A certain Romeo, otherwise named Vah Rehnio, and a certain Juliet,
otherwise called Baska Jabianka, worked together with an agriculturist,
one as a serving-man, the other as a maid-servant. And, what is the use
of concealment, they fell in love, being unable to live without each
other, just as Nevazendeh[11] could not live without Bezevandeha.[11]
Soon, however, jealousy crept in between Romeo and Juliet; for the
latter once saw Romeo stopping too long with Yagna of the mansion-house.
Thenceforth, the unfortunate Juliet was merely waiting for her
opportunity. So on a certain day, when Romeo came from the field too
early, according to Juliet's thinking, and asked for his supper with
insistence, matters came to an outburst and explanations on both sides,
whereby there was an interchange of some dozens of blows of the fist and
of a pot-ladle. The traces of these blows were to be seen in blue spots
on the ideal face of Juliet, as well as on the cut forehead of Romeo,
which was full of manly pride. The court had to declare on whose side
was justice, and which was to pay the other five zlotys, or, speaking
more correctly, seventy copecks silver, in compensation for deceit in
love, and the results of the outburst.
[11] Two pigeons in one of the Persian fables of Bidpay or Pilpay.
The corrupt breath of the West had not been able yet to embrace the
sound mental character of the court; hence, disgusted to the bottom of
their souls with emancipation of woman, as a thing hostile, and
revolting to the more ideal disposition of the Slavs, the judges gave
the right of speech, first, to Romeo, who, holding his cut forehead,
began,--
"Great, mighty court! But that pig ear has given me no peace this long
time. I came home, like any good man, to supper, and she made at me.
'Thou chestnut dog,' says she, 'the master is in the field yet, and thou
come now to the house! Thou wilt put thyself behind the stove, and blink
at me.' I never scolded her; but when she saw me with Yagna of the
mansion, as I helped the girl to draw water out of the well, from that
moment she was raging at me. She threw my plate on the table so the food
almost flew from it, and then she wouldn't let me eat it; she gave out
her mind at me in this way, 'Thou son of a pagan, thou traitor, thou
geometer, thou suffragan!' When she said suffragan, and only then, I
gave it to her on the snout, and only so from temper; but she at me then
with a pot-ladle on the forehead."
Here the ideal Juliet could not restrain herself; but, clinching her
fist and shoving it under Romeo's nose, she cried, with shrieking
voice,--
"Not true! not true! not true! Thou liest like a dog!"
Then she burst into weeping with her whole overflowing heart, and,
turning to the court, cried,--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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