"...and them as were still alive, where'd they go?" "Every which way, like ghosts, on the fields..." "By October, the town was deserted." "All you heard was:" ""Step aside, it's the undertakers!"" "They piled them together, dead and plagued," "They tried to gather them from every corner of town but the dead stayed in the streets 'til the undertakers came." "Then they buried them in gardens." "And the fearsome death kept on 'til January." " Poor souls." " Great woe for the Christians!" " There was also thieves dressed as undertakers." " How so?" "With a red scarf 'round their necks." "They went around thieving, taking money, silverware..." "People fled them like death, for they picked up the ill, too, threw them into the wagon and hit them with a bat over the head." "But worse still were the living abandoned with no cover on the frozen fields." "All around you heard the screams of the miserable souls in the fields at Dudesti..." "Ah, Christ's blood!" "And we, the living, thought ourselves dead and wandered around, dazed." "WALLACHIA, 1835" "Look, Satan's coming!" "Oi, aunt, wait!" "Good day to you, constable." "As good as your soul!" "Are you scared?" "NO." "Good, the clear sky fears not the lightning." " Who are you?" " A good soul." "We'll see 'bout that." "Whence are you coming?" "I'm of Geanache's." "Leana by name..." "I think I know you." "Where are you going, you hag?" "Taking my ol' man to kiss the Virgin's icon." "He is dying and will leave me alone." " What ails him?" " The fever." "Go away!" "It could be the cholera!" "You'll kill us." "You didn't ask." "You should have told us yourself, stupid cow!" "I ought to give your fat ass a whipping..." "Fuck you, crane!" " Did you cross the forest?" " Nay, I was afraid." " Are the Gypsy gold panners still in the forest?" " I don't know." "Where are you taking your man?" "I hope to find a nun to give him some herbs..." "She'll give him some bell juice, priest's song and some spade oil." "Out of my sight!" " Filthy plague rat..." " Barefoot hag,.." " We have business with the abbot." " What business?" "A secret from boyar Candescu." "Father Superior!" "The poor prays more than the rich, 'cause he has time." "Lord be with us!" "Good day, bright lord." "The constable is here for some enquiries." "If you know anything, speak up." " How many souls here?" " Thirty souls." "Ten died..." " Who's Carfin's sister?" " Me, bright lord." " Where's he off to, you crow?" " I don't know." "Haven't seen him since I was sold to the monastery here.." " You don't know, eh?" "!" " I don't!" " Tell him!" " Stay out of it, that's my craft." " Crow, what's your name?" " Pena." " Want to taste this whip?" " I sure don't." "Where is he, filthy whore?" "Tell me, or I'll whip all you slaves to death!" " Where is he?" " We don't know nothing, sir." " I'll give you a silver coin." " We don't know." "The monks beat us all the time, but we don't know." " Say what?" " Said we don't know!" "He went to the gold panners." " How do you know?" " He told me when we were sowing." "Said there's more freedom there." " Fine," " Merciful lord, the coin!" "Fuck off, crows!" "You'll get the coin when I find him." "Back to work, crows!" " Gypsies, can't change them..." " Don't we know it?" "!" "Our own good brandy." "Enjoy it." " Worthy of the Wedding at Cana!" " Our thanks, Father." "God be with you." " How 'bout a riddle?" " Let's hear it." ""Lifeless out of life, life out of lifeless."" "Doomsday..." "No." "You say it, Ionita." "The egg, for the hen lays it lifeless, and when it hatches, it comes to life." "The chicken!" "Go with the Lord." "I'm getting lame..." "Father, I'm cold." "If you caught that fever, you're fucked." "Cholera morbus, as the big doctors say..." "You're such a waste of bread!" "How's he going to be an officer?" "If you slap him, he'll die of grief," " Ain't that you?" " No, faint." "Watch your mouth." "Honour thy mother and father, as the Gospel says, for a father weighs more than twelve children..." "Sure I honour you." "Stab the enemy like a man!" "This is a sword from Ianina, show some respect!" "Not bad, the priest's brandy!" "Cures any sickness," " Try some." " Don't want to." "Drink like a man!" "You don't taste good brandy, you down it." "Crush those Russians!" "Look at all those lazy crows." "Where are you going?" "Get him, Ionita!" "Stop or I shoot!" "Carfin, you fucking bastard!" "I didn't steal nothing, bright lord." "Back off, crows!" "He didn't do nothin'!" "Don't kill him!" "Spare him his life!" "Stay out, or I'll kill you too!" " Is he from your camp?" " He's our Caldasin." " Why'd you run?" " For fear, bright lord." " Can you read?" " I can't." "Here!" "Don't drop it." ""...to you, lawkeeper Costandin sin Gheorghe, this letter gives all power to catch the Gypsy slave Carfin Pandoleon:" "tall of stature, dark of face, who also speaks the Gypsy language." "This Gypsy fled from boyar Iordache Candescu and stole money from a box." "Should you not bring said slave, we shall put you in chains and bring upon you great punishment." "These we write..."" "Enough." " Nasty language these crows have." " Yes." "Fit for devils, not people." " He only passed by here." " Where'd he go, then?" "Towards Craiova, or to the next county..." "When did he leave?" "Before sunset, many days ago." "If you lie to me, we'll spill your guts..." "I ain't lying, bright lord." "Some bear-naming Gypsies passed by, then your man." "My boys gave him some food and off he went." "If you've been crowing out lies, we'll come back with the posse and kill you like sparrows." "Bright lord, here's some gold, so you won't leave angry." "Damn you and your gold!" "Ionita, this is how you scare the crows, if you're a man!" "Yes." "A good butcher doesn't fear thousands of thousands of sheep!" "Fucking bad luck!" "A priest in skirts." "Ten years of misfortune." " Away, Satan!" " Why do we do that?" "'Cause devils flock around priests." "What happened, honourable Father?" "This cursed wheel broke off." "Shall we help, like good Samaritans?" "God bless you, The snakes would have swallowed me alive." "God is glad to see two poor souls helping each other." "You have an axe there and all you need." "What are you looking for?" "A runaway Gypsy slave who stole the boyar's money." "Damned crow!" "I didn't see anyone." "So he ran away?" "Yes, Father." "The crows have no shame anymore." "It'll be the end of us when the ass gets at the head and the cunt is in command..." "True, Father." "I just hope he doesn't run to the Turks." " What could he do there?" " He could become a mercenary in Nicopolis." "If he does, we've lost him..." "Ready, Father." "God, bless Thy servants, amen!" "Have some holy water." "To wash us of our many sins..." " Good for you." " As the Ecclesiastes says:" ""Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might;" "for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, where thou goest."" "Well said, my sons!" "Christ did not rise in vain." "So help us God!" "I'll spend the night at Manjoala's inn." "I never travel in the dark for fear of outlaws," "As for us, first business, then pleasure:" "we'll search 'til the Seven Sisters rise..." " Isn't there a holiday coming, Father?" " So it is." "Forgive me, Lord!" "I hanged You with thread, and not with a gold chain, like the bishops." "But isn't it faith that matters most?" "Faith, but also deeds!" "Another question, if we may?" "Sure." " You're more enlightened, you have praxis..." " Sure." "Gypsies, is they people or Satan's spawn?" "Some say they ain't human." "Human like us." "Aren't they Christians?" "I myself baptised two slave cubs recently." " Monastery slaves?" " Right, two chickies." "Crows are descendants of Ham, son of Noah, cursed by his father to be black." "They came here from Egypt." "They are Egyptians." " Is that so?" " Yes." " What do we call crows to mock them?" " Black crows." "There are no white crows." "How else?" "Maggots." " What else?" " Darkies." " Pharaohs." " Good, Aferim!" "Pharaohs." "'Cause they came here from Egypt, where they were also slaves, building palaces for the kings." "When a wise man opens his mouth, open your ears!" "Gypsies is humans." "Jews ain't, they's beasts." "If you say so..." "Now you tell me, why is Jews not human?" "'Cause Jews drinks the blood of Christian children." "The priest told us so in church." " And why do they?" " We don't know." " Have you heard of the Giant Jews?" " No." "Shame on you..." "Before making mankind, God created the Giant Jews." "Mean, ugly giants." "He saw His mistake and turned them into dust." "He left just a few, then made Adam and Eve." "The Giant Jews multiplied, but grew ever smaller." " They's our Jews nowadays." " We didn't know that." "That's why Jews can't stand us Christians, that's why they killed Christ." "And that's why I can't stand them." " Do you know what I do with pork-haters?" " We don't." "I cut off their beards and sidelocks." "Better a Jew without a beard than a beard without a Jew!" " Do you know what they do in Moldova?" " I don't know.." "Jews walk around in their carriages." "And instead of horses, they use good Christians." "I don't believe it, father." "That's what the Russians did to us." "In the war of 1828, General Zaltukhin harnessed our peasants." "The Christians in my cousin's village can't bleed themselves, the Jews left no leeches in the lake." "But some Jews are baptised into our Christian faith." "Who would believe those outlaws?" ""Who makes up the Devil's flocks?" "All the Jews with their sidelacks."" "Each nation has its purpose." "The Jews, to cheat, the Turks, to do harm, us Romanians to love, honour, and suffer like good Christians." "And each has their habits." "Hebrews reads a lot, Greeks talks a lot," "Turks has many wives, Arabs has many teeth," "Germans smoke a lot." "Hungarians eat a lot," "Russians drink a lot, English think a lot," "French like fashion a lot." "Armenians are lazy," "Circasians wear many a lace, Italians lie a lot," "Serbians cheat a lot and Gypsies get many a beating." "Gypsies must be slaves." "When Ham spread horse shit on Noah," "Noah cursed them to be slaves and as dark as shit." "That's right." "They must be kept on a tight leash." "'Tis a holy commandment." "But with kindness." "That is my habit." "Though I'm as harsh as a a hot pepper born of father Garlic and mother Onion." "I treat people kindly." "The Gospel says to be as gentle as doves, Father..." "If the beasts weren't vanquished, they would tear man apart." "Even among people, most are beasts who must be tamed to make them work." " Particularly the crows." " Lovely thoughts, Father." "We'll head this way." " We wish you good health." " Good health to bear good grief." "Go with God, we may meet again." "The mountains themselves sometimes meet..." "True words." "Even a fallen tree rests..." "It's not true, Ionita." "You could walk until you die and still not touch the end of the Earth." "That's what the priest told us:" "that the Earth has an edge, it ain't endless." "Those are just a fool's teachings." "Father Duhu told us everything has an end but for God, who has neither beginning, nor end." "Doesn't the Earth have an end?" "Where it ends, ain't it like a precipice?" "I don't know, 'Tain't any of my concern." "I have other worries." "We're nothing, Ionita." "Look at the size of this world we're like a spark from these embers." "Do you know the seven planets?" "The Moon, the Sun..." "Bottle, Flask, Pitcher, Mug, Carafe, Jar, and Stein." "Here I lay and die, No help by my side." "Far as I may seek, My fate remains bleak." "Life of grief and sorrow, No hope for tomorrow." "Some have luck, fortune and fame." "Some burn like the candle's flame!" "What's gotten into you?" "Do you like Aspra?" "She's a hard-working girl..." "How could I like that slob?" " You know, as a girl." " Nah, I don't like her." " You're not a Sodomite, are you?" " What's that?" "Liking men, not women..." " No such thing." " 'Cause if you are," "I'll drown you with my own hands." "What's that?" "The haidouks!" "Or the savage Gypsies." "There's also bullet wounds." "It was the haidouks." "Let's make way." " Father..." " Keep that mouth shut!" " One was breathing." " Sure he was." " He moved just now." " What are we, surgeons?" "May he rest in peace." "We're safe." "Fear is shameful, but healthy." "It's God's gift." "You whore's son, watch where you're going!" "Is this your own path?" "Stay the hell in a row!" " Fuck your mother!" " Find a dog to fuck you, moron!" "The rich man is like a hare, he leaps wherever he wants to." "Maybe a big landowner or a Greek boyar." "Still, he should watch where he's going." "That's our fate as Romanians!" "Whoever rises earliest can drag you by your hair." "May he live three more days, counting yesterday!" "So pretty!" "Fuck your prettiness!" " Peace to you, good fellow." " Good day." "We're looking for a runaway crow, a Gypsy slave." "I'm a peasant here, but I ain't seen nobody." "You ain't gonna find him." "Like they didn't find the runaways from our monastery." "Would you sell us some fish?" "Why not?" "Maybe he's in the forest, with the gold panners." " He ain't." " Then I don't know, constable." "But the monks would have seen him here." "I think so too." "Is there a way across through the reeds?" " They's too thick." " What if we go around?" " Two days." " Too long." "Look at this!" "Constable, the money?" "That's very little, constable." "It ain't worth more." "Come on... constable..." "We can cross, the water is shallow." "Curse this wretched craft!" "Crawling along, mocked by everyone." "This is a dog's life." "We sweat like beasts for a piece of bread." "If I had the luck of joining this new army..." " Won't they take you in now?" " No, curse them..." "But if you learn all the tricks of the constable job from me," "I'll get you into the army." "Let's go back, we can't pass." "By thirty you'll be a colonel." "You're full of tire and fierce." " But you're also lazy..." " No, I ain't." "You have to be quick like gunpowder." "Who are you?" "I'm lawkeeper Costandin sin Gheorghe." "He's my boy, he helps me." "What's your business here?" " We're looking for a runaway Gypsy." " What Gypsy?" "Carfin, a slave who stole from the boyar." "Where's your mandate?" "No good, it's not from our ruler." "I didn't find the Gypsy in my county..." "This is Dumbrava county." "I give the orders here." "You get me a mandate, and I'll seek him for you." " What if I get one from your ruler?" " We'll see then." "Come on, we're two good lawmen..." "Go back!" " Come over here." " What for?" "Let's have a word." " What would it take for us to agree?" " You say." "I give you two thalers and you let me look for him." "These are hard times, bey-mu..." "The Russians struck at us, too..." "How much, then?" "Four thalers, and I'll even tell you where the crows hiding." " Where is he, then?" " Money first, bey-mu." "Four." "He's in the house of an ugly man, Stan sin Paraschiv by name." " He's a basket weaver." " How do I find him?" "Go back, past some hovels, then you'll see a house by the pond." "Thanks a-plenty." "We're sick of chasing this crow." "I'm also sick and coughing..." " No scandal, bey-mu." " 'Pon my honour!" "I'm a constable too!" "You haven't heard it from me." "If we don't know the miserable life we lead, who does?" " I'm in your debt." " If you need anything else, ask for me." "Many thanks." "Go see why that hag ran off." "I'll crack your head open with my yatagan." "There's nothing here." "Get the hell away!" "A constable is here!" "Bright lords, what is your need?" "Good day, aunt, we're looking for Stan sin Paraschiv." " What for?" " We have a word with him." " What word?" " A joke." "It's jokes that get you fornicating." "Oi, you're crushing me!" "What are you looking for?" "You're mining our reed!" "Good man Stan Burned down the barn..." "What do you want with me, constable?" "I am lawkeeper Costandin sin Gheorghe." "We're here to seize Carfin, the Gypsy slave in your house." "Here's our mandate." "He's my son." "I can't afford Gypsies." "What am I, a boyar?" "We break our backs working for nothing." " How could we own Gypsies?" " We know he's here." " Who?" " The crow." " What crow?" " Boyar Candescu's Gypsy." "We have no such boyar around here." "He's playing the idiot, isn't he, Ionita?" "He is." " Me, playing the idiot?" " Yes." " Me, having a Gypsy here?" " Yes." "I tell him I'm a nun and he takes off my habit.." " I don't have any!" " Yes, you do." "Good Lord, where is he, then?" "Wherever you hid him." "Should I put the Lord's whip on your back?" "!" "Do you see any Gypsy?" "A pig it's all we have." "No Gypsy!" "This is a poor household." "It doesn't look that poor." "We're dirt poor, we only have the skin on our backs." "You still have the fortune between your legs!" "Bless you!" "Diddle, diddle, the cat and the fiddle!" "Let's play piggy in the middle!" "Just a little neighbourhood crow." "Let's search some more." "See?" "No one here." "My daughter-in-law, old Grandpa on his deathbed." "Woman, bring a candle!" " What's here?" " Never seen an attic before?" "Where we keep our baskets, beans, onion..." "Where do you think you're climbing?" "Are you hitting a lawkeeper?" "He's killed me!" "Father!" "He's killin' me!" "Let him go!" "I'll buy him from you!" "Help, they's killin' me!" "Stay away or I shoot!" "It ain't me." "Let me go!" "Let him go, he's Stan's slave!" " Where are you from, blackie?" " Master Iancu the merchant." " Ran away from there?" " Yes, master, 'cause he beat me bad." "And he stabbed my brother to death when he was drunk." "I got scared and I ran." " What's your name?" " Tintiric, master." " How old are you?" " How should I know?" " Hasn't anyone told you?" " No, master." "Stop shaking like a hag's teeth, are you scared?" "Yes, master." "Shut up!" "What's the matter?" " This shitskin wanted to flee." " I didn't." " You wanted to jump off." " I didn't." "We're taking him back, the merchant might thank us with a dime or two." "Don't take me back!" "Upon my life, master." "He'll beat me!" "Shut up, little prince, or I'll smack you." "Father, he's just a poor soul!" "A devil's soul..." "But the devil can bring in money, too." "Right." " We know your kind." " You all say you didn't steal." "I didn't, kind lord..." "Why did you flee, then?" "Is it better now?" "Don't turn me over to the boyar, master." "He'll kill me." "Take me as your slave." "I'll do all you say, just don't take me back." " He won't kill you..." " Yes he will." "Fish brains in a rabbit's head..." "He'll give you a beating and send you back to work." "Where a boyar strikes, new skin grows." " Ain't that right, Tintiric?" " Right." "On our street, a trader buried a man alive and the man died." " What trader?" " Kir Costea." "He buried a man alive, many people saw." "What had he done?" "No one told me." "At least if I were guilty." "But I ain't." "Who else could be guilty?" "Me?" "His wife pushed me to fuck her." "Hear that, Ionita, the crow claims he fucked the boyar's woman." "Swear upon the devil's cod, upon Aaron's rod, so help you God!" "I swear." "So how'd she push you, crow?" "She had her eyes set on me since they had bought me." "But I couldn't believe..." "One day, I was watering the horses..." "She came quietly into the stables, she climbed on top of me and rubbed her cunt against my nape." "The old hen ain't scared of a thick cock!" " So you didn't like it?" " I did, aren't I a man?" "The things I did to her..." "And if I hadn't liked it?" "She's my mistress." "Then why'd you run from such grief, crow?" "The stable boy found out and told the boyar, who said he'd kill me..." "I ran for my life." " He's making it up!" " I'm not, good master..." "I've heard about the lady's fornication, even with her cousin." "They even say she bore his child." "I knew from the start this wasn't a clear business." "What did I say?" "Two turtledoves in sweet love's fires, eh?" "Who had time for that..." "Curse them Turks." "How to get to Licheresti?" "I know." "Mind your words!" "He's my boy, he helps me." "He wants to give you a gift." "Say tesekkur." "I want some." " What'd he want?" " To get to Licheresti." " I sent the fool the other way." " Aferim, father!" "I hate the Ottomans." "The filthiest nation on Earth." "He talked to me like I was shit." "Said he was afraid of the haidouks..." "I hope our Romanian boys catch him and tan his skin." "They should." "You can tell from their talk that they's nothin' but beasts." " Give me some." " Fine, have some." "We work like morons for them and the boyars..." "It's closer..." "We can do some good business, without wasting lime." "Look what I found for you, cricket." "You can find ripe fruit under the driest leaf." "Master, don't take me back!" "Bey-mu, what can I do?" "Clap my hands and make you a divan-efiendi?" "Take me to your home!" "I can wow the fields, cook..." "I don't need that." "I have a wife." " Have pity, bright lord." " Be thankful I don't beat you." "I give you a finger, don't ask for the whole hand." "You struck bad luck." " But I had my good days too." " When?" "When I was a slave for his highness Bibescu." "Then, when he died, for his highness Manu and Lady Smaranda Vacarescu." " Lies, Gypsy." " I swear!" "I was looking after the horses..." "I even went with him to Paris, to Leipzig." "To Vienna, too..." "I've seen the world." " Did you fuck Lady Smaranda, too?" " No way!" "She hardly even looked at us Gypsies, she only talked with her sly cranes..." "So, how does lady Sultana go when she fucks?" "Does she moan and move?" "She moves her big buttocks hard." "She doesn't moan, for fear someone might hear..." "And she whispered in my ear:" ""Psihi-mu, I like your cock so!" "Stick it deeper!"" "And after I let myself go, she'd whisper:" " "Mashallah, Gypsy!"" " I see..." "So how's the world?" "Big and beautiful..." "Not like here." "He knows his stuff!" "So, what's it like in Vienna?" "I've never left our county except for father's work." "I don't know what to say..." "Like three of our towns, only with palaces." " How 'bout Leipzig?" " Smaller." "But prettier than anything here." " And Paris?" " Big, like ten Viennas..." "Cobbled roads, countless princesses." " And they don't beat their servants." " Lies!" "It ain't lies!" "When lady Manu married that dumb Russian prince." "She asked as dowry for a Vienna carriage." "In exchange we, thirty souls of Gypsies, were given to boyar Filipescu." "The beatings we got there with ox sinews..." "Three months ago, master Filipescu auctioned away some five hundred Gypsy souls." "Master Candescu bought me from him." "I asked him to buy my family too..." "We have no concern with your life..." "We're hardworking..." "Make way!" " What's this?" " Vasilache and Marrbara." "I'm a man, not a mouse." "Take this, if you're a man!" "'Tis like they's real men." "No, you dimwit, they's dolls, with people moving them!" "Crack the stupid bitch's head!" "Will you be quiet now?" "Now she's upset." "Get up, Marioara!" " Fuck her!" " Shut up!" "She's dead!" "The priest!" "Let's give her a funeral!" "What funeral?" "You're drunk!" "Go to hell with your Marioara!" "Look at him beating that priest!" "Whosoever buys us, we will be slaves to his house, we and our offspring, just save us from hunger..." "Back off, everyone!" "Take pity on me, master!" "Didn't you say you don't want to go back to the merchant?" "Who will buy me?" "I might end up with one who will beat me to death." "We'll find you a good man." " We won't give you to just anyone." " Good, then..." "Buy me, honourable lords!" "I'm a hardworking, obedient slave!" " Is the small darkie for sale?" " For sale he is." "Take us, master!" "We are freed slaves." " How many of you?" " A clan." "Back off!" " How much?" " Almost nothing." "Ten piastres." "Expensive!" "For that I can buy two big ones." "This is the price of the market." "I know the worth of a slave..." "Let me see your beak, crow." " Doesn't even have all his teeth." " Bey-mu, they'll grow." "He's a child." " Thin as a rake, too." " No, he has iron bones." "He's sturdy stock." " Come to the scalesmaster." " What for?" "To see how much he weighs." " Where is he?" " There." "Where are you taking me, master?" "Buy us, bright lords!" " Three stone and a half." " See, he's in excellent condition." "I want to give him to our holy church." " Drop it three piastres." " No more than one." "Do you have papers?" "Or is he stolen?" "No one will find him." "I'm a lawkeeper." "Without papers, four piastres." "What is he, a chicken?" "He's a slave!" "Let's see who will give you more." "At least five." " Deal." " Don't give me away, master!" "They're not forged, are they?" " How much for the one on the horse?" " Two piastres." "He's not for sale." "A pity, he was a good one." "Come on, crow!" "Good luck, Tintiric!" "What are you meddling for?" "Father!" "Come on up!" "No, it's not for me." "Come on!" " Is that good?" " Yes!" "Amazing!" "Money wasted..." "What can I do, Carfin?" "You made your own bed." "Have pity, constable, set me free!" "Ionita!" "I can't deceive the boyar..." "But I'll tell him how that bitch jumped you..." "He will lock her up in some convent." "So what?" "He'll still kill me." "Enough whining, he won't kill you." "I'll ask him to just beat you a little." "He'll kill me, master!" " Will you buy me some sweets?" " No money for that." "Come on, crow!" "How much to sleep here?" "Twenty for a man, five for a horse." "Bring us ham and some cheap wine." "A starving dog dreams of nothing but bones." " Lica ate, drank, and didn't pay." " Never mind." "What did that crow do?" "Ran away from a boyar." "If he was my crow," "I'd have blinded him and cut off his legs." "Go to hell!" "Dig in." "The rich look in the mirror, the poor, in their plate." "Damn good." "You're badly ill, father." "I have this nixis in my chest." "My teeth rattle, the shovel is waiting..." "How about the doctors in Bucharest?" "It's your turn to live, Ionita..." "Feels like yesterday I was sewing under bailiff Vladimirescu." "What a life, fuck..." "Sing louder, crow!" "I was storming women away during the uprising." "We would enter a village, kill their cattle and party wildly..." " When was that?" " Around 1821." "You were a babe." "You know what our song was?" "Seven vales and seven hills, Fuck the boyars to the gills." "Soon I'll catch you by the mane, Mash you bloody with my cane..." "We were feared, we killed them like pigs." "We were as wild as leopards." "I was a mercenary..." "I had a cunt in every village." "Don't tell your mother!" " Sure." " You're a big boy now." "You know how crazy she gets." "My life's all done..." "All our lives flow like a stream," "It all passes like a dream." "Eat some!" "The good stuff passed like the wind." " Want a drop of wine?" " Sure!" "While drunk, don't give gifts, nor do harm." "If you do want to give, then give while sober." "Hey, innkeeper!" "Bring us a whore." "Right away." "Zambila, get over here!" "I don't want no Gypsy." "I want a clean woman!" "Clean she is, man." "Take my son and do what you know best." "I will." "Innkeeper!" "I want this pretty one!" "Oi, that's my wife." "Let go!" " You got the French disease?" " Of course not." " What's your name?" " Zambila." " How much for you?" " Fifteen." "That's a lot." "Come with me!" "Don't embarrass me, lad." "He's not a bad boy, but he's girlish, his mother's too soft with him." "He's not very respectful..." "He's a good lad." "That's how I'd like my children to be," " You got children, Carfin?" " No." "Maybe next year, if my wife doesn't die." "You came here from England to teach us your fuckin' ethics?" "What's that idiot say?" "You, go away!" "Dumb outlanders!" " How's 'bout playing an otuzbir with us?" " No." " Then five dime for one?" " I don't have money." " Then spit on us and let us be." " Spit on you?" "I could trim you with this sword." "It's a saying from Targoviste, you know?" "Small town, great poverty!" "True, constable." "They say two youngsters went to get married." "But the priest read them the last rites instead." "Then the baptism rites." "When he was supposed to blow over them, the youngsters, disgusted with his stupidity, said:" ""After such a mess, better spit on us and let us be."" "Stupid priest!" "Spit on us and let us be." "Aferim, Ionita!" "For a sweet thing like a kiss, There's no penance from the priest." " Right, Father?" " Yes, son." " Keep your eye on him." " Sure." " How did it go?" " He's strong like a bull." "Well done!" "You're not all that strong-built." "Were you hatched from an egg?" "What can I do?" "Hey, you'll set me on fire." "Tight of cunt and hard of butt, Makes the cock crack like a nut..." "We'll repent when we're old." "Father..." " I'm coming with you." " Better not." "There's room for more!" "Don't know what's wrong with me." "I got a burn in my cock..." "I feel sorry for you, but give me the money." " I didn't?" " Only for the boy." "Don't scream like a frog in the snake's mouth, I'll pay." "Bite it, crow!" "Don't make a fool out of me!" "What's this?" "He has to take the dime from the fire." "Not with your hand." "Take it now!" "Oh, shut up." "Alas, poor me!" "Who has a stick?" " What for?" " These damn rats." "They's everywhere." "And enough lice to shovel them." "A cricket's chirping under my head." "Chirp back, then." "Turn with your head this way." " Father." " What?" "Can't we just let him go?" " Who?" " Carfin." "He ain't guilty." "The country's torn apart with prongs And the cunt sings merry songs..." "What are you, a dean?" "Just thinkin', why should he be punished if he ain't guilty..." "Enough with this old maid's dream." "Our job is to catch runaways, and we caught him." "From here on, there's laws, rules, 'tis not for us to pry." "But you're a constable..." "So what?" "The law's for everyone." "We must all follow it." "I've been honest all my life." "Done my job lawfully." "This world's full of evildoers, Ionita." "I've seen some freeing locked up thieves at night so they could steal horses and cows, then locking them back in..." "And they shared the loot." "I don't do such deeds." "I know." "And I haven't been mean to folks like other constables." " I never beat a soul for nothing." " I know." "I've always been fair." "If we weren't fair either, our country would go straight to Hell." "But I ain't never been black-hearted." "I know." "What if we said we couldn't find him?" "Want us to be everyone's laughingstock and not get a single dime?" "You can't feed the wolf and save your lambs." "Cursed whore's sons, shut those mouths!" "Come on, let's sleep." "Sleep keeps hunger away." "My head hurts bad." "Let me ward off the evil eye from him." "Go ahead, Carfin." "He didn't drink much." "I drank like a sow." "I'm still hazy..." "Come over here, Ionita!" "I won't eat you!" "All ache and ail, leave the inside of the head, the hearing of the ears..." "Shake yourself, Ionita!" "It'll pass, little master, you'll see." "O treacherous world, first sweet, then bitter..." "When the rogues don't set the woods on fire, we cut them all to the ground." "Wallachia's forests are cracking under the axe..." "Good country, bad ruling!" "I wonder, Ionita, a few hundred years from now, d'you think folks will say a good word about us?" "I don't know, father." "I think they won't say a thing." "They won't think that we smoothed their path in life." "Or they'll only curse our souls to hell." "Gone the day, gone the night..." "Ease up, constable." "In two long hours we're home." "We'll get there by dusk." "Alas, unjust death and cheating world!" "You bring people comfort, then bury them." "Alexander the Great studied with a great philosopher, Aristoteies." "He taught him all the Psalms." "All the worthy men wondered at how fast he learned." "What, Carfin, do you feel the noose tightening?" "He'll kill me, master." "I beg of you like I beg the Holy Virgin, put a word in for me with the boyar!" "I swear I'll show him you couldn't help it." "I've been a constable for many years, I have his ear." " May the Lord give you health!" " Same to all of us." "If he wants to harm you." "I won't let him." "Some whipping, that's all." " That's bad too." " 'Tis no pleasure, but it passes." "All goes away, Like the rain in May." "What?" "Or he'll choke me to death with hot pepper smoke, fuck his black soul..." "If you put in a word, I won't ever do another bad deed." "And if you need something, I'll help you." "Our Carfin eats humble pie..." "But in the ass of the humble the Devil sits cross-legged..." "My shot wounds are hurting..." "Stop pouting like a duck, they ain't but cat scratches..." "'Twas your own doing for hiding from us..." "You have a good life nowadays." " Who?" " You Gypsies." "In the olden days, the Voivod woke up and said:" ""Today I feel like hunting crows!"" "And they got some slaves up a tree and the Voivod shot arrows at them 'til he killed one." "'Til he hunted down a crow..." "Could be." "Woe is us..." "Easy, little master." "So they see you've come on foot..." "It hurts, I can't walk." "Better lame and on foot than blind and in the saddle." "Easy, master, it hurts." " Constable, I have a word with you." " Speak!" " My horse was stolen." " Where'd you keep it?" " Behind the house..." " And what am I to do?" "Help me get the thief." "I'll thank you with something." "First see if it didn't stray." "Look for it everywhere." "As the saying goes:" "I was looking for my mare and I found I was astride it..." " Crow, is the boyar home?" " He ain't, master." " Where's Vasile?" " I'll go get him." " Where'd you find the crow?" " None of your business." "Have you paid your impost?" "I'll come and check." "We don't have nothin'!" "What will we send to Istanbul and all the others we owe?" "Want the Ivans or the Turks to come kill us?" "But the boyar pardoned us last year..." "That was last year..." "Easter don't come every day." "Rabble..." "Fuck your whore mother, Carfin!" "Get away, or I'll bash your head in." "Stupid lowlife!" "'Twas because of him the boyar gave us such torment here!" "He'll cane him 'til the flesh comes off his back." "Mind the servants, they're like the pest." "Scat now, or I'll whip-fuck you!" "Stupid people..." "We'll go have a word with Lady Sultana." "She's in the tower." " Guard Carfin!" " Sure I will." "Tell her I'm here!" "They got you, Carfin!" " Take the night pot, it's full." " Faster, crow." "Why didn't you throw it through the cracks?" "Bless you, merciful lady." "May God give you happiness for your infinite good deeds." "I kiss your hand like a son." "This is Ionita, my boy and my helper." "Thank you for letting us in." "I didn't, you barged in." "What do you want?" "To tell you how my heart burns when I see you suffering." "We've come to hand Carfin over to the boyar..." " How did you find him?" " Me?" " An old man knows what's in his bag..." " What bag?" "Don't you know the tale?" "An old man was beating his wife with a bag and people wondered, not knowing the bag was filled with rocks." " Where was he?" " Working for a craftsman." "Listen, he says the fault was yours and the boyar shouldn't torment him..." "I just want to complain to our Father Metropolitan, but my husband keeps me locked up." "What for, kind lady?" "The beastly beatings I've suffered from this enemy of mine." "Heart of mine, don't cry so." "She cries all the time." "I See." "I thought he'd kill me." "I'll make a complaint, curse his soul." "What can we do, sweet lady?" "That's the way of the world, the man has the right to punish his wife." "That's our law." "Yes, since Noah's days." "Adam himself kicked Eve in the stomach..." "Oh, keep your mouth shut!" "In the new law, and even in Ipsilanti's codes." "Man is asked to beat his wife, but with kindness." "What kindness?" "He broke my back." "And I'm no lowborn or slave..." "As Basarab's book of law says:" ""Women shall be less castigated than men, as they are dimmer of wit and weaker before sin..."" "I'm a dean's daughter, not a..." " Did he beat you with a cane, or a sword?" " With his fists." "Then there's nothing to do." "Had he used a cane, I'd have taken your complaint myself." "But you have no grounds." "I'm here for the night pot." "Even the Metropolitan would say he was right." "Being guilty of adultery..." "I'm not guilty of anything." "Tell me what happened." "Carfin says it was you who lured him..." "I will not speak of that." "Merciful lady, he has a soul, too." "If the boyar beats him, or kills him for nothing..." "'Tis a great sin on your head..." "Fine." "Tell the boyar it's my fault as well, so he'll leave him be." "Many thanks." "We'll just interrogate him and give him his fair share." "By our Christian law." "Don't be distressed, I'll tell the boyar to be more gentle with you." "Thank you." "But he's a bad man." "He said he'd lock me up in the monastery." "He only seems mean, but he's got a heart of gold." "We'll talk to him." "We'll leave you with God." "Stay with God, lady!" "Close that!" "Long live our bright lord!" "I have seven children, bright lord." "Look at him." " Aferim, Costandin!" " Please, a word with you." "Take the hawk." "I was sure you wouldn't find him." "I wanted to send a posse." "We swore we'd find him!" "To serve your lordship, we'd go through fire." "Aferim, Costandin, may you live as long as the Coltea Tower." "He who serves his master with zilos is loved by God." "True, bright lord!" " Where had he run off to?" " Working as a craftsman's slave." " In our county?" " No." "Ionita found him." " He shot him, too." " Aferim, Ionita!" "Good day, bright lord!" "Watch this hawk well, it's a gift for Medvedkin." "Yes, bright lord." " They caught Carfin, bright lord!" " 'Course!" "Gather the crows, the servants and the lady." "Herd all the crows here!" "Bless you, bright lord!" "And the chibouk." "Bright lord, how should I put this..." "Right..." "As agreed." "Here." "Thank you!" "We need a writ of receipt for our ruler." "Of course." "Where's that feather?" " Isn't it there?" " It isn't." " Here it was." " You again." "Bright lord, there's something else." "Say it." "I know that this filthy maggot blotted your honour..." "But we've learned he's not the only one guilty." "He is, but Lady Sultana is more at fault." "She confessed it herself." "None of your business." "Cobbler, stick to your last!" "Of course." "But 'tis my duty, if I smell trickery..." "Noble lord, whip him, just don't kill him." "Are you seeking trouble?" "Tired of being a lawkeeper here?" " No, bright lord." " Well, then..." "I was just thinking..." "Wax!" " Take this!" " God bless you." "Your ishlik, master!" "Sara, come with us!" "He's a smart, hardworking slave..." " Who?" " Carfin." "Bring that dagger!" "How about we write Mahmud over in Istanbul?" " Who?" " We." "To ask him to award Carfin the Nishan Itikhar order, since he's such a good Gypsy." "Or the Russians, to give him the Saint Vladimir?" "Psihi-mu, a word with you, if I may." "What words could you have with me?" "I have thoughts that put me in great turmoil..." "Iordache, please!" "Shedding many a bitter tear For her fun of yesteryear." "Where's that Vasile?" " He went to fetch Lady Sultana." " Tell him to hurry!" "Forgive him, master!" "Take pity!" "What, they forgot the water when they christened you?" "He'll be fine." "Enough whining!" "May your lady and your bright children live long and happy!" "Are you pleased, agapi-mu, for making me the town's laughingstock?" "Me, your honourable spouse?" "And with a Gypsy, too?" "!" "Everyone laughs at me like I'm an idiot," "Even the chickens laugh at me." "Even toddlers." "Get him out of the stocks!" "Vasile!" "Grab his hands!" "Carfin's, you idiot!" "Get him!" "Oh, Carfin!" "Such a snake I raised by my manor..." "Such a venomous viper..." "Let him be, it wasn't his fault!" "You soiled my life, you crow!" "Forgive me, master, 'tain't my fault!" "I treated you well, like all my slaves." "I gave you food, I gave you clothing," "I didn't beat you..." "And you..." "Venomous asp!" "It was her fault, not mine!" "Don't kill him!" "Help, kind people, he'll kill me!" "Constable, help me!" "Noble lord, better let him get his punishment from the ruler, by the law..." "You shut up!" "Out of my sight, worm!" "Vasile!" "Raise his legs!" "Give me the dagger!" "Raise his cock, too!" "Hold him!" "Bright lord, try with this." "Hold him!" "That'll teach him!" "Let it be a lesson to you all." "If you think of doing such things here." "I'll find out." "Cut his cock too, master!" "Here, kera-mu, eat his bollocks since you were so fond of loving..." "Walk him around town, for all to see he's lost his bollocks, then bring him back, I have more to discuss with him." "Then take his wife to the fair and trade her for another," "I will not see her here again." "Understood, bright lord." "Only the law doesn't allow to break apart a clan of slaves..." "That's your job!" "Bribe someone if you must." "Let's go back home, son." "Come on." "Fuck it, don't be a rag." "Be a man, not flesh with eyes!" "I'm fine, father." "He ain't your fuckin' brother." "God even looks after worms and we can't look after each other..." "This world will stay as it is, you can't change it, try as you might." "We live as we can, not as we want." "But you'll be fine, my boy." "I'll get you into the army, you'll be a real man." "You'll live through a war or two, you'll make officer, mark my words." "See?" "Life will be better and we'll have a chance to rest." "Some narrative situations and pieces of dialogue have been taken from historical documents and texts by:"