Through the Land of the SerbDurham, M. E. (Mary Edith)
History
Through the Land of the Serb
Durham, M. E. (Mary Edith)
Montenegro -- Description and travel; Serbia -- Description and travel
And lo, there came Tsar Lazar himself, and when he saw the Empress the
tears flowed down his cheeks. He called to his faithful follower,
Goluban, saying, "Goluban, my trusty servant, alight from thy steed,
take my lady by her white hand and lead her to the tower. May God's
blessing be upon thee! Thou comest not with me to the fight at Kosovo,
for thou shalt remain with my lady here in the white castle." And when
Goluban heard these words the tears ran down his face. He alighted from
his horse, he took his lady by her white hand and he led her to the
tower. But he could not withstand the desire which burnt in his heart;
he mounted his horse and he rode to the fight at Kosovo.
When the next day dawned, there came two black ravens from the wide
field of Kosovo, and they settled upon the white tower. And one of them
croaked, and the other cried, "Is this the tower of the mighty Lazar?"
The Empress Militza heard them, and she stepped forth from the white
castle, crying, "God save you, O ye ravens! Have ye seen the meeting of
two mighty armies?" And they answered her, saying, "God save thee, O
Empress. We have flown from Kosovo field. We have seen the meeting of
the mighty armies, and the leader of either is slain. Lo, lady, here
comes thy servant Milutin, and he sways in his saddle from right to
left; for he has seventeen wounds upon him, and his blood streams upon
his steed." And the Empress called to him, "O Milutin, why hast thou
deserted thy Tsar at Kosovo?" But Milutin answered her, "Take me from my
horse, O lady; wash me with cold water; give me red wine, for I am
sorely stricken." And she did as he begged her. And when he had come to
himself a little, she prayed of him, "O Milutin, what has come to pass
upon the field of Kosovo? Where is the glorious Tsar Lazar? Where are
old Yug Bogdan and his nine sons?" Then the serving-man began to speak.
"Lady, they all lie on the field at Kosovo by the cold waters of the
Sitnitza, and where Tsar Lazar fell there are many weapons broken, and
the Serbs lie thick around him. And old Yug Bogdan and his nine sons
fell in the front of the fight: all are dead, lady, and the last that
fell was Boshko Jugovich. Milosh is dead that slew Tsar Murad, and dead
also is Banovich Strahinja that fought knee-deep in blood. All lie dead
on the field at Kosovo; all save Yuk Brankovich, whose name be for ever
accursed. He betrayed the Emperor; upon the field of battle he betrayed
all glorious Lazar!"
* * * * *
On the hill in the midst of Krushevatz there stands one shattered lonely
fragment of the white castle up against the sky--all that is left of
Tsar Lazar's palace. But time has worked its revenges, and the Turkish
mosque that was built of its stones in the town below is now too but a
heap of ruins.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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