Chapter 4 Chapter two

At this moment the Duchess entered.She is a middle-aged woman with a smile on her face, wearing a red cloak, light green clothes, and a golden yellow belt around her waist.The Duchess was followed by maids of honor; some underage, some older; all wore lavender and lavender wreaths, and most held lutes in their hands.Some held large bouquets of fresh flowers, apparently picked along the roadside.The room was immediately filled, for the ladies of the court were followed by a group of court servants and boys.Everyone is very lively, with happy expressions on their faces, sometimes talking loudly, sometimes babbling, as if they are all intoxicated by the beautiful night.Among the court attendants were two singers; one carried a lute, and the other wore a qinthla at his waist.One of the girls was very young, about twelve years old, and she was following the Duchess with a small lute studded with brass studs.

① That is, the servant in the palace. ②The original text is rybalt, and the English translation is annotated as slave music people.This is a medieval chanter. ③ Gensla (gensla) is a violin (guitar). "Praise Jesus Christ!" said the Duchess, standing in the middle of the room. "Eternal life, Amen!" All the people present replied with one voice, while saluting deeply. "Where is the owner?" The German, as soon as he was summoned, stepped forward and knelt down on one knee, according to the German custom. "We're going to stop here for a while," said the Duchess. "Just hurry up, we're all hungry."

The three townspeople had already left; and now the two nobles, Matsko of Bogdaniec, and young Zbyszko bowed again and were about to leave, because they did not want to disturb the people who came to the court. . However, the Duchess kept them. "You are all nobles; it is all right, you may be acquainted with the courtiers. Where did God lead you here?" So they said one by one their names, coats of arms, nicknames, and the name of the manor by which they earned their titles. The Madame clapped her hands when Wrodika Macko said that he had been in Wilno, and said: ①According to the Notes of English Review: The nobles of each country are named according to their own manor names—such as Macko of Bogdaniec, which means that the manor of Bogdanez belongs to the family of Macko and his own.

②Note to the English translation: Wlodyka refers to rich landowners. They are all free people, but there are serfs working for them. Some of them are from Guizhou and enjoy the right to use the coat of arms. "What a coincidence! Please tell us about the situation of Wilno and my brothers and sisters. Can Duke Witout come to congratulate the queen on giving birth and the prince's naming ceremony?" "He wanted to come very much, but he didn't know if he could; so he sent the queen a silver cradle as a present. My nephew and I brought the cradle." "Is the cradle here, then? I'd like to see it! Is it pure silver?"

"Sterling silver; but not here. Brought to Cracow by some Persilian priests." ① Basilian priests follow the canon established by Father Basilius in the fourth century. "Then what are you doing in Tinets?" "We have come to see the abbot of the monastery, who is our relation, and wants to entrust to the noble priest all that we have acquired in the light of the war, that is, what the duke has bequeathed us." "In this way, God has given you good luck and precious spoils of war, but please tell me, why can't my brother decide whether to come or not?"

"Because he is preparing an expedition against the Tartars." ① In 1299, under the instigation of the Teutonic Knights, Witout went on an expedition to the Golden Horde (a tribe of the Tatars), and suffered a disastrous defeat in Weskra.The Teutonic Knights are the Knights of the Crusaders. "I know that; but what I am worried about is that the queen did not predict any good ending to this expedition, and everything she foretells is often true." Macko smiled. "Well, our queen is certainly a prophet, I cannot deny that; but many of our knights who went out with Duke Wittout, they are great fellows, and no one can match them."

"Aren't you going?" "I won't go, I was sent to deliver the cradle, and I haven't taken off my armor for five years," Macko replied, pointing to the dents in the reindeer-skin coat worn by the breastplate. "But I'll go after a break, and if I don't go myself, I'll have this lad, my nephew Zbyszko, go to Serge Spitko of Merchiddin, all our knights They will all go out under his command." ①The original text is Pan, which is the respectful title of noble knights in Poland in ancient times. Grand Duchess Danu glanced at Zbyszko's handsome figure; but a priest from the monastery interrupted them.The priest, having greeted the Duchess, reproached her in a respectful tone, saying that she had not sent an urgent messenger to announce her coming, and that she was staying in an inn instead of a convent, which Not in line with her honorable status.There are plenty of houses in the monastery, even an ordinary person can be entertained there, as for the royal family, of course it is more welcome, not to mention her husband's ancestors and relatives have given so much favor to the monastery.

But the Duchess replied cheerfully: "We're just stopping here; we're going to Krakow early tomorrow morning. We'll sleep in the daytime and drive at night because it's cooler. Besides, the roosters are already crowing, and I don't want to wake up the pious priest." They, especially such a large group of people, just want to sing and dance, and don't want to rest much." The priest still insisted on their going, and the princess had to say again: "No, we're going to stop here. We'll kill the time by singing, but we'll definitely come to church for morning prayers and start another day with God."

"We are going to celebrate a Mass for the happiness of the merciful duke and merciful duchess," said the priest. "My husband, the Duke, will come in four or five days." "God blesses near and far, so at least let us poor priests go to the monastery and get some wine." "Then we shall be glad to appreciate it," said the Duchess. As soon as the priest had gone out, she cried: "Hey, Danusia! Danusia! Get on the bench and sing a song you sang in Zador and make us happy." When the court attendants heard this, they brought a bench and placed it in the middle of the room.The two singers sat at opposite ends of the bench, and in the middle stood the little girl who had followed the Duchess with the lute decorated with brass studs.She wore a small flower crown on her head, her hair fell over her shoulders, she was dressed in a blue dress, and she wore red shoes with very long toes.She stood on the bench like a child, but a beautiful child, like a figure in a church painting.It's obviously not the first time she's sung in front of the Duchess, as she doesn't seem uneasy.

"Sing, Danusia, sing!" cried the little ladies of the court. She held the lute, raised her head like a bird starting to sing, closed her eyes, and sang like a silver bell: if I have The tiny wings of the gosling, I will fly to Yasik of Silesia. She was accompanied by two singers, one playing the violin and the other the big lute.The Duchess, who loved minor tunes the most, began to shake her head back and forth, and the little girl sang again in a childlike voice, clear and beautiful, like a bird singing in the forest: ①The original text is gnsilks, referring to the small gensla, see the note on page 12.

i'm going to sit Singing over the fence: "Look, my dear, Here comes Liuba, poor orphan! "① ① "Liu Ba" means "lover" in folk songs. So the two singers played again.Young Zbyszko of Bogdaniec, who had never heard such singing in his life, though he had been used to the life of war and the horrors of war from childhood, stood beside him with his hand One of the Majurs asked: ① The Mazur are the Mazovia people.Masovia is near Warsaw. "Who is she?" "She's a girl in the duchess's court. There are plenty of singers at court to please people, but she's the most pleasing one, and no one can sing so well to the duchess." "I don't doubt that. I thought she was a fairy from the sky. I just don't think much of her. What do people call her?" "Didn't you hear? It's called Danusia. Her father was a famous knight named Jurand of Spyhoff, a valiant Combs." ① That is, the earl. "Hey! Such a girl, the mortals have never seen before!" "Everyone loves her singing and her beauty." "And who is her knight?" "She's still a child!" The conversation was interrupted by Danusia's singing.Zbyszko could not help feeling more and more amazed at her golden hair, her raised head, her half-closed eyes, her whole figure in the light of the candles and the moonlight coming in through the window. .It seemed to him as if he had seen her somewhere before; but he could not remember whether he had seen her in a dream or in the window of some church in Cracow. So, touching the court attendant again, he asked in a low voice: "Then she was brought up at your court?" "Her mother came from Lithuania with the Duchess Anna Danuda, who married her to Count Jurand of Spychow. She was beautiful and came from a distinguished family; the Duchess loved her more than ever. She loved the Duchess more than any other maid of honor. That's why she gave her daughter the same name—Anna Danuda. But five years ago the Germans attacked the Duke near Zrodorja During the court, she was frightened to death. Since then, the duchess adopted the girl and brought her up. Her father often visited her in the palace, and saw that the duchess raised her daughter very healthy, happy and very happy. Happy. But every time he saw his daughter, he thought of his wife, and wept bitterly; so he went back to avenge the Germans. He loved his daughter more than anyone in Masovia. Wife; but he has killed many Germans in revenge." Zbyszko's eyes were filled with tears, and a vein burst out on his forehead. "Then the Germans killed her mother?" he asked. "You can say they killed it, or you can say they didn't. She was frightened to death. Five years ago, the world was peaceful, no one thought of war, and everyone felt safe. The Duke, as usual in peacetime, did not bring A soldier, with only a few courtiers, went to Zrodorya to build a castle. The treacherous Germans attacked for no reason at all, without declaring war. They captured the Duke, without thinking of God The anger of the duke, not thinking of the great favors his ancestors had shown them, bound him to his horse, and slaughtered his subjects. The duke was a prisoner for a long time, until King Vladislav threatened them with war, They released him. Danusia's mother died in the attack." "And you, my lord knight, were you there? What did they call you? I forgot!" "My name is Mykolai of Drugolas, they call me 'Obuch'. I was there. I saw a German with peacock feathers in his helmet tie her to a saddle ; she was so frightened to death. They also killed me with a halberd, and I still have a scar on my body." ① means the back of the axe. Speaking of which, he pointed to a deep scar on his head that stretched from hair to eyebrow. There was silence for a while.Zbyszko looked again at Danusia.Then asked: "Then, sir, do you say she has no knights?" However, he received no answer, for the singing ceased at this moment.A fat and big singer stood up suddenly, and the bench tilted up.Danusia staggered and stretched out her little hands, and Zbyszko rushed up like a wild cat and caught her in his arms before she fell or jumped. The Duchess, who had been screaming with fright, laughed at once, and exclaimed: "This is the knight of Danusia! Come, little knight, and give us back our dear little girl!" "He embraced her heroically," was heard to say from among the court. Zbyszko walked towards the princess with Danusia in her arms, who had one arm around his neck, and with the other clutched the lute so that it might not break.Although there was a little frightened expression on her face, she was smiling and very happy. At that moment the young man went up to the princess, put Danusia in front of her, knelt down, raised his head, and said with the boldness of a man of his age: "Then, do as you say, my good lady! It is time for this gentle young girl to have her own knight, and it is time for me to have my own lover, and I will always praise her her beauty and virtue. I am willing to swear, if it is allowed, that I will be faithful to her for the rest of my life under any circumstances." The princess was taken aback, not by hearing Zbyszko's words, but by the suddenness of everything.It is true that swearing is not a custom in Poland; but Masovia borders Germany, and knights often visit from foreign lands, so that the custom is more familiar than in other provinces, and is often imitated.The Duchess had heard the custom at her father's court--where all Western customs were regarded as laws and examples for noble knights to follow.So she did not think that Zbyszko's behavior offended her and Danusia in any way.She was even delighted that the girl she loved had won the favor of a knight. So she turned to the girl with a cheerful face and said: "Danusia! Danusia! Do you want to get yourself a knight?" Danusia, with her fair hair, jumped three times in her red shoes, hugged the Duchess around the neck, and squealed with joy, as if she had been given a pleasure that only grown-ups can enjoy. "I want, I want, I want—!" The princess laughed until tears filled her eyes, and all the court laughed with her; then the lady said to Zbyszko: "Well, swear! swear! What will you promise her?" But Zbyszko knelt down solemnly amidst the laughter and said solemnly: "I make a wish: as soon as I arrive in Cracow, hang my spear at the door of the inn, and ask a scholar to write me a parchment and stick it on the door. On the parchment, I will proclaim, Danuda Miss Jurand is the most beautiful and virtuous girl at home and abroad, and whoever opposes this statement, I will fight him to the death, or I will make one of the two prisoners." ①Danuda Yulunde is Danusa, which is a pet name. "Very good! I know you know the rules of knights very well, is there anything else?" "Also, I learned from Lord Mikolaj of Drugolas that Mademoiselle Jurand's mother was murdered to death by a Germanic man wearing peacock feathers in an inhumane way. Therefore, I swear, I'm going to tie a hemp rope around my waist, even if the hemp rope gets into my bone marrow, I'll tie it, not until I kill a few Germans and tear them from their heads For three tufts of peacock feathers, I will never untie this hemp rope." Having said this, the Duchess became serious. "Don't make fun of your oath!" Zbyszko added: "In the name of God and the Holy Cross, I must repeat this oath before the priest in the church." "It is an admirable thing indeed to go to war against the enemy of our people; but you are too young to die so easily." At that moment Matsko of Bogdaniec thought it necessary to speak to the princess and reassure her, and immediately stepped forward. "Don't worry about that, my gracious madam. In battle one risks one's life; and for a nobleman, young or old, that is an admirable end. And to this lad, war is not He is not new, nor unfamiliar. Although he is only a young man, when it comes to fighting, whether it is riding a horse, walking, stabbing with a spear, chopping with an axe, dagger, long sword, or throwing a spear. Melee combat, he has experienced it all. A knight It's a new custom to swear at a girl for the first time; but I don't blame Zbyszko for making promises so casually. He's already fought the Germans. Let him fight them again, If it really makes him smash the heads of a few Germans, he will add honor to himself." "It seems that we must deal with this chivalrous knight," said the Duchess. Then she said to Danusia: "Today, you can sit in my seat as a distinguished guest, but you can't laugh, it's not solemn." Danusia took the lady's place; she tried to look very dignified, but smiled at Zbyszko, who was kneeling on the ground, with her blue eyes, and moved her feet to and fro with joy. "Give him your gloves," said the Duchess. Danusia took off the gloves and handed them to Zbyszko.Zbyszko put it to his lips respectfully and kissed it, and said: "I'm going to put it on the helmet, whoever dares to reach out and touch it will do it himself!" He kissed Danusia's hands and feet again, and stood up.Now he was no longer serious, but was filled with great joy, for from that moment the whole court regarded him as a man.He shook Danusia's glove, and exclaimed with joy and anger: "Come on, you peacock-crested dog things, come on!" At that moment the priest who had just been there entered the inn, accompanied by two prelates.Abbey servants carried wicker baskets containing bottles of wine and refreshments.After the priests had greeted the princess, they blamed her for not going directly to the abbey.She explained to them again that she had no need to go to sleep because she had slept through the day and was traveling in the cold at night; Relax in the inn. After many polite words, it was finally settled: morning prayers and mass were said, and the duchess, with her court, went to the monastery to have breakfast and rest.The kind priests also invited the Majurs, the two nobles, and Macko of Bogdaniec.Macko had intended to go to the monastery to deposit the wealth he had acquired in the war and increased through Witout's generous gift.This wealth was to be used to redeem the Bogdaniec estate which he had mortgaged.But young Zbyszko was not invited, for he was running to the carriage guarded by his servants to fetch his own best clothes.He ordered the trunk to be carried to a room in the inn, where he dressed.After brushing his hair hastily, he threw a silk net over his head with amber beads and real pearls on the front, and then put on a white blouse embroidered with gold "Griffins." He wore a yaka of silk, and wore a gold belt, from which hung a small sword in an ivory scabbard inlaid with gold.Everything was new, shiny and unstained, though it was a spoil taken from a Frisian knight in the Knights of the Crusader Order.Then Zbyszko put on a pair of beautiful trousers with red and green stripes on one side and yellow and purple stripes on the other, forming a checkerboard pattern.Then he put on a pair of red shoes with long toes.Dressed new and handsome, he entered the room. ① A monster with the head of a griffin in mythology. ②It is a short coat. ③ Frisians are a kind of Germanic people living in Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark. When he stood in the doorway, his appearance was indeed very impressive.The princess liked it even more when she saw that such a handsome knight had just sworn to Danusia.Danusia bounded towards him like a gazelle.But she didn't know whether it was the young man's beauty or the compliments of the court attendants, so she stopped before reaching him, and with lowered eyes, blushing, and embarrassing expression, she began to writhe. Finger up. The Duchess, the Chamberlain, the Chambermaids, the Chanters, and the Priest all wanted to see him, and all followed her.The young Mazovia girls looked at him as if they were looking at a rainbow, and they all sighed that they were not picked up by him; the older ones were envious of the luxurious clothes; curious people surrounded him up.Zbyszko stood in the center, with a boastful smile on his young face, and turned slightly to let them see clearly. "Who is he?" asked a priest. "He is a knight, the nephew of that 'Vrodica'," replied the princess, pointing to Macko; "he has sworn to Danusia." The clergy did not show any surprise, for such an oath binds the one who swears it in no way.Oaths were often sworn to married women; and in those powerful families familiar with Western customs, almost every woman had a knight.If a knight swears an oath to a young girl, he does not thereby become her fiancé; on the contrary, he often marries someone else; and though he is true to his oath, he does not wish to marry her, but someone else . The priests were a little surprised to see Danusia so young, but not too surprised, because at that time, a young man of sixteen often became a governor.When Queen Jadwiga came from Hungary, she was only fifteen years old, and girls at the age of thirteen were often married.However, they were not so much looking at Danusia as at Zbyszko at the time; they listened attentively to Macko, who was proud to have such a nephew and was Tell how this young man got his hands on this beautiful dress. "A year and a few weeks ago," he said, "we were invited by some Saxon knights. There was another guest, a certain knight from a distant Frisian nation that lived by the sea. He also had a son who was three years older than Zbyszko. Once at a banquet, the son laughed at Zbyszko for not having a mustache or beard. Zbyszko, who was born with a quick temper, was very angry and immediately pulled He cut his top mustache, and plucked out all the mustaches. For this, I fought a duel with him afterward, and nearly killed or took him prisoner." ① Saxons are people who lived in northern Germany during the period. "What do you mean by that?" asked the "lord" of Drugolas. "Because the father was for his son, and I for Zbyszko; so we fought on the level ground in the presence of guests. It was agreed that the victor would give the vanquished party's carriages, horses, Servants and everything, all for our own. God help us. We killed the two Frisians, but with great difficulty, because they were both brave and strong. We got a lot of valuable Spoils of war: four two-horse carts, four strong stallions, ten servants, and two suits of hard-to-find fine armor. True, we broke our helmets in battle, but the Lord Jesus gave us something else things; we got a big trunk with expensive clothes; Zbyszko is now wearing what he found in that trunk." At this time, the two nobles from the suburbs of Krakow and all the Majurs looked at the two uncles and nephews with great respect, and the one from Drugolas was called " "Obuch" said his lord: "I think you are all extraordinary men, not ordinary people." "We now believe that the lad will capture the three-tuft peacock-feather tiara." Macko laughed out loud, the expression on his face was that of a beast. By this time the servants of the monastery had brought out the wine and the delicious delicacies from the wicker baskets, and the maids brought in great platters full of hard-boiled eggs, and the sides of the basin were lined with sausages.The whole room is filled with a strong fragrance.This sight greatly whetted everyone's appetite, and they rushed to the table one by one. The princess took the first place, and then the others; she made Zbyszko and Danusia sit opposite her, and said to Zbyszko: "You two should eat from the same plate; don't step on her feet under the table, as knights do with their lovers, and don't touch her with your knees, for she is too young." Zbyszko replied: "My dear lady, I will not do this in two or three years. I must wait until the Lord Jesus allows me to fulfill my vow. By then, this little berry will be ripe. As for stepping on her feet, Even if I wanted to, I couldn't, because her feet don't reach the ground yet." "Yes," replied the Duchess, "I am glad to see you are very polite." At this time, everyone was silent and busy eating.Zbyszko brought the best pieces of sausage to Danusia, or put them directly in her mouth; she was glad to have such a fine knight at her service. When they had finished their food, the servants of the monastery poured sweet wine—a lot for the men, but not much for the women.Zbyszko was especially attentive when they brought nuts from the monastery.There were hazelnuts and some rare nuts from afar called 'italin', which they ate with great relish; There was no voice either. There was only Zbyszko, who not only cared about eating himself, but also showed the Duchess and Danusia his knightly prowess and abstinence. Therefore, he did not eat the nuts like the others. Instead of putting it in his mouth to bite, he crushed them with his fingers, picked out the pulp from the shell and gave it to Danusia. He even invented an entertainment for her: after picking out the pulp, he took the shell in his hand Put it to her mouth, blow it hard, and blow it up to the ceiling. Danusia laughed like something, so that the princess was afraid that the young girl would choke, so she had to ask him to stop this entertainment; she saw the girl so Joy, could not help asking her: ①It is walnut. "Well, Danusia, you have your own knight, don't you?" "Oh, that's great!" replied the girl. Then she touched Zbyszko's white silk "yaka" with a ruddy finger, and asked the princess: "Then tomorrow he will be mine?" The princess took the first place, and then the others; she made Zbyszko and Danusia sit opposite her, and said to Zbyszko: "You two should eat from the same plate; don't step on her feet under the table, as knights do with their lovers, and don't touch her with your knees, for she is too young." Zbyszko replied: "Tomorrow and Sunday, and until death," replied Zbyszko. The supper lasted a long time, for the raisin biscuits were served after the nuts.Some of the court wanted to dance; others wanted to hear the chanter, and some Danusia; but she was weary, and fell asleep with her little head resting on the knight's shoulder so trustingly. . "Is she asleep?" asked the Duchess. "You have your 'lover' now." "She fell asleep, and loved me more than some of the other dancers," replied Zbyszko, who sat quite still so as not to wake the girl. The music of the singers did not wake her, nor did the singing.Some of the courtiers stamped their feet, others tapped their plates to the music; the louder the noise, the more soundly she slept. She awoke when the cock crowed, and the church bells struck, and everyone ran out from their pews, shouting, "Matins! Matins!" "Let us walk to the glory of God," said the Duchess. She took the hand of Danusia, who had just woken up, and went out first, followed by all the court servants. The night sky began to light up.In the east, people can see a bright light, which is green above, pink below, and finally becomes a golden-red light, which expands more and more.It was as if the moon was receding before that ray of light.The light was getting pinker and brighter.The dewy, rested, happy world awoke. "God has given us good weather, but it's going to be hot," said the court servants. "That's all right," said Lord Drugolas, "we can go to the monastery and sleep, and we can reach Cracow in the evening." "There must be a feast." "Now there is a banquet every day. After the childbirth and the competition, there will be a bigger banquet." "We shall see how the brave knight of Danusia will do his part." "Ah! These fellows are all made of oak! Did you ever hear what they say about the duel with four knights on each side?" "Perhaps they will join our court; they are discussing it now." Yes, they were chatting vigorously; old Macko was not very happy with the fait accompli; so when they were walking behind the retainers he said to his nephew: "Actually, you needn't. I've got a way to see the king, and he might give us something. I'd be very glad to get a castle or a town--well, wait and see. Anyway, We must redeem our mortgaged Bogdaniecs, because we must preserve the estates of our ancestors. But how can we get farmers to work the land? Without farmers, the land is worthless. Therefore, Listen to me: Whether you swear to anyone you like or not, you'll still go with the lord of Merchiddin to Duke Witold to fight the Tartars. If they trumpet the expedition before the queen is born, Then don't wait for her to give birth, and don't wait for the joust, but go, for there is always something to be gained there. You know Duke Wittout is very generous; and he knows you. If you do your best He will reward you generously. In short, as long as God is willing to help you, you can get many slaves. There are so many Tartars in the world. If you can win a battle, each knight will capture dozens Tatars." ①The original text is grodek.English translation note: It is a town surrounded by walls with a special jurisdiction, or a kind of castle. At this point, Macko, greedy for land and serfs, began to say dreamily: "I'll just get fifty farmers and set them up in Bogdaniets! That'll open up a whole forest. You know, you can't get that kind of produce anywhere." But Zbyszko shook his head. "Oh ho! Tell me to fetch those fellows from those stables who eat stinky horse meat and don't know how to farm! What's the use of them coming to Bogdaniec? And I swear , to capture the crested hairs of the three tribes of the Germans. How can I find such things among the Tartars?" "You swore because you were stupid; but your vows are nothing." "But what about my 'Vrodika' and the honor of the knight? What then?" "What about the oath you made to Lin Yingwa?" "Lingava poisoned the Duke, and that monk has terminated my contract." "Then the abbot will break the oath for you at Tiniec. The abbot is bigger than a monk." "I don't want to terminate the contract!" Macko stopped, and asked, evidently angrily: "Then what should we do?" "Go to Witout by yourself, I won't." "You scoundrel! Who will you call to see the king? Don't you pity my old bones?" "Even if a tree falls on you, it will not overwhelm you; and if I pity you, I will not go to Witout." "Then what are you going to do? Are you going to be a singer or a falconer at Mazovitsky's court?" "It's not a bad thing to be a falconer. If you like to nag, but you don't like to listen to me, go ahead and nag." "Where are you going? Don't you care about Bogdaniec? Can you plow the land with your fingernails without the peasants?" "That's not the case! You've got a lot of fun with the Tartars! You've forgotten what the Russians told us! Do you remember what they said: You can't catch anything among the Tartars? Captives, because you can't overtake a Tartar on the steppe. What kind of horse should I ride after them? On those heavy stallions we got from the Germans? Do you understand? ？我能得到什么战利品呢？除了满是疤痕的羊皮外衣，还能有什么！那时候我能带着多少财富回到波格丹涅茨去！总不见得那样一来就会让人家叫做'康姆斯'吧！” ①即俄罗斯人的古称。 玛茨科无话可说了，因为兹皮希科的话说得很有几分道理；过了一会儿，他说： “可是威托特公爵会赏赐你呀。” “嗨，你自己知道；他会过分地赏赐这个人，也会对那一个人毫无赏赐。” “那末告诉我，你要到哪儿去？” “到斯比荷夫的尤仑德那儿去。” 玛茨科发怒地扭着皮外衣的带子，说道： “你大概是瞎了眼吧！” “听着，”兹皮希科从容地回答道。“我同德鲁戈拉斯的米柯拉伊谈过一次话，他说尤仑德为了他妻子的死，正在寻求机会向日耳曼人报仇。我要去帮助他。首先，你自己曾经说过，打日耳曼人，对我们来说算不了一回事，因为我们太了解他们和他们那一套了。其次，我也很容易俘获那些孔雀毛盔饰；第三，你知道孔雀毛盔饰不是无赖汉戴的；因此，如果主耶稣愿帮助我得到那些盔饰的话，那也会带来战利品。最后，打那个地方弄来的奴隶，不像鞑靼人那样；用这样的奴隶去开辟森林，那你就能发迹了。” “喂，你疯了吧？现在并没有战争，而且天知道什么时候才会发生战争！” “你可多聪明啊！熊同养蜂人相安无事，它们既不弄坏蜂房，又不吃掉蜂蜜！哈！哈！哈！现在虽然双方大军并未开战，国王和大团长在羊皮纸公文上盖了印章，可在边界上仍旧常常发生骚扰，你也许会觉得这是新闻吧？如果你把牲口放出去，只要让他们逮住一头，就要烧毁你几个村落，还要围攻城堡。又如抓走农夫和农家姑娘，这怎么说呢？在大路上捉拿商人又怎么说？想想以前你自己怎么告诉我的吧。就说那个拿仑支吧，他俘获了四十个要去参加十字军骑士团的骑士，把他们关在牢里，后来大团长送了他满满一货车'格里温'①才放他们；他不是作了一笔好生意么？斯比荷夫的尤仑德也正是在作同样的事，况且在边界上，这种事情总是随时会发生的。” ①古罗斯的银锭或金锭，约重一磅。 他们默默地走了一阵；这时候天已经大亮了，明亮的阳光照耀在修道院所在地的那些岩石上。 “天主在任何地方都能把幸运赐予人，”最后，玛茨科平静下来说，“祈求他赐福给你吧。” “当然，一切都得靠他的恩惠！” “你也得为波格丹涅茨打算打算，因为你说你到斯比荷夫的尤仑德那儿去，是为了波格丹涅茨而不是为了那张可爱的脸蛋，我是怎么也不会相信的。” “别那么说，我会恼火的。我很高兴看见她，这我不否认。你可看到过一个比她更漂亮的姑娘么？” “她的美貌跟我有什么相干！最好等她长大了就同她结婚吧；她是一个有势力的'康姆斯'的女儿呢。” 兹皮希科的脸上闪着快乐的笑容。 “一定如此。决不另找情人，决不另娶妻子！等你老了，你就可以同她和我生的孙儿女们玩玩了。” 玛茨科也笑了，说道： “'格拉其！''格拉其！'①——但愿儿孙绕膝。儿孙是一个人老年时期安慰的泉源，是死后的得救之道。主耶稣，赐给我们这种福气吧！” ①这个家族的战号。