In a certain village there lived a poor peasant with his wife, who for
three years had no children: at length the good woman had a little
son, whom they named Ivan. The boy grew, but even when he was five
years old, could not walk. His father and mother were very sad, and
prayed that their son might be strong on his feet; but, however many
their prayers, he had to sit, and could not use his feet for
three-and-thirty years long.
One day the peasant went with his wife to church; and whilst they were
away, a beggar man came to the window of the cottage and begged alms
of Ivan the peasant's son. And Ivan said to him: "I would gladly give
you something, but I cannot rise from my stool." Then said the beggar:
"Stand up and give me alms! Your feet are stout and strong!" In an
instant Ivan rose up from his stool, and was overjoyed at his newly
acquired power: he called the man into the cottage and gave him food
to eat. Then the beggar asked for a draught of beer, and Ivan
instantly went and fetched it; the beggar, however, did not drink it,
but bade Ivan empty the flask himself, which he did to the very
bottom. Then the beggar said: "Tell me, Ivanushka, how strong do you
feel?" "Very strong," replied Ivan. "Then fare you well!" said the
beggar; and disappeared, leaving Ivan standing lost in amazement.
In a short time his father and mother came home, and when they saw
their son healed of his weakness, they were astonished, and asked him
how it had happened. Then Ivan told them all, and the old folk thought
it must have been no beggar but a holy man who had cured him; and they
feasted for joy and made merry.
Presently Ivan went out to make a trial of his strength; and going
into the kitchen garden, he seized a pole and stuck it half its length
into the ground, and turned it with such strength that the whole
village turned round. Then he went back into the cottage to take leave
of his parents and ask their blessing. The old folk fell to weeping
bitterly when he spoke of leaving them, and entreated him to stay at
least a little longer; but Ivan heeded not their tears, and said: "If
you will not give me your consent, I shall go without it." So his
parents gave him their blessing; and Ivan prayed, bowing himself to
all four sides, and then took leave of his father and mother.
Thereupon he went straight out of the yard, and followed his eyes,
and wandered for ten days and ten nights until at length he came to a
large kingdom. He had scarcely entered the city when a great noise and
outcry arose; whereat the Tsar was so frightened that he ordered a
proclamation to be made, that whoever appeased the tumult should have
his daughter for wife, and half his kingdom with her.
When Ivanushka heard this he went to the Court and desired the Tsar to
be informed that he was ready to appease the tumult. So the doorkeeper
went straight and told the Tsar, who ordered Ivan the peasant's son to
be called. And the Tsar said to him: "My friend, is what you have said
to the doorkeeper true?"
"Quite true," replied Ivan; "but I ask for no other reward than that
your Majesty gives me whatever is the cause of the noise." At this the
Tsar laughed, and said: "Take it by all means, if it is of any use to
you." So Ivan the peasant's son made his bow to the Tsar and took his
leave.
Then Ivan went to the doorkeeper and demanded of him a hundred
workmen, who were instantly given him; and Ivan ordered them to dig a
hole in front of the palace. And when the men had thrown up the earth,
they saw an iron door, with a copper ring. So Ivan lifted up this door
with one hand, and beheld a steed fully caparisoned, and a suit of
knightly armour. When the horse perceived Ivan, he fell on his knees
before him, and said with a human voice: "Ah, thou brave youth! Ivan
the peasant's son! the famous knight Lukopero placed me here; and for
three-and-thirty years have I been impatiently awaiting you. Seat
yourself on my back, and ride whithersoever you will: I will serve you
faithfully, as I once served the brave Lukopero."
Ivan saddled his good steed, gave him a bridle of embroidered ribands,
put a Tcherkess saddle on his back, and buckled ten rich silken girths
around him. Then he vaulted into the saddle, struck him on the flank,
and the horse chafed at the bit, and rose from the ground higher than
the forest; he left hill and dale swiftly under his feet, covered
large rivers with his tail, sent forth a thick steam from his ears,
and flames from his nostrils.
At length Ivan the peasant's son came to an unknown country, and rode
through it for thirty days and thirty nights, until at length he
arrived at the Chinese Empire. There he dismounted, and turned his
good steed out into the open fields, while he went into the city and
bought himself a bladder, drew it over his head, and went round the
Tsar's palace. Then the folks asked him whence he came, and what kind
of man he was, and what were his father and mother's names. But Ivan
only replied to their questions, "I don't know." So they all took him
for a fool, and went and told the Chinese Tsar about him. Then the
Tsar ordered Ivan to be called, and asked where he came from and what
was his name; but he only answered as before, "I don't know." So the
Tsar ordered him to be driven out of the Court. But it happened that
there was a gardener in the crowd, who begged the Tsar to give the
fool over to him that he might employ him in gardening. The Tsar
consented, and the man took Ivan into the garden, and set him to weed
the beds whilst he went his way.
Then Ivan lay down under a tree and fell fast asleep. In the night he
awoke, and broke down all the trees in the garden. Early the next
morning the gardener came and looked round, and was terrified at what
he beheld: so he went to Ivan the peasant's son and fell to abusing
him, and asked him who had destroyed all the trees. But Ivan only
replied, "I don't know." The gardener was afraid to tell this to the
Tsar; but the Tsar's daughter looked out of her window and beheld with
amazement the devastation, and asked who had done it all. The gardener
replied that fool Know-nothing had destroyed the noble trees; but
entreated her not to tell her father, promising to put the garden
into a better condition than it was before.
Ivan did not sleep the next night, but went and drew water from the
well, and watered the broken trees; and early in the morning they
began to rise and grow; and when the sun rose they were all covered
with leaves, and were even finer than ever. When the gardener came
into the garden he was amazed at the change; but he did not again ask
Know-nothing any questions, as he never returned an answer. And when
the Tsar's daughter awoke, she rose from her bed, and looking out into
the garden, she saw it in a better state than before; then, sending
for the gardener, she asked him how it had all happened in so short a
time. But the man answered that he could not himself understand it,
and the Tsar's daughter began to think Know-nothing was in truth
wonderfully wise and clever. From that moment she loved him more than
herself, and sent him food from her own table.
Now the Chinese Tsar had three daughters, who were all very beautiful:
the eldest was named Duasa, the second Skao, and the youngest, who had
fallen in love with Ivan the peasant's son, was named Lotao. One day
the Tsar called them to him and said to them: "My dear daughters, fair
Princesses, the time is come that I wish to see you married; and I
have called you now to bid you choose husbands from the princes of the
countries around." Then the two eldest instantly named two Tsareviches
with whom they were in love; but the youngest fell to weeping, and
begged her father to give her for wife to Know-nothing. At this
request the Tsar was amazed, and said: "Have you lost your senses,
daughter, that you wish to marry the fool Know-nothing, who cannot
speak even a word?" "Fool as he may be," she answered, "I entreat you,
my lord father, to let me marry him." "If nothing else will please
you," said the Tsar sorrowfully, "take him--you have my consent."
Soon after, the Tsar sent for the Princes whom his eldest daughters
had chosen for husbands; they obeyed the invitation instantly, and
came with all speed to China, and the weddings were celebrated. The
Princess Lotao also was married to Ivan the peasant's son, and her
elder sisters laughed at her for choosing a fool for a husband.
Not long afterwards a great army invaded the country, and its leader,
the knight Polkan, demanded of the Tsar his daughter, the beautiful
Lotao, for wife, threatening that, if he did not consent, he would
burn his country with fire and slay his people with the sword, throw
the Tsar and Tsarina into prison, and take their daughter by force.
At these threats the Tsar was aghast with terror, and instantly
ordered his armies to be collected; and they went forth, commanded by
the two Princes, against Polkan. Then the two armies met, and fought
like two terrible thunder-clouds, and Polkan overthrew the army of the
Chinese Tsar.
At this time the Princess came to her husband, Ivan the peasant's son,
and said to him: "My dear friend Know-nothing, they want to take me
from you; the infidel knight Polkan has invaded our country with his
army and routed our hosts with his terrible sword." Then Ivan told the
Princess to leave him in peace; and, jumping out of the window, he ran
into the open fields, and cried aloud:
"Sivka Burka! he!
Fox of Spring! Appear!
Like a grass blade, here
Stand before me!"
The horse galloped until the earth trembled: from his ears came steam,
from his nostrils flames. Ivan the peasant's son crept into his ear to
change himself, and came out looking such a brave knight as no pen can
write down or story tell. Then he rode up to the army of Polkan, and
laid about him with his sword, trod the army down under his horse's
hoofs, and drove it quite out of the kingdom. At the sight of this the
Chinese Tsar came to Ivan, but knew him not, and invited him to his
palace; but Ivan answered: "I am not your subject and I will not serve
you." And so saying, away he rode, let his horse run loose in the open
fields, went back to the palace, crept again through the window, drew
the bladder over his head, and lay down to sleep.
The Tsar gave a public feast for this great victory, and it lasted
several days; until the knight Polkan once more invaded the country
with a fresh army, and again demanded with threats the youngest
Princess for his wife. The Tsar instantly assembled his armies again,
and sent them against Polkan; but the knight defeated them forthwith.
Then Lotao went to her husband, and everything happened exactly as
before; and Ivan again drove Polkan and his army out of the empire.
Thereupon the Tsar invited him to his palace; but without heeding him,
Ivan turned off his horse in the fields, went back to the palace, and
lay down to sleep. So the Tsar gave another feast, in honour of the
victory over Polkan; but he marvelled what hero it could be who had so
bravely defended his realm.
After a while, Polkan a third time invaded the empire, and all fell
out as before: Ivan jumped out of the window, ran into the fields,
mounted his steed, and rode forth against the enemy. Then the horse
said in a human voice: "Listen, Ivan Peasantson! we have now a hard
task to perform; defend yourself as stoutly as possible, and stand
firm against Polkan--otherwise you and the whole Chinese army will be
destroyed." Then Ivan spurred his steed, rode against Polkan's host,
and began to slay them right and left. When Polkan saw that his army
was defeated, he flew into a rage, and fell upon Ivan the peasant's
son like a furious lion, and a fight began between the two horses, at
the sight of which the whole army stood aghast. They fought for a long
time, and Polkan wounded Ivan in the left hand. Thereupon Ivan the
peasant's son, in a fierce rage, aimed his javelin at Polkan, and
pierced him through the heart: then he struck off his head, and drove
the whole army out of China.
Ivan now went to the Chinese Tsar, who bowed to the ground, and
invited him to his palace. The Princess Lotao, seeing blood upon
Ivan's left hand, bound it up with her handkerchief, and invited him
to remain in the palace; but, without heeding her, Ivan mounted his
steed and trotted off. Then he turned his horse into the fields, and
went himself to sleep.
The Tsar again ordered a great banquet to be prepared; and the
Princess Lotao went to her husband and tried to awaken him, but all in
vain. On a sudden she beheld with surprise golden hair upon his head,
from which the bladder had fallen off; and, stepping up to him, she
saw her handkerchief bound on his left hand; and now she knew that he
it had been who had three times defeated and at last slain Polkan.
Then she ran instantly to her father, led him into the apartment, and
said: "See, my father! You told me I had married a fool; look closely
at his hair, and at this wound which he received from Polkan." Then
the Tsar saw that it had been he who had thrice delivered his empire,
and he rejoiced greatly.
When Ivan the peasant's son awoke, the Emperor took him by his white
hands, led him into the palace, thanked him for the services he had
rendered; and being himself far advanced in years, he placed the crown
upon Ivan's head. Then Ivan mounted the throne, and ruled happily, and
lived with his wife for many years in the greatest harmony and love.