Zhukovsky Vasily Andreevich

Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky

The Tale of Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf

Once upon a time I was in some kingdom

A mighty king named Demyan

Danilovich. He reigned wisely;

And he had three sons: Klim

Tsarevich, Peter Tsarevich and Ivan

Tsarevich. Yes, he also had

A beautiful garden, and wonderful growth

There is an apple tree in the garden; everything is gold

Apples were born on it. But suddenly

In those Tsar's apples I found myself

Great flaw; and Tsar Demyan

Danilovich was so saddened by this,

That he lost weight and lost his appetite

And fell into insomnia. Finally,

Calling his three sons to him,

He told them: "Dear friends

And my dear sons, Klim

Tsarevich, Peter Tsarevich and Ivan

Tsarevich; owe you more now

Do me a favor; to my royal garden

A thief got into the habit of wandering around at night;

And there are too many golden apples

gone; for me this is a loss

More sickening than death. Listen, friends:

Whichever of you manages to catch

Under the night thief's apple tree, I

I will give away half of the kingdom during my lifetime;

When will I die and leave everything to him?

As an inheritance." The sons, hearing this,

What their father told them, they agreed

Alternately go to the garden and night

Don't sleep and watch out for the thief. And the first

I went as soon as the night came, Klim

The prince went into the garden, and there he lay down in the thick

Grass under the apple tree, and for half an hour

He lay in it, and fell asleep so soundly,

That it was noon when, having cleared my eyes,

He stood up, yawning loudly.

And, returning, to Tsar Demyan he

He said that the thief did not come that night.

Another night has come; Peter Tsarevich

He sat down to guard a thief under an apple tree;

He hung on for an hour in the darkness

I looked with all my eyes, but in the dark

Everything was empty; finally he

Unable to overcome drowsiness, he collapsed

He fell into the grass and snored for the entire garden.

It was a long time ago when he woke up.

Having come to the king, he reported to him the same thing:

Like Tsarevich Klim, as on this night

The thief did not come to steal the royal apples.

On the third night Ivan went

Tsarevich in the garden takes turns as a thief

Guard. He hid under the apple tree,

He sat motionless and looked diligently

And he did not sleep; and that's when it came

Dead midnight, the whole garden was covered with trees

Like lightning; and what does he see

Ivan Tsarevich? From the east quickly

The firebird flies like a fiery star

Shining and transforming night into day.

Snuggled up to the apple tree, Ivan Tsarevich

Sits, does not move, does not breathe, waits:

What will happen? Sitting on an apple tree, the firebird

I got down to business and picked it up

About a dozen apples. Ivan Tsarevich is here,

Quietly rising from the grass,

He grabbed the thief by the tail; dropping

Apples on the ground, she rushed

With all my strength I tore it out of my hands

The prince threw his tail and flew away;

However, he has one thing in his hands

The feather remained, and such was the shine

From this pen there is a whole garden

It seemed like fire. To Tsar Demyan

Having arrived, Ivan Tsarevich reported

Him that the thief was found and that this

The thief was not a man, but a bird; as a sign

That he said the truth, Ivan Tsarevich

Respectfully gave to Tsar Demyan

The feather he came from the tail

Snatched it from the thief. With joy father

Kissed him. Since then they haven't

Stealing golden apples, and Tsar Demyan

Cheered up, gained weight and began

Still eat, drink and sleep. But in it

A strong desire was kindled: to get

The apple thief, the wonderful firebird.

Calling his two eldest sons to him,

“My friends,” he said, “Tsarevich Klim

And Peter Tsarevich, you have long been

It's time for people to see themselves

Show them. With my blessing

And with the help of God, go

For exploits and gain honor

Yourself and glory; Well, the king, get it for me

Firebird; which one of you will get it,

During my lifetime I will give half my kingdom to him.

And after death I will leave everything to him

As an inheritance." Bowing to the king, immediately

The princes set off on the road.

Came a little later

To the Tsar Ivan Tsarevich said:

"My parent, great sovereign

Demyan Danilovich, let me go

For the brothers; and it's time for me people

To see and show them yourself,

And gain honor and glory from them.

Yes, and you, the king, I will please

I would like to get the firebird for you.

Parental blessing to me

Give and allow me to set out on my journey with God."

To this the king said: “Ivan Tsarevich,

You're still young, wait; yours

The time will come; now you got me

Don't leave; I'm old, I won't last long

To live in the world; what if I'm alone

If I die, who will I leave mine with?

People and kingdom?" But Ivan Tsarevich

He was so stubborn that in the end the king

And reluctantly he blessed him.

And Ivan Tsarevich set off on his journey;

And he drove, and drove, and arrived at the place,

Where the road divided into three.

At the crossroads he saw a pillar,

And on the pillar there is this inscription: “Who

He'll go straight, he'll go all the way

And hungry and cold; who goes to the right

He will ride, he will be alive, and his horse

He will die, but whoever goes to the left will do it himself

He dies, but his horse will live." To the right,

After thinking, I decided to turn

Ivan Tsarevich. He didn't travel long;

Suddenly the Gray Wolf ran out of the forest

And he rushed fiercely at his horse;

And Tsarevich Ivan did not have time to take

For the sword, as the horse was already eaten,

And the Gray Wolf disappeared. Ivan Tsarevich,

Hanging his head, he walked quietly

On foot; but he did not walk long; in front of him

The Gray Wolf still appeared

"I'm sorry, Ivan Tsarevich, my dear,

What's yours I good horse

It stuck, but you yourself, of course, saw it,

What is written on the pillar; that

This is how it should be; however you

Forget your sadness for me too

Sit down; I trust you faithfully

I will serve from now on. Well, tell me

Where are you going now and why?"

And Gray Ivan Tsarevich Wolf

He told me everything. And the Gray Wolf to him

He answered: “Where can I find the firebird,

I know; well, sit on me,

Ivan Tsarevich, and we will go with God."

And the Gray Wolf is faster than any bird

He rushed with the rider, and with him he at midnight

He stopped at the stone wall.

“We’ve arrived, Ivan Tsarevich!” - Wolf

He said, but listen, there’s a golden one in a cage

Behind this fence hangs

Firebird; you got her out of the cage

Take it out quietly, there are no cages

Don't touch it, you'll get into trouble." Ivan

The prince climbed over the fence;

Behind her in the garden he saw the firebird

In a rich golden cage and a garden

It was lit as if by the sun. Taking out

From the cage of the golden firebird, he

I thought: “What should I carry her in?”

And, having forgotten that the Gray Wolf was for him

He advised and took the cage; but from everywhere

Strings were laid to it; loud

The bell rang and the watchmen woke up,

And they ran into the garden, and in Ivan’s garden

The prince was captured, and to the king

They presented, and the king (he was called

Dalmatom) said: “Where are you from?

And who are you?" - "I am Ivan Tsarevich; my

Father, Demyan Danilovich, owns

A great, strong state; yours

The firebird flies into our garden at night

Got into the habit of stealing gold

There are apples: he sent me for her

My parent, great sir

Demyan Danilovich." To this the king

Dalmat said: “Are you a prince or not,

I don’t know that; but if it's true

You said, it’s not a royal craft

You make a living; could go straight to me

Say: give me, King Dalmatia, the firebird,

And I would give it to you with my hands

In respect of what the king

Demyan Danilovich, so famous

In my wisdom, your father.

Once upon a time there lived a Tsar Berendey, he had three sons, the youngest was called Ivan.

And the king had a magnificent garden; There grew in that garden an apple tree with golden apples.

Someone began to visit the royal garden and steal golden apples. The king felt sorry for his garden. He sends guards there. No guards can track the thief.

The king stopped drinking and eating and became sad. The father's sons console:

Our dear father, don’t be sad, we ourselves will guard the garden.

The eldest son says:

Today it’s my turn, I’ll go guard the garden from the kidnapper.

The eldest son went. No matter how much he walked in the evening, he didn’t track anyone, he fell down on the soft grass and fell asleep.

In the morning the king asks him:

Come on, won't you make me happy: have you seen the kidnapper?

No, dear father, I didn’t sleep all night, I didn’t close my eyes, and I didn’t see anyone.

The next night the middle son went on guard and also slept all night, and the next morning he said that he had not seen the kidnapper.

The time has come to go and guard my younger brother. Ivan Tsarevich went to guard his fathers’ garden and was afraid to even sit down, let alone lie down. As soon as sleep overcomes him, he will wash the dew from the grass, sleep and away from his eyes.

Half the night has passed, and it seems to him that there is light in the garden. Lighter and lighter. The whole garden lit up. He sees the Firebird sitting on an apple tree and pecking at golden apples.

Ivan Tsarevich quietly crawled to the apple tree and caught the bird by the tail. The firebird perked up and flew away, leaving only one feather from its tail in his hand.

The next morning Ivan Tsarevich comes to his father.

Well, my dear Vanya, have you seen the kidnapper?

Dear father, I didn’t catch him, but I traced who was ruining our garden. I brought you a memory from the kidnapper. This is it, father. Firebird.

The king took this feather and from that time began to drink, and eat, and not know sadness. So one fine time he thought about this Firebird.

He called his sons and said to them:

My dear children, if only you could saddle good horses, travel around the world, get to know places, and not attack the Firebird somewhere.

The children bowed to their father, saddled good horses and set off on their journey: the eldest in one direction, the middle one in the other, and Ivan Tsarevich in the third direction.

Ivan Tsarevich rode for a long time or a short time. It was a summer day. Ivan Tsarevich got tired, got off his horse, confused him, and fell to sleep.

How much or how much time has passed, Ivan Tsarevich woke up and saw that the horse was gone. I went to look for him, walked and walked and found my horse - only gnawed bones.

Ivan Tsarevich became sad: where to go so far without a horse?

“Well, he thinks he’s taken it - there’s nothing to do.”

And he went on foot. He walked and walked, tired to death. He sat down on the soft grass and sat sadly. Out of nowhere runs towards him gray wolf:

Why, Ivan Tsarevich, are you sitting there looking sad and hanging your head?

How can I not be sad, gray wolf? I was left without a good horse.

It was I, Ivan Tsarevich, who ate your horse... I feel sorry for you! Tell me why you went into the distance, where are you going?

My father sent me to travel around the world to find the Firebird.

Fu, fu, you won’t be able to reach the Firebird on your good horse at three years old. I'm the only one who knows where she lives. So be it - I ate your horse, I will serve you faithfully. Sit on me and hold on tight.

Ivan Tsarevich sat astride him, a gray wolf, and galloped off - letting the blue forests pass his eyes, sweeping the lakes with his tail. How long or short does it take them to reach the high fortress? The gray wolf says:

Listen to me, Ivan Tsarevich, remember: climb over the wall, don’t be afraid - it’s a good time, all the watchmen are sleeping. You will see a window in the mansion, on the window there is a golden cage, and in the cage sits the Firebird. Take the bird, put it in your bosom, but be careful not to touch the cage!

Ivan Tsarevich climbed over the wall, saw this tower - there was a golden cage on the window, and the Firebird was sitting in the cage. He took the bird, put it in his bosom, and looked at the cage. His heart flared up: “Oh, what a golden, precious one! How can one not take one!” And he forgot that the wolf was punishing him. As soon as he touched the cage, a sound went through the fortress: trumpets sounded, drums beat, the guards woke up, grabbed Ivan Tsarevich and led him to Tsar Afron.

King Afron became angry and asked:

Whose are you, where are you from?

I am the son of Tsar Berendey, Ivan Tsarevich.

Oh, what a shame! The king's son went to steal.

So, when your bird flew, it ruined our garden?

And you would have come to me, asked in good conscience, I would have given it away, out of respect for your parent, Tsar Berendey. And now I’ll spread a bad reputation about you throughout all the cities... Well, oh well, if you do me a service, I’ll forgive you. In such and such a kingdom, King Kusman has a golden-maned horse. Bring him to me, then I’ll give you the Firebird with the cage.

Ivan Tsarevich became sad and went to the gray wolf. And the wolf to him:

I told you, don't move the cage! Why didn't you listen to my order?

Well, forgive me, forgive me, gray wolf.

That's it, I'm sorry... Okay, sit on me. I picked up the tug, don’t say it’s not strong.

Again the gray wolf galloped with Ivan Tsarevich. How long or short does it take them to reach the fortress where the golden-maned horse stands?

Climb over the wall, Ivan Tsarevich, the watchmen are sleeping, go to the stable, take the horse, but be careful not to touch the bridle!

Ivan Tsarevich climbed into the fortress, where all the watchmen were sleeping, went into the stable, caught a golden-maned horse, and coveted the bridle - it was decorated with gold and expensive stones; The golden-maned horse can only walk in it.

Ivan Tsarevich touched the bridle, a sound spread throughout the fortress: trumpets sounded, drums beat, the guards woke up, grabbed Ivan Tsarevich and led him to Tsar Kusman.

Whose are you, where are you from?

I am Ivan Tsarevich.

Eka, what nonsense did you undertake - steal a horse! A simple man will not agree to this. Well, okay, I’ll forgive you, Ivan Tsarevich, if you do me a service. The king of Dalmatia has a daughter, Elena the Beautiful. Kidnap her, bring her to me, I will give you a golden-maned horse with a bridle.

Ivan Tsarevich became even more sad and went to the gray wolf.

I told you, Ivan Tsarevich, don’t touch the bridle! You didn't listen to my order.

Well, forgive me, forgive me, gray wolf.

I'm sorry... Okay, sit on my back.

Again the gray wolf galloped with Ivan Tsarevich. They reach the king of Dalmatia. In his fortress in the garden, Elena the Beautiful is walking with her mothers and nannies. Gray Wolf says:

This time I won’t let you in, I’ll go myself. And you go back on your way, I’ll catch up with you soon.

Ivan Tsarevich went back the way, and the gray wolf jumped over the wall - and into the garden. He sat down behind a bush and looked: Elena the Beautiful came out with her mothers and nannies. She walked and walked and just fell behind her mothers and nannies, the gray wolf grabbed Elena the Beautiful, threw her over her back, and ran away.

Ivan Tsarevich is walking along the road, suddenly a gray wolf overtakes him, Elena the Beautiful is sitting on him. Ivan Tsarevich was delighted, and the gray wolf said to him:

Get on me quickly, as if we are not being chased.

The gray wolf rushed with Ivan Tsarevich and Elena the Beautiful on the way back - he missed the blue forests past his eyes, swept rivers and lakes with his tail. How long or short does it take them to reach King Kusman? Gray wolf asks:

What, Tsarevich Ivan fell silent and became sad?

How can I, gray wolf, not be sad? How can I part with such beauty? How will I exchange Elena the Beautiful for a horse?

The gray wolf answers:

I won’t separate you from such beauty - we’ll hide it somewhere, and I’ll turn into Helen the Beautiful, and you lead me to the king.

Here they hid Elena the Beautiful in a forest hut. The gray wolf turned over his head and became exactly like Elena the Beautiful. Ivan Tsarevich took him to Tsar Kusman. The king was delighted and began to thank him:

Thank you, Ivan Tsarevich, for getting me a bride. Get a golden-maned horse with a bridle.

Ivan Tsarevich mounted this horse and rode after Elena the Beautiful. He took her, put her on a horse, and they rode on their way.

And Tsar Kusman arranged a wedding, feasted all day until the evening, and when he had to go to bed, he took Elena the Beautiful into the bedroom, but just lay down on the bed with her, and looked - a wolf’s face instead of a young wife? The king fell out of bed in fear, and the wolf ran away.

The gray wolf catches up with Ivan Tsarevich and asks:

What are you thinking about, Ivan Tsarevich?

How can I not think? It is a pity to part with such a treasure - a golden-maned horse, to exchange it for the Firebird.

Don't be sad, I will help you.

Now they reach King Afron. The wolf says:

You hide this horse and Helen the Beautiful, and I will turn into a golden-maned horse, you lead me to King Afron.

They hid Helen the Beautiful and the golden-maned horse in the forest. The gray wolf threw himself over his back and turned into a golden-maned horse. Ivan Tsarevich took him to Tsar Afron. The king was delighted and gave him the Firebird with the golden cage.

Ivan Tsarevich returned on foot to the forest, put Elena the Beautiful on a golden-maned horse, and took golden cage with the Firebird and went the expensive way to his native side.

And King Afron ordered a gift horse to be brought to him and just wanted to mount it - the horse turned into a gray wolf. The Tsar, out of fear, fell where he stood, and the gray wolf took off running and soon caught up with Ivan Tsarevich.

Ivan Tsarevich dismounted from his horse and bowed to the ground three times, respectfully thanking the gray wolf. And he says:

Don’t say goodbye to me forever, I’ll still be useful to you.

Ivan Tsarevich thinks: “Where else will you be useful? All my desires are fulfilled.” He sat on the golden-maned horse, and again he and Elena the Beautiful, with the Firebird, rode off. He reached his homeland and decided to take a break. He had some bread with him. Well, they ate, drank spring water and lay down to rest.

As soon as Ivan Tsarevich fell asleep, his brothers ran into him. They traveled to other lands, looked for the Firebird, and returned empty-handed. They arrived and saw that everything had been obtained from Ivan Tsarevich. So they agreed:

Let's kill our brother, all the spoils will be ours.

They made up their minds and killed Ivan Tsarevich. They sat on a golden-maned horse, took the Firebird, put Elena the Beautiful on the horse and frightened her:

Don't say anything at home!

Ivan Tsarevich lies dead, crows are already flying over him. Out of nowhere a gray wolf came running and grabbed the raven and the crow.

You fly, raven, for the living and dead water. Bring me alive and dead water, then I’ll let your little crow go.

The raven, having nothing to do, flew away, and the wolf held his little raven. Whether the raven flew for a long time or for a short time, he brought living and dead water. The gray wolf sprinkled dead water on Tsarevich Ivan's wounds, the wounds healed; sprinkled him with living water - Ivan Tsarevich came to life.

Oh, I slept soundly!..

“You slept soundly,” says the gray wolf. “If it weren’t for me, I wouldn’t have woken up at all.” Your brothers killed you and took away all your loot. Hurry up and sit on me.

They galloped in pursuit and overtook both brothers. Then the gray wolf tore them to pieces and scattered the pieces across the field.

Ivan Tsarevich bowed to the gray wolf and said goodbye to him forever. Ivan Tsarevich returned home on a golden-maned horse, brought the Firebird to his father, and his bride, Elena the Beautiful, to himself.

Tsar Berendey was delighted and began to ask his son. Ivan Tsarevich began to tell how the gray wolf helped him get his prey, and how his brothers killed him while sleepy, and how the gray wolf tore them to pieces.

Tsar Berendey grieved and was soon consoled. And Ivan Tsarevich married Elena the Beautiful, and they began to live and live without sorrow.

Once upon a time I was in some kingdom
A mighty king named Demyan
Danilovich. He reigned wisely;
And he had three sons: Klim -
Tsarevich, Peter Tsarevich and Ivan -
Tsarevich. Yes, he also had
A beautiful garden, and wonderful growth
There is an apple tree in the garden; everything is gold
Apples were born on it. But suddenly
10 In those Tsar's apples I found myself
Great flaw; and Tsar Demyan
Danilovich was so saddened by this,
That he lost weight and lost his appetite
And fell into insomnia. Finally,
Calling his three sons to him,
He told them: “Dear friends
And my dear sons, Klim-
Tsarevich, Peter Tsarevich and Ivan
Tsarevich, you owe me a lot now
20 Do me a favor; to my royal garden
A thief got into the habit of wandering around at night;
And there are too many golden apples
gone; for me this is a loss
More sickening than death. Listen, friends;
Whichever of you manages to catch
Under the night thief's apple tree, I
I will give away half of the kingdom during my lifetime;
When will I die and leave everything to him?
Inheritance." Sons, having heard that,
30 What their father told them, they agreed
Alternately go to the garden and night
Don't sleep and watch out for the thief. And the first
He went as soon as night came, Klim-
The prince went into the garden, and there he lay down in the thick
Grass under the apple tree, and for half an hour
He lay in it, and fell asleep so soundly,
That it was noon when, having cleared my eyes,
He stood up, yawning loudly.
And, returning, to Tsar Demyan he
40 He said that the thief did not come that night.
Another night has come; Peter Tsarevich
He sat down to guard a thief under an apple tree;
He hung on for an hour in the darkness
I looked with all my eyes, but in the dark
Everything was empty; finally he
Unable to overcome drowsiness, he collapsed
He fell into the grass and snored for the entire garden.
It was a long time ago when he woke up.
Having come to the king, he reported to him the same thing:
50 Like Tsarevich Klim, as on this night
The thief did not come to steal the royal apples.
On the third night Ivan went
Tsarevich in the garden takes turns as a thief
Guard. He hid under the apple tree,
He sat motionless and looked diligently
And he did not sleep; and that's when it came
Dead midnight, the whole garden was covered with trees
Like lightning; and what does he see
Ivan Tsarevich? From the east quickly
60 The firebird flies like a fiery star
Shining and transforming night into day.
Snuggled up to the apple tree, Ivan Tsarevich
Sits, does not move, does not breathe, waits,
What will happen? Sitting on an apple tree, the firebird
I got down to business and picked it up
About a dozen apples. Ivan Tsarevich is here,
Quietly rising from the grass,
He grabbed the thief by the tail; dropping
Apples on the ground, she rushed
70 With all my strength I tore it out of my hands
The prince threw his tail and flew away;
However, he has one thing in his hands
The feather remained, and such was the shine
From this pen there is a whole garden
It seemed like fire. To Tsar Demyan
Having arrived, Ivan Tsarevich reported
Him that the thief was found and that this
The thief was not a man, but a bird; as a sign
That he said the truth, Ivan Tsarevich
80 Respectfully gave to Tsar Demyan
The feather he came from the tail
Snatched it from the thief. With joy father
Kissed him. Since then they haven't
Stealing golden apples, and Tsar Demyan
Cheered up, gained weight and began
Still eat, drink and sleep. But in it
A strong desire was kindled: to get
The apple thief, the wonderful firebird.
Calling his two eldest sons to him,
90 “My friends,” he said, “Tsarevich Klim
And Peter Tsarevich, you have long been
It's time for people to see themselves
Show them. With my blessing
And with the help of the Lord go
For exploits and gain honor
Yourself and glory; Well, the king, get it for me
Firebird; which one of you will get it,
During my lifetime I will give half my kingdom to him,
And after death I will leave everything to him
100 Inheritance." Bowing to the king, immediately
The princes set off on the road.
Came a little later
To the Tsar Ivan Tsarevich said:
“My parent, great sovereign
Demyan Danilovich, let me go
For the brothers; and it's time for me people
To see and show them yourself,
And gain honor and glory from them.
Yes, and you, the king, I will please
110 I would like to get the firebird for you.
Parental blessing to me
Give and allow me to set out on my journey with God.”
To this the king said: “Ivan Tsarevich,
You're still young, wait; yours
The time will come; now you got me
Don't leave; I'm old, I won't last long
To live in the world; what if I'm alone
If I die, who will I leave mine with?
People and kingdom? But Ivan Tsarevich
120 He was so stubborn that in the end the king
And reluctantly he blessed him.
And Ivan Tsarevich set off on his journey;
And he drove, and drove, and arrived at the place,
Where the road divided into three.
At the crossroads he saw a pillar,
And on the pillar there is this inscription: "Who
He'll go straight, he'll go all the way
And hungry and cold; who goes to the right
He will ride, he will be alive, and his horse
130 He will die, but whoever goes to the left will do it himself
He dies, but his horse will live.” Right,
After thinking, I decided to turn
Ivan Tsarevich. He didn't travel long;
Suddenly the Gray Wolf ran out of the forest
And he rushed fiercely at his horse;
And Tsarevich Ivan did not have time to take
For the sword, as the horse was already eaten,
And the Gray Wolf disappeared. Ivan Tsarevich,
Hanging his head, he walked quietly
140 On foot; but he did not walk long; in front of him
The Gray Wolf still appeared
And in a human voice he said:
“I’m sorry, Ivan Tsarevich, my dear,
What is your good horse?
It stuck, but you yourself, of course, saw it,
What is written on the pillar; that
This is how it should be; however you
Forget your sadness for me too
Sit down; I trust you faithfully
150 I will serve from now on. Well, tell me
Where are you going now and why?”
And Gray Ivan Tsarevich Wolf
He told me everything. And the Gray Wolf to him
He answered: “Where can I find the firebird,
I know; well, sit on me,
Ivan Tsarevich, and let’s go with God.”
He rushed with the rider; and with him he is at midnight
He stopped at the stone wall.
160 “We have arrived, Ivan Tsarevich! - Wolf
He said, but listen, there’s a golden one in a cage
Behind this fence hangs
Firebird; you got her out of the cage
Take it out quietly, there are no cages
Don’t touch it, you’ll get into trouble.” - Ivan-
The prince climbed over the fence;
Behind her in the garden he saw the firebird
In a rich golden cage and a garden
It was lit as if by the sun. Taking out
170 From the cage of the golden firebird, he
I thought: “What should I carry her in?”
And, having forgotten that the Gray Wolf was for him
He advised and took the cage; but from everywhere
Strings were laid to it; loud
The bell rang and the watchmen woke up,
And they ran into the garden, and in Ivan’s garden -
The prince was captured, and to the king
They presented, and the king (he was called
Dalmatom) said: “Where are you from?
180 And who are you? - “I am Ivan Tsarevich; my
Father, Demyan Danilovich, owns
A great, strong state; yours
The firebird flies into our garden at night
Got into the habit of stealing gold
There are apples: he sent me for her
My parent, great sir
Demyan Danilovich." To this the king
Dalmat said: “Are you a prince or not,
I don’t know that; but if it's true
190 You said, it’s not a royal craft
You make a living; could go straight to me
Say: give me, King Dalmatia, the firebird,
And I would give it to you with my hands
In respect of what the king
Demyan Danilovich, so famous
In my wisdom, your father.
But listen, I'll wash the firebird for you
I will willingly give in when you yourself
Get me the horse Zolotomane;
200 Belongs to the mighty king
He goes to Afron. Far away
You will go to the thirtieth kingdom
And the mighty king Afron
Ask me for the horse Zolotomane
Or use some trick to get him.
When will you not return to me with a horse,
Then I will spread it all over the world,
That you are not the king's son, but a thief; and it will be
Then great shame and disgrace for you.”
210 Hanging his head, Ivan Tsarevich
Went to where the Gray Wolf was
Left. Gray Wolf told him:
“It’s in vain that I, Ivan Tsarevich,
You didn't listen; but help
There’s nothing; be smarter ahead; let's go
Far away to King Afron."
And the Gray Wolf is faster than any bird
He rushed with the rider; and by night to the kingdom
They arrived for King Afron,
220 And at the door of the royal stable there
We stopped. - “Well, Ivan Tsarevich,
Listen, - Gray Wolf said, - come in
To the stable; the grooms are fast asleep; You
You can easily lead your horse out of the stall
Goldenmane; just but take it
His bridles; You’ll get into trouble again.”
To the royal stable Ivan Tsarevich
He entered and led the horse out of the stall;
But unfortunately, looking at the bridle,
230 I was so seduced by her that I forgot
Exactly what Gray Wolf said
And he took the bridle off the nail. But also to her
There were strings drawn from everywhere;
Everything rang; the groom jumped up;
And Ivan Tsarevich was caught with his horse,
And they brought him to King Afron.
And King Afron asked sternly: “Who are you?”
Ivan Tsarevich responded to him
He said the same to King Dalmatus. Tsar
240 Afron replied: “You are good
Tsarevich! Is this how it should be done?
To the princes? And is it a royal matter?
Stumbling around at night and stealing
Horses? With you I could be violent
Remove the head; but your youth
I'm sorry to lose; and a horse
I agree to give Goldenmane,
Just go to distant lands
You are the thirtieth kingdom from here
250 Bring me the princess from there
Beautiful Helen, daughter of the king
Mighty Qasim; if I
If you don’t bring her, I’ll advertise her everywhere,
That you are a night tramp, a rogue and a thief.”
Again, hanging his head, he went
There Ivan Tsarevich, where is he
The Gray Wolf was waiting. And the Gray Wolf said:
“Oh, Ivan Tsarevich! If I
I didn’t love you so much, here I would be mine
260 And there was no spirit. Well, full of groans,
Sit on me, let's go with God
Far away to King Kasim;
Now it’s my business, not yours.”
And the Gray Wolf will again ride with Ivan -
The prince set off. Here they are
We've already traveled to distant lands,
And now they are already in the thirtieth kingdom;
And the Gray Wolf, unseating Ivan,
Tsarevich, said: “Not far
270 Hence the royal garden; one there
I'll go; wait for me under this
Green oak." The Gray Wolf went
And climbed over the garden fence,
And he buried himself in a bush and lay there
Without moving. Beautiful Elena
Kasimovna - the red maidens are with her,
And mothers and nannies - gone
Take a walk in the garden; and Gray Wolf
That's what I was waiting for: noticing that the princess
280 Separating from the others, she walked alone,
He jumped out from under a bush and grabbed
Princess, behind her back
I threw it and God bless my legs. Scary
The red maidens also raised a cry,
And mothers and nannies; and all
The court, ministers, chamberlains came running
And generals; the king ordered to collect
Hunters and all to release their

Greyhounds and hounds - all in vain:

290 Already the Gray Wolf with the princess and Ivan -
The prince was far away, and there was no trace
I've had a cold for a long time; the princess was lying
Without any movement from Ivan -
Tsarevich in the hands (so Gray Wolf
I scared her, dear one).
Little by little she started
Come into yourself, move, eyes
Beautiful opened and, quite
Having woken up, she raised them to Ivan -
300 Tsarevich and blushed all over,
Like a scarlet rose; and with her Ivan-
The prince blushed, and at that moment
She and he fell in love
So strong that nothing can be told in a fairy tale,
It is impossible to describe it with a pen.
And Ivan fell into deep sadness
Tsarevich: tightly, tightly I didn’t want to
With Princess Elena to him
Separate and give her to the king
310 Afron; yes, it was like that for her too
Worse than death. Gray Wolf, noticing
Their grief, so said: “Ivan Tsarevich,
You deign to spin in vain;
I will help your sadness: this
Not a servant service; direct service
Waits ahead." And now they are in the kingdom
King Afron. Gray Wolf said:
“Ivan Tsarevich, here we must skillfully
We will do: I will turn into a princess;
320 And you come with me to King Afron.
Give me to him and, having received
Horse Zolotomane, go forward
With Elena Kasimovna; me you
Wait in a hidden place; wait for you
It won't be boring." Here, hitting the ground,
The Gray Wolf became Princess Elena
Kasimovna. Ivan Tsarevich, having handed over
Him from hand to hand to King Afron
And having received the horse Zolotomane,
330 On that horse he rode into the forest like an arrow,
Where the real one was waiting for him
Princess. In the palace of King Afron
Meanwhile, the wedding was being prepared:
And on the same day the king went to the crown with his bride
Went; when did they get married?
And the young one owed the young one
Kiss with the lips of King Afron
Collided with a rough wolf's face,
And this muzzle bit the nose
340 The king, and not the wife in front of him
Beauty, and the wolf is King Afron
Saw; The Gray Wolf did not remain for long
Here to stand on ceremony: he knocked down with his tail
Tsar Afron jumped off his feet and ran through the door.
Everyone started shouting: “Hold it, hold it!
Catch, catch! Where are you going? Already Ivana-
Tsarevich with Princess Elena
The agile Gray Wolf has long since caught up;
And already, Zolotomane dismounted from his horse,
350 Ivan Tsarevich moved to the Wolf,
And forward they go again, like whirlwinds,
We flew. So we arrived in the kingdom
They are Dalmatovo. And Gray Wolf
Said: “Into the horse Zolotomane
I will transform, and you, Ivan Tsarevich,
Having given me to the king and taken the firebird,
Still with Princess Elena
Go forward; I’ll catch up with you soon.”
So everything happened as the Wolf arranged it.
360 Zolotomane immediately ordered
The king saddled and rode out on it
He and his court retinue go hunting;
And he galloped ahead of everyone
For the hare; all the courtiers shouted:
“How gallantly King Dalmatian gallops!”
But suddenly from under him at full gallop
The rough Wolf darted, and King Dalmatia,
Somersaulting off his back,
Instantly I found myself head down,
370 Feet up, and shoulder-deep
In the plowed ground, rested
Into her with his hands, and, struggling in vain
Free yourself, chattered in the air
With your feet; his whole retinue is here
She started to gallop; released
Tsar; then everyone started loud
Shout: “Catch, catch! Grass, grass!”
But there was no one to poison; on the Wolf
Ivan was still sitting
380 Tsarevich; on horseback Zolotomane
Princess, and under her Zolotomane
He was proud and danced; slowly
Along the way they take small steps
We drove quietly; and how long will it take
Their journey lasted - finally
They reached the place where Ivan
Tsarevich Gray Wolf for the first time
Was met; and still lay there
His horse's bones are white;
390 And the Gray Wolf, having died, said to Ivan -
To the Tsarevich: “Now, Ivan Tsarevich,
The time has come for us to leave each other;
I believe and truthfully to this day
I served you, and with your affection
Satisfied, and as long as I live, you
I won't forget; here's goodbye
I want to give you some useful advice:
Be careful, people are evil; and brothers
Don't trust your relatives. I earnestly pray to God,
400 So that you get home without trouble
And so that it pleases me pleasantly
Let me know about myself. Sorry, Ivan-
Tsarevich." With this word the Wolf disappeared.
Having grieved for him, Ivan Tsarevich,
With Princess Elena on the saddle,
With a firebird in a cage behind his shoulders, far away
I rode on the horse Zolotomane,
And they rode for three, four days;
And so, having arrived at the border of the kingdom,
410 Where the wise Tsar Demyan ruled
Danilovich, we saw a rich man
A tent pitched on a green meadow;
And out of the tent came out to them... who? Klim
And Peter the princes. Ivan Tsarevich
Howled at such an unspeakable meeting
Delighted; and brothers have envy in their hearts
The snake crawled in when they were the firebird
With Princess Elena at Ivan's -
The prince was seen in his hands:
420 The thought was unbearable for them to appear
Without anything to the father, while the brother
The smaller one returns to him with the firebird,
With a beautiful bride and a horse
Goldenmane, and will receive more
Half a kingdom upon arrival; and when
The father will die and inherit everything.
And so they planned a crime:
Taking on a friendly look, they invited
They go to their tent to rest Ivan-
430 Tsarevich with Princess Elena
Beautiful. Both without suspicion
We entered the tent. Ivan Tsarevich, long
Dear tired, lay down and soon
Fell asleep deep sleep; that's what we were waiting for
Villain Brothers: Instantly Sharp Sword
They stabbed him in the chest, and in the field
They left him, and, taking the princess,
The Firebird and the horse Zolotomane,
Like good guys, we hit the road.
440 Meanwhile, motionless, breathless,
Drenched in blood, on a wide field
Ivan Tsarevich was lying down. So it went
All day; was already starting to lean
To the west is the sun; the field was empty;
And already over the dead one with the little black raven
Ran around, croaking and unraveling
Wide wings, predatory raven. - Suddenly,
Out of nowhere, Gray appeared
Wolf: he, sensing great trouble,
450 He arrived in time to help; another minute
And it would be too late. Guess which one
The raven had an intention, he gave
He should go down on the dead body;
And as soon as he came down, all at once
Him by the tail; the old raven croaked.
“Let me go free, Gray Wolf,” -
He shouted. “I won’t let you in,” he answered, “
Until your little raven brings you
Living and dead water for me!” And the raven
460 He told the little crow to fly quickly
For dead and living water.
The son flew, and the Gray Wolf, the father
Having crumpled it up quite a bit, I was very polite to him
The old raven began to talk
I could tell him enough
About what he saw in his long life
Between birds and between people. And listened
Him with great attention Gray Wolf,
And his extraordinary wisdom
470 I marveled, but, however, everything was by the tail
He held him and sometimes so that he
I didn’t forget, I crushed it lightly
In clawed paws. The sun has set; night
Came and went; and got busy
Dawn, when with living water and dead
There is a nimble crow in two bottles
He showed up. Gray Wolf took the bubbles
And he released the father raven into freedom.
Then he came up with bubbles
480 To Ivan, who lay motionless,
To the Tsarevich: first he is dead
Sprinkled water - and in a minute the wound
Its closed, ossified
Disappeared in dead members, started playing
Blush on the cheeks; he sprayed it
Living water - and he opened his eyes,
Moved, stretched, stood up
And he said: “How long did I sleep?”
“And you should sleep here forever, Ivan-
490 Tsarevich, - Gray Wolf said, - when would
Not me; now I serve you directly
I served; but this service, you know,
Last; from now on about myself
Take care yourself. And accept it from me
Advice and do as I tell you.
Your villainous brothers are no more
In the world; im a mighty sorcerer
Koschei the immortal head for both
Turned, and this sorcerer directed
500 There is a dream upon your kingdom; and your parent
And his subjects are all now
They sleep unawakened; your princess
With the firebird and the horse Goldenmane
Kidnapped by the thief Koschei; all three
Imprisoned in his magical castle.
But you, Ivan Tsarevich, for your
Bride, don't be afraid of anything; wicked
Koschey has no power over her
Can't have: strong talisman
510 The princess has it; should she get out of the castle
It is forbidden; Only death will save her
Koscheeva; and how to find that death, and I
I don’t know that; Baba about this
Yaga alone can say. You,
Ivan Tsarevich owes this Baba
find Yaga; she is in a dense, dark forest,
In a gray, remote forest he lives in a hut
On chicken legs; to this forest yet
No one laid a trail; into it
520 Neither wild beast didn't come in, neither did the bird
Didn't get knocked up. Baba is driving around
Yaga across the whole heavenly realm in a mortar,
Drives with an iron pestle, trace
Sweeps with a broom. From her
You will recognize one, Ivan Tsarevich,
How can you get Koscheev’s death?
And I'll tell you where you will find
The horse that will carry you
The straight road to the dense forest to Baba
530 Yage. Go east from here;
You will come to a green meadow; in the middle
There are three oak trees growing on it; between the oaks
A cast iron door is buried in the ground
With ring; pick up that ring for that one
Go through that door and down the stairs;
There's twelve doors locked there
Heroic horse; himself from the dungeon
He will run out to you; that horse
Take it and go with God; out of the way
540 He won't go astray. Well, now I'm sorry,
Ivan Tsarevich; if God commands
If we meet with you, then it will be
No other way than at your wedding.”
And the Gray Wolf rushed to the forest; following
Ivan Tsarevich watched him with sadness;
The wolf ran up to the forest and turned around,
The last time I waved from afar
Tail and disappeared. And Ivan Tsarevich,
Turning to face east,
550 I went forward. The day goes by, it goes
Another; on the third he comes to the meadow
Green; there are three oak trees in that meadow
Grow; between those oak trees he finds
Cast iron door with an iron ring;
He lifts the door; under that door
Steep stairs; he goes down it
Descends, and in front of him below
Another door, cast iron, and strong
It's locked with a padlock.
560 And suddenly, he hears the horse neigh; and neighing
It was so strong that, breaking free from the noose,
The door fell to the ground with a terrible thud;
And he sees what fell with her
Eleven more cast iron doors.
Behind those cast iron doors
A long time ago the heroic horse was locked
He was a sorcerer. Ivan Tsarevich whistled;
Sensing the rider, well done
Whistling the heroic horse bolted from the stall
570 And he came running, light, powerful, beautiful,
Eyes like stars, fiery nostrils,
Like a cloud's mane, in a word, a horse is not a horse,
And a miracle. To find out what strength he has,
Ivan Tsarevich on his back
He moved his hand, and under the mighty hand
The horse began to snore and staggered greatly,
But he resisted, squeezing his hooves into the ground;
And in a human voice to Ivan -
He said to the prince: “Good knight,
580 Ivan Tsarevich, I like someone like you,
A rider is needed; ready for you
I serve with faith and truth;
Sit on me and with God we go on our way
Let's go; there are all roads in the world
I know; just tell me where
I’ll take you there, I’ll take you there.”
Ivan Tsarevich in a nutshell to the horse
He explained everything and, sitting on it,
He shouted. And the mighty horse rose up,
590 Nighing with joy, rearing up;
His rider hits his steep thighs;
And the horse runs, the earth trembles under him;
He rushes above the standing trees,
Rushing below the walking clouds,
And he spins across the wide valley,
And covers the narrow valley with his tail,
And with his chest he breaks through all the barriers,
Flying with an arrow and light feet
Without bending the epics to the ground,
600 Without raising specks of dust from the ground.
But, after galloping like that all day, finally
The horse was tired, the sweat was running off him
Streams, all surrounded like smoke,
It's steaming hot. Ivan Tsarevich,
To give him a chance to breathe, I walked at a walk;
It was already evening; wide field
Ivan Tsarevich rode and beautiful
I admired the sunset. Suddenly
He hears a wild cry; looks... so what?
610 Two Leshai are fighting on the road,
Biting, kicking, each other
They poke with horns. To them Ivan Tsarevich
Having arrived, he asked: “Why do you have
Guys, is it okay? - “That’s why,”
One said. - We got three treasures:
Brawler-club, self-assembled tablecloth
Yes, the invisible hat - there are two of us;
How can we split equally? We
They argued and a fight ensued; You
620 Reasonable person; give us advice
What should I do? - “Here’s how,” - named after Ivan-
The prince answered. - I'll shoot an arrow,
And you run after her; from the place where
She will fall to the ground, back
Run towards me; who's first
It will be here, he will take his choice
Two treasures; and the other one take one.
Do you agree? “We agree,” they shouted.
Horned; and stood next to each other. Onion
630 Pulling it tight, he shot an arrow
Ivan Tsarevich: The goblin are after her
They rushed, their eyes bulging, leaving
The tablecloth, hat and baton are in place.
Then Ivan Tsarevich, taking him under his arm
And the tablecloth and the baton, for yourself
I calmly put on my invisibility cap,
Both himself and the horse became invisible and far away
I went, leaving the stupid Leshai
At will, whether to start a fight again
640 Or make peace. Bogatyrsky horse
Arrived before sunset
To the dense forest where Baba lived
Yaga. And, having entered the forest, Ivan Tsarevich
Marvel at the antiquity of its huge
Oaks and pines, dimly lit
Evening dawn; and everything in it is quiet:
The trees all stand as if sleepy,
The leaf does not sway, does not move
Bylinka; there is nothing alive
650 In the silent depths of the forest, not a bird
Between the branches, not a worm in the grass;
Only heard in the universal silence
The thunderous tramp of a horse. Finally
Ivan Tsarevich went to the hut
On chicken legs. He said: "The hut,
Hut, turn your back to the forest, towards me
Stand in front." And in front of him is a hut
Turned over; he entered her;
Stopping at the door, he crossed himself
660 On all four sides, then,
As he should, he bowed and, with his eyes,
Having looked around the entire hut, I saw
That Baba was lying on her floor
Yaga, put your feet on the ceiling
And head in the corner. Hearing a knock
At the door, she said: “Ugh! ugh! ugh!
What a miracle! There's a Russian spirit here
Until now unheard of,
Out of sight, but now Russian
670 The spirit is already fulfilled in the eyes. For what
Have you come here, Ivan Tsarevich?
Willingly or willingly? Until now
Not a forest animal passed here,
Not a light bird flew by,
No dashing hero passed by;
How did God bring you here, Ivan-
Tsarevich? - “Oh, you brainless witch! -
Ivan Tsarevich said to Baba
Yage. - First, feed and drink
680 You me, well done; yes bed
Make me a bed and let me sleep,
Then ask questions." And immediately Baba
Yaga, rising to his feet, Ivana -
The prince was washed thoroughly
And evaporated it in the bathhouse, fed it
And gave her something to drink, and went straight to bed
She put me to bed, saying:
“Sleep, good knight; the morning is wiser
Than evening; it's calm here now
690 You will rest; tell me your need
Me tomorrow; I will help, as I know.”
Ivan Tsarevich, praying to God,
I went to bed and soon fell into a deep sleep.
I fell asleep and slept until noon. Having stood up,
Having washed and dressed, he told Baba
Yage explained in detail why
I visited her in a dense forest; and Baba
Yaga answered him like this;
"Oh! good fellow, Ivan Tsarevich,
700 You have started a serious business;
But don’t worry, we’ll work everything out with God;
I will teach you how to die Koshchei
Get the immortal; welcome me
Listen: at sea on Ocean,
On the great island on Buyan
There is an old oak tree; under this old oak tree
A chest bound with iron is buried;
In that chest lies a fluffy hare;
There is a gray duck sitting in that hare;
710 And there is an egg in that duck; There's death in the egg
Koscheeva. Take that egg
And go with him to Koshchei, and when
When you come to his castle, you will see
That the twelve-headed serpent enters
He's guarding that castle; you with this snake
Don't think about fighting, that's what you have to do
There is a club; she will take him away.
And you, having put on the invisibility cap,
Go straight to Koshchei
720 Immortal; in a minute he will die,
How soon will you crush an egg in front of him?
Just look, don’t forget when back
You'll go and take the samogud harp:
Only your parent plays them
Demyan Danilovich and all his
The state that fell asleep with him
They can be awakened. Well, now
Sorry, Ivan Tsarevich; God is with you;
Your good horse will find the way himself;
730 When will you accomplish your dangerous feat,
Then remember me too, old woman
Not bad, but good." Ivan Tsarevich,
Having said goodbye to Baba Yaga, he sat down
On a good horse, he crossed himself,
He whistled bravely, the horse rushed off,
And soon the dense forest behind Ivan -
The prince disappeared into the distance, and soon
A blue line flashed ahead
At the edge of the sky is the Ocean Sea,
740 So I galloped to the Ocean Ocean
Ivan Tsarevich. Looking around, he sees
That there is a fishing net by the sea
And that there is a sea pike in that net
Trembling. And suddenly he gets that pike
He says humanly: “Ivan-
Tsarevich, take me out of the net
And throw it into the sea; I’ll be useful to you.”
Ivan Tsarevich immediately asked the pike
He did, and she, lashing her tail
750 As a sign of gratitude, she disappeared into the sea.
And Ivan Tsarevich looks at the sea
At a loss; at the very edge,
Where the sky seemed to merge with him,
He sees a long strip of island
The brawler turns black; he is not far off;
But who will transport it there? Suddenly a horse
He spoke: “What, Ivan Tsarevich,
Thinking about it? About how to get there
Do we need to get to Buyan Island? Yes what
760 For the difficulty? I am a ship for you; sit down
On me, but hold on to me tighter,
Don’t be timid, and we’ll get there in spirit.”
And in the horse's mane Ivan Tsarevich
Hand entangled, steep hips
He squeezed the horse tightly with his legs; horse
He became furious and, galloping, jumped
From the steep shore into the abyss of the sea;
For a moment both he and the rider in the depths
Gone; suddenly moved apart with a noise
770 The sea swells, and the mighty one emerges
A horse from her with a brave rider;
And the horse began with its hooves and chest
Strike the waters and break through the waves,
And around him there was a seething, worried,
And it foamed and flew up in splashes
Sea swell, and strong jumps,
Raking under strong hooves
Around the roaring wave, like a light
A ship is sailing with a fair wind,
780 The horse rushed forward, and a long trail
A hissing snake ran after him;
And soon he will reach Buyan Island
He swam and ashore on its sloping shore
He ran out of the sea, covered in foam.
Ivan Tsarevich did not hesitate; He,
Letting the horse run across the silk meadow
Walk, walk and honey grass
Pinch, he went with a hasty step towards the oak tree,
who grew up near the seashore
790 At the height of an ant hill.
And Ivan Tsarevich approached the oak tree
He was shaken by a heroic hand,
But the strong oak did not shake; He
Again he was shaken - the oak creaked; He
He shook him even more, and more violently,
The oak tree swayed and there were roots underneath it
They stirred the earth; Ivan Tsarevich is here
He pulled it with all his might - and with a crash
He fell, roots came out of the ground
800 From all sides they rose like snakes,
And where the oak dug into the ground with them,
A deep hole opened up. In it
Ivan Tsarevich forged chest
Saw; immediately that chest from the pit
He pulled out, knocked down the padlock,
I grabbed the hare lying there by the ears
And tore it apart; but I just managed
He's breaking a hare, like out of it
Suddenly a duck flew out; fast
810 She took off and flew towards the sea;
Ivan Tsarevich shot an arrow at her,
And so accurately that he pierced her
Through; the duck quacked and tumbled;
And suddenly an egg fell out of her
And straight into the sea; and it went like a key
To the bottom. Ivan Tsarevich gasped; suddenly,
Out of nowhere, sea pike
It flashed on the water, then darted away,
Whipping the tail, to the bottom, then again
820 She surfaced to the shore with an egg in her mouth
Quietly approaching, on the sand
She left the egg, then said:
“You see for yourself now, Ivan Tsarevich,
That I was useful to you at the right time.”
With this word the pike swam away. Ivan-
The prince took the egg; and a mighty horse
From Buyan Island to the solid shore
He was brought back. And further
The horse galloped and soon galloped
830 To the steep mountain, at the height of which
There was Koshcheev Castle; her sole
It was surrounded by an iron wall;
And at the gate of that iron wall
The twelve-headed serpent lay;
And of his twelve heads
Always six slept, six did not sleep, during the day
And twice at night for supervision
Taking turns; and in view of the iron gates
No one is far away to stop
840 Didn't dare; the serpent rose, and from the tooth
There was no salvation for him - he
Was unharmed and only himself
Could kill: someone else's power to cope
No one could do it with him. But the horse
Was careful; he gave Ivan a lift -
The prince to the mountain from the side,
Opposite to the gate in which there is a snake
He lay and kept watch; slowly
Ivan Tsarevich in the invisibility hat
850 I drove up to the snake; six of his goals
All eyes looked around,
Opening their mouths, baring their teeth; six
Other heads on outstretched necks
They lay on the ground, not moving,
And, overcome with sleep, they snored. Here
Ivan Tsarevich, pushing his club,
Hanging calmly on the saddle,
He whispered to her: “Begin!” Didn't last long
A club to think, immediately jump from the saddle,
860 She rushed at the snake, and well
Over the heads of both those sleeping and not sleeping
Nail. He hissed, got angry, started
To rush here and there; and the baton
He beats and beats himself;
As soon as he opens his mouth,
To grab her - but no, please
Take your time, she's already
The other one scratches his face; he's all
Twelve mouths will open for her
870 Catch - she’s all over his teeth,
Bared as if for show,
Walks and brushes all his teeth; howl
And with all his noses wrinkled, he will pinch
All mouths and paws grab the baton
She'll try it - then she'll take it
Scratching all twelve heads;
The snake is in a frenzy, as if stupefied,
Threw, howled, tumbled, out of anger
Breathed fire, gnawed the earth - all in vain!
880 Slowly, clearly, calmly,
No mistakes, have your own baton over him
The work continues, and he,
A zealous flail threshes like a current;
The snake finally got so angry that he began
Gnawing at yourself and claws in the chest
He suddenly launched himself and pulled so hard,
Which was torn in two and, with a squeal,
Hitting the ground, he died. Club
Continue working on the dead too
890 She wanted hers, as if she were alive; But
Ivan Tsarevich told her: “That’s enough!”
And instantly it was as if she had never been
Nothing, hanging on the saddle. Ivan-
The prince, leaving his horse at the gate
And spread out the self-assembled tablecloth
At his feet, so that the tired horse can
Eat and drink to your heart's content, yourself
He went, covered with an invisibility cap,
With a club just in case and an egg
900 In Koshcheev Castle. It was a bit difficult
Climb him to the top of the mountain;
Finally got to the castle
Koscheeva Ivan Tsarevich. Suddenly
He hears that in the garden nearby
Samogud harps are playing; to the garden
When he entered, he actually saw
That the harp hung on the oak tree and played
And that under the oak tree is Elena herself
The beautiful sat, immersed
910 In thought. Taking off the invisibility cap,
He immediately appeared to her and with his hand
He gave a sign for her to be silent. To her
Then he whispered in my ear: “I am death
He brought it to Koscheev; you wait
Me in this place; I'll be with him soon
I’ll manage and return; and we
We'll leave immediately." Here Ivan-
Tsarevich, the invisibility cap again
Having put it on, I wanted to go look for Koshchei
920 Immortal in his magic castle,
But he himself granted it. Approaching
He stood in front of Princess Elena
Beautiful and began to reproach her
Her sadness and say: “Ivan-
Your prince will no longer come to you;
We won't be able to resurrect him. But why
I'm not your fiancé, tell me yourself
My beautiful princess? That's enough
Being stubborn, stubbornness will not help;
930 It will not snatch you from my hands;
I already...” Ivan whispered to Dubinka -
Tsarevich: “Begin!” And she began
She rubs Koshchei's back. With a scream
Like crazy, twist and jump
He began, and Ivan Tsarevich, caps
Without taking it off, he began to say: “Add,
Turn it up, club; serves him right
To the dog: don’t steal other people’s brides;
Don't bother me with your wolfish mug
940 And with your beautiful stupid matchmaking
To princesses; don't bring an evil dream
To the kingdoms! Hit him harder, bludgeon!” -
“Where are you! Show yourself! - Koschey shouted. -
Who are you? - “And that’s who!” - answered
Ivan Tsarevich, invisibility cap
Taking it off his head, and at the same moment
He hit the egg on the ground; it
Shattered to pieces; Koschey the immortal
He somersaulted and died.
950 Ivan Tsarevich from the garden with the princess
Elena the Beautiful came out to take
Without forgetting the Samoguda harp,
The Firebird and the horse Zolotomane.
When did they come down from the steep mountain?
And, mounted on horses, on the way back
Let's go, mountain, crackling terribly,
Fell with a lock, and in place
A lake appeared, and for a long time it was black
Smoke swirled above him, spreading
960 Throughout the surrounding area with a great stench.
Meanwhile, Ivan Tsarevich, having given
The horses should take them free, as they should
We ourselves wanted to have fun with the beautiful
I was traveling as a bride. Self-assembled tablecloth
Served them diligently along the way,
And a delicious breakfast was always ready for them,
Lunch and dinner at appropriate times:
On the fragrant ant in the morning, at noon
Under a thick-topped tree, at night
970 Under the silk tent that was
Always from two separate halves
Compiled. And at every meal
Samoguda gusli played; at night
The firebird shone for them, and the club
She stood guard in front of the tent;
The horses, having become friends, walked together,
We rode along the velvet meadow,
Or they plucked the dewy grass,
Or, laying my head one by one
980 On each other's backs, we slept peacefully.
So they drove along the road
And finally we arrived in that kingdom,
Which Ivan's father ruled -
Tsarevich, the wise Tsar Demyan
Danilovich. And the kingdom is all, from the very
Its borders are to the royal palace,
I was enveloped in an unawakenable sleep;
And wherever they passed, everything
It was sleeping there; on the field in front of the plow
990 There were sleeping oxen; near them
With his whip, waved and asleep
At the swing, the plowman was sleeping; among the big
The rider with his horse slept on the roads, and the dust
Rising, sleepy, motionless club
stood; there was a dead sleep in the air;
The leaves on the trees were dozing silently;
And the sleepy birds were silent in the branches;
In the villages and cities everything was quiet,
As if in a coffin: people go home,
1000 On the streets, walking, sitting, standing,
And everything with them: dogs, cats, chickens,
In the stables of horses, in the shelters of sheep,
And flies on the walls, and smoke in the chimneys -
Everything was asleep. So to my father's capital
Ivan Tsarevich finally arrived

And, having entered the wide royal courtyard,
They are two corpses lying on it
They saw: it was Klim and Peter
1010 The princes killed by Koshchei.
Ivan Tsarevich, past the guard,
Standing in the parade in a sleepy formation,
He walked up the stairs and brought his bride
To the royal chambers. I was in the palace
On the occasion of the arrival of the two elders
The king's sons, a rich feast
At the very hour when he killed both of them
Princes and a dream for the whole people
Navel Koschey: the whole feast in one moment
1020 Then he fell asleep, some sat in different ways, some
He walked and danced; and in this dream
Ivan Tsarevich also found them all;
Demyan Danilovich slept standing up; near
The king was snored by the minister of his court
WITH open mouth, with unsmoked mouth
Report; and court officials
Everyone stood stretched out, sleepy
In front of the king, pointing at him
Your eyes, dim from sleep,
1030 With servility on sleepy faces,
With a sleepy smile on your lips.
Ivan Tsarevich approached with the princess
Elena the Beautiful to the Tsar,
He said: “Play, samogudy harp”;
And the samogud harp began to play...
Suddenly everything woke up, everything spoke,
It jumped and danced; as if
The feast was not interrupted for a minute.
And Tsar Demyan Danilovich, seeing,
1040 What is in front of him with Princess Elena
Ivan Tsarevich stands beautiful,
His beloved son, barely
He didn’t go crazy: he laughed, he cried,
I looked at my son without taking my eyes off,
And he kissed him and had mercy on him,
And finally I was so happy,
Put your hands on your hips and start dancing
With Princess Elena the Beautiful.
Then he ordered the cannons to fire,
1050 Ring bells and privet
To announce to the capital that he has returned
Ivan Tsarevich, he has half the kingdom
Now Tsar Demyan is giving way
Danilovich, what is he named
The heir that tomorrow is his marriage
It will happen with Princess Elena
In the court church and that Tsar Demyan
Danilovich is calling all his people
For the wedding of my son, all military, civilian,
1060 Ministers, generals, all nobles
The rich, all the small nobles,
Merchants, tradesmen, ordinary people and even
All beggars. And the next day
Demyan led the bride and groom
Danilovich to the crown; when will they
We got married, congratulations immediately
All noble ranks were brought to them
Both sexes; and the people in the square
At that time the palace was boiling like the sea;
1070 When did the king come out with the young
To him on the golden balcony, from shouting:
“Long live our sovereign Demyan
Danilovich with his heir Ivan -
Tsarevich and with his daughter princess
Elena the Beautiful! all buildings
The capitals trembled and from the soaring
In the air of the caps, God's day was eclipsed.
Here are everyone invited by the king for lunch
The guests arrived - his entire capital;
1080 There are only sick people left in the houses
Yes children, cats and dogs. Here
Your agility self-assembled tablecloth
She showed up: suddenly she’s all over the city
Spread out; the area itself
Staring at the tables, and the tables
The streets were lined in two rows;
The service on all the tables was gold,
And not glass, crystal; and under the tables
Silk carpets were everywhere
1090 Spread out; and all the guests were served
Heiduks in golden liveries. Was
Lunch like never before
No one has heard: the ear is like liquid
Amber sparkling in large pots;
Enormously fatty, fathoms long
From the Volga sterlet on gold
Patterned dishes; kulebyaka with sweets
Stuffing, with milk mushrooms, geese, porridge
With sour cream, pancakes with fresh caviar
1100 And large, like pearls, and pies
Hearths drowned in oil;
And for drinking, sparkling kvass in crystal
Jugs, March beer, honey
Fragrant and wine from all lands:
Champagne, Hungarian, Madeira,
And Renskoye, and all sorts of liqueurs -
In short, self-assembled tablecloth
She distinguished herself so much that it was a miracle.
But the club did not lie idle:
1110 The whole guard was at the royal table
Invited, even everyone from the city
Police - baton well done
One served for everyone: in the palace
Kept guard; she was walking
Along the streets to watch everywhere
Order: who attacked her drunkenly,
She pushed him in the back straight
On my way out; who's in the empty house somewhere?
She was caught stealing, he
1120 Was so spanked that from stealing
Forever renounced and entered
On the path of virtue - a baton, in a word,
Incredible during the feast
To the king, guests and the city to all
Provided services. Meanwhile
Everything in the palace was in full swing, the guests were eating
And they drank so that from their rosy faces
Sweat was rolling; there are samogud harps here
They showed all their zeal:
1130 With them there was no need for an orchestra, and guests
We've heard enough music like this,
Like never in their dreams
I wasn't dreaming. But when, having filled
A healthy cup of wine, Tsar Demyan
Danilovich wanted to proclaim
Many years to the newlyweds, loudly
A trumpet sound was heard in the square;
Everyone was amazed, everyone was dumbfounded;
The king himself goes to the window with the young people,
1140 And what do they see?
Eight horse carriage (trumpet player)
With a pipe in front) to the porch of the palace
A crowd of people gallops through the street;
And that carriage is golden; goats
With pillow and velvet covered
By basting; back and six heyduks;
Six walkers on the sides; liveries
They are made of gray cloth, at the seams
Basons; on the carriage doors the coat of arms:
1150 In a scarlet field a wolf's tail under the count's crown
Crown. Looking into the carriage,
Ivan Tsarevich shouted: “Yes, this is
My benefactor Gray Wolf! His
He ran to meet them. And exactly,
The Gray Wolf was sitting in the carriage; Ivan-
The prince, jumping up to the carriage, opened the doors
He opened it himself, he folded back the step himself.
And he dropped off the guest; then he, with him
After kissing, I took him by the paw,
1160 He himself brought him into the palace to the king
Submitted. Gray Wolf, bowing
To the king, dignified hind legs
I walked around all the guests, men and women,
And to everyone, as it should be, a compliment
I said to the pleasant one; he was dressed
Excellent: red on the head
Yarmulke with tassel, ribbon under the muzzle
Tied up; silk scarf
On the neck; jacket with gold embroidery;
1170 Kid gloves with fringes;
Belted with a thin shawl
Bloomers made of scarlet satin;
Morocco shoes on the hind legs,
And on the tail there is a silver mesh
With a pearl brush - that was the Gray Wolf
Dressed. And with his treatment of everyone
Fascinated; not just simple
Nobles of small and medium ranks,
But also court officials, state ladies
1180 And the ladies-in-waiting were all from him
How crazy. And, a guest at the table
Seated next to him, Demyan
Danilovich tapped the cup with him
And he proclaimed health to the newlyweds,
And a cannon salute fired.
The royal and popular feast continued
Until the dark night; and when did it come
Night darkness, firebird on the balcony
In her rich golden cage
1190 They set up the whole palace and the square,
And the streets, seething with people,
The firebird shone brighter than the day.
And until the morning the capital feasted,
The Gray Wolf was left to spend the night;
When the next morning he
Getting ready to set off, I began to say goodbye to Ivan -
Tsarevich, his Ivan Tsarevich
He began to persuade them to have him
He stayed for a living and assured
1200 That he will receive every honor,
That the palace will give him an apartment,
That he will be in first grade according to rank,
That everyone will receive orders at once,
And so on. After thinking, Gray Wolf
As a sign of his consent, Ivan-
He gave the Tsarevich his paw, and Ivan
The prince was so touched that his paw
Kissed. And he began to live in the palace
May you live like a king Gray Wolf. -
1210 Finally, in a long, peaceful, glorious
Dominion, wise king Demyan
Danilovich died, ascended the throne
Ivan Demyanovich got up; with my
He was a queen until his very late years
Reached and the Lord blessed
Their many children; and Gray Wolf
Lived soul to soul with Tsar Ivan
Demyanovich, babysat his
As children, I myself frolicked with them like a child,
1220 He often told fairy tales to the younger ones,
And he taught the elders to read and write
And arithmetic, and gave them
Instructions that are good for the heart.
And finally, having reigned wisely,
And Tsar Ivan Demyanovich died;
The Gray Wolf followed him
To the grave. But there were papers in it
Detailed notes about everything
What in its lifetime in the forest and light
1230 He noticed, and we are from those notes
We made up our true story.

Once upon a time there lived a Tsar Berendey, he had three sons, the youngest was called Ivan.

And the king had a magnificent garden; There grew in that garden an apple tree with golden apples.

Someone began to visit the royal garden and steal golden apples. The king felt sorry for his garden. He sends guards there. No guards can track the thief.

The king stopped drinking and eating and became sad. The father's sons console:
- Our dear father, don’t be sad, we ourselves will guard the garden.

The eldest son says:
- Today is my turn, I’ll go guard the garden from the kidnapper.

The eldest son went. No matter how much he walked in the evening, he didn’t track anyone, he fell down on the soft grass and fell asleep.

In the morning the king asks him:
“Come on, won’t you make me happy: have you seen the kidnapper?”
- No, dear father, I didn’t sleep all night, I didn’t close my eyes, and I didn’t see anyone.

The next night the middle son went on guard and also slept all night, and the next morning he said that he had not seen the kidnapper.

The time has come to go and guard my younger brother. Ivan Tsarevich went to guard his fathers’ garden and was afraid to even sit down, let alone lie down. As soon as sleep overcomes him, he will wash the dew from the grass, sleep and away from his eyes.

Half the night has passed, and it seems to him that there is light in the garden. Lighter and lighter. The whole garden lit up. He sees the Firebird sitting on an apple tree and pecking at golden apples.

Ivan Tsarevich quietly crawled to the apple tree and caught the bird by the tail. The firebird perked up and flew away, leaving only one feather from its tail in his hand.

The next morning Ivan Tsarevich comes to his father.

Well, my dear Vanya, have you seen the kidnapper?
- Dear father, I didn’t catch him, but I traced who was ruining our garden. I brought you a memory from the kidnapper. This, father, is the Firebird.

The king took this feather and from that time began to drink, and eat, and not know sadness. So one fine time he thought about this Firebird.

He called his sons and said to them:
- My dear children, if only you could saddle good horses, travel around the world, get to know places, and not attack the Firebird somewhere.

The children bowed to their father, saddled good horses and set off on their journey: the eldest in one direction, the middle one in the other, and Ivan Tsarevich in the third direction.

Ivan Tsarevich rode for a long time or a short time. It was a summer day. Ivan Tsarevich got tired, got off his horse, confused him, and fell to sleep.

How much or how much time has passed, Ivan Tsarevich woke up and saw that the horse was gone. I went to look for him, walked and walked and found my horse - only gnawed bones.

Ivan Tsarevich became sad: where to go so far without a horse?

“Well,” he thinks, “he’s taken it - there’s nothing to do.”

And he went on foot.

He walked and walked, tired to death.

He sat down on the soft grass and sat sadly.

Out of nowhere, a gray wolf runs towards him.

Why, Ivan Tsarevich, are you sitting there looking sad and hanging your head?
- How can I not be sad, gray wolf? I was left without a good horse.
- It was I, Ivan Tsarevich, who ate your horse... I feel sorry for you! Tell me why you went into the distance, where are you going?
- My father sent me to travel around the world to find the Firebird.
- Fu, fu, you won’t be able to reach the Firebird on your good horse at three years old. I'm the only one who knows where she lives. So be it - I ate your horse, I will serve you faithfully. Sit on me and hold on tight.

Ivan Tsarevich sat astride him, a gray wolf, and galloped off - letting the blue forests pass his eyes, sweeping the lakes with his tail. How long or short does it take them to reach the high fortress? The gray wolf says:
- Listen to me, Ivan Tsarevich, remember: climb over the wall, don’t be afraid - it’s a good time, all the watchmen are sleeping. You will see a window in the mansion, on the window there is a golden cage, and in the cage sits the Firebird. Take the bird, put it in your bosom, but be careful not to touch the cage!

Ivan Tsarevich climbed over the wall, saw this tower - there was a golden cage on the window, and the Firebird was sitting in the cage. He took the bird, put it in his bosom, and looked at the cage. His heart flared up: “Oh, how golden, precious! How can you not take one like this!” And he forgot that the wolf was punishing him. As soon as he touched the cage, a sound went through the fortress: trumpets sounded, drums beat, the guards woke up, grabbed Ivan Tsarevich and led him to Tsar Afron.

King Afron became angry and asked:
- Whose are you, where are you from?
- I am the son of Tsar Berendey, Ivan Tsarevich.
- Oh, what a shame! The king's son went to steal.
- So, when your bird flew, it ruined our garden?
- And you would have come to me, asked in good conscience, I would have given her away, out of respect for your parent, Tsar Berendey. And now I’ll spread a bad reputation about you throughout all the cities... Well, okay, if you do me a service, I’ll forgive you. In such and such a kingdom, King Kusman has a golden-maned horse. Bring him to me, then I’ll give you the Firebird with the cage.

Ivan Tsarevich became sad and went to the gray wolf. And the wolf to him:
- I told you, don’t move the cage! Why didn't you listen to my order?
- Well, forgive me, forgive me, gray wolf.
- That's it, sorry... Okay, sit on me. I picked up the tug, don’t say it’s not strong.

Again the gray wolf galloped with Ivan Tsarevich. How long does it take for them to reach the fortress where the golden-maned horse stands?

Climb over the wall, Ivan Tsarevich, the watchmen are sleeping, go to the stable, take the horse, but be careful not to touch the bridle!

Ivan Tsarevich climbed into the fortress, where all the watchmen were sleeping, went into the stable, caught a golden-maned horse, and coveted the bridle - it was decorated with gold and expensive stones; The golden-maned horse can only walk in it.

Ivan Tsarevich touched the bridle, a sound spread throughout the fortress: trumpets sounded, drums beat, the guards woke up, grabbed Ivan Tsarevich and led him to Tsar Kusman.

Whose are you, where are you from?
- I am Ivan Tsarevich.
- Eka, what nonsense did you undertake - steal a horse! A simple man will not agree to this. Well, okay, I’ll forgive you, Ivan Tsarevich, if you do me a service. The king of Dalmatia has a daughter, Elena the Beautiful. Kidnap her, bring her to me, I will give you a golden-maned horse with a bridle.

Ivan Tsarevich became even more sad and went to the gray wolf.

I told you, Ivan Tsarevich, don’t touch the bridle! You didn't listen to my order.
- Well, forgive me, forgive me, gray wolf.
- That's it, sorry... Okay, sit on my back. Again the gray wolf galloped with Ivan Tsarevich. They reach the king of Dalmatia. In his fortress in the garden, Elena the Beautiful is walking with her mothers and nannies. Gray Wolf says:
- This time I won’t let you in, I’ll go myself. And you go back on your way, I’ll catch up with you soon.

Ivan Tsarevich went back the way, and the gray wolf jumped over the wall - and into the garden. He sat down behind a bush and looked: Elena the Beautiful came out with her mothers and nannies. She walked and walked and just fell behind her mothers and nannies, the gray wolf grabbed Elena the Beautiful, threw her over her back, and ran away.

Ivan Tsarevich is walking along the road, suddenly a gray wolf overtakes him, Elena the Beautiful is sitting on him. Ivan Tsarevich was delighted, and the gray wolf said to him:
- Get on me quickly, as if we are not being chased.

The gray wolf rushed with Ivan Tsarevich and Elena the Beautiful on the way back - he missed the blue forests past his eyes, swept rivers and lakes with his tail. How long or short does it take them to reach King Kusman? Gray wolf asks:
- What, Ivan Tsarevich became silent and sad?
- How can I, gray wolf, not be sad? How can I part with such beauty? How will I exchange Elena the Beautiful for a horse?

The gray wolf answers:
“I won’t separate you from such beauty - we’ll hide it somewhere, and I’ll turn into Helen the Beautiful, and you lead me to the king.”

Here they hid Elena the Beautiful in a forest hut. The gray wolf turned over his head and became exactly like Elena the Beautiful. Ivan Tsarevich took him to Tsar Kusman. The king was delighted and began to thank him:
- Thank you, Ivan Tsarevich, for getting me a bride. Get a golden-maned horse with a bridle.

Ivan Tsarevich mounted this horse and rode after Elena the Beautiful. He took her, put her on a horse, and they rode on their way. And Tsar Kusman arranged a wedding, feasted all day until the evening, and when he had to go to bed, he took Elena the Beautiful into the bedroom, but just lay down on the bed with her, and looked - a wolf’s face instead of a young wife! The king fell out of bed in fear, and the wolf ran away.

The gray wolf catches up with Ivan Tsarevich and asks:
- What are you thinking about, Ivan Tsarevich?
- How can I not think? It is a pity to part with such a treasure - a golden-maned horse, to exchange it for the Firebird.
- Don’t be sad, I’ll help you.

Now they reach King Afron. The wolf says:
- You hide this horse and Helen the Beautiful, and I will turn into a golden-maned horse, you lead me to King Afron.

They hid Helen the Beautiful and the golden-maned horse in the forest. The gray wolf threw himself over his back and turned into a golden-maned horse. Ivan Tsarevich took him to Tsar Afron. The king was delighted and gave him the Firebird with the golden cage.

Ivan Tsarevich returned on foot to the forest, put Elena the Beautiful on a golden-maned horse, took the golden cage with the Firebird and rode the road to his native side.

And King Afron ordered a gift horse to be brought to him and just wanted to mount it - the horse turned into a gray wolf. The Tsar, out of fear, fell where he stood, and the gray wolf took off running and soon caught up with Ivan Tsarevich.

Ivan Tsarevich dismounted from his horse and bowed to the ground three times, respectfully thanking the gray wolf. And he says:
- Don’t say goodbye to me forever, I’ll still be useful to you.

Ivan Tsarevich thinks: “Where else will you be useful? All my wishes are fulfilled." He sat on the golden-maned horse, and again he and Elena the Beautiful, with the Firebird, rode off. He reached his homeland and decided to take a break. He had some bread with him. Well, they ate, drank spring water and lay down to rest.

As soon as Ivan Tsarevich fell asleep, his brothers ran into him. They traveled to other lands, looked for the Firebird, and returned empty-handed. They arrived and saw that everything had been obtained from Ivan Tsarevich. So they agreed:
- Let's kill our brother, all the spoils will be ours.

They made up their minds and killed Ivan Tsarevich. They sat on a golden-maned horse, took the Firebird, put Elena the Beautiful on the horse and frightened her:
- Don't say anything at home!

Ivan Tsarevich lies dead, crows are already flying over him. Out of nowhere, a gray wolf came running and grabbed the raven and the crow.

Fly, raven, for living and dead water. Bring me living and dead water, then I will release your little crow.

The raven, having nothing to do, flew away, and the wolf held his little raven. Whether the raven flew for a long time or for a short time, he brought living and dead water. The gray wolf sprinkled dead water on Tsarevich Ivan's wounds, the wounds healed; sprinkled him with living water - Ivan Tsarevich came to life.

Oh, I slept soundly!..
“You slept soundly,” says the gray wolf. “If it weren’t for me, I wouldn’t have woken up at all.” Your brothers killed you and took away all your loot. Hurry up and sit on me!

They galloped in pursuit and overtook both brothers. Then the gray wolf tore them to pieces and scattered the pieces across the field.

Ivan Tsarevich bowed to the gray wolf and said goodbye to him forever.

Ivan Tsarevich returned home on a golden-maned horse, brought the Firebird to his father, and his bride, Elena the Beautiful, to himself.

Tsar Berendey was delighted and began to ask his son. Ivan Tsarevich began to tell how the gray wolf helped him get his prey, and how his brothers killed him, sleepy, and how the gray wolf tore them to pieces.

Tsar Berendey grieved and was soon consoled. And Ivan Tsarevich married Elena the Beautiful, and they began to live and live without sorrow.

Literature 5th grade. A textbook-reader for schools with in-depth study of literature. Part 1 Team of authors

Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf Russian folk tale

Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf

Russian folk tale

Once upon a time there lived a king Berendey, he had three sons; the youngest was called Ivan.

And the king had a magnificent garden; There grew in that garden an apple tree with golden apples. Someone began to visit the royal garden and steal golden apples. The king felt sorry for his garden. He sends guards there. No guards can convince the kidnapper.

The king stopped drinking and eating and became sad.

The father's sons console:

– Our dear father, don’t be sad, we ourselves will guard the garden.

The eldest son says:

“Today it’s my turn, I’ll go guard the garden from the kidnapper.”

The eldest son went. No matter how much he walked in the evening, he didn’t track anyone, he fell down on the soft grass and fell asleep.

In the morning the king asks him:

“Come on, won’t you make me happy: have you seen the kidnapper?”

- No, dear father, I didn’t sleep all night, I didn’t close my eyes, and I didn’t see anyone.

The next day the middle son went on guard and also slept all night, and the next morning he said that he had not seen the kidnapper.

The time has come to go and guard my younger brother. Ivan Tsarevich went to guard his fathers’ garden and was afraid to even sit down, let alone lie down. As soon as sleep overcomes him, he will wash the dew from the grass, sleep and away from his eyes.

Half the night has passed, and it seems to him that there is light in the garden. Lighter and lighter. The whole garden lit up. He sees the Firebird sitting on an apple tree and pecking at golden apples.

Ivan Tsarevich quietly crawled to the apple tree and caught the bird by the tail. The firebird perked up and flew away, leaving only one feather from its tail in his hand.

The next morning Ivan Tsarevich comes to his father.

- Well, my dear Vanya, have you seen the kidnapper?

- Dear father, I didn’t catch him, but I traced who was ruining our garden. I brought you a memory from the kidnapper. This, father, is the Firebird.

The king took this feather and from that time began to drink, and eat, and not know sadness. So one fine time he thought about this Firebird.

He called his sons and said to them:

- My dear children, you would saddle those who are kind to her, travel around the world, get to know places, and would not attack the Firebird somewhere.

The children bowed to their father, saddled good horses and set off on their journey; the eldest - in one direction, the middle one - in the other, and Ivan Tsarevich - in the third direction.

Ivan Tsarevich rode for a long time or a short time. It was a summer day. Ivan Tsarevich got tired, got off his horse, confused him, and fell to sleep.

How much or how much time has passed, Ivan Tsarevich woke up and saw that the horse was gone. I went to look for him, walked and walked and found my horse - only gnawed bones.

Ivan Tsarevich became sad: where to go so far without a horse?

“Well,” he thinks, “he’s taken it - there’s nothing to do.”

And he went on foot. He walked and walked, tired to death. He sat down on the soft grass and sat sadly. Out of nowhere, a Gray wolf runs towards him:

- What, Ivan Tsarevich, are you sitting there sad and hanging your head?

- How can I not be sad, Gray Wolf? I was left without a good horse.

- It was I, Ivan Tsarevich, who ate your horse... I feel sorry for you! Tell me why you went into the distance, where are you going? My father sent me to travel around the world to find the Firebird.

- Fu, fu, you won’t be able to reach the Firebird on your good horse at three years old. I'm the only one who knows where she lives. So be it - I ate your horse, I will serve you faithfully. Sit on me and hold on tight.

Ivan Tsarevich sat astride him, the Gray Wolf and galloped off - letting the blue forests pass his eyes, sweeping the lakes with his tail. How long or short does it take them to reach the high fortress? The gray wolf says:

- Listen to me, Ivan Tsarevich, remember: climb over the wall, don’t be afraid - it’s a good time, all the watchmen are sleeping. You will see a window in the mansion, on the window there is a golden cage, and in the cage sits the Firebird. Take the bird, put it in your bosom, and be careful - don’t touch the cage.

Ivan Tsarevich climbed over the wall and saw this tower - there was a golden cage on the window, and the Firebird was sitting in the cage. He took the bird, put it in his bosom and looked at the cage. His heart flared up: “Oh, how golden, precious! How can you not take one?” - and forgot that the wolf was punishing him. As soon as he touched the cage, a sound went through the fortress: trumpets sounded, drums beat, the guards woke up, grabbed Ivan Tsarevich and led him to Tsar Afron. King Afron became angry and asked:

- Whose are you, where are you from?

- I am the son of Tsar Berendey, Ivan Tsarevich.

- Oh, what a shame! The king's son went to steal!

- So, when your bird was flying, it was ruining our garden?

If you had come to me and asked in good conscience, I would have given her away out of respect for your parent, Tsar Berendey. And now I’ll spread a bad reputation about you throughout all the cities... Well, okay, if you do me a service, I’ll forgive you. In such and such a kingdom, King Kusman has a golden-maned horse. Bring him to me, then I’ll give you the Firebird with the cage.

Ivan Tsarevich became sad and went to the Gray Wolf. And the wolf to him:

“I told you, don’t move the cage.” Why didn't you listen to my order?

- Well, forgive me, forgive me, Gray Wolf.

- That's it, sorry... Okay, sit on me. I picked up the tug, don’t say it’s not strong...

Again the Gray Wolf galloped with Ivan Tsarevich. How long or short does it take them to reach the fortress where the golden-maned horse stands?

- Climb over the wall, Ivan Tsarevich, the watchmen are sleeping, go to the stable, take the horse, and be careful - don’t touch the bridle.

Ivan Tsarevich climbed into the fortress, where all the watchmen were sleeping, went into the stable, caught the golden-maned horse, and coveted the bridle - it was decorated with gold and expensive stones; The golden-maned horse can only walk in it.

Ivan Tsarevich touched the bridle, and the sound spread throughout the fortress: trumpets sounded, drums beat, the guards woke up, grabbed Ivan Tsarevich and led him to Tsar Kusman.

- Whose are you, where are you from?

- I am Ivan Tsarevich.

- Eka, what nonsense did you take on - stealing a horse! Even a simple man would not agree to this. Well, okay, I’ll forgive you, Ivan Tsarevich, if you do me a service. The king of Dalmatia has a daughter, Elena the Beautiful. Kidnap her, bring her to me, I will give you a golden-maned horse with a bridle.

Ivan Tsarevich became even more sad and went to the Gray Wolf.

“I told you, Ivan Tsarevich, don’t touch the bridle.” You didn't listen to my order. - Well, forgive me, forgive me, Gray Wolf.

- That's it, sorry... Okay, sit on my back.

Again the Gray Wolf galloped with Ivan Tsarevich. They reach the king of Dalmatia. In his fortress in the garden, Elena the Beautiful is walking with her mothers and nannies. Gray Wolf says:

“This time I won’t let you in, I’ll go myself.” And you go back on your way, I’ll catch up with you soon.

Ivan Tsarevich went back the way, and the Gray Wolf jumped over the wall - and into the garden. He sat down behind a bush and looked: Elena the Beautiful came out with her mothers and nannies. She walked and walked and just fell behind her mothers and nannies. The Gray Wolf grabbed Elena the Beautiful, threw her over her back, and ran away.

Ivan Tsarevich is walking along the road, suddenly the Gray Wolf overtakes him, Elena the Beautiful is sitting on him. Ivan Tsarevich was delighted, and the Gray Wolf said to him:

- Get on me quickly, as if we are not being chased.

The Gray Wolf rushed with Ivan Tsarevich and Elena the Beautiful on the way back - he missed the blue forests past his eyes, swept rivers and lakes with his tail. How long or short does it take them to reach King Kusman?

Gray wolf asks:

- What, Ivan Tsarevich became silent and sad?

- How can I, Gray Wolf, not be sad! How can I part with such beauty? How will I exchange Elena the Beautiful for a horse?

The gray wolf answers:

“I won’t separate you from such beauty - we’ll hide it somewhere, and I’ll turn into Helen the Beautiful, and you lead me to the king.”

Here they hid Elena the Beautiful in a forest hut. The gray wolf turned over his head and became exactly like Elena the Beautiful. Ivan Tsarevich took him to Tsar Kusman. The king was delighted and began to thank him:

- Thank you, Ivan Tsarevich, for getting me this message. Get a golden-maned horse with a bridle.

Ivan Tsarevich mounted this horse and rode after Elena the Beautiful. He took her, put her on a horse, and they rode on their way.

And Tsar Kusman arranged a wedding, feasted all day until the evening, and when he had to go to bed, he took Elena the Beautiful into the bedroom, but as soon as he lay down on the bed, he looked - a wolf’s face instead of his young wife. The king fell out of bed in fear, and the wolf ran away.

The Gray Wolf catches up with Ivan Tsarevich and asks:

- What are you thinking about, Ivan Tsarevich?

- How can I not think? It is a pity to part with such a treasure - a golden-maned horse, to exchange it for the Firebird.

– Don’t be sad, I’ll help you.

Now they reach King Afron. The wolf says:

- You hide this horse and Helen the Beautiful, and I will turn into a horse with a golden mane, you lead me to King Afron.

They hid Helen the Beautiful and the golden-maned horse in the forest. The gray wolf threw himself over his back and turned into a golden-maned horse. Ivan Tsarevich took him to Tsar Afron. The king was delighted and gave him the Firebird with the golden cage.

Ivan Tsarevich returned on foot to the forest, put Elena the Beautiful on a golden-maned horse, took the golden cage with the Firebird and rode the road to his native side.

And King Afron ordered a gift horse to be brought to him and just wanted to mount it - the horse turned into a Gray wolf. The Tsar, out of fear, fell where he stood, and the Gray Wolf took off running and soon caught up with Ivan Tsarevich.

“Don’t say goodbye to me forever, I’ll still be useful to you.”

Ivan Tsarevich thinks: “Where else will you be useful? All my wishes are fulfilled." He sat on the golden-maned horse, and again he and Elena the Beautiful, with the Firebird, rode off. They reached their homeland, and he decided to have some lunch. He had some bread with him. Well, they ate, drank spring water and lay down to rest.

As soon as Ivan Tsarevich fell asleep, his brothers ran into him. They traveled to other lands, looked for the Firebird, and returned empty-handed.

They arrived and saw that everything had been obtained from Ivan Tsarevich. So they agreed:

- Let's kill our brother, all the spoils will be ours.

They made up their minds and killed Ivan Tsarevich. They sat on a golden-maned horse, took the Firebird, put Elena the Beautiful on the horse and frightened her:

– Don’t say anything at home!

Ivan Tsarevich lies dead, crows are already flying over him. Out of nowhere, the Gray Wolf came running and grabbed the raven and the crow.

- You fly, raven, for living and dead water. Bring me living and dead water, then I will release your little crow.

“The raven, there’s nothing to do, he flew away, and the wolf was holding his little raven.” Whether the raven flew for a long time or for a short time, he brought living and dead water. The gray wolf sprinkled dead water on the wounds of Ivan Tsarevich, the wounds healed; sprinkled him with living water - Ivan Tsarevich came to life. Oh, I slept soundly...

“You slept soundly,” says the Gray Wolf. “If it weren’t for me, I wouldn’t have woken up at all.” Your brothers killed you and took away all your loot. Hurry up and sit on me.

They galloped in pursuit and overtook both brothers. Then the Gray Wolf tore them to pieces and scattered the pieces across the field.

Ivan Tsarevich bowed to the Gray Wolf and said goodbye to him forever.

Ivan Tsarevich returned home on a golden-maned horse, brought the Firebird to his father, and his bride, Elena the Beautiful, to himself.

Tsar Berendey was delighted and began to ask his son. Ivan Tsarevich began to tell how the Gray Wolf helped him get his prey, and how his brothers killed him while sleepy, and how the Gray Wolf tore them to pieces.

Tsar Berendey grieved and was soon consoled. And Ivan Tsarevich married Elena the Beautiful, and they began to live and live without sorrow.

Questions and tasks

1. What lesson does this fairy tale teach the “good fellows”?

2. What made Ivan Tsarevich break the Gray Wolf’s ban and take the golden cage and bridle?

3. Would the meaning of the fairy tale change if Ivan was called in it not a prince, but a priest or a merchant’s son?

4. How is the artistic device of comparison used in the fairy tale?

5. What role does the Firebird play in the fairy tale and why is this image introduced?

6. Name the fairy tales you know in which magical helpers appear. How are they similar to the Gray Wolf and how are they different from it?

7. What obstacles does the hero have to overcome?

8. Prepare to dramatize a fairy tale in class.

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