United States or Gambia ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
"Feodor Feodorovitch," said this officer, when the young girl's voice had faded away into the blending with the last note of the guzla, "Feodor Feodorovitch is a man and a glorious soldier who is able to sleep in peace, because he has labored for his country and for his Czar." "Yes, yes. Labored well! A glorious soldier!" repeated Athanase Georgevitch and Ivan Petrovitch.
"Never mind," said the king, "as you were able to take my enemy prisoner you will certainly be able to succeed in getting old Yaga's guzla: go then, and do not return without it, or you will be executed." Niezguinek bowed and went out. He went straight to the stable, where he found his charger looking very sad and thin, his head drooping before the trough, the hay untouched.
Is it not in your handwriting?" Niezguinek read: "In a certain country, within the house of old Yaga, is a marvellous guzla: if the king wish I will fetch it for him. "It is true," said he, "that this writing resembles mine, but it is a forgery, for I never wrote it."
While the old witch lay snoring with all her might, Niezguinek took the guzla and leapt on his horse, crying: "Marvel of strength and of beauty so white, Horse of my heart, while I sing, Rise in the air, like a bird take thy flight, Haste to the court of my king." Just as if the horse had seen something in the clouds, he rose swift as an arrow, and flew through the air, above the fogs.
After closely watching this doubtful infidel, this amateur barbarian, I began to suspect civilization and Europeanism.... One of the musicians asleep near the window, turned over and his long guitar a guzla, I think it is called caught in the curtain and drew it a little open; the sunlight streamed in the room and an accusing ray fell upon the face of the spurious young Turk.... It was Edgar de Meilhan!
She took down the guzla and handed it to Boris, who struck some plaintive preliminary chords. "What shall I sing?" she inquired, raising her father's hand from the back of the sofa where he rested and kissing it with filial tenderness. "Improvise," said the general. "Improvise in French, for the sake of our guest." "Oh, yes," cried Boris; "improvise as you did the other evening."
While thus engaged the fisherman unhooked the guzla from the branches and hurried off into the courtyard with it. There he unfolded his carpet, and sitting down upon it with the princess at his side, flew high up into the air. He had not forgotten to bring with him the cap, the club, and the ring; the princess took care of the guzla.
He had been warned beforehand by his horse of the danger that threatened them, and now he got up quietly and changed the positions of the twenty-four beds, so that the brothers lay to the left side of the room, and Yaga's daughters to the right. At midnight, old Yaga cried out in a hoarse voice, "Guzla, play. Sword, strike."
Truly, no one ever can guess the anger or the love that broods in a Slavic heart under a soldier's tunic, whether the soldier wisely plays at the guzla, as the correct Boris, or merely lounges, twirling his mustache with his manicured and perfumed fingers, like Michael, the indifferent.
The horse rose immediately as if he had been beckoned to by some one in the clouds, and passing swiftly through the air, crossed rivers and mountains, till at midnight he stopped before old Yaga's house. Since the disappearance of the guzla the sword had been placed on guard before the house, and whoever came near it was cut to pieces.
Word Of The Day