The Bridge on the Drina - PDFDrive.com

by Ivo Andrić

  there, for over there all jobs are open and unrestricted. We will be free and

  happy.Iwillarrangeeverything,ifonlyyouwould...ifonlyyouwouldagree.'

  Theyoungmanstopped.Bywayofanswersheputbothherhandsonhis.Inthat

  hefelttheexpressionofagreatgratitude.Butheranswerwasneitheryesnorno.

  Shethankedhimforallhistroubleandattentionandforhisboundlessgoodness

  and, in the name of that goodness, asked for a month before she gave him a

  definiteanswer;untiltheendoftheschoolyear.

  'Thankyou,Nikola,thankyou!Youaregoodtome!'shewhispered,pressinghis

  hands.

  Fromthe kapia belowrosethesoundofyoungmensinging.TheywereVišegrad youths,perhapsalso somestudentsfrom Sarajevo.Ina fortnighttheuniversity

  students were due to arrive. Until then she would not be able to come to any

  decision.Everythingmadehersuffer,mostofallthegoodnessofthisman,butat

  thatmomentshewouldnothavebeenabletosay'yes'evenifsheweretobecut

  topieces.Shenolongerhopedforanythingsavetoseeoncemore'thatmanwho

  can love no one'. Once more, and then let be what would! Nikola would wait;

  thatsheknew.

  Theyroseand,handinhand,wentslowlydowntheslopewhichledtowardsthe

  bridgewhencethesingingcame.

  XXII

  On Vidovdan the Serbs held their regular outing at Mezalin. Under the dense

  walnut-trees, at the the meeting of the two rivers Drina and Rzav, on the high

  green banks, tents were put up in which drinks were on sale and before which

  lambs were turning on spits over slow fires. Families who had brought their

  lunchwiththemsatintheshade.Belowacanopyoffreshbranchesanorchestra

  wasalreadyplaying.Onthewellbeatenopenspacetherehadbeena kolo since

  morning.Onlytheyoungestandidlestweredancing,thosewhohadcomehere

  directlyaftermorningservice,straightfromthechurch.Therealgeneralouting

  only began in the afternoon. But the kolo was already lively and enthusiastic, better and more vigorous than it would be later on when the crowd came, and

  marriedwomen,unsatisfiedwidowsandyoungchildrenbegantotakepartand

  wheneverythingwastransformedintoasinglelongandgay,buthaphazardand

  disconnected, garland. That shorter kolo in which more young men than girls weretakingpartwasfastandfurious,likeathrownlasso.Everythingaroundit

  seemed to be moving, swaying to the rhythm of the music, the air, the thick

  crowns of the trees, the white summer clouds and the swift waters of the two

  rivers.Theearthtrembledunderitandarounditandseemedonlytobetryingto

  adapt its movement to the movements of the young bodies. Young men ran in

  from the main road to take their places in the kolo, but the girls restrained themselves and stood for a time watching the dancing as if counting the beats

  and waiting for some secret impulse in themselves; then they would suddenly

  leap in to the kolo with lowered heads and slightly bended knees as if eagerly leaping into cold water. The powerful current passed from the warm earth into

  the dancing feet and spread along the chain of warm hands; on that chain

  the kolo pulsedlikeasinglelivingthing,warmedbythesamebloodandcarried

  awaybythesamerhythm.Theyoungmendancedwithheadsthrownback,pale

  andwithquiveringnostrils,whiletheyounggirlsdancedwithreddenedcheeks

  andmodestlydowncasteyes,lesttheirglancesbetray

  thepassionwithwhichthedancehadfilledthem.

  At that moment, when the outing had only just begun, a number of gendarmes

  appearedattheedgeofthemeadow,theirblackuniformsandweaponsshining

  in the afternoon light. There were more of them than was usual for the patrol

  whichregularlyvisitedfairsandoutings.Theywentstraighttothecanopywhere

  themusicianswereplaying.Oneaftertheother,irregularly,theplayersceased.

  The kolo waveredandstopped.Youngmen'scriesofprotestcouldbeheard.The

  dancers stood hand in hand. Some were so carried away and filled with the rhythm that they went on dancing where they were, waiting for the music to

  begin again. But the players rose in haste and wrapped up their trumpets and

  theirviolins.Thegendarmeswentonfarther,tothetentsandthefamiliessitting

  onthegrass.Everywherethesergeantsaidhispiece,inalowharshvoice,and

  like some magic charm the gaiety faded away, the dancing ceased and

  conversationswerebrokenoff.Whomevertheyapproachedlefttheplacewhere

  he had been till then, forgot whatever he was doing, gathered up his things as

  quicklyaspossibleandleft.Thelasttodispersewasthe kolo ofyouthsandgirls.

  Theydidnotwanttoabandontheirdancingandcouldnotgetitintotheirheads

  thatthiswasreallytheendofthegaietyandtheouting.Butwhentheysawthe

  white face and bloodshot eyes of the sergeant of gendarmes even the most

  obstinateslunkaway.

  Disillusioned and perplexed, the people trailed back from Mezalin along the

  wide,whiteroad;thefarthertheywentintothetownthemoretheyheardvague

  andfrightenedwhispersabouttheassassinationthatmorningatSarajevoandthe

  deathoftheArchdukeFranzFerdinandandhiswifeandthepersecutionofthe

  Serbswhichwasgenerallyexpected.InfrontoftheMunicipalOfficestheycame

  upon the first group of arrested men, amongst them the young priest Mihailo,

  beingtakentoprison.

  Sothesecondpartofthatsummerday,whichshouldhavebeenafestival,was

  transformedintoabewildered,bitterandfrightenedexpectation.

  On the kapia, instead of a festival mood and the gaiety of men released from work,therewasthesilenceofthedead.Aguardhadalreadybeenmounted.A

  soldierinanewuniformpacedslowlyfromthe sola tothespotwheretheiron

  manholecoveredthewaydownintotheminedpier.Hemarchedthesefiveorsix

  paces incessantly, and at each turn his bayonet glinted in the sun like a signal.

  The next day, beneath the plaque with the Turkish inscription, a white official

  notice appeared on the wall, printed in large letters and surrounded by a thick

  blackborder.ItannouncedthenewsoftheassassinationanddeathinSarajevoof

  theCrownPrinceandexpressedtheindignationrousedbythisevildeed.None

  of the passers-by stopped to read it, but passed in front of the notice and the

  guardasquicklyaspossiblewithloweredheads.

  Fromthattimeonwardtheguardremainedonthebridge.Thewholelifeofthe

  townwassuddenlyinterrupted,likethe kolo atMezalinandthatJulydaywhich

  shouldhavebeenadayoffestivity.

  The days to come were strange, filled with the avid reading of newspapers, of whispers,offearanddefiance,thearrestsofSerbsandsuspecttravellersandthe

  rapid reinforcement of military measures on the frontiers. The summer nights

  pas
sed, but without song, without meetings of young men on the kapia and

  without the whispering of couples in the darkness. In the town mainly soldiers

  were to be seen. At nine o'clock at night when the buglers sounded the

  melancholynotesoftheAustrianlast-postinthecantonmentsatBikavacandin

  thegreatbarracksbythebridge,thestreetswerealmostentirelydeserted.Those

  were bad times for young lovers eager to meet and have private conversations.

  Every evening Glasičanin passed Zorka's house. She was sitting at an open

  windowontheground-floor.Theretheytalked,butonlyforashorttime,since

  hewasinhastetocrossthebridgeandreturntoOkolištebeforenightfall.

  Soithappenedthateveningalso.Pale,hatinhand,hebeggedthegirltocome

  outtothegateforhehadsomethingprivatetotellher.Aftersomehesitationshe

  came. Standing on the threshold of the courtyard she was now level with the

  youthwhospokeexcitedlyinascarcelyaudiblewhisper.

  'Wehavedecidedtoflee.Thisevening.VladoMarićandtwoothers.Ithinkthat

  we have foreseen everything and that we shall get across. But if not... if

  somethingshouldhappen.Zorka!'

  The young man's whisper ceased. In her wide-open eyes he saw fear and

  embarrassment. He was deeply moved as if he regretted that he had spoken to

  herandcometosaygoodbye.

  'Ithoughtitbettertotellyou.'

  Thankyou!Thenthereisnothingofour...nothingofAmerica!'

  'No, not "nothing". Had you consented when I suggested a month ago that we shouldfinishthematteratonce,thenperhapswemightalreadybefarawayfrom

  here.Butperhapsitisbetterthisway.Nowyoucanseewhatthepositionis.I

  mustgowithmyfriends.Thewarisherealreadyandthereisneedforallofus

  inSerbia.Imust,Zorka,Imust.Itismyduty.IfIcomeoutofallthisaliveandif

  we become free, then it may no longer be necessary to go across the sea to

  America,forweshallhaveourownAmericahere,alandinwhich

  amanmayworkhardandhonestlyandlivewellandfreely.Therewillbealife

  initforbothofus,ifonlyyouwillconsent.Itwilldependonyou.Iwill...Iwill

  thinkofyouoverthere,andyou,andyou...sometimes...'

  Wordsfailedhimandhesuddenlyputuphishandandquicklystrokedherrich

  chestnut hair. That had always been his greatest desire and now, like a condemnedman,hefeltpermittedtofulfilit.Thegirlwithdrewinfrightandhe

  remained with his hand in the air. The gate shut silently and a moment later

  Zorkaappearedatthewindow,pale,withwide-openeyesandfeverishlytwisting

  fingers.Theyoungmancamecloseuptothewindow,threwhisheadbackand

  revealedhisface,laughing,carefree,almosthandsome.Asifafraidtoseewhat

  would happen next, the girl drew back into the room which was already dark.

  Thereshesatdownonherbed,bentherheadandbegantoweep.

  Atfirstsheweptquietlyandthenmoreandmoreunrestrainedlywithafeelingof

  heavy,universalhopelessness.Themoreshewept,themorereasonshefoundto

  weep as everything around her seemed more and more hopeless. There was no

  wayout,nosolution;neverwouldshebeabletolove,trulyandashedeserved,

  thatgoodandhonestNikolawhowasgoingaway;neverwouldshelivetosee

  the day when that other one, who could love no one, should love her. Never

  again would she see those lovely, happy days which she had passed only last

  yearinthistown.NotasingleoneoftheSerbswouldeversucceedincoming

  alive out of that dark circle of mountains, nor would see America, nor would

  create here a land where, so they said, a man could work hard and live freely.

  Never!

  NextdaythenewsspreadthatVladoMarić,Glasičaninandafewotheryoung

  menhadfledtoSerbia.AlltheotherSerbswiththeirfamilies,andallthatthey

  had,remainedinthatoverheatedvalleyasinatrap.Everydaytheatmosphereof

  dangerandmenacecouldbefelttobegrowingdenseroverthetown.Then,in

  the last days of July, the storm burst over the frontier, a storm which would in timespreadtothewholeworldanddecidethefateofsomanylandsandcities,

  aswellasthatofthebridgeontheDrina.

  OnlythenbegantherealpersecutionoftheSerbsandallthoseconnectedwith

  them. The people were divided into the persecuted and those who persecuted

  them.Thatwildbeast,whichlivesinmananddoesnotdaretoshowitselfuntil

  thebarriersoflawandcustomhavebeenremoved,wasnowsetfree.Thesignal

  was given, the barriers were down. As has so often happened in the history of

  man, permission was tacitly granted for acts of violence and plunder, even for

  murder,iftheywerecarriedoutinthenameofhigherinterests.

  according to established rules, and against a limited number of men of a

  particulartypeandbelief.Amanwhosawclearlyandwithopeneyesandwas

  thenlivingcouldseehowthismiracletookplaceandhowthewholeofasociety

  could, in a single day, be transformed. In a few minutes the business quarter, based on centuries of tradition, was wiped out. It is true that there had always

  beenconcealedenmitiesandjealousiesandreligiousintolerance,coarsenessand

  cruelty,buttherehadalsobeencourageandfellowshipandafeelingformeasure

  andorder,whichrestrainedalltheseinstinctswithinthelimitsofthesupportable

  and,intheend,calmedthemdownandsubmittedthemtothegeneralinterestof

  lifeincommon.Menwhohadbeenleadersinthecommercialquarterforforty

  years vanished overnight as if they had all died suddenly, together with the

  habits,customsandinstitutionswhichtheyrepresented.

  The day after the declaration of war on Serbia a schutzkorps squad began to patrolthetown.Thissquad,hastilyarmedandintendedtoassisttheauthorities

  intheirhuntforSerbs,wasmadeupofgipsies,drunkardsandotherpersonsof

  illrepute,mainlythosewhoforlonghadbeenatoddswithsocietyandthelaw.

  AcertainHusoKokošar,agipsywithouthonourordefiniteoccupation,whohad

  losthisnoseinearlyyouthasaresultofashamefuldisease,ledthedozenorso

  ne'er-do-wells armed with old-fashioned Werndl rifles with long bayonets, and

  lordeditoverthemarketplace.

  Facedwiththisthreat,PavleRanković,asPresidentoftheSerbianChurchand

  School Community, went with a number of other leading members to the sub-

  prefectSabljak.Sabljakwasapale,puffyman,completelybald,borninCroatia,

  whohadonlyrecentlybeenappointedtoVišegrad.Nowhewasexcitedandhe

  hadnotsleptwell;hiseyelidswerereddenedandhislipsdryandbloodless.He

  waswearinghighbootsandinthelapelofhishuntsman'scoatworesomebadge

  in two colours: black and yellow. He received them standing and did not offer

  themseats.Pavle,yellowintheface,hiseyesliketwothinblackslits,spokeina

  hoarseunfa
miliarvoice:

  'Sir,youseewhatisgoingonandwhatisbeingprepared,andyouknowthatwe,

  SerbsandcitizensofVišegrad,havenotwantedthis.'

  'I know nothing, sir,' the Prefect curtly interrupted him in a voice harsh with

  vexation,'andIwanttoknownothing.Wehaveother,moreimportant,thingsto

  donowthanlistentospeeches.ThatisallIhavetosaytoyou!'

  'Sir,'Pavlebeganagaincalmlyasiftryingbyhisowncalmtomoderateeventhis

  irritableandangryman,'wehavecometoofferyouourservicesandtoassure

  you....'

  'Ihavenoneedofyourservicesandthereisnothingforyoutoassuremeabout.

  YouhaveshownatSarajevowhatyoucando....'

  'Sir,'continuedPavleresolutelyandwithunchangedvoice,'wewouldhaveliked withinthelimitsofthelaw...'

  'So! Now you remember the law! To what laws have you the effrontery to

  appeal...?'

  'Thelawsofthestate.Sir,whichapplytoall.'

  ThePrefectsuddenlybecameseriousasifhehadcalmeddownalittle.Pavleat

  oncetookadvantageofthismomentofcalm

  'Sir,permitustoaskyouwhetherwemaybesurethatourlivesandpropertyand

  thoseofourfamilieswillberespected,andifnot,whatweshoulddo?'

  ThePrefectspreadouthishands,palmsupward,shruggedhisshoulders,closed

  hiseyesandconvulsivelyshuthisthin,palelips.

  Pavle knew only too well this characteristic gesture, pitiless, blind-deaf-dumb,

  whichstateofficialsadoptinimportantmomentsandsawatoncethatitwasno

  usegoingontalking.ThePrefect,afterloweringhishands,lookedupandsaid

  moregently:

  'Themilitaryauthoritieswilladviseeveryonewhattheymustdo.'

  Now it was Pavle's turn to spread out his hands, close his eyes and shrug his

  shouldersforamoment,andthensayinadeep,changedvoice:

  'Thankyou.Sir.'

  The representatives bowed stiffly and clumsily. Then they filed out like

  condemnedmen.

  Themarketplacewasfilledwithaimlessmovementandsecretconsultations.

  InAlihodja'sshopweresittinganumberofprominentTurks,NailbegTurković,