In the kingdom where everything is so peaceful, Where you won’t find any wars or storms, From nowhere came a tremendous monster, Whether a buffalo, a bull, or a boar. The king himself suffered with stomach and asthma, When he coughed, everyone would get scared. But meanwhile the terrible beast-giant, monster Ate some folks, and dragged some to the woods. And the king immediately made a statement: The brute must be destroyed once and for all. And the one who will volunteer to go and kill it - That one will marry my daughter for sure. And in that desperate, lonesome kingdom, When you enter, to the right, you will see: There lived a former best but disgraced archer, In restless loneliness and hussarity. On the floor there lay the people and fleeces, Sang the songs, drank the honey, and then The troubadours played their loud trumpets, Grabbed the archer and took him to the king. And the king coughed and said, "I ain’t going to Read the morals to you, young man. Well, if you defeat that awful monster, Then you will marry my daughter for sure." And the archer, "What kind of a reward is that? I should just drink the bucket of wine, But I wouldn’t take your princess for anything, I can kill the monster just like that." But the king, "You’ll take the princess. That’s final! Otherwise you will go to jail. You know-she is the king’s only daughter." "Noway! I won’t marry that bitch!" While the king and the archer were arguing, The monster ate all the women and hens, And right near the palace it roamed around - Whether a buffulo, a bull, or a boar. What can be done? He drank the bucket in seconds, Killed the monster and then ran away. Looks like the former best but a disgraced archer Had embarrassed the princess and the king.
© Nathan Mer. Translation, 1991