Good was he as a child, and now the same.
He loveth Poland more than all things. He
Keeps Polish customs, and no entrance gives
To Russian fashions. Oft as I return
From Prussia, wishing to wash off the German,
I go to Soplicowo, as the centrum
Of Polish manners; there one may drink in
And breathe one’s country. Heaven forbid! Dobrzynskis!
I am your brother, but I will not let
The Judge be wronged, and this shall come to nought.
It was not, brothers, in Great Poland so.
What spirit and what concord! dear to mem’ry!
None there with such a trifle dared to mar
Our council.” “ ’Tis no trifle,” said the Klucznik,
“To hang up rascals!” Louder grew the murmur.
Then Jankiel begged a hearing; on a bench
He sprang, he stood, and raised above their heads
His beard like tavern-bush, that hung far down
Unto his girdle. With his right hand he
Did slowly doff his cap of foxes’ skin,
And with his left composed again his gown
Disordered; then his left hand he replaced
Upon his girdle, and thus made discourse,
With fox-skin kolpak bowing all round:
“Now, sirs Dobrzynski! I’m a Jew myself.
The Judge to me is neither kith nor kin.
I honour the Soplicas as right good
Masters, and as my landlords; I respect
All the Dobrzynskis likewise, all the Barteks,
And Matthews, all as neighbours very good,
And benefactors. But I tell you this:
If you do any violence to the Judge,
’Tis very wrong. Maybe you’ll conquer, kill—
But the Assessors, and the Sprawnik?196 Prison.
For in the Soplicowo village is
A band of soldiers, Jägers197 all. The Assessor
Is in the house, and if he only whistle,
They’ll muster there, and come as though on purpose.
And what will be? If for the French you wait,
The French are still far off; the way is long.
I am a Jew; I nothing know of war;
But I was in Bielica, where I saw
Jews from the very frontier; and they say,
The Frenchmen stand on the Lososna river,
And if there’s war, ’twill not be till the spring.
Now, thus I say; wait yet a little time.
The Soplicowo house is not a booth
That one can take down, put into a wagon,
And drive away; the mansion as it stood
Will stand until the spring. The Judge is not
A Jew upon a lease; he will not fly;
You’ll find him there next spring. And now, go home,
And do not talk aloud of what has been,
For talking is in vain. And if it please
The noble gentlemen, I beg you come
With me. My Sarah has a little Jankiel.
I will treat all to-day, and have great music.
I’ll order bagpipes, bass-viol, two fiddles—
And Master Matthew loves old July mead,
And a new mazurka; I have new mazurkas,
And I have taught my boys to sing right well.”
The generally belovèd Jankiel’s speech
Went to their hearts; a cry arose, a shout
Of joy, a murmur of consent went round
Behind the very house—when with the Penknife
Gervasy pointed unto Jankiel.
The Jew sprang down, he vanished in the crowd.
The Klucznik cried, “Away, Jew! never thrust
Thy fingers between doors; this thee concerns not!
Because you trade, Sir Prussian, with a pair
Of miserable barges, that belong
Unto the Judge, you strain your throat for him.
Have you forgotten then, Mopanku, how
Your father floated down to Prussia twenty
Barges belonging to Horeszko, whereby
He did enrich himself and family?
And even all of you, who are in Dobrzyn,
You old men may remember, you, young men,
Have heard, the Pantler was to all of you
A father and a benefactor. Whom
Sent he commissioner to his Pinsk estates?
’Twas a Dobrzynski. Who were his accountants?
Dobrzynskis. And his stewardship, finances,
To none except Dobrzynskis did he trust.
Your interests he promoted in the courts;
He got you bread of favour from the king;
He sent your children, at his own expense,
To school to the Pijary fathers,198 paid
Their board and clothing, and at his expense
Advanced them when grown-up. Why did he this?
Because he was your neighbour. And to-day
Soplica’s borders touch upon your frontier.
When did he ever aught of good to you?”
“Nothing whatever,” Bucket now broke in;
“For from a petty noble he grew up,
And how he puffs himself with pride, faugh! faugh!
How lifts he up his nose! Do you remember?
I asked him to my daughter’s wedding. I
Was drinking; but he would not drink. Says he,
‘I cannot drink like all you noblemen;
You nobles drink like fishes.’ There’s a magnate!
A delicate dish of flour of Marymont!199
He drank not; down his throat we poured the wine.
He cried, ‘You wrong me!’ Well then, wait a bit,
And from my Bucket I will deluge thee!”
“The wretch!” cried Baptist; “oh! I’ll sprinkle him!
My son, he was a prudent boy, but now
He is grown so stupid that they call him Bustard.200
The Judge is cause that he is such a fool.
I said, ‘Why creepest thou to Soplicowo?
If there I catch thee may the Lord defend thee!’
Again he went to see Sophia, lying
In wait among the hemp. I caught him, and
I laid about his ears at once; he bleated
And whimpered, as he were a little boy.
‘Father, although you kill me, I must go.’
And he kept whimpering. ‘What is the matter?’
And then he told me that he loved Sophia,
He wished to look upon her. I was sorry
For the poor fellow; so unto the Judge
I said, ‘Judge, give Sophia to the Bustard.’
He said, ‘She’s young as yet; wait three years more.
See what she wish herself.’ The wretch! he lied!
He’s now betrothing her to somebody.
I’ve heard so. I will creep in at the wedding,
And with my Sprinkler sanctify their couch.”
“And shall such villain,” said the Klucznik, “be
A ruler? shall he ruin ancient lords,
His betters? shall he make to perish both
Horeszko’s name and race? Where in the world
Is gratitude? It is not here in Dobrzyn.
Brothers, you wish to fight the Russian Czar,
And fear to fight the house of Soplicowo.
You are afraid of prison. Should I counsel
You unto murder? Heaven forbid it! Nobles
And
