Somewhere, nowhere, in a certain kingdom, in a certain empire, time
out of mind, and in no land of ours, dwelt a Tsar who was so proud, so
very proud, that he feared neither God nor man. He listened to no good
counsel from whithersoever it might come, but did only that which was
good in his own eyes, and nobody durst put him right. And all his
ministers and nobles grieved exceedingly, and all the people grieved
likewise.
One day this Tsar went to church; the priest was reading from Holy
Scripture, and so he needs must listen. Now there were certain words
there which pleased him not. "To say such words to me!" thought he,
"words that I can never forget, though I grow grey-headed." After
service the Tsar went home, and bade them send the priest to him.
The priest came. "How durst thou read such and such passages to me?"
said the Tsar.--"They were written to be read," replied the
priest.--"Written, indeed! And wouldst thou then read everything that
is written? Smear those places over with grease, and never dare to
read them again, I say!"--"'Tis not I who have written those words,
your Majesty," said the priest; "nor is it for such as I to smear
them over."--"What! thou dost presume to teach me? I am the Tsar, and
it is thy duty to obey me."--"In all things will I obey thee, O
Tsar, save only in sacred things. God is over them, men cannot
alter them."--"Not alter them!" roared the Tsar; "if I wish them
altered, altered they must be. Strike me out those words instantly,
I say, and never dare read them in church again. Dost hear?"--"I dare
not," said the priest, "I have no will in the matter."--"I command
thee, fellow!"--"I dare not, O Tsar!"--"Well," said the Tsar, "I'll
give thee three days to think about it, and on the evening of the
fourth day appear before me, and I'll strike thy head from thy
shoulders if thou dost not obey me!" Then the priest bowed low and
went home.
The third day was already drawing to a close, and the priest knew not
what to do. It was no great terror to him to die for the faith, but
what would become of his wife and children? He walked about, and wept,
and wrung his hands: "Oh, woe is me! woe is me!" At last he lay down
on his bed, but sleep he could not. Only toward dawn did he doze off,
then he saw in a dream an angel standing at his head. "Fear nothing!"
said the angel. "God hath sent me down on earth to protect thee!" So,
early in the morning, the priest rose up full of joy and prayed
gratefully to God.
The Tsar also awoke early in the morning, and bawled to his huntsmen
to gather together and go a-hunting with him in the forest.
So away they went hunting in the forest, and it was not long before a
stag leaped out of the thicket beneath the very eyes of the Tsar. Off
after it went the Tsar; every moment the stag seemed to be faltering,
and yet the Tsar could never quite come up with it. Hot with
excitement, the Tsar spurred his horse on yet faster. "Gee up! gee
up!" he cried; "now we've got him!" But here a stream crossed the
road, and the stag plunged into the water. The Tsar was a good
swimmer. "I've got him now, at any rate," thought he. "A little
longer, and I shall hold him by the horns." So the Tsar took off his
clothes, and into the water he plunged after the stag. But the stag
swam across to the opposite bank, and the Tsar was extending his hand
to seize him by the horns--when there was no longer any stag to be
seen. It was the angel who had taken the form of a stag. The Tsar was
amazed. He looked about him on every side, and wondered where the stag
had gone. Then he saw some one on the other side of the river putting
on his clothes, and presently the man mounted his horse and galloped
away. The Tsar thought it was some evil-doer, but it was the self-same
angel that had now put on the Tsar's clothes and gone away to collect
the huntsmen and take them home. As for the Tsar, he remained all
naked and solitary in the forest.
At last he looked about him and saw, far, far away, smoke rising above
the forest, and something like a dark cloud standing in the clear sky.
"Maybe," thought he, "that is my hunting-pavilion." So he went in the
direction of the smoke, and came at last to a brick-kiln. The
brick-burners came forth to meet him, and were amazed to see a naked
man. "What is he doing here?" they thought. And they saw that his feet
were lame and bruised, and his body covered with scratches. "Give me
to drink," said he, "and I would fain eat something also." The
brick-burners had pity on him; they gave him an old tattered garment
to wear and a piece of black bread and a gherkin to eat. Never from
the day of his birth had the Tsar had such a tasty meal. "And now
speak, O man!" said they; "who art thou?"--"I'll tell you who I am,"
said he, when he had eaten his fill; "I am your Tsar. Lead me to my
capital, and there I will reward you!"--"What, thou wretched rogue!"
they cried, "thou dost presume to mock us, thou old ragamuffin, and
magnify thyself into a Tsar! Thou reward us, indeed!" And they looked
at him in amazement and scorn.--"Dare to laugh at me again," said he,
"and I'll have your heads chopped off!" For he forgot himself, and
thought he was at home.--"What! thou!" Then they fell upon him and
beat him. They beat him and hauled him about most unmercifully, and
then they drove him away, and off he went bellowing through the
forest.
He went on and on till at last he saw once more a smoke rising up out
of the wood. Again he thought, "That is surely my hunting-pavilion,"
and so he went up to it. And toward evening he came to another
brick-kiln. There, too, they had pity upon and kindly entreated him.
They gave him to eat and to drink. They also gave him ragged hose and
a tattered shirt, for they were very poor people. They took him to be
a runaway soldier, or some other poor man, but when he had eaten his
fill and clothed himself, he said to them, "I am your Tsar!" They
laughed at him, and again he began to talk roughly to the people. Then
they fell upon him and thrashed him soundly, and drove him right away.
And he wandered all by himself through the forest till it was night.
Then he laid him down beneath a tree, and so he passed the night, and
rising up very early, fared on his way straight before him.
At last he came to a third brick-kiln, but he did not tell the
brick-burners there that he was the Tsar. All he thought of now was
how he might reach his capital. The people here, too, treated him
kindly, and seeing that his feet were lame and bruised, they had
compassion upon him, and gave him a pair of very, very old boots. And
he asked them, "Do ye know by which way I can get to the capital?"
They told him, but it was a long, long journey that would take the
whole day.
So he went the way they had told him, and he went on and on till he
came to a little town, and there the roadside sentries stopped him.
"Halt!" they cried. He halted. "Your passport!"[20]--"I have
none."--"What! no passport? Then thou art a vagabond. Seize him!" they
cried. So they seized him and put him in a dungeon. Shortly after they
came to examine him, and asked him, "Whence art thou?"--"From such and
such a capital," said he. Then they ordered him to be put in irons and
taken thither.
[20] This is a good instance of the modern intrusions in these ancient
_kazki_. An angel and a passport in the same tale!
So they took him back to that capital and put him in another dungeon.
Then the custodians came round to examine the prisoners, and one said
one thing and one said another, till at last it came to the turn of
the Tsar.--"Who art thou, old man?" they asked. Then he told them the
whole truth. "Once I was the Tsar," said he, and he related all that
had befallen him. Then they were much amazed, for he was not at all
like a Tsar. For indeed he had been growing thin and haggard for a
long time, and his beard was all long and tangled. And yet, for all
that, he stood them out that he was the Tsar. So they made up their
minds that he was crazy, and drove him away. "Why should we keep this
fool for ever," said they, "and waste the Tsar's bread upon him?" So
they let him go, and never did any man feel so wretched on God's earth
as did that wretched Tsar. Willingly would he have done any sort of
work if he had only known how, but he had never been used to work, so
he had to go along begging his bread, and could scarce beg enough to
keep body and soul together. He lay at night at the first place that
came to hand, sometimes in the tall grass of the steppes, sometimes
beneath a fence. "That it should ever have come to this!" he sighed.
But the angel who had made himself Tsar went home with the huntsmen.
And no man knew that he was not a Tsar, but an angel. The same evening
that priest came to him and said, "Do thy will, O Tsar, and strike off
my head, for I cannot blot out one word of Holy Scripture."--And the
Tsar said to him, "Glory be to God, for now I know that there is at
least one priest in my tsardom who stands firm for God's Word. I'll
make thee the highest bishop in this realm." The priest thanked him,
bowed down to the earth, and departed marvelling. "What is this
wonder?" thought he, "that the haughty Tsar should have become so just
and gentle."--But all men marvelled at the change that had come over
the Tsar. He was now so mild and gracious, nor did he spend all his
days in the forest, but went about inquiring of his people if any
were wronged or injured by their neighbours, and if justice were done.
He took count of all, and rebuked the unjust judges, and saw that
every man had his rights. And the people now rejoiced as much as they
had grieved heretofore, and justice was done in all the tribunals, and
no bribes were taken.
[Illustration: THE TSAR WENT ABOUT INQUIRING OF HIS PEOPLE IF ANY WERE
WRONGED]
But the Tsar, the real Tsar, grew more and more wretched. Then, after
three years, a ukase went forth that on such and such a day all the
people were to come together to a great banquet given by the Tsar, all
were to be there, both rich and poor, both high and lowly. And all the
people came, and the unhappy Tsar came too. And so many long tables
were set out in the Tsar's courtyard that all the people praised God
when they saw the glad sight. And they all sat down at table and ate
and drank, and the Tsar himself and his courtiers distributed the meat
and drink to the guests as much as they would, but to the unfortunate
Tsar they gave a double portion of everything. And they all ate and
drank their fill, and then the Tsar began to inquire of the people
whether any had suffered wrong or had not had justice done him. And
when the people began to disperse, the Tsar stood at the gate with a
bag of money, and gave to every one a _grivna_,[21] but to the unhappy
Tsar he gave three.
[21] About twopence-halfpenny.
And after three years the Tsar gave another banquet, and again
entertained all the people. And when he had given them both to eat and
to drink as much as they would, he inquired of them what was being
done in his tsardom, and again gave a _grivna_ to each one of them;
but to the unlucky Tsar he gave a double portion of meat and drink and
three _grivni_.
And again, after three years, he made yet another banquet, and
proclaimed that all should come, both rich and poor, both earls and
churls. And all the people came and ate and drank and bowed low before
the Tsar and thanked him, and made ready to depart. The unlucky Tsar
was also on the point of going, when the angel Tsar stopped him, and
took him aside into the palace, and said to him, "Lo! God hath tried
thee and chastised thy pride these ten years. But me He sent to teach
thee that a Tsar must have regard to the complaints of his people. So
thou wast made poor and a vagabond on the face of the earth that thou
mightst pick up wisdom, if but a little. Look now, that thou doest
good to thy people, and judgest righteous judgment, as from henceforth
thou shalt be Tsar again, but I must fly back to God in heaven."--And
when he had said this he bade them wash and shave him (for his beard
had grown right down to his girdle), and put upon him the raiment of a
Tsar. And the angel said further, "Go now into the inner apartments.
There the courtiers of the Tsar are sitting and making merry, and none
will recognize in thee the vagabond old man. May God help thee always
to do good!" And when the angel had said this he was no more to be
seen, and only his clothes remained on the floor.
Then the Tsar prayed gratefully to God, and went to the merry-making
of his courtiers, and henceforth he ruled his people justly, as the
angel had bidden him.
THE STORY OF IVAN AND THE
DAUGHTER OF THE SUN
There were once upon a time four brethren, and three of them remained
at home, while the fourth went out to seek for work. This youngest
brother came to a strange land, and hired himself out to a husbandman
for three gold pieces a year. For three years he served his master
faithfully, so, at the end of his time, he departed with nine gold
pieces in his pocket. The first thing he now did was to go to a
spring, and into this spring he threw three of his gold pieces. "Let
us see now," said he, "if I have been honest, they will come swimming
back to me." Then he lay down by the side of the spring and went fast
asleep. How long he slept there, who can tell? but at any rate he woke
up at last and went to the spring, but there was no sign of his money
to be seen. Then he threw three more of the gold pieces into the
spring, and again he lay down by the side of it and slept. Then he got
up and went and looked into the spring, and still there was no sign of
the money. So he threw in his three remaining gold pieces, and again
lay down and slept. The third time he arose and looked into the
spring, and there, sure enough, was his money: all nine of the gold
pieces were floating on the surface of the water!
And now his heart felt lighter, and he gathered up the nine gold
pieces and went on his way. On the road he fell in with three
_katsapi_[22] with a laden wagon. He asked them concerning their
wares, and they said they were carrying a load of incense. He begged
them straightway to sell him this incense. Then they sold it to him
for the gold pieces, and when he had bought it and they had
departed, he kindled fire and burnt the incense, and offered it up
to God as a sweet-smelling sacrifice. Then an angel flew down to
him, and said, "Oh, thou that hast offered this sweet-smelling
sacrifice to God, what dost thou want for thine own self? Dost thou
want a tsardom, or great riches? Or, perchance, the desire of thy
heart is a good wife? Speak, for God will give thee whatsoever thou
desirest." When the man had listened to the angel, he said to him,
"Tarry a while! I will go and ask those people who are ploughing
yonder." Now those people who were ploughing there were his own
brethren, but he did not know that they were his brethren. So he went
up and said to the elder brother, "Tell me, uncle, what shall I ask
of God? A tsardom, or great riches, or a good wife? Tell me, which of
the three is the best gift to ask for?"--And his eldest brother
said to him, "I know not, and who does know? Go and ask some one
else." So he went to the second brother, who was ploughing a little
farther on. He asked him the same question, but the man only
shrugged his shoulders and said he didn't know either. Then he went to
the third brother, who was the youngest of the three, and also
ploughing there. And he asked him, saying, "Tell me, now, which is
the best gift to ask of God: a tsardom, or great riches, or a good
wife?"--And the third brother said, "What a question! Thou art too
young for a tsardom, and great riches last but for a little while;
ask God for a good wife, for if it please God to give thee a good
wife, 'tis a gift that will bless thee all thy life long." So he went
back to the angel and asked for a good wife. Then he went on his way
till he came to a certain wood, and, looking about him, he perceived
that in this wood was a lake. And while he was looking at it,
three wild doves came flying along and lit down upon this lake. They
threw off their plumage and plunged into the water, and then he saw
that they were not wild doves, but three fair ladies. They bathed in
the lake, and in the meantime the youth crept up and took the raiment
of one of them and hid it behind the bushes. When they came out of
the water the third lady missed her clothes. Then the youth said to
her, "I know where thy clothes are, but I will not give them to thee
unless thou wilt be my wife."--"Good!" cried she, "thy wife will I
be." Then she dressed herself, and they went together to the
nearest village. When they got there, she said to him, "Now go to
the nobleman who owns the land here, and beg him for a place where
we may build us a hut." So he went right up to the nobleman's castle
and entered his reception-room, and said, "Glory be to God!"--"For
ever and ever!" replied the nobleman. "What dost thou want here,
Ivan?"--"I have come, sir, to beg of thee a place where I may build me
a hut."--"A place for a hut, eh? Good, very good. Go home, and
I'll speak to my overseer, and he shall appoint thee a place."--So
he returned from the nobleman's castle, and his wife said to him, "Go
now into the forest and cut down an oak, a young oak, that thou
canst span round with both arms." So he cut down such an oak as his
wife had told him of, and she built a hut of the oak, for the overseer
had come and shown them a place where they might build their hut. But
when the overseer returned home he praised loudly to his master the
wife of this Ivan. "She is such and such," said he. "Fair she may
be," replied the nobleman, "but she is another's."--"She need not be
another's for long," replied the overseer. "This Ivan is in our
hands; let us send him to see why it is the sun grows so red when he
sets."--"That's just the same as if you sent him to a place whence he
can never return."--"All the better."--Then they sent for Ivan, and
gave him this errand, and he returned home to his wife, weeping
bitterly. Then his wife asked him all about it, and said, "Well, I
can tell thee all about the ways of the sun, for I am the sun's
own daughter. So now I'll tell thee the whole matter. Go back to this
nobleman and say to him that the reason why the sun turns so red as
he sets is this: Just as the sun is going down into the sea, three
fair ladies rise out of it, and it is the sight of them which makes
him turn so red all over!" So he went back and told them. "Oh-ho!"
cried they, "if you can go as far as that, you may now go a little
farther"; so they told him to go to hell and see how it was there.
"Yes," said his wife, "I know the road that leads to hell also very
well; but the nobleman must let his overseer go with thee, or else
he never will believe that thou really didst go to hell."--So the
nobleman told his overseer that he must go to hell too, so they
went together; and when they got there the rulers of hell laid
hands upon the overseer straightway. "Thou dog!" roared they,
"we've been looking out for thee for some time!" So Ivan returned
without the overseer, and the nobleman said to him, "Where's my
overseer?"--"I left him in hell," said Ivan, "and they said there that
they were waiting for you, sir, too." When the nobleman heard this
he hanged himself, but Ivan lived happily with his wife.
[22] _Lit._ Big billy-goats, the name given by the clean-shaved
Ruthenians to their hairy neighbours the Russians.
[Illustration: THE RULERS OF HELL LAID HANDS UPON THE OVERSEER
STRAIGHTWAY]