Jakshich’s Partitioning

Hark! the moon is to the day-star calling: “Morning star! say, where hast thou been wandering; Tell me where thou hast so long been lingering; Where hast white days three so wasted,—tell me?” To the moon, anon, the day-star answer’d: “I have wander’d, moon! and I have linger’d, Lingered o’er Belgrad’s white towers, and wondered At the marvellous things which I have witness’d: How two brothers have their wealth partitioned, Jakshich Dmitar and Jakshich Bogdana. They had thus arranged the shares allotted, Well their father’s substance had divided: Dmitar took Wallachia {59a} for his portion, Took Wallachia and entire Moldavia; {59b} Banat also, to the river Danube. Bogdan took the level plains of Sermia, And the even country of the Sava; Servia, too, as far as Ujitz’s fortress. Dmitar took the lower fortress’d cities, And Neboisha’s tower upon the Danube; Bogdan took the upper fortress’d cities, And the church-possessing town, Rujitza. Then a strife arose about a trifle,— Such a trifle; but a feud soon follow’d,— A black courser and a grey-wing’d falcon! Dmitar claims the steed, as elder brother Claims the steed, and claims the grey-wing’d falcon. Bogdan will not yield or horse or falcon. When the morning of the morrow waken’d, Dmitar flung him on the sable courser, Took upon his hand the grey-wing’d falcon, Went to hunt into the mountain-forest; And he call’d his wife, fair Angelīa: “Angelia! thou my faithful lady! Kill with poison thou my brother Bogdan; But if thou refuse to kill my brother, Tarry thou in my white court no longer.”

When the lady heard her lord’s commandments, Down she sat all sorrowful and gloomy; To herself she thought, and said in silence, —“And shall I attempt it?—I, poor cuckoo! Shall I kill my brother—kill with poison!— ’Twere a monstrous crime before high heaven, ’Twere a sin and shame before my people. Great and small would point their fingers at me, Saying,—‘That is the unhappy woman, That is she who kill’d her husband’s brother!’ But if I refuse to poison Bogdan, Never will my husband come to bless me!” Thus she thought, until a thought relieved her; She descended to the castle’s cavern, Took the consecrated cup of blessing. ’Twas a cup of beaten gold her father Had bestow’d upon his daughter’s nuptials; Full of golden wine she fill’d the vessel, And she bore it to her brother Bogdan. Low to earth she bow’d herself before him, And she kiss’d his hands and garments meekly.

“Lo! I bring to thee this cup, my brother! This gold cup, with golden wine o’erflowing. Give me for my cup a horse and falcon.” Bogdan heard the lady speak complacent, And most cheerfully gave steed and falcon.

Meanwhile through the day was Dmitar wandering In the mountain-forest; nought he found there; But chance brought him at the fall of evening To a green lake far within the forest, Where a golden-pinion’d duck was swimming. Dmitar loosen’d then his grey-winged falcon, Bade him seize the golden-pinion’d swimmer. Faster than the hunter’s eye could follow, Lo! the duck had seized the grey-wing’d falcon, And against his sides had crush’d his pinion. Soon as Dmitar Jakshich saw, he stripp’d him— Stripp’d him swiftly of his hunting garments; Speedily into the lake he plunged him, And he bore his falcon from its waters. Then with pitying voice he ask’d his falcon: “Hast thou courage yet, my faithful falcon! Now thy wings are from thy body riven?”

Whispering, said the falcon to his master: “I without my pinions nought resemble, But a brother riven from a brother.” Then the thought pierced through the breast of Dmitar, That his wife was charged to kill his brother. Swift he threw him on his mighty courser— Swift he hurried to Bijōgrad’s fortress, Praying that his brother had not perished.

He had hardly reach’d the bridge of Chekmel, When he spurr’d his raven steed so fiercely, That the impetuous courser’s feet sank under, And were crushed and broken on the pavement. In his deep perplexity and trouble, Dmitar took the saddle off his courser, Flung it on the courser’s nether haunches, And he fled alone to Belgrad’s fortress. First he sought, impatient, for his lady— “Angelia! thou my bride all faithful! Tell me, tell me, hast thou kill’d my brother?” Sweet indeed was Angelia’s answer: “No! indeed, I have not killed thy brother; To thy brother have I reconciled thee.”