Page:The Ballads of Marko Kraljević.djvu/82

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What a pair of eyes he had!
What a mighty black moustache!
Graceful it drooped to his shoulders;
Happy she that taketh him to husband!
And now they mounted their good steeds,
And went forth to Mitrovica plain.
They descended towards Novi Pazar,
Along the Raška to Relja's manor. 170
Relja saw them and came out to meet his pobratims,
They spread wide their arms and kissed one the other.
In the gateway they lighted down,
And swift squires took the horses.
Then Relja bade them to the čardak,
But Marko would not, and he said to Relja:
"We will not, pobro, to the čardak,
Nor to the čardak nor to the slender tower."
And he told him all wherefore they journeyed.
"Come, Relja," quoth he, "Come, pobratim, 180
We shall wait for thee a little:
Put on thy finest raiment upon thee,
And let the servants saddle thee thy horse."
Relja was glad of that word.
Hadst thou but seen with thine eyes
When the winged hero donned his apparel!
Hadst thou seen the splendid bridegroom
That the winged Relja made!
It is no jest that the hero had wings,
No jest is it—he had wings indeed.190
A sorry figure was Marko beside him,
A sorry figure also Miloš the Vojvoda.
Relja mounted his Vila-steed[1],
And they went by the wide plain,
Along the Raška, by the cold river.
And they came to the fords,
And they crossed the Jošanica water,

  1. Виловита кона појахао: to express the superlative quality of his horse, the Vila being endowed with marvellous swiftness.