Russian Magic Tales from Pushkin to Platonov (Penguin Classics) (15 page)

‘Is this not an honour?’ he thought. ‘At this well I shall water my horse.’

Through Marya’s shift he could see her body, and through her body he could see the very marrow of her bone.

And he was on fire, and he wanted to do his wish. And the maiden sensed nothing of his wish and pleasure …

And then he went quietly out of the room, and quietly out of the palace.

And he went out into the broad courtyard, and he found his steed standing very tired. He led his steed to a spring and he doused his steed with fresh water, and then he gathered the apples of youth and filled his knapsack with them, and he filled two phials with the water of life and the water of death and he then wanted to leave the tsardom with all haste.

And he mounted his fine steed and, eager to ride away, he struck the steed on its broad quarters. And the steed leaped straight over the city wall – and with its left hoof it struck a copper wire. All around the city copper wires and bells rang
out, and the Tsar Maiden awoke, and she awoke all her maids. And she made them all winged – and she flew off in pursuit of Ivan Tsarevich.

‘A thief has been in our realm and he has watered his horse at my well. He has stolen our apples of youth and the waters of life and death!’
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Ivan Tsarevich rode on till he came to the old woman, and she led out a fine steed for him. And the tsarevich leaped from steed to steed, and on he galloped.

And then the old woman invited her niece, the Tsar Maiden, to drink tea with her and to drink coffee with her.

‘What are you saying, woman? I have no time or leisure. Have you not seen some fool ride by?’

‘Oh, my child!’ said the old woman. ‘He won’t escape you. His horse is tired now. He’s beating the poor horse with a stick, urging it on. Be my guest for a while!’

While the Tsar Maiden was being entertained, Ivan Tsarevich spurred his steed on. He came to the second old woman.

Meanwhile, the Tsar Maiden arose and she too sped on to the second old woman.

‘Woman, have you seen a fool pass by, on foot or on horseback?’

‘My child,’ said the old woman. ‘Some fool did pass by. He was beating his horse, and it stumbled. He won’t get much further!’

And she insisted the Tsar Maiden be her guest, for tea and for coffee.

And the Maiden went in.

While she was being entertained, Ivan Tsarevich came to the third old woman. She returned his own fine steed to him and sent him straight on his way.

And the Tsar Maiden got up, left the second old woman and went in pursuit. She flew on to the third old woman and asked, ‘Woman, have you seen a fool pass by, on foot or on horseback?’

‘Come in as my guest! Some fool did pass by, but he is already flaying the skin off his horse.’

And the old woman begged her to come in. ‘It’s hot,’ she said. ‘You must rest!’

The Tsar Maiden rested. She ate and drank. Then she set off in pursuit.

But Ivan Tsarevich had already reached Holy Russia, and his pursuer was unable to catch him!

And he rode through open steppe till he came to the pillar with the inscription.

Here Ivan Tsarevich thought, ‘Is not this an honour? I have travelled down unknown roads. I have fulfilled my father’s wishes. Now I shall search for my brother, Dmitry Tsarevich!’

And so, in search of his brother, he set off down the road where his horse would eat well but he himself would go hungry.

And he came to green meadows. And he saw a huge house there, and he rode up to it. He rode through the gate, stabled his horse and gave it fresh white barley. His brother’s horse from the tsar’s stables recognized the new guest and neighed for all it was worth. Ivan Tsarevich walked up to the fine-turned columns and climbed the gilded staircase. A beautiful woman came down to meet him. She invited him to her chamber and seated him at her table.

She gave him food and drink and all kinds of delicacies. After he had eaten, she showed the young man where he could rest. She wanted him to lie next to the wall, but he wanted her to lie there herself. They argued long. In the end Ivan Tsarevich seized her round her belly and threw her against the wall. The self-turning bed turned right over – and down into a deep dungeon flew the beautiful woman.

‘A new companion!’ called out those already imprisoned in this dungeon. ‘God has granted us a new companion!’

‘Tear her limb from limb!’ called out Ivan Tsarevich. ‘This woman was your undoing!’

The prisoners seized her. One tore off an arm; another a leg; another her head.

Then Ivan Tsarevich let down a rope, and he gave the young men their freedom. When he saw his brother Dmitry, he took him by his white hands and his golden breast. He kissed him on his sweet lips and called him his dear brother Dmitry
Tsarevich. He gave him food and drink, then rode off with him towards their city.

They came into open steppe. Ivan Tsarevich was overwhelmed by a deep and irresistible sleep. For nine days and nine nights he had ridden without sleeping, eating or drinking. And so he and his brother put up their white tents and rested.

Ivan Tsarevich slept without waking.

On the third day Dmitry Tsarevich stole the apples of youth, the water of life and his brother’s knapsack. And off he rode to their father’s realm.

Ivan Tsarevich awoke. There was nothing to be seen. He mounted his fine horse and rode to the border of his father’s realm. Then he took off the Circassian saddle and the plaited bridle and said, ‘Run out into the fields, Sivka-Burka! Rest in the fields, my grey-brown one! Rest until I need you again!’

Ivan Tsarevich went back on foot to his city. There he passed his time in the taverns, drinking with whoever he found there.

In the meantime the tsar received Dmitry Tsarevich with great honour, with dancing and revelry.

Three years passed, but what’s quick to say takes many a day. And then the Tsar Maiden sailed up to the city. In the middle of the night, in the hour after midnight, she began to fire on the city with guns and cannons. She demanded the surrender of whoever was guilty.

The tsar didn’t know what to do. Which criminal should he surrender?

The tsar gathered his counsellors. ‘Counsellors and boyars, let us think! Do we have here some criminal we should surrender?’

‘Merciful sovereign, if it please you, we can give counsel. Has Fyodor Tsarevich not perhaps made mischief in foreign lands? Has he not perhaps committed a crime in some other realm?’

And so Fyodor Tsarevich was delivered to the ship. Marya the Fair, Marya of the Long Tress of Hair saw him coming. She ordered a gangplank to be lowered, and for it be spread with red cloth. And there were two beautiful little boys running about the ship, and they called out, ‘Mama! Mama! Our Papa’s coming!’

‘No, children,’ she answered. ‘It’s not your father; it’s your eldest uncle.’

Then she gave orders to her men: ‘Seize this fellow and stretch him out on the deck. Hack three strips from his back and strip three strips from below his hips. Let him learn not to plough another man’s ground! And then – throw him back on shore!’

Once again she began to bombard the city day and night, with guns and cannons. She demanded the surrender of whoever was guilty.

And the tsar gathered his counsellors. ‘Is there some criminal here in our realm? Is there someone we should surrender?’

‘If it please you, your Highness, send Dmitry Tsarevich. Perhaps
he
is the guilty man!’

And so the tsar sent his second son to the ship. A gangplank was lowered, and it was spread with red cloth. The two little boys ran up to their mother and said, ‘Mama! Mama! Our Papa’s coming!’

‘No, children,’ she answered. ‘It’s not your father; it’s your second uncle.’

Then she gave orders to her men: ‘Seize this fellow by his white hands and stretch him out on the deck. Hack three strips from his back and strip three strips from below his hips. Let him learn not to plough another man’s ground! And then – throw him back on shore!’

Once again she began to fire on the city, with guns and cannons, and to demand the surrender of whoever was guilty.

And once again the tsar gathered his counsellors. ‘Well, counsellors, who among us has done wrong? Give me advice and counsel.’

And one of them was bold enough to answer, ‘Your Imperial Highness, it is your Majesty who is at fault.’ And he went on to say, ‘Ivan the Layabout is also a tsarevich. He too is your son. It does not befit me to say this, but he hangs about the inns and taverns and tells all kinds of lies and tall stories and passes them off as high wisdom.’

‘Search for him straight away,’ commanded the tsar, ‘and bring him to me. Perhaps it is
he
who has committed a crime!’

They searched all over the city for him. They searched for him in the inns and taverns, and they searched for him outside the city walls. In the end they found the layabout tsarevich and summoned him to his father’s presence. And he appeared before his father in a ragged uniform, and this greatly angered his father.

‘Are you trying to escape the blame, Ivan Tsarevich? Is this not your crime? Answer for your deeds – so we may live once more in peace!’

Ivan answered boldly, ‘What is this trifle for which no one but me can answer?’

No one could answer him.

Ivan set off towards the ship. He did not take the cleanest path. Instead, he walked through mud and dirt. But no one on the ship asked why. A gangplank was lowered, and it was covered with red cloth. And the two little boys ran up to their mother: ‘Mama! Mama! Isn’t this our very own dear Papa?’

And the Tsar Maiden replied, ‘Children, take him by his white hands! Take him by his gold breast! This is your own dear Papa, your own true father!’

And Marya the Fair, Marya of the Long Tress of Hair, took him by his white hands and called him her betrothed husband.

‘By your own seed, by the seed you have sown, I wish to enter into lawful marriage with you!’

And they began to celebrate. His father invited Ivan Tsarevich to a feast and paid him great honour. And Ivan Tsarevich recounted all his deeds and all that had happened to him. And he also asked for his father’s blessing, his father’s eternal blessing, on his lawful marriage with the Tsar Maiden.

‘My thoughts and my powers were enough, and I obtained both the water of life and the water of death, in order that you, our father, should become still younger – and may God grant you many years of health! And I also ask you to release me so I can go with the Tsar Maiden to the tsardom under the sun – for I will not reign here!’

And he rode away into the tsardom under the sun, and he lives well and happily there, and he wishes long-lasting peace for both himself and his children.

As I have heard this tale, so I have told this tale.

It began with an old man and an old woman. They grew more and more poor, till they had neither bread nor flour. All they had left was their mare. And so the old woman said to her old man, ‘We must slaughter our mare!’

‘How will we fetch firewood then?’

‘God willing, we’ll fetch it ourselves.’

And so they agreed to slaughter their mare.

Just then some crows happened to be flying by. And the old couple’s hut was hardly a hut at all. It was all too like this hut of our own – roofed by the sky, fenced by the stars.

The first crow said, ‘Krr! Your master wants to kill you, mare!’

The middle crow said, ‘Mare! If you have any sense at all, escape!’

The last crow said, ‘Don’t waste time. They’re going to kill you. Jump out of the yard. Run where your eyes look!’

The mare did not think for long. She jumped out of the yard and ran off into the dark forest.

She ran and she ran till she came to a glade. There she ate a little, then went on further.

She saw a large cloth. A man, a dead Tungus,
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was lying on it. The mare took a bite from the knee of this Tungus. She took a bite from his right knee and fell pregnant by him.

She wandered about till her time came. Then she gave birth to a son. And she gave him a name – Ivan Mareson. And she gave him her blessing: ‘Make yourself a bow and arrow, my child. Go hunting – but when night comes, stand your arrow in
the ground. Then I’ll know that you’re alive. But if your arrow is not standing, then I will go and search for your bones.’

Ivan said farewell to the mare. He made himself a bow and arrow and went off hunting, to fill his belly. He walked and walked until he came to a glade. There in the glade was a tree stump, and a man was walking around it.

He went up to the man and said, ‘God save you, young warrior!’

‘I thank you.’

‘What are you looking for?’

‘I’ve lost an arrow.’

Ivan looked around. Standing in the ground, not far away, was an arrow.

‘What’s your name?’ asked Ivan Mareson.

‘Ivan Sunson.’

‘Allow me to be your comrade,’ said Ivan Mareson.

‘I’ll be glad of a comrade. You be the elder brother, Ivan Mareson, and I’ll be the younger brother.’

They went off hunting together. They wandered and wandered until they came to a glade. There in the glade was a tree stump, and a man was walking around it.

Ivan Mareson went up to the man and, just as he had done before, he said, ‘God save you, young warrior!’

‘I thank you for your kind words.’

‘What are you looking for, young warrior?’

‘I’ve lost an arrow.’

Ivan Mareson looked and looked.

‘Here you are,’ he said. ‘Here’s your arrow. And what is your name, young warrior?’

‘I’m Ivan Moonson.’

‘Will you join us and be our comrade?’

‘I’ll be glad of comrades.’

And Ivan Moonson went on to say, ‘You be the eldest brother, Ivan Mareson. Let Ivan Sunson be the middle brother, and I, Moonson, will be the youngest.’

They decided to make their home where they were. They built a yurt for themselves there in the glade.

Then they began hunting birds and beasts of all kinds, heaping up furs and feathers. Before nightfall they all three stood their arrows in the ground. Come morning, they found that someone had decorated their arrows.