One evening Vanyusha (Johnny) was sitting with his grandfather, and
asked his grandfather: 'Whence comes it that bears' paws are like
our hands and feet?' His grandfather replied: 'Listen, Johnny. I
will tell you what I have myself heard from ancient people. Ancient
people said bears were like human beings, like us orthodox
Christians. In a certain village there lived a poor cottager. His
cottage was wretched; he had no pony; a cow he never even thought
of; he had no fire-wood. Winter came, and it was cold in his
unwarmed room. The cottager took his axe, and went with it into the
wood. An enchanted tree--a lime-tree--presented itself to his sight.
He struck it with his axe, and now to cut it down; but the lime-tree
addressed him in human speech: "I will give you all that you want.
If you have no riches, if you have no wife, I will give you all."
The peasant said: "Very good, mother, if you make me richer than any
of the peasants. But I have no pony, no cow, and my cottage is
wretched." The lime-tree said: "Go home; all shall be yours." The
peasant went. A new house was his: fences of stout boards, horses
that were ready to fly, and store-rooms full of corn. The cottager
was not satisfied, because his wife was not handsomer. What was to
be done? "I'll go off quick to Mother Lime-tree." He took his axe,
and went off into the wood.
'He went into the wood to the lime-tree, and struck it with his axe.
"What do you want?" "Mother Lime-tree, among mankind there are wives
and wives, but mine is such a disagreeable one. Do me a service:
give me a handsome wife." The lime-tree said: "Go home." The peasant
went. His wife came to meet him--such a beauty--blood and milk, and
store-rooms full of everything good. Well, the cottager began to
live comfortably with his young wife, and thought: "It is a fine
thing for us to live possessed of riches, but we're under a superior
authority. Is it impossible for me to be the superior authority
myself?" He thought it over with his wife. He went again to the
enchanted lime-tree.
'He went into the wood, he struck it with his axe. "What do you
want, peasant?" "What, indeed, Mother Lime-tree! It's a fine thing
for us to live in possession of riches; but we're under a superior
authority. Is it impossible for me to be head-borough myself?" "Very
well: go home; all shall be yours." No sooner had the cottager got
home, when a letter came for him--"The cottager was to be
head-borough." The cottager got used to living as head-borough, and
thought to himself: "It's a fine thing to be head-borough; but all
is under the control of the lord of the manor. Is it impossible for
me to be the lord myself?" He considered the matter with his wife,
they consulted together, and he went off again to the lime-tree.
'He went up to it, and struck it with his axe. The tree asked him:
"What do you want?" "Thanks to you, mother, for all; but how not to
doff my cap before the lord, to become the lord myself?" "What is to
be done with you? Go home; it shall all be yours." Scarcely had he
got home, when up drove the lord-lieutenant, and brought him a
letter from the king, that "he was to be a gentleman." It was
advantageous to be a gentleman. He began to give entertainments and
banquets. "It's a fine thing to be a gentleman, but without an
official position! Was it impossible for him to become an official?"
They thought and talked it over. He went off to the lime-tree and
struck it with his axe. "What do you want, peasant?" "I thank you,
mother, for all; but is it impossible for me to be an official?"
"Well, then, go home!" No sooner had he got home, when a royal
letter arrived--he was invested with orders. "It's a fine thing to
be decorated, but all is under the control of the lord-lieutenant.
Is it impossible for me to be lord-lieutenant myself?" He thought it
over with his wife, went off into the wood to the enchanted tree,
the lime-tree.
'He came to the lime-tree and struck it with his axe. It said: "What
do you want, peasant? With what are you discontented?" "I thank you,
mother, for everything; but is it impossible for me to be
lord-lieutenant myself, and to have a rich patrimony?" "It is
difficult to effect this. But what is to be done with you? Go
home!" The cottager had scarcely got home, when a letter
arrived--the cottager was to be lord-lieutenant, and was presented
with an estate of inheritance. The cottager became used to living as
lord-lieutenant--indeed, by descent, he was not a peasant. "It's a
fine thing for me to live as lord-lieutenant, but all is under the
control of the king." He considered; he went off into the wood to
the enchanted tree, the lime-tree.
'He came to it, and struck it with his axe. The tree inquired: "What
do you want?" "All is excellent; I thank you for all; but is it
impossible for me to be king myself?" The lime-tree began to try to
persuade him. "Foolish man, for what are you asking? Consider what
you were, and what you have become. From a cottager you have become
a man of high rank and everything; but an emperor[12] is chosen by
God." The lime-tree endeavoured to persuade him with all manner of
arguments that he had better not make the request, but all in vain.
The cottager would not budge, but insisted that it should make him
emperor. The lime-tree said to him: "It is impossible to effect
this, and it will not be done; you will lose, too, what you have
already obtained!" But the cottager still insisted. The lime-tree
said: "Become a bear, and your wife a she-bear!" And he became a
bear, and she a she-bear. They went off bears.'
[12] Note the transition from king (_korol_) to emperor
(_tzar_).
The grandson inquired: 'Grandfather, can this be a true story?' 'In
reality 'tis a fable. Do not desire what is impossible; be content
with a little. If you desire much, you will lose what you have
obtained.'