The Olneyville tribune. (Providence, R.I.) 1893-189?, 1894-05-05
LIKE MARK TWAiN'S NAG.
Ssrvia's Chief Poet Tells OF q Horse
That Could OUTRAGE q Rain Storm.

buot SouIo SutToCe y NotV StopW.
Nikola Tesla is known to Ameri-
cans as one Of the greatest scientists
this age of electricity has produced.
But he has stopped long enough in
his marvellous Investigations OF alter
mating currents to write sympa-
thetic study OF the chief Servian poet
of this generation, Zmai Iovan Iovan-
ovich, for the Century. This writer,
so strongly intrenched in the aiYec-
! tions OF all Seryians, was born in
Novi Sad (Neusatz), n city at the
southern border of Hungary, on No
vember "a, 1888. He comes from an
old and noble family, which is related
to the Servian royal house. In his
earliest childhood he showed great
desire to learn by heart the Servan
natioAal songs which were recited to
him, and even as child he began to
compose poems. His father, who
was highly cultivated and wealthy
gentleman, gave him his first educa-
tion in his native city. After this
he went to Budapest, Prague, and
Vienna, and in these cities he fin
ished his studies in law. This was
the wish OF his father, but his own
inclinations prompted him TO take
up the study OF medicine. He then
returned to his native city, where II
prominent official position was Of
fered him, which he accepted, but so
strong were his poetical instincts
that year later he abandoned the
post to devote himself entirely TO
literary work.
Xmai has founded several journals
which have attained great national
prestige and popularity. Since 1870
he has pursued his profession as n
physician, and now lives, honored
and beloved, i'm Belgrade.
Tesla has given II literal transla-
tion OF some Of /mai's s shorter poems,
and Mr.. Robert Underwood Johnson
has put them into metrical form in
English. One Of these will remind
all readers Of Mark Twain's story Of
the fast horse, as told TO him by Ou-
dinot, OF the Sandwich Islands, and
recorded in The Galaxy for April,
1871. In that veracious narrative IL
is related that, during n terrible
storm, the horse kept in advance Of
the rain so that not n single drop fell
on the driver, but the dog was swim
ming behind the wagon all the way.
As told by Imai and versifed by
Mr.. Johnson, a gypsy is praising his
horse:
And now about speed. 'Is he fast ?" !
should say
Just listen-I'll tell you.
One equinox day,
Coming home from Erdout in the usual
way
A terrible storm overlook us. Twas
plain
There was nothing 10 do but TO run
for IT, Rain,
Like the blackness Of night, gave us chase.
But that nag,
Though he'd had hard day, didn't trem-
BILE or sag.
Then the lightning would flash,
And the thunder would crash
With terrible din
They were eager tO catch him but he
would just neigh,
Squint back tO make sure, and then gal
lOp away.
Well, this made the storm the more furi-
And we raced and We raced, but he wasn't
upset
And he wouldn't give In
At last when we got to the foot Of the hill
At the end Of the trail
BY the stream where our white gypsy cas-
tie was set.
And the boys from the camp came n wav-
ing their caps,
At "A word he stood still,
To be hugged by the girls and be praised
by the chaps
We had beaten the gale.
And Selim was dry a. "A bOne-well, per
haps.
Just little bit damp on the tip Of his
tail.