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SONGS OF THE VALIANT VOIVODE. 
 
ONGS OF THE 
 VALIANT VOIVODE 
 
 AND OTHER STRANGE FOLK-LORE 
 FOR THE FIRST TIME COLLECTED 
 FROM ROUMANIAN PEASANTS AND 
 SET FORTH IN ENGLISH $©> So §o 
 
 BY 
 
 HELENE VACARESCO 
 
 WHO ALSO COLLECTED THE ROUMANIAN 
 FOLK-SONGS PUBLISHED UNDER THE TITLE 
 OF "THE BARD OF the dimbovitza" 3* 
 
 NEW YORK 
 CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 
 
(,&s-4Lm- 
 
TO MY DEAR COUSIN 
 
 ANNA MARIA VACARESCO 
 
 THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED 
 BY THE AUTHOR 
 
 HELENE VACARESCO 
 
 
DEDICATORY EPISTLE. 
 
 DearJousin, 
 
 'hese tales and legends of our dear country belong 
 to you b right of inheritance and by birthright too. For 
 months have wandered from village to village and 
 gathered he strange sweet stories; they grow like flowers 
 in the wie domains that bear our name. Besides, are they 
 not our acestors, and do they not still live in our blood, 
 all the hadsome and gallant Voivodes (Princes and chief- 
 tains), a the lovely Princesses whose images will adorn 
 these paps ? The great success obtained, both in England 
 and on t: Continent, by "The Bard of the Dimbovitza*' 
 has encoraged me to use the same method this time. 
 You wiinot find here one single tale that is already in- 
 closed ii the books of our learned and patient folk-lore 
 searchers They are as new to the public as if they had 
 not lain >r centuries in the souls of our country-people. 
 You kno- how peculiarly proud and graceful is the stature 
 of a Romanian peasant against the golden sky of our 
 native lad, and how much he still retains in his mind 
 and his wrds the love of imaginative creation, of symbols 
 and of sog. 
 
 And viereas, in most parts of Europe, the simple 
 vii 
 
Vlll 
 
 charms of country life, the ancient customs and rites, are 
 fast trodden down and hushed to silence by their great 
 foe, civilization; here you find them as alive and fresh as 
 in the Virgilian days, when they delighted mankind. Dacia 
 survives herself still in the very descendants of her con- 
 querors, the Romans. These tales are therefore both Latin, 
 Dacian and Asiatic, while the mysticism of the Slavonic 
 race may sometimes be traced in them. When, many 
 centuries ago, our great ancestor left his Transylvanian 
 dukedom, and rode with his peers and warriors to take 
 possession of this land, he not only endowed our national 
 history with one of its most thrilling and glorious adventures, 
 but also shed a glamour over the inspiration of our bards. 
 To those beautiful and entrancing days we are indebted for 
 the love of valour and the love of love you will trace in 
 every one of our popular legends. Besides, it seems that 
 among the hardships of a destiny which for ages has 
 weighed heavily on this patient and ever-striving nation, 
 through the darkness of battle and the terror of losing the 
 unequalled treasure, Freedom, the inmates of this agitated 
 land have found in their imagination the power to build 
 an ideal world in which they lived far from the troubles 
 of their real existence, and also an ideal of justice and 
 beauty. You will note here that kings and conquerors, 
 warriors and heiducks, empresses and fairies, are ever 
 generous, brave, and fair to behold, and that they carefully 
 protect from evil the high gifts they have received from 
 nature in their very cradles. And the creature whose part 
 
IX 
 
 is to deal unkindly, or to bring woe and strife, wears a 
 terrible aspect from the beginning of the tale to its end. 
 Take then the precious book, my dear child, and may you 
 love to read it as I have loved to hear, and may you admire, 
 as I have admired, the spontaneous rush of such a deep 
 and sacred fountain. 
 
 Helene Vacaresco. 
 Vacaresci. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Dedicatory Epistle vii 
 
 The Handsome Voivode ; or, The Garden where who- 
 soever entered looked fair ... * I 
 
 Mariora; or, The Daughter of the Wind 15 
 
 The Moldavian Princess and the Fairy 21 
 
 The Wooden Spindle and my Lady Death .... 28 
 
 The Shepherd and the Heiduck 35 
 
 The Enchanted Palace between the Enchanted Trees . 43 
 
 Mihai ; or, The Son of the Dragon 51 
 
 The White Serpent and the Little Beggar Girl ... 63 
 
 The Wicked King 70 
 
 The Willows' Daughter 82 
 
 The Four Princesses and their Crimson Slippers . . 90 
 
 The Little Blue Glass Ring 98 
 
 The Fairy and the Waterfall 103 
 
 Dragomira in 
 
 The Young Prince who, born of a Rose-tree, became a 
 
 Rose-tree himself 118 
 
 The Knife and the Wind ; or, The Girl who was thrice 
 
 betrothed 133 
 
 The Emperor and the Mouse 146 
 
 The Legend of the Lilac Flower 162 
 
 The Two Robbers and their Brother the Devil . . . 170 
 
 The Stolen Pig 181 
 
 xi 
 
xii Contents. 
 
 PAGI 
 
 The Mantle 185 
 
 Thisca ; or, The Marvellous Stone 189 
 
 The Shirt. A Tzigane Tale 197 
 
 The Church Builder 201 
 
 Barbu and the Raven. A Tzigane Tale 212 
 
 Sister Life and Sister Death 216 
 
 The Tzigane, the Voivode, and the Enchanted Whistle 220 
 
 Hie and Pauna 227 
 
 The Tzigane and his Wife 235 
 
SONGS OF THE VALIANT VOIVODE. 
 THE HANDSOME VOIVODE; 
 
 OR, 
 THE GARDEN WHERE WHOSOEVER ENTERED LOOKED FAIR. 
 
 The man who sat near our gate in the dusk 
 Had just returned from his labour ', 
 
 And twilight loves the man who has laboured all day, 
 And twilight said to me : " Tell him a tale, 
 And he will forget his weariness while thou speakestT 
 
 The corn is ripe at the foot of the hills, 
 
 But in the plain it still requires the sun. 
 
 O thou who ever dr earnest in thy sleep, 
 
 And whose dreams are as numerous, love, 
 
 As the leaves on the tall nut-tree, love, 
 Say, hast thou never dreamt of a handsome Voivodef 
 Ah! how bright is his life and how handsome is he. 
 He sings as he goes to the battle, 
 
 And when he returneth he sings. 
 The women all pray for him and the virgins, 
 
 While he fights and laughs at the fight. 
 
2 The Handsome Voivode. 
 
 The road is happy where his shadow falls , 
 And the shadow too of his lance and horse. 
 
 Say, hast thou never dreamt of some handsome Voivode? 
 How oft I see a Voivode in my dreams, 
 The one whose tale I'll tell thee now. 
 
 Ah ! love, I would have loved him had I but seen his face, 
 For he was brave and young and he was called Boujor, 
 And he never went to the battle without saying 
 To the flowers in his way, 
 " To-night ye will drink blood instead of dew." 
 And Stana the young maid lived not far from Boujor, 
 And he passed by her window every morning, 
 
 And every night he passed. 
 What does a young maiden when a fair prince passes? 
 She loves the fair prince. 
 
 Ah! how bright is the life of a Voivode , my love! 
 He sings as he goes to the battle, 
 And when he returneth he sings. 
 
 What does a fair prince when he thinks but of battles? 
 
 He passes and sees not the young maiden's smile. 
 And Stana night and day talked to her spindle, 
 
 To her spindle she said: " O be quick ! " 
 To the flax in her fingers she said : 
 u Thou wilt be my shroud. 
 Thou seest Boujor as he passes, 
 
 Thus thou wilt speak to me of him in my dear tomb. ' 
 
The Handsome Voivode. 
 
 And she said to the beads on her necklace: 
 
 " Do look well at the young Voivode, 
 Ye will speak of him to my sleep." 
 
 Stana was poor ; 
 She had but her necklace, her spindle, 
 Her house with three nut-trees in front, 
 
 And her love for the handsome Boujor. 
 One day that the Voivode passed by 
 
 On his horse quicker e'en than the fire, 
 Stana let a warm tear fall and dance on her spindle. 
 
 The spindle stopped. 
 "Why stoppest thou, swift spindle? 
 For I am more than ever 
 Bent on my own little shroud. 
 Run on, run on, like the Voivode's high horse, 
 Run on, run on, like his shadow, 
 Run on, run on, like his eyes, 
 That never have looked upon me." 
 But the spindle stood still 
 
 Quite in the middle of the room still and straight. 
 And Stana wondered, 
 And the small spindle grew, 
 
 And the black spindle whitened, 
 And the small spindle grew 
 Till it became a beautiful young fairy. 
 And she wore the sun on her bracelets 
 And in her earrings bright; 
 
4 The Handsome Voivode. 
 
 And the sun glistened in her hair. 
 Her dress was made of moonbeams, 
 And moved on her body like water; 
 Her slippers were two rose-leaves, 
 And her arms were whiter than a turtle-dove's wing 
 On which fresh snow has fallen. 
 And Stana thought : " She 's fair enough 
 
 To be loved by Boujor," 
 And instead of admiring she hated. 
 But the young fairy spoke : 
 " Stana, thou lovest him," she said, 
 " He's a Voivode and handsome; 
 Thou lovest him because thy fate 
 Has placed thy house near his palace, 
 And because he is young and brave. 
 
 I know thy sadness ; thou art poor, 
 And thy face, though sweet, 
 Cannot stop on his way 
 
 Boujor, whose horse is quicker e'en than fire. 
 So come with me, and I will give thee 
 
 A countenance so bright that he will love thee. 
 Thou doubtest? Why? have I not changed thy spindle 
 slight 
 Into a kind young fairy ? 
 So come with me." 
 And she took Stana by the hand. 
 They crossed the village, 
 
 Where children played around the well, 
 
The Handsome Voivode. 5 
 
 And Stana saw 
 
 That where a cross marked the place 
 Where the dead were at rest, 
 Many among the dead lifted their tomb-stone 
 To see them pass. 
 
 The children wondered not, 
 Because all children live in dreams. 
 And they crossed the plain and the river, 
 And the murmur of the green tall maize, 
 And the sigh of the rushes by the stream, 
 And the moist perfume of the pebbles, 
 On which the waters ever roll, 
 And the smell of the stones darkened by rain and dust, 
 They crossed the wrinkled roads 
 And the smooth pathways, 
 
 And Stana thought they seemed to walk so fast 
 and straight 
 That they were likely 
 To walk into the red heart of the sun. 
 The fairy touched with purple wand 
 The red heart of the sun, 
 And the heart opened, 
 And lo ! a beauteous garden was there, 
 Right in the red heart of the sun. 
 And they both entered the strange garden. 
 u See," said the fairy, " see this is my garden, 
 And in the languages of fairies it is called 
 The garden where whosoever enters looks fair. 
 
6 The Handsome Voivode. 
 
 All those who cross this threshold become fair. 
 Look at the flowers made — " 
 
 And Stana saw wondrous flowers; 
 Some were of diamonds made, others of clouds at 
 sunset, and others seemed 
 Made with the purple of the morning sky, 
 And others shone like mirrors, 
 And all the beauty around 
 Were mirrored in them. 
 
 And Stana looked into one of the shining flowers 
 And saw herself so beautiful therein 
 That her heart cried aloud: "Where is Boujor? " 
 " There," said the fairy, " take the flower 
 That is made with the purple of dawn, 
 And throw it at Boujor when he passes. 
 He will breathe its perfume, 
 And give to his lords and warriors to breathe, 
 And he will fall asleep in his palace. 
 Then go to his palace by night, 
 Take thy beloved in thy arms, 
 And take his high horse more quick even than 
 fire. 
 Bide here with him. 
 
 See, I give thee my wand, 
 Thou know'st the way, 
 And that the wand must hit 
 Just in the heart of the sun. 
 But don't forget to let a tear, 
 
"The Handsome Voivode. J 
 
 A tear of love, fall on the fairy wand, 
 Or else maids' woe to thee 
 And woe to thy Boujor." 
 
 Ah! how bright is the life of a handsome Voivode, 
 He sings as he goes to the battle^ 
 And when he returneth he sings. 
 
 The women pray for him and the virgins, 
 For he is young and brave! 
 
 Boujor rode his high horse quick as fire, 
 He rode with his warriors and lords, 
 And a flower struck his white teeth, 
 And a flower fell on his hand, 
 " See how strange is this flower, my warriors ! 
 O breathe its perfume — it is strange — 
 Let every man who now rides with us 
 Smell the flower, and wonder, and love, 
 Let those with whom we partake every peril 
 Now partake of the wonderful smell." 
 
 And the flower passed from peer to peer, 
 And the flower passed from warrior to warrior, 
 
 And they all slept, such a deep slumber slept all 
 that night, 
 
 That they heard not the maid 
 
 Who crossed the threshold 
 
 Of the white palace. 
 
8 'The Handsome Voivode. 
 
 She entered — 
 In the first chamber she saw 
 On the rush mattings 
 Fine daggers, leather belts, and lances. 
 And in the second chamber 
 On green rush mattings 
 Swords, silken belts, fur caps, and saddles. 
 
 In the third chamber saw she on the walls 
 The images of saints dressed in gold and silver 
 
 mantles. 
 And in the fourth chamber the Prince 
 Slept, guarded by a golden image, 
 And Stana trembled 
 To see her beloved's sweet sleep, 
 And Stana sighed 
 To see him thus silent and fair. 
 She took him in her arms, and crossed 
 The slumbering palace, 
 She went to the stables and spoke 
 To the high horse quick as fire. 
 u O help me, gentle horse, — I love Boujor, 
 And I must take him 
 To the enchanted garden, 
 Where whoever enters looks fair. 
 
 Fain would I be beautiful in his sight." 
 And she threw Boujor to the saddle, 
 And she sprung to the saddle with him. 
 When the sun rose she plunged the wand 
 
The Handsome Voivode. 9 
 
 Right in the red heart of the sun. 
 The red heart opened, 
 The sweet garden was there. 
 But Stana had forgot to weep that tear of love 
 Which the fairy had told her to weep, 
 She was so joyful. 
 When the Prince woke, " O where am I," said he, 
 " And what is this wonderful garden ? 
 And who art thou, O beautiful child? 
 For I love thee, 
 And now I must know who thou art. 
 Let us stay here, O bright fairy, 
 
 O let us never depart." 
 " And thy leather belts, and thy lances, 
 
 Thy saddles, thy horses, thy swords. 
 
 Thy white palace full of great warriors, 
 Where the sound of thy victories floats." 
 " How know'st thou my palace, my warriors, 
 My victories, my horses, my swords? 
 " I know all, yea, I know even Stana, 
 
 Who spins at her window, and sighs, 
 For she loves the Voivode Boujor." 
 " Stana! no, I do not remember, 
 I know nought of the sighing maid. 
 
 I love thee, the world is forgotten." 
 Thus three days they spoke of their love. 
 The sweet flowers were their servants and mirrors, 
 The sweet flowers were their stars and their sun. 
 
io The Handsome Voivode. 
 
 But the third day Stana began 
 To become jealous 
 Of her own face and beauty. 
 " He loves me not," she said, 
 " He loves my visage 
 Which is not mine, 
 Which the enchanted garden gives." 
 The Voivode marked her sadness, and he asked, 
 " O why is my love sad ? " 
 " I pity Stana, the poor maid who loves thee, 
 And who will die because she loves." 
 
 " Stana, my love, I cannot pity Stana, 
 I cannot pity any one on earth, 
 Except the setting sun 
 That for so many hours 
 Will not see thy bright face. 
 Stana, my love, I cannot pity Stana, 
 
 I cannot pity any one on earth, 
 
 But my own youth and all the years that 
 
 passed away 
 Before I saw thee." 
 
 " O my beloved Boujor, pity my lips, 
 
 That have tasted fresh water and hot tears, 
 Before thy kiss they tasted, 
 Pity my lips." 
 
The Handsome Voivode. 1 1 
 
 The high horse quicker e'en than fire 
 Said to the maiden the third day : 
 
 " We must ride fast and ride away, 
 There's a fight near the tall white palace. 
 And the warriors all search Boujor. 
 Weep not, we will return, dear maiden, 
 
 Will return to the garden dear." 
 And Boujor breathed the purple flower, 
 And the Voivode sank to sleep, 
 And woke in his tall white palace. 
 
 Stana spins at her window, remembering 
 
 Boujor and the garden and . . . love, 
 And her spindle fell to the floor, 
 And the small spindle grew, 
 And the white spindle blackened, 
 Till it became a black dragon, 
 Who said to the maid: " He will die; 
 
 Yes, the Voivode will die 
 
 If thou sayest not to him 
 
 The secret of the garden. 
 
 Thou hast not wept that love-tear, girl; 
 
 So thy beloved must die. 
 But if thou speakest, sweet death will come 
 
 To thee alone." 
 
 And he vanished. 
 
12 The Handsome Voivode. 
 
 Ah! how bright is the life of a handsome Voivode, 
 He sings when he goes to the battle, 
 And when he returneth he sings. 
 'The women pray for him and the maidens, 
 Because he is young, brave, and fair. 
 
 Yet Boujor the handsome Voivode sang no more; 
 Over all the earth he had searched 
 For the garden and his beloved. 
 He had burnt towns and palaces down, 
 And made prisoners twenty kings, 
 And yet he found her not. 
 " My lance, my saddle, and my tall horse, 
 Who's quicker e'en than fire, 
 I give them all 
 To him who tells me 
 
 Where is the garden strange, and my beloved bride.' 
 And the Voivode was pale, 
 The young Voivode was dying. 
 " The young Voivode is dying," said his warriors, 
 " The young Voivode is dying," said the church-bells, 
 
 And in every church his people wept and prayed. 
 " I must see the Voivode, brave warriors, 
 I am Stana, who sighs and who spins." 
 " Great Prince, a young girl who 's called Stana, 
 Asks to see thee." " Then let her come." 
 " I know thy secret, great Voivode, 
 I know thy love. 
 
The Handsome Voivode. i 3 
 
 Great Voivode, look not in my visage 
 While I speak soft to thee. 
 
 Great Voivode, I am thy beloved, 
 I have been to that garden with thee." 
 " 'Tis true thou hast her voice, 
 
 But her face, oh, where is her face, young maiden ? 
 O why hast thou not brought back her face to me?" 
 " O Boujor, that garden 's enchanted, 
 And whosoever enters looks fair. 
 'Tis a fairy garden, my Prince. 
 There I took thee on thy own tall horse. 
 Thou hast kissed my lips, handsome Prince. 
 I can die, thou hast kissed my lips." 
 
 Stana spins at her lonely window. 
 
 " Turn quicker, swift spindle, O turn, 
 I'm in a hurry for my little shroud; 
 Turn quicker, I'm in a hurry." 
 
 And Stana lay dead, and the maidens 
 
 Wept round her and said: "Thou art dead — 
 Thou might'st have been a sight of joy and beauty, 
 And now thou art a sight of cold and sleep. 
 Thou might'st have been a happy spouse, and now 
 With the fresh snow thou wilt vanish, poor maid." 
 a For whom do the maidens, my warriors, 
 Sing such a sad sweet death-dirge? " 
 
 " For Stana who sighed at her window, 
 For Stana who died in the night." 
 
14 The Handsome Voivode. 
 
 And the handsome Voivode rushed out of his white palace, 
 He rushed to his fiery horse. 
 He rode like the wind, and alighted 
 At Stana's door. 
 " See the bright Voivode," said the maidens, 
 
 " What has he to say to the dead ? " 
 He entered the room where she slept so deep, 
 And he kissed her long on forehead and lip, 
 And beneath his kiss Stana awoke and smiled, 
 And said, "I am awakened." 
 " Come to my white palace, maid ; 
 Come, be the Voivode's own spouse, 
 For I love thee!" 
 
 Ah! how bright is the life of a handsome Voivode. 
 He sings when he goes to the battle. 
 And when he returneth he sings, 
 And the women pray for him and the maidens, 
 For he is young and brave! 
 
Mariora. 1 5 
 
 MARIORA 
 
 OR 
 
 THE DAUGHTER OF THE WIND. 
 
 Ah! shut the door, my love, 
 
 And shut the window, 
 Let not the Wind come in and hear my talk. 
 The Wind is busy with the rushes now, 
 There near the river. 
 But if he hears my voice, he may come in 
 
 To hear my tale. 
 Now the poor dead would like to hear 
 The Wind among the rushes. 
 
 u Why is young Stan the miller now ever sad and pale? " 
 
 Said the priest's youngest daughter 
 To Stan the miller by the well. 
 " Yes, yes, young Stan the miller is ever pale and sad," 
 
 Answered young Stan, 
 " And dost thou care, O maiden, to know why I am sad ? " 
 
 " Yes, pale young Stan, I care." 
 " One day while I sat by the water 
 
 A maiden came to me. 
 She was fair like the moon on the water. 
 
1 6 Mariora. 
 
 Like the sun in the meadow and the fruit in the tree. 
 She stood between the rushes 
 The rushes kissed her lips. 
 6 Young man,' said she, c give me a new-born flower, 
 And I will dance for thee; 
 I will dance with my feet in the water, 
 And with my fair arms on the lips of the sun.' 
 Then I gave her a new-born flower, 
 
 That I wore in my belt, when the soft flower stood 
 
 still, 
 But when the maid took the flower in her hand 
 The flower began to tremble 
 Till its leaves fell, 
 And she began to dance, 
 
 And all the world seemed to turn around her, 
 The waters, the sun, and the moon, 
 And my heart and my blood and my knives. 
 She danced so fast that birds were jealous of her swift 
 
 dance. 
 Then she laughed, and she said, ' Handsome miller, 
 I am the daughter of the Summer Wind, 
 And I will be thy bride, 
 And I will wed thee, 
 
 If thou but seekest my palace in the woods.' 
 Then she vanished; the dead little flower 
 Lay at the place where she had stood and danced. 
 Day and night I dreamt of the maiden 
 And said: C I must seek and find her.' 
 
Mariora. 1 7 
 
 I left the mill one morning, and inquired of the rising sun, 
 'Where lives the daughter of the Summer Wind?' 
 But the sun was too busy to answer. 
 I asked the river, and the river knew naught 
 About the maiden. 
 So I started on a long journey and walked with my 
 shadow beside me, 
 Till I reached a small hut near a hill ; 
 An old woman stepped forth to receive me. 
 'Who art thou, O young man?' 
 < Stan the Miller ; 
 I want to find 
 
 The daughter of the Summer Wind.' 
 c So, so, the Summer Wind,' said she, 
 ' Has a fair daughter. 
 She must be proud, 
 For her father's kingdom is great, 
 He deals with the sun only, 
 And with golden crops and with rich foliage ; 
 He is haughty, I can assure you, 
 
 And has no kind words for his betters.' 
 I could well see the old woman was jealous 
 
 Of the soft Summer Wind. 
 ' Well, my son perhaps may have met this fair maid. 
 Come in, dear young man, and I'll hide thee; 
 My son is rather — well — cruel, 
 And he might do you some harm. 
 Though he 's more powerful by far 
 
 C 
 
1 8 Mariora. 
 
 Than that proud creature 
 The Summer Wind. 
 
 I am the mother of the Northern Blast.' 
 She hid me beside a big log, 
 
 And towards night the cold Blast came home. 
 
 He came with a manner so savage 
 
 That all save his mother trembled. 
 c Dear son,' asked she of the awful Blast, 
 
 c Dear son, O do not be angry, 
 
 But tell me, hast thou heard 
 
 That the Summer Wind has a daughter, 
 
 And that she 's good and fair? ' 
 At these words her son became furious : 
 
 c Heard of that maid ! Why, old mother, 
 I mean to marry the girl.' 
 And off he went, and I trembled 
 
 Till his footsteps died on my ear ; 
 And I fled, and I tried to follow, 
 
 For I well understood the Northern Blast was gone 
 
 To the palace of my beloved. 
 The way was long, and I felt weary, 
 
 And stopped under a tree. 
 All at once on the road I saw a maiden fly ; 
 
 Nearer she came and nearer, 
 
 Till she fell in my arms: ' O, save me, 
 I cannot love the Northern Blast, 
 
 For, O dear miller, I love thee.' 
 
 I recognized the daughter 
 
Mariora. 1 9 
 
 Of the soft Summer Wind. 
 * My beloved ! my beloved ! come closer, 
 Rest thy head on my neck and be still.' 
 
 c I can ne'er be still, for my father 
 
 Is the Wind who is never still.' 
 ' My beloved, my beloved, give thy lips to my lips.' 
 4 O, young miller, I may ne'er kiss thee, 
 
 But if I kiss thee I fly, 
 
 For the Wind, the soft Wind is my father, 
 Who kisses and then flies away.' 
 ' But what is thy name ? ' c Mariora ! ' 
 c O Mariora, stay with me, 
 
 And I will do without thy kisses, 
 
 But stay with me.' 
 And I took the daughter of the Wind into my village, 
 Into my house I took her, 
 And there she smiled on me; 
 She had strange habits — 
 She just breathed on the spindle 
 And never touched it, 
 
 And all the flax and all the wool were spun. 
 She breathed on my sleep, and my sleep 
 
 Was full of white dreams. 
 When she passed by the tombs the tombs called her, 
 And she gently breathed on the tombs, 
 And the tombs dreamt of love and life under her breath. 
 
 Thus was fair Mariora. 
 She was invisible to all except to me, 
 
20 Mar tor a. 
 
 And I loved her 
 
 E'en as I love her still. 
 One night there was a great storm on the river, 
 The mill was tossed away, 
 The tall reeds broken, 
 And there was no moon in the sky. 
 A great moan filled the earth and my heart, 
 
 My house was torn to pieces, 
 And when I ran to rescue Mariora 
 My wife had disappeared, 
 
 The Northern Blast had carried her away. 
 I know she now lives in his palace, 
 
 Or in his lonely hut with his mother j 
 
 I hear her cry and say : 
 
 * Come to me, Stan, young miller, 
 
 Come to me, O my husband dear, 
 I am the captive of the Northern Blast; 
 
 Here he has raised around me 
 
 Three high mountains of ice, 
 
 And when I weep, and when my tears fall to the 
 ground, 
 
 They too become each a mountain of ice.' " 
 
The Moldavian Princess and the Fairy. 2 1 
 
 THE MOLDAVIAN PRINCESS AND THE 
 FAIRY. 
 
 I have come to the well, and though my pitcher 's full 
 
 Pll not return till I see the moon rise, 
 Because the sweet moon when she rises 
 
 Sometimes relates a tale to me, 
 And I love the tales of the moon. 
 
 For the moon sees the hearts of maidens and their tears, 
 
 Even more than the sun. 
 I love the tales of the moon, 
 For the moon travels far and yet always returns 
 
 To her place in the sky. 
 For the moon looks on cradles and looks on graves 
 
 With the same smile. 
 
 Ah ! I love the tales of the moon. 
 This tale the moon hath told, which I will tell to thee. 
 
 There was a Princess in Moldavia, 
 In a plain where two rivers meet, 
 And her name was Katinka, and she danced 
 
 With a silver belt round her waist. 
 She loved no one and no one loved her because she was a 
 Princess 
 
22 The Moldavian Princess 
 
 Who danced with a silver belt. 
 And she called one night on a fairy 
 
 Who lived in the dark grim woods. 
 The fairy crossed a torrent, 
 She climbed three mountains too, 
 And came to the Princess and asked 
 Why the Princess had called her. 
 
 u I want thee to make me a present, 
 A mirror where I can see 
 All the handsome Princes on earth, 
 And choose from among these Princes 
 A husband, for I am young, 
 And I will not wait till the silver belt 
 Says to me: 'Thy dance is no longer 
 The best a maid can dance.' " 
 But the fairy answered : u Beware ! 
 
 Thou may'st see in that mirror 
 A man who 's not a Prince, 
 And thou may'st love him. 
 I cannot prevent the mirror to show thee 
 The bravest and fairest among the sons of men." 
 
 But the Princess only laughed and said: "Give." 
 And the fairy gave her the mirror; 
 'Twas framed in ebony wood, 
 And it shone like the stream's pure water 
 Beneath the sun. 
 The Princess as soon as the fairy had disappeared 
 Went up to the mirror and saw in its depths 
 
and the Fairy. 23 
 
 A tall young man who wept. 
 She could not ask him 
 
 Why he wept thus and sighed, 
 Because he was but an image in that mirror ; 
 And then the Princess thought 
 
 "I will not hear of men who weep; 
 I dream of Princes fierce and brave." 
 And though her heart was wounded, 
 
 She said to the mirror: "Bright mirror, 
 Show me another face." 
 And she saw in the mirror a fierce heiduck; 
 Then a king with his warriors true ; 
 Then a shepherd beside his flock; 
 Then a traveller who dreamt as he sat and rested 
 
 beneath a huge oak-tree; 
 But still she thought : " I wonder 
 Whether that young man 
 Whom I could not love, 
 Still weeps." 
 And she asked the mirror to show her again 
 
 The strange young man. 
 But this time he was bright and smiling; 
 
 And she said to herself: " I'll not have him, 
 Because his mood changeth so." 
 And she said to the mirror: "Show me other Princes." 
 And she saw in the mirror 
 
 An Emperor whose palace was found in the East; 
 Then a warrior who gained as many victories 
 
24 The Moldavian Princess 
 
 As the warm sun who fights against the clouds ; 
 Then a bear-hunter; 
 
 Then a lute-player who sang more sweetly 
 Than the wind and their love 
 
 In the souls of the maidens young. 
 
 But still she thought of that strange young man. 
 "I wonder," she thought, "whether he still smiles." 
 And she said to the mirror: "Sweet mirror, 
 Show me again that strange young man." 
 And lo ! she saw him. 
 
 He neither wept nor smiled ; 
 But his hand was locked in his true love's hand, 
 And his face beamed like the morning stars; 
 
 And the Princess thought : "That maid is so happy, 
 That to look long on her would destroy her luck." 
 " Now show me a Prince, sweet mirror, 
 From whom no woman can part me." 
 But the mirror said : " Princess dear, 
 Look again at that strange young man, 
 And look at his true love, 
 How she resembles thee ! " 
 The Princess looked, and trembled with joy, 
 And said : " O sweet mirror, 
 
 Where lives that strange young man ? 
 I will to him and give him 
 
 My gold, my belt, and my kiss." 
 " Look again," said the magic mirror. 
 The Princess looked again, 
 
and the Fairy. 2 5 
 
 And she saw the young man 
 Who had wept and smiled, 
 
 The young man who had loved her, 
 In the depths of the mirror sweet j 
 She saw the young man dead, 
 And she had seen a dream which she tried to forget. 
 She took her horse, and she travelled so far 
 That her ladies and her warriors 
 Thought they would touch the sun and the moon, 
 As they rested quite close to the earth. 
 And after many years she married a great king ; 
 She had forgotten the mirror 
 And the strange young man 
 Who by turns wept and smiled, 
 And who had loved her. 
 
 The King was away when a messenger came, 
 Who told his Queen: "Mighty Queen, 
 There 's a strange young man, 
 He won't tell his name, 
 He stays by thy gate, and weeps." 
 She ran to the gate, she knew who had come, 
 
 And she called upon him : " Thou art come, 
 I will make thee 'smile, 
 I will make thee love, 
 And I know I will make thee die." 
 But at these words the young man answered: 
 "Great Queen, 
 
26 The Moldavian Princess 
 
 I know not what these words can mean, 
 For I wept at your gate because my horse is dead, 
 And I could not find my way back to my home, 
 And now I smile because I see thee." 
 The Queen said: "Alas! he must die! " 
 She wore a ring so brilliant on her finger 
 
 That he stooped to look, and he stooped to kiss, 
 And just at that moment the great King came home 
 
 to his palace, 
 And said: "Who kisses my fair Queen's hand? 
 My Queen is too mighty, my Queen is too fair, 
 To allow any man on earth to touch her fair hand." 
 The strange young man promptly answered : 
 " Thou art a savage king, 
 And I will fight with thee 
 
 Till one of us falls dead." 
 They fought and the Queen turned pale, 
 They fought and the Queen grew faint, 
 They fought and the pale Queen wept 
 
 Because the strange young man was killed 
 By the great King before her eyes. 
 
 And she said to the King: "I'm no longer 
 
 Thy mighty Queen ; 
 I'm again the Moldavian Princess 
 
 Who saw in a magic mirror 
 This thing which has happened to-day, 
 And long before he came I have loved this young man." 
 
and the Fairy, 27 
 
 The King said to his warriors: 
 " My poor Queen's mind is lost, 
 And I'll keep her in my royal garden 
 And give her flowers and lutes, 
 But never will she speak to a living being again. ' 
 Then the poor mighty Queen 
 Was imprisoned 
 In a garden as fair as the fairest place in our dreams; 
 She talked not to living creature, 
 But at night the fairy came, 
 And she said to the fairy : " Thy mirror said true. 
 I am happy, my fate is fulfilled ; 
 
 I have seen the strange young man, 
 And his lips have dwelt on my fingers ; 
 I have seen his tears, and my fate is fulfilled. 
 I will look again in the mirror, 
 
 And smile to see there my own tomb, 
 And the flowers that will grow on my heart, 
 The flowers red like my blood." 
 
28 The Wooden Spindle 
 
 THE WOODEN SPINDLE AND MY 
 LADY DEATH. 
 
 / have noticed this, that when I walk three times round my 
 garden 
 Before sunset it rains; 
 My heart has gone with the traveller^ 
 
 My heart knows not when the traveller returns. 
 And because I love the traveller 
 I say to all who pass on the road: 
 
 " My heart has gone with a traveller like you, and if you 
 
 meet him, 
 'Tell him my heart has gone with him." 
 I have learnt sweet tales which Pll tell to the traveller when 
 he returns; 
 But as thou art so sad to-night 
 Pll tell one of these tales to thee." 
 
 A woman lived in a village 
 
 Who had four spindles in her house, 
 
 They were swift spindles, and they were 
 
 Of hazel-wood and nut-wood ; 
 
 The woman loved them well. 
 Her daughter died, and the woman wept, 
 
 Till all the spindles shone with her tears, 
 
and my lady Death, 29 
 
 And they believed that dew and rain had come to them 
 once more. 
 " O my spindles," said she, " O my spindles, 
 Where is my daughter sweet ? 
 Has my lady Death such a room as this, 
 
 And such a good hut as mine? 
 Has my lady Death such arms as mine? 
 So hot with love and care 
 That my darling has gone, 
 And preferred the tomb 
 To my hut, and my arms, and my love. 
 Who now will twist her gentle hair, 
 And put a flower in her belt ? 
 
 Who will fasten her necklace, and give her to drink 
 If she is thirsty in her grave?" 
 And the spindles said : " Thy daughter 
 
 Prefers my lady Death, 
 Because my lady Death spins much better than thee." 
 The poor mother said : " Has my lady Death 
 Much time to spin ? 
 I'd like to see her work and watch her 
 Awhile her fingers dance." 
 Then there was a loud knock at the door, 
 And who should enter 
 But dark my lady Death. 
 She said : " Your daughter fares well, 
 
 She needs you not, poor woman, to tie her necklace, 
 to twist her hair, or to put a flower in her belt, 
 
30 The Woode?i Spindle 
 
 She is not thirsty, either. 
 
 I tell thee she fares well. 
 Now give me thy distaff and spindles, 
 
 I'll spin with the four at a time." 
 And the spindles turned, and the spindles ran, 
 
 She spun well, my lady Death, 
 And though she thought of her daughter and wondered: 
 
 "How can she do without water, without her necklace 
 and flowers?" 
 The old woman said : " Dark my lady Death, 
 
 It is true thou spinnest much better 
 
 Than any spinner on earth." 
 My lady Death smiled, and the spindles 
 
 Now rested in her lap. 
 " Give me to drink, old woman, 
 
 For I must soon be gone." 
 " O my lady Death, tell me something more 
 
 About my dear dead daughter. 
 How's her bed and her mattress and pillow?" 
 
 " They're hard." 
 " How's the lover who loves her?" " He's hard." 
 " How 's her sleep when she sleeps, and her smile when she 
 smiles?" 
 
 " They're hard." 
 " How's her hand and her lips, oh how are they?" 
 
 "They're hard." 
 " How 's her heart and her feet, for we called her 
 The fleetest among all the girls? " 
 
and my lady Death. 3 1 
 
 " They're hard." 
 The old woman then sank on her knees, 
 
 And prayed that the earth and the lover 
 Be not so hard for her child. 
 And when she saw my lady Death had vanished, 
 
 Taking the spindles four and leaving instead 
 
 One single brown spindle 
 
 So slow and so long that it seemed 
 
 Not the wool of a thousand flocks, 
 
 Nor the work of a thousand spinners, 
 
 Could cover that spindle so long. 
 But as the days went by, the woman, who had ceased 
 spinning, 
 
 Took up the brown spindle left there by my lady 
 Death, 
 
 And she began to spin, 
 
 And lo ! as the spindle turned, 
 She heard soft voices around her, 
 
 The voices of the dead ; 
 And one said : " I've come again 
 
 To smell the flowers of earth," 
 And the other said: " Does the stream still run 
 
 Under the worn-out bridge?" 
 And she heard her own daughter say: " I am dead ; 
 I have died because my dear lover 
 
 Had ceased to love me and I know 
 
 He'll go and marry the miller's fair daughter. 
 And now I am in the tomb. 
 
32 The Wooden Spindle 
 
 My pillow 's hard, my heart is hard ; 
 
 But pillow and heart will soon be on fire, 
 
 The day Radu marries, and I'm in my grave." 
 u Ah!" thought the old woman, "it 's Radu, 
 
 The shepherd whom my daughter loved. 
 And he is to marry on Sunday, 
 
 And that day my child 
 
 Will be burnt in her grave 
 
 By the fire of her grief." 
 So she took her mantle and the brown spindle 
 
 Of my lady Death. 
 She knocked at Radu's door, and Radu's mother 
 
 Opened the door and said: "Dear neighbour, 
 
 We scarcely can give you welcome, 
 
 As Sunday will be my son's wedding day : 
 
 And our house is so full, and our hearts are so gay." 
 u Dear neighbour, I must see your son Radu, 
 For I have a message for him." 
 "Radu! our neighbour has a message for thee." 
 
 And Radu came, and the old woman 
 
 Could scarcely bear to see his face so fair, 
 
 Because of her child who was in her grave. 
 " Radu ! " said she, " my daughter is dead, 
 
 But her sweet soul has told me 
 
 That she'll burn in her grave 
 
 And put her dark grave on fire 
 
 The day that thou weddest 
 
 The miller's fair daughter." 
 
and my lady Death, 3 3 
 
 " I loved the maiden, 'tis true, but now she 's dead ; 
 
 Let the living dwell with the living, 
 
 And the dead rejoice with the dead. 
 Take this flower from my belt, and put it on her tomb, 
 
 And she'll forget me and sleep." 
 The old woman retired with the red flower, 
 And she went to her daughter's grave, and she told her : 
 " I'll kill thy beloved on Sunday 
 
 With the brown spindle of my lady Death ; 
 I'll kill him at the church-gate, 
 
 Before he sees his bride. 
 I'll kill him, and thou wilt be happy, 
 
 And welcome him in the grave." 
 " O my mother sweet, O my mother dear, 
 
 How looked his bonny face 
 
 When thou spakest of me to my faithless lover?" 
 " He looked hard." 
 " O my mother dear, O my mother sweet, 
 
 How sounded his dear voice? " 
 " His voice was hard." 
 " O my mother dear, O my mother sweet, 
 
 Hast thou seen his smile? " 
 
 "Yes, he smiled when he spoke of his bride; 
 
 So I'll kill him." 
 " O my mother sweet, O my mother dear, 
 
 If my beloved dies, 
 I will never again long for life and for our house, 
 
 And for my necklace bright. 
 
34 The Wooden Spindle and my lady Death. 
 
 If my beloved dies I will love death, 
 
 And now I love the life IVe left, 
 
 And to sigh after life is my joy, mother sweet, 
 
 So do not kill him. 
 He'll take the miller's daughter in his arms 
 
 And call her £ Wife.' 
 I'll take the damp gray earth between my arms, 
 
 And say : c I long for life.' 
 He'll take the miller's daughter by the stream, 
 
 And say: c Look in the water, look on thy gentle face.' 
 I'll take the damp gray earth between my arms and say: 
 
 1 Cover my gentle face.' 
 He'll take the miller's daughter in his arms, and say : 
 
 6 My life, my life!' 
 I'll take the damp gray earth into my arms, and say : 
 
 i Death, death.' 
 
 But what is death to me, 
 Since my beloved liveth, 
 
 And goes besides the stream and plucks red flowers, 
 
 And sees the sun and takes his happiness in his strong 
 arms, 
 
 And says: 'Life, life, my life?' 
 
 O mother, let him live, 
 
 While I drink death. 
 For my beloved maketh earth so fair 
 
 That I will ever weep and say in my dark grave: 
 
 'O bright earth, I must weep for thee.'" 
 
The Shepherd and the Heiduck. 35 
 
 THE SHEPHERD AND THE HEIDUCK. 1 
 
 " Are the apples quite ripe and the nuts In the orchard? 
 
 Is thy heart, O maiden, quite pleased? " 
 ft The apples are ripe and the nuts In the orchard, 
 But my heart ne'er again 
 Can taste joy or pain. 
 My heart was frozen last winter 
 
 When the winter was long and cold — 
 If I told thee a tale wouWst thou tell me 
 Why the heart of a maiden 
 Is so tender, so soft, 
 That the winter can freeze, and the summer sun burn 
 
 This poor, soft heart? " 
 u Tell me thy tale, thy voice is warm, 
 
 And my ears love thy voice. 
 Tell me thy tale, the birds are all asleep, 
 Thy voice will be 
 Like the voice of a bird to me." 
 
 There were two brothers in the mountain village, 
 Two brothers handsome, good and brave, 
 
 1 Note of the Author. Heiduck, a popular hero, a warrior and a 
 brigand by turns. 
 
36 The Shepherd and the Heiduck, 
 
 And one became a shepherd, 
 
 And the other a heiduck at whose name 
 Every one trembled because he was fierce, 
 And lived in dark forests and had no other friends 
 But the sky, his horse, and the trees. 
 
 The shepherd lived on the mountain's peak 
 Where the snow dwelt, and the bears, 
 And the little fairies 
 
 Who are clad in snow and ice. 
 But he was happy, and he loved 
 
 His sheep, his flute, his long mantle 
 Of pure white fur, 
 And he never knew what had become of his brother, 
 
 Nor that his brother was such a fierce heiduck. 
 But one night a pure white fairy came to him and said: 
 u Rise and go ! 
 
 Thy brother lives in the forest, 
 Thy brother lives in the plain, 
 And he is the fiercest heiduck 
 Of whom the world hath spoken hitherto. 
 Rise and go to him and tell him 
 I want to marry him, 
 For I'm the mountain fairy, 
 And I've fallen in love 
 With thy brother, the fierce heiduck." 
 The shepherd sighed and said: "'Tis a pity 
 
 I'm not like the fierce heiduck, 
 But I'll go to him, mountain fairy, 
 
The Shepherd and the Heiduck. 37 
 
 And tell him to come to thee." 
 " Fain would I go down in the valley," 
 
 Said she to the shepherd, and sighed, 
 
 " But my dress is of snow, and the bright snow 
 melts 
 
 When the spring comes back in the plains, 
 But my hair is of snow, and the bright snow melts 
 
 When the sun strokes her shining hair, 
 But my heart 's of snow, and the bright snow melts 
 
 When a lover looks on the gentle snow." 
 At dawn the shepherd took his dog, his mantle, 
 
 And descended the mountain paths. 
 It was so long since he had been away 
 
 From his village and from the plains, 
 That the sight of the world was dear to him, 
 
 And yet made him weary and sad. 
 And he walked through wide valleys and through willow 
 woods, 
 
 And he walked through glens where deep shadows 
 dwelt, 
 
 And he asked the cool stream: 
 
 " Hast thou seen the heiduck, my brother ? 
 
 He is a fierce heiduck.'' 
 And the stream answered: "Yesterday 
 
 Our water was red with human blood." 
 And the blood said: " How fierce was the heiduck 
 
 Who bid me go forth on the water 
 And redden the fresh stream in the glade ! " 
 
3 8 The Shepherd and the Heiduck. 
 
 And he asked the grass: 
 
 " Dost thou know the heiduck, my brother, 
 Who is such a fierce heiduck ? " 
 " No," said the grass, " I do not know the fierce heiduck, 
 But this morning the face of the earth where I grow 
 
 grew sad, 
 For the earth was opened by a man's hard spade, 
 And a grave was made, where a man now sleeps. 
 And the grave said: "'Tis the fierce heiduck 
 Who has wounded the fair face of the earth 
 And taught this man to sleep." 
 So the shepherd continued his journey, and said in his heart: 
 " How will the white fairy love 
 
 Such a fierce heiduck, and tend him 
 When he comes back at night ? " 
 At last he reached the mouth of a cavern 
 In the wide forest where his brother dwelt; 
 
 And before entering he stopped to draw 
 His broad mantle over his broad shoulders, 
 And he was about to enter when he heard the heiduck roar: 
 " And even if it was my own brother 
 Who crossed my threshold to-day, 
 I'd kill him!" 
 But the shepherd was brave and stepped forward: 
 "Thy brother is here, O heiduck! 
 And will fight with thee. 
 
 He's accustomed to the mountain bear's close 
 embrace. 
 
The Shepherd and the Heiduck. 39 
 
 The heiduck felt abashed: "No, dear brother, 
 This is no time for fight. 
 We're born of the same mother, she still spins in her hut 
 by the willows. 
 
 Her hair is like the wings of a gray turtle-dove. 
 No, brother, we must not fight." 
 But the shepherd said: " Keep your word; 
 A heiduck, a man, and my brother 
 Cannot thus break a promise. So come, 
 And if we are not both dead, we will eat together, 
 And after the meal I'll deliver 
 A good message to thee. 
 If I die, my dear brother, send my mantle and my dog 
 
 To my sheep who live in the mountains." 
 They drew their knives and gnashed their teeth, 
 
 And fought like bitter foes. 
 When they stopped to drink, when they stopped to breathe, 
 The heiduck said : "I'm proud of thee, my brother." 
 The shepherd said: "Brother, I'm proud of thee." 
 And when night came in they had more wounds 
 
 on their bosom 
 Than teeth in their jaws. 
 And the heiduck said: " 'Tis enough! I've tried to kill thee 
 
 Have I not kept my word ? " 
 Then they ate and drank pure fresh water, 
 And rejoiced over their strange fate. 
 "I'm so happy to tend the sheep," said the shepherd, 
 " To live in the mountains high, 
 
4o The Shepherd and the Heiduck. 
 
 To see the soft white fairies 
 Rise from the gentle snow." 
 
 " I'm so happy," said the heiduck, 
 " To be an outlaw, and to frighten 
 Hill, wood and river, mountain and sky." 
 Then the shepherd delivered the message 
 
 Of the white fairy, and the heiduck laughed. 
 He said he cared not for women, 
 Nor for queens, nor for fairies either, 
 And he laughed till his horse neighed and asked: 
 "O master, why this loud laughter?" 
 And the shepherd sighed and he thought how the fairy 
 
 Would weep and perhaps die. 
 For fairies die when they love a mortal 
 
 Who loves them not. 
 " She 's tall and slim, O fierce brother, 
 
 And the fairest on all the earth." 
 " Then tell her I'm dead, and take her, 
 
 Because thou lovest her." 
 " The fairies know all, fierce brother, 
 
 She'll know thou art not dead." 
 " Then tell her I'm betrothed 
 
 To the fairy who dwells in the moon." 
 So the shepherd returned to the mountains, 
 
 And the white fairy asked: 
 " What said the fierce heiduck when he heard, shepherd, 
 I loved him and sent him a message 
 That I would be his spouse." 
 
The Shepherd and the Heiduck. 41 
 
 " He wept, sweet fairy, and said, c Alas ! 
 
 I'm betrothed to the fairy who dwells in the moon.' " 
 The faijry wrung her hands and cried: 
 " Alas ! alas ! I cannot go 
 To that fairy who dwells in. the moon, 
 And tell her of my love 
 For the heiduck, 
 
 For of course if I told her she'd give him up to me. 
 But if a human creature 
 Could die to-day and go 
 
 To the fairy in the moon and tell her of my grief, 
 I might win my beloved." 
 The shepherd said: "I'll die! 
 Give me a kiss, white fairy, 
 And kill me with thy kiss." 
 " Dost thou know the way to the moon, O shepherd ? 
 Dost thou not regret the earth, 
 And thy dog, and the sheep, and thy mantle, 
 
 And the mountains where the bears are black? " 
 " Give me thy kiss. I'll die and take thy message to the 
 
 moon; 
 But please, white fairy, don't tell my dog, 
 Don't tell my sheep and my mantle 
 That I am dead. 
 Tell them I'm betrothed to the fairy 
 
 Who lives in the distant moon, 
 
 And that I have loved her so wildly 
 
 I could not bear to think 
 
42 The Shepherd and the Heiduck. 
 
 She is weeping there 
 As thou weepest here 
 For a young and fierce heiduck." 
 
 My heart has not listened^ for thy tale is too sad, 
 Yet I love thy voice, and the birds 
 Are all asleep in their nests 
 Awhile I hear thy voice. 
 
The Enchanted Palace. 43 
 
 THE ENCHANTED PALACE BETWEEN THE 
 ENCHANTED TREES. 
 
 u O mother, have you seen the weary prisoners by the well? " 
 "/ have seen them, my daughter, and they are so weary, 
 Jnd they must walk till night, and at night they will 
 
 sleep in their prison, 
 And their souls must be e'en wearier than their feet.'" 
 " Mother, I know so many tales thou hast told me, 
 Shall I not tell them a sweet tale ? 
 They would forget their weariness and their prison 
 
 Awhile I tell my tale. — 
 Dark prisoners, whose souls are even wearier than your 
 feet, 
 I know such a sweet tale that my mother has told me 
 Awhile I went to sleep. 
 Shall I now tell you the sweet tale awhile you drink the fresh 
 
 water, awhile you bless the well? " 
 " Yes, speak, fair maiden, for thy voice makes us forget even the 
 
 water in the well, 
 Even our weary feet and our hearts wearier still." 
 
 There was once upon a time in a dark forest 
 An enchanted palace among the enchanted trees, 
 
44 ^he Enchanted Palace between 
 
 And the birds who sang in these trees they were also 
 
 enchanted, 
 And the pools that reflected them, and the winds 
 Who played with its roofs and its windows, 
 And in this enchanted palace a gentle maiden dwelt. 
 She was neither lively nor sad, she neither spoke nor 
 sang, but the rustling of her airy dress and of her 
 trailing hair 
 Made a noise sweeter and more deep 
 
 Than the torrent's moan on the stones in autumn, 
 Than the storm between the tall green maize 
 When the maize is so tall and green. 
 And the sunshine in her eyes was more burning than the 
 
 light of noon on the ripening corn, 
 And on the dusty road, and on the shining storm. 
 She lived quite alone, this strange maid, 
 In the enchanted palace 
 Where none could reach nor none could dwell, 
 Because the enchanted trees round the palace 
 Whenever the winds rose 
 
 Sang all the dirges that were sung on earth and all 
 the love-songs, 
 And the voices of the enchanted pool 
 Told all the tears of joy and grief 
 That sprang from mortals' eyes. 
 And when the dust rose round the palace the dust spoke 
 of all the dust 
 That lay in mortals' grave. 
 
the Enchanted Threes. 45 
 
 But to these sounds the fair maid listened 
 
 Without a tear, without a smile, 
 But if these sounds but one moment had ceased, 
 
 She would have died. 
 One day in a large distant realm 
 A brave young King 
 Was told of the enchanted palace 
 Between enchanted trees, 
 And he said: " I must see the palace 
 
 And the fair maid who neither smiles nor weeps. 
 I care not for the dismal sounds that winds and waters 
 make." 
 So he rode his tall horse and arrived near the forest, whose 
 dark trees said to him : 
 " Young King, avaunt, young King, 
 Return to thy fair realm; this is no place for thee." 
 But the young King answered: "I am brave; 
 A worse thing than death cannot befall me, 
 And death is sweet to the soul of the brave.' , 
 And he plunged into the dark forest, 
 Whose branches instantly became 
 Fiery serpents, and they clung round his neck and arms. 
 But the brave young King went on, 
 
 And the serpents hissed and his sword killed them, 
 And his armour was a mirror of blood. 
 He reached the enchanted palace and said to the maid: 
 "I'm a King; 
 I've come to make thee weep or smile." 
 
46 The 'Enchanted Palace between 
 
 The maid bade him welcome and gave him her hand, 
 And said : " O young King, three days and three nights 
 Wilt thou abide in the enchanted palace. 
 Three chambers will I give thee 
 
 In which each night thou wilt sleep. 
 In the first chamber all who enter feel happy and strong, 
 
 And achieve their highest dreams. 
 In the second all who dwell 
 Feel sad and strong, 
 And taste of heavenly bliss. 
 In the third all who dwell 
 
 Feel lonely, though there I dwell with them." 
 The young King said : " I would first have 
 The room where all who dwell 
 Feel sad and strong." 
 And the maid showed him the way. 
 
 'Twas a chamber so vast and so brilliant 
 That his eyes and his soul were dazzled, 
 And he said to himself, " How shall I ever feel 
 
 Sad and strong in this place? " 
 But when the maid had left him, and he undid 
 
 His armour from his breast, 
 He heard a great crowd coming, he heard a great crowd 
 moaning, he heard a sad great crowd, 
 Who pressed against the door. 
 And he heard lips and fingers 
 Pressed hard against the door, 
 And he heard tears and sighs 
 
the Enchanted Trees. 47 
 
 Pressed hard against the door. 
 The door he tried to open to let the sad crowds come in, 
 But the door was double bolted and stood on iron 
 
 hinges, 
 And the crowd said : " Happy creature, 
 Thou dwell'st in the gorgeous room, 
 To touch its walls and its mirrors 
 We toil with breath and blood, 
 And our weary souls at night 
 Now press against its door." 
 The King said: "Walls and mirrors I do not touch nor love, 
 Since such a great sad crowd 
 Sighs and weeps for this splendour 
 I cannot enjoy nor give." 
 And in his anguish the young King 
 Felt sad and strong, and said : 
 " I will not touch them, 
 
 These things for which so many mortals toil." 
 And the next night the maid 
 
 Took him to the strange chamber 
 Where all who dwelt therein 
 Were strong and happy 
 And achieved their highest dreams. 
 The chamber was dark, and a low fire burnt 
 
 Upon its barren hearth. 
 When the King was alone in the chamber 
 He heard a great sad crowd 
 Press hard against the doors 
 
48 'The Enchanted Palace between 
 
 And the sound of bewildering kisses, 
 
 And of song more glorious and purer 
 
 Than the song of the spring in a garden 
 
 Struck his delighted ear. 
 And the great sad crowd said : " Unhappy King, 
 
 Thou art thus alone and a captive 
 
 Alone on the barren hearth, 
 
 While here we love and sing 
 
 Though we are sad, O King. 
 
 We press on the doors to keep them 
 
 Well closed, and keep thee away. 
 
 There is no place at our banquet, 
 
 There is no kiss on our lips, 
 
 Unhappy King, for thee." 
 And the King answered: "I'm happy 
 
 To hear there 's so much love 
 
 And so much song on earth. 
 
 Though you keep the door and bar it 
 
 You cannot keep the bewildering sound 
 
 Of joy and kisses from me." 
 And he felt indeed he had achieved his highest dream, 
 
 And he smiled and he went to sleep. 
 On the third night the room where he entered 
 
 Was low like a peasant's cot. 
 And the strange maid who dwelt there by him 
 
 Slept so sound, slept so long in the deep, dismal silence 
 
 That he felt lonely and sighed 
 Till daylight came. 
 
the Enchanted Trees. 49 
 
 Then the maid awoke and told him : 
 
 " Now which chamber would suit the best 
 If this enchanted palace 
 
 Belonged to thee? " 
 " Strange maid," said he, " the third 's the brightest, 
 
 For thou wert there with me." 
 Then the maid wept and said : " Unhappy King, 
 
 I am the maid called Life, 
 
 And thou hast dwelt with me 
 
 In thy own grave. 
 And therefore thou wilt die, and I must leave thee, 
 
 Thou hast spoken thy Fate." 
 The young King unabashed looked her full in the face. 
 
 " Strange maid," said he," my horse neighs at the gate. 
 
 Ride back with me on my horse. 
 Ride back to my realm, where thou wilt be queen ." 
 
 But she said : w I'm the maid called Life." 
 But he kissed her lips, and he pressed her hands 
 
 Till her hands and her lips were aflame, 
 And he spoke such words as she herself, 
 
 The maid called Life, 
 
 Had never heard. 
 And now she trembled and wavered 
 
 And asked: " O who art thou? " 
 "I don't know, cruel maid, but I'm stronger than thou. 
 
 Where my horses' feet pass 
 
 Spring and joy swell and smile, 
 
 And my realm is greater than thine. 
 £ 
 
50 The Enchanted Palace. 
 
 I've a lute, I've a sword, 
 I have everything fair — 
 In my palace and in my heart." 
 And the maiden called Life whispered: "O wondrous King, 
 Art thou not the crimson heiduck 
 Whom maidens call at night 
 Before they go to sleep, 
 And whose name I dare not tell?" 
 " Yes, I am the crimson heiduck, 
 And all maidens know me well, 
 For under their pillow at night 
 They put a branch of basil sweet 
 And dream of me. 
 I'm the crimson heiduck." 
 And the maiden called Life 
 
 Said to the glorious King : u Then take me. 
 I will ride thy fiery horse, 
 And dwell with thee in thy palace ; 
 
 For thy breath is song and thy arms are joy, 
 For thou art the heiduck, love, 
 Whose name I scarce dare to speak. 
 Thou art the heiduck called Love." 
 
Mihai. 
 
 5 1 
 
 MIHAI; 
 
 OR, 
 
 THE SON OF THE DRAGON. 
 
 This happened once which had never happened before, 
 and will never happen again. A powerful dragon lived in 
 a valley where the steps of a human creature could not 
 reach, because the valley was closed in by mountains so high 
 that the clouds themselves could not see their top. And 
 great icicles shone at the entrance of the valley. The 
 dragon was wealthy and hoarded immense treasure; he 
 took from all the warriors and kings and princes whom 
 he killed in fight, because every morning he went and 
 waited at the entrance of the valley, beneath the great 
 icicles, to watch the people who passed. And on their way 
 he stopped them and said : " I'll kill you fairly in fair fight. 
 There is but one way of escape ; try to guess the questions 
 I put to you." And the dragon said : " Try to tell me why 
 this valley in which summer reigns is surrounded by icicles 
 as hard as the hardest stone in winter." The dragon had a 
 son he loved, a human boy with merry blue eyes and long 
 golden locks. Long before this tale began he had been 
 married to a princess who died in giving birth to this 
 
52 Mihai. 
 
 beautiful child. She died from fright because she had 
 never seen her husband in his real form, for whenever he 
 approached her he wore the countenance of a warrior, but 
 one night when he believed she was not there he took off 
 his biggest ring and immediately became the awful red 
 dragon of the valley. She saw him and dropped dead. 
 " Father," said one evening Mihai to his father, who in the 
 presence of his child was a tall stalwart hero, and wore a 
 silver mantle, " Father, the trees in this valley tell strange 
 tales of an awful red dragon who kills warriors and kings, 
 and feeds on human blood. Now I am grown up and strong 
 I want to be a hero. I want to kill the red dragon who 
 feeds on human blood." The dragon shivered and answered: 
 " Alas! my son, maybe the dragon is not as wicked as the 
 trees say. Maybe his fate is to love human blood, maybe 
 he cannot eat nor drink anything else but human blood 
 and human flesh." "What carelfor the dragon's fate, father? 
 I care for the warriors he kills, and I must save them. 
 Give me a bright sword, and I will find the dragon and 
 pierce his heart." The dragon sighed and answered: "Yes, 
 my son, I'll give thee a sword, but maybe e'en without 
 the bright sword thou wilt pierce the poor dragon's heart." 
 Mihai took leave of his father and left the lonely valley. 
 The dragon saw him depart and said: " My joy is gone. 
 O when will my fair son come back to me ? " During three 
 days the dragon sat on a cold stone and wept, and would 
 not think of killing human beings, as he took no rest nor 
 food. But the fourth day he felt weak and faint, and he 
 
Mihai. 53 
 
 ran to the entrance of the valley. He saw an old Voivode 
 ride pass, and fought with him and killed him, and de- 
 voured him on the spot. The Voivode round his neck wore 
 an enchanted whistle, a little ivory whistle which the 
 dragon took to his cavern, and he thought: "I will give 
 this whistle to my son when he returns." Mihai rode fast, 
 Mihai rode gaily, for his gay youth rode with him and 
 laughed, and Mihai said : "O the days of youth are sunny 
 days indeed, and the young warrior who rides a young 
 horse is the creature on earth on whom most gaily the days 
 of youth rise and smile." Yet he had not ridden ten miles 
 before he heard a pitiful scream, and "Help! help! young 
 warrior, whoever thou may'st be," was said a few steps from 
 his ear. He rushed eagerly forward and saw a young maid 
 whom a great brown bear was about to carry away. Mihai 
 rushed at the bear, and the monster felt the youth's strong 
 sword ; the youth's strong sword searched for the monster's 
 heart and . . . found it. And the monster's heart stopped 
 its beatings, and the monster fell dead at his feet. " Thanks, 
 handsome hero," said the trembling maid. " I had left our 
 palace at dawn with my father, but he is now away in the 
 forest. I stopped to play in the grass and search fresh 
 berries. My horse is tied to a fine green tree. The horrible 
 bear was upon me before I had time to draw my knife. 
 Thou hast saved me. I am the daughter of the great 
 Voivode, who dwells by the two rivers whose whisper 
 thou canst hear. Come to our fair palace, handsome hero. 
 My father will like to see thee, and so will our warriors 
 
54 Mihai. 
 
 dear, and I will give thee a yellow and silvery veil and a 
 red belt my own hands have adorned." But Mihai answered: 
 " Fair maid, give me thy smile which with his own hands 
 hath God adorned; give me thy love." The Princess 
 blushed and smiled, for never in her father's palace had 
 she seen such a handsome youth, and she had witnessed 
 his brave deed and felt proud of his love. They rode to- 
 gether in silence, and looked at each other so oft that their 
 horses reared and stumbled, till they laughed at their own 
 neglect, and said: " These horses are maddened to carry so 
 happy a pair." But when they came near the beautiful palace 
 the sound of grief greeted them, and the Princess rode fast 
 in front till she reached the marble steps. She then asked: 
 " Why do my maidens wail ? Why are our warriors 
 silent? " At first no one dared to answer, and the maidens 
 covered their eyes with their hands. At last the eldest 
 among the warriors stepped forward and said: "Fair Prin- 
 cess, brave daughter of a brave prince, open thy tresses and 
 spill thy hair on thy white shoulders; thy brave father is dead. 
 The red dragon has killed him at the entrance of the valley." 
 The Princess answered: "I will not weep; even beyond the 
 grave may my brave father rejoice he hath a brave daughter; 
 but my sorrow is great as the forest and the skies. Bring 
 up my father's wildest horse and I will ride the steed, and I 
 will ride to the place where my father lies, and bring back 
 his body on his own fiery steed." 
 
 But instead of obeying, once more the warriors were 
 silent, and the Princess understood and entered her bower, 
 
Mihai. 55 
 
 where she sobbed and rent her purple mantle and her long 
 veil. The summer night came in, the warriors had 
 prayed for the prince's soul in the wide church, but the 
 Princess had not left her bower nor spoken a word. At 
 last her favourite maid knelt before her and said: "Great 
 Princess, this man, this unknown who rode back with thee 
 in this fearful day, desires thee to know he hath sworn on 
 thy own sweet face and on thy silvery veil he will kill the 
 red dragon, and bring the monster's head to thy palace 
 gate." The Princess answered : "I must see the youth. He 
 has saved my life, and now perhaps will revenge my father; 
 I must see him." " Handsome hero," said the Princess to 
 Mihai as he entered her bower, " we have given thee a sad 
 welcome. Our souls are sad. Wilt thou leave our sad palace 
 without gazing upon its treasures, our useless love; useless, 
 indeed, because my father's dead? " 
 
 Mihai answered : " I would not gaze on any treasures, 
 fair Princess, which my eyes would hold dearer than thy 
 dear self. I love thee, and I will take thee to my father's 
 home in the valley. It is a wild place, but lovely, and love 
 makes everything bright." The Princess said : " I'll come 
 to the valley and to thy father's home, handsome hero, 
 and I will be thy bride, and I'll marry thee when the red 
 dragon is killed. Go thou to thy father and tell him I will 
 come in three days to visit his home and to sue for his 
 blessing, for a happy father is he who has such a handsome 
 and brave son." . . . The red dragon lay on the grass and 
 gazed lazily at the sun. " Where can my son be at this 
 
56 Mihai. 
 
 hour?" thought he; " O where is my handsome Mihai ? " 
 At this moment the sound of a horse's hoof broke on 
 his dreams, and he quickly took up his human form as he 
 perceived Mihai riding hastily towards him. "Father, 
 great news! I'm in love with a fair Princess, and she will 
 be my bride. She'll come to this wild valley and stay one 
 whole day with thee." The dragon answered: " If she 's a 
 prince's daughter and lives in a great palace, we must build 
 a palace here." " Father, she comes in three days." "Never 
 mind, boy, go and sleep on thy couch and leave the rest 
 to me." Mihai slept, and the dragon drew a magic sword 
 from its scabbard, and he traced on the earth and he traced 
 in the air the form of a beautiful palace. And lo! the icicles 
 came forth of themselves and whirled and danced and ran till 
 a beautiful palace made of ice rose in the wild valley. The 
 dragon itself wondered at its magnificence and said: " My 
 boy will be well pleased and the bride happy. I'm a clever red 
 dragon; my son may be proud of his father now." Mihai 
 rose before dawn, for he had dreamt of his love and wished 
 to speak of her again and hear his voice pronounce her 
 charming name. At the sight of the splendid palace he 
 exclaimed: "This is a wizard's work — a treasure, a joy 
 indeed, but is my father a wizard ? I would not be a 
 wizard'sson." And the trembling dragon said: "Mihai, I'm 
 not a wizard, but a fairy who loved me when I was hand- 
 some and young 1 *.$ thee, sometimes helps me still when I 
 call her. She has been here this night." So Mihai was quite 
 content, and, as the Princess rode in the wild valley, he met 
 
Mihai. 57 
 
 her with a gracious bow, he kissed her hands and lips, and 
 said: " Here is the palace where our warm love will dwell. 
 It is made of ice, my dear bride, but our love will warm 
 it soon. 'Tis the work of a loving fairy who loved my father 
 when he was handsome andyoung." " Handsome and young 
 like thee, Mihai," answered his bride, and the dragon in 
 silver vestment, the dragon in human form stepped forth 
 to greet the fair maiden and kissed her gentle hand and 
 kissed her gentle forehead and said: " Surely, sweet maiden, 
 on the ground where thy soft feet tread flowers will grow 
 by thousands and the sun love to shine." Then they 
 entered the wonderful palace and wandered along its halls. 
 Then they leant on the brilliant columns that bore its 
 terraces white. All at once the Princess exclaimed: " I've 
 lost my bird — 'tis a favourite falcon, 'tis yellow! who 
 follows me when I ride; had I but my ivory whistle I 
 would soon call the falcon back." " Here 's a whistle for 
 thee, fair sweet lady," answered the dragon, and he handed 
 her the whistle he had found on the dead Voivode. The 
 Princess grew pale, the Princess sighed and wept. " O 
 Mihai, here 's my father's whistle, which he wore on a 
 golden chain. O Mihai, here 's his own dear whistle 
 which he wore in his golden belt. Tell me, whence comes 
 this whistle, and why it dwells with thee ? " The dragon 
 trembled, for Mihai's keen eyes now rested on his father's 
 face. " Great Princess, the wandering brook who wanders 
 through many lands hath brought this whistle to the 
 bank where I sat in the summer grass. Let me keep 
 
58 Mihai. 
 
 the ivory whistle and wear it near my heart." Now 
 there was a drop of the Voivode's blood on the ivory 
 whistle, and the Princess kissed the purple spot. Then 
 Mihai dismissed the sad subject, and they all sat down 
 to eat. And the rich wine filled the diamond cups, 
 and Mihai and his bride were so gay. The dragon him- 
 self said in his thoughts: "I was never so happy in all my 
 life." But he trembled again when the Princess asked: " O 
 why dost thou not eat? " He answered : "I eat only fruit 
 that grows on the distant mountain tops." Then they spoke 
 of warriors and horses, of falcons and wild beasts. Then 
 they sang each a song, and Mihai asked his father to kiss 
 his fair bride's hair. And the dragon rose, and with his lips 
 just touched the bride's soft hair. Just at that moment the 
 drop of blood on the ivory whistle said aloud : " How can a 
 Princess allow her father's murderer to touch her hair with 
 his lips ?" The Princess grew faint and asked: "Whence 
 came those awful words? " The dragon again trembled and 
 said : " 'Tis a tame sparrow, whom the fairy I loved has en- 
 dowed with the gift of speech. 'Tis a sparrow, and speaks 
 at random — let us drink the rich burning wine." Then 
 Mihai said again to his father: "Just gaze in my sweet 
 bride's eyes. Her eyes are as clear as the river;" and the 
 dragon gazed, and the drop of blood on the whistle spoke 
 once more quite loudly and said : " How can a great Prin- 
 cess allow her father's murderer to gaze into her eyes?" 
 Again the dragon trembled, again the dragon said: "'Tis 
 the wind in the willow branches. The wind sometimes 
 
Mihai. 59 
 
 says weird tales. Let us walk by the flowing river where 
 the long rushes sing." And Mihai then said to his father: 
 " Father, take the Princess's hand, for I'll hold her flowers, 
 and her dagger, and her embroidered veil." But when the 
 dragon took the proffered hand, the terrible voice rose 
 high: " Touch not the hand of thy father's murderer, Prin- 
 cess." Mihai drew out his sword to kill the invisible fiend; 
 then he said: "It is madness, for we all know the red 
 dragon is the Voivode's murderer. I have sworn to my 
 bride that I would meet the red dragon and kill him as he 
 killed her father, or die in his embrace." For the third time 
 the ominous voice said: " Mihai has broken his promise — 
 Mihai will not keep his word." 
 
 Then furiously Mihai took his dear bride's hand and 
 swore a solemn oath: "I swear," said he, "that I will neither 
 eat nor drink, nor look again into thy soft eyes, nor call 
 myself a true warrior till I bring back the red dragon's 
 body to this place." The poor dragon trembled and said: 
 " My son, thy oath is rash ; for what mortal can be strong 
 without food, and attack wild beasts and dragons when he 
 fasts ? " Mihai said : "Thou art right, father ; but the words 
 are spoken, the time is spent ; farewell ! " The fair bride 
 wept and the dragon sighed and pondered, for he well knew 
 his son's proud heart, and knew Mihai would neither taste 
 wine, water or flesh or fruit before he had killed the dragon. 
 And he also knew the dragon would not come in his way. 
 So he took leave also of the fair Princess, and sought his 
 magic wand and asked counsel: " I am the murderer, magic 
 
60 Mihai. 
 
 wand, I am the dragon. My son must kill a red dragon 
 before the night is spent." And the magic wand answered: 
 " Get him to break his vow and to drink a drop of thy blood ; 
 then he'll imagine he has killed the red dragon and left his 
 body in a mighty river, and thou wilt give him one of thy 
 dreadful teeth to bring back to his bride." Three days the 
 dragon in his human form walked through the forest till 
 he came upon his son. Three days Mihai had wandered 
 without tasting water nor food, but his courage was still 
 alive in his eyes, though his hand and his voice were weak. 
 " Well, my son, hast thou seen the monster? " " No, my 
 father; it goes hard with me." "Art thou hungry or thirsty, 
 my darling? M "'Tis the thirst that burns my heart." 
 
 "Surely, my son, thou canst quench thy thirst with a 
 drop of thy father's blood. My blood is still fresh, I will 
 give some to thee." But Mihai answered: "No, I have 
 sworn a solemn oath." " Thou hast sworn to drink neither 
 wine nor water, but who thought then of thy father's 
 blood?" But Mihai said :" No, I must ride away. O father, 
 do not tempt me." And he rode three days, and his father 
 followed and gazed at him from afar, and saw him tremble 
 and droop, and ran again to his side. " Father, brave father, 
 I'm dying, but I have kept my oath. The dragon I have 
 not found, but no drop of wine nor water nor food hath 
 touched my lips." " Surely, my son, this must cease. I will 
 open my veins, my blood will flow, and thou wilt drink 
 my blood." " No, father, I must not drink; most sacred is 
 a hero's word, as sacred as his deeds. Most sacred is the 
 
Mihai. 6 1 
 
 hero's death when he dies to keep his word." And Mihai 
 lay at the foot of a tree and said farewell to his life. Then 
 said his father : " My brave son, walk ten steps after sunset, 
 walk to the banks of the river whose reeds are high and 
 thick; there wilt thou find the red dragon, who will fight 
 a great fight with thee." And Mihai watched his father go 
 towards the river, and then he saw no more ; but when the 
 sun had set he tottered to his feet, and walked ten steps and 
 saw the great river, and lo ! between the reeds the red dragon, 
 most awful to behold, rose before him. With a shout of 
 joy and hatred Mihai drew out his bright sword, but before 
 he had time to plunge it in the monster's jaws the dragon 
 lay dead in the river, and Mihai sighed and thought: 
 " How is it possible the red dragon should die thus? My 
 father surely has killed him by poisoning his food. I will 
 reproach my father, who has stolen a fair deed from me. 
 I cannot boast I have killed the dragon." And he cried and 
 his tears fell thick on his bright useless sword. 
 
 Three days and three nights in his gorgeous palace 
 Mihai held a revel and smiled. His fair bride smiled too, 
 and when their eyes met she said : " My handsome hero." 
 He said : " My lovely bride." " But why is father away so 
 long?" said she. "Why does not my father come?" he said. 
 And by the fourth day their hearts grew dull, and they 
 watched and hoped in vain, till Mihai said, as tears fell 
 thick upon his handsome face: "My father's dead, I'm 
 sure he 's dead ; he killed the red dragon and died from a 
 wound which the red monster made. Or maybe he rests 
 
62 Mihai. 
 
 in the river, where the red monster threw him. Alas! my 
 father's dead." "O my handsome lord," answered his gentle 
 bride, " send all my warriors to search thy father in dale 
 and forest; surely they'll find him soon." And warriors rode 
 in forest and dale while Mihai gazed and wept. At last 
 sleep closed his dreary eyes, and in a dream he saw his 
 father, who said : "Yes, I am dead, fair son; I cannot tell 
 thee more. My crimes were great and many, but I have 
 loved thee well. Then speak no more of the red dragon, 
 but often speak of me, and whenever thou drawest thy 
 bright sword in tournament or war, call on thy father's 
 name, and he will help thee to remain a true knight, a 
 brave warrior, O handsome hero, my son ! " 
 
 This tale was told to me by a shepherd zuho lives in the 
 mountains^ and who knows no other tale. He said : "I give my 
 only tale to thee?'' 
 
The White Serpent, 63 
 
 THE WHITE SERPENT AND THE LITTLE 
 BEGGAR GIRL. 
 
 In a village by the Danube lived a little beggar girl. 
 She was called Mesandra, and had neither known her 
 father nor her mother. She sang sweet songs and told 
 bright tales, and the peasants took care she should never 
 want a shelter or food. But Mesandra loved to sleep out 
 in the cool summer night, and in winter, even when the 
 nights were snowy and cold, she would not seek the shel- 
 ter of a roof. As she grew old she became fair and rosy, 
 and all the young men who saw her loved Mesandra. She 
 would not hear a word of love nor ever sing a song where 
 love blossomed like a flower. Mesandra was a strange girl. 
 One night, as she sat gazing at the mighty river, she saw 
 a white snake float on the water, and instead of wondering 
 at this singular incident, she asked the white snake: "Where 
 art thou going, strange white thing?" And the snake said : 
 " Bless' d be thou, sweet maid, for those few words. Thou 
 canst not guess what a treasure thy question is to me. I 
 am going to my home in the river. I dwell in the waters 
 deep; 'tis a place where the water is green and blue, 
 because a mountain's shadow sleeps on the bosom of the 
 wave. My house is a green palace, and there I dwell with 
 my mother." " O strange white thing," said Mesandra, "I 
 
64 The White Serpent. 
 
 would love to see thy home, I would love to see thy mother. 
 I would love to float with thee in the arms of the great 
 river." And the white serpent then said : " Come." And 
 Mesandra lay on the serpent's back, and they flew with 
 the tide, and the waters made a gurgling sound about her 
 which pleased the fair maid well. 
 
 They reached a spot by the mountain, and as dawn now 
 came on the Danube, Mesandra noticed the water was 
 green under the green shadow. They plunged in the deep 
 green water, and lo! a beautiful palace was right under 
 the maid's feet. The white serpent whistled, and his mother 
 came forth, and Mesandra saw she was an old woman who 
 held a distaff and a spindle, and looked at her with hatred 
 and asked: "Who is this maid?" "I'm Mesandra, the pretty 
 orphan who lives in the village afar. I have come to see 
 thy palace, for thy son is kind to me." She grumbled and 
 turned her back, and threw her spindle aside, and said: 
 " My son, how imprudent to bring this mortal here." The 
 white serpent answered : " Think, she may save me from 
 my fate, O mother. Have I not the right to hope ? " 
 And he gave the maid a blue mantle, and many an em- 
 broidered veil, and he said: " Speak out thy every wish, sweet 
 maid. We are wealthy, O wealthier by far than the wealthiest 
 King or Voivode. Thou may'st walk all the rooms in the 
 palace, and walk all its terraces too. There 's a garden, 
 and there 's a great forest, and above our heads the great 
 river will sing night and day in thy ears." 
 
 Mesandra wondered, and found the palace was fair in- 
 
and the Little Beggar Girl. 65 
 
 deed, such as she had never dreamt of in her fairest dreams. 
 But no step, no sound was heard within in bower or gar- 
 den, no face was seen between the lofty garden-trees. And 
 before night she felt the pang of heartrending solitude, but 
 spoke not of her awe and wonder, but listened to the white 
 serpent's word. He said, when he met her at supper: " My 
 mother lives in the tower, and rarely descends its steps. 
 Never try to see my old mother when she calls not on thee 
 to come." And the white serpent spoke so earnestly, Mes- 
 andra felt there must be a great secret, and that the secret 
 of the weird dwelling dwelt with that old woman in the 
 silent tower, where she must never go. And from that 
 hour she thought of nothing else. 
 
 Days glided on and months; Mesandra grew sad and 
 weary of her lonely life, and she one morning expressed 
 the wish to return to the village. At this, the serpent hissed 
 in wrath; then she noticed tears in his kind eyes, and said 
 to herself: " I'll wait, some change must come. I'll bring a 
 change. I'll find the way out of this dreary place." But she 
 felt so sick at heart that she could neither touch her golden 
 lute, nor play with the wonderful jewels the serpent gave 
 her each day. Then she went to him again, and uttered 
 a deep moan, and as he did not ask why she sighed, Mes- 
 andra broke the silence and cried in anguish deep: " I have 
 never thought of love and a lover, but now I must think 
 and say: 'O why art thou not, thou strange white thing, 
 a lover tall and brave ? For if the soft flame of manly love 
 could burn within thy soul, thou would'st pity me and kiss 
 
 F 
 
66 The White Serpent 
 
 my lips and favour my heart's desire.' " " What," said the 
 white serpent, and he trembled so that the palace trembled 
 too, "canst thou swear, O maid, thou hast ne'er before 
 sighed for love or a lover's face ? " And Mesandra: " I have 
 never loved nor ever thought of love." He trembled so that 
 the terraces round and the garden trembled too. " Then," 
 said he, " come quick! " and they crossed the halls till they 
 reached a silver door. At that door he knocked with his 
 snow-white head, and a voice cried : " Who 's there? " " I 
 have come to say the maiden is here who hath never dreamt 
 of love." And through the door the voice replied : " 'Tis 
 true, I see her heart. Then rejoice and be free." And in- 
 stantly the white serpent became a handsome young warrior, 
 who fell at Mesandra's feet, and said: "I love thee." And 
 she learnt to love, for he was handsome and bright. And 
 she no longer wished to leave the fine green palace. The 
 old mother smiled when she saw'her son resume his fair 
 countenance, of which a bad wizard had deprived him till 
 the day when he should find a maid who had never dreamt 
 of love. 
 
 During the first months of her married life Mesandra 
 felt she had found her happiness indeed. Her handsome 
 spouse loved her, and when he returned home every night 
 she felt her heart leap with gladness and ran to meet him. 
 She heard his step from afar, but she knew he always first 
 went to see his mother, so she had to wait a few minutes 
 before he came towards her. The old woman never 
 troubled Mesandra, nor entered her bower, nor spoke a 
 
and the Little Beggar Girl. 67 
 
 word of affection or hatred to her, yet Mesandra loved not 
 her dark face and her angry eyes as they rested on the fair 
 girl's young beauty. Then Mesandra grew to desire madly 
 one thing which she felt she ought not to desire. Her 
 husband had a secret ; his mother knew it, and she was the 
 only one who knew it not. Where spent he all his days? 
 and why did he go to his mother's chamber before he met 
 his dear young spouse? This thought kept the girl awake 
 many a night, till she decided to watch. So she hid herself 
 by the palace gate, and, without being seen, she followed 
 her husband's steps. She followed him and he knocked at 
 his mother's door. The old mother opened and said: " Hast 
 thou found the flower that makes me glad?" And he an- 
 swered despondently: "Alas! no, to-day I have not found 
 the flower, dear." " 'Tis because of thy wife, the fair Me- 
 sandra. The love of thy wife drives thee away from duty." 
 He answered not, but rose to join Mesandra, and Me- 
 sandra in her inmost heart felt joyful he had not brought 
 the flower, yet curious to know what that flower could be 
 his mother thus longed to breathe. The next day and the 
 next day he made the same weary answer, and the old 
 woman wept, and Mesandra, though she loved her not, 
 pitied her in her grief. But the fourth day the young man 
 bore in his hand a blue flower, and his mother's joy was 
 so great that she screamed and said: " O blue flower, thou 
 art my life and my fire, my summer and my food," and 
 she pressed the flower against her heart and lifted it to her 
 nostrils, and all at once she became a beautiful queen with 
 
68 The White Serpent 
 
 a crown of burning red rubies on her head, and her belt 
 and her slippers were of red red rubies, and Mesandra saw 
 her young husband kiss her and heard him say: "My love." 
 At this she flew away in utter grief and rage, and ran 
 to her bower and took her dagger and rushed in the room 
 where the beautiful Queen sat by the side of Mesandra's 
 husband, and saying to the amazed pair: " Ye false ones, 
 take your due," she killed them before they had time to 
 lift up their eyes and see her; and their red blood ran 
 warm on the crystal floor till the floor was a floor of 
 rubies, and the red blood said: "I'm warm, but in a moment 
 I will be black and cold ; I'll speak and tell thee, Mesandra, 
 the crime that thou hast done. This beautiful Queen who 
 lies at thy feet was thy husband's dear sister; the same 
 wizard who had changed thy husband into a white snake 
 had made the fair girl an old woman. She could only 
 resume her graceful self by breathing the rare blue flower." 
 Mesandra wrung her hands in despair, and said: " Dear red 
 blood, speak on, speak on and curse me " ; but the blood 
 could speak no more, as it had become black and cold. So 
 she wandered along the desert palace and sang a death- 
 dirge and wept. Then she mounted the highest tower and 
 said to the Danube: " Great river, O do come to me and 
 take me in thy arms and take me to my village small, 
 where I was a beggar girl." And the great Danube came 
 and took the maiden and carried her to her village again. 
 But when she related her story they all said she was mad. 
 She gazed all day at the river and had no other joy. 
 
and the Little Beggar Girl. 69 
 
 Her tears fell in the river and made the water salt. 
 
 And the Danube said: " That fair girl's tears will make 
 all my water salt." . . . The village was gay with thousand 
 songs, the village was gay with voices and lutes. The 
 King of the land on his jet-black horse came to the village 
 small. "O great King, what shall we give thee? What 
 wilt thou take from us? Here is salt, here is bread, and a 
 sheath of corn, and a horse as tall as thine, and three 
 silver belts and a brown fur cap with twenty peacock 
 plumes." " O my people, thank you all ! I will take naught 
 to-day, naught will I take from the village except the 
 beggar girl who cries by the great Danube and will make 
 its waters salt." So Mesandra was brought from the great 
 river's banks. She saw and cried: "There's the dead. 
 There's my dead love," and staggered and fell senseless 
 at his feet. " She 's mad, dear lord," said the people. "She's 
 my wife, and I'll take her home." So he threw the girl 
 on his saddle, and joyful rode away. She awoke in his 
 sturdy arms. " I am in the arms of the dead. I am pleased 
 to be dead and with thee." " 'Tis true I am dead, my Me- 
 sandra. I have come to take thee away. — And those people, 
 they will learn to-morrow that their King was dead, and 
 his shadow came to take his beloved away. For I was thy 
 King, my Mesandra, and now I am dead like thee." 
 
 This tale was told by a young soldier, whose horse was tied 
 to a tree. He said he knew as many tales as he had hairs in 
 his head, but he was in a hurry and could but tell this short 
 and simple tale. 
 
jo The Wicked King. 
 
 THE WICKED KING. 
 
 " There is no one near the sheep. 
 Where is the shepherd? " 
 " The shepherd is in love with the young moon, 
 
 And till she appears in the sky he will not listen to 
 what thou sayest, nor look after his sheep" 
 " O listless shepherd, come, 
 And I will tell thee a tale that will make thee forget the hour 
 when the moon rises, and the hour 
 When the moon disappears. 
 O why, listless shepherd, dost thou love the changing moon ? 
 Or has the sweet spirit of thy dead mother 
 Gone to the white gardens in the moon? 
 But Til tell thee a tale which once was told to me 
 By a travelling cloud in the sky. 
 For I talk to the clouds and they answer. 
 The clouds are my only friends, 
 So Fll tell thee this tale, listless shepherd.'" 
 
 There was a wicked King who had a beauteous daughter, 
 And her face was like gold, and her arms and her 
 
 throat were all like living gold, 
 And wherever she went a golden light followed, 
 
The Wicked King. 71 
 
 And her hands in the dark shone like a golden flame, 
 
 And her eyes on dark nights were like two golden 
 
 stars, 
 And her slippers were golden, and she was called 
 
 Aura, which means Gold. 
 And the King called a mischievous fairy: 
 
 " Why is my daughter so strangely bright ? " 
 The fairy, who was jealous of Aura's beauty, said: 
 a She is the spirit of Gold, and if thou would'st 
 
 kill her, all the gold upon earth and under it 
 Would come to thee." 
 Now the King loved gold much better than Aura, 
 
 But he said to himself: " I'll not kill her, 
 But send her to a place where she is sure to die." 
 So he said to Aura: "Dear daughter, 
 Hast thou ever heard of the handsome Voivode 
 Who is a captive in the palace of the Storm ? 
 There he has languished for years ; the Rain and 
 
 the Hail guard the threshold, 
 The Wind moans all around its dismal towers, 
 And the brave Prince is there. 
 In vain has he tried with his sword and his lance 
 To cut the Storm, the Hail and the Rain. 
 He cannot get away 
 Unless a beautiful maid takes pity upon him and 
 
 without fear enters the dangerous palace." 
 Aura listened, with all her soul intent on her 
 
 father's words. 
 
J2 The Wicked King. 
 
 u Of course no King's child and no haughty maiden 
 
 would vouchsafe to deliver this Prince. 
 Of course, my dear Aura, you never will think of 
 going into the palace of the Storm. 
 First, I would not allow it. 
 But is not the Prince to be pitied ; 
 He is so handsome and young." 
 Aura felt her heart beat, and her heart softly said: 
 " Aura, thou lovest him already, 
 Because he is luckless and suffers 
 In the dismal palace of the Storm." 
 No sooner was Aura by herself in her bower than she spoke 
 to her handmaid: 
 
 " I want to go away." u Whither, fair mistress? 
 
 the night is dark." 
 " I am bright like a flame, and I will illumine 
 
 the night." 
 " Whither, fair mistress ? the road is heavy and 
 
 black." 
 " My golden slippers shine and will show light 
 
 on the road. 
 Open the gates of the palace and whisper not a 
 
 word of this." 
 And Aura went forth through the balmy air, 
 for it was spring, and the flowers dreamt 
 of sweet odours in their sleep, 
 And threw sweet odours on the air, 
 And wherever her feet alighted and touched the grass, 
 
The Wicked King, 73 
 
 The grass shone and remained bathed in sunshine for 
 the rest of that dark night, 
 And on her way Aura noticed a thistle whose lilac flowers 
 were fading, 
 
 And she said to them: "Poor flowers, ye will 
 
 not see the dawn." 
 The flowers answered: "Pitiful Princess, 
 We know your errand well, 
 But to enter that dismal palace is such a terrible 
 
 plan 
 That we will do our utmost to help thee, sweet 
 
 Princess. 
 Here, blow on us, and thou wilt become a cloud, 
 
 a rosy cloud, 
 A golden cloud like the clouds that float 
 Above the setting sun." 
 Aura blew on the thistle's flowers, and felt she became a 
 cloud. 
 She was happy to float in the balmy sky, 
 And to rise so swiftly and high. 
 When morning came she saw a black form, 
 The form of a dungeon arise, 
 And the winds moaned around it, and the golden 
 
 cloud was driven away like a feather. 
 But ever returned and asked: 
 u Is this the palace of the Storm? " 
 u Golden Cloud, get away," said the Wind, 
 " This is no place for thee. 
 
74 The Wicked King. 
 
 The Storm is a giant, and will disperse thee or smother 
 thy soft vapours in his arms." 
 " Moaning Wind, hast thou heard of the handsome 
 Voivode 
 Who is a captive here ? " 
 " Yes, the Rain who spins by his window, 
 And the Hail who beats at his door 
 With a thousand silver hammers. 
 The Rain and the Hail have told me 
 He is a most handsome Prince. 
 And it is even whispered, when winter gales are strong, 
 That the Rain 's in love with him, 
 And spins night and day at his window 
 In order to see him smile." 
 " O moaning Wind, take me then near his dear window, 
 too." 
 
 " The Rain and the Hail will destroy thee, 
 Thou soft and golden Cloud, 
 Yet I will help thee thither," and the moaning Wind blew 
 hard till through the Hail and the Rain, 
 The golden Cloud reached the tower where the 
 
 brave Voivode dwelt. 
 And the giant Storm shook the palace dark, 
 And the HaiPs silver hammers were busy, 
 And the Rain's long spindles ever and anon hurt 
 
 the panes of his windows, yet 
 The Prince still looked valiant and strong. 
 " Ah ! " thought he, " if only I saw a little golden cloud 
 
The Wicked King. 75 
 
 Amid the darksome mists." 
 Just at that moment the gentle Cloud 
 Glided before his eyes. 
 
 " O gentle Cloud," said he, " how beautiful thou art, 
 Methinks from thy golden depths 
 A maiden smiles on me. 
 Methinks her arms are golden, and golden her eyes 
 
 and throat, 
 And golden the small slippers 
 With which she treads the sky. 
 
 Methinks her golden fingers beckon on me, methinks 
 I love thee, unknown maid, whose face is in that cloud. 
 I know love is a cloud and vanishes like a cloud in the 
 
 arms of the wind. 
 I know a cloud can't live more than love in the heart 
 
 of youth, 
 More than a destiny of joy whose sun must set in 
 
 clouds." 
 And he kissed the panes of his window where the 
 
 Rain's silver spindles flew. 
 And the Rain said to her spindles: 
 " 'Tis well, for the fair Prince loves me. 
 He hath kissed my silver spindles 
 On the panes of his windows bright." 
 And the Rain saw not the golden Cloud, 
 For she was so busy with her spindles 
 And with the handsome young Prince. 
 And the Hail saw not the silver Cloud, 
 
y6 The Wicked King. 
 
 For the Hail was busy with the silver hammers that 
 
 beat against the Prince's door. 
 But the Storm perceived the little golden Cloud, 
 And said: "Ho! ho! this is foul play. 
 How has this little golden cloud found its way to my 
 
 realm ? 
 Is it a fairy who wants to take my captive away ? " 
 And he swore a dreadful oath at every fairy under the 
 
 face of the sun, 
 Because the Storm had a beautiful daughter 
 
 Called Rainbow; she wore a dress made of clouds 
 
 and sunlight, 
 Rubies and emeralds twined around her dress, 
 And to his daughter did the storm wish to wed the 
 young Prince. 
 But in vain had Rainbow more than once danced before 
 his windows and played with the silver spindles 
 of the Rain. 
 The Prince disliked the dazzling girl as he disliked all 
 who lived in the Storm's dark palace, 
 Or around it. 
 And now he looked at the small golden Cloud, and 
 stretched his arms towards the sky and sighed. 
 And the furious Storm was about to smother the poor 
 
 little Cloud in his strong arms 
 When a fairy came up and said to Aura: 
 " Now thou wilt become a red and blue flame to flicker on 
 the hearth 
 
The Wicked King. jy 
 
 While the Prince sits beside his fire." 
 And Aura felt she became a blue and red flame. 
 The Prince still stood at his window and sighed, for 
 the little golden Cloud had vanished. 
 And by that time the big fire in his room was lit, and 
 
 the Prince sat near the hearth, 
 And his eyes wandered in the fire, 
 And he noticed a red and blue flame that flickered 
 and danced and turned, 
 And he said : " O red and blue flame, 
 Methinks I see a maiden smile in thee, 
 Methinks her arms and her eyes call on me, 
 Methinks she wears red slippers, and a red veil, and 
 
 blue scarf, 
 Methinks I love her, and methinks she loves 
 me. 
 No sooner had he spoken thus than the red and blue 
 flame took a great leap and fell at his feet, 
 And lo! a beauteous maid arose. 
 And lo! he saw Aura, and she told him that she had 
 been the little golden cloud, 
 And that she had pined after him from the day the 
 King her father told her of his sad fate. 
 And the Prince answered, " I love thee. 
 I never could wed the Storm's dazzling daughter. 
 I love thee, and what is thy name ? " 
 
 The maid answered: "I am called Aura, but thou 
 should'st find another name for me, 
 
78 The Wicked King, 
 
 Because I love thee, and will not be called as others 
 
 call me. 
 Pm a new creature since I love, so give me a new name." 
 And the Prince wondered to see that wherever she 
 
 walked 
 The ground became gold, and that a golden mist followed 
 
 her steps, and that her arms were golden, and that 
 
 gold fell from her long hair. 
 She lit up the dark room like a torch, and the Rain who 
 
 peeped in 
 Saw the beautiful maid, and her jealous heart was awake 
 
 to the peril, 
 And she instantly ran to Rainbow's room 
 And knocked at the door. 
 Now Rainbow was not pleased to be disturbed just then, 
 For young Hail had come on a visit 
 With his silver hammers, and was making love to her, 
 
 so she said : 
 " Busy Rain, see I am busy too, and cannot open, 
 But speak thy message through the door, and I will 
 
 listen." 
 Then Rain cried aloud, " Tell your father, my dear, 
 That a beautiful maid is in the Prince's room, and 
 
 kisses him." 
 At this Rainbow laughed, and said: "Busy Rain, at- 
 tend to thy silver spindles and come not to tell 
 
 us thy dreams. 
 How can a human maid enter this palace? " 
 
The Wicked King. 79 
 
 "If thou dost not believe, then come and see." 
 
 " Busy Rain, thou knowest I hate to leave my bower 
 
 after sunset, 
 Go to my father and tell thy tale." 
 And the Rain went to the Storm's dark dungeon, where 
 
 the giant lay enchained. 
 He was obliged to tie those chains around his arms and 
 
 his waist himself every morning, 
 Because when he moved freely his strength was such 
 
 that his palace was smashed to pieces 
 And all those who dwelt therein. 
 " Who '3 there? " " I'm the Rain ; there is a beauteous 
 
 maid in the young Prince's room, 
 And he kisses her, and her hair is as long as her train ; 
 
 when she walks her hair is caught in her golden 
 
 slippers." 
 " Another trick of the fairies," roared the Storm. 
 And the giant arose and the whole palace shook, while 
 
 the Rain took up her spindles, 
 And the Hail took up his hammers, 
 And the earth trembled, and the sky was rent by light- 
 ning and thunder. 
 Aura trembled in the Prince's arms. 
 
 " O the giant Storm is coming apace, 
 
 the giant Storm will kjll thee, 
 
 1 care not for life, but thy life is the life of my soul, 
 
 and I will die a thousand times if thou diest. 
 
80 The Wicked King. 
 
 And if I am dead before thee I will rise from the dead 
 And die over and over again if thou diest." 
 
 And the Prince answered: " Hush, my own love, 
 Love is strong, love is a tower and a sword, 
 Love rises much higher than the angry billows of the sea." 
 And Aura sobbed against his heart, and sobbed with 
 joy also, because she heard that in his manly 
 breast 
 The heart throbbed as quietly as if sore danger was 
 not near. 
 And the giant Storm dashed the door open, 
 And the giant flew at them in his wrath. 
 But the Prince drew his sword, and the fairy entered 
 
 and said to Aura, u Now 
 I will change you both into light feathers, 
 And you will fly away." 
 And Aura felt she became a white feather, and that 
 
 the Prince became a proud black feather. 
 And before the breath of the giant Storm they flew 
 
 through the Hail and the Rain, 
 And thus reached the azure sky and the quiet forest 
 beside which stood the palace of Aura's father. 
 The palace windows were open, and Aura heard the 
 
 King say: 
 " Alas ! alas ! my daughter 's dead in the dark tower of 
 
 the Storm. 
 I sent her from me because of the advice of an envious 
 fairy, 
 
The Wicked Kim. 8 1 
 
 £> 
 
 And because my soul was thirsty for gold. 
 And now I am lonely, my sweet child is dead." 
 At that moment two feathers fell before his throne, 
 One was white like the pearls on his diadem, the other 
 glossy and black. 
 He lifted them up and his tears fell on the feathers two, 
 and lo! Aura stood before him, 
 And her young Prince. 
 And this poor King, whose hard heart melted, said: 
 " I will bless your lover's marriage 
 
 And give this young Prince my kingdom and my 
 
 gold. 
 And I will go in his place in the palace of the Storm, 
 And live there in sadness till God and the good fairies 
 forgive my wicked deed." 
 
82 The Willows' Daughter. 
 
 THE WILLOWS' DAUGHTER. 
 
 "Dost thou remember the young willow that grew by my garden 
 gate, 
 It is dead, because a wicked spirit came and slept between 
 
 its branches at night. 
 O how I love the willows in my garden, and the willows 
 by the banks of the stream. 
 I must tell thee a tale. 
 
 It is the story of the willows' daughter, 
 And it was told to me by that same young willow 
 Who 'j dead, because of the evil spirit that slept between its 
 branches at night. 
 The willow sighed and told the tale while I listened, 
 And those who passed by my garden gate said, 'She listens 
 To hear the young willow sigh.'' " 
 
 This happened once which ne'er had happened before, 
 
 And will never happen again. 
 
 In the small forest by the stream a young girl lived; 
 
 Her sweet name was Smaranda, and she had no father 
 and mother because 
 
 She was the willows' daughter. 
 Her arms were soft and supple like their branches, 
 
The Willows" Daughter. 83 
 
 Her hair like their foliage was long; 
 
 She danced when the wind touched the willows, 
 
 And she was still when at noon the silver trees slumbered 
 
 and dreamed. 
 Her feet were white like the rays of the sun 
 
 Upon the white, silvery willows; 
 Her dress was made of willow leaves; 
 
 And willow leaves glistened 
 Around her forehead and her throat. 
 She wore a belt of willow leaves, 
 And her bracelets were willow leaves when the bright 
 dew shone; 
 Her eyes were the colour of the pale green willows, 
 And she never moved from the banks of the stream. 
 Her fingers played with the water, her face 
 Was mirrored in the water oft. 
 She knew not that the world existed beyond the wood 
 where she lived, 
 But the water-lily by the willows' root once spoke to 
 
 her and said : 
 " O fair Smaranda, the earth is e'en fairer than thou. 
 I can peep at the plain between the slim trunks of the 
 willows, 
 And I see there high churches, villages, and towns afar 
 I see gay Voivodes pass with their train. 
 I see sweet maidens dance when the summer air is full of 
 moonlight ; come and lie down by me and thou 
 wilt see the plain." 
 
84 The Willows' Daughter. 
 
 But fair Smaranda answered : " I'm happy here, and I 
 
 don't care 
 For what the plain can show thee. 
 I am the willows' daughter, 
 And by the willows will I dwell, 
 Nor stoop beside the water-lily 
 And peep between the trunks." 
 But one day a Voivode came, who was handsome and 
 weary, 
 And said to his warriors: "Ye may ride home; 
 
 I feel hot and weary, 
 And will lie down and sleep beneath the cool trees 
 By the banks of the pure stream." 
 And he sank on the grass, took off his helmet, 
 And soon fell asleep. 
 
 While he slept fair Smaranda 
 Crept gently by his side, 
 
 And gazed upon him long, 
 And she said to the willows around her : 
 " How young and handsome is he ! " 
 "Gaze not upon him, daughter," whispered the willow 
 green, 
 " He is a brave young mortal, 
 A handsome and proud Voivode ; 
 But he is like the roses and the lilies, 
 Who live but one short spring. 
 His youth will be carried away like the feather 
 That turns in the wind's swift hands. 
 
The Willows" Daughter. 85 
 
 Whereas thou, the willows' daughter, 
 
 Wilt remain ever young and fair, 
 Thou wilt live and smile as long as the trees. 
 Gaze not upon him, daughter, for he will take thy 
 heart." 
 But Smaranda gazed on and thought: " If he loved me I 
 
 fain would die for him." 
 She thought : u If he awoke and saw me, 
 Perhaps he would find me fair." 
 But the willows divined their daughter's thoughts 
 And asked of the wandering wind 
 To make Smaranda invisible. 
 And when the Voivode awoke he saw naught but the pale 
 green willows, 
 But he heard a woman's voice 
 Whisper : " Voivode, I love thee ! 
 I fain would die for thee." 
 As he saw naught but the trees and the stream 
 He sighed and turned away. 
 Still the words followed him: 
 " Voivode, I love thee ! 
 I fain would die for thee." 
 From that day fair Smaranda pined and wept 
 
 Till the grass beneath the willows was as wet as on 
 
 a rainy day, 
 And she said to the water-lily: 
 " O could I but go to him ! 
 But the willows they cluster around me, 
 
86 The Willows' Daughter. 
 
 I cannot move, I am mad, and I'll die if I don't 
 hear from my handsome Voivode." 
 " Wait, Smaranda, don't weep," said the lily; 
 
 " I'll glide on the stream's cool breast, 
 
 I'll glide till I reach the palace 
 
 Where thy Voivode dwells and sings." 
 " Then O take to him this pale willow leaf 
 
 And throw it on his breast. 
 
 I know the leaf will whisper, 
 
 c Voivode, I love thee! 
 
 I fain would die for thee.' " 
 The water-lily glided upon the stream's cool breast 
 
 Till she reached the palace steps that descended to 
 the waters, 
 
 And on the threshold the young Voivode stood. 
 But a fair young bride 
 
 Was there by his side, and he drank her eyes and 
 her kisses, 
 And the water-lily then threw 
 
 The pale willow leaf on his breast. 
 
 Then the Voivode again heard the strange words: 
 u Voivode, I love thee ! 
 I fain would die for thee." 
 
 And he then remembered 
 
 The words by the banks of the stream, 
 And he said to the bride: "There's a pale green 
 wood not far from the palace, dear. 
 
 Wilt thou come with me and breathe the soft air 
 
The Willows" Daughter, 87 
 
 By the pale green willows? " 
 " Willingly," answered the young bride. 
 And thus the two entered the wood, 
 
 Where fair Smaranda saw them. At first she 
 thought: 
 " This maid is perhaps his sister, 
 And I must love her too." 
 But the water-lily said: "He loves her; she is his 
 bride." 
 Smaranda threw her arms around a tall willow- 
 tree, and she wept against its gray bark, 
 While the handsome Voivode and his bride laughed 
 gaily and plucked wild flowers 
 And breathed the summer breeze. 
 Smaranda said : "Alas! I cannot die. 
 
 I must live as long as these trees, and life is heavy 
 
 and black, 
 More than the autumn night when the sweet 
 stars are away. Alas ! I cannot die." 
 She had scarcely finished speaking when she saw a 
 woman with a distaff and four spindles 
 That hung down to her feet. 
 And her fingers knew no rest, and she threw the 
 spindles right and left, 
 And whatever the spindles touched in their flight 
 
 drooped and faded. 
 Then Smaranda said : " O touch me with thy 
 spindle, busy woman, 
 
88 The Willows" Daughter. 
 
 So that I droop and fade, 
 So that I die." 
 But the busy woman answered and showed the bright 
 young bride: 
 " I've come for her, Smaranda, 
 My spindle will touch her hair 
 Before she crosses the meadow, 
 Before she ties the flowers 
 That she 's plucking for her belt." 
 " The Voivode will scream, the Voivode will weep." 
 " No matter, I've come for her." 
 " O!" said Smaranda, "the Voivode will weep. 
 What could I do for thee, O busy woman, 
 
 To prevent thee from touching the bride ? " 
 Then she said to Smaranda: "Then cut a willow- 
 branch, 
 And cut a long swift spindle, 
 And pierce thy heart with the spindle, 
 And thus thouwilt become a willow-tree, Smaranda, 
 A willow-tree for ever 
 Instead of a maiden fair." 
 And Smaranda cut the willow-branch, 
 And cut a long sharp spindle, 
 But before she pierced her heart 
 She kissed the handsome Voivode on the lips 
 (She was invisible), and whispered: 
 "Voivode, O how I have loved thee! 
 Voivode, I die for thee." 
 
The Willows* Daughter. 89 
 
 And Smaranda became a pale green willow 
 
 By the banks of the stream. 
 The Voivode and his bride were married, and wher- 
 ever they dwelt a pale green willow 
 Grew by the window and said : 
 
 " Voivode, O how I have loved thee! 
 Voivode, I die for thee." 
 
90 The Four Princesses 
 
 THE FOUR PRINCESSES AND THEIR 
 CRIMSON SLIPPERS. 
 
 There was a mighty King who had four daughters; 
 
 They dwelt in his palace and never saw the light of day, 
 
 For a wicked fairy had said on the day of their 
 birth that they would perish 
 
 If the sun ever caught a glimpse of them. 
 
 The four damsels were sad, 
 
 They longed to see the sun, 
 
 But they were so well guarded in the palace of the 
 King 
 
 That they were never free except at night. 
 But then when night came how happy they were 
 
 And how busy, 
 
 How they ran and danced on the floor, 
 
 How they kept always crying and saying: 
 
 " I wish we could go in the gardens 
 
 And peep at the moonlight fair." 
 
 And one night the Princesses cried 
 
 Because all the doors were bolted, 
 
 And they knew they could not escape. 
 A handsome Prince who lived in the next kingdom 
 
 Resolved to rescue them. 
 
and their Crimson Slippers. 9 1 
 
 He took a horse, a sword, and a small lute, 
 And rode to the King's bright palace. 
 " I'm a knight, I can tame wild horses. 
 King ! hast thou a wild horse to tame ? " 
 And the King answered : " Young knight, 
 There 's in my stables a horse so wild 
 That no one will come near him, 
 And he neighs night and day 
 And will never be fed, 
 And though he does not feed 
 
 He is the strongest among my wildest steeds." 
 The handsome Prince went to the stables and to the 
 furious horse he said : 
 " O who art thou ? 
 I guess thou art some god or king." 
 The horse said : " Do not seek to know, 
 But feed me, 
 
 And I will serve thee well." 
 
 And when the wild horse moved the stables 
 trembled, 
 And gardens and palace trembled too. 
 "Well do I guess, wild horse, that thou canst eat 
 naught but fire." 
 And the horse answered : " Yes, thou hast guessed 
 
 right. 
 Bring flames to me." 
 The handsome Prince gave the wild horse 
 Great flames to eat. 
 
92 The Four Princesses 
 
 Then the horse said : " I thank thee. 
 
 Now come on my back, and I'll take thee 
 
 To the Princesses' bower. 
 
 One of them thou shalt love. 
 
 She wears a sprig of pink carnations 
 In her black hair." 
 And they passed through the wondrous gardens, 
 
 Yet no one gazed as they passed, 
 
 And they entered the palace hall, 
 But no one gazed." 
 And the handsome Prince then understood that the 
 horse had become invisible, 
 
 And had made him invisible too. 
 
 When they entered the four maidens' bower, 
 
 The maidens saw both the horse and the Prince, 
 And began to tremble with fear. 
 But the horse said: "Don't tremble, Princesses. 
 
 We will take you into the garden 
 
 When the moonlight is fair. 
 
 Put on your crimson slippers, 
 
 Put on your golden dresses, 
 
 Put on your silver veils, 
 
 And follow us in the garden." 
 
 And the four maidens followed, 
 And the Prince fell in love with one of the four maids j 
 She wore a pink carnation 
 
 In her black hair. 
 
 Lo ! the doors were not bolted, 
 
and their Crimson Slippers. 93 
 
 And all the attendants slept. 
 They reached the moonlit garden 
 And there found three other Princes, 
 And 'neath the moon till morning 
 They danced, till their crimson slippers 
 Turned pale, 
 Till their crimson slippers 
 
 Were torn and worn they danced. 
 At morning a row in the palace : 
 " Why are all the crimson slippers 
 Quite torn and faded, why ? " 
 And the King gave his daughters new slippers, 
 And watched them well all day, 
 But when night came, 
 And the doors were all bolted, 
 Again the Prince was there. 
 At dawn again the slippers 
 Were torn and faded. Why? 
 And now all the knaves in the stables 
 
 Spoke of the unknown knight, 
 
 Who tamed the wild horse and had given him 
 
 fire to eat. 
 And the King went and gazed upon the scene. 
 "I'll ride that horse to-day," said he, "since 
 
 thou hast tamed him." 
 And the King tried the horse, 
 But the wild horse would not be ridden by an 
 old king, 
 
94 The Four Princesses 
 
 And reared and kicked till the furious King fell 
 to the ground. 
 " Let horse and knight be burnt to death," 
 Ordered the furious King, 
 And a great pile was made of wood and straw, 
 Where horse and Prince at midnight 
 Were to be burnt to death. 
 Through the great palace the news flew, 
 Till the Princesses heard, 
 
 And they cried bitterly, and begged their father 
 To spare both knight and horse. 
 But the old King was furious, 
 And would not spare. 
 So they begged hard again 
 To be allowed to gaze 
 Upon the awful sight. 
 The court assembled, and the people from all the cities 
 Which the King ruled. 
 
 And the wild horse and the Prince were brought 
 forth 
 To share the same sad fate. 
 The four Princesses wept. 
 " We'll give our crimson slippers 
 To burn with them." " I forbid you 
 To speak to that man," said the King. 
 And he said one brief word, and the tall flames rose. 
 
 The flames were red and blue, 
 And the knight and the horse in the midst of the flames 
 
and their Crimson Slippers. 95 
 
 Stood bright and fair. 
 Higher the flames now towered 
 And closed around them, 
 Till the Prince's belt 
 Was one blue flame, 
 Till the Prince's cap 
 Was a shivering flame, 
 Till the Prince's hand 
 Was a trembling flame. 
 And they twirled and they shrivelled, 
 They sank and fell. 
 When lo ! with a sob and a cry, 
 
 The fairest of the Princesses 
 Threw in the fire the pink carnation 
 
 That she wore in her thick black hair, 
 And the lofty fire in a second 
 Died out as if it had never been. 
 The people cried : " 'Tis a miracle! 
 
 The knight and his horse are saved." 
 But the King cried: "All right! We'll spare them. 
 But since that knave is so clever 
 At taming wild beasts, 
 I'll not let him go till he tames 
 My favourite dog." 
 The King's favourite dog was a wizard, 
 
 Whom no one cared to meet. 
 Now said the horse to the Prince : 
 
 " Take care of that gentle dog's wiles." 
 
96 The Four Princesses 
 
 And the dog leapt forth and said to the Prince : 
 " Canst thou cross, gentle knight, 
 The shadow of my tail upon the sand." 
 The shadow of the dog's tail was but a thread of 
 
 darkness upon the sand. 
 But when the knight said " Yes," 
 The shadow grew, 
 Till it became a big river 
 All swollen with ice and snow. 
 And the horse said to him: "Kiss the water, 
 
 And throw thy pink flower in the flood." 
 But the Prince said: "The flower that comes from my 
 beloved, 
 
 And saved my life, 
 I'll not give to the trait'rous waters, 
 
 But carry with me until death." 
 And he leapt in the rapid river 
 With that pink flower in his hand, 
 And the pink flower widened and grew, 
 Till it became a gentle boat, 
 Inwhichthe youngPrincecrossed the angryriver. 
 And the King then said: "'Tis a miracle! 
 
 There must be a god by thy side." 
 The young Prince showed the horse, and answered: " He's 
 the god." 
 
 And the King said: "Let the wild horse com- 
 mand, 
 And I'll obey." 
 
and their Crimson Slippers. 97 
 
 " King," answered the wild horse, 
 
 " I could destroy thy palace, 
 And burn down all thy cities fair, 
 If I but neighed three times. 
 I will not do it, because thou hast four daughters, 
 And I'll deliver them. 
 
 There is a spell at work with them, I know, 
 But now the sun would be afraid 
 To harm them. 
 So let the damsels live their own free life, 
 
 And give this knight, who is a Prince, 
 Thy fairest daughter, 
 Because he loves her." 
 The King obeyed, and his three other daughters 
 Married the three Princes 
 
 With whom they had danced in the garden at 
 
 night. 
 And at their wedding 
 The maidens wore crimson slippers, 
 But the wild horse was gone. 
 
 H 
 
98 The Little Blue Glass Ring. 
 
 THE LITTLE BLUE GLASS RING. 
 
 If thou stoopest over the fountain 
 Thou wilt see the sand shine; 
 But from afar the sand is black. 
 If thou touchest my belt 
 
 Thou wilt feel my heart beat, 
 Though thou believest that my heart is still. 
 Because I ne'er lift up my eyes towards thee. 
 
 I am the little blue glass Ring; 
 I am so small that a maid only 
 Can wear me, and three tears 
 Would fill me quite. 
 
 I am the little blue glass Ring. 
 I have betrothed the King's daughter 
 
 To the bright Sun. 
 For Viorica, the King's daughter, 
 
 Would marry neither warrior nor Voivode. 
 " I'll marry naught but the bright Sun," said she ; 
 " Tell the bright Sun, my father, to leave the sky and 
 to alight 
 Before our palace gate ; 
 I'm fair enough for him." 
 
The Little Blue Glass Ring. 99 
 
 But the Sun never answered the proud girl's 
 
 summons, 
 And the poor King grew sad. 
 And the King said one morning : " Ay, I will give my 
 kingdom 
 To him who would compel my daughter 
 To forget her wild wish." 
 And many a bright tourney and many a bright dance 
 Took place at the King's palace. 
 Yet Viorica 
 
 Still dreamt of the fair Sun, 
 And sighed and wept. 
 " A messenger has come ; he bears a message 
 
 From the fair Sun himself." 
 " Let me stay with this man alone," said Viorica. 
 And the young man was called Ion, 
 He was a shepherd. 
 " How is it, O young shepherd, 
 
 That thou should'st know the Sun? " 
 " He dwells in my hut all the day, 
 And I talk to the Sun for hours, 
 And he loves well my eyes, 
 
 And he loves thee, O King's fair daughter. 
 This little Ring has he sent thee." 
 " What, only a little glass Ring 
 For our betrothal ? " 
 u Yes," answered Ion, and the poor shepherd's heart 
 Began to beat, for he loved Viorica. 
 
ioo The Little Blue Glass Ring. 
 
 " I thank thee, shepherd sweet, 
 And I will wear the Ring, 
 And wait for my future spouse." 
 And when Ion had gone, "O little blue glass 
 
 Ring," 
 Whispered the maiden, 
 " Speak to me of the Sun." 
 " Ah, dear Princess ! the Sun's great palace, 
 Is a big pile of gold -> 
 He bears a silver sceptre, and his throne 
 Is covered with fiery emeralds." 
 " Like my father's, dear Ring. 
 And what do the courtiers who live in the Sun's 
 palace do all day long ? " 
 u Ah, dear Princess! they wait for the bright Sun's return ; 
 For the mighty Sun is always away. 
 He only returns for an hour or so, 
 The time to change his golden horse and his sword, 
 Or give his golden horse to drink. 
 The handsome shepherd who brought me hither, Princess, 
 Dwells in a sweet green hut, 
 Close by the water. 
 He sings, and the waters weep 
 To hear him sing so well." 
 "And what says the Sun," asked the maiden, 
 " When he returns to his palace, 
 And gives his tall horse to drink ? " 
 " Ah, Princess ! he relates that the earth is so sad. 
 
The Little Blue Glass Ring. 101 
 
 Men die on the earth, and women, 
 And little children too. 
 And the harvests he loves are cut down to the root, 
 And the cries of the dying and white heavy tombstones 
 
 Accompany him wherever he goes. 
 The handsome shepherd who has brought me hither 
 Knows such bright tales, 
 
 And sees the love of the flowers and the birds." 
 " And what says the strong Sun when he loves a young 
 
 maid?" 
 " Ah, Princess ! he says, c Let us love, 
 For dear love can last but one day. 
 I have seen all love die away, 
 I have seen ev'ry kiss fall and fade 
 Like the leaves from an autumn tree.' 
 The handsome shepherd who has brought me hither, 
 When he loves a maiden young, 
 Says to her, c O my love, love lasts 
 As long as death.' " 
 " Dear little blue glass Ring, call the fair shepherd back, 
 For I will in my turn send a message 
 To my betrothed, the Sun." 
 And I, the little blue glass Ring, 
 I called the shepherd. 
 And Viorica said to him: "Go, tell the Sun, 
 
 Viorica's afraid of your huge golden palace and of 
 your eyes 
 That have seen every tombstone, 
 
102 The Little Blue Glass Ring. 
 
 And have seen ev'ry love come and fall; 
 Viorica 's afraid of your hands that have touched 
 The lips of all the dead. 
 Viorica will marry the shepherd 
 
 Who dwells in the sweet green hut 
 Close to the water." 
 "But, my beloved," said Ion, "what shall we do 
 
 With the little blue Ring?" 
 " We will drive a gold nail in the wall of our room, 
 
 And we will hang the small blue Ring on the gold 
 nail, 
 And the little blue Ring will see our love." 
 Thus I dwell on the wall of their chamber, 
 And by my side 
 A little branch of basil 
 Makes the air soft, 
 And I say to the basil sweet, " Look at their love ! " 
 
The Fairy and the Waterfall. 103 
 
 THE FAIRY AND THE WATERFALL. 
 
 / have heard this tale from an eagle who lives in the 
 clouds and sleeps on the mountains hard breast, and the eagle 
 told me he heard this tale from the cloud and the rainbow 
 that dances on the waterfall. 
 
 The dark Karpathian mountains were sad because in the 
 solitude of their forests among the giant trees no torrent 
 flew, no waterfall made the day joyous and the night short 
 with the sound of life and laughter. " These mountains 
 have no waterfall and no torrent, they are sad," said the 
 bright hero of the mountains, the handsome Stoi'ca, to the 
 fairy of the meadows, whom he often met, and to whom 
 the handsome hero was betrothed. " If thou wert a real 
 fairy instead of being almost alike unto all the pretty 
 maidens of the earth, thou would'st find the meanstoenliven 
 the forest." " Alas! " answered the fairy, " I have prayed 
 hard all the rivers to run on this side, but thy forests are 
 dark." "I tell thee thou art no fairy." At this the poor fairy 
 grew faint with grief and shame, and said: " I will not look 
 upon thee, nor enjoy the fair smile of the sun, nor call 
 myself a fairy before I have brought thee a splendid wild 
 
1 04 'The Fairy and the Waterfall. 
 
 torrent and a savage waterfall right in the heart of thy 
 forests." 
 
 The fairy rode her favourite steed and reached the 
 palace of the King. It was a clear moonlight night, and 
 she thought she might rest under a rose-tree, for she was 
 a small fairy, and besides could get tall or tiny at her will. 
 She soon went to sleep, and her favourite steed slept by 
 her side in the grass, for she had changed him into a 
 drowsy butterfly; but soon she awoke to hear a conversa- 
 tion above her head, on the terrace of the royal palace. 
 She heard a woman's soft voice: " O my hair is as long as 
 the river under the elms, and as heavy as the waterfall that 
 bounds from rock to rock in the mountains. I will give 
 thee my hair, great wizard, and my teeth ; look how my 
 teeth shine and glisten in the light of the splendid moon. 
 But promise to bring my father back." Then a terrible 
 voice answered: " Give me also thy long eyebrows." Then 
 the fairy heard a low sob, and the soft voice said again: 
 " Take them, but bring my father back." And the fairy, 
 who could get wings and fly, flew to the terrace and saw 
 a beautiful maid, who knelt before a hideous wizard, and 
 the fairy whispered in the maiden's ear: "Refuse, refuse, and 
 I will help thee. I am the fairy of the meadow. I can help." 
 Then the beautiful maid sprang to her feet and exclaimed: 
 " False monster, I will save my father and keep my long 
 hair, my long eyebrows, and my shining teeth." The 
 wizard stamped his foot and said: " I will put heavy chains 
 on thy father's back as soon as I get home, and he will rue 
 
The Fairy and the Waterfall. 105 
 
 the hour of his daughter's sad indifference to his sufferings. 
 Farewell, maid, I will torture thy father; this I promise " — 
 and he disappeared. 
 
 Then the fairy stepped to the girl's side and asked her : 
 " What is the matter with thee? And where is thy father? 
 And who has put him into the power of that false monster?" 
 The young girl, who was a princess and the King's own 
 daughter, answered : " Alas ! beautiful fairy, whose feet 
 make the meadow green and the forest alive, my father had 
 entered into an agreement with this wizard. My father 
 desired to possess a marvellous sword, a fairy sword, which 
 flew from its scabbard whenever something unjust or some 
 misfortune happened a thousand miles even from the spot 
 where the sword was to be found. Thou may'st well 
 understand, beautiful fairy, what a precious sword it might 
 prove to a king, for kings are always swayed by what they 
 hear and see, and the senses of a king do not reach much 
 farther than those of any ordinary man. Now this precious 
 sword belonged to the wizard, and the King offered him 
 the half of his kingdom and of all he possessed for the 
 privilege of owning the marvellous sword. But the wizard 
 answered: ' I will have neither land nor money. I will give 
 thee the sword, but promise me not to allow thy daughter 
 to touch it, or to speak a word about it to anyone. If she 
 breaks this promise, I will carry thee away to a dark dun- 
 geon, and thou wilt be a captive for the rest of thy life.' 
 Of course the King thought he could easily promise this, 
 and I urged him to do so, and the wizard brought the bright 
 
1 06 "The Fairy and the Waterfall. 
 
 sword, at which I never even gazed, and I kept away 
 whenever my father wore it, and many years passed and 
 the sword did as much good in this land as if it had been 
 a good knight. 
 
 " Alas ! alas ! these happy years were followed by such 
 bitter hours that I can scarcely bear to mention them. 
 One day I stood on my balcony, where a sweet fountain 
 plays with the plumes of a thousand birds. The King had 
 just left me, when I noticed he had forgotten his sword, 
 just by my side. With a cry I rose and drew my chest 
 away from the glistening scabbard. I could not call on 
 some one to take the sword away, as I was bound by the 
 solemn promise never to mention its name; so I thought to 
 retire, when a voice so pitiful and low I first took it for 
 the beating of a broken heart, said: c Pity, beautiful maid! 
 pity for the fate of a valiant knight who is a prisoner in the 
 shape of the marvellous sword. O save me! Would'st 
 thou but touch the sword or let thy dress touch it, I would 
 be saved from torture and resume my human form again.' 
 I answered terror-stricken : ' O wretched, valiant knight, 
 ask me to give thee my jewels all and my life, and 
 even more precious than my life, a kiss on the lips 
 of an unknown, or even on the lips of a wild monster, 
 and I will do all to help and save. But my father 
 would be the wizard's prisoner if I touched the mar- 
 vellous sword.' f. Then, beautiful maid, breathe on the 
 gold and the steel; surely thy breath may come near, 
 if not thy hands and thy dress. Surely a sigh from thee 
 
The Fairy and the Waterfall. 107 
 
 could not injure thy father, the King.' And I just came a 
 little nearer and gave a long sigh and stretched my arms 
 out in pity towards the unknown, who was the prisoner 
 of the wizard. Then the sword was shattered to pieces, 
 and for a second or two I saw a handsome young knight 
 wave his hand and smile. Afterwards a deadly silence 
 ensued; then my ladies and maidens all rushed to the 
 balcony. They wrung their hands in despair. c The King, 
 our King, thy father and our lord is carried away in fetters 
 by a legion of black demons.' Since that day his fate is 
 one of darkness and terror. I have this night called the 
 wizard to the palace. Thou knowest all, sweet fairy. 
 Now try to save us, save my father. I am the guilty one, 
 so thou may'st play havoc with me." " Such is not my in- 
 tention, Princess," said the fairy. " We will both repair to 
 the place where thy father's dungeon stands." The fairy 
 mounted on her magic steed and took the Princess by her 
 side ; then as they rode through dale and forest the fairy 
 noticed that when the Princess lost a thread of her long 
 trailing hair, the thread immediately became a rivulet or 
 a long garland of dew upon the branches. The fairy said 
 naught, but thought: cc I now understand why the wizard 
 desired to possess her hair." They at last reached the place 
 where the old King spent his time in dire captivity. The 
 fairy sang thrice in her silver horn, and the wizard came 
 up hastily and saluted her with courteous humility, for she 
 was a powerful fairy. 
 
 "What shall I give thee, sweet fairy? Gold, diamonds, 
 
108 The Fairy and the Waterfall. 
 
 rich coins from my cellar, or from my stables swift steeds? " 
 " Give me a spare room and a couch, gracious wizard. I am 
 tired to death, and would sleep undisturbed. And, above 
 all, give me a glass of cool water, for I am thirsty like my 
 meadows in June." Now all the wells and the rivers around 
 the wizard's palace were dry, but this he cared not to own, 
 and he was in sore perplexity; and the fairy repeatedly 
 said: "What, not a little cold water in this place? " He 
 went to the dark dungeon where the old King dwelt, and 
 said: " Great King, I am going to marry thy daughter and 
 take her away to a distant land. Thou wilt never see her 
 more." At this the wretched King wept and his tears fell 
 thick in the darkness, and in the darkness the wizard filled 
 a glass with the old King's tears. He took the glass to the 
 fairy, who drank not a drop and said: " 'Tis salt water, 
 wizard; I cannot drink, but I will take it to my bower 
 and cool my face with the strange liquor," and she bore her 
 glass away, for she knew she held the old King's own tears, 
 and she said: " We shall see what a splendid thing we can 
 make with a mortal's tears." And she blew three times on 
 the glass, and a beautiful maid sprang out of the old King's 
 tears. She was so beautiful that the fairy herself wondered 
 and said in her heart: "'Tis well that my mountain hero 
 gazeth not on this marvellous girl." And she said to the 
 girl: "I command thee to win the wizard's heart and to 
 love him." 
 
 The wizard came next morning and inquired how the 
 fairy had spent the night. "Most sweetly, courteous wizard, 
 
The Fairy and the Waterfall 109 
 
 and my sister Marina, who plays the lute well, sang songs 
 of love over my sleep. O, thou hast not seen Marina ; 
 she came over to me this night. Like all fairies she came 
 in unseen. Marina! here is a young lord who desires to 
 gaze on thy face." Marina drew back the purple curtains 
 that hid her from view, and she did not perceive how 
 monstrous and bad looked the wizard, but loved him on 
 the spot, while the wizard stood transfixed and bewildered 
 and screamed and wept in his joy: "O let this beautiful 
 maid be mine for ever. Marina, be my wife. " But Marina 
 answered: "I am my sister's slave; my fate belongs to 
 my sister." 
 
 The fairy gently shook her head and said : " Wizard, 
 I'm very sorry, wizard, I must say no. A dreadful death 
 awaits Marina if she marries a man who does not bring 
 to the wedding a free King and a free King's daughter 
 with her bridegroom." " I will roam, I will search," 
 said the wizard in despair. "Give me time, sweet fairy; 
 deny not Marina to me." " O wizard, I'm very sorry; O 
 wizard, I must say no. Marina must be wedded the very 
 same hour she sees the man she has to wed." Then the 
 wizard tore his hair and his garments, then the wizard 
 knocked his head with his golden rings. All at once he 
 exclaimed : " Wait, sweet fairy," and ran to the dungeon 
 and brought the old King. Then he said: "O King, where 's 
 thy daughter? I will send for thy daughter fair." But the 
 Princess, who was beneath the window, had heard her 
 father's voice, and she came in. Then the wizard said: "A 
 
1 1 o The Fairy and the Waterfall. 
 
 bridegroom is wanted," and he brought in a handsome 
 young knight. The Princess blushed, for she recognized 
 the knight who dwelt in the marvellous sword. And the 
 two pairs were wedded in presence of the fairy. And as 
 the radiant Princess fell at the fairy's feet and said: " How 
 can I show my gratitude unto thee?" The fairy said: 
 "Give me thy hair; it will soon grow again." And the 
 Princess cut her long hair. The- fairy returned to the 
 mountains and threw the Princess's long hair on the brim 
 of a rock, and a noisy waterfall rushed forth like a silver 
 plume, and the hero of the mountain kissed his little bride's 
 lips and said: " Thou art indeed a fairy." " No, a woman," 
 murmured she, for she thought of the happy Princess and 
 the old King — and the good actions she had done. 
 
Dragomira. 1 1 1 
 
 DRAGOMIRA. 
 
 Dragomira was the sweetest and fairest girl in the 
 village; she loved God, the sunlight, and the birds; she 
 tended all the living and frail creatures that came across 
 her, and her heart was as clear and bright as the crystal 
 beads of her necklace and the new-born flowers she wore 
 every morning in her hair. Yet Dragomira died one 
 evening when there was neither sun nor moon to mourn 
 over her in the sky, when all the little birds were asleep. 
 When the sun returned next morning and asked: " Where 
 is Dragomira?" the wretched mother answered: "In her 
 fresh young tomb!" And the maidens threw lilies and sun- 
 flowers on her fresh young tomb and said: " Alas ! Drago- 
 mira, where art thou? why hast thou gone from us? what 
 harm have we done thee that thou should'st thus be silent 
 when we weep, nor care for our smiles and our flowers ? " 
 Dragomira had been dead ten days, and she slept as 
 soundly in her fresh young tomb as in her gentle bed near 
 the hearth. She dreamt of maidens with lilies and sun- 
 flowers in their hands, and with tears down their rosy 
 cheeks, and she wondered in the eternal sleep and said : 
 " I wonder why they weep when they are so happy, with 
 lilies and sunflowers in their hands." But at the end of 
 
1 1 2 Dragomira. 
 
 these ten days Dragomira awoke to hear a little bird 
 twitter beside her head. She asked: " Little bird, is it time 
 to awake?" The little bird answered: "Dragomira, thou art 
 dead ; thou wilt awake no more to see the brightness of 
 the sun on the water and on the leaves." "But the sun is 
 not dead also," said the girl, " and others are happy and see 
 it." "Yes," answered the bird. Then said Dragomira: " I 
 will not weep because I hear I am dead." "Is there nothing 
 upon the bright earth thou would'st have the desire to 
 gaze upon again?" "Yes," said Dragomira, "yes, but 
 once again, sweet bird, I would like to see my mother with 
 her spindle on the threshold, when the fire rises high in the 
 garden beneath the trees where we sat down to our meals. 
 I would like to see my sisters of the village dance in the 
 fierce midday sun, and to hear the flute of the shepherd 
 who urges them to dance fast and well. I would like to 
 see my dear love by the well, where I met him first and 
 last, and speak of my love to him, for when I dwelt on 
 the earth I was a timid maiden and ashamed to speak of 
 my love." Then said the twittering bird: "Take these 
 basil leaves, Dragomira, and put them in thy hair." " My 
 hands are cold, my fingers are numb, dear bird; what shall 
 I do? " The bird stooped and let the sweet-scented leaves 
 fall in the dead girl's hair, and when the dead girl felt the 
 weight of the sweet-scented leaves she rose and pushed 
 the coffin from her limbs, she rose and pushed the earth 
 away, she rose and pushed the stones away, and walked as 
 in a dream. She said: "I'm as light as the white-footed 
 
Dragomira. 113 
 
 river and as the chains that fall from the moon ; I'm as 
 light as my own breath when I breathed the air on hill 
 and in forest; I'm as light as the smoke on our cottage 
 roof in the winter." And before she could say twenty 
 words in her thoughts she had reached her mother's door. 
 The dear mother, as straight as a poplar gray, stood on the 
 threshold with spindle in her hand, her long veil on her 
 hair, and despair in her eyes. And the mother spoke to 
 the spindle, while in the garden beneath the trees the 
 fire rose, and the evening meal was there to be kept 
 warm. 
 
 And the mother said : " Where is Dragomira ? My six 
 daughters are naught to me since the seventh lies dead in 
 her fresh young tomb. She has gone without tasting the 
 bliss of life nor its pain. What flowers can I take to her 
 tomb that will not be bruised by my tears ? What words 
 can I speak to the living when the dead will not re-appear ? 
 If her sweet shadow now stood on my threshold I would 
 say, c Sweet shadow, take me afar with thee.' " And Dra- 
 gomira thought : " I must hide myself lest mother tries 
 to follow, and if she sees my tomb open, she will go 
 down in the earth and discover how dull and cold is my 
 young tomb. No, mother must not die, because then if 
 death lies heavy on her, she would break her heart to 
 know I too am dead. Now here, when the sun shines, 
 she may imagine I see the sun, and when she speaks to me 
 that I hear." And Dragomira gently kissed her mother's 
 spindle, and kissed the moss on the threshold, and kissed 
 
 1 
 
1 1 4 Dragomira. 
 
 the smoke as it rose from the fire, and glided into the 
 night away. 
 
 When Dragomira's father came home to his cottage 
 and sat to his evening meal, he saw the spindle and the 
 moss on the threshold, and the smoke over the fire, shine 
 like water under the moon, and he said: " Wife, the spirit 
 of the dead hath been here and kissed the moss, the spindle, 
 and the smoke." And the mother answered : " Surely 
 Dragomira hath come unto me while my spindle ran, and 
 while I spoke to my child who is in her fresh young grave." 
 Then they prayed and made three times the sign of the 
 cross, and sat down to their evening meal under the trees. 
 
 The villagers danced gaily in the clear moonlight, and 
 sweet was the sound of the shepherd's flute as it urged 
 them to dance and rejoice, and many were the hearts that 
 bounded under the embroidered belts. All at once a 
 maiden said : " I feel a cold hand on my hand, I feel a cold 
 breath on my hair. Has the moon come to dance with me 
 or the gentle spirit of a dead maiden ? for I have heard the 
 gentle spirits of dead maidens sometimes come among us 
 and love the sound of the shepherd's sweet flute." The 
 maiden who spoke thus was called Anca, and though Dra- 
 gomira could not answer she eagerly drank in the words, 
 and her invisible shadow turned and leapt in the wild 
 dance full of mingled buoyancy and languor. And she 
 listened to the glad voices, and when the dance was 
 finished they gathered under the trees to talk and drink, 
 and to see the moon between the leaves. The talk fell on 
 
Dragomira. 1 1 5 
 
 a wedding which was to take place in three weeks. Anca 
 said : " My wedding-dress is ready. But as I marry a man 
 who loved the maid that now lies in her grave, I will 
 leave my belt open, so that the dead maid may gaze into 
 my heart and thus read how I pity her, though I take her 
 beloved." Dragomira's sweet shadow now trembled. She 
 longed and feared to know the bridegroom's name. Then 
 Anca said : " He is handsome and brave, and when he 
 sings all the villages on the hills ask : ' Who is it that sings 
 so well in that distant village in the plain ? ' " And then 
 Dragomira knew her beloved was to wed the fair maiden 
 whose hand she had touched. 
 
 And she bitterly felt how hard it was that the dead 
 cannot weep, and all the softness of the moon went out of 
 her soul, and she returned to her grave. 
 
 The next day the young man Dragomira loved was by 
 the side of the well. He had just drawn a pail of water, 
 and he said to the water, " Why tremblest thou, or has 
 the gentle shadow of a dead maiden touched thee ? " The 
 water answered: "Yes, her gentle shadow's here; thou 
 canst speak, she will hear, but what she says will not 
 reach thine ears." Then the young man said : " O Dra- 
 gomira, I have not forgotten thee, and I would fain re- 
 main without a wife to the end of my days. But thou 
 know'st well we are poor. My mother is old and weary. 
 The spindle falls from her hand, and she falls when she 
 wishes to cross the threshold. Anca I do not love, but the 
 girl knows how to spin and to tend house and field. Had 
 
1 1 6 Dragomira, 
 
 I but ten golden ducats I would not wed." Dragomira 
 kissed her beloved's brow and his lips, and went back to her 
 grave. Alas ! she could not sleep in her grave. She thought 
 of him and of those ten ducats, and of how sweet it might 
 have been to feel sure he would never wed. O, were she 
 only a living maid, how she would gain those ten ducats 
 for him ! " But here, in my grave," said she, " what can I 
 do? My hands are numb, my fingers lazy. Alas! what 
 can I do?" She thought and thought till she rose again, 
 and groping through the darkness she reached another 
 grave. There a rich woman lay with ten golden ducats 
 round her neck, and she had left three children to her 
 husband. And Dragomira asked the rich woman: " Is the 
 money aught to thee?" "Yes," answered she, "even in 
 my grave is the gold dear to my fingers, but I have left 
 three children and my husband, and O ! could I know 
 whether they remember me." Dragomira said : " I have 
 the power to return upon earth, I will go and look at thy 
 children and hear thy husband talk, but I want the ten 
 ducats from thy neck," and the woman promised. Dra- 
 gomira went to her house and brought messages of love to 
 the poor mother, and she got the ten golden pieces. Then 
 she again sought her beloved \ he was asleep when she 
 found him, and put the ducats in his dear hand, and said : 
 " Now thou wilt not take another girl to thy heart." He 
 awoke to find the treasure, and ran and told Anca, and 
 said : " We will be wealthy, my love, and buy a pair of 
 oxen and a cart." And on the wedding day Anca wore the 
 
Dragomira. 1 1 7 
 
 ducats round her neck, but Dragomira had sunk again to 
 everlasting sleep, and she knew not the treachery of her 
 beloved. But the dead woman's husband recognized the 
 coins, and he said: " The young man has stolen the coins 
 out of my wife's grave"; and the woman was unburied 
 and the coins were found missing; so the young man was 
 taken to prison, and when he was released Anca had gone 
 mad with grief and shame. Then he went to Dragomira's 
 grave, and said : " Dragomira, I knew the coins came from 
 thee, and I deceived thee; pardon me, Dragomira." But 
 Dragomira could not hear as she slept her everlasting 
 sleep. 
 
 This tale was told by two maids as they mowed the grass 
 in the garden, and they had known Anca and Dragomira, 
 and they wept as they spoke. 
 
1 1 8 The Toung Prince. 
 
 THE YOUNG PRINCE WHO, BORN OF A 
 
 ROSE-TREE, BECAME A ROSE-TREE 
 
 HIMSELF. 
 
 " Give me some wool, or give me flax, dear spinner, 
 
 For my distaff is bare. 
 T 11 give thee, too, a sweet rose for thy hair" 
 "Hark, sister! the sweet rose whispers 
 
 And tells a tale. 
 
 ""Tls the tale of the Prince 
 
 Who, born of a rose-tree, became a rose-tree himself 
 
 Then listen while I fill thy distaff. 
 Listen to the strange tale." 
 
 There was a rose-bush in a forest, or rather a rose-tree, 
 For it was high and straight like any tree, 
 And threw a high shadow on the grass. 
 And the forest admired the rose-tree; the Spring admired 
 it also, 
 
 And Spring and Autumn adorned it with fresh 
 flowers. 
 And the birds all said: "What a high rose-tree!" 
 And the nightingale sang her best songs 
 In honour of its flowers. 
 
The Toung Prince. 1 1 9 
 
 The stream sang better as it flew 
 
 In the neighbourhood of the high rose-tree. 
 And the rose-tree was happy. 
 But one day the forest filled with human laughter and 
 mirth ; 
 A gay band of warriors passed by, 
 And one of the gayest among them was a young 
 Prince. 
 He stopped, and looked around and said: " This 
 forest 
 Is dark and wild." 
 " What ! am I really dark and wild?" murmured the forest ; 
 And for the first time since that forest was born, 
 The forest's heart grew sad. 
 And the Prince said: "The birds sing too wildly." 
 "Do we sing wildly? " thought the birds, 
 
 And for the first time since they were birds, 
 The birds felt sad. 
 " There 's nothing here for us, my warriors, 
 Nothing that's bright and fair; " 
 And the Prince turned away. 
 But just as he spurred his tall horse, 
 He noticed the fair rose-tree. 
 The rose-tree bore beautiful roses. 
 "O look at the flowers, my warriors! pluck them all, 
 they are lovely and red, 
 And this is the most beautiful rose-tree I have 
 ever seen upon earth. 
 
1 20 The Young Prince. 
 
 Sure a fairy has planted it here, a fairy must live 
 
 at its roots, 
 And a fairy watch every flower till it grows so 
 
 like a young queen. " 
 The Prince rode away with the roses, 
 But his words remained with the rose-tree, 
 Who never could feel calm or happy 
 Since the words of the handsome Prince. 
 In vain the forest murmured: " He is gone, and never will 
 come again." 
 
 The rose-tree dreamt of huge palaces 
 And gardens where princes roamed. 
 And days passed by, and one morning 
 
 The rose-tree heard the wind, who said: 
 u Sweet rose-tree, 
 
 Thou wilt bear but one other flower, 
 
 And then no flower evermore. 
 
 And from that flower will be born a handsome 
 
 Prince, thy son." 
 The rose-tree was silent and trembled and said: 
 " Is it possible, O wind ? " 
 "Wait and see, and the flower will be white, 
 Whereas all thy flowers were red." 
 The rose-tree went to sleep, and in the night awoke to 
 find a white flower 
 
 That had grown right up at its top. 
 And when the sunlight came, lo! a handsome young Prince 
 Sprang out in full armour from the heart of the rose, 
 
The Toung Prince. 121 
 
 And cried: "Here I am; I'm a Prince." 
 And the rose-tree instantly loved him, 
 
 More than she had loved sun and dew. 
 Nay, even more than it loved the sod from which it sprang. 
 " Holloa! " said the Prince, " I want equerries, pages; 
 
 And since the forest has none, 
 Why, I must go and conquer a kingdom, 
 
 Nor rest till I get them all." 
 " Stay, sweet boy," said the trembling rose-tree, 
 
 " I love thee, bright child of my heart." 
 " I'll come back, mother dear, when my crown 's on my 
 head, 
 And I'll bring a proud bride to admire thee. 
 Now I must go; farewell!" 
 In vain the tearful rose-tree sued and wept, 
 The handsome Prince was gone. 
 His name was Trandaflr, 
 Which means, born of a rose-tree. 
 And all the roses on the earth were his sweet sisters. 
 Trandafir walked through the forest till he met a fierce 
 heiduck. 
 
 "Art thou Prince Trandafir?" inquired the heiduck. 
 " Yes, I am the son of a rose-tree, 
 I am Prince Trandafir." 
 " Then take this horse and follow me, 
 
 And fight with me in all my fights." 
 " I'm a Prince, fierce heiduck, and cannot follow, 
 When followers I must have. 
 
122 The Toung Prince, 
 
 But if thou canst serve and obey, 
 
 Then willingly will I be 
 
 A gracious Prince to thee." 
 " Trandafir, gentle boy, taste my sword, taste thy blood, 
 
 As it will fall from thy brow to thy lips." 
 
 And the fierce heiduck sprang upon him, 
 
 And they closed in sharp fight. 
 
 Trandafir was the swiftest, 
 
 But the black heiduck was the fiercest. 
 
 Twice they fell to the ground, and twice they 
 rose again, 
 
 And the heiduck roared till the oaks and the elms 
 
 Were uprooted from fear. 
 And Trandafir laughed till the rivers 
 
 Returned to the mountains to learn 
 
 Whence came that savage laugh. 
 But the heiduck was strong and fierce, 
 And Trandafir felt faint, 
 
 When a rose fell right into his hand. 
 
 And he took the rose and threw it 
 
 At the fierce heiduck, 
 
 And lo ! the gentle rose's stem 
 
 Fell on the heiduck's neck 
 
 And cut his black head ofF. 
 So Trandafir pursued in peace his journey, 
 
 Till he reached a high palace 
 
 Beside a smiling lake. 
 And in this palace lived a powerful king, 
 
The Toung Prince. 123 
 
 Who had a lovely daughter. 
 The maid stood on the palace tower. 
 
 Trandafir saw her there, 
 
 And said : " She'll be my bride." 
 
 The maid wept on the palace tower, 
 
 Because her fate was sad. 
 She had one day wounded a haughty lily 
 
 Who was a fairy, and said: "Beware! 
 Whatever happiness thou canst get in thy life 
 
 Thou wilt lose soon, 
 
 And thou wilt be killed by a flower, 
 Beware, beware ! " 
 And Trandafir reined in his horse beneath the tower and 
 
 spoke to the maid : 
 " Beautiful maid, I am Prince Trandafir." 
 
 " O why, O why," sighed the young girl, 
 
 " Dost thou wear such a dreadful name? 
 
 A flower must kill me, or perchance 
 A man who wears the sweet name of a flower." 
 " IVe killed the fierce heiduck there in the forest, 
 
 I'm strong and brave, 
 
 And I'll defend thee against thy fate." 
 
 " The King my father is so stern. 
 The King my father wishes me 
 
 To marry a young Prince 
 Who changeth into rubies and diamonds 
 
 Everything that he touches." 
 Said Trandafir : " Beautiful maid, 
 
124 The Young Prince. 
 
 I'll ride and seek a fairy 
 
 Who'll help us in this plight." 
 " Dear Trandafir, take my veil and my bracelet 
 
 In token of my love. 
 A flower I dare not give, a flower I dare not touch, 
 
 A flower will kill me." 
 Young Trandafir went back to the rose-tree 
 And said to the rose-tree: "Mother dear, 
 
 I'm in love with the daughter of a stern king, 
 And I will never be her bridegroom 
 
 Till I learn how to change 
 
 Into rubies and diamonds 
 
 Everything that I touch. 
 Now, canst thou find among thy friends 
 
 A fairy or wizard 
 Who could come to my rescue 
 
 And give me the means of conquering my joy ! " 
 
 The rose-tree pondered, and asked the moon: 
 
 " Dost thou change into rubies and diamonds 
 
 All that thou touchest ? " 
 " No," said the moon, u my wand 's made of silver." 
 And the rose-tree consulted every bird, 
 
 And none of them could find the wizard or the fairy 
 
 That the rose-tree meant; 
 
 But the lark cried : " Why, ask the dew ? " 
 " The dew, yes, the dew," said the rose-tree ; 
 And when the dew came before dawn, 
 
 She said : " Sister dew. 
 
The Toung Prince. 125 
 
 My son, Prince Trandafir, requires thee ; 
 
 Say, wilt thou help?" 
 " Willingly," said the dew; " Prince Trandafir, 
 Go back to the King's palace, 
 And I will be with thee. 
 Unnoticed, I will help." 
 Prince Trandafir went back and told the maiden : 
 " Call the stern King and let him hear. 
 I can change into ruby and diamond 
 All that I touch." 
 And gently he touched the maiden's hair, 
 
 And lo! rubies and diamonds shone in her tresses fair, 
 
 And they were made of dew. 
 And Trandafir married fair Mariora ; 
 They were a happy pair. At morning 
 Prince Trandafir went in the forest 
 
 With thirty warriors brave, and he came back at noon. 
 And there was scarce a day when he had not killed 
 A dragon, a witch, or a wicked king. 
 His fame spread far and wide, 
 And Mariora thought no more of the dark prophecy, 
 
 Nor ever touched a flower. 
 One evening as Trandafir wandered by himself 
 
 In his palace garden, 
 He heard the gentle dew whisper to him, " Go in the 
 forest, Prince, 
 The rose-bush is fading, the rose-bush is dying, 
 Because of thee. 
 
126 The Toung Prince. 
 
 The rose-bush longs to see thee before it dies." 
 
 Trandaflr proudly answered : " The rose-bush may fade 
 and die. 
 What know I of rose-bushes 
 In this palace fair?" 
 And the gentle dew hastened to the rose-bush and said: 
 " Thy son is wicked e'en as the north wind, dear." 
 And when the rose-bush heard the message its green 
 leaves fell, and before sunset 
 It was dead. 
 One single rose remained alive at the top of the withered 
 tree; 
 She was a purple rose, 
 She was a vengeful rose, 
 And said: I'll revenge the rose-tree." 
 And she said to the dew : " Canst thou make me 
 
 A lady tall and fair?" 
 " There is a lady fair at the gate of the palace," 
 
 Said a warrior to Trandaflr. 
 a She says she comes from a land where young Princes 
 Meet fair ladies at the gate and bow low to them and 
 
 kiss their slim white hand." 
 Prince Trandaflr sprang out to meet her : 
 "Fair dame, what is thy name?" 
 " Prince, I'm called Trandaflra, 
 Prince Trandaflr, like you." 
 
 'Tis a pity I'm married to a good and handsome wife." 
 " Never mind your wife, Prince; we will sit here and watch 
 
The Toung Prince. 127 
 
 The moon walk on the trees." 
 " Yes, lovely lady, but at midnight, alas ! 
 
 I must go and meet my Princess, 
 
 For ladies and warriors dance in our garden 
 Under the travelling moon." 
 " Never mind dance and garden, never mind warriors and 
 dames, 
 
 The moon walks on the leaves, and walks so lightly 
 
 That not one leaf is stirred. 
 The stars are dead because the moon has killed them, 
 
 And yet she smiles, the murderous moon. 
 You see I know all the white moon's dark secrets, 
 
 It 's she herself that kills the sun, 
 And on the sky her knife is bloody, but the sun rises from 
 his tomb, 
 
 And every night 
 
 She has to kill again. 
 Say, do you love my tale." 
 " I love thy tale, fair lady, and thy lips that say it 
 
 Much better than thy tale. 
 But hark! 'tis the summons of morning, 
 
 And in her turn the moon must hasten to her grave. 
 
 In my high halls thirty warriors are waiting, 
 
 Who long to ride away." 
 " O never mind your warriors, and if they were a thousand 
 
 Still would I say : c Handsome Prince, never mind.'" 
 
 " Give me a kiss, fair lady." 
 
 " Give me thy wedding ring." 
 
128 The Toung Prince. 
 
 And she took the ring from his finger and disappeared. 
 Trandafir rode away with his warriors 
 Quite dazed and sick at heart. 
 While he rode in the forest Mariora heard a knock at her 
 bower door. 
 "Push the door; lift the heavy curtain. 
 'Tis one of my ladies, I suppose. 
 O who are you, beautiful stranger ? 
 
 Sit down, and tell me thy name." 
 " I'm Trandaflra, Prince Trandafir's own wife." 
 Mariora got as pale as death, 
 Mariora gasped for breath. 
 " Trandafir is my husband, lady. 
 
 This is madness, foul game, or ... a sin." 
 "Trandafir's Trandafira's own spouse; 
 
 Our wedding took place in the forest." 
 "Show a pledge." " Here's his ring." 
 Mariora gasped for breath, 
 Mariora called aloud on death ; 
 She saw the wedding ring, and knew it, 
 
 Yet she could not believe the lady's tale. 
 " Come," said she, " the ring may be stolen ; 
 Some other Prince or a King 
 May have given this ring to thee. 
 We will wait till the Prince returns." 
 Mariora hid Trandafira 
 Behind the curtains in her bower, 
 And Trandafir rode home; 
 
The Toung Prince. 129 
 
 He had killed a dragon, two witches, 
 And felt merry and laughed and sang, 
 And ran towards her, and sought to kiss her on her lips. 
 But Mariora smiled and said: "Dear Trandaflr, 
 I will tell thee a tale; 
 It is about the moon. 
 The moon had killed the sun." .... 
 " But why art thou so pale, dear husband? 
 
 Why so trembling? " 
 " O, never mind ; I'm pale because 
 
 The moon has killed the sun." 
 " But the sun rises every morning from his red tomb. 
 Now to-day I have heard a strange thing, my fair husband. 
 The moon still loves the sun, 
 And they are wedded; 
 They have a marriage ring. 
 It is made of the gold of the sun 
 And the silver of the moon, 
 Exactly like our own ; but let me see 
 Thy wedding ring, for thy finger 
 Makes every ring look fair." 
 Trandaflr answered : " I have given 
 The ring to my cup-bearer old, 
 For there was some spot on the gold." 
 " No, no, no, no, the cup-bearer is not the human creature 
 To whom thou hast given my ring. 
 Her name is Trandaflra, 
 And she is hiding here. 
 
 K 
 
130 The Toung Prince. 
 
 Thou lovest Trandafira. 
 Thy poor wife now must die." 
 " Dear wife, sweet wife, fair Mariora, 
 Forgive ! " 
 But Mariora had taken a long knife, 
 And put an end to her fair life; 
 And at that moment Trandafira came up to him and said: 
 " I am a purple rose, 
 I'll revenge the rose-tree, Prince, 
 The rose-tree from which thou art born, 
 And to which thou hast shown no love; 
 And all the roses on the earth 
 
 Will be thy enemies for evermore." 
 Trandafir wept and rode away, 
 
 He found no peace by day, he found no peace by 
 
 night, 
 Till he entered the doors of a convent, 
 And asked to live there as a monk. 
 "What will be my work here, my brothers?" 
 
 "We live with the roses and pray." 
 TrandafiVs little garden was full of roses, 
 
 He could not look at them. 
 "O why does that man fear his roses? 
 He must be sore beset by his sins." 
 Trandafir could not pray. 
 Whenever he lifted his soul and his voice 
 The smell of the garden roses 
 Entered the darksome church. 
 
The Toung Prince. I 3 1 
 
 And because of the garden roses 
 Trandafir could not pray. 
 " That man cannot pray, O my brothers ! 
 
 His sins must be terrible indeed." 
 And one day came the convent was burnt down, 
 And all the monks wept, all 
 Except Trandafir. 
 Because of the smell of the roses, 
 Because of the garden roses, 
 Trandafir could not weep. 
 So the monks said to him: "Brother dear, 
 We are in fear of thee ; 
 Go and live in the forest, brother, 
 Where perhaps thou wilt learn 
 How sweet 'tis to weep and pray." 
 And Trandafir went in the forest deep, 
 The forest where he was born, 
 And he said to the trees: "I'm the son 
 
 Of the fine rose-tree." 
 But the trees said : u The rose-tree 's dead ; 
 Other rose-trees have come 
 By the banks of the stream." 
 And he said to the birds: "O birds, do you remember 
 
 How high the rose-tree was? " 
 And the birds answered: "No." 
 But he heard the nightingale say : " O how sad 
 
 Is the death of a rose-tree, and how strange 
 That a rose-tree should die; 
 
132 The Toung Prince. 
 
 I knew a rose-tree once 
 Who, instead of bearing a flower, 
 Gave birth to a young Prince. 
 The rose-tree 's dead, 
 And I alone am come to sing its dirge." 
 " O gentle nightingale, I am that rose-tree's son. 
 Fain would I be myself a rose-tree, 
 I'm so weary of life, O gentle nightingale." 
 And the nightingale said : 
 " Listen : I'll sing 
 
 Till thou becomest a rose-tree, Prince. 
 Listen, I'll sing." 
 And the gentle nightingale sang all the night, 
 And at dawn 
 
 At the place where Trandafir stood 
 There was a tall rose-tree. 
 
 " TeSy this is the tale of the Prince 
 JVho, born of a rose-tree 
 Became a rose-tree himself. 
 Say, dost thou like the tale?" 
 " Yes, take the flax and the wool, 
 Take my spindle, 
 I like thy tale? 
 
The Knife and the Wind. 1 3 3 
 
 THE KNIFE AND THE WIND; 
 
 OR, 
 THE GIRL WHO WAS THRICE BETROTHED. 
 
 The water that thou givest me to drink is cool and sweet. 
 The water in the well lives so far from the sun, 
 So the water imagines that the sun and the moon 
 Dwell but for an hour in the sky. 
 Shall I tell thee a tale, just to thank thee for the cool sweet 
 water, 
 
 Shall I tell thee a tale? 
 And the water in the well will hear my voice, 
 Because alike unto the sun and the swift moon, 
 As they rest on the water, 
 I will rest hut one hour here; 
 But if I tell thee the strange tale, 
 
 Thou wilt remember the traveller unknown, 
 And the form of his shadow at thy feet; 
 And I will tell thee the strange tale without leaving my 
 saddle, 
 Because my horse is swift. 
 And if I leave him he may run away, 
 
 And I never catch him again! 
 
134 The Knife and the Wind. 
 
 There happened once what ne'er before had happened, 
 
 And can nevermore happen again. 
 A young girl lived in a village hard by the mountains, 
 
 And when she passed near, the mountain-flowers 
 all whispered : 
 " O sister, stay with us," 
 And at night the stars said: "Dear sister, 
 
 Come and dance with us in the sky." 
 The sun said to her: " Lovely sister, do give me thy hair 
 that I may 
 
 Twine its gold between my own tresses, 
 And at noon the plain will not know when 
 I shed my hair on the forest 
 
 Which is thy own hair or my hair." 
 And the river said : " O swift-footed, 
 
 Cross my waters with thy swift young feet, 
 And my pebbles, my sand, and my flowers 
 Will never guess, dear swift-footed, 
 Which of the two have been fleetest 
 Of my waters, dear, or thy own swift feet." 
 
 But the young girl would not listen, 
 
 Nor dance with the stars, nor give 
 Her long hair to the sun, 
 Nor cross the bright river. 
 The young girl called aloud for love. 
 
 She said: "Come, love. — I want to love and be 
 beloved. 
 
The Knife and the Wind. 1 3 5 
 
 I want great love to come to me. 
 Love, be as young and cruel as the young 
 knife 
 That has never drunk one single drop of blood; 
 Love, be as mighty and soft as the wind ; 
 As warm, as full of dreams as the warm sod 
 
 That covers the dead and wraps them in long 
 sleep. 
 Love be alike unto the blessed young eyes of the sun, — 
 And the knife, and the wind, and the blessed eye of the 
 sun heard the young girl call them all, 
 For she had aloud and thrice called them. 
 A young knife that hung on the wall marked her words, 
 And when night came, when the gentle stars 
 
 were away 
 To dance and to brighten the wedding 
 Of a couple of distant young stars, 
 The young knife sprang down from the wall, 
 And he ran towards the house where a great wizard dwelt. 
 His roof was made of reeds, and these reeds 
 closed his hut. 
 The young knife cut the reeds, and the reeds 
 moaned and said: "Nevermore will 
 the wind 
 Cause us to sing or sigh." 
 The young knife entered. 
 " Say, who art thou ? " 
 " I am the young knife, wizard. 
 
1 36 The Knife and the Wind, 
 
 I have as yet ne'er drunk a drop of blood." 
 " O, then what canst thou say to me ? 
 
 " I love red tales where knifes relate their crimes." 
 " But thou, young knife, what canst thou say to 
 me, 
 Since thou hast never killed ? " 
 " A young girl dwells under the roof where I am a young 
 knife. 
 She thrice hath said : c The love that comes to me 
 Must be alike unto the knife whose blade has never tasted 
 blood.' 
 And I must accomplish her fate, 
 Because her own mouth has called it." 
 <c Thou art right! since it is her fate. 
 Then touch my shoulder, tear my white garment, tear 
 my skin, 
 And with thy blade just touch my blood." 
 The knife tore the white garment, and tore the wizard's 
 skin, and touched his blood, 
 And lo! he instantly became a fair young man, 
 With eyes gray as the moon at dawn, 
 With teeth as white as new stones on new tombs. 
 His black hair glittered under his black fur cap, 
 
 A leather mantle fell down to his feet, and the huge 
 belt around his waist 
 Was full of glistening knives. 
 "Take a knife from thy belt," said the great wizard, 
 " And admire thyself in its blade." 
 
The Knife and the Wind. 1 37 
 
 And the young man took a knife for his mirror, 
 And he found himself fair, and he smiled. 
 Then he vanished gaily in haste. 
 
 Stana stood by her cottage window; 
 
 Twice had her spindle knocked against her knee; 
 
 Twice had she said: " How madly spindle dances! 
 
 Is it a presage, spindle dear ? 
 Will some unknown, fair to behold, cross our threshold? 
 
 Say will love come to-day? 
 And will love be young like the knife that never has drunk 
 blood?" 
 That day Stana forgot 
 
 The wind, the sod, and the eye of the sun. 
 " Thou twirl'st too swiftly, spindle." 
 And the spindle sprang out and nestled among the 
 flowers. 
 " Young girl, leave thy spindle alone, 
 
 Let it rest. 
 Leave thy spindle among grass and flowers, 
 And thy spindle then will believe 
 That it is a young tree once more, 
 A young branch full of joy and soft. 
 Young girl, leave thy spindle, I say." 
 Stana looked up and saw the fair young man, 
 
 " O ! " said her heart, « O this, indeed, is love ! " 
 Aloud she said: " Come in, and drink cool water, 
 
138 The Knife and the Wind. 
 
 My mother, alas! is away. 
 
 She has taken the oxen to the well that is on 
 the other side of the plain. 
 My father tends the maize, for it has rained so 
 much, and the grass around the green 
 maize is so high. 
 And if I stay at home and spin, 'tis not because I'm lazy, 
 But the ripe corn is in since yestereve, 
 And I must watch it. 
 But I am strong, and can work too in the fields." 
 " Yes, I see thou art strong and diligent," said he, 
 " So I will take thee for my wife. 
 Thou wilt walk in the paths where I walk, and when I 
 pillow my head on a stone to sleep 
 Thou wilt put thy foot on the stone, 
 And then that stone will be beneath my head 
 lighter than new-mown grass." 
 "I love thee," said Stana; 
 " Thou art young and strong, and alike unto the roots of 
 a great tree, who, invisible, follow us under ground 
 long after we have left its shadow." 
 And when Stana's parents returned at eve, she said: 
 " I have found my fate. 
 
 This man will be my husband, and he shall call 
 me: Wife.'" 
 And the days glided by and the day of the wedding was 
 nigh. 
 One thing alone troubled the young girl's heart, 
 
The Knife and the Wind. 1 3 9 
 
 And lay heavy upon her soul. 
 Whatever her beloved touched with his hands 
 Was immediately rent in twain. 
 On her necklace the silver coins were broken, 
 
 Her red belt torn, and the stone of the threshold was 
 
 felled 
 As if a thunderbolt had fallen upon it. 
 u Touch not my smile," she said, " or thou wilt kill 
 
 it." 
 Yet Stana loved him, 
 Yet their lips had never met. 
 And the nightingale and the moon, and the pinks and the 
 
 lilies in the garden 
 They talked together and whispered, 
 " Their lips have never met." 
 On the day of their wedding, while the sun hastened 
 
 to leave them in the dark, 
 They remained alone, and the young man said to 
 
 Stana: "Kiss me!" 
 " Yes," answered she, " yes, yes, our lips must join 
 
 as our destinies are now joined for evermore." 
 And in the garden the moon, 
 
 The nightingale and the lilies said soft: 
 "Their lips now meet." 
 But when Stana felt on her lips the lips of her beloved 
 
 spouse 
 She also felt 
 That her heart broke in twain 
 
1 40 The Knife and the Wind, 
 
 Just like the stones of the threshold, 
 And she said aloud : " 'Tis a knife ! " — 
 And her arms were empty because the young body she 
 pressed against her bosom was gone, 
 And she saw a knife only that glittered at her feet. 
 ***** 
 Stana dreamt long of her lost love and could not bear the 
 sight of young men 
 Whose belts were full of glittering knives — 
 " Shalll allow Stana to die without love ? " thought the wind; 
 
 " She has called thrice upon me too." 
 And in his turn the wind entered the wizard's hut. 
 
 The broken reeds still lay upon the floor. 
 " Who art thou ? " " I'm the wind ! 
 
 Let me become if only for an hour 
 
 A fair young man most wondrous to behold." 
 " What, art thou not content with thy dear power, O 
 wind, 
 That bringest warmth and coolness to the earth ? " 
 a No, no ! I wish to be a fair young man 
 And taste sweet love." 
 " Then," said the wizard, "just soothe these broken reeds; 
 
 They are now pining for a breath of thee." 
 And the wind wandered among the reeds, 
 
 And soothed them and spoke of their pain, 
 Till he drew from their dead leaves a murmur 
 As soft as the rush of their native stream. 
 And while the wind whispered and rustled 
 
The Knife and the Wind. 1 4 1 
 
 He felt as hot as his own breath 
 In the hot summer days, 
 And then he knew he had become 
 A young man fair and strong. 
 His brow was fresh like the poplars in the morning 
 
 glow, 
 And a lute trembled in his hands; 
 Three peacock's feathers adorned his gray fur cap; 
 On his white tunic 
 A belt of gold and silver. 
 ***** 
 Stana was plucking the new-born basil flowers from her 
 garden, 
 The basil flowers for the young girls that went to 
 dance swift dances ; 
 But Stana danced no more. 
 " Give me a sprig of the new-born basil," a voice said. 
 Stana trembled. 
 It seemed the new-born basil himself had spoken, 
 For the voice was so like the murmur of the wind. 
 " Give me the new-born basil, sweet young girl, 
 And I will sing for thee. 
 I know but one short single song, 
 That will I sing. ,, 
 She saw that he was handsome like the poplar in the glow 
 of the morrow, 
 And she gave him the basil and he sang. 
 He sang of the sadness of the moon 
 
1 42 The Knife and the Wind. 
 
 When she looked down on the corn 
 And guessed that he would be cut before dawn. 
 He sang of souls that lay like cut corn never to rise 
 and hail the sun again ! 
 Veils, necklaces, and daggers passed lightly through his 
 
 song, 
 And the spirits of the dead and their shadows who come 
 at night 
 To kiss their beloved and to weep, 
 And the smell of every living flower enveloped the wind's 
 song. 
 And Stana listened standing in her garden 
 With both arms folded on her breast, 
 While beside the fence the wondrous stranger sang. 
 When the crescent began to twinkle he had vanished. 
 And Stana cried aloud: "Where is he? 
 O my wild love has gone, and I must follow j 
 O, I must hear that song once more." 
 Before leaving she said to her parents : 
 
 " Father and mother, forgive, I have to go." 
 And they said: "Daughter, where hast thou been these 
 ten years ? " 
 " I have been but for an hour in the garden 
 To hear a traveller sing." 
 " Daughter, it is ten years that we are weeping, 
 And have searched thee in every place." 
 " O father, an hour only." 
 " O daughter, ten long years." 
 
The Knife and the Wind, 143 
 
 She looked upon father and mother, 
 They had grown weak and old. 
 She had listened, and it had seemed an hour, 
 
 And he had sung ten years ! 
 And she went from village to village, 
 From plain to plain she went and asked : 
 " O have ye seen the traveller 
 Who sang ten years near my heart, 
 So that I deemed I had listened but an hour ? 
 He wore a belt of gold and silver, and his fore- 
 head was gay like the poplar in the morn- 
 ing glow." 
 " Oh, yes ! ten years ago a young man fair indeed, 
 and who sang marvellous songs 
 Hath passed this way, 
 
 But we have never heard from him since then. 
 Oh, yes ! sometimes his song wanders still by us. 
 Cannot you mark it now ? 
 But he remains invisible and gives naught but his 
 
 song." 
 
 The wizard slept deeply. 
 
 He heard a step beside his door : 
 "Who's there?" 
 " Open quick ! I am the deep dark sod, 
 The sod that will be a tomb to-morrow." 
 "What is thy wish?" 
 " I want to become a fair young man, if only for one 
 hour." 
 
1 44 The Knife and the Wind. 
 
 "Then promise, fearful earth, that thou wilt feed my 
 hair with soft earth when I am lain in thee, 
 And fill my ears, too, so that I mark no more 
 The song of birds, the sound of lovers' lips." 
 " This all I promise." 
 
 vfc W W $fc 7F 
 
 Stana was watching her pale face in the stream. 
 " I wonder," said she, " whether he saw my face 
 While he sang that short song." 
 When suddenly upon the water 
 She saw a young man's visage, 
 A bold fair face 
 Touch her lips and her brows. 
 And a voice said: " Come with me, 
 
 Pale young girl, come. 
 Follow and I will lift thee to the saddle. 
 My horse is swift, 
 
 He can travel over the whole earth in a second. 
 Palace and hut vanish before us 
 When my horse neighs. 
 So follow!" 
 " And if I do shall I find the young traveller 
 Who sang beside my heart, 
 Shall I find him and hear 
 His long-lost song." 
 
 The young man hesitated " Sometimes, in winter, 
 
 It will creep around thy knee ; 
 But come — my horse is swift." 
 
The Knife and the Wind. 145 
 
 But during that time the blessed eye of the sun 
 Had seen the wizard and become a marvellous 
 
 young warrior. 
 Three white feathers fluttered on his white fur cap, 
 And his spurs were sharp and his sword shone like 
 
 water; 
 He wore a belt of blue beads, and he ran hard to 
 
 rescue Stana. 
 The bold stranger had lifted her to his dark horse's 
 
 saddle. 
 The eye of the sun looked and laughed, 
 And cried: "Stop one second, thou bold one! 
 
 This maiden is mine, 
 And we will fight for her." 
 And the two fought under the trees by the stream 
 till the stream vanished, 
 Till the leaves of the trees fell from fear, 
 And the eye of the sun was the victor, 
 And said to Stana : " Come ! " 
 But pale Stana then answered : " Oh ! no. 
 
 Thou art too bright, too fair, and I am weary; 
 I love the other best, because his horse is swift, 
 
 and because huts and palaces must vanish 
 When his dark horse neighs ! " 
 
1 46 The Emperor and the Mouse, 
 
 THE EMPEROR AND THE MOUSE. 
 
 This happened which never had happened before, and will 
 never happen again. An Emperor and his Empress pined 
 because no children were born unto them. They had gone 
 on several pilgrimages, and wept at the shrines of saints, 
 till at last they gave up the fond hope, and when they 
 talked together theysighed and said: "Alas! who will throw 
 flowers upon our tombs when we are dead, and pray for 
 our poor souls? " One evening, as they sat on the balcony of 
 their palace, they saw a little mouse carrying a bit of straw. 
 The Empress was good and helpful, the straw was big and 
 the mouse very small, so with the tip of her slipper she 
 helped the mouse by lifting up the straw. At this the 
 mouse said: " Kind Empress, thy wish will be fulfilled ; a 
 son will be born to grace thy days, but he will be cruel 
 and haughty; he will throw his father in a dungeon and 
 his mother in a dry well." " Yet I will love him," said the 
 Empress, " for he will be the child of my desire. So I thank 
 thee for the good news, little mouse." But the Emperor 
 got very angry, and said: " How can I forgive the mouse 
 for telling me that the son of my pride and of my heart 
 will be cruel and bring such calamities upon us? " And the 
 Emperor caught the mouse in his hands and had her im- 
 
The TLmperor and the Mouse. 1 47 
 
 prisoned in a cage, and said: "This cage must ever hang 
 above the balcony where the mouse has had the impudence 
 to bring such tidings." Then he turned to the Empress 
 and said: " My dear, I don't believe the desire of our soul 
 will ever be fulfilled." The Emperor was therefore much 
 astonished when he had the joy of publishing over all his 
 wide realms the birth of a son, and for some time the dire 
 prophecy was forgotten. The young Prince was called 
 Zador, and for some time he grew in mind and beauty, 
 and no one could approach him without wondering at his 
 fine looks, his bold demeanour, his long golden locks, and 
 his tranquil gray eyes. At eighteen Prince Zador was the 
 handsomest young man in his father's wide realms ; the 
 Empress simply adored him, and the Prince never gave 
 any sign of wickedness or even ill-temper. He spoke very 
 little, and went about the glorious gardens and the magni- 
 ficent palaces without deigning to notice their splendours. 
 His soul appeared to be rivetted on one mysterious dream. 
 When he reached his twentieth birthday he stepped into 
 his father's room and said softly: "Great Emperor, I am 
 now a man, and cannot spend my life in revels and idle 
 dreams. Give me one of thy kingdoms; give me wild 
 horses and a host of wild warriors. I cannot stay in thy 
 court under the gentle gaze of courteous damsels, and to 
 see thy courtiers smile or yawn." This speech was delivered 
 in a low, even voice, but the young man's hand was on 
 his sword, and his eyes looked a thousand swords, and 
 though the Emperor found his wish very natural, and im- 
 
148 The ^Emperor and the Mouse. 
 
 mediately acquiesced, a creeping sense of cold gathered 
 round his heart as he saw his son's gray eyes glitter and 
 his nostrils distend. He said nothing of this to the Empress, 
 but simply told her he had given Zador his southern king- 
 dom, where palm-trees waved by crystal fountains and 
 where the nights were as clear as the broad light of day. 
 " Zador will love his southern kingdom," added the Em- 
 peror. " The evenings here are raw, and it is sad to see the 
 leaves fall in autumn, and to believe nature is dead till 
 spring returns." The Empress wept over her son's de- 
 parture, but when she saw how beautifully he rode his 
 fiery black horse at the head of his valiant army, her heart 
 danced with a fond mother's pride, and she waved her 
 silken handkerchief and cried from the golden balcony: 
 " Come back soon, my Zador, come back victorious and full 
 of glee." " Ay," said the Prince, and uncovered his glossy 
 locks and bowed to his imperial mother till his brow 
 seemed to touch his horse's black mane. " I will come back, 
 mother, and you will then live a day of wonder indeed." 
 The beautiful court damsels kept the dainty kerchiefs to 
 their eyes and threw their blue silken scarfs after him, and 
 soon the gallop of the fiery horses was lost in the distance, 
 and the Empress found the glorious gardens and the mag- 
 nificent palace were lonely and dark without Prince Zador, 
 and she assembled her maidens and told them: " Let us sit 
 down to our work and talk of the Prince and tell me all 
 he said and all you have heard about him." So the beautiful 
 maidens brought the big tapestry, on which the Empress 
 
The 'Emperor and the Mouse. 1 49 
 
 and her ladies traced with skilful needle and varied silks 
 the love-story of the red dragon and the fair Princess, and 
 while their nimble fingers chose the coloured silk in the 
 rich skeins they talked and the name of Prince Zador fell 
 from their charming lips, and the Empress sighed and 
 smiled by turns. 
 
 Good tidings came from Prince Zador at first; he rode 
 and fought the enemies of the land, and was always vic- 
 torious; but his subjects he ruled with iron rod, and the 
 Emperor received secret messengers from the southern 
 kingdom, who said to him: " Not the breath of the waving 
 palm-trees, nor the sound of our crystal fountains, can 
 console us for the loss of thy fatherly sway. Thy son is 
 haughty and cruel, and he breaks the spirit of man and 
 the heart of woman. Every woman and every maid who 
 sees him must love the Prince Zador; he encourages the 
 foolish wench till she verily believes he loves her too, then 
 he laughs and scoffs, and the poor creature pines and the 
 poor creature dies. O great Emperor, why is not thy son 
 alike unto thee and the sweet Empress, thy imperial wife ? " 
 Then another messenger came in secret and said: "Great 
 Emperor, thy son, the handsome Prince Zador, speaks 
 slightingly of thee and of the sweet Empress, thy imperial 
 spouse, and when thy health was drunk by his warriors 
 as they rode their fiery horses before going to the battle, 
 he struck down the cup from the oldest warrior's hand, 
 and laughed to see the wine spilt on the gauntlet and on 
 the horse's mane, and said: ' When I am present the Em- 
 
150 The Emperor and the Mouse. 
 
 peror's name must nevermore be mentioned/ " The 
 Emperor sighed and moaned, and said to himself: " What 
 if the words of the little mouse should come true? " The 
 little mouse still lived confined in the golden cage above 
 the balcony, and patiently awaited the day her words would 
 be fulfilled. Soon tidings followed each other quick. First 
 Prince Zador wrote a haughty, cold letter: " Father," said 
 he, "I am getting tired of this, my southern kingdom. I 
 will keep it and return here from time to time, but I would 
 now have thy larger kingdom in the north." And the 
 Emperor gave in and wrote back to his son: " Princely son, 
 I give thee my kingdom in the north, where the snowy 
 swans wander on the glittering lakes, and where the birds 
 sing like the soul of an amorous maiden. But one thing 
 I ask of thee: my old mother, who was my father's Em- 
 press, lives in a palace of ivory amid the great pine-trees 
 on the border of a glittering lake. She is insane, and loves 
 to gaze night and day upon the swans and the waters. 
 O do not trouble her repose nor seek to see her, nor 
 wander near the palace with armed warriors." Prince 
 Zador answered not, nor sent a messenger to thank his 
 father, but started in great pomp from his southern king- 
 dom to his new kingdom in the north. The insane Em- 
 press who dwelt in the ivory palace saw the swans cease 
 to swim, and their plumage got dark like the night, and 
 she opened the windows of the Palace and asked : " O 
 gentle swans, why do ye cease to swim, and why do ye 
 become as dark as the night, ye whose whiteness made 
 
The Emperor and the Mouse. 1 5 1 
 
 the snow feel jealous? " And the swans answered: " Prince 
 Zador is on his way to this his northern kingdom." The 
 insane Empress then asked: "Who is Prince Zador?" 
 And the swans again answered: " He is a terrible Prince; 
 at his sight the spring forests become sere, and the swans' 
 plumage becomes as dark as a moonless night." And 
 the insane Empress said to herself: "There is no ruler 
 in this land but the Emperor, my son. These swans 
 must be insane." And she closed her windows and took 
 up a broken lute. In the meantime Prince Zador came 
 into the neighbourhood of the ivory palace. For his 
 first thought had been to see the mystery of its walls, and 
 to intrude upon the solitude of the insane Empress. 
 He knocked loudly at the gate. There was no answer, 
 and he mounted the ivory staircase and wandered on the 
 ivory terrace, and found no one to whom he could speak; 
 so he called his warriors, and with pickaxe and sword 
 they threw the wide doors down, and in the hall they 
 saw the tall Empress, who looked as young as in her 
 youthful days. " Surely," said Prince Zador, bowing down 
 his proud head before her, " thou art not the insane mother 
 of the wise Emperor my father?" At this the Empress 
 flew into a rage, and cried, " Who said I am insane? Who 
 dare mention the word in my presence ? The swans on 
 the lake are insane, because their plumage is dark like the 
 night since they dream of a certain Prince Zador, and the 
 world at large is insane. Insane the birds who build nests 
 and sing when they know winter is apace, and will break 
 
1 5 2 The ILmperor and the Mouse. 
 
 their nests and their song. Insane the men and the women 
 who love when the form of their own tomb stares them full 
 in the face in every tomb they see. And insane the foolish 
 young Prince Zador; he believes he frightens w^and he will 
 die by a woman's will and by a woman's hand." She looked 
 at him with fiery eyes, and for the first time in his life 
 Prince Zador was cowed and trembling, and yet he could 
 not get away, and the insane Empress again said: " Thou 
 art handsome and graceful, lad. Thou must love fine 
 revels and beautiful maidens. Stay here till the evening, 
 and I will show thee something thou hast never seen." 
 Then she retired, and Prince Zador bade his retinue to 
 wander in the beautiful gardens, as he desired to remain 
 alone. And he spent the whole day by himself in the ivory 
 palace, and he went like a ghost from chamber to chamber, 
 seized with astonishment and with something akin to fear, 
 as in the mirrors which adorned the ivory walls, instead of 
 perceiving his own image reflected, he saw strange scenes 
 and personages who seemed to live. He saw crimes com- 
 mitted, and true love pledged and false love avenged. He 
 saw fierce battles fought, and all took place in silence, and 
 when he tried to speak to the beings that passed before his 
 eyes he heard naught but the echo of his own trembling 
 voice, and when he tried to seize their hands or touch their 
 raiments his fingers felt the cold of the crystal mirror, and 
 he went from one scene to another like one in a dream, 
 and dizziness and sickness of heart came upon him, but he 
 could neither stop from walking nor from gazing. At last 
 
The Emperor and the Mouse. i 53 
 
 twilight arrived ; as the gentle sun fell on the golden waters 
 of the lake Prince Zador heard the swans sing and their 
 plumage was black that in the morning had been white. 
 The last rays of daylight faded, and then the insane Empress 
 came in, bearing in her uplifted hands two burning torches, 
 and she beckoned to Prince Zador: "Come out to the 
 balcony, handsome Prince. I will show thee a sight thou 
 hast never seen." And she held the flaming torches higher 
 than her head, till their red glare illumined the waters of 
 the sleeping lake, and the swans, whose plumage had been 
 white in the morning and dark in the day, now glared 
 like fire and blood, as if they were dyed by the hand 
 of a murderer. And Prince Zador saw a stately barge 
 advance on the waters, and in that barge he saw himself 
 in glorious attire seated by the side of a tall woman whose 
 visage he could not perceive. And he held her hands, and 
 she sang to him till they reached the shore; then the 
 Prince's image fell to the ground, for the tall woman, whose 
 visage remained invisible, had stabbed him in the back with 
 a long dagger. Zador shuddered, and asked the insane 
 Empress: "Will this be my fate?" She answered: "Yes. 
 Hadst thou not come to my ivory Palace, thou would'st 
 have walked the earth unscared by the awful sight of the 
 future. Here the future is revealed in all the mirrors; 
 things that will be one day, and creatures yet unborn or in 
 their cradles start to life. Farewell, Prince Zador. One 
 word yet — spare thy father and mother. I read thy 
 thoughts." But Prince Zador turned his back upon her, 
 
1 54 The Emperor and the Mouse. 
 
 and in high wrath called his warriors and rode away. 
 She is insane, thought he, and what I gazed upon was 
 only clever acting, and his fearful fate did not stand in his 
 way that night, nor in any succeeding days. 
 
 The great Emperor and the sweet Empress, his spouse, 
 were enjoying the evening breeze in their garden, when 
 an affrighted page ran to tell them a great army was march- 
 ing towards the palace, and the sky was red with the fires 
 lit by their torches as they burnt every tree and every 
 house they met. The great Emperor took his heavy sword 
 and the sweetEmpress helped him to close the girdle, while 
 he said: "Who can this be? What unknown chieftain? 
 What terrible king? I had no enemy till this time." And 
 the great Emperor fought with all his warriors; he fought 
 bravely and heartily, and victory seemed to waver and 
 even to favour him, when he asked one of the assailants : 
 " Brave warrior, what is the name of your leader?" And the 
 warrior answered: " Thy own son, Prince Zador." The 
 great Emperor let his sword fall, and said : " Take me a 
 prisoner to your chief." And the warrior, who pitied and 
 blamed Zador in his heart, accompanied the Emperor to the 
 place where his son stood on a fiery horse, and said: "Prince 
 Zador, here is thy father; he wishes to be thy prisoner.'' 
 Without deigning to address a word to the unhappy 
 Emperor, the Prince said: "Bring me the Empress, his 
 spouse, and throw them both in the darkest prison under 
 the palace towers." The great Emperor said: "One favour 
 must I ask of thee. There is a little mouse confined in a 
 
The Emperor and the Mouse, 1 5 5 
 
 cage above the golden balcony; give the small mouse her 
 liberty on the spot." "Very well," answered Zador, " I will 
 have thy ten kingdoms, and thy palaces, and thy gold, 
 what care I for the little mouse ? " The warriors ran to the 
 golden balcony, and the little mouse was set free. The 
 little mouse asked: "Are the Emperor and the Empress in 
 the dark dungeon ? " and the warrior answered, "Yes," and 
 wondered how such a little mouse could guess so right. 
 The mouse ran nimbly down the marble steps, and when 
 she reached the last step, she became a beautiful maid, and 
 immediately fell asleep, her graceful head resting on the 
 balustrade, her two white naked feet whiter than the 
 marble which reflected their smallness. Prince Zador 
 walked proudly through his father's halls. Never had he 
 found the palace where he was born so vast and so mag- 
 nificent, never had he so enjoyed its splendour as in the 
 hour of his sin. And he said to his warriors: " Drink, and 
 hold high revel under the trees, and ascend the marble 
 steps, and fill the palace with laughter and song." He said 
 this because he noticed that when the wind rose through the 
 open windows, he heard a murmur come, and he recognized 
 the wailing of his mother, who was imprisoned in the dark 
 dungeon. And he would not close the windows nor be 
 suspected of remorse or fear. The warriors obeyed; they 
 laughed and sang and wandered, admiring the beauty of 
 the halls, when all at once Prince Zador heard the sound 
 of an angry quarrel, and soon the clash of swords. He 
 went towards the place whence the noise came, and saw 
 
1 5 6 The Emperor and the Mouse. 
 
 his men fighting together at the bottom of a big staircase, 
 and some of them were already dead, and others wounded, 
 and a large pool of blood came down the marble steps. 
 " What 's this, my brave warriors ? " asked the Prince. " Are 
 you not tired of swords and blood? " At the sight of their 
 leader they shamefully turned away, but one of the elderly 
 warriors took the Prince's hand and pointed to the place 
 where the sleeping maiden lav. " There 's the cause of the 
 mischief, great Prince, and she sleeps as softly as in her 
 mother's arms, a new-born babe. These men are fighting 
 for this girl." Zador felt his heart stand still. Never had 
 he seen anything more graceful and more beautiful than 
 this young and innocent creature, with her bare arms and 
 naked feet; and the pangs of jealousy entered his soul. 
 And what right had those men to fight for her, and to 
 gaze upon her slumber ? He knelt by her side and tried to 
 awaken her, but though he could hear her gentle breath, 
 and feel her hands were warm, she did not stir, so he lifted 
 her softly and laid her on a rich couch, and spent his day 
 in wonder and love by her side. Then, as night drew on, 
 he sighed and said : "Alas! wilt thou never open thy eyes 
 and let me hear thy sweet voice ? " And from the depths of 
 her sleep the maiden said : " I cannot open my eyes till the 
 great Emperor and the sweet Empress, his spouse, are 
 seated here with thee, in glorious apparel." And the Prince 
 quailed and shuddered, but at first did not give in. Dawn 
 found him still staring at the bewildering beauty of the un- 
 known, and he shed tears on her white hands and her arms, 
 
The Emperor and the Mouse. 1 57 
 
 and said: "Awake! awake! I will give thee my love, and 
 magnificent palaces, and hot-blooded horses, and gorgeous 
 belts and diadems. I will give thee a golden barge to glide 
 in while the lake glitters in the moonshine. I will give 
 thee all my kingdoms, and my whole heart. Thou art 
 fairer than the fairest dream of a fairy; thou art sweeter 
 than the scent of the summer flowers and the little green 
 flower of the basil that I wear in my cap to bring me luck. 
 Awake, or else I will sleep for ever." And again she mur- 
 mured : " Call the great Emperor and the sweet Empress 
 back." At last Zador gave in, and ordered the imperial 
 couple to be drawn out of the dark dungeon ; he bestowed 
 gorgeous garments upon them, while the Emperor and the 
 Empress lifted their hearts to Heaven in fond prayer, 
 saying: " Our son has recovered his senses." They came in 
 with joyful steps and words, and kissed the young Prince's 
 brow, forgetting all they had endured through him, and 
 he led them to the couch where the beautiful maiden slept, 
 and the sweet Empress, with a cry of tender admiration, 
 touched the sleeper's bare arm, and the fair girl slowly 
 opened her wide blue eyes — eyes so wide and so blue, 
 Prince Zador said to himself he had never gazed upon 
 such a broad expanse of light. And she spoke and said: "I 
 have come to soothe and to deliver, and now I must be 
 gone." And she rose, while Zador in tears kissed the hem 
 of her floating vestment and said: a O, do not leave me! If 
 thou goest I will become wicked again. Now I feel my 
 heart soften like grass under the rain." But the maiden 
 
i 5 8 The Emperor and the Mouse. 
 
 smiled and said: " My name is Slaava. I cannot stay. Dost 
 thou not remember, brave Prince, that evening in the 
 palace of the insane Empress, and the woman whose face 
 thou didst not see? /am that woman, and if I stayed I 
 would be obliged to accomplish the dictates of destiny, 
 and to kill thee in a treacherous way. So spare me." At 
 this Prince Zador remained like one struck by a thunder- 
 bolt. Slaava glided away from their presence, and he did 
 not find the courage to raise a finger and to stop her. 
 Seeing his grief, the Emperor and the Empress said: " Try 
 to forget the lovely vision, Zador. Perhaps she was not a 
 creature of this earth. She perhaps dwells with fairies. 
 And if she was fated to kill thee, it is better the beautiful 
 being has gone." But Prince Zador would neither eat nor 
 drink, nor taste one moment's sleep. And he assembled 
 his valiant warriors and said to them: "I must leave ye. 
 My place is no longer among those who live in mirth or 
 strife. A great love hath entered my soul. I will disap- 
 pear, I will lose myself in a wide forest and dream of my 
 love." And he gave up his sword into the care of his 
 warriors, and kneeling before the Emperor he said: " Great 
 Emperor, forgive my wrongs. Thy son is now punished 
 by this great love, which devours his heart." For many a 
 year Prince Zador was heard of no more. The wild 
 beasts alone could tell the trace of his steps and the sound 
 of his voice. He had built himself a cell made of branches, 
 and with him dwelt a small mouse, whom he had caught 
 the very first night he spent under the sky. And to the 
 
The TLmperor and the Mouse. 159 
 
 small mouse he told his grief and spoke of his love. He 
 felt sure the mouse was a good fairy, for she looked at 
 him with compassion and nestled to his breast, and so 
 much was Prince Zador taken up by despair and fervour 
 that he wondered how he had ever found the time long 
 before at an epoch of his existence when he lived in a 
 perpetual strain and ran from hunt to battle, from battle 
 to revel, and drank off the cup of maddening pleasure. 
 Sometimes, when he approached the road where men and 
 chariots pass, he heard warriors gaily trooping by, he 
 heard his own war-songs sung in the wind, and he saw 
 his banners float between the trees. He even heard his 
 faithful equerries say, "Alas! where is our Prince, the 
 bravest of the brave, whose helmet shone like the moon 
 and whose blows dealt death as surely as the cloud gives 
 rain and the sun gives light? " But for these things there 
 were no regrets in his mind. He only remembered his 
 days of wickedness, and how he had plunged his father 
 and his mother in the darkness of a dungeon, and how 
 Slaava had gone away because she would have had to 
 bestow his punishment upon him. One night, while he 
 was as usual running after the strange maid in his dreams, 
 he was awakened suddenly by the roar of water quite 
 close to his humble couch. Prince Zador sprung up be- 
 wildered, and when he tried to get out of his cell, the 
 water rose to his knees, and beyond his cell the forest was 
 but one vast ocean, where the tops of the trees seemed to 
 float. How he had escaped being drowned Zador could 
 
1 60 The TLmperor and the Mouse. 
 
 not guess. He set to work, and out of the bark of a big 
 oak, spared by the flood, he made a barge and oars, and 
 soon followed the current that bore him away. In his 
 bosom the little mouse trembled, and they were taken afar 
 without knowing whither they went. Sharp rocks from 
 place to place stood out of the waves, and soon on one of 
 these rocks Zador perceived a female form, with hands 
 outstretched asking for help. He recognized the woman 
 he had seen that evening from the balcony of the insane 
 Empress. "So Slaava has deceived us," thought Zador; "this 
 woman, my future murderer, is not the beautiful maid I 
 love. I know she will kill me, I know the hour of my 
 death has come, but shall I, from fear of that hour, leave 
 a woman exposed to the dreadful flood?" And Prince 
 Zador steered towards the rock where the woman still 
 kept her attitude of supplication. 
 
 Night had set in, so he saw not her features as he ap- 
 proached, but extended a friendly hand, and said: " Come 
 in my boat and rest." She descended into the boat, and Zador 
 had already taken up his oars to row away when the 
 stranger exclaimed: "One moment, please; I have forgotten 
 my dagger on the rock. I cannot be without my dagger." 
 " So," thought Zador, " the dagger is there, and the hand 
 and my heart; let my destiny be accomplished." And he 
 stopped again beside the rock and the woman seized her 
 dagger; then came towards him and said: " How brave thou 
 art, my love, my only love ! Light a torch and gaze on 
 my features, and what thou wilt see must rejoice thy soul." 
 
The Emperor and the Mouse. 1 6 1 
 
 And Zador hastily lit a torch, and lo ! as the fire fell on 
 the stranger's face, he recognized Slaava, and sobbed for 
 joy, and exclaimed: "Yes, even if thou art come to kill, 
 blessed be thou for thy eyes, and thy lips, and the sweet- 
 ness of thy presence." "To kill," answered she, and threw 
 the dagger into the water; "to kill, no, I have come to 
 love. Thy faults are erased, thy courage hath triumphed 
 over fate." And the boat bore them gently to the steps 
 of the Emperor's palace, and then Prince Zador was 
 wedded to Slaava, who then told him she had never been 
 absent from his side, as she was the dear little mouse that 
 nestled in his bosom. 
 
 By a monk this tale was told who dwelt in the cell made 
 famous by the legend of Prince Zador^ and y in remembrance of 
 Slaava^ the monk always kept a little mouse in his cell. 
 
 M 
 
1 62 The Legend of the Lilac Flower, 
 
 THE LEGEND OF THE LILAC FLOWER. 
 
 The lilac flower might have graced the summer days 
 and blossomed even in autumn, but the lilac flower can 
 bloom one short month only, because she has given her- 
 self away to save her beloved. She was once a fresh maid 
 who lived on the border of a forest and talked to the birds 
 and the bees; she drank the water from the running 
 stream, and twined the gentle foliage over her head to 
 avoid the hot rays of the noonday sun. One evening an 
 old woman passed before the place where Liliaca dwelt. 
 Liliaca noticed the old woman looked w£ary, and said : 
 " Wilt thou not come and rest? I possess a small hut made 
 of the gentle foliage; I eat fruit and drink the water from 
 the stream, but I can give thee a good couch and a sure 
 shelter. The sky darkens; the birds are hastening to their 
 nests, and on my hand already a moonray hath fallen. It is 
 late." The old woman answered: "Fair girl, I thank thee, 
 and must accept thy kind offer, as I have walked many a 
 long mile and I am very old." Liliaca ran to get fresh fruit 
 and to smooth the couch, where the old woman now sank 
 to a profound sleep. But Liliaca never slept when the 
 moon was strong in the sky, but gazed at the moon till 
 her eyes ached; once or twice she heard the old woman 
 
The Legend of the Lilac Flower. 163 
 
 sigh in her slumber, and as dawn approached, and as the 
 moon got feebler and became gradually only a white 
 plume lost in the vapours of the rising sun, Liliaca in her 
 turn closed her eyes and beckoned to her innocent dreams. 
 No sooner had Liliaca become insensible to all that passed 
 around than the old woman rose and said to herself: "She 
 is too fair and too pure to serve my purpose. Yet she may 
 help me unwittingly," and she passed her fingers over 
 Liliaca' s white eyelids and over her lips. Liliaca sighed 
 deeply, moved restlessly in her sleep, then murmured: 
 "Love, my love." The old woman said : "All right ! " — and 
 the sunbeams in their morning glory invaded the forest. 
 Liliaca rose in haste. "Pardon me," said she to her guest, 
 "I have overslept myself. I had such a lovely dream, but I 
 cannot tell you what my dream was. I wish I could dream 
 it over again every night." The old woman smiled, and 
 muttering a few words of gratitude disappeared. All that 
 day Liliaca forgot the many little trifles which made her 
 life cheerful, and though the wood was full of perfume 
 and song she went not into the wood, but throwing herself 
 on her couch tried to sleep in the vain hope of seeing the 
 dream she loved again. But the dream had deserted her 
 sleep, and for weeks she pined ; the colour faded from her 
 cheek, she lost all interest in birds and flowers, and often 
 said: " O, I would like to die!" And the fair maid would 
 indeed have gone to an early grave but for a happy circum- 
 stance which changed her present existence completely. 
 She was gathering fruit from a high plum-tree when she 
 
164 The Legend of the Lilac Flower. 
 
 saw between the branches the whiteness of the road, and 
 along the road a chariot jogged, in which a man lay in a 
 trance or asleep. But his face was so pale,Liliaca thought he 
 was dead. A poor old pilgrim he seemed to be, with a worn- 
 out, haggard visage, and a pool of blood round his body, 
 and his mantle was red with blood. u Surely some one has 
 wounded or killed the poor thing," said Liliaca, " and how 
 comes it to pass he should be left there alone on the road, 
 and the oxen have no guide? O, I must see; he is perhaps 
 alive yet, and needs help." She tripped lightly to the side 
 of the huge chariot; she looked into the face of the wretched 
 man; she stopped the oxen in their walk; she touched the 
 poor man's heart, and under her soft fingers his heart 
 began to beat. "He is not dead," said she, and in her feeble 
 arms she took him; then laid him tenderly under the trees 
 on a couch of tender grass, and washed his wounds and 
 tended him marvellously till he opened his eyes and said: 
 " Bless'd be thou, fair maid; the murderers are far now and 
 I am in Paradise/' Liliaca stayed by his side nor ever left 
 him, and the moon began to rise. "O gentle maid," said the 
 wounded man, " let the moon's first rays fall on my brow. 
 Put these branches away that I may catch the moon and 
 lay her light against my hair and lips." And Liliaca did as 
 she was bidden. No sooner did the moonbeams glide on 
 the old man's face and hands than his whole countenance 
 changed and he became a handsome youth in the vigour 
 and pride of his young beauty, and though his wounds 
 still bled, there was a look of joy in his eyes, and as Liliaca 
 
The Legend of the Lilac Flower. 165 
 
 saw him she exclaimed: " Dear youth, I know thee, thou 
 hast already visited me in my dreams. But why art thou 
 condemned to wear a pilgrim's garb and an old man's visage 
 during the daytime, and why canst thou become so fair 
 when the moon shines on thee?" The young man did not 
 answer this question, and Liliaca felt she had been in- 
 discreet, and she loved so much to gaze on his features, 
 to admire his glossy hair, his demeanour, his lustrous eyes 
 and his lips swollen with the blood of valour and of daring, 
 that she prayed in her heart the night would last for ever, 
 for the sight was most precious to her heart. 
 
 And somehow she understood this young man would 
 always be mingled with her life, or else she would not 
 have seen him in her dream, nor pined after the return of 
 that blissful dream. His wounds were still very bad, though 
 Liliaca tried to quench the blood with leaves and pure 
 linen. He moaned in his slumbers and pronounced strange 
 words; she could not know to what language they be- 
 longed, nor from what land he came. 
 
 With the daylight he resumed his withered visage, and 
 Liliaca then spoke more freely, and again questioned him; 
 he answered : "Alas ! I am an Emperor's son, and in a bad 
 fight with some enemies of my father I killed the brother 
 of a witch. She came up to the palace and said she wished 
 to speak to Prince Oprea; that is my name. I thought she 
 was poor, and took some gold to give her, but as soon as 
 she saw it she sprang upon me and stabbed me thrice, and as 
 my body lay almost senseless on the steps of the palace, 
 
1 66 The Legend of the Lilac Flower. 
 
 as no one was near, I suppose she bore me away and threw 
 me in the chariot thou hast seen, and also threw a spell 
 upon me. In the light of day I am an old man, and only as 
 the moon rises can I become Prince Oprea again. So I dare 
 not return to the palace of my father, nor show myself to 
 my dear bride, Princess Thisca, and she must believe I am 
 dead." "Ah ! " said Liliaca, " thou hast a bride ! " "Yes, the 
 fairest girl upon earth, and she would die to save me. O my 
 wounds would cure could but Thisca hear that I am alive." 
 " I will go to tell her," said Liliaca. And tying her belt 
 close to her breaking heart she set off with quick pace, as 
 she desired to return before evening and behold Prince 
 Oprea in his glory once more. On her way to the palace 
 she met the old woman who had spent a night in her hut. 
 The old woman greeted her warmly, and Liliaca told her 
 all about Prince Oprea's strange adventure. The old 
 woman then said: "I am the bad witch who thus punished 
 the Prince for having killed my only brother. He will 
 never recover his own visage during the daylight unless 
 an innocent maid gives up her life for him ; not her whole 
 life, I mean, but she must promise to disappear during the 
 summer, the autumn and the winter, to lie invisible and 
 in deep slumber. Spring time will belong to her entirely." 
 Liliaca said: "Prince Oprea is betrothed to the beautiful 
 Princess Thisca. Surely she will give up three seasons of 
 the year for him," — and with double haste she pursued her 
 way. Princess Thisca was winding her golden hair round 
 a diamond comb when the simple maid entered her bower, 
 
The Legend of the Lilac Flower. 167 
 
 and in a few brief words told her of Prince Oprea's fate 
 and of the witch's proposition. "He lies on a bed of foliage 
 near my hut. His wounds are numerous, and his blood 
 makes the grass warm all around. He murmurs thy name 
 in his dreams. He is so handsome during the night, and so 
 wretched during the day." Her young heart trembled 
 with hidden love, and she stretched out her lovely arms 
 towards the Prince's happy bride. Princess Thisca drew 
 the folds of her white garment around her. "Tell the 
 Prince," said she, "I would fain go to him, but the grass is 
 wet and my garment white. Tell the Prince I would fain 
 send him a lock of my golden hair, but I have lost my 
 scissors, and my hair is so thick and my teeth so delicate 
 that I cannot bite them through. Tell the Prince I would 
 fain give him a bride's long kiss, but his lips must be cold, 
 or his lips must be hot, and my lips are afraid of fever and 
 blood. Tell the Prince I would fain save him from his 
 dire fate and give up three seasons of the year for him, but 
 in summer I dance to please the roses, in autumn I twine 
 vine leaves round my neck to please the sun, and in winter 
 I sit by the fire to please the gentle flame dear to the 
 heart of rich and poor. How would the sun, the roses and 
 the flame do without me? " Fair Liliaca sighed and said : 
 " Were I his bride I would lie in my grave and be trampled 
 upon by the fiery horses of his warriors to save him." 
 Princess Thisca laughed: "Thou simple maid," said she,and 
 waved her hand in sign of adieu, and began to twist again 
 her golden hair round her diamond comb. Liliaca returned 
 
1 68 The Legend of the Lilac Flower, 
 
 to the forest, and the moon now shone full on Prince 
 Oprea's handsome face. She knelt by him and said: "Thy 
 bride loves thee, Prince. And she will save thee." And in 
 his joy Prince Oprea kissed Liliaca's soft hands, and she 
 felt the kiss that was on her hands dart straight across her 
 soul. Next day she went to find the witch and said: "I 
 give up three seasons of the year to save Prince Oprea. I 
 will sleep like a corpse during the summer and the autumn 
 and the winter and be invisible, but give him back his joy 
 and his fair visage." The witch answered: "Alas ! love is 
 stronger than my power; I thought I would never find a 
 woman to do this, but since thou art ready to save Prince 
 Oprea I must obey thy wish. Yet thou hast given me shelter 
 and pitied me in an hour of weariness and need. I will 
 change thee into a fair flower — in spring days only will thy 
 smile and thy freshness appeal to the heart of man and 
 make him happy, and lead the young to dream of love and 
 the old to remember their youthful days." And as the 
 witch spoke thus Liliaca felt she became a gentle bough 
 of green foliage, and she became a fair flower whose clusters 
 were wild with perfume and joy. She instantly forgot Prince 
 Oprea and his bride, the joy of the perfume that filled her 
 soul and the joy that hung over her were almost too much 
 for her senses. Prince Oprea returned to his palace and 
 married his beautiful Princess, but under the window of 
 their bower a lilac-tree grew, whose flowers in spring sent 
 an odour so strong that Prince Oprea grew sad ; he then 
 remembered Liliaca, the maid of the forest, and said to 
 
THie Legend of the Lilac Flower. 169 
 
 himself: "Where is she? She was fairer than Thisca, and so 
 good. I will never see her again." And Prince Oprea 
 covered his handsome face with his hands, while the lilac 
 flowers waved to and fro and murmured: "Liliaca has loved 
 thee, but rejoice, she is happy ; she is wild with perfume 
 and love." And because of the lilac-tree Princess Thisca 
 violently closed the windows. "I love not the ways of that 
 flower \ 'tis well it blooms in spring only, or else I would 
 have that tree cut down." 
 
 This tale was told by a girl who wore lilac flowers in her 
 hair^ and a sprig of lilac in her belt^ and who thought of 
 Liliaca and Liliaca'' s love while she drank their wild perfume. 
 
170 The Two Robbers and 
 
 THE TWO ROBBERS AND THEIR BROTHER 
 THE DEVIL. 
 
 Two robbers lived not far from a big city. They were not 
 wicked, and never killed, but when rich merchants passed 
 at night on their horses they stepped to the side of the 
 road and said courteously : " Sir, will you kindly alight 
 and take supper with us? We are the famous robbers, 
 Damian and Peter." The poor merchant trembled, and in 
 general both invitations were declined. Then Damian, who 
 spoke better than his brother, said even more politely : " If 
 you are neither hungry nor thirsty, nor tired, surely your 
 horse must feel the want of food and water, and you could 
 not deprive the honest brute of our hospitality, and surely 
 the load you have put on the honest creature's back is too 
 heavy for him. We could not allow you to torture your 
 horse in this way." And the merchant had to give in, as 
 the glitter of a knife accompanied the reasonable words of 
 Damian. The horse was taken to a fresh litter, the goods to 
 the robbers' den, and the merchant, well pleased to get off, 
 resumed his journey on foot, while the two brothers made 
 him all kinds of good wishes he was obliged to thank them 
 for. So clever were Damian and Peter that for years every 
 
their Brother the Devil. iji 
 
 attempt to catch them had been unsuccessful, and some- 
 times they were themselves astonished at their good luck. 
 "I am afraid," said Peter to his brother, " the devil must in 
 some way approve us, and even help us in our enterprise." 
 "Hush, brother," answered Damian, " if I thought this I 
 would take our adventurous life quite in disgust. No, no, 
 the devil is far from us. What harm do we do? The 
 things we take away from these men are but material 
 goods, and in the long run they would harm their pos- 
 sessors — the wealthy easily get proud and hard-hearted ; we 
 save these people from the worst sins; we teach them the 
 frailty of Dame Fortune, and we keep their souls as pure 
 as might the preaching of any good pulpit bird." To this 
 speech Peter found no reply, but he kept dreaming of the 
 devil, and saying to himself: " I would like to know the 
 old fellow j how clever he must be, since we are more 
 and more clever because he stands by us. Damian is 
 wrong. Our tricks are rich with the devil's knowledge." 
 And with these and many other reflections of the same 
 sort he went into the wood to gather mushrooms for 
 their supper. He passed under the trees bent on his task, 
 his young face glowing in the sun, when all at once he 
 heard a shrill laugh behind the boughs; he started and 
 asked : "Who is there? " No answer came; a few seconds 
 elapsed, and again the weird sound struck his ear, and 
 came quite close to him now. An elf, a spirit, or the 
 devil himself, thought Peter, and as the word devil flashed 
 through his mind, he saw a beautiful girl, dressed in a blue 
 
172 The Two Robbers and 
 
 gown, and with silver earrings in her ears, stand in front 
 of him. " Here I am," she said, " I am the devil." « O, 
 how can that be?" said Peter, "a maid so fair hide the 
 devil himself behind her smile? I will never believe thee." 
 " No! how then have I read thy thoughts and divined thy 
 wish to know me? Thou art a good lad, Peter, and thou 
 hast done me some justice, whereas thy brother Damian, 
 who will not credit me with his cleverness, will pay a heavy 
 forfeit for his foolish language." "Please, Mr. Devil, or 
 Miss Demon," said poor Peter, folding his hands in contri- 
 tion and fear, u do not heed my brother Damian ; he speaks 
 rashly, but means well. We are two such honest robbers, 
 and we achieve all our business with hands as pure as our 
 hearts." "I will not kill him, but suffer he must, and as 
 thou would'st be likely to prate about all this, Peter, I 
 order thy lips and thy tongue to become as dumb as the 
 mushrooms in thy basket." Peter tried to implore again, 
 and to his great terror he found his mouth could utter 
 nothing but unintelligible sounds, and besides the fiendish 
 damsel had disappeared, while the same shrill laugh filled 
 the forest, and made all the trees around him shiver. 
 Alas ! how should he tell Damian of his horrible adven- 
 ture, how put him on his guard ? Peter knew not how to 
 read and write; so he took a big mushroom, and with his 
 knife cut into the soft brown flesh the face of the beautiful 
 maid, and over it he cut the form of a big flame to figure 
 the devil. Sore was Damian's grief when he discovered his 
 brother's misfortune; he shed tears of despair, and asked 
 
their Brother the Devil. 173 
 
 in vain to learn what had happened. Peter gave him the 
 mushroom with the wicked girl's pretty face upon it, and 
 Damian then believed he understood that love had played 
 havoc with poor Peter; the big flame meant his burning 
 feelings for the young girl, and Damian thought her very 
 lovely indeed, and did not wonder that a man could lose 
 the use of his tongue from sheer admiration of such a 
 winning visage. Their life was no longer gay, as Peter 
 could not speak, nor could Damian love to confide his 
 plans to one who never answered but by signs. Weeks 
 flew away as rapidly as days, and in his soul Peter felt 
 some relief to see the devil had not kept his infernal pro- 
 mise. " The devil has too much to do with the world at 
 large; he must have forgotten us by this time, and O, 
 could I regain the use of my tongue, I would not breathe 
 a word of the whole tale." "Damian, thou should'st go 
 to the fair," said Damian aloud. Now he spoke to himself 
 for the pleasure of hearing his own voice. Peter, as usual, 
 sat absorbed in a vague dream, but they had robbed three 
 priests and a rich widow the night before, and they were 
 content and eager to exchange the priest's golden chains 
 and the widow's rings for a winter mantle, new knives, 
 and a small image of the Virgin. This last purchase 
 seemed to Peter absolutely necessary, and he insisted on 
 the necessity of buying the holy emblem, as he was still 
 in fear of the devil. Damian returned from the fair late 
 in the night, and Peter rose with a lantern to guide his 
 brother's horse through the intricacies of the forest. As 
 
174 The Two Robbers and 
 
 he lifted up his light he saw the horse was so laden that 
 the animal could scarcely walk. " Why, brother, thou 
 hast brought all the fair," said Peter, but his tongue could 
 not articulate the words, yet Damian understood his mean- 
 ing. " Most unexpected goods have I purchased, brother ; 
 look ! " And then only Peter perceived across the saddle 
 the form of a young priest, whose face and floating green 
 garments were covered with blood. Terror-stricken Peter 
 stood, and the lantern fell to the ground as his arms and 
 his whole body trembled, for he was afraid Damian had 
 done some foul deed by this wounded man. But Damian 
 reassured him. " I found this wretched being three miles 
 from here, gasping for breath and begging hard for a glass 
 of water. I alighted and gave him water from a neigh- 
 bouring well; then he said in broken sentences one of his 
 enemies had met him in the dark and dealt these hard 
 blows on him, and he could not return to his village in 
 this state, because his home is very distant, and, besides, 
 his mother and his sister, with whom he lives, would die 
 with grief at the mere sight of him. How could I leave 
 the young priest on the road? I have not bought that 
 image of the Virgin ; somehow it was driven out of my 
 mind, but this good action will serve us as well as the 
 Holy Mother's sweet presence." Peter nodded and pressed 
 his brother's hand; then they laid the wounded man in the 
 hut, dressed his wounds, and wrapped him in a fur mantle. 
 Damian, as he thought the young priest was asleep, told 
 Peter all the pieces of good luck that had befallen him. 
 
their Brother the Devil. 175 
 
 These were numerous indeed. "I have brought the 
 priest's chain and the widow's ring back, and yet I have 
 a long red mantle for thee and a white one for myself, 
 and four knives with scabbards that shine like gold. Every 
 one in the fair was drunk but myself, and I pretended to 
 be more drunk than the rest and to fall to the ground, and 
 to grope along like a blind man, though all the time I 
 held a good eye on my horse. But as the merchants saw 
 me in such a state of stupidity they paid no attention to 
 me when I asked them to show me their goods, and turned 
 their backs upon me and looked to the other customers, 
 but, as I tell you, they were drunk. So I just crept behind 
 the stalls and played the merchant myself. In the crowd 
 no one noticed that after I praised the red mantle or the 
 beautiful knife I paid them the lasting compliment of 
 bearing them away ; moreover, I had been so fussy over 
 them, so eager to sell them, some believed I bore them to 
 another stall. In short, the day has been an excellent one. 
 Brother, the sole idea of buying the Holy Virgin's image 
 has brought us this wealth, and now here we are entertain- 
 ing a holy man, a priest; look at him, he is saying his 
 prayers." The young priest was wide awake and made 
 strange gestures with his hands. Damian said: "Father, 
 you mean to cross yourself, but that is not exactly the sign 
 of the cross you are making." " I know," answered the 
 priest. "My hands are too weak, and, besides, unworthy 
 to trace the sacred emblem on my heart." Then he drew 
 from his belt a large yellow kerchief and opened it, and 
 
176 The Two Robbers and 
 
 the kerchief was full of golden coins, and they rolled on 
 his couch and on the earth with a sound of laughter, and 
 Damian said to Peter in a low voice: "The temptation 
 is sore, but the man is our host and wounded ; we will not 
 touch one single piece of his gold.'' 
 
 They carefully picked up each coin and did not rest till 
 all the gold was put back in the priest's yellow kerchief, 
 and the priest said: "Ye are honest chaps. I will remem- 
 ber Peter and Damian in every one of my prayers." To 
 their great astonishment the brothers perceived that at 
 every place where the gold coins had fallen there remained 
 a red lurid light, at which they got rather frightened, but 
 the priest said to them: "Go and rest in peace; this 
 money has been gained in church and by the bedside of 
 the dying; it is divine money, and cannot fall without 
 leaving a trace of its divinity." Satisfied with this explan- 
 ation, Peter and Damian stretched their mantles on the 
 ground, lay down upon them, and went to sleep. The 
 young priest stayed with them eight days, during which 
 time his demeanour and his words were most touching, and 
 his saintly presence seemed to have thrilled all the forest 
 around and called every object to life. The flowers whose 
 blooming season had passed blossomed again; the new- 
 mown grass took root on the very stem from which it had 
 been broken; cherries and plums appeared at the same 
 time in the cherry-trees and the plum-trees ; fruit gave a 
 perfume as strong as the scent of wild flowers, and as to 
 the flowers themselves their beauty and their colour in- 
 
their Brother the Devil, 177 
 
 creased to such a degree, they seemed to look up to the 
 trees and the sky with such a passionate gaze that Peter 
 and Damian felt their veins glow when they breathed the 
 early wind and said : " This is a second Paradise." The 
 stream sang to its pebbles strange songs and the pebbles 
 burnt under the water like a throbbing heart. The stars 
 as they touched the green crests of the hills kissed them 
 with fiery kisses and the sun was one great torrent of joy 
 over the joy of nature and her beauty. 
 
 Damian felt happy at this wonderful change, but Peter 
 got restless in his heart and said to himself: " There must 
 be some devil's work in all that now takes place around 
 us, because to the souls whom the love of God makes 
 radiant such excessive luxury is not needed; the man who 
 possesses God does not expect any other bliss, nor is he 
 placed in conditions to find it." But he could not speak 
 his thoughts, and in order to soothe his feelings he went 
 near a large oak-tree and with his knife began to carve the 
 image of the Virgin in the strong wood. He remembered 
 well the divine features, but to his dismay, when he had 
 finished his work, he saw the face bore a striking resem- 
 blance to the fearful maid with the blue mantle who had 
 told him she was the devil. — The young priest at last said: 
 " I must return to my home, and I will leave my gold with 
 you, as I am still weak and unable to carry such a load. I 
 know you are honest, so I have not counted the golden 
 coins. I will send my sister to fetch the yellow kerchief 
 and its contents in eight days." And with many warm 
 
 N 
 
178 The Two Robbers and 
 
 words of gratitude he was gone. As soon as he had left 
 Damian said: "Brother, we will not take this man's wealth 
 from him, but his gold possesses the strange gift of leaving 
 red light on the ground wherever it falls ; this may be of 
 the greatest use to us and serve us to trace our way back 
 at night, and replace a lantern. Let us put a piece of 
 our money in the kerchief and take one of the priest's in- 
 stead." At first by gesture Peter protested, but then he 
 thought Damian's desire was very innocent indeed, and he 
 let him have his own way. Damian got the coin he coveted, 
 and was so amused with it that he spent almost the whole 
 night to mark the forest with red traces of its fall. 
 
 A week had elapsed since the priest's departure when 
 his sister came on a black horse and, without alighting, 
 asked for the gold her brother had left behind him. She 
 had long fair locks and green eyes, and when she smiled 
 her teeth shone between her lips like a cluster of wild 
 lilies. Damian insisted much on her coming to their hut, 
 but she refused and bowed her head to them, and as long 
 as the gallop of her horse was heard among the trees he 
 listened j then he said: "Peter, that girl has taken my 
 heart with her on her black horse — I must follow and find 
 her," and before Peter could protest he was off on his 
 chestnut mare he had stolen from a rich farmer while the 
 latter was asleep. The next day Damian returned haggard 
 and worn. He had gone to the village where the priest 
 had said he dwelt, but no priest of that name lived there, 
 and the two brothers were in sore perplexity, and Damian 
 
their Brother the DeviL 179 
 
 could do nothing else but sigh. The autumn came ; they 
 led the same existence, but sadness had set upon them, 
 what with Peter's tied tongue and Damian's unhappy 
 love; even the old game seemed to have fallen off, and 
 the fine mantles and carved whips they took from the 
 passers-by brought them no pleasure. A feeling of impend- 
 ing misfortune grew upon them. And at last one night the 
 men from the neighbouring town found their way to the 
 brothers' hut, and, headed by the beautiful maid whom 
 Damian had sought in vain, took hold of him and of his 
 brother and led them both to prison. The maid had no 
 difficulty to show one of the priest's golden coins had 
 been robbed, as it was found in Damian's belt. From jail 
 they went before the judge, and their case was found to 
 be such a bad one that they were condemned to cut salt 
 in the mines for ten years, where they would never look 
 upon the dear light of the sun. Damian said when he 
 heard his sentence: "O ye wicked men, what have we 
 taken away from you but earthly goods which money can 
 purchase ? and now ye take from us a thing no one but God 
 can give — the blessed light of the sun." Into the white 
 mine they descended, and their chains clinked so as to re- 
 mind them at first of the cattle-bells in the woods, but 
 afterwards they well knew it was the murmur of their 
 chains — a dreary, monotonous sound they would have to 
 hear for days and days, and months and months, and 
 years and years. The whiteness of the mine made their 
 senses sick, and the cutting taste of the salt bruised their 
 
1 80 The Two Robbers and the Devil. 
 
 lips. From time to time a fellow-sufferer spoke to them 
 in a low voice: " I have been here twenty years, and here 
 shall I finish my life — I have killed a man because he 
 hated me and had killed my horse. We were very unfor- 
 tunate here, all of us. But now the devil has come, and we 
 are happy." "Where's the devil?" asked Damian. "There, 
 that man who works like the others. He is the devil. Look! 
 the salt glows like fire under his pickaxe. He gives us 
 wine and money." Damian went straight to the man, who 
 nodded familiarly, and Damian said: "Pardon me, I hear 
 you are the devil. I would rather you were some mes- 
 senger of God, but since we have no choice I would like to 
 be friends with you." " O," said the devil, " I have known 
 thee a long time. I have slept under thy roof and shown 
 thee my money, and I have taken thy heart away on the 
 black horse, for I was the young priest and the fair maid, 
 and I have brought thee here. Dost now believe in my 
 power, young fool? Thy brother is mute by my will. Don't 
 doubt again; Iexist." "Yes," said Damian, "I doubt. And 
 no, I don't believe in thee, for thou hast not been able to 
 take away from my soul the conviction that thy works 
 are foul and the works of God are good." No sooner had 
 Damian said these words than with a great crash the whole 
 mine vanished, and he found himself in his hut with Peter, 
 and Peter, who had recovered the use of his tongue, ex- 
 claimed: "Brother, it was perhaps wrong to steal these 
 people's goods ; we must choose another work and bless 
 God." 
 
The Stolen Pig, 181 
 
 THE STOLEN PIG. 
 
 Two tziganes, two famous thieves, Neagoe and Barbu 
 by name, one night crept stealthily along the hedge of a 
 neighbouring farm and succeeded in getting a small pig, 
 whose screams they stifled by wrapping the noisy creature 
 in the folds of a big mantle. Though dogs barked and the 
 farmer and his servants ran to overtake the robbers, Neagoe 
 and Barbu soon got safely under the shelter of a wood. 
 The pig gave them great satisfaction, but it was very 
 small, and Neagoe said: "Now to whom does the little 
 thing belong? " Barbu answered: " True, friend, we have 
 run the same risks, we both deserve one half of the profit." 
 "Yes," retorted Neagoe," but the half of such a pig would be 
 no profit at all. One of us must get the whole pig." "And 
 the other be wronged ! " said Barbu. " This I will not suffer. 
 We are honest fellows. I propose an excellent plan ; let 
 us tie the pig to a tree and then go to sleep and try to 
 dream. We will relate our dreams to each other the next 
 morning, and the pig will belong to the one who has had 
 the fairest dream." " Right," answered Neagoe. And they 
 tied the pig to a tree, and laying their mantles on the 
 ground fell both into a deep sleep. The night was balmy, 
 the little pig had ceased to whine, so they could sleep in 
 
1 82 "The Stolen Pig. 
 
 peace. When the sun rose up started the honest tziganes and 
 rubbed their eyes and stared at each other. Then Neagoe 
 said toBarbu: "Friend, as thou art the eldest speak first, 
 and tell me thy dream." "O," said Barbu, " haven't I made 
 a splendid dream ! I am still dazzled by its magnificence, 
 and I can hardly realize it is all over and was naught but 
 a dream ; so listen, dear Neagoe." And Neagoe put both 
 his hands round his knees and said : " Speak, dear Barbu, 
 I listen." " Well," said Barbu, " I dreamt I had been long 
 dead, not of some stupid vulgar death as mortals daily die, 
 but a death so sweet, so charming! I thought I was drunk, 
 like on that night at the fair when four men could not 
 carry me back to my hut. An angel, with wings as bright 
 as the fire when our bellows blows, came to me and said: 
 c Master Barbu, thou art too meanly dressed. Thou art 
 going to meet a great lord and dine with him and with 
 his guests. It suits thee not to wear thy brown mantle 
 and thy leather girt.' I answered : ' Master Angel, tzigane 
 is poor after death as he was in life ; I possess but this 
 mantle and this leather belt.' The angel said : 'Master 
 Barbu, we all know in Heaven what an honest tzigane 
 thou wast on the other side of the grave, never stealing 
 by moonlight, nor during the days when the Virgin and 
 the higher saints are honoured; so here is thy reward.' O 
 Neagoe, the angel put a magnificent mantle of gold and 
 purple on my shoulders, and gave me a silver belt and a 
 long knife in a silver scabbard, and a pair of top boots as 
 black as thy eyes, after which he said, ' Follow me.' And 
 
The Stolen Pig. 183 
 
 though I asked : 'Master Angel, where are we going?' he 
 did not answer, but showed the way, and went on passing 
 compliments upon me. 
 
 " He knew all about me, that devilish angel, and how 
 clever I am in every kind of theft, but especially when I 
 take away a horse from its unlawful possessor, because, O 
 Neagoe, the man who pays for an object or a brute is an 
 unlawful possessor, and the said thing only belongs in 
 reality to those who run some risk in getting it. But I 
 return to my dream. We walked through a forest; then 
 we reached a splendid garden where, instead of fruit on the 
 branches of the trees, heavy purses full of white coin hung 
 lazily, and my hand itched to snatch them, my hand was 
 thirsty for the fruit. And the angel said: 'Take!' but all 
 the pleasure of the doing was then cut off. At last we 
 found ourselves face to face with a great lord. He was 
 dressed in red garments and had top boots even blacker 
 than my own. The angel introduced us to each other: 
 c Saint Peter, here is Barbu the tzigane, who has come to 
 dine at thy table.' And Saint Peter took my hand and we 
 sat down at a large table where many people sat, but as 
 they were all drunk they paid little attention to us. I saw 
 Saint Peter treated his guests well, and I began to drink 
 and to eat. The meat and the wine were as abundant as 
 thy hair, and I ate and I drank till my senses reeled, and all 
 the time Saint Peter said, c Ah! Barbu, how pleased I am 
 to see thee. Drink, my dear friend, drink and eat.' Now, 
 Neagoe, is not my dream very beautiful indeed, and is not 
 
184 The Stolen Pig. 
 
 the pig mine? But I will listen to thee first, and we will 
 judge, for we are very honest fellows, that we are." Neagoe 
 took a long breath and said : a Friend Barbu, my story is 
 short. In my dream I saw thee revel by the side of Saint 
 Peter, and eat the viands and drink the abundant wine, so 
 I said to myself, c Barbu is happy, Barbu is well fed, he 
 does not require the little pig.' So I awoke, killed the 
 animal, and ate it while you were at Saint Peter's table." 
 
"The Mantle. 1 8 5 
 
 THE MANTLE. 
 
 A young heiduck who had fought bravely and yet pos- 
 sessed naught but his horse, his sword, his whistle, and six 
 knives in his silver belt, sat by a large fire in the wood 
 and gazed into the flames and said in his thoughts: " If the 
 fairy that dwells in this fire was a generous fairy and could 
 read my thoughts, she would appear before me in her 
 beauty and make me a present. I would like to possess a 
 mantle of fire, as red as the flames and as supple, and walk 
 with my mantle on my shoulders over the whole earth. 
 The forests would wonder and say: 'He is the brother of 
 the storm-cloud.' And the mountains would say: 'Look! 
 the son of the burning stars is walking the earth.' " Scarcely 
 had the young heiduck finished to dream these things 
 when he saw a slender form beckon to him from among 
 the flames, and it slowly rose before his eyes till a graceful 
 maid stood at the very top of the topmost spark. She said 
 to him: " Young heiduck, thy wish shall be fulfilled. But 
 beware ! the mantle of fire must never leave thy shoulders, 
 or else it will spring upon thee and devour thy flesh." 
 She disappeared, and at the same moment the young 
 heiduck heard a murmur grow around him, and he soon 
 stood in the midst of towering flames, and then they fell 
 
1 86 The Mantle. 
 
 to the ground, and he found he wore a mantle of moving 
 fire, and he ran to the neighbouring stream and saw him- 
 self in its water; the light cast a lurid glow on his hand- 
 some visage, and his mantle was as red as the sky at 
 sunset. . . . 
 
 But alas! wherever he went the flowers shrivelled and 
 faded on his passage, the forests were reduced to ashes 
 and the grass became as gray as if the moon looked down 
 from the sky. Cries of despair from animals and birds 
 followed his steps. The young heiduck took his fiery 
 horse and rode away from the spot, and as the mantle 
 flew about him he seemed to ride in a glorv of courage 
 and beauty, yet he was sore at heart, because he had a 
 loving soul, and more than once had the smile of a fair 
 maid moved him and made him find the sun brighter and 
 his own lot very good. . . . How would any maid dare to 
 approach him, even if from afar she gave him her smile? 
 He entered a village at noon; it was almost deserted, be- 
 cause all its inhabitants were at work in the fields, but his 
 mantle touched a high poplar tree and it immediately 
 began to sigh and blaze. A maiden was spinning beneath 
 its branches; she rushed to the side of the young heiduck's 
 fiery steed, and said: "Thou art the son of the burning 
 stars. Thou art no mortal surely, and I love thee although 
 thy mantle burneth and can kill." And he stooped to 
 touch her hand and to pluck a flower from her hair, but 
 a fold of the awful mantle danced against the fair maiden's 
 cheek, and she was instantly devoured by the burning tide. 
 
The Mantle. 187 
 
 And the young heiduck rode on. He said in his thoughts: 
 "Ah me! how rash was my wish and how cruel the 
 fairy who gave me the mantle I wear; no maid will step 
 forward to look on my face, no roof will be happy to 
 cover my slumbers. I am an alien whom mankind and 
 nature must hate." And he drew his powerful sword and 
 gazed at himself in its blade, and saw the mantle flying 
 round his shoulders, and it cast a lurid glare on his brow. 
 At night he reached a sweet meadow, where under the 
 weak rays of the new-born moon shepherds and maidens 
 danced; a well rose there tall and slim, where the cool 
 water slept awhile the shepherds danced, and a soft flute, 
 the stem of some wild reed, floated on the gentle breeze 
 and said their hearts were full of youth and love. A lonely 
 maid stood by the tall pure well. " Why, Mariora, wilt thou 
 not dance too ? " " I am awaiting," said she, " though I 
 know not what will come." The heiduck's fiery horse, 
 the heiduck's mantle of fire was seen on the top of the 
 hill. And the shepherds in awe dispersed and flew along 
 the meadow — in one moment they had vanished. Alone 
 the lonely maiden called Mariora stood by the tall pure 
 well. The heiduck came up, and he said : " I am thirsty, 
 maiden, but I will alight and drink. I cannot take the 
 cool water from thy pitcher nor touch thy fresh young 
 hand, because this mantle of fire would burn thy fair young 
 life out of thy gentle veins." Mariora smiled and said: 
 a My heart is more burning by far than thy red mantle, 
 heiduck, so take me to thy breast; I fear not the mantle 
 
1 88 The Mantle. 
 
 of fire, I fear not thy perilous kiss." And he lifted her to 
 his saddle and said: "We shall visit the whole earth." . . . 
 And together they went and the mantle fanned Mariora's 
 cheeks and her hair without daring to burn their colour 
 off, and like a red whirlwind they passed. And the heiduck 
 sang in the joy of his heart : "We are the wonderful light 
 of Love; the forests sink and shrivel wherever we pass, 
 and the flowers die because they know not the true fire 
 of Love. Alone the sun, the moon and our own hearts 
 are unscathed ; our love is more burning than fire, and 
 the sun and the moon know our love." Thus it came 
 that when the storm-cloud passeth Mariora and her young 
 heiduck ride in the sky, and wrapped in their mantle of 
 fire they pass through the clouds and they laugh. 
 
 By a maid called Mariora this tale was told to me as she 
 stood in the weak rays of the new-born moon. 
 
Thisca. 189 
 
 THISCA; 
 
 OR. 
 
 THE MARVELLOUS STONE. 
 
 " What shall I give thee for thy birthday, darling daugh- 
 ter ? " said the old Emperor to his only child, the beautiful 
 Thisca. Thisca was only sixteen, and already many kings 
 and princes had sued for the honour of her hand. "Father," 
 said she, " swear that what I ask from thee, thou wilt give." 
 The Emperor laughed and answered: " Ouite willingly, I 
 swear." Then Thisca said: " Give me the marvellous blue 
 stone whose rays pierce the triple iron casket in which it is 
 locked." "Alas! my dear child," said the Emperor, while 
 tears rolled down his cheeks, could'st thou not desire the 
 largest among my kingdoms and the most fiery among my 
 steeds, instead of that fatal stone? Well, since I have given 
 my word thou wilt possess it, but listen to my fatherly 
 advice: hide it well from the light of day, and never wear 
 it either in thy belt nor in thy hair when thou art in the 
 midst of human beings." Thisca smiled and said: "Quick, 
 give me the triple iron casket ! " and when the casket was 
 put into her gentle hands, she ran up to her secret bower, 
 opened it, and beheld the splendid stone, whose thousand 
 rays dazzled her eyes and seemed to burn into her brain. 
 
1 90 Thisca. 
 
 She lifted it to her forehead ; then held it to the light and 
 then closed the casket, and again the blue stone lay buried 
 in the iron recesses, but its brilliancy pierced the metal, and 
 made the room as clear as if sunshine ever dwelt therein. 
 "This is delightful indeed," thought Thisca, "I have the 
 sun and the moon for ever in my chamber." And she kissed 
 the Emperor's hand and his lofty brow, and thanked him 
 rapturously for the magnificent present. 
 
 By the banks of the river not far from the imperial 
 palace, a young fisher called Dimitri dwelt. He was 
 handsome and brave, and sang from morning till night, 
 nor knew of trouble and care. . . . He was well aware that 
 in the same stretch of land a mighty Emperor and his 
 daughter lived, and a great court held revels and tourna- 
 ments, but he did not mind the distant murmur of music 
 and dance. Close by his hut a large forest ran to the very 
 end of the horizon, and no one ever dared to enter its 
 precincts because a dragon, his wife and his son lived in a 
 cavern under the trees; the Emperor himself and his 
 warriors kept aloof from the awful neighbours who de- 
 voured every man audacious enough to enter the forest. 
 Now Dimitri's sole dream was to kill the dragon. This 
 he had desired from his childhood, and one day on the 
 banks of the river he had found a large sword, who when 
 he approached stood erect before him, and said : "Young 
 fisher, wash me well in the tide of the river every morning 
 when the sun rises, and when it sets every night, and it 
 will help thee to kill the dragon, and spring myself out of 
 
Thisca. 1 9 1 
 
 my scabbard when the day to accomplish this deed has 
 arrived." Dimitri for more than three years had washed the 
 sword and cherished its brightness, and he kept it carefully 
 hidden in his hut. But the sword had remained quiet in 
 its leather scabbard, and he did not dare attack the dragon 
 without the sword's consent. At that time when Princess 
 Thisca had obtained the blue stone from her father, great 
 consternation was thrown upon the court by the fact that 
 the dragon and his family had killed three of the Princess's 
 own ladies as they wandered along the forest border in 
 search of wild berries. And the Emperor issued a pro- 
 clamation to say he would give the hand of his only 
 daughter to the king, prince, or duke who would bring 
 him the dragon's awful head! And this message was taken 
 to every king and prince and duke. 
 
 Dimitri in his humble hut knew naught of this. At 
 first many suitors came with numerous retinues and 
 warriors and lances, but no sooner did they see the dragon 
 than some fled, others fought desperately till the monster 
 finished by vanquishing them, and soon the forest paths 
 were strewn with dead bodies. Dimitri heard the sound 
 of fight j he heard the dragons fret and roar, but as his 
 sword remained unmoved he dared not go forward. . . . The 
 Emperor began to repent his decision; first he regretted 
 the death of so many brave princes ; then his darling 
 Thisca ran the risk of becoming an old maid, and his heart 
 grew heavy within him. One morning a page stepped 
 forward, knelt before the Emperor, and said: "Rejoice, 
 
192 Thisca. 
 
 great monarch, Prince Zaltuhin, who is renowned for his 
 valour and for his good looks, is hard upon the dragon 
 just now; the earth trembles all round; and everyone 
 thinks that before sunset Zaltuhin will have cut the mon- 
 ster's awful head." And the Emperor awaited in hope and 
 anxiety, and went out to his balcony to hear tidings of the 
 struggle. The dragon had thrown Prince Zaltuhin down 
 from his saddle, and his flaming paws were on Zaltuhin's 
 breast; all the Prince's warriors had run away or were 
 burned to death by the flames that issued from the dragon's 
 body, and the Prince thought his last hour had come, 
 when up springs a young man with a large sword. He 
 pushes Zaltuhin back, and attacks the dragon breast to 
 breast. It was a jolly and wonderful sight; Zaltuhin 
 praised each blow. The dragon bit furiously into the young 
 man's bare arms, but Dimitri would not give way. His 
 good sword had sprung out of its scabbard. He would win 
 the day. The duel lasted three hours, and at the end of 
 those hours the dragon fell, the flames that oozed from his 
 body died away, and he lay a hideous corpse at the young 
 hero's feet. Then Zaltuhin congratulated and questioned 
 him, and learnt how simple the life Dimitri led, and how 
 simple his mind. A sudden inspiration seized upon him, 
 and he struck his forehead in his great glee at the good 
 idea. He would have Thisca's hand and her dowry and 
 her beauty, and the credit of having killed the dragon. 
 The lad knew no one belonging to the court; no one 
 had been present at the fight. So he turned to Dimitri 
 
Thisca. 193 
 
 and said: "Young fellow, allow me to cut the dragon's 
 awful head ; his body and his skin will I leave to thee, but 
 I want to put up his head in my royal hall. Here is a 
 purse full of gold for the dragon's head." Dimitri had never 
 seen gold in his life, and he did not care for the dragon's 
 head; so he allowed Zaltuhin to cut it off, while the young 
 fisherman took the skin. When he got home the sword 
 said: a I am going to cut thee a splendid mantle out of the 
 dragon's skin "5 and the sword was at work all night, and 
 on the morrow Dimitri found a splendid mantle on his 
 couch, and when he put the mantle on his shoulders, he 
 looked like the Emperor himself, and even better, because 
 he was handsome and young. The court assembled to re- 
 ceive Prince Zaltuhin, and Thisca, who knew she would 
 meet her affianced husband, was curious to look upon his 
 face. She wore a rich tunic of silver, and in her hand she 
 took the blue stone, as she had noticed how beautiful 
 everything appeared when she gazed at the skies and the 
 woods through the wonderful stone. Prince Zaltuhin 
 entered the palace hall, and a flourish of trumpets greeted 
 him ; then he advanced towards the throne where the Em- 
 peror was seated, while Thisca stood gracefully at her 
 father's side. She cast a keen glance on his visage, and 
 began to tremble, and she said in her heart: "He is not 
 like the man I saw in my dreams." Then she lifted up 
 the blue stone to her eyes, and looked around the assembly, 
 and to her great surprise she saw the thoughts of every 
 person present written in words of fire upon their foreheads. 
 
 o 
 
1 94 Thisca. 
 
 ThenThisca understood the fearful power of the marvellous 
 
 stone. And for this reason had her father hesitated to make 
 
 her the present she so desired. For base and so different 
 
 from their attitudes and their words were the thoughts 
 
 she read on the brow of courtier and page — envy against 
 
 the Emperor and herself, jealousy of each other, dark 
 
 schemes to destroy the friends to whom they smiled. A 
 
 faintness came over her which she vanquished, because at 
 
 that very moment, on a huge silver tray, the dragon's head 
 
 was brought in. She looked at Prince Zaltuhin as he offered 
 
 the monstrous trophy to the Emperor, and on his brow 
 
 she clearly read this: " How kind of young Dimitri, the 
 
 handsome fisherman who killed the dragon, to give me all 
 
 the benefit of his victory ! It is true he knew not its price, 
 
 and no one will ever be aware of my treachery, and Princess 
 
 Thisca is mine." Thisca, with a deep voice, answered : 
 
 " No, Prince Zaltuhin, thy thoughts I have read one by 
 
 one. Princess Thisca will never be thine. Thou hast not 
 
 killed the dragon, and I want to see Dimitri, the handsome 
 
 fisherman who has allowed thee to cut off the dragon's 
 
 head." Great surprise fell on the unhappy Prince at these 
 
 words, and he hastened away vowing vengeance; while 
 
 the Emperor said: "Alas! dear child, thou hast used the 
 
 power of the marvellous stone. Alas! this will embitter 
 
 thy whole life, as it did mine till I had the courage to 
 
 shut it up in an iron casket and never take it out of its 
 
 hiding-place." To his utter amazement that very evening 
 
 Dimitri was called upon by two officials from the palace, 
 
Thisca. 195 
 
 " Princess Thisca wishes to see thee," they said. He fol- 
 lowed them, and on his shoulders he wore the splendid 
 mantle cut out of the dragon's skin. The Princess was on 
 the palace balcony waiting for him, and when he entered 
 her presence the mantle threw a lurid light like a fire all 
 around. The Princess asked : " Whence comes this man- 
 tle? " "It is made of the skin of the dragon I killed." 
 " Take it off," ordered the Princess, " for its glow is too 
 strong, and prevents me from seeing thy visage." Dimitri 
 obeyed, and Thisca looked into the frank clear visage, and 
 she said: "He singularly resembles the man I so often 
 see in my dreams. Yet he is only a fisher-boy, what a 
 pity !" Then she bade Dimitri relate all about his meeting 
 with Prince Zaltuhin and the dragon's death, which 
 Dimitri did with words fiery and simple. Then a long 
 silence ensued, and the Princess took up the blue stone 
 and looked at Dimitri and read his thoughts, and in his 
 thoughts the young man said: "She is the Emperor's 
 daughter, alas ! for me. I love her, and would like to take 
 her away on the spot and wrap her in my flaming mantle 
 and in my burning arms. Alas ! for ever will my heart 
 be broken because I have looked upon her beauty and 
 heard her voice. I will lie down in the river and allow 
 the river to carry me away. I must die." "No, no!" said 
 Thisca; "thou must not die, Dimitri. No, no, I am not 
 an Emperor's daughter to thee; I am thy bride. Thou hast 
 killed the dragon — my father must keep his word." She 
 flew to her father's chamber, and said: " Great Emperor, 
 
196 T hi sea. 
 
 give me the largest of thy kingdoms, and I will give the 
 largest of thy kingdoms a king." And she told him the 
 great desire that had risen in her soul, and how Dimitri 
 had killed the dragon, and the passionate thoughts she had 
 read on his brow. And thus it came to pass the Emperor's 
 daughter married the handsome fisher-boy. 
 
 And the old woman who told this tale to me added : " You 
 see this cannot happen now, nay, even if you find a fisher-boy 
 as handsome and brave as Dimitri and a Princess as lovely 
 and true as Thisca. The blue stone is lost, and also its power. 
 This will never happen again" 
 
The Shirt. 197 
 
 THE SHIRT. 
 
 A TZIGANE TALE. 
 
 In a wretched hovel by the side of a river two tziganes 
 dwelt. They earned their living by sundry thefts and the 
 making of wooden spoons, which they sold at the neigh- 
 bouring town. They were called Zamfir and Trandafir. 
 Zamfir was the younger, and Trandafir the more lazy of the 
 two brothers. They had never seen enough money to buy 
 garments, and possessed only one single shirt, which they 
 wore alternately, eight days each; while the one whose 
 body was covered went on all the errands of the house- 
 hold, the other stayed in and worked, or wandered in the 
 forest, where no one could see him. This went on very 
 well for a long year; during the winter months the tzigane 
 who remained naked gathered straw and dried grass over 
 him, and then felt very comfortable, but Zamfir being 
 younger, soon began to desire more liberty, and, on the 
 other hand, he could not present himself in villages and 
 in fairs for a space of time longer than eight days, as he 
 knew that on his return his comrade would find fault 
 with him and taunt him for not keeping his promise. One 
 day Zamfir came home in a state of dreadful emotion : 
 " Only think, dear Trandafir, only think of the terrible 
 
198 "The Shirt. 
 
 thing that has happened to me. Not far from here, on the 
 very border of the little wood, I have met a woman with 
 spindle in hand and a red poppy in her hair. And I said: 
 ' Who art thou?' and she answered: 'I am Sister Death.' 
 When I heard these words I began to tremble, but she 
 reassured me, and said: 'Thou art a handsome tzigane, 
 'tis true; so handsome that I would fain marry thee, but I 
 will leave thee to spend a few more years in the hovel with 
 Trandafir. On one condition though : thou must come to 
 me every Sunday, and wear thy white shirt, and kiss me so 
 that I do not get too impatient of the wedding, and twice 
 a week too thou must come.' And only think, Trandafir, 
 I have been obliged to promise, and what shall we do, as 
 we have got but this one shirt? Surely, if Sister Death 
 should come to know this, and hear of our poverty, she 
 would marry me on the spot. Alas! alas! wilt thou allow 
 thy dear Zamfir to become the husband of Sister Death, 
 and live in a place even smaller than this?" "Alas! alas! 
 don't weep and scream, dear Zamfir," answered his com- 
 panion. "I will give thee the shirt twice a week, and even 
 on Sunday, and Sister Death will never see thee naked." 
 Zamfir thanked Trandafir with all his might and even 
 gave him a bit of cigar he had found on the road. So for 
 many a Sunday, and for many a day, the younger tzigane 
 would walk from place to place, while the older one stayed 
 at home, and all had happened according to Zamfir's fondest 
 wishes. But Trandafir became bitter in his soul while he 
 worked at his wooden spoons. He thought Sister Death 
 
Shirt. 199 
 
 must by no n such a 1 
 
 Zamhr goes to their meeting with such a b 
 u Happy fellow, the may prove a pre: th copper 
 
 skin. I must get to know her >omc day when I have m\ 
 shirt on, and do not risk to be 
 wench." And he laughed to htn 
 
 on th /amfrir. One Monday evening, when it 
 
 rrandafir'a turn to wear the shirt, he stayed out all 
 
 and came home .mtir 
 
 already afraid something might have happened I 
 companion. At last he heard fa the path. 
 
 Trandahr entered the hut with sighs and moans and /am- 
 tir asked: u Brother, what i> the matter with thee? " But 
 Trandahr could n ink to the ground, 
 
 sobbed .uu\ wrung his haiuU. Whenever Xamrir tried to 
 soothe and to approach him, h I became dreadful, 
 
 and he e\en, 1 ihed to hi 
 
 aced Xamtir with the naked blade, "li thought 
 
 Xamtir, Ck niv poor friend rrandatir is mad. I must let him 
 sleep this night, and to-morrow we will see what is . 
 done." . . . The next morning Zamtv anda- 
 
 tir, art thou better now? or shall I take thee to the wizard 
 
 who can cure of any ML cd Trandahr, 
 
 u 1 will never be 11 irother, I have also 
 
 Sister Death. As soon at the I w me she ex- 
 
 claimed: H) what l handsome t/iganc I splendid 
 
 ane! white teeth, black cheeks, glossy hair, and ham 
 hands. God! I have never met such I handsome t/ 
 
200 The Shirt. 
 
 before. I wish I could marry him on the spot, but I am 
 betrothed to another — Zamfir by name. He always wears 
 a nice white shirt, and when next I meet him so fairly 
 dressed I will marry him on the spot.' " Zamfir stared hard 
 at Trandafir. His face had blanched, and his lips had 
 become as blue as the young plums on the old plum-tree : 
 "Hast thou really met Sister Death?" And in himself he 
 said : "Trandafir has ever been more truthful than myself. 
 He has seen her." "Alas! alas! " cried Trandafir, "the next 
 time, the very next time, if she meets thee by day, she 
 takes thee, and she said the big crow she loves will be 
 the priest, and the owl sing during the marriage, dear. 
 Alas! alas!" And Trandafir shed tears. " Brother," said 
 Zamfir, " I will never wear the shirt again in the day- 
 time," and from that moment Trandafir had the shirt all 
 to himself. 
 
The Church Builder, 201 
 
 THE CHURCH BUILDER. 
 
 Ionita was a famous church builder whom every one 
 envied and revered for his great talent. Emperors and 
 kings had called him whenever a famous church was to 
 be built in their realm, and Ionita in his pride said once : 
 u I am sure I could build a palace a thousand times fairer 
 than the palace of the sun, and more beautiful than the 
 balconies of the moon's white dwelling." Now a powerful 
 Voivode, who dwelt in a convent and wanted to have a 
 fine palace built, called Ionita, and said, " I will give thee 
 as much gold and silver as thou hast ever dreamt of in thy 
 wildest dreams, but I want thee to build a fair palace 
 for me." 
 
 " Great Prince," answered Ionita, " in a year's time the 
 palace will be ready and smile on thee from the top of the 
 hill." And Ionita assembled the most skilful masons in all 
 the land and set to work heartily. At first all went on 
 well. But the moon just whispered a few words to the 
 sun before the sun had sunk to rest. " Glorious sun," said 
 the moon, " wilt thou allow this fellow to build a palace on 
 earth as fair as thy own palace and as the balconies of my 
 dear white dwelling ? Why, what difference will there be 
 between the Voivode and thyself when his palace is like 
 
202 The Church Builder, 
 
 thine? As to the Voivode's wife, she'll surely toss her 
 head at the moon and say, ( The balconies of my palace are 
 exactly like those of thy white dwellings.' Sister Moon and 
 I can't put up with any such impudence from the daughter 
 of a mortal, and who is a mortal herself." 
 
 The glorious sun, who was dying with sleep, drew his 
 purple curtains around him and answered lazily: "Beautiful 
 white moon, I am indignant with the man, but still thou 
 knowest how busy my life is and how I long for a good 
 night's rest. Take thou this matter in hand, and deal 
 harshly with Ionita the church builder. I will lend thee 
 my bow and my arrows." " No need," said the moon, and 
 spitefully hid her face behind a cloud. The sun was gone, 
 but the moon walked softly to the place where the walls 
 of the wondrous palace rose, and there became a beautiful 
 white maid, and began to sing so sweet a song that all the 
 workmen rose to listen, and when they saw her they fell 
 in raptures over her beauty and her grace. 
 
 At midnight she took leave. " Come back to-morrow 
 evening," they all said. " O do come back, fair maid." "I 
 promise to come back and sing again," said she, a if you 
 give your master Ionita this draught when he joins you 
 to-morrow morning. O no, I'm not in love with him, 
 but I send him this draught which will make him joyous 
 and strong. Don't tell him I have come. Good-bye." And 
 she disappeared. When Ionita arrived at dawn one of his 
 favourite mates sprang up and said : " Master, drink, for 
 this is a marvellous draught. 'Twill make thee gay and 
 
The Church Builder, 203 
 
 strong." "Is no wench's design mixed up with the liquor? 
 I have loved no woman till now." And as Ionita was 
 reckless and thirsty he drank the whole cup and laughed. 
 
 Now the Voivode's wife was sweet and fair, and he 
 loved her well, but the Voivode knew not the ways of 
 love, and he spoke rudely, and the rude gauntlet had made 
 his fingers rude. And the rude wind that blows on battle- 
 fields had made his cheek and his lips rude, and the rude 
 light that burns in a warrior's eyes had made his own 
 eyes rude. 
 
 His wife was called Marita; she was slender and weak, 
 and it was less easy to blow ofF the petals of a fading 
 flower than to smite her dear soul and to wound her soft 
 heart. Now Marita's heart was sore wounded because the 
 Voivode was so rude, and she lay in her silver couch 
 awake every night, and sighed and wondered how a 
 woman must feel who is loved by a lover true. 
 
 The wily moon stepped in through the stained glass of 
 her window and crept to Marita's side, and sat on Marita's 
 couch and said : "Though thou art a Prince's daughter and 
 the wife of a great Voivode, O thou art poor and pitiful, 
 because thou never hast heard a word of love. Shall I tell 
 thee what lovers say who wander under my beams ? " And 
 Marita sighed and whispered : " Dear moon, is it right to 
 listen to thee ? " And thus the night passed, and all day 
 Marita sat dreaming of the time when the moon would 
 return and tell her the dangerous tale of universal love in 
 which she had no part. 
 
204 The Church Builder, 
 
 Ionita could no longer sleep. Since he had drunk 
 the moon's secret draught, he wandered beneath the 
 moon. He waited and knew something would come 
 and change his life. The moon said to Marita : " Dear 
 Princess, there is a young man down in the Prince's 
 garden who has drunk a love-draught and will love the 
 first fair woman he sees." " What care I for young men 
 who walk in my husband's garden ? " answered the sweet 
 Princess, but to herself she said : " How he must wait and 
 pine! O if the moon could vanish I would just step out 
 and see him, but of course without being seen." Just at 
 that moment the moon disappeared, and Marita hastened 
 to the garden and perceived Ionita, who wandered and 
 sighed. She pitied him in her heart and thought : " The 
 night is dark. He will not see my face, nor without seeing 
 can he love, but I must speak to him." So she said : " O 
 what ails thee ? What can I do to soothe ?" "Thy voice is 
 like a cold rose-leaf, lady, that falls and refreshes my blood. 
 My lips would like to touch the lips from which such a 
 fresh voice has come, for do we not touch the rose-tree 
 when we have to pluck its flowers ? " Marita would have 
 answered : "I am thy Prince's wife," but she felt he was sad 
 and weary, and he did not see her face. "The night is so 
 dark I can't see thy face. Shall we pray the beautiful 
 moon to return and shine in the garden, and then I will 
 see thy fair face." "Beware, sad young man, beware of my 
 lips and beware also of my face." "Oto drink death upon thy 
 lips, to drink death in thy eyes, I wish for no other bliss." 
 
The Church Builder, 205 
 
 Now Marita began to tremble because he had taken her 
 hand, and her hand began to tremble because he was taking 
 her heart. And she thought: "The Voivode's asleep, he has 
 been away with his warriors and ridden his horses all day." 
 Now the Voivode had a friend, a fearful old dragon, 
 whose whole body was made of green crystal and who 
 dwelt in a sandy plain. No one but the Prince could 
 approach and feed him, and he fed him with fire and with 
 snow. The old green dragon would eat nothing but fire 
 and snow. He loved the Voivode deeply, and to him the 
 Voivode related all his plans, all his joys and his cares. 
 The dragon had a magic garden whose trees always 
 whispered what was going on in the different parts of the 
 world. When the dragon walked in his garden he was 
 better informed than if he travelled for years. The old 
 dragon was sleepless just on the very same night when 
 Princess Marita met Ionita in the dark, and as the dragon 
 wandered beneath a tall elm the tall elm said : " Master 
 Dragon, at this very moment the Voivode's sweet wife is 
 allowing a man to speak of love to her." "What, the Prince's 
 own wife? I'm astounded, tall elm, the fair Marita is 
 pure like the green crystal of which my body is made. 
 Look again, thou may'st be mistaking some tirewoman 
 for the sweet Princess." But the tall elm answered: 
 " Master, have we ever made a mistake ? He touches her 
 hand, her heart is aglow, they sigh and they say : ' This is 
 love!'" At dawn the Voivode received a message. The 
 green dragon bade him come in all haste. " I will not say 
 
206 The Church Builder. 
 
 the truth to him," thought the kind dragon. "What husband 
 could hear of his wife's deceit without shame? I will find 
 some means of frightening Marita out of her sin." The 
 wondering Voivode arrived before dawn. "Three men have 
 saddled my horses, three men have thrown my mantle on 
 my shoulders, three men have stuck the princely peacock 
 plumes in my princely cap, for great was my haste to 
 come to thee, dear friend. Is some bad wizard astir, does 
 some black dwarf thwart thee, or art thou in love with the 
 fairy who dwells in the silver well?" " Thou hast guessed 
 aright, great monarch, I'm in love with the silver fairy 
 who dwells in the well by thy palace. She only appears 
 at night. O give me the key of thy garden, and give me 
 permission to stay by the well till the fairy comes, till I 
 see her fairy face." "Here 's the key," said the Prince, "but 
 be sure, my green dragon, to make thyself invisible, lest 
 all my warriors take fright, however brave they be, for 
 thou art a handsome dragon, but a green dragon still is no 
 sight for the eyes of mortals except for my princely eyes." 
 The second night Marita saw the moon ascend the sky, 
 and the moon came in through the stained window and 
 sat on Marita's couch, but Marita pretended to sleep till 
 the moon left her side, and then she rushed to her golden 
 mirror and combed her beautiful hair. She stood by her 
 golden mirror and donned a beautiful dress ; then she ran 
 out on the terrace, she ran to the place in the garden 
 where she knew young Ionita stood. He saw, and mad 
 with love he knelt at her feet and said: "Now I behold 
 
The Church Builder. 207 
 
 thy fairness, and I weep because thou art the fairest thing 
 
 on earth, and because thou must suffer not to see anything 
 
 that is fair as thee." And she stooped towards him as he 
 
 knelt, and she stooped towards him and said: " O thou art 
 
 handsome, and who would blame my heart to follow the 
 
 laws of my eyes ? Our eyes are made to take in all that *s 
 
 fair, our hearts are made to love all that our eyes deem 
 
 sweet." And she stooped towards him to kiss him, but 
 
 the invisible dragon, who had seen and heard everything, 
 
 at that moment became a cloud of fire in the sky, and the 
 
 earth shook and the palace trembled. And the Voivode 
 
 and all his warriors, together with equerries, pages and 
 
 servants, came out on the balconies high, came out on the 
 
 terraces broad, came out to the marble stairs and shrieked 
 
 and asked: "What is this awful cloud and why does the 
 
 earth shake thus? " But Marita and Ionita were so rapt 
 
 in each other that their lips did not part, nor knew they 
 
 aught of what happened. Then the dragon became an 
 
 immense river and lashed their feet and hurled them along 
 
 till the waves rolled round their heads. But their fond 
 
 lips parted not, nor did they know what happened, nor 
 
 even cared to know. Then the green dragon, who was a 
 
 fearful dragon, came before them in his true form, and 
 
 hissed and threw great flames from his nostrils, but they 
 
 took no notice of him. Seeing how deep their mutual love 
 
 now proved, the dragon said to himself: u I will once more 
 
 spare useless shame to my friend the Voivode," and with 
 
 the flames from his nostrils he made a beautiful woman 
 
208 The Church Builder. 
 
 who resembled Marita as if she was Marita herself, and 
 he put her gently on Marita's couch and breathed a few 
 words over her sleep. Then he took the ardent lovers on 
 his green crystal wings ; he took them to his garden, 
 whose gate he guarded himself. The Voivode saw no 
 change in his life, but his new spouse, being of dragon 
 blood, was wicked and impatient, and noticing her quick 
 mood, he often sighed and thought : " What can have thus 
 altered my sweet Marita?" and whereas when Marita was 
 always content, his spouse led a weary life, he now ordered 
 great feasts to be given at court, and lavished jewels and 
 gold on the imperious dame. 
 
 In the meantime Marita and Ionita dwelt in the 
 dragon's garden, but their happiness did not last long. For 
 they heard the trees relate to each other all that took 
 place on earth, and one morning Ionita learnt how his 
 mates had found another church builder who was gaining 
 great fame in the whole land, and how he was himself 
 forgotten by his friends and former companions. And 
 Marita, to her deep surprise, heard the sound of revels in 
 the Voivode's hall, and the merry laughter and the 
 haughty speech of a woman whose voice was so like hers 
 that she thought it might be an echo of her own voice. 
 And Ionita, on whom the love-draught had ceased to work, 
 sighed and said: "Fair Princess, I wish I had not seen 
 thy beauty nor touched thy gentle hand." And Marita 
 answered : "I wish I had ne'er descended the steps that led 
 to our garden that night." The old dragon watched them 
 
The Church Builder, 209 
 
 and rejoiced, for they were tasting the bitter fruit of sin; 
 then, when he believed they had suffered sufficiently, he 
 carried Ionita back on his own green wings, and Ionita 
 awoke among his mates. 
 
 But before he could carry Marita back to the palace, 
 the false Marita, who was born of dragon blood, had to 
 be taken away from the place she occupied, and many 
 difficulties now rushed in the dragon's way. He took the 
 form of a humming-bee, and buzzed in the Princess's ear 
 till she turned and said: " This bee is certainly a fairy. I 
 never heard a bee like this." Then the bee said: u I am thy 
 sister. I'm born like thee of dragon blood." " Then," an- 
 swered the false Princess, "thou must be immortal." And at 
 this the bee felt disturbed, because only then the dragon was 
 reminded that he could not destroy what he had created 
 with his own blood. He answered simply: "Sister, thou 
 need'st a maiden who may sit by thy side and sing. No 
 great Princess is like thee by herself in her bower, while to 
 other Princesses sweet maids relate fine tales and sing." 
 
 " 'Tis true," said the ambitious dame; " canst thou bring 
 such a maid to me?" "Certainly," answered the hum- 
 ming-bee, and vanished. The dragon changed Marita's face, 
 the dragon changed Marita's voice, the dragon changed 
 Marita's steps, and told her: " Wilt thou win thy lord back? 
 Obey me, and go in thy own palace and serve the new 
 Princess." At this Marita got pale: "A servant in my own 
 palace, and a servant to my rival, too! " " Then lose the 
 Voivode for ever." Marita said: "I will obey." When she 
 
 p 
 
210 The Church Builder, 
 
 entered the garden, she smiled j when she mounted the 
 steps, she sighed ; when she pushed the door open, she 
 wept, for, in the middle of her own chamber, and on her 
 own husband's knee, a proud dame dressed in gorgeous 
 attire stood and said: " Come here, poor maiden ! What is 
 thy name?" "Smea," answered Marita,and the name which 
 meant a dragon's daughter had come uncalled to her lips. 
 " O husband, noble husband, I too might wear the pretty 
 name of the poor maiden," and she turned her face towards 
 Marita, and then Marita stared as she held her breath, for 
 she saw her own former self stand before her, and she 
 understood the kind dragon's trick, and forgave her dear 
 husband for the love he showed the dame who was her 
 own image and had her own voice. Days of sore trial 
 were in store for her. The false Princess was a wicked 
 dame, who scolded and fretted from morning till night, 
 and never gave poor Smea one moment's peace. One day 
 she spoke so harshly that Smea let big tears roll down her 
 cheeks. The Voivode entered and asked kindly: "Why 
 does poor Smea weep?" and the furious Princess got into 
 a hot rage and said: " Husband, don't interfere." The 
 Voivode said: " Ah! those were happy days, Marita, when 
 thou wast as soft as the wool on thy distaff. What has 
 altered thy mood? " and Smea sprang up and said: " I, too, 
 know a good Princess, Prince, and now the Princess is 
 wicked." And three months glided on and in sore grief 
 and pain Smea who was once Marita watched the day 
 when her dear husband would take her back to his bosom 
 
The Church Builder. 211 
 
 and discard the hateful stranger. And still that day did not 
 come. She tried to keep cheerful, but sore was the task. 
 One morning the wicked Princess went out to a big hunt 
 with the Voivode, for he so pitied Smea that he took his 
 wife away from the palace as long as he could. Then 
 Smea, in wild joy to be by herself once again in her own 
 palace, ran to her mirror, and lo! as she looked into the 
 mirror, she gradually resumed her former features. And she 
 put on her golden chains and began to cry and to sing 
 aloud. "O, hast thou come back at last?" said the little 
 mirror. " How pleased I am to reflect thy image ! Thou 
 canst not imagine how mirrors hate cross faces, and the 
 new Princess's face is always cross. But tell me why thou 
 hast been away." And Smea sang to her mirror her sad, sad 
 tale. And between each sentence she said: " O, if the Voi- 
 vode could know, the Voivode would forgive." Now it so 
 happened that the Voivode and the wicked Princess came 
 home much earlier than they had said they would, and 
 they heard some one sing in the Princess's bower. The 
 Voivode heard the voice, and heard the words; he entered 
 and saw his real wife, and clasped her to his breast, while 
 the dragon's daughter raged and fumed and scolded dragon- 
 wise. The Voivode stood perplexed; what could he do 
 with the wicked creature who had embittered his days? Now 
 his gentle wife had returned, he was happy, but sore per- 
 plexed. The old green dragon arrived and said: " Alas! she 
 is immortal, because she 's of my blood. I'll marry her to 
 some bad wizard; she'll drive him mad, but she's fair." 
 
212 Barbu and the Raven. 
 
 BARBU AND THE RAVEN. 
 
 A TZIGANE TALE. 
 
 Barbu the tzigane possessed naught but his violin and 
 his black raven; with his violin he went playing from 
 village to village, from door to door, till he gained a few 
 copper pieces ; his raven served him for another purpose. 
 He called him Mihalake! and taught him all kinds of 
 tricks. Barbu the tzigane had many defects, but he also 
 had one great quality; he never stole big things — only 
 here and there a small ring,a small watch-chain,a tiny purse 
 with tiny silver coins in it. " What would be the use," said 
 he, " to take from people the objects that are dearest to their 
 eyes because more conspicuous? Who would miss such a 
 little purse, such a small ring?" and Barbu felt quite 
 innocent when he acted thus. Besides, he never roused any 
 suspicion : he was so sweet-tempered and so jolly and so 
 poor — he wore a shirt torn at the elbows and his fur cap 
 had as many holes in it as the moon. He was invited in a 
 village to play at the wedding of the priest's eldest 
 daughter, and Barbu played the whole night till his 
 fingers drew sparkles out of the violin, and no one could 
 remember he had ceased playing one single minute. Yet 
 the next day a gold ring was missing among the bride's 
 
Barbu and the Raven, 2 1 3 
 
 presents, and so one who knew not poor unselfish Barbu 
 was rude enough to suggest he might have taken the ring 
 again. There was deep indignation as this was heard, but 
 the priest, a keen man, said: " Let us pay a visit to Barbu's 
 hut; maybe he has taken the ring by mistake." . . . 
 
 Barbu saw a great number of people coming towards 
 his hut, and he had no time left to run and hide himself 
 underground, because in general he lived in a cave behind 
 the hovel; so he walked up to meet the visitors, and the 
 priest said: "Master Barbu, we have something very 
 serious to tell you. A gold ring is missing — my daughter's 
 ring. We well know an honest tzigane like you does not 
 take a gold ring; but you are clever, will you help us to 
 find it? For instance, the ring might have been curious 
 to know your home, and have come all this way on pur- 
 pose. Will you help us to seek it in your hovel and in the 
 underground room where you sleep? " " O do not take the 
 trouble to search in vain. I have my friend the raven, a 
 most sagacious bird, and I will consult him about the ring." 
 So Barbu called the raven, who, perched upon his shoulder, 
 stooped towards his ears. The tzigane exclaimed: "A 
 wonderful tale; the raven owns he has taken the ring, as one 
 of his aunts, an old crow who has long remained a spinster, 
 is going to be married to-morrow, and the raven thought 
 he might offer her the present. I will punish the wicked 
 treacherous brute; here is the ring"; and Barbu drew the 
 ring from his bosom, where he said the raven had dropped 
 it, and the priest went away well content with his day's 
 
2 1 4 Barbu and the Raven. 
 
 work, and pouring compliments on Barbu for his clever- 
 ness in getting the ring back from the bird. A few months 
 later, at a funeral where Barbu had gone to get some of 
 the wine distributed in memory of the dead, the very boots 
 of the dead man disappeared, and they had to bury the 
 corpse barefooted, and all the peasants wept and said: 
 " Poor man, it was his only chance to wear a pair of boots." 
 This time an angry mob assembled before Barbu's hut, 
 and he got pale and trembled; but his wits did not abandon 
 him on this occasion either. He stepped out and wrung 
 his hands and said: " Good people, I know why you come 
 and shriek. The man has gone to his grave without 
 boots; he will not be able to reach Heaven; he will stop 
 half-way. Alas! alas! I saw with my own eyes the devil 
 step in while we were drinking and take his boots off. I 
 suppose he had an old debt to the devil. But 1 am not a 
 man to be outdone by the devil. I followed the wicked 
 fellow and traced him to the banks of the river, and I 
 was just about to lay hands on him when he plunged in 
 the water, and was drowned. The boots are all that re- 
 main ; they're in the river, friends. Swim and catch them, 
 and I will help you to do so, and the boots will belong to 
 him who finds them." With one shout of enthusiasm they 
 accepted the proposition, and Barbu dived madly in the 
 river and the others followed, and in fact they saw 
 on the water a couple of shoes float which they tried to 
 reach. Barbu, notwithstanding his efforts, stayed in the 
 rear. At last one of the village youngsters got the shoes, 
 
Barbu and the Raven. 215 
 
 and was disappointed to find they were torn and useless. 
 "Why, the dead man had a new pair of shoes he had bought 
 years before and kept for his burial-day. He carried them 
 in his hands on Sundays and great occasions. These are 
 almost good for nothing. They cannot be the same shoes." 
 "Alas ! " said Barbu, " they are; but reflect, young man, the 
 devil himself wore them; the devil has a forked foot, and 
 the earth where he walks is on fire, so his toes came out 
 of the leather ; and, besides, the soles are burnt. Yet take 
 these boots home and wear them in peace. It is not every 
 one who can say he walks in the devil's old shoes." " True," 
 shouted the peasants, and in triumph they went away. 
 When they were out of sight Barbu drew a fine pair of 
 new boots from his cave, and looked at them and smiled 
 broadly, and he said: " Nay, dead man's shoes, ye are but 
 ordinary shoes, but ye will be the devil's own shoes when 
 Barbu the tzigane will wear ye." 
 
2 1 6 Sister Life and Sister Death. 
 
 SISTER LIFE AND SISTER DEATH. 
 
 Tell this tale once more before sunset. 
 Wilt thou tell this tale again? 
 
 Sister Life was a poor young maid whose youngest sister 
 was called Sister Death; 
 They lived side by side on the banks of a river. 
 Sister Life was poor and had but a small cottage, 
 
 With a small garden round the walls; 
 The cottage was turned towards the setting sun. 
 Sister Death had a big, bright palace. 
 And a garden most pleasant and large, 
 
 And her palace was turned towards the place where 
 
 the dear sun rises. 
 
 Sister Life was fair to behold, but far more beautiful was 
 
 Sister Death, and far more sweet and gracious; 
 
 Sister Life had but one flower in her garden, and in the 
 
 large garden of Sister Death 
 Thousands of flowers smiled and grew. 
 From the rich balcony of the palace, from the humble 
 stone threshold of the cot, 
 Sister Life and Sister Death often conversed together, 
 and as Sister Life was so poor 
 
Sister Life and Sister Death. 217 
 
 Sister Death sometimes gave her some work to finish and 
 
 some present. 
 They were happy in their own way and no one inter- 
 fered with them; 
 And they loved each other well. 
 But a young man came one day who asked Sister Death 
 for a glass of water, 
 For he was weary and warm. 
 And Sister Death smiled on him and gave him the water, 
 And saw he was handsome and young, 
 And touched his glowing hair, and touched his lips, 
 And felt she loved him, so she said : " Stop here, 
 My palace is bright and my garden large, and I can quench 
 thy thirst 
 With pure water from my well." 
 And he was fain to stay; and Sister Death from her 
 balcony said to Sister Life : 
 " Sister Life, I am happy, my love now stays with me, 
 And I touch his glowing hair and his lips." 
 "I would like to see him, Sister Death." 
 "It is impossible just now, for he's asleep; but when he 
 awakes I'll call thee to see my love is fair." 
 But Sister Death never called, and Sister Life under- 
 stood she was jealous, and spoke not a word again 
 Of the handsome young man. 
 Now Sister Death's young lover stepped out on the high 
 balcony 
 That o'erlooked the small garden of Sister Life, 
 
2 1 8 Sister Life and Sister Death. 
 
 And he saw that in the garden there was but one flower, 
 And he said : " I would like to breathe its perfume and 
 
 to know its name." 
 So he went down the steps and entered the small garden 
 Where Sister Life slept under a high rose-tree, 
 And he looked not at the maiden, but breathed the 
 flower's sweet breath, and thought he would die 
 with joy, 
 So deep was its perfume. 
 And then he looked at Sister Life, 
 And instantly he loved her as he had never loved. 
 
 And when he went to the palace of Sister Death he 
 
 told her: 
 " Under a rose-tree in that small garden there a maiden 
 
 sleeps ; 
 I know not who she is, and yet I love her and must 
 
 leave thee, Lady Death." 
 Sister Death wrung her hands and wept and said: 
 
 " Beware, 
 The maiden is poor ; she has but one flower in her 
 
 garden." 
 " Hast thou ever taken in that sweet flower's breath, 
 
 To know what bliss lives on earth ? " 
 " O no," said Sister Death, " that one flower's breath 
 Would kill me." 
 But he stopped not to listen, and before Sister Death could 
 lock the door 
 Her handsome lover was gone. 
 
Sister Life and Sister Death, 219 
 
 She wept and tore her hair, and cut down the flowers in 
 her garden, and said : 
 " Ye must die because that one flower's breath 
 Hath taken him away from me." 
 And the people who passed on the road heard 
 Sister Death cry aloud, while her palace trembled. 
 And she covered her face with her hair. 
 Her handsome lover was gone. 
 
22o The Tzigane, the Voivode, 
 
 THE TZIGANE, THE VOIVODE, AND THE 
 ENCHANTED WHISTLE. 
 
 Manole, the tzigane, wept bitterly and wrung his hands 
 in deep despair. His tziganca, his darling wife, was dying. 
 There she lay, on the straw he had got for her from a 
 neighbouring stack. And he said to her: " Thou art dying. 
 A few more minutes and thou wilt see thy dear priest, the 
 devil, face to face. Thou wilt have a jolly time telling him 
 all thou hast done on earth, but ah me ! what shall I become? 
 who will work for me and steal fat poultry, and arrange 
 charms and bow the peasants down before our power 
 when they come to ask for help, and thou givest them 
 herbs and black water in a little bottle? Ah me!" The 
 tziganca, though very weak, answered in a feeble voice: 
 " Yes, Manole, I am happy to meet the devil, but wretched 
 to leave thee, my earthly devil, my dark one. We are poor, 
 and I cannot teach thee my art, but one thing I will be- 
 queath that may prove precious if made good use of. Take 
 this small whistle," and she gave him a tiny whistle made 
 out of the branch of a hazel-nut tree, and she continued : 
 "This whistle possesses a most singular gift: when a man 
 who is not quite honest, a thief I mean, enters the room 
 where this whistle is, it whistles in a low, discreet way." 
 
and the Enchanted Whistle. 221 
 
 " Ah ! " said Manole, " now I have the explanation of the 
 sound I ever heard when I came home." " Right," said the 
 tziganca. " Of course to thee the little whistle can be of no 
 use, but take it to thy master, the Voivode ; he will give thee 
 at least four gold coins for it. Another word ; the enchanted 
 whistle is rather impertinent, and at the third notice given 
 about the same person it raises a shrill voice and cries 
 aloud: 'Manole is a thief! ' " "True," said Manole, "I have 
 often heard the words, but thought thou wast paying a com- 
 pliment to me, dear wife." No sooner was the tziganca 
 dead than Manole put the small whistle in his bosom and 
 resorted to the palace of the Voivode, whose servants and 
 officials at first made great difficulty to admit him, but the 
 tzigane said he had brought a wondrous gift to the Prince, 
 and besides, his every step as he entered the ante-room was 
 marked by a shrill sound which seemed to come out of his 
 bosom, and they believed it was the voice of some strange 
 bird their master would be pleased to possess. So he was 
 ushered in. As soon as the Voivode perceived Manole in 
 the crowd, he laughed and said: " Welcome, tzigane; what 
 is thy request ? " " To speak alone five minutes to thy high- 
 ness, and to kiss the dust beneath thy slippers." The 
 Voivode made a sign, and courtiers and servants vanished. 
 "Great Prince," said Manole, "I know the difficulties of thy 
 situation. May God uplift thy crown above all its enemies, 
 and wash it every day with pure milk, milked by the angels 
 from the bosom of the moon." " Amen," answered the Voi- 
 vode, and crossed himself piously. " I have brought thee a 
 
222 The Tzigane ', the Voivode, 
 
 means to help thee to reign even more gloriously than thou 
 hast done, though it seems impossible. Bless thy eyelids, 
 thy lips and thy toes, and thy sinless brains." "Speak freely," 
 said the Voivode. " Princes are often deceived — they are 
 so dazzled by the light of God, their brother, who al- 
 ways shines before their eyes, that their eyes are sometimes 
 heedless of grosser things. God speaks to them so often and 
 so loud that they hear not the mean talk of the rabble." 
 " True," said the Voivode. " Go on, tzigane." " So I have 
 brought a most wondrous gift to thee," and he drew the little 
 whistle from his bosom. " This whistle will whistle every 
 timealiar or a traitor orathief comes into thy sacred presence. 
 It is no devil's work. It has dwelt three days in holy water." 
 " Art thou sure of this? " said the Voivode. " As sure as 
 that I stand an unkempt and unwashed tzigane before the 
 face of a mighty Prince." " What shall I give thee in ex- 
 change for the wonderful present ? " " Only four poor gold 
 coins, four little gold coins, mighty Prince." "And how 
 shall I know thou playest not a deceit upon me ? " u Mighty 
 Prince, I will go out of thy dazzling presence, and when I 
 return, as your tzigane has his failings (God knows your 
 tzigane is honest, but he has his failings), the whistle will 
 whistle when I re-enter the room." And Manole went out, 
 and as he returned the whistle in the Voivode's fingers gave 
 a low whistle, and the Voivode, well content, handed the 
 four gold pieces, and the tzigane left the palace in great glee. 
 The Voivode was still happier than Manole. "Ah ! my true 
 councillors," he said, "and chamberlains and equerries, ah! 
 
and the Enchanted IV hist le. 223 
 
 my messengers from and to the people, I will now know 
 all the truth about your secret designs," and he rang the 
 bell and ordered his court to assemble again round him; 
 but when they in procession advanced towards the throne 
 the little whistle got into such a state of trepidation and 
 whistled so the Voivode was obliged to hide it in an iron 
 box, and from its depths the shrill sound was still heard. 
 The Voivode laughed to himself and then said aloud: " To- 
 day in the afternoon I will hold council with my faithful 
 councillors in the left wing of the palace; let the ten 
 whom I trust among thousands attend my orders to-day." 
 Then he retired with a smile of satisfaction on his clever 
 face, and the councillors and the courtiers whispered to 
 each other: "What has happened to our gracious Prince? 
 He looks as well pleased as if a tenth son was born this 
 morning under his princely roof, or has he dreamt that 
 his warriors have brought him the head of his fiercest 
 enemy, or has he found the secret of everlasting youth ? " 
 The councillors looked grim: "We tremble when our 
 Prince is gay," said the oldest to his colleagues. As the 
 Voivode came and seated himself at the council-table 
 they all looked grim and anxious. The head councillor 
 rose and made a short speech, which was more than once 
 interrupted by a sharp whistle. " It is nothing," said the 
 Prince, " a passing trick from my parrot," but to his own 
 terrified surprise, before the man had finished his sayings, a 
 clear voice said, which seemed to dart like an arrow : 
 " Prince, your head councillor is a traitor." At which the 
 
224 The Tzigane, the Voivode, 
 
 head councillor turned red and then pale, and swore and 
 stamped his foot, and finally the council was broken up in 
 the greatest confusion. Now the Prince felt somewhat 
 annoyed ; how was he to seek for another man ? and the 
 whistle had rendered him a very bad service on the whole. 
 He would use it only in his household, and only wore it 
 in his belt as he went to pay a morning visit to his dear 
 wife Balasa; but no sooner did he enter her bower than the 
 whistle again made him start! " Impossible," said he, " this 
 cannot be. Balasa is a faithful wife"; but while the Princess 
 greeted him, and began to praise the aspect and the doings 
 of her lord, the whistle spoke loudly: " Prince, the Princess 
 deceives thee; she loves another man." ThePrincessturned 
 red and pale, and looked so guilty, the Prince's suspicions 
 grew to reality, and after being cross-questioned she owned 
 part of the truth. And in sore pain she had to leave the 
 palace, and go to a convent for the rest of her days. The 
 Prince wept and sighed in the bitterness of his heart; yet 
 still he clung to the enchanted whistle, and could not part 
 with the fatal gift. 
 
 Life had become intolerable in his palace. The servants 
 and equerries were sent away by dozens, and the Prince 
 never smiled, and ever and anon seemed to listen for the 
 mysterious sound. He had got thin and restless; the 
 gorgeous vestments he wore and his heavy rings fell from 
 him like dead leaves, and in his black hair silver threads were 
 seen. u All this change has come since the day when the 
 tzigane asked to see our Prince. The tzigane must have 
 
and the Enchanted Whistle. 225 
 
 thrown some spell upon him." So they went to find Manole, 
 and they promised to load him with gold if he could but 
 cure the Voivode of his present illness. Manole went to 
 the palace and said to the Prince: "Most enlightened and 
 beaming highness, an it please thee, return the whistle to 
 thy humble servant. I have heard from a very sagacious 
 wizard, in my hut only does the whistle speak the truth ; but 
 in the palace, by the side of such great courtiers, in the belt 
 of such a great Prince, it has lost its senses, it has learnt to 
 lie." "What," said the Prince, "art thou sure the whistle is a 
 liar?" "Yes," said Manole; and the Prince immediately 
 ordered the Princess to come back, and kissed her in great 
 glee, and he called all his courtiers around him and said : 
 "Forgive me for having sent ye away from my service," and 
 he felt like one mad with joy ; and Manole took the whistle 
 and said: "Foolish whistle, thou hast been mad indeed to 
 speak the truth in the palace of a Prince. Come back to 
 my hut, and in the red folds of my woollen belt." The 
 whistle said : " Take me back to the court, and I will speak 
 otherwise"; but Manole would not run the risk of another 
 adventure, so remained quietly in his hut to rejoice over the 
 money he had received from the courtiers. The Voivode, 
 one Sunday morning on his way to church, passed before 
 Manole's hut. He recognized the tzigane on the threshold, 
 and called to him : " Where is thy whistle ? Thou sayest he 
 says the truth in thy hut. I will alight, and hear." Manole 
 trembled while he ushered the Prince in. The little whistle 
 was suspended on a nail over the door, and as soon as the 
 
 Q 
 
226 The Enchanted Whistle. 
 
 Prince entered it whistled thrice and said: "Handsome 
 Prince, thou art true and brave ; thy courtiers are true ; thy 
 wife is beautiful and true; thy subjects are true to thee, 
 and thy own heart is truer even than the rays of the sun." 
 " Verily," said the Prince, " I had often heard from pulpit 
 and tribune that truth abides only with the humble and 
 the poor. Now here I find this saying has not deceived 
 me. I thank the goodness of the Lord, who teaches me to 
 love and revere truth ; the air in my Palace is polluted ; 
 whatever the enchanted whistle said then, was a lie; now 
 in this wretched hut lives truth." And he bestowed great 
 treasures upon Manole, and told him in gentle tones : 
 " Come to our court, good tzigane, but leave thy whistle in 
 this place, where I will ever run to consult its enchanted 
 sagacity; the whistle will always prove my best and sin- 
 cerest guide." Manole said: "Little whistle, thou hast won 
 immense wealth for me; it must console thee for not being 
 truthful." And he blessed the memory of the tziganca, his 
 dead wife. 
 
Hie and Fauna. 227 
 
 ILIE AND PAUNA. 
 
 There was sadness over all the land — the King had 
 married for the second time, and his new wife was as 
 wicked as the first one had been gentle. She made the 
 court mad with her caprices, and broke the heart of her aged 
 husband ; yet he loved her, and dared not to contradict any 
 of her whims. So every one was exposed to the ill-humour 
 and wrath of the Queen. Her handmaid was a cunning 
 sorceress, whom the people soon called the devil's first 
 cousin, and with this woman the Queen spent her nights 
 in mischievous designs, which she accomplished during the 
 day. The Queen hated all that was young, pure, and brave ; 
 therefore she hated bitterly her husband's son, Prince Hie, 
 the heir to the throne, a handsome boy of eighteen, who 
 despised the Queen and her menaces. So the Queen said 
 to her faithful handmaid : " I must get rid of his presence, 
 and deprive him of his rights." "But, madam, it is impos- 
 sible to kill Prince Hie. He is popular more than the King 
 himself, and every suspicion would fall upon us, and we 
 would be torn to pieces by the mob, or trodden by wild 
 horses." " I know, I know," answered the wicked Queen, 
 "but find the means to destroy him without killing." Three 
 days the devil's first cousin reflected and wandered through 
 
228 Hie and Fauna. 
 
 the woods, and at the end of the three days she told her royal 
 mistress she had arranged an admirable plan in her mind. 
 But the Queen must be cautious, and show much amiability 
 to the Prince in order to make the plot succeed. This the 
 Queen promised to do, and from that moment she ceased her 
 persecutions towards Hie, and the boy felt glad, and walked 
 with happy visage his father's halls. " Surely," thought he, 
 " the Queen is at heart a much better woman than we ever 
 deemed her to be, surely we have misjudged her ! " A month 
 and more was thus spent pleasantly at the King's court, 
 and the Queen invented all kinds of sports and revels to 
 amuse the King and her son-in-law. At last she seemed to 
 be at her wits' end for new devices, when she struck her 
 forehead with her fingers and exclaimed: u Splendid idea! 
 let us have a silver barge and a gold barge illumined, and 
 try a race on the big river." The king hesitated: "I am 
 afraid it would be dangerous sport, my dear. The river is 
 swollen by recent rains, and always impetuous like a torrent. 
 I wish thou would'st think of another pastime," but the 
 Queen had set her heart on the matter, and the two barges 
 beautifully ornamented soon awaited their royal occupants. 
 In the gilded barge the Queen and the King took places, 
 and in the other the Prince with twelve oarsmen, and before 
 they left the Queen sent them fruit and rich wine, which 
 they drank in high glee. Then the race began ; and soon 
 the Prince's barge got ahead of the royal boat, and the King 
 laughed to note his son had more luck and more skill than 
 himself, for the King steered the gilded barge with his own 
 
Hie and Fauna, 229 
 
 hands. Then he gave the return signal and said: "Now the 
 Prince will get a beautifully embroidered belt for his skill, 
 and I will give each oarsman a purse full of coins and a 
 silver bugle." But the signal flew over the waters in vain. 
 The Prince's barge did not return. For hours the river 
 was searched, for hours the people wept on its banks, and 
 the King tore his gray hair and his purple vestments, and 
 in her dainty kerchief the Queen hid her fair face and wept. 
 No traces of the princely boat could be found, though no 
 one could believe the Prince and his twelve oarsmen were 
 drowned. The desolation was so great no one dared enter 
 the King's presence for ten days, and for ten days the 
 Queen remained shut up in her bower, and conversed 
 with her favourite handmaid ; and they whispered and said 
 to each other: " They all slept so fast that the current has 
 taken the boat away to a distant shore. He will never be 
 seen again! " 
 
 Pauna, the fair daughter of the Voivode, was sitting in 
 the moonlight on the banks of the river, her spindle in 
 her hand, her distaff in her belt, while the maidens around 
 her filled the silvery hours with tales of valour and love. 
 A wandering shepherd's flute was heard from the neigh- 
 bouring hill, and the water laughed and sighed by turns as 
 it glided at their feet beneath the tall reeds. The maidens 
 who sat around the young Princess were twelve maidens 
 fair, but fairer than Pauna was none as she listened to 
 their words, and sighed and laughed by turns like the 
 water between the reeds. "O look!" exclaimed she, and 
 
230 Hie and Fauna. 
 
 rose to her feet, "look there, a wonderful barge as sil- 
 very as the river and the moon glides swiftly." And the 
 maidens all rose, and they saw the handsome Prince asleep 
 among the sleeping oarsmen, and they said: " O who will 
 stop the wandering boat ? Is the young man dead, and dead 
 his companions, the young man who must be their chief?" 
 "Then, if he is dead," said Pauna, " let us kiss his brow 
 and his hands from, sheer pity for his youth," and she threw 
 her spindle towards the river, and it alighted on the boat's 
 high prow, and the boat slowly turned from its course 
 and approached the moonlit banks. But when the boat 
 had come quite close to them the maidens stood in con- 
 fusion great and in sore dismay, for they found out the 
 Prince and his oarsmen, though they softly breathed, 
 could not be awakened either by gesture or word. And 
 besides, they felt the boat would soon drift away again, 
 as their joint forces could not retain it nor anchor it to 
 the shore. Then Pauna said: "Bid my father fare well, 
 and may ye too fare well, my twelve maidens, but I 
 must away with this sleeping youth, for I feel my fate 
 is bound to his fate." And the maidens wept and fell 
 on their knees in the wet sand, but Pauna would not 
 hearken tears and prayers, and stepped into the silvery 
 barge, and soon the current carried them afar. For 
 months she lived on the waters, kissed the sleeping Prince, 
 for months gazed on his face and gently kissed his hands, 
 for months she smoothed the purple pillows under his 
 languid head, and watched his twelve companions as they 
 
Hie and Fauna. 231 
 
 slumbered by his side. And in her palace the wicked 
 Queen rejoiced as the mourning for the Prince was over, 
 and the King, sad and worn, yet gracious to his wife, had 
 ordered every one to resume his office, and her life sped 
 gaily on. In secret the people said : " O what has become 
 of our dear young Prince ?" and looked at the Queen with 
 angry eyes. The royal pair avoided the shores of the 
 great river, and the river's sound was kept away from 
 them by the murmur of incessant music. And when the 
 year had passed and the day come which marked the 
 anniversary of Princellie's disappearance, the Queen said to 
 the King: " We will have a large supper where all the poor 
 in the land will be invited to eat and drink and bless thy 
 dear son's memory." And thus it came the King and 
 Queen were seated in their banquet hall with hundreds 
 around them when a page came in and said ; " Royal lord, 
 a fair maid is there in the garden, and in her arms, though 
 she is slim and weak, she bears a slumbering youth." u My 
 lord," said the Queen, "and wilt thou allow strangers to 
 trespass on this sacred meal?" and she made a sign, and 
 bugles covered the page's voice. A few minutes passed; 
 then silence fell, and the doors of the hall were thrown 
 open, and on the threshold Pauna appeared with the 
 Prince's slumbering head on her heart. And she laid 
 him at his father's feet and said: "I have carried him 
 hither from the shore, and my arms are weary. O great 
 King, look and tell who can this young man be?" "My son, 
 my darling, my own son, Prince Hie," and shouts of joy 
 
232 Hie and Fauna. 
 
 made the roof and the walls tremble, while the Queen 
 trembled in wrath and fear. 
 
 Pauna said: a He sleeps, and his twelve oarsmen are like- 
 wise fast asleep. O how shall we awaken them to life 
 again ?" Then an old warrior who was present, and had good 
 reason for hating the Queen, said in loud tones: "Let 
 every one here kiss the Prince's fair hand, and when the 
 foe who sent him to sleep will touch his fingers with 
 traitorous lip the Prince will rise." And the procession 
 began from the lowest beggar seated there to the highest 
 lord till the false Queen's turn arrived, and she said: 
 " It is useless I should kiss the Prince's hand. Am I not 
 his friend and mother? How can I have wrought him 
 harm ?" But a cry broke out from the crowd, and she saw 
 murder in the eyes bent on her guilty face. So she ad- 
 vanced and stooped towards Hie, but her lips touched not 
 his skin, and the trial was almost over. But the old man, 
 who was sly and quick, came behind the kneeling Queen, 
 and with one swift stroke on her neck forced her to kiss 
 the Prince's open palm, and all at once the Prince opened 
 his eyes and said: " The woman who sent me to sleep for 
 one long year has just touched my hand with her lips." 
 And he met his stepmother's terrified look, and he said: 
 " Thou shalt not die, but in a dungeon dark as thy own 
 soul for one long year must thou remain." The King said: 
 "So be it, my son"; and the weeping Queen was borne 
 away from the fury of the people. The King said to his 
 son: "Rejoice, fair son, but for the treachery of that wicked 
 
Hie and Fauna. 233 
 
 woman my soul would be as smiling as a vineyard in 
 September." Yet Hie did not smile. He said to his father: 
 " Dear King, wonder not if my mouth bears no smile, if I 
 cannot be gay with thee. Yes, here is my palace, my 
 people, my warriors, my father, my breath. Yet in my 
 slumber I was happier by far than now in my wakeful 
 hours, where all I had lost is restored; for in my sleep I 
 saw a maiden fair, who smoothed the purple pillows for 
 my head. And she gazed on my slumbering visage and 
 sometimes kissed my hand. I could not speak to her nor 
 stir, but I heard her sigh and speak. I was far happier in 
 my sleep." Then the King beckoned to Pauna, who had 
 retired bashfully in the crowd : a Is not this maid alike unto 
 the maiden of thy dream?" Prince Hie fell at Pauna's 
 feet and said: " Fair maid, I love thee, and thou shalt be 
 my spouse in this high palace even should'st thou be a 
 ploughman's daughter or the sister of a shepherd who lives 
 in the mountains and sings." Pauna said: "I am the only 
 daughter of a wild and ruthless Voivode. He lives far 
 from here, and has conquered many kingdoms. He is cruel 
 in war and cruel in peace, and speaks naught but of 
 swords and wounds. But my heart is soft, and he turns 
 to me, and his eyes then soften and dance. Take a horse, 
 a sword, and thy richest spurs, and ride to my father's tent." 
 And Hie rode to the fierce man's tent, and entered with 
 golden sound of spurs and sword and heavy armour, and 
 looked both courteous and proud. He said: "I am a King's 
 son and have wooed thy daughter fair." "Alas ! " answered 
 
234 M e an d Pauna. 
 
 the Voivode, " my daughter has gone for ever." " Rejoice, 
 Voivode, thy daughter 's alive ! I have come to sue for her 
 hand." The Voivode smiled and said : M Fair Prince, 
 Pauna is worthy of thee." 
 
 And thus from her dark dungeon the wicked Queen 
 heard the sound of lute and song, and in her wicked soul 
 she said : " I should have given him poison, but the hand- 
 maid was false to me." And she drew her long hair over 
 her guilty face, and tore her long hair with her teeth. 
 
The Tzigane and his Wife. 235 
 
 THE TZIGANE AND HIS WIFE. 
 
 " So, dear, I am dying," said Andreia the tziganca to her 
 husband, Busuioc; "but never mind, I will often come 
 back to see thee when I am in my grave. I could not bear 
 the idea that Busuioc has made a good bargain, stolen a 
 stout pair of horses from the farmer, or a good mantle from 
 the merchant in town, without I am there to enjoy his 
 pleasure. I promise thee I will come." "Do," said Busuioc, 
 because he would not disappoint the woman by showing 
 her he would soon get over his grief; but to himself he 
 muttered : " Bah ! once the hard stone is on her grave and 
 the coffin lid on her face, I will be rid of her and her 
 jealousy and her screams. I will marry Sultanica the 
 dancer, who walks on her finger-tips and delights all the 
 fairs in the country ; Andreia will not know, as she will 
 be counting the grains of earth that fall upon her." Andreia 
 was a dangerous and wilful woman ; she had made up her 
 mind, since die she must, she would find some means of 
 teasing her husband still. The first week after the funeral 
 passed off most happily for Busuioc; his hut seemed to 
 him a quiet, comfortable place, and he did not leave, but 
 on Sunday morning, as he watched a group of peasant 
 girls who returned from church, he noticed that one of 
 
236 The Tzigane and his Wife. 
 
 them wore a pair of glittering glass earrings as green as the 
 new-born grass. He followed. The girls stopped under 
 the forest trees, undid their belts, and fell to sleep in the 
 coolness of the shade. Then it was Busuioc approached 
 with stealthy steps, and with fingers light as the dew took 
 the earrings from the young girl's ears. " My very first 
 present to Sultanica," said he, and hid the earrings in his 
 bosom, and awaited with some impatience the next day, 
 when he was to meet the tziganca he loved. 
 
 He spent the afternoon in pleasant thought and pleasant 
 work. Twilight came on, then darkness, and he lit his 
 fire and sat by it, and lifted the green earrings to the light. 
 " They shine like the eyes of a dragon," said he, and smiled 
 to imagine how pretty Sultanica would look with the ear- 
 rings dangling about her face. — Rap, rap! a loud knock at 
 the door. "Who is there?" "Andreia, thy true wife! I have 
 heard of those green earrings, and have come to see them." 
 "Bother the dead creature," said Busuioc, and went to open. 
 He trembled under his rags, for he had never seen the soul 
 of the dead pay a visit to the living, and a kind of horror 
 thrilled him. As the door went ajar a gust of wind entered 
 and nothing else, but when he turned towards the fire there 
 stood Andreia's big form, wrapped in her brown mantle ; 
 her face and her hands were invisible, and the light of the 
 fire leapt and passed through her like a sword through the 
 mist. " Show me the earrings," she said, and she spoke so 
 naturally that the awe of Busuioc vanished, and he made 
 the earrings glitter before the shadow of his dead wife. 
 
The Tzigane and his Wife. 237 
 
 "I will take them," said she in a greedy voice ; " I must have 
 them. My eyes have just faded in my sockets. I will put 
 these glass beads to replace them," and though she did not 
 stretch her hands nor make a movement, the earrings 
 sprang up to her forehead, and Busuioc saw them glisten 
 behind the hood, and his heart grew sick within his body, 
 but he could not speak. "Farewell," said Andreia ; "I am 
 satisfied no woman is here; thou hast stolen the jewels for 
 me; I thank thee, my dear husband," and she disappeared. 
 For more than three weeks after the unwelcome visit 
 Busuioc felt uncomfortable and scarcely left his hut; he 
 dared not even think of Sultanica, but on the fourth week 
 he met her, and she danced before him and delighted his 
 eyes: "What shall I give thee for a kiss, Sultanica?" 
 "A nice silver belt, and I will come myself to thy hut and 
 fetch it." 
 
 He stole the silver belt from the stall of the merchant 
 who possessed the finest merchandise in the fair, and said 
 to Sultanica: "I will take the belt to thee myself." But 
 Sultanica had made up her mind to visit the hut of Busuioc, 
 as she also liked him. Busuioc hung the silver belt on a 
 nail, and on the night of the day he had stolen it he 
 tremblingly awaited Andreia's visit. She did not come. 
 Busuioc was so relieved that he clapped his hands and 
 said : " To-morrow evening I will take the present to 
 Sultanica," and he set off the next evening with the silver 
 belt in his hand. Now Sultanica had also set off" to join 
 him in his dwelling, but as they took another way they 
 
238 The Tzigane and his Wife. 
 
 did not meet. Sultanica entered the hut ; it was empty. 
 "He'll soon return," thought she, and sat down by the fire, 
 and laughed to reflect how pleased Busuioc would be to 
 find her there. — Rap, rap ! a loud knock. "Who's there ?" 
 " Open, I am Andreia, thy wife." Sultanica almost fainted 
 with fear : " Busuioc is not here." Andreia recognized 
 Sultanica's voice, pushed the door and, like a winter gale, 
 rushed in. She was wrapped in her brown mantle and her 
 green eyes glittered, and she said : "Ah! thou hast come 
 about that silver belt, and I am his true wife, and I wanted 
 it to keep my bones together, as they're falling ofT! Ah ! 
 thou hast come to steal my true husband from me, because 
 thou art young and beautiful, and I am dead. Come, I 
 will take thee to the place where I dwell. Come, I say." 
 Sultanica by this time was half mad with fear, and as 
 Andreia's shadow said: "Come! " she fell to the ground 
 and never rose again. Busuioc found the dead girl's body 
 by his waning fire, and over her the brown mantle in 
 which he had buried Andreia. 
 
 CH1SWICK PRESS : PRINTED BY CHARLES WHITTINGHAM AND CO. 
 TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE, LONDON. 
 
THE BARD OF THE DIMBOVITZA. Roumanian 
 Folk Songs, collected from the Peasants by Helene Va- 
 caresco. Translated by Carmen Sylva and Alma Strettell. 
 With an Introduction by Carmen Sylva. 
 
 " The poems have the wild melancholy and the fierce simplicity of 
 all true popular ballads, with an undertone of ghastly mystery that 
 reminds one of the Highland second-sight and Irish fairy tales. . . . 
 They are directly, passionately, fiercely human j rich with a poetic 
 sympathy with external nature, but regarding it almost as the com- 
 rade and friend of man. . . . There are elements of the Greek joy in 
 all beautiful sights and sounds . . . but there is also a fierce love of 
 battle and of blood, such as rings through the Nibelungen epic." — 
 Frederic Harrison in The Fortnightly Review. 
 
 World. — "A real treasure-trove, a valuable addition to the litera- 
 ture of the world." 
 
 Notes and Queries. — " We know nothing in folk-songs and little in 
 literature like these productions. They come straight from the heart 
 of a people, and have a passionate intensity and poetry like nothing 
 else with which we are familiar. ... In the way in which they fulfil 
 that highest function of imaginative poetry, eliciting from inanimate 
 nature sympathetic response to human aspiration and passion, they 
 are almost unique. Thus each poem is wrung out of the heart of a 
 peasant — a passionate, suffering peasant — the expression of coarse 
 enjoyment of life is marvellous, and the poignancy of anguish is 
 expressed in language that can only be beaten, and rarely then, in 
 the Elizabethan drama." 
 
 Manchester Guardian. — " Few translations of the same type can 
 stand comparison with Fitzgerald's embroidery of Omar, yet one 
 certainly receives something of the same keen impression of freshness 
 and choiceness from these songs." 
 
 Times. — " The translation is full of poetical feeling, and does credit 
 to its joint authors. The Dimbovitza is now a classic with which 
 every person of intelligence ought to possess some acquaintance." 
 
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