Horns are sounding, cymbals clashing,
And the prince bespake the nobles :
"Who shall be the third for tournay
Shall Ludise now determine."
And the princess beckoned Lubor.
Lubor call'd upon Bolemir,
Both sprang eager on their horses,
Grasp'd the sharply-pointed lances,
Hasten'd swiftly in the circus,
Look'd upon each other-turning
Each his spear upon the other,
From his horse Bolemir tumbles,
Far away his shield is flying,
Servants bear him from the circus.

Horns are sounding, cymbals clashing,

Lubor calls on Rúbos-Rúbos

Straight upon his steed is mounted,
Swiftly bears him down on Lubor,
Lubor's sword his lance has severed,
Lubor's sword has cleaved his helmet,
From his steed he falls-th' attendants
Bear him wounded from the circus.

Horns are sounding, cymbals clashing,
Lubor calls upon the nobles :
"He who will with Lubor battle,
Let him hasten to the circus."
And the nobles talk together,
Lubor tarries in the circus,
Zdeslaw swung his heavy jav'lin,
With gigantic bull-head pointed,
Swung it from his horse of battle,
And thus arrogantly answered:
"My forefather slew the wild-bull,
German hordes my father conquered,
And let Lubor try my prowess.
So they sprang on one another,
Head from head anon rebounded,

And of each the horses stagger'd,

Each his sword unsheath'd, they combat
Horseless on the ground,-and fiercely

Swing their swords,-whose mighty clashings
All around the circus echo.

Lubor on his side is pressing,

Smites with force his foeman's helmet

See-that helm in twain is sever'd,

Lubor's sword his foeman's follows

Lo! it flies beyond the circus,
Zdeslaw to the ground is fallen.

Horns are sounding, cymbals clashing,
All the peers encircle Lubor,

Bear him to the prince's presence,

To the princess-to Ludise

And a wreath Ludise gives him

Of the green leaves of the oak-tree,

Horns are sounding, cymbals clashing.

The next piece is a description of the Tatar Kubla Khan's invasion of Christendom, an event which took place in the middle of the thirteenth century. The story is simply and beautifully told, in regular verses of five trochees each. An Englishman, named Weston,* (he is called Veston by the Bohemian bard) appears to have greatly distinguished himself. The whole poem is too long for quotation, but of its style and measure the verbal translation of a few lines-the introduction of Kubla Khan's daughter will give a sufficient idea.

Kublajevna, beautiful as Luna,

Heard of lands, and people towards the evening,t
She desired to see their foreign customs,
Ten young men she summon'd to escort her,
And two maidens for her person's service;
Richly for her journey she provided;

All were mounted on the swiftest coursers,
And departed for the western sun-set ;
As the dawn of morning brightly shineth
When it rises in the gloomy forest,
Shone in dazzling and in native beauty
And magnificence Khan Kubla's daughter;
She was covered o'er with golden garments
While her neck and bosom each uncover'd
Wore the costliest wreaths of pearls and jewels.

Such a splendor dazzled all the Germans,
And they coveted her costly treasures,
Track'd her footsteps as she hasten'd forward,
Overtook her in the darksome forest,

Murder'd her, and all her treasures plunder'd.

The description of the Tatar priests with their magic rites gives a dramatic aspect to the poem, which throughout is flowing, vivacious and pictorial. Its details are all accordant with

*The Chronicles of this period speak of an old English warrior who had in consequence of his former crimes, made a vow to serve against the infidels. See Ramner's Geschichte der Hohenstaufen; was his name Weston? ↑ Ze wlasti na záchodie, lands towards the evening i. e. lauds in the west,

the narratives which exist of the defeat of the Hungarians by the Tatars in 1241; when Pest, Cracow and Breslau were taken. It was at this time the great battle of the Wahlstatt was lost, in consequence, it was said, of the Poles having misunderstood the cry zabijejcie, (Smite dead!) for zabieźcie (Save yourselves!).

The following poem (Beneš Hermanow) is in the ballad measure, thus

Sun of brightness, sun of brightness,

What hast made thee now so dark
Why on us, unhappy ones,
Look so gloomily?

It is a description of an affray between Bohemians and Germans in which the latter are put to the rout.

There are three other historical ballads, which, however, the space which the popular lyrics will occupy prevents our farther referring to here-these lyrics we shall transfer to our pages.

The Cuckoo is a happy expression of impatient affection, of uneasiness under the too-slow flight of Time.

THE CUCKOO.

On the wide plain tow'rs an oak tree,
Cuckoo sits upon the tree,

"Why," he moans and "why" he murmurs—
Lives not spring eternally?"

Would corn ripen in the meadows

Did the spring for ever last :

Or the apples in the garden,

If the summer never past?

What should freeze the up-piled wheat-rick,

If the autumn ne'er were gone

And how gloomy were the maiden
Did the seasons not move on?*

The "Nosegay" Göthe has translated in his Kunst und Alter

thum. It is fanciful and full of grace. Göthe's version is a very faithful one, except that he represents the maiden as following the nosegay.

Und so verfolgt sie
das eilende Sträusschen
sie eilet vorauf ihm→

We prefer the simplicity of the original.

THE NOSEGAY.

A breezelet is blowing
From forests of kings:
A maiden is going
To seek the stream.

In well-girded bucket
The water she draws,

The stream to the maiden
A nosegay brings.

A beautiful nosegay
Of violets, and roses―
She stretches to reach it,
Alas! to tell,

The beautiful maid

In the streamlet fell.

O beautiful flowers

Could I but know,

Who planted you first
And bid you grow,
In faith I would give him
A golden ring.

O beautiful nosegay
Wouldst thou declare
Who bound thee round
With gentle string;
I'd give him with pleasure
The pin of my hair.*

O beautiful nosegay
Could I but know-

In the streamlet who flung thee
I'd give him, I vow,
The prettiest garland,
That binds my brow.t

* The head-dress of young Slavonian women resembled the Acus Comatoria of the Romans, and was fastened with a golden pin. The maiden's garland (wienek) spoken of in the following verse was laid aside on marriage; and the idea of the willingness of the damsel to wed her lover, whom she imagines to have thrown the garland into the stream, is artfully and prettily conveyed.-See Swoboda's note p. 221.

To "The Rose," Swoboda attributes a high antiquity. Popular traditional songs closely resembling it are to be found in most of the collections of the Slavonian Piesnie.

THE ROSE.

O thou rose! thou lovely rose !
Why so early hast thou bloom'd,
Early bloom'd, in frost benumb'd
And in frost so soon decay'd
Stripp'd of leaves and withered?

Evening came-I sat forlorn
Till the cock-call met the morn―
Till the fir-splint light was gone-
What had I to hope upon?

So I slept and sleeping dream'd-
And to me-unhappy thing!
Something in my vision seem'd
From my hand to steal the ring,
Steal the precious stone I wore—
And I found it never-more-
Vainly did I wait my love.*

In a few simple words, can a picture of solitude and sorrow be more touchingly delineated than in what follows. The castle of Militine is in the Bydzower district.