The Bridge on the Drina - PDFDrive.com

by Ivo Andrić

newform;atfirsttheyhadpaidattentiontowhodidwhatandhowhebehaved,

  and now they inquired about who thought what and how he expressed his opinions. The number of gendarmes in the surrounding villages along the

  frontierwasgraduallyincreased.AspecialInformationOfficer,amanfromthe

  Lika,arrivedatthelocalheadquarters.Thepolicearrestedandfinedyouthsfor

  imprudent declarations or for singing prohibited Serbian songs. Suspected

  foreigners were deported; and differences of opinion led to arguments and

  quarrelsamongthecitizensthemselves.

  Withtheintroductionoftherailwaytravellingbecamequickerandthetransport

  ofgoodseasier,andsomehowataboutthesametimeeventstooquickenedtheir

  pace.Thetownspeopledidnotnoticethis,forthequickeningwasgradualandall

  of them were involved in it. They became accustomed to sensations; exciting

  newswasnolongersomethingrareandunusualbutaneverydayfoodandareal

  need. The whole of life seemed to be hastening somewhere, suddenly speeded

  up,asafreshetquickensitspacebeforeitbreaksintorapids,rushesoversteep

  rocksandbecomesacascade.

  Onlyfouryearshadpassedsincethearrivalofthefirsttraininthetownwhen,

  one October morning, a huge white proclamation was posted on

  the kapia, beneaththeplaquewiththeTurkishinscription.Itwasputupbythe

  municipalofficialDrago.Atfirstonlytheidlersandchildrengatheredroundit

  andthen,later,therestofthecitizens.Thosewhoknewhowtoreaddeciphered

  the proclamation, spelling it out and halting at the foreign expressions and

  unfamiliarphrasing.The otherslistenedin silenceandwith downcasteyesand

  afterlisteningforawhiledispersedwithoutlookingup,strokingtheirbeardsand

  moustachesasiftobrushawaywordswhichhadneverbeenspoken.

  AfterthenoonprayerAlihodjatoocame,placingabaracrosshisshopfrontasa

  sign that the shop was closed. This time the proclamation was not written in

  Turkish also, so that the hodja could not read it. A boy was reading the proclamationaloud,quitemechanically,asifatschool.

  'PROCLAMATIONtothePeopleofBosniaandHerzegovina.

  "We,FranzJoseph,EmperorofAustria,KingofBohemia etc. andApo-apo-apo-

  stolic King of Hungary, to the inhabitants of Bosnia and Herzegovina: When a

  gen-gener-generationagoOurArmiescrossedthefrontiersofYourlands....'

  Alihodjafelthisrighteartinglingbeneathhiswhiteturbanand,asifithadbeen

  the day before, his quarrel with Karamanli flashed before his eyes, the outrage

  then committed on him, the red cross which swam before his eyes filled with

  tears, while the Austrian soldier carefully extracted the nail, and the white placardwiththeproclamationthenaddressedtothepeople.

  Theyouthwenton:

  'Anass-ass-assurancewasthengivenYouthattheyhadnotcomeasenemiesbut

  asYourfriendswiththeavowedintentionofrootingoutalltheevilswhichhad

  foryearsop-op-oppressedYou.

  'ThatwordgiventoYouinthatcrit-criticalmoment...'

  Everyoneshoutedattheinexpertreaderwho,blushingandembarrassed,slipped

  awayintothecrowd.Inhisplacecamesomeunknownmaninaleatherjacket,

  who seemed as if he were only waiting for his chance, who began to read

  quicklyandfluentlyasifitwereaprayerthathealreadyknewbyheart.

  'That word given to You in that critical moment has been honestly kept. Our

  Governmenthasalwaysseriouslyconcerneditselfandworkedtomaintainpeace

  andorder,toleadYourFatherlandtowardsahappierfuture.

  'AndWe,toOurgreatjoy,darefreelytosay:theseedwhichhasbeensownin

  thefurrowsofthesoilsopreparedhasproducedarichharvest.Youtoomustfeel

  thosefactsasablessing;thatinplaceofviolenceandtyrannyhavecomeorder

  andsecurity,thatworkandlifehavedevelopedcontinuously,thattheennobling

  influenceofitsworkhasmultipliedopportunitiesforcultureandthatunderthe

  protection of a regular administration every man may enjoy the fruits of his

  labours.

  'ItisthesolemndutyofallofUstocontinuealongthisway.

  'HavingthisaimconstantlybeforeOureyes,Weholdthatthetimehascometo

  givetheinhabitantsofthesetwolandsafreshproofofOurfaithintheirpolitical

  maturity.InordertoraiseBosniaandHerzegovinatoahigherlevelofpolitical

  life.Wehavedecidedtograntconstitutionalinstitutions—suchaswillanswerto

  theirpresentconditionsandtheircommoninterests—toboththeselandsandto

  give in this manner a legal basis for the representation of their wishes and

  interests.

  'Let Your voices also be heard when in the future decisions will be made

  touchingtheaffairsofYourcountrywhichwillhavehave,asithashaduptill

  now,itsseparateadministration.

  'Butthefirstnecessaryconditionfortheintroductionofthisnationalconstitution

  is the clear and indubitable definition of the legal position of both these lands.

  Starting from this principle and bearing in mind those bonds which in olden

  timesexistedbetweenOurgloriouspredecessorsontheThroneofHungaryand

  theselands.WeextendOurrightsofsovereigntyoverBosniaandHerzegovina

  andWedesirethattheselandsaccepttheorderofsuccessionwhichisvalidfor

  OurHouse.

  'Thustheinhabitantsofbothlandswillbecomeparticipatorsinallthesebenefits

  whichwillassurethemthelastingconsolidationofthosebondswhich,uptothe

  present, have linked them to Us. The new state of affairs will be the guarantee

  thatcultureandprosperitywillcontinuetofindasurehomeinYourcountry.

  'BosniansandHerzegovinians!

  'Among the countless cares which surround Our Throne, that which We shall

  haveforYourmaterialandmoralprosperitywillnotbetheleast.Thesupreme

  conceptionoftheequalityofallbeforethelaw,theparticipationinthemakingof

  laws and the administration of the country, an equal protection afforded to all

  faiths, languages and national characteristics —all these supreme benefits You

  willenjoyinfullmeasure.

  'The freedom of the individual and the good of the community will be the

  guidingstarofOurGovernmentforboththeselands....'

  With mouth half open and head lowered, Alihodja listened to these words, for

  themostpartunfamiliarorunknowntohim,andeventhosewordswhichwere

  notofthemselvesunfamiliarbecameinthatcontextinsomemannerqueerand

  incomprehensible.'Seed...sowninthefurrowsofthesoilsoprepared...first

  andnecessaryconditionfortheintroductionofthislocalconstitution;clearand

  indubitabledefinitionoflegalposition...guidingstarofOurGovernment!'Yes,

  those were the 'Imperial words' once again! Each one of them opened before

  the hodja's innervisionnowsomedistant,extraordinaryanddangeroushorizon,

  nowsomesortofcurt
ainwhichfell,blackandleaden,justbeforehiseyes.So,

  firstonethingandthentheother;eitherhesawnothingorhesawsomethingthat

  he did not understand and which presaged no good. In this life nothing is

  impossible and every wonder possible. It could even happen that a man might

  listencarefullyandyetunderstandnothingindetailwhileatthesametime,when

  allthosedetailsweretakentogether,hecouldrealizecompletelyandunderstand

  perfectly!Thatseed,thatstar,thosecaresaboutthethrone;allthosethingsmight

  justaswellhavebeeninsomeforeignlanguage,yetnonethelessthe hodja, or

  so it seemed to him, could understand what they were intended to mean and

  what they wished to convey. These Emperors had for the past thirty years shoutedacrossthelandsandcitiesandovertheheadsofthepeoples;yetevery

  wordineveryproclamationofeveryEmperorwaspregnantwithmeaning.For

  these countries were broken into fragments and in these countries heads rolled

  becauseofthesewords.Sotheyspokeof'seed...stars...caresofthethrone'lest

  theycallthingsbytheirrealnamesandspeakwhatwasthefact;thatlandsand

  provincesand,withthem,livingmenandtheirhabitationspassedfromhandto

  hand like small change; that a well-intentioned true-believing man could no

  longerfindpeaceonthisearth,nomorethanhecouldfindthelittleheneeded

  for this short life; that his position and his goods changed independently of

  himselfandcontrarytohiswishesandhisbestintentions.

  Alihodja listened and he had continually the impression that these words were

  the same words of thirty years ago; he felt the same leaden heaviness in his

  breast,thesamemessagethattheTurkishtimeswereendedandthat'theTurkish

  candlewasburnedout',butthatitwasnecessarytorepeatthemfortheywould

  notunderstandorrealizethem,butdeceivedthemselvesandpretendedtoknow

  nothingofthem.

  'YouwillthereforeshowYourselvesworthyoftheconfidenceplacedinYou,so

  that the noble harmony existing between ruler and people, that most precious

  gageofallstateprogress,willalwaysaccompanyOurcommonlabours.

  'GiveninourRoyalandCapitalCityofBudapes

  FranzJoseph.'

  The man in the leather jacket suddenly ceased reading and shouted

  unexpectedly:

  'LongliveHisMajestytheEmperor!'

  'Longlife,'shoutedtallFerhat,themunicipallamplighter,asifbyorder.

  Alltheothersdispersedatthesamemomentinsilence.

  Before dark that day the great white proclamation was torn down and thrown

  intotheDrina.ThenextdaysomeSerbianyouthswerearrestedonsuspicionand

  a fresh copy of the white proclamation was put up on the kapia and a local gendarmepostedtheretoguardit.

  Wheneveragovernmentfeelstheneedofpromisingpeaceandprosperitytoits

  citizens by means of a proclamation, it is time to be on guard and expect the

  opposite.TowardstheendofOctober,thearmybegantoarrive,notonlybytrain butalsoalongtheolddesertedroad.Asithaddonethirtyyearsbefore,itcame

  downthesteepslopefromSarajevoandcrossedthebridgeintothetown,with

  arms and commissariat. There were units of all kinds except cavalry. All the

  barracks were full. They camped under canvas. Fresh units were continually

  arriving, stayed a few days in the town and were then posted to the villages

  along the Serbian frontier. The soldiers were mainly reservists, of various

  nationalities,withplentyofmoney.Theymadetheirminorpersonalpurchasesin

  theshopsandboughtfruitandsweetmeatsatthestreet-corners.Pricesleapt.Hay

  and oats completely disappeared. Fortifications began to be built on the hills

  surroundingthetown.Andonthebridgeitselfaverystrangetaskbegan.Inthe

  middleofthebridge,justbeyondthe kapia asonecamefromthetowntogoto

  theleftbankoftheDrina,workmenspeciallybroughtforthejobbegantodrilla

  hole about a yard square in one of the piers. The spot where they worked was

  concealedunderagreentent,frombeneathwhichcontinualhammeringcouldbe

  heardastheywentdeeperanddeeper.Thestoneexcavatedwasatoncethrown

  over the parapet into the river. But however much the work was concealed, it

  wassoonknowninthetownthatthebridgewasbeingmined,thatistosaythata

  deep opening was being dug through one of the piers, right to the foundations,

  andthatexplosiveswouldbeplacedinitincasewarbrokeoutanditwasfound

  necessarytodestroythebridge.Longironladdersleddownintotheopeningand

  wheneverythingwasfinishedanironmanholecoverwasplacedoverit.Within

  afewdaysthiscovercouldnolongerbedistinguishedfromthestonesanddust.

  Carts passed over it, horses trotted by, and the townsmen hurried on their

  businesswithoutgivingathoughttothemineandtheexplosivesbeneath.Only

  the children on their way to school halted for a moment at this spot, tapped

  inquisitivelyatthatironcover,tryingtoguesswhatwasbeneathit.Theymade

  uptalesofsomeArabhiddeninthebridge,andarguedamongthemselvesabout

  whatanexplosivewas,whatitdidandwhetheritcouldeverdestroysogreata

  building.

  Among the grown-ups, only Alihodja prowled around and gazed sombrely and

  suspiciouslybothatthegreententwhiletheworkwasgoingonandattheiron

  coverwhichremainedonthebridgeafterithadbeenfinished.Helistenedtoall

  thatwassaidorwhispered;thataholeasdeepasawellhadbeenmadeinthat

  pierandexplosivesplacedinit,andthatitwasconnectedbyanelectricalleadto

  thebanksothatthecommandantcouldatanytimeofthedayornightdestroy

  thebridgerightinthemiddleasthoughitweremadeofsugarandnotofstone.

  The hodja listened,shookhishead,thoughtitoverbydaywhenheretiredtohis

  'coffin'andbynightinbedwhenheshouldhavebeenasleep;nowhebelieved, now he rejected such an idea as mad and godless, but he worried about it

  continually so that even in his sleep the onetime mutevelis of Mehmed Pasha's vakuf appeared before him and asked him severely what all this was and what weretheydoingtothebridge.Heturnedhistroublesoverandoverinhismind.

  He did not want to ask anyone in the market, considering that for a long time

  pasttherehadbeennoonewithwhomasensiblemancouldconsultorconverse

  reasonably,sinceallthepeoplehadeitherlosttheirsensesandtheirreputations

  orwerejustasembitteredandconfusedashehimselfwas.

  Nonetheless,hesoonfoundanopportunitytolearnmoreaboutit.Oneofthe

  Branković begs from Crnče, Muhamed, who had done his army service in

  Vienna,hadstayedthereasalong-servicemanandbeenpromotedtosergeant-

  major(hewasthegrandsonofthatShemsibegwhoaftertheoccupationhadshut

  himself up in Crnče and died of sorrow, and who was still quoted by the older

  T
urks as an unattainable example of moral grandeur and logic). Muhamed-beg

  hadthatyearcomehomeonleave.Hewasabigtallmanofreddishcomplexion,

  dressedinanimpeccabledark-blueuniformwithyellowrank-badges,redpiping

  andlittlesilverstarsonhislapel,withwhitekid-glovesonhishandsandredfez

  onhishead.Courteous,smiling,irreproachablycleanandneat,hewalkedinthe

  marketplace, his long sword tapping gently on the cobbles, greeting everyone

  amiablyandconfidentlylikeamanwhohaseatenthebreadoftheEmperor,who

  hasnodoubtofhisownimportanceoranyreasontobeafraidofothers.

  WhenthisMuhamed-begcametohisshop,askedabouthishealthandsatdown

  to drink a cup of coffee, Alihodja took the opportunity of asking him, as an

  'imperialman'wholivedfarfromthetown,foranexplanationofthecaresthat

  oppressed him. He told him what the trouble was, what had been done on the

  bridge and what they were saying in the town, and asked him if such a thing

  werepossibleandwhethertheycouldplanthedestructionofabequestofsuch

  universalbenefitasthisone.

  As soon as he had heard what was in question, the sergeant-major suddenly

  became serious. His broad smile disappeared and his ruddy clean-shaven face

  took on a wooden expression as if he were on parade at the moment of the

  command: attention. He was silent for a moment as if in indecision and then

  repliedinasortofhushedvoice.

  'There is something in all you say. But if you really want my advice, then it is best not to inquire about this or speak of it, for it comes under the head of

  militarypreparedness,officialsecretsandsoforthandsoon.'

  The hodja hatedallthenewexpressionsandespeciallythat'andsoforthandso

  on'.Itwasnotonlythatthewordsgratedonhisears,buthefeltclearlythat,in

  thespeechofthesestrangers,ittooktheplaceofanunspokentruthandthatall

  thathadbeensaidbeforemeantnothingatall.

  'IntheNameofGod,don'tstuffmeupwiththeir..."andsoforthandsoon",but

  tellmeandexplain,ifyoucan,whattheyaredoingtothebridge.Therecanbe

  no secret about that. In any case what sort of a secret is that, if even the