page_title: Pavle Orlović
section_title: Kosovo Maiden
hierarchical_section_title: Pavle Orlović / Kosovo Maiden
context_page_description: Pavle Orlović is a semi-mythological hero of the Kosovo cycle of Serbian epic poetry; he was a Serbian knight, one of the military commanders under Prince Lazar that fell at the Battle of Kosovo against the Ottoman Empire. According to folklore, Orlović was the son of voivode Vuk Orle, the Lord of Soko Grad on the Drina. After the death of Stephen Uroš V the Weak, Orlović held the mining town of Novo Brdo, as well as his father's possessions on Mount Rudnik in central Serbia.
  According to legend, Pavle Orlović's four sons escaped their hometown to Čarađe, near Gacko, after the death of their father and fled to Velimlje, a village in Banjani. After the Ottoman conquest of Banjani, they established several families of the Orlović clan at Čarađe, Bjelice and Cuce.
  There exists documents in the archive of Dubrovnik which mention that Kosovo hero and barjaktar Pavle Orlović lived below the sheer mount of Orlin in the end of a village below which the neighbouring village of Čarađe lied.
  According to Marko Šuica, there is no information on him in historical sources.
context_section_description: Early rose the maiden of Kosovo,
  Early rose she on a Sunday morning,
  Rose before the brilliant sun had risen.
  She has rolled the white sleeves of her robe back,
  Rolled them back up to her soft white elbows;
  On her shoulders, fair white bread she carries,
  In her hands two shining golden goblets,
  In one goblet she has poured fresh water,
  And has poured good red wine in the other.
  Then she seeks the wide plain of Kosovo,
  Seeks the noble Prince's place of meeting,
  Wanders there amongst the bleeding heroes.
  When she finds one living midst the wounded
  Then she laves him with the cooling water,
  Gives him, sacramentally, the red wine,
  Pledges with her fair white bread the hero.
  Fate at last has led her wand'ring footsteps
  Unto Pavle Orlović, the hero,
  Who has borne the Prince's battle-standard.
  From his gaping wounds the blood is streaming,
  His right hand and his left foot are severed;
  And the hero's ribs are crushed and broken,
  But he lingers still amongst the living.
  From the pools of blood she drags his body
  And she laves him with the cooling water,
  Red wine, sacramentally, she gives him,
  Pledges then with fair white bread the hero.
  When at length his heart revives within him,
  Thus speaks Pavle Orlović, the hero:
  "Oh dear sister, Maiden of Kosovo,
  What great need compels thee here to wander,
  Thou, so young, amongst the wounded heroes?
  What dost thou upon the field of battle?
  Dost thou seek a brother's son, or brother,
  Dost thou seek perchance an aged father?"
  Answered him the Maiden of Kosovo:
  "Oh dear brother ! Oh thou unknown warrior!
  None of my own race am I now seeking,
  Not a brother's son nor yet a brother,
  Neither do I seek an aged father.
  Wast thou present, oh thou unknown warrior,
  When for three whole weeks to all his army
  Prince Lazar the Sacrament was giving
  By the hands of thirty holy fathers,
  In the splendid church of Samodreža;
  When Lazar and all the Serbian army
  There the Holy Sacrament have taken,
  Three Voyvodas last of all did enter:
  First of them was Miloš, the great warrior,
  Ivan Kosančić was close behind him,
  And the third, Toplica Milan, followed.
  "I by chance stood then within the doorway
  When there passed young Miloš, the great warrior,
  In the whole world no more splendid hero;
  On the ground his clanking saber trailing,
  Silken cap with proudly waving feathers,
  Many-colored mantle on his shoulders
  And around his neck a silken kerchief.
  Then he gazes round and looks upon me,
  He takes off his many-colored mantle,
  Takes it off, and gives it to me, saying:"
  "Here, oh Maiden, is my colored mantle,
  By it thou wilt keep me in remembrance,
  By this mantle shall my name live with thee.
  Now, dear Maid, must I go forth to perish
  There where camps the noble Prince's army;
  Pray to God for me, dear Maid, my sister,
  That I may come back again in safety.
  And that all good fortune may attend thee
  I will marry thee to my friend Milan,
  Him whom God has given me as brother,
  My friend Milan who is my sworn brother.
  In God's name and good Saint John's,
  I promise I will be a groomsman at thy wedding."
  "Ivan Kosančić was close behind him,
  In the whole world no more splendid hero;
  On the ground his clanking saber trailing,
  Silken cap with proudly waving feathers,
  Many-colored mantle on his shoulders
  And around his neck a silken kerchief,
  On his hand a golden ring is shining.
  Then he gazes round and looks upon me,
  Takes the golden ring from off his finger,
  Takes it off and gives it to me, saying:"
  "Here hast thou my ring of gold, oh Maiden,
  By it thou wilt have me in remembrance,
  By this gold ring shall my name live with thee.
  Now, dear maid, must I go forth to perish
  There where camps the noble Prince's army;
  Pray to God for me, dear Maid, my sister,
  That I may come back again in safety.
  And that all good fortune may attend thee
  I will marry thee to my friend Milan,
  Him whom God has given me as brother,
  My friend Milan who is my sworn brother.
  In God's name and good Saint John's, I promise
  I myself will give thee to the bridegroom."
  "Then Toplica Milan follows after,
  In the whole world no more splendid hero;
  On the ground his clan
caption: Kosovo Maiden, by Uroš Predić (1919).
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