KOSTRES THE CHIEFTAIN PART TWO South Slavic Muslim Epic recorded in the field, transcribed and translated by Dr. Zlatan Colakovic

An overview of the verses 1-50, published in the April/May issue of Cross Cultures:

The epic starts with the illiterate singer Murat Kurtagic stating that he wanders around the world singing his heroic songs, and that he has a superior knowledge of everything that happened in the past. It is a usual way of starting epic in South Slavic tradition. Sometimes the singer also invokes vila, a beautiful supernatural winged female, the divine and powerful helper of the brave heroes and the inspired singers of tales. (In the Ancient Greek tradition, the role of the divine helper of the singer is given to the Muse).

The epic then goes on to describe The Arrival of the Messenger to the famous hero Mujo Hrnjicic, who holds the military command over Bosnians. The messenger salutes Mujo, delivers him the firman (the imperial letter), and tells Mujo that no one can escape from the Tzar's letter.... THE IMPERIAL LETTER (verses 51-176) When he had delivered the firman in his hands The sirdar accepted, and stamped his signature That he accepted the imperial firman. The messenger went back to Istanbul. Aah, Mujo was frightened by the firman, It is not easy to quarrel with the Tzar, At the Tzar, there is great power And destiny be horrible and dangerous, And they hang, and heads off they cut, In dungeons they throw the living Whose bones remain in chains. The firman frightened Mujo. Sat Mujo on the icy stone. On his lap he unfolded the firman. He glanced at it with his two black eyes. What content had the writings of the Sultan? It is a sad writing, not to be laughed at, And around the Tzar there are fifty traitors, All of the viziers and councillors, All the positions were by traitors occupied, Just two Turks are amongst them, Neither of them is asked for advice, Their own heads are threatened. How did they betray the Tzar? How is it written in the firman on sirdar: "Mujo the sirdar, the head of Bosnia, I gave you Bosnia and Krajina, All Bosnia and Hercegovina, To reign over Bosnia the wavy! I believed you as my own son. Hey, you became a traitor. First treason that you committed: For the twelve year span of time Bosnia had not paid us the taxes, Nor did you send us any gift, Nor do you acknowledge me as your Sultan. Have you parted with your faith, Have you betrayed me? We cannot both reign. One country to feed two Tzars Is not bearable for the poor people. We shall reveal each other now, Are you the traitor, are you trustworthy, Are you of faith, of strong belief? Do you recall, Mujo, what happened long ago, When the guard crossed our border To our shame and solely by force? It was Kostres The Chieftain who traversed it, Along with his three hundred armoured soldiers, To kill our poor people, Hey, to burn towers and courtyards, And to plunder great numbers of cattle, To take away our prosperity, To deny survival to poor people. For the twelve year span of time They oppress us everywhere. The great complaint came to the Sultan: Poor mothers grieve for their sons, And lonely sisters for their brothers, And young women for their husbands, And little children for their fathers. The soldiers chase Kostres The Chieftain. The soldiers get killed, afflicting no harm on them. The complaints already annoyed me, Poor people cannot survive. It is not easy, for twelve years He does not allow our lad to mature. When he turned twenty His mother stayed a cuckoo, And his house with fire burned, And his lonely mother was crushed. Shall we understand each other now? Take my strict order! Your deadline is three weeks, Of that, not one hour more, To search for Kostres The Chieftain, Hey, with his three hundred armoured soldiers. Your deadline is exactly that long. If you catch him, tie him alive, Deliver him into my hands To answer for what he did; If you kill him, bring his head, Or your head you must give instead! If you do not dare to chase Kostres Report to me in Istanbul town, in person! Here is what the Tzar says to you: I shall forge the chains for your hands, I shall forge the wrought iron for your legs, I shall assemble the people from Istanbul, And I shall invite the pashas and the viziers; I shall take you to our shore, To the shore under the Iron gate, Hey, let the whole crowd watch! You will not, Mujo, be killed by the hero, But I shall bring a low vagabond, The vagabond's sword will execute you. The memory of you will be darkened. If you do not report to me in person, And in the mountains to join haiduks you flee instead, I shall write a firman to seven kings, Let them wait on seven borders! My soldiers will chase you, Oh, chase, catch you alive. For your life you are done! Under torture your soul will leave you. So choose what better pleases you!" And when Mujo understood the firman The tears fell from his eyes, Hey, two streams over his white cheeks Were shed, two streams over his white face. His face changed colour strongly, One would say that he became sick, Or that death approached him. But his mother is watching him from the window. When the old one saw the tears, She felt sorry for the son from her bosom. >From the window the old one spoke: "Oh, my Mujo, oh my dear son, What writing came to you That it so buried you? Your face has changed so much That your poor mother cannot recognize you. Why the tears shed from your eyes? Many times writings came to you, But you have never, Mujo, been like this, You were reading, and you were merry." to be continued .......

This article was originally published in Cross Cultures Magazine in Volume 1 - Issue 4 - 1992. Unauthorized copying, distribution or other usage without express written permission of the publisher is prohibited.