TEXT OF MANUSCRIPT OF ZELENÁ HORA
The text was translated by A. H. Wratislaw in 1851.
The Assembly (Sněmy)
The Assembly is only a fragment, in which a common administration of house and the selection of a new head of house are described.
"Every father in his household ruleth,
Men must till, and clothes be made by women;
If the household's head begone, the children
Rule together jointly his possessions,
Choosing from the household a Vladyka,
For the common weal to seek the assembly
With the Kmets, the Lechs and the Vladykas."
Rose the Kmets, the Lechs and the Vladykas,
And approved the legal just decision.
The Judgement of Lubussa (Libusin soud)
In this poem, a motive of a settle of two brothers (Chrudos and
Staglaw) is described. They were in a dispute about inheritance over their
father Klenovic. Chrudos wanted all this inheritance according to the German
firstborn law. Princess Lubussa settled the dispute in a session of land
assembly on Vysegrad. Dissatisfied Chrudos offended the princess, she scratched
her judicial authority and she called land assembly on option of a ruler. The
poem has not the end.
The motive is known from old Czech chronicles (Kosmas, Dalimil etc.). It became a basis of opera "Libuse" by Bedrich Smetana.
Why Vltava, troublest thou thy water?
Troublest thou thy
silver-foamy water?
Hath a tempest wild disquieted thee,
In the wide sky
scattering streaming storm-clouds,
Washing all the tops of the green
mountains,
Washing out the loam, whose sands are golden?
How could I not
trouble thus my water,
When own brothers have engaged in quarrel
For the
heritage that was their father's?
Savagely together have they
quarrelled:
Chrudos fierce beside Otava winding,
By Otava's gold-producing
windings,
Valiant Staglaw by the cool Radbuza.
Brothers both, and both are
Klenovices,
Of the old race of Tetwa, son of Popel,
Who with Czech and
with his squadrons entered
Into the rich land across three rivers.
Up the
social bird, the swallow, flieth,
Flieth from Otava, winding river,
And
upon the window wide is seated
In Lubussa's golden seat
paternal,
Vysegrad, her sacred seat paternal.
And she mourneth and she
waileth sadly.
When her sister hears her thus complaining,
Her own sister
in Lubussa's palace,
She within the Vysegrad the princess
Begs to hold a
court for the decision,
And the brethren twain to summon thither,
And to
judge them as the law ordaineth.
Messengers the princess bids to
issue:
Unto Svatoslaw from white Lubica,
Where the useful taken forests
flourish;
Unto Lutibor from Dobroslaw's height,
Where the Labe drinketh
the Orlica;
Unto Ratibor from Kerkonossian mountains,
Where erst Trut the
savage dragon slaughtered;
Unto Radovan from Kamen Most;
Unto Jarozir from
hills with water streaming;
Unto Strezibor from fair Sazava;
Unto Samorod
from Mza, whose waves bear silver;
And unto all the Kmets, the Lechs and the
Vladykas;
And to Chrudos and his brother Staglaw,
For their father's
heritage contending.
When at length the Lechs and the Vladykas
In the
Vysegrad were all assembled,
Each takes place according to his
birthright.
Clad in glittering white her throne paternal
In the assembly
grand ascends the princess.
Forth there issue pacing two wise
maidens,
Well instructed in victorious science,
With the first are tablets
law-declaring,
With the next the sword, that crimes doth punish;
Opposite
them is the flame that judgeth,
And beneath them is the hallowed
water.
From the golden throne the princess speaketh:
You, my Kmets and
Lechs, and you Vladykas,
'Twixt the brethren must the right determine,
Who
now for their heritage together,
For their father's heritage are
striving.
Let them both at once possess according
To the edict of the gods
eternal,
Or divide the land in like proportion,
O my Kmets and Lechs, and
you, Vladykas,
It is yours my sentence to establish,
If it be according to
your wisdom.
If it is not according to your wisdom,
Stablish for the twain
a new decision,
That may reconcile the striving brothers."
Bent themselves
the Lechs and the Vladykas,
And began a whispered consultation,
Whispered
consultation with each other,
And they did commend and laud her
sentence.
Uprose Lutobor from Dobroslaw's height
And began in these words
his oration:
Glorious princess on thy throne paternal,
We have well
considered of thy sentence,
Now collect the votes throughout thy
nation!"
And the judging maids the votes collected,
In a sacred urn the
votes collected,
To the Lechs they gave them for announcement.
Radovan
from Kamen Most arising
Again the votes by number to examine,
And
announced the sentence to the nation
In assembly gathered for decision:
O
you brethren twain, both Klenovices,
Of the old race of Tetva, son of
Popel,
Who with Czech and with his squadrons entered
Into the rich land
across three rivers;
Thus about your heritage accord you:
You shall rule
it both the twain together!"
Uprose Chrudos from Otava winding,
Anger
poured itself throughout his body,
All his limbs with savage fierceness
trembled,
Like a bull he roars, his strung hand swinging:
Woe to nests, to
which the snake approacheth,
Woe to men over whom a woman ruleth!
That a
man over men should rule is fitting,
It is right the firstborn should
inherit."
From her golden throne Lubussa rising,
Saith: You Kmets, you
Lechs, and you Vladykas,
You have heard the insult cast upon me.
Judge
yourselves, and give the legal sentence!
Never more will I your strifes
determine.
Choose a man, an equal, from your number,
That he may with iron
sway and rule you!
Weak over you to rule is hand of maiden."
Ratibor from
Kerkonossian mountains
Rose and thus began to make oration:
Shame it were
we should justice seek from Germans,
We by sacred law have right and
justice,
Which our fathers brought into these regions... "