Budai's Vlad the Impaler (2)

Translation by George Anca

From Canto 3

                          *

And, since the hour Vlad Vodă king sat

Ruler of Muntenian affairs

The foreheads of discord have been cut,

Political order and military cares

Measured after country's character,

In short time have been going better.

Those out of the boyars being abhorrent

And not wanting to follow the drawn up laws

Have fallen under terrible punishment,

Saying that they are to enlighten those

Others with good exemplification

And be the first to obey legislation,

For, if dutiful listeners of law

Will be only the poor and villains,

What the country will become after all?

A country that is of wolves and lions

Which staying in their dens chattel/lairs

are sucking the blood of hidebound cattle.

He said that the boyars are subjects

To the kingdom just like peasants any,

Moreover being them all in success,

Not only with the counsel and money,

But with the head itself would be in debt

as champions the country to protect.

Thus was Vlad speaking in the divan

and at whatever kind of get-together,

Adding that any one, be it peasant,

town dweller, boyar smaller or greater,

If mixture will have with foreign tongue

          He will pay by head the murder in pang.

Therefore he cruelly punished those

Who over motherland made hidden bets

And had with the Turks some mingling nose,

Or with any other foreign states,

Allotting belongings and estate land

To defenders and sons of motherland.

Through this he introduced a new chapter:

On big wrong actions and robberies,

Through established code of laws apter,

Put special and heavy penalties,

Out of which the most habitual

Was the stake with terrible funeral.

Then he selected from country around

The most hardworking with virtue alive

Stalwarts, out of whose a beautiful guard

made as for his watch, of hundreds five,

which in arms experienced to hoop,

That we name it unvanquished troop.

According to this source, also the other

Cavalry got organization,

Learning a high mastery warfare

Of trooping and weapons temptation,

And boyars envious on what the good keeps

Plotted arrangements in pagan tips.

For, as it happens ever everywhere

That one who will succeed to establish

On route one people nation and will dare

To found the ground of order for his anguish

And all endeavors, high end, sacrifice,

He rather wrong than good on him hears,

Such was also Vlad's bitter portion:

The envious say he is dictator

And over him invented shame distortion,

And want that country don't listen later;

The Impaler called him in silliness

With stake scolding the robbers pitiless.

Hence they quick embassies in secret

Send to the sultan, unsurprising

How vodă king wants country to invite

Over powerful Gate with uprising,

And it is much to be afraid from him

If not impeded in due time his whim.

Right for that matter through hidden way

The sultan now a pasha then another

Teaches and arms and sent them away

Over this high prince undercover,

That ceaselessly both winter and summer

To go and the country to plunder.

But Vlad being with good guard,

Army having well accustomed with arms,

Robber multitudes he with brave hand

In run even caught them many times;

To those caught he gave a savage break

Making to be drawn alive in stake.

Now some thirty thousand approximately

of pagan robbers he in poles stick,

Neither let any bury them quietly,

But to vultures chosen tuck-in tick,

And to ravens for robbery on terrain,

He ordered that they hanged to remain.

Sultan Mohamet by the first intimation

Didn't give much credence to all those,

but coming continuous denunciation,

Wanted to know with basis of course

If all those are indeed not lied,

Through persons by him verified.

For this in shape of great embassy,

Some clever capigi agents has sent.

Catavolin was assigned breathlessly

As the first in this chosen represent,

Catavolin primary chancellor,

A Turkish Greek, son of a dealer.

Toward this the sultan his secret

Desire and thinking opened ahead,

With heart by ire penetrated,

Taking him apart, in this shape said:

“Big affair have I, o Catavolin,

And I put my confidence to you all in!...

Muntenian Vodă king, the subject of Gate,

So conducts self with inhumanity,

That believers he gives to the cruel death,

Still more not searching for his liability,

Neither of paying tribute he would mind,

Nor to prostrate himself will remind.

Hence you going do thoroughly inspect,

Try if you can to return him on track,

First of all that to me he prostrate,

And seeing that he stays on his own back

And with will he will not want to give up,

If need with the counsel you will him trap.

And as help in this discrete intention

You will have Hamza with diligence,

Only look to be with big attention

That the Muntenian have not incidence,

That otherwise totally on fire

Would be our endeavor entire...”

The Greek sets out with these prescribed mandate

And deliberating with Hamza occurrence,

In the end in this shape are throwing the net:

He himself to go and put in appearance

To the Muntenian the desire of Gate,

Trying to bring him back to the faith.

But if he would see that he doesn't bow

Hurriedly at Vidin to send announcer

And when vodă king will, as it ought,

Accompany him up to the frontier,

Hamza unto that the Danube to cross

And from hidden place invasion to boss.

Thus the hypocrite dissembling Greek flies

Assigned with the known diplomacy;

To Vlad firstly brings back as advice

All things passed and to come supposedly,

For the past announcing forgiving,

Friendship for the future happening.

“Big indeed is the mistake you made

(He said), but of Gate pity over you

Is, without any doubt, with no end

for it forgives to you the preview

guilt not wanting from now hostility

But only amity and amity.

Not else from you he desires

But only tribute and some five hundred

Of youth; afterward that in a friendly airs

You coming to the Gate, with faded

Bows to Sultan Mohamet to prostrate

And to apologize to the great.”

Vodă king is listening with suffering

All warding and clever desire

And first he good will is offering

Wanting minutely the tyrannical mire

To scrutinize, and if he understood clear,

With greatness thus from mouth did swear:

Do tell to that who sent you here

that in this shape Vlad Vodă king respond:

The tribute is ready, under dear

Door bolt, but to penetrate by bond

There no foreign appetite can as strand

In other way but with sword in hand.

If of them the sultan cares let he arrive

To bring them to him, if confident!...

But neither youth want from home they live

Willingly to go in rims obstinate,

Saying that with motherland together

Want to have fate: bad or good whatever,

And, as about my own person,

To go an to prostrate to high Gate,

You tell that then when the hares in torsion

will outstrip the gray hounds!... to wolves death

The lambs will give, perhaps that then only

I will prostrate and not this lonely!...”

The embassy viewing from all these

That to bow him is not under their power

To Hamza at Vidin gave intelligence

For known operation to prepare,

And with Vlad such thing arrange, no botch,

Up to Danube to give him armed watch.

And Vlad through faithful lookouts brigade

Understanding all shameful maneuver,

Four thousand of chosen cavalry made

To be gathered from country all over

And in secret, by where in which part

Hamza was supposed to keep him path.

Giving fast orders that to be kept

Hidden until a decided term,

And at his given sign ready expect

For war, with doubled virtue and firm,

Afterward also in no instant

To give over Turks from back the onslaught.

By that Vodă all puts in appearance

As when about counsels nothing would guess.

Hence taking his armed guard assurance,

At known given time he does raise

And accompany the messenger with entire

honor and pomp that laws require.

                         *

....Florescul, after showing the states of things in Europe and between the Christians, now glides down to Vlad Vodă / king and tells his history since he stayed as domn/king in Țara Muntenească./Romanian Country. M.P. /.../

For this Vlad Vodă, doubled are the chronicles; some write him as a dire tyrant, and others as a worthy domn, but harsh at punishing; as it is said also about Stèfan, the prince of Modova, that he was swift at wrath and bloodshed maker. M.P.

 

Translation by George Anca