by Ivo Andrić
embezzle was also reckoned). He had covered up his dishonesty, as is so often
thecaseinlife,byexcessivezealandexaggeratedseverity,sothatthepeopleof thewholedistrict,notonlythe rayah butalsotheTurks,insteadofgivingthanks
forthisgreatbequest,cursedboththehourwhenithadbeenbegunandtheman
forwhomitwasbeingbuilt.MehmedPasha,whohadbeenstrugglingallhislife
with the peculations and dishonesty of his officials, had ordered his unworthy
servanttoreimbursethewholesumandtakewhatremainedofhisfortuneand
hisharemandgoatoncetoasmalltowninAnatolia,andnevertolethimselfbe
heardofagainunlesshewantedaworsefatetobefallhim.
Two days after Arif Beg, Mastro Antonio also arrived from Dalmatia with the
first workers. Tosun Effendi presented him to the new chief, and on a warm
sunnyAprildaytheyinspectedtheconstructionworksandsettledtheorderfor
thefirstwork.AfterArifBeghadwithdrawn,leavingtheothertwoaloneonthe
bank,MastroAntoniolookedattentivelyatthefaceofTosunEffendiwho,even
onsosunnyaday,washuddledupinawideblackmantle.
'Thisisquiteanothersortofman.ThanksbetoGod!Ionlyaskmyselfwhowas
sosmartandsobraveastoinformtheVezirandhavethatanimalremoved?'
TosunEffendionlylookedstraightinfrontofhimandsaidquietly:
'Thereisnodoubt,thisoneisbetter.'
'It must have been someone who knew Abidaga's affairs well and who had
accesstotheVezirandenjoyedhistrust.'
'Certainly,certainly,thisoneisbetter,'repliedTosunEffendiwithoutlookingup
andwrappinghismantleevenmorecloselyaroundhim.
Sotheworkbeganunderthenewchief,ArifBeg.
Hewas,indeed,quiteadifferentsortofman.Exceptionallytall,stooping,bald,
with salient cheekbones and slit-like black laughing eyes, the people at once
nicknamed him Misir-Baba —Old Baldie. Without shouting, without a staff,
without big words or visible effort, he gave orders and set everything in order
good-humouredly and casually with confident authority; he never overlooked
anything or lost track of anything. But he also brought with him a feeling of
strict attention to everything that was the Vezir's will or order, but like a calm, normalandhonestmanwhohadnothingtobeafraidofandnothingtoconceal,
sothathehadnoneedtofrightenorpersecuteanyone.Theworkwentonatthe
samespeed(sincespeedwaswhattheVezirwanted),faultswerepunishedwith
similar severity, but unpaid forced labour was stopped from that day. All the
workers were paid and received rations in flour and salt, and all went quicker andbetterthaninAbidaga'stime.Also,madIlinkavanished;duringthewinter
shehaddisappearedsomewhereintothevillages.
Theconstructionworkgrewandextended.
ItcouldnowbeseenthattheVezir'sbequestwasnotforabridgeonly,butalso
fora han orcaravanserai,inwhichtravellersfromafarwhointendedtocrossthe
bridgecouldfindshelterforthemselves,theirhorsesandtheirgoodsshouldthey
arriveatnightfall.OnArifBeg'sordertheconstructionofthiscaravanseraiwas
commenced. At the entry to the marketplace, 200 paces from the bridge, just
wheretheroadtoMejdanbegantorisesteeply,therewasalevelspaceonwhich
until then the Wednesday stock-market had been held. On this level space the
buildingofthenew han began.Workwentonslowly,butfromtheverystartit
could be seen that it would be a solid and grandiose building conceived on a
grand scale. The people scarcely even noticed how, slowly but surely, a great
stone han was rising, for their attention was wholly centred on the building of thebridge.
What was now being done on the Drina was so complicated, all the work so
interlocked and complex, that the loungers in the town, who watched the
buildingworkfromthetwobanksasifitweresomenaturalphenomenon,could
no longer follow it with understanding. There were always fresh embankments
andtrenchesrunninginvariousdirections,andtheriverwasdividedandsplitup
into side-currents and backwaters and its main course moved from one to
another. Mastro Antonio brought from Dalmatia especially skilled cordwainers
and collected all the hemp even from the districts around. In special buildings
themaster-workmentwistedropesofexceptionalstrengthandthickness.Greek
carpenters, according to designs of their own or those drawn up by Tosun
Effendi, built huge wooden cranes with pawls, erected them on rafts and thus,
withtheseropes,raisedeventheheaviestblocksofstoneandtransportedthem
to the piers which, one by one, began to rise out of the bed of the river. The transportofeachoneofthesehugeblocksfromthebarikstoitspositioninthe
foundationsofthebridge-pierslastedfourdays.
Watching all this, day after day, year after year, the townspeople began to lose
countoftimeandoftherealintentionsofthebuilders.Itseemedtothemthatthe
constructionhadnotmovedaninchforwardbutwasbecomingmoreandmore
complicatedandinvolvedinauxiliaryandsubsidiaryworkings,andthelongerit
lastedthelessitlookedlikewhatitwasintendedtobe.Menwhodonotwork
themselvesandwhoundertakenothingintheirliveseasilylosepatienceandfall intoerrorwhenjudgingtheworkofothers.TheVišegradTurksagainbeganto
shrugtheirshouldersandwavetheirhandswhentheytalkedofthebridge.The
Christiansremainedsilent,butwatchedthebuildingworkwithsecretandhostile
thoughts,wishingforitsfailureasforthatofeveryTurkishundertaking.Itwas
aboutthistimethatthe iguman ofthemonasteryatBanjanearPribojwroteon
thelastblankpageofoneofhissacredbooks:'Beitknownthataboutthistime
Mehmed Pasha undertook the building of a bridge over the Drina at Višegrad.
AndgreatoppressionfellupontheChristianpeoplewithhardlabour.Fromthe
seacamemaster-masons.Forthreeyearstheybuiltandmany aspers werespent
invain.Theydividedthewatersintotwoandintothreebuttheywereunableto
completethebridge.'
Yearspassed;summerandautumn,winterandspring,followedoneanother;the
workers and the master-masons came and went. Now the whole Drina was
conquered,notbythebridgebutbythewoodenscaffoldingswhichlookedlikea
complicatedandsenselessconglomerationofpinebeamsandplanks.Fromboth
banksrosehighwoodencranesfastenedontofirmlyfixedrafts.Onbothsides
oftheriverfiressmoked,onwhichleadwasbeingmeltedinordertobepoured
intotheholesinthestoneblocksbindingtheminvisiblytooneanother.
Attheendofthethirdyearoccurredoneofthoseaccidentswithoutwhichgreat
buildings are rarely completed. The central pier, which was a little higher and
wideratthetopthantheothers,sinceonitthe kapia wastorest,wasjustbeing
&nbs
p; completed.Duringthetransportationofagreatstoneblock,worksuddenlycame
toastop.Theworkmenswarmedaboutthegreatrectangularstonewhich,held
by thick ropes, hung above their heads. The crane had not been able to lift it
accurately over its place. Mastro Antonio's assistant, the Arab, rushed
impatiently to the spot and began with loud angry cries (in that strange
composite language which had been evolved in the course of years between
thesemenfromallpartsoftheworld)togiveorderstothosehandlingthecrane
onthewatersbelow.Atthatmoment,fornoknownreason,theropesgaveway
and the block fell, first by one corner and then with its full weight on to the excitedArabwhohadnoteventroubledtolookabovehisheadbutonlydownat
thewater.Byastrangechancetheblockfellexactlyintoposition,butinitsfallit
caughttheArabandcrushedthewholelowerpartofhisbody,Everyonebegan
to rush around, to give the alarm, to shout for help. Mastro Antonio arrived
quickly.TheyoungNegro,afterhisfirstunconsciousness,hadcometohimself;
hegroanedthrough clenchedteethand looked,sadand frightened,intoMastro
Antonio'seyes.Frowningandpale,MastroAntoniogaveorderstosummonthe
workmen, bring tools and try to lift the block. But all was in vain. A flow of
blood suddenly poured out, the young man's breath came short and his eyes
glazedover.Withinhalfanhourhedied,feverishlyclutchingMastroAntonio's
handsinhis.
The Arab's funeral was a solemn event which was long remembered. All the
Moslemmalesturnedouttoescorthimandeachforafewpacescarriedthebier
onwhichlayonlytheupperhalfoftheyoungbody,forhalfhadremainedunder
thestoneblock.MastroAntonioraisedoverhisgraveafinememorial,madeof
thesame stone from which the bridge was built. The death of this young man,
whom he had befriended as a child living in poverty in Ulcinj, where a few
negrofamiliesstilllived,hadshakenhim.Buttheworkdidnotceaseevenfora
moment.
That year and the next the winter was mild and work went on until mid-
December. The fifth year of the work began. Now that wide irregular circle of
wood,stone,auxiliaryequipmentandallsortsofmaterialbegantocontract.
On the level space beside the Mejdan road the new han, freed from its
scaffolding,alreadystood.Itwasalargebuilding,constructedofthesamesort
ofstoneofwhichthebridgewasmade.Workwasstillgoingonbothinsideand
out, but already from a distance it could be seen how much it excelled in size,
the harmony of its lines and the solidity of its construction, anything that had
everbeenbuiltoreventhoughtofinthetown.Thatbuildingofclear,yellowish
stone,withitsroofofdarkredtilesandarowoffinelycarvedwindows,seemed
to the townsmen a thing unheard of, which from now on must become an
integral part of their everyday life. Built by a Vezir, it looked as though only
Vezirscouldinhabitit.Thewholebuildingshonewithasenseofgrandeur,taste
andluxurywhichbewilderedthem.
About the same time all that formless mass of criss-cross beams and supports
overtheriverbegantobereducedinsizeandtothinoutandthroughitemerged,
more and more clearly, the bridge itself, of lovely Banja stone. Individual
workers and small groups were still employed on jobs which seemed to the
peoplesenselessandunconnectedwiththemainconstruction,butbynowitwas
clear even to the most doubting of the townsmen that out of all this work the
bridgeitselfrose,toasingledesignandafaultlessreckoning,overandaboveall
these individual jobs. First the lesser arches, both in height and in span, which
were nearest to the banks appeared and then, one by one, the others were
revealed until even the last of them was freed of its scaffolding, showing the wholebridgewithallitselevenarches,perfectandwondrousinitsbeauty,likea
newandstrangefeatureinthetownsmen'seyes.
Quicktorespondtogoodorevil,thepeopleofVišegradwerenowashamedof
theirdoubtsandlackofbelief.Theynolongertriedtoconcealtheirwonderorto
restrain their enthusiasm. Passage across the bridge was not yet permitted, but
theycollectedonbothbanks,especiallyontherightonewherethemarketplace
andthegreaterpartofthetownwere,andwatchedtheworkerspassingacrossit
andhowtheyworkedatsmoothingthestonesoftheparapetandtheraisedseats
of the kapia. The Višegrad Turks watched this work by another's hand at
another's expense to which for a full five years they had given every sort of
nameandprophesiedtheworstoffutures.
'Ama, but I always told you,' a little Moslem hodja from Dušče said excitedly andgleefully,'thatnothingescapestheSultan'shandandthatthesemenofsense
wouldfinallyputupwhattheyhadinmind,butyoukeptsaying:theywon'tdo
this,ortheycan'tdothat.Nowyouseetheyhavebuiltit,andwhatabridgethey
havebuilt,whatconvenienceandwhatbeauty!'
Everyone approved his words, though no one really remembered when he said
them,andtheyallknewverywellthathetoohadridiculedthebuildingandthe
manwhohadbeenbuildingit.Allofthemweresincerelyenraptured.
'Eh,fellows,fellows,seewhatisrisinghere,inthistownofours!'
'See how great is the Vezir's power and foresight. Wherever he turns his eyes
thereisprofitandblessing.'
'Yetallthisisnothing,'addedthegayandlivelylittle hodja, 'there will be still finerthings.Youseehowtheyaregroominganddecoratingitlikeahorsefora
fair.'
So they competed in expressions of enthusiasm, searching for new, better and
more high-flown words of praise. Only Ahmedaga Sheta, the rich grain
merchant,asullenmanandamiser,stilllookedaskanceattheworkandthose
whopraisedit.Tall,yellowandwizened,withblackpiercingeyesandthinlips
thatlookedasiftheyweregluedtogether,blinkinginthefineSeptembersun,he
alone did not renounce his earlier opinion (for certain men are filled with
unreasonable hate and envy greater and stronger than anything that other men
can imagine). To those who enthusiastically praised the greatness and
permanence of the bridge, saying that it was stronger than any fortress, he
retorteddisdainfully:
'Justwaittillthefloods,oneofourrealVišegradfloods!Thenyouwillseewhat
willbeleftofit!'
Allofthemarguedbitterlywithhimandpraisedthosewhohadbeenworkingon
thebridge,especiallyArifBeg,whowiththesmileofagreatlordalwaysonhis
lips had created such a work as though it had been child's play. But Sheta was
firmlydeterminednottoacknowledgeanythingofanyone:
'Yes, indeed. But if it had not been for Abidaga with
his green staff and his
tyrannyandoppression,IaskyouwhatcouldOldBaldiehavedonetofinishthe
bridgedespitehissmileandhishandsclaspedbehindhisback?'
Offended at the universal enthusiasm as if it had been a personal insult, Sheta
departedangrilytohisshop,tositinhisusualplacewherehecouldseeneither
sunnorbridge,norhearthemurmurandthemovementoftheexcitedthrong.
But Sheta was an isolated example. The joy and enthusiasm of the citizens
continued to grow and spread to the surrounding villages. In the early days of
October, Arif Beg ordered a great feast for the completion of the bridge. This
manoflordlymanners,ofunrelentingseverityandstricthonesty,whohadspent
allthemoniesconfidedtohimforthepurposeforwhichtheywereintendedand
hadkeptnothingforhimself,wasregardedbythepeopleasthechiefpersonage
inthisachievement.TheyspokemoreofhimthanoftheVezirhimself.Sohis
feastturnedoutrichandbrilliant.
Theoverseersandworkersreceivedgiftsinmoneyandclothingandthefeast,in
which anyone who wished could take part, lasted two days. The Vezir's health
was celebrated in meat and drink, in music, dancing and song; horse and foot
raceswerearranged,andmeatandsweetstuffsdividedamongstthepoor.Onthe
square which linked the bridge with the marketplace, halva was cooked in
cauldronsandservedpipinghottothepeople.That halva evengotasfarasthe
villagesaroundthetownandwhoeverateitwishedgoodhealthtotheVezirand
longlifetohisbuildings.Therewerechildrenwhowentbackfourteentimesto
thecauldronsuntilthecooks,recognizingthem,drovethemawaywiththeirlong
woodenspoons.Onegipsychilddiedaftereatingtoomuchhot halva.
Suchthingswerelongrememberedandspokenaboutwhentalesweretoldofthe
creation of the bridge, the more so since, it seems, generous Vezirs and honest
officialsinlateryearsdiedoutandsuchfeastsbecamerarerandrarerandatlast
completelyunknown,untilintheendtheypassedintolegendwiththe vilas, with
StojaandOstojaandsimilarwonders.
Whilethefeastlasted,andingeneralallthoseearlydays,thepeoplecrossedthe
