" Ho, brother Ivan Kosanchich, hast thou spied the Turks' array?
Have the Turks a mighty army? Can we beat them in the fray? "
Quoth Ivan:
" Milosh Óbilich, my own good brother dear,
I have spied the Turkish army, and a great host have they here.
Should all of us be changed to salt, we scarce should salt their meat.
Full fifteen days throughout their host have I walked with nimble feet,
Nor came on end or number, howsoever I might march;
From the marble to the maple, thence to Sazliya of the arch,
From the arched bridge to Zvechan the whole land have they ta'en;
From Zvechan through Chechan to the wood they seized the mount amain.
Ranks of horses and heroes, spears like a mountain wall,
And like the clouds of heaven are their banners over all;
And like the snows from heaven are their tents upon the plain:
And should a storm rise o'er them, on the earth it would not rain,
But on horses and on heroes would the rain fall from on high.
The tsar took Lab and Sitnitsa and Mazgit field thereby. "
Still Milosh Óbilich questions him:
" Ivan, brother in war,
Tell me where lieth, brother, the tent of Murad the tsar;
For unto the Tsar Lazarus my word is given and gone,
That I would slash Tsar Murad's throat and set my foot thereon. "
But Ivan answers him lightly:
" Brother, a fool art thou!
Where in the center of the camp Tsar Murad lieth now,
Wert thou a winged goshawk from out high heaven sped,
Thou couldst not in thine anger hurt a hair upon his head. "
Then Milosh speaketh to Ivan:
" Ivan, my brother dear,
Speak not thus to Tsar Lazarus, lest he and the host should fear;
But unto the Tsar Lazarus thus and thus shalt thou say:
" " Strong are the Turks, but we, mayhap, will shake them in the fray,
And lightly overcome them, for no host of battle they are,
But priests and pilgrims and merchants, and knaves that know not war,
That are come abroad together to eat Tsar Murad's bread.
And for the royal army, the half are well-nigh dead
From the grievous ill of heartache, that is a bitter pain,
And the good steeds of that army are glandered on the plain." "
Have the Turks a mighty army? Can we beat them in the fray? "
Quoth Ivan:
" Milosh Óbilich, my own good brother dear,
I have spied the Turkish army, and a great host have they here.
Should all of us be changed to salt, we scarce should salt their meat.
Full fifteen days throughout their host have I walked with nimble feet,
Nor came on end or number, howsoever I might march;
From the marble to the maple, thence to Sazliya of the arch,
From the arched bridge to Zvechan the whole land have they ta'en;
From Zvechan through Chechan to the wood they seized the mount amain.
Ranks of horses and heroes, spears like a mountain wall,
And like the clouds of heaven are their banners over all;
And like the snows from heaven are their tents upon the plain:
And should a storm rise o'er them, on the earth it would not rain,
But on horses and on heroes would the rain fall from on high.
The tsar took Lab and Sitnitsa and Mazgit field thereby. "
Still Milosh Óbilich questions him:
" Ivan, brother in war,
Tell me where lieth, brother, the tent of Murad the tsar;
For unto the Tsar Lazarus my word is given and gone,
That I would slash Tsar Murad's throat and set my foot thereon. "
But Ivan answers him lightly:
" Brother, a fool art thou!
Where in the center of the camp Tsar Murad lieth now,
Wert thou a winged goshawk from out high heaven sped,
Thou couldst not in thine anger hurt a hair upon his head. "
Then Milosh speaketh to Ivan:
" Ivan, my brother dear,
Speak not thus to Tsar Lazarus, lest he and the host should fear;
But unto the Tsar Lazarus thus and thus shalt thou say:
" " Strong are the Turks, but we, mayhap, will shake them in the fray,
And lightly overcome them, for no host of battle they are,
But priests and pilgrims and merchants, and knaves that know not war,
That are come abroad together to eat Tsar Murad's bread.
And for the royal army, the half are well-nigh dead
From the grievous ill of heartache, that is a bitter pain,
And the good steeds of that army are glandered on the plain." "