The Message to Vidossava
King Voukashin [63] of Skadar on Boyana [64] wrote a book [65] and
dispatched it to Herzegovina, to the white city of Pirlitor [66]
opposite the mountain Dourmitor. He wrote it secretly, and secretly
he dispatched it to the hands of beauteous Vidossava, the lonely
consort of Voivode Momtchilo. These were the words in the book:
"Hail Vidossava, Momtchilo's consort! Why dost thou dwell in the midst
of ice and snow? When thou lookest up from thy castle walls thou seest
Mount Dourmitor adorned with ice and snow, yea, even in summer as in
mid-winter; when thou lookest down, lo! thither rushes thy turbulent
River Tarra carrying on its waves wood and stones. There are no fords,
neither are there bridges to span it; around it are only pine-trees and
fragments of rock. Why shouldst thou not give poison to thy husband
or betray him unto me? Then mightest thou fly to me on this level
sea-coast in my white city on Boyana. I will gladly espouse thee and
thou shalt become my queen. Thou shalt spin silk upon a golden spindle,
sit upon silk cushions and wear velvet embroidered with gold. And how
glorious is this city of Skadar on Boyana! When thou lookest upon the
fertile slopes above the walls thou wilt see innumerable fig-trees and
olive-trees, and vineyards full of grapes; when thou lookest beneath,
behold! the plain will be white with nodding wheat, and green with
the verdure of the meadows. Through the meadows green-limpid Boyana
is flowing; in its stream are all kinds of fish which thou wilt have
served fresh at table when thou dost so desire."
Vidossava's Treachery
When Vidossava had read the book she wrote a reply in fine characters:
"My Lord, thou King Voukashin! It is not an easy task to betray Voivode
Momtchilo, still less is it easy to poison him. Momtchilo has a sister,
by name Yevrossima, who prepares his dishes and partakes of each before
him. He has nine brothers and twelve first cousins who pour wine into
his golden cup; they always drink before him of each draught. Also,
O king! Voivode Momtchilo possesses a steed named Yaboutchilo;
it has wings and can fly any distance its master wishes. Nor is
this all! My spouse has a sword adorned with diamonds as big as a
maiden's eyes; with this, he fears no one but God. But attend to me,
O King Voukashin! Gather a numberless army together; bring thy heroes
to the lake, and hide there in the woods. It is Momtchilo's custom to
hunt each Sunday morning; he rides out with his nine brothers and his
twelve cousins, and attended by forty guards from his castle. On the
eve of next Sunday I will burn off Yaboutchilo's wings; the jewelled
sword I will dip in salted blood that Momtchilo may not be able to
unsheath it: thus thou shalt be able to vanquish him."
When this book reached King Voukashin's hands, his heart rejoiced and
he assembled a large force and marched to Herzegovina. He marched to
the lake by Momtchilo's castle, where he hid in the neighbouring woods.
On the eve of Sunday, Momtchilo retired to his bed-chamber to rest upon
the silken cushions, when lo! his consort came to him. She did not lay
on the cushions, but stood by her spouse and her tears fell upon his
head. Feeling the warm tears upon his knightly cheeks, the Voivode
looked up and said: "O Vidossava, my faithful consort! What great
trouble afflicts thee, that thou shouldst shed tears upon my head?"
And Vidossava answered: "My Lord, thou Voivode Momtchilo! I have no
trouble but for thee! I have heard tell of a marvel which I have not
seen with my own eyes. It is said that thou hast a wondrous winged
steed but I cannot believe the story. It is some evil portent, and
I fear thou wilt perish!"
The Winged Horse
Momtchilo was usually cautious, but this time he fell into the
trap. "Vidossava, my dear consort," said he, tenderly, "if that be
all thy trouble I will easily console thee. Thou shalt see the wings
of my steed Tchile: [67] when the first cocks crow go down to the
new stables, Tchile will then unfold his wings, as thou wilt see."
Saying this, he composed himself once more to slumber. But not so
Vidossava. She watched to hear the first rooster's crow, and at
the sound she sprang to her feet, lit a lantern and a candle, took
some fat of mutton and some tar, and hurried to the stables. And
behold! she saw Yaboutchilo unfold a pair of wings which reached
down to his hoofs. Vidossava anointed the pinions with the fat and
tar and set fire to them with the flame of her candle. What did not
burn she bound tightly under the belt of the steed. This done, she,
the youthful one, went to the armoury and dipped Momtchilo's favourite
sword into salted blood. Then she returned to her consort's chamber.
Momtchilo's Dream
At daybreak Momtchilo awoke and spake thus to Vidossava: "Vidossava,
my beloved spouse! I have had this night a strange dream: there
appeared suddenly a cloud of fog from the accursed land of Vassoye
and wrapped itself round Dourmitor. I rode through the cloud with my
nine darling brothers and twelve first-cousins, together with my forty
guards. In that fog, O my darling Vidossava! we lost sight of each
other, never to meet again! God alone knows what this dream means,
but I have a presentiment that some evil will befall us soon!"
Vidossava endeavoured to reassure her lord. "Do not fear, my darling
lord!" she said; "dreams are false, God is true!"
The Ambuscade
Momtchilo attired himself for hunting and walked out from his white
tower to the courtyard, where his nine brothers, twelve cousins,
and forty guards awaited him. His spouse led to him his Yaboutchilo;
he sprang to the saddle, and without more ado rode with his followers
to the hunt. All unsuspecting, they reached the lake, when suddenly
a great force surrounded them. Momtchilo grasped his sword, but,
alas! he was unable to unsheathe it. Then he exclaimed bitterly:
"Hark, my beloved brethren! My consort Vidossava has betrayed me;
give me a sword!"
Speedily his brothers obeyed; they gave him the best sword they
had. Then Momtchilo said again: "Listen, my beloved brothers: ye
shall attack the wings of the army and I will storm it in the centre."
God adored, what a mighty wonder! 'Would that some from among ye,
brethren, [68] could have been there to see: how Voivode Momtchilo
wielded his sword and cleared his way through the press of his
foes!' Howbeit, more were crushed by Yaboutchilo than by the hero's
sword! But, alas! a sad misfortune had befallen him: when he had gained
clear of the foe his brothers' nine black steeds followed after him;
but their saddles were empty!
When Momtchilo saw this his heroic heart burst from great sorrow for
the loss of his nine beloved brothers: his sword-arm dropped limp
at his side, and knowing that he could fight no more, he spurred
Yaboutchilo, intending that he should unfold his wings and fly to
his castle.
But, alas! for the first time his charger did not respond to the
spur. Then Momtchilo spake reproachfully thus: "O Yaboutchilo, may
wolves devour thee! Many times hast thou flown from here merely in
pastime, and now when I am in sore straits thou wilt not fly!"
And the steed answered, neighing: "My Lord, mighty Voivode
Momtchilo! Do not curse me, nor try to force me further. To-day I
cannot fly! May God punish thy Vidossava! Last night she burnt the
pinions of my two wings. What did not burn she tied tightly under my
belt. O my beloved master! thou hadst better escape as thou mayest. I
cannot help thee!"
When Momtchilo heard this, tears fell down his heroic visage. He
alighted heavily from his well-loved Yaboutchilo; after a last caress
he gathered himself together, and in three leaps he found himself
before the portals of his castle. And lo! the massive gates were
closed and locked.
Brother and Sister
Seeing this, Momtchilo called aloud upon his sister: "O Yevrossima,
my darling sister! Stretch down to me a roll of linen that I may
climb the castle wall and escape ere my pursuers come up with me!"
Yevrossima heard the appeal and answered through copious tears:
"Alas, my darling brother, thou Voivode Momtchilo! How can I drop
down to thee a length of white linen, seeing that my sister-in-law,
thine own faithless Vidossava, hath bound my hair to a beam?"
But sisters have soft hearts for their brothers, [69] and Yevrossima,
for the sake of her only brother, jerked her head with such force that
she left her hair on the beam; then she seized a length of linen,
made one end fast, and threw the other end over the wall from the
rampart. Momtchilo seized the linen and quickly climbed almost to the
top of the rampart. He was on the point of springing into the fortress
when his faithless spouse ran thither swiftly and, with a sharp sword,
cut the linen above Momtchilo's hands.
By this time the forces of Voukashin had come up, and Momtchilo was
precipitated upon their swords and lances. Seeing the hero fall, the
king hastened to the spot, and with a fierce thrust ran him through the
heart. So fiercely did he lunge that the end of the sword penetrated
the wall.
The Death of Momtchilo
Voivode Momtchilo was a rare hero, and he was able to speak these last
words to King Voukashin: "My last request to thee, O King Voukashin,
is that thou shouldst not marry my faithless Vidossava, for she will
betray thee also. To-day she hath betrayed me to thee; to-morrow she
will deal with thee in like manner! Far better would it be to marry
my dear sister Yevrossima, the loveliest of maidens. She will always
be faithful to thee and will bear thee a hero like unto myself."
This spake Voivode Momtchilo, struggling with pale death: this he
said and his soul flew heavenward.
The gates of the castle were now opened, and the faithless Vidossava
came out to welcome King Voukashin. After she had greeted him she led
the way to her white tower and gave him a seat at her golden table. She
offered him fine wines and many lordly dishes. Then she went to the
armoury and brought Momtchilo's armour and weapons. But, marvellous
to relate! Momtchilo's helmet, which fitted him closely, fell down
to King Voukashin's shoulders. One of Momtchilo's top-boots was big
enough for King Voukashin's two feet. Momtchilo's golden rings were too
large for three of King Voukashin's fingers together. Momtchilo's sabre
was one whole yard too long when King Voukashin tried it on his belt!
The Punishment of Vidossava
Seeing all this, King Voukashin exclaimed: "Alas! Woe is me! May God
forgive me! What a faithless monster this youthful Vidossava must be
to betray such a hero, whose equal would be vainly sought throughout
the whole world! How could I, the wretched one, expect such a woman
to be faithful to me?"
So saying, he called loudly to his servants, who took Vidossava and
bound her fair limbs to the tails of four horses and drove them from
the castle Pirlitor. Thus, dreadful fate! she was torn to pieces alive.
Then the king pillaged Voivode Momtchilo's castle and led away
Yevrossima to his palace at Skadar on Boyana. Later, he deserved her
love and married her, and she bore unto him Marko and Andrias. Truly
Marko inherited the heroism of Voivode Momtchilo, and thus his uncle's
prediction was fulfilled.
Historical Note
Primitive as may be the customs illustrated in this ballad of
the fourteenth century, it is undoubtedly worthy of a place in my
collection. It was taken down by Vouk St. Karadgitch from the lips
of the Serbian bard, and I cannot sufficiently express my regret for
my inability to convey in English the beautiful and audacious similes
and the eloquent figures of speech which adorn the original.
The French mediaeval troubadour rarely chose as his theme the
faithlessness of women; probably because incidents like the one
described in our ballad were either unknown or too common to be
considered interesting. But if the Serbian bards did not, excepting
in this rare instance, sing of the fickleness and treachery of the
weaker sex, it was that Serbian public opinion could not suffer
the contemplation of faithlessness on the part of either husband or
wife. No doubt the bard, wandering from one monastery to another,
found in some chronicle a few facts concerning the marriage of King
Voukashin which he elaborated much as did the French troubadour who
dealt similarly with the slender historic fact relative to the battle
at Ronceval. The public opinion of the epoch is reflected in the
barbarous punishment which the bard, moved by his austerity, inflicts
upon Vidossava. It is interesting to note that in my researches I
have not found one ballad in which faithlessness on the part of a
husband occurs.
In the ballads concerning the royal Prince Marko we see that he was
always chivalrous toward women, especially toward widows and oppressed
maidens, irrespective of their social position or their religion. He is
willing to succour Turkish maidens, for whom he is ready to jeopardize
his life. In the ballad entitled "The Captivity and Marriage of Stephan
Yakshitch" the bard tells of advances made to Stephan by a passionate
Turkish maiden, which he repels with indignation at the mere idea of
an alliance between a Christian and a Mussulman woman. King Voukashin
might have corresponded with Voivode Momtchilo's wife previous to her
marriage, but if so it must have been rather a political attachment
than an affair of the heart.