Page:The Ballads of Marko Kraljević.djvu/153

 Nor knew I when came winter, Save by one token, mother. In winter the damsels as they played at snowballs, Would throw to me a snowball, By that I knew that winter was come. In summer they would throw me a spray of basil, By that I knew that it was summer. When the eighth year began, It was not the prison that tormented me, But a Moorish maiden, Dear daughter of the Moorish King. Morning and evening she would come, And call to me through the dungeon window: 'Pine not away, unhappy Marko, in thy dungeon! But give me thy solemn oath That thou wilt take me to wife, And I shall deliver thee out of prison, And thy good Sharatz out of his stable. I shall take of yellow ducats, My poor Marko, as many as thou pleasest.' When I considered of my evil plight, I took off my cap and laid it on my knee, And swore to the cap on my knee, saying: 'I take solemn oath I will not leave thee, I take solemn oath I will not deceive thee. The sun himself breaketh faith, And warmeth not the earth in winter as in summer, But never will I break mine oath!' The Moorish maiden pondered this, Thinking it was to her I swore. On a night when darkness was come, She opened the door of my dungeon, She led me forth of the dungeon, mother, She brought me the fiery Sharatz, And for herself a better still than Sharatz, And on both were saddle-bags full of ducats. She brought me my rich-wrought sabre.