Cestmir and Vlaslav ⁵

The poem is dated to the half of the 9th century. It describes the war between two Czech clans: Lucans and Prazans. Vlaslav, the head of Lucans, was still attacking the part of Bohemia, which was under the government of Prague duke Neklan. The army of Prazans under leadership of Czestmir liberated the duke Vojmir, who had been arested by Vlaslav's confederate Kruvoj. Czestmir's and Vlaslav's armies confounded the Vlaslav's army in the battle at Tursko. This event is also known from old Czech chronicles.

'Twas Neklan bad arise to war,
And Vlaslaw was the foe,
His host with princely high command
He bad 'gainst Vlaslaw go
The host arose, arose to war,
And Vlaslaw was the foe,
Arose at the princes' high command
'Gainst Vlaslaw fierce to go.

Prince Vlaslaw did o'er Neklan boast
With vaunting proud and high,
O'er Neklan o'er that prince renown'd,
He'd won the victory.
And fire and sword he sent abroad
Into Neklan's land so wide,
And behind his warriors' robber swords
Neklan with scorn defied.

"Up, Czestmir! lead my bands to war!
Vlaslaw, puff'd up with pride,
Hath spoken words of arrogance,
And us with scorn defied."

And Czestmir doth with joy arise,
And seizes his dark black shield,
(His dark black shield two tusks adorn)
And with it to the field,
He takes his axe, and his helm, which ne'er
In war might pierced be,
And off'rings to the gods he brings
Under every greenwvod tree,

Merrily Czestmir calls his men,
And soon the ranks they fill,
And they march'd ere dawn, and all day long,
And they march'd on yet, when the sun was set,
To the top of yonder hill,

Lo! o'er the villages rolleth smoke!
In the villages shrieks and gwaning!
»Who burnt the villages? Who hath caus'd
»This wailing and wo ful moaning?
»Who? Vlaslaw? Ne'er again shall he
»Spread woe and devastation;
»My warriors bring him punishment,
»And utter annihilation.«

To Czestmir gave they answer straight,
»'Twas Kruwoi, flock and herd
»Who harried; savage Kruvoi 'twas,
»Who far and vide ou every side
»Spread woe with fire and sword.
»Of all that good and useful was
»He hath let nought remain,
»And with him he our honour'd duke
»Captive away hath ta'en.«

'Gainst Kruvoi Czestmir wrathful raged,
And from his breast so wide
Spread anger fierce through ev'ry limb,
And to his men he cried,
»Ye warriors, with tomorrow's dawn
»Be all our wrath on fire !
»Go now, refresh your weary limbs,
»That the long march doth tire.«

Upon the left-hand mountains stand,
And mountains on the right,
And on their summits glitt'ring high
Looks down the sun so bright:
And onwards o'er the mountains here
And o'er the mountains there,
In columns long the warriors march,
And battle with them bear.

»Ho! onwards to the castle, on!
»That stands on the rocky height,
»There Kruwoi Voymir captive holds
»With his daughter that maiden bright!
»He took then in the forest thick,
»All under yon grey rock,
»And there with arrogance and scorn
»Neklan, our prince, did moek.
»Kruwoi to Neklan promis'd faith;
»And gave his hand thereby,
»Yet wrought with that very voice and hand
»His people's misery -
»Up! up! ye warriors! up, with speed,
»And storm yon castle high!«

The warriors rush with wrath enflam'd,
The castle to assail,
At the bidding of Czastmir, their leader brave
Like the clouds that bear the hail.
The foremost are shelter'd by their shields,
With shield on shield rais'd high,
The hindmost lean upon their, spears
And on trees that crosswise lie;
And higher than the high tree-tops,
Round the castle clash their brands,
And rage against the swords that wave
In the defenders' hands.

On the castle Kruvoi roar'd aloud
With the roaring of a bull,
Roar'd loudly, that his people's hearts
With valour all were full.
His sword upon the men of Prague
With mighty sway doth light,
To the castle Neklan's warriors crowd,
And 'tis as though on the mountains grow
Full many oaks of might,
And from a rock there falls a tree,
That on those oaks doth smite.

»Y'assail the castle from behind«
Now Czestmir gives command;
He bids in front the wall to climb,
That firm and high doth stand.
Tall trees that grow 'neath the rock below
Tey've leant 'gainst the castle wall,
That harmlessly the beams cast down
O'er the warriors heads may fall.
The warriors range themselves beneath,
With shoulders broad they stand
Comrade by comrade, man by man,
A bold and valiant band.
Across their shoulder beams they place,
And in part with ropes they tie,
Then firm upon their lances lean,
And men have sprung on high
Upon the beams their comrades bear,
And each supports him on his spear,
And beams anew set crosswise too
Upon their shoulders lie.
A third rank on the second springs,
A fourth the third doth crown,
And the fifth hath reach'd the battlements
Whence the falchins gleam and the arrows stream,
And the beams roll thund'ring down.

Now, now they stream, the men of Prague,
Right fiercely o'er the wall,
Before them in the castle strong
Doth every warrior fall.

»Up, Voymir, up! with thy daugther dear!
»Come forth from the turret high!
»Come forth to greet this happy morn!
»Then on to the rock hard by!
»On the rock thou'lt Kruvoi bleeding see
»'Neath the axe of vengeance lie.« [morn,

And forth he comes to the gladsome
With his daughter, lovely maid,
And gazes on Kruvoi, his mortal foe,
On the rock all bleeding laid.

Now Czestmir sends the booty back.
To the folk from whom 'twas ta'en,
And with the booty the lovely maid,
Returns to her home again.

But Veymir will in the selfsame place,
At the selfsame hour of day,
To the gods, who granted victory,
His thankful off'rings pay,

»Up, Voymir, up!« quoth Czestmir then,
»Our steps are hast'ning straight
»O'er Vlaslaw victory to win;
»This service awhile must wait.
»The gods will Vlaslaw's overthrow;
"When the sun towards afternoon
»Approaches, we shall there approach,
»Where 'our army's cry of victory
»Will be loudly utter'd soon;
»Take then the weapons of thy foe,
»Come, arm thyself and on!«

Right joyous is Voymir at the word,
From the rock on high with echoin cry
He shouts, that the wood doth sound,
From his mighty throat to the gods he calls,
That the wide wood quivers round;
»Ye gods, with your servant be no to wrath,
»That, ere to-day have hast away,
Burnt-offerings be not found.«

"'Tis meet,« quoth Czestmir, »to the gods
»Fit off'erings to pay,
»But now against our enemies
»We needs must haste away,
»Go, seat thee on a horse of speed,
»As a stag, quickbounding fly
»Right onwards through the forest wide
To yonder oakwood high!
»Fast by the road's a sacred rock,
»A rock to the gods right dear;
»There pay thy off'rings to the gods,
»Who rescued thee from fear,
»For victory that's past and gone,
»For victory that's near!
»Or ere the sun in onward course
»Ascends the heaven's height,
»Thou wilt be there arriv'd, and ere
»A second step and a third he takes
»O'er the tall tree tops in sight,
»The army too will have arrived,
»Where smoky columns high
»From thy victim rise into the skies,
»And the warriors will bend as on they wend
»In meek humilitz.«

And Voymir springs on a gallant speed,
And swift as a stag doth fly
On through the forest to the rock,
That stands in the oakwood high;
And on the summit of the rock,
The rock to the gods so dear,
He burns his off'ring to the gods,
Who rescued him from fear,
For victory that's past and gone,
For victory that's near.
He offers there a heifer fair',
All red and bright of hue;
He bought her from the cowherd there
In the vale among the grass so long,
And as her meed his gallant steed
He gave and bridle too. [nigh,

The offering flames; the host draws
Draws nigh the vale below,
And up from the vale their arms they trail,
With shout and cry to the oakwood high,
As one by one they go.
Each marching round the sacrifice
To the gods doth utter praise,
And faileth not as on he goes,
His voice aloud to raise.
But Voymir, when the rear is past,
On his warhorse swift doth spring,
And lays the shoulders fat and thighs
Of the victim upon horsemen six,
Behind the host to bring.

Each step of the sun the host march'd on,
Until the full noonday
Awaiting them on the level plain
The warlike Vlaslaw lay.
From wood to wood his army reach'd,
It reach'd along five times as strong
As the men of Prague arrayed,
And from it, as from thunder clouds,
Was heard around a hurtling sound,
And countless blood hounds bayed. [fight;

»With foes like these we scarce can
»Not oft the staff can strive
»Against the club.« Thus, Voymir, thus
Doth Czestmir answer give,

»'Tis wise in whispers thus to speak,
»'Tis wise prepar'd to be
»For ev'ry chance. With heedless shock
»Why strike the forehead 'gainst a rock !
»With artful wiles the fox beguiles
»The bull so strong to see!
»Here Vlaslaw from the hill on high
»Can see us as we go;
»Quick down, and round the mountain march!
»Be they the rear, the van that were!
»Haste round the hill below!

And thus 'twas done by Voymir straight,
Twas done, by Czestmir too;
With speed around the mountain high
Nine times the army drew.
Thus they their number and their might
Augmented to the foe,
And thus within the foemen's breasts
Did panic terror grow.
Among the brushwood on the hill,
Themselves they scatter'd wide,
That in the foemen's eyes their arms
Might glance and gleam, and glitt'ring beam
The hill on ev'ry side.

Quick Czestmir with his company
Burst forwards on the foe;
Four squadrons in that company
Did thus with Czestmir go.
And with them Tras burst forwards too
From out the shady wood,
Tras seiz'd upon the num'rous host,
That there against them stood.
In rear, in rear, came to them fear
From all the forest wide,
They broke their ranks and panic-struck'
Took flight on ev'ry side.

With valiant hand bursts Voymir forth,
And the entranee of the vale
Half occupies across, and doth
Vlaslaw in flank assail.

'Tis crashing and dashing in the vale,
As hills with hills did fight,
And all the trees in all the wood
Did'gainst each other smite.
And Vlaslaw springs 'gainst Czestmir forth,
Czestmir 'gainst him doth bound
In savage duel - wound on wound -
He smote him to the ground!
Vlaslaw extended on the earth
In fierce convulsions lies,
Nor sideways, backwards, doth his strength
Avail again to rise,
And all in black and gloomy night
Morena wraps his eyes.
From mighty Vlaslaw streams the blood
Among the grass so green,
And flows into the thirsty earth,
Where nought that grows is seen.
The soul from out his bellowing mouth
Flew up into a tree,
From tree to tree, till the corpse was burnt,
It journied flutt'ring free.

All Vlaslaw's men are terror-struck,
And sideways thence they fly,
And up the hill, themselves to hide
From Czestmir's piercing eye,
From Czestmir, who o'er Vlaslaw fierce
Hath won the victory.

Loud sounds the shout of victory
In Neklan's joyous ear,
To Neklan's joyous eye doth spoil,
Abundant spoil, appear.