere trifle that it was - in two and three pieces, 120
and out spurted two drops of water.
Then Marko announced to the emperor,
"It seems I am ready to fight."
So he went away to Novak the blacksmith:
"Forge me a saber, smith Novak, 125
such as you have never forged before!"
He gave him thirty ducats
and went back to the New Inn,
where he went on drinking wine for another three or four days.
Then he stolled once more to Novak: 130
"Have you finished forging the saber, Novo?"
He brought forth the newly forged saber.
Marko Kraljevich said to him,
"Is it a good one, smith Novak?"
Novak softly said to Marko, 135
"Here is the saber, and there is the anvil
- test it yourself to see how it suits you!"
Marko brandished his right hand and the saber in air
and struck the anvil with it
- it cut the anvil halfway through - 140
and then he asked smith Novak:
"As God is your witness, smith Novak,
have you ever forged one better?"
Novak the blacksmith said to him,
"As God is my witness, Marko Kraljevich, 145
I have forged a better one
- a better saber, and for a better man.
When Musa deserted to the coastlands,
the saber I worked for him was such
that when he struck the anvil with it 150
it even damaged the stand beneath the anvil."
Marko grew angry when he heard that
and said to smith Novak:
"Hold out your hand, smith Novak;
hold out your hand so I may pay you for the saber!" 155
In a moment of inattention an adder stung him
- in a moment of inattention he extended his right arm -
whereupon Marko Kraljevich swung his saber
and cut off his right arm at the shoulder:
"There now, smith Novak, 160
think no more of forging either better or worse.
Here are a hundred ducats for you,
to feed you the rest of your days."
He gave him the hundred ducats,
then mounted his piebald warhorse 165
and went straightway to the coastal lowlands.
Roaming about, he asked after Musa.
Then early one morning whilst he was riding
through the canyon by Fort Kachanik,
lo, there was Musa the Brigand. 170
He sat cross-legged astride a black horse,
throwing a club into the air
and catching it again in his hand when it fell.
As they approached each other,
Marko said to Musa the Brigand: 175
"Madcap Musa, get yourself out of my way
- either get out of my way or bow down before me!"
But Musa the Albanian said,
"Leave off, Marko, lest you start a fight
- or else dismount and let us drink wine together - 180
for I shall not get out of your way.
True though it may be that a queen gave birth to you
on a soft cushion in a storeyed house,
and swaddled you in cloth of pure silk
bound round with a strand of gold, 185
and raised you on honey and sugar;
my fierce Albanian mother bore me
on a cold slab of rock amongst a flock of sheep,
and swaddled me in a scrap of dirty rag
bound round with a strand of vine, 190
and raised me on oaten gruel
- and ofttimes she did adjure me
that I take myself out of the way for no man!"
When Marko of Prilep heard that,
he hurled his battle-spear 195
between his horse's ears
straight at madcap Musa's breast
- but Musa parried it with his club
so that it flew wild over him,
then he fettled his own battle-spear 200
to hit Marko with it
- but Marko parried it with his club,
breaking it into three pieces.
They drew their well-wrought sabers
and attacked each other: 205
Marko Kraljevich swung his saber,
but madcap Musa met it with his mace
and broke it in three.
In a flash he brandished his own saber
to slash Marko Kraljevich with it, 210
but Marko met it with his club
and broke it at the hilt.
Then they fettled their finny maces
and began to hit with them
- the fins of their maces broke off, 215
so they threw them down onto the green grass,
leapt off of their good mounts,
took hold of each others bones,
and fell to wrestling on the green grass.
One man got a good grip on the other 220
- madcap Musa on Marko Kraljevich -
but neither could he subdue Marko
nor could Marko subdue him.
So they fought on until midday,
when white foam began to show on Musa, 225
and white foam laced with blood on Marko.
Musa the Brigand said,
"Either throw me, Marko, or I'll throw you!"
Marko Kraljevich did his best to throw him down,
but could do nothing to him; 230
then Musa the Brigand gave a great heave
and, throwing Marko down onto the green grass,
sat on his chest.
Marko Kraljevich cried out,
"Where are you, sister vila, in my day of need? 235
- where are you today? - may you never be anywhere!
So your promise to me was a false one, was it?
- that whensoever I might be in need,
you would help me in it."
From out of the clouds the vila spoke to him: 240
"And why should I help you, brother Marko Kraljevich?
Did I not warn you - teen attend you! -
not to be fighting of a Sunday?
And besides, it's shameful for two to be matched against one.
But what of your hidden vipers?" 245
Marko looked away towards the summit and the cloud
from whence the vila had spoken,
and as he did so Marko drew his hidden knife
and with it slit Musa the Bandit open
from his navel to his lily-white throat. 250
Musa sprawled dead atop Marko,
and Marko could scarcely extricate himself from underneath.
But then, when Marko shifted the corpse,
he beheld within it three hearts,
each in its own ribcage, one within another; 255
one of the hearts was very fatigued,
the second was beating excitedly,
and on the third a viper lay asleep.
When the viper awoke,
Musa's corpse leapt about on the ground, 260
and the viper said to Marko:
"Say a prayer of thanks to God, Marko Kraljevich,
that I did not awake
while Musa was still alive, for if I had,
I would have worked you three hundred woes!" 265
When Marko had seen that,
tears poured down his cheeks:
"Woe betide me, God wot,
for I have slain a man better than I."
Then he cut off Musa's head 270
and tossed it into his piebald's feedbag,
and carried it back to bright Stambol.
When he had thrown it down before the honorable emperor,
the emperor leapt to his feet in horror.
Marko Kraljevich said to him, 275
"There is nothing to fear, Milord Emperor!
How could you have faced him when he was alive,
when you dance about this way at the sight of his lifeless head?"
The emperor gave him three loads of treasure
and Marko went away to bright Prilep, 280
whilst Musa remained where he lay above Kachanik.