There was once upon a time a merchant, and he had two sons, Dmitry
and Ivan. Once the father bade his sons good-night, sent them off
to bed, and said to them: "Now, children, whatever you see in your
dreams, tell it all to me to-morrow morning, and whichever of you
hides his dream from me, no good thing will befall him." In the
morning the eldest son came to his father and said: "I dreamed,
dear father, that my brother Ivan flew high into the sky on twenty
eagles."--"Very good!" said the father; "and what didst thou dream,
Vania?" [59]--"Well, such rubbish, father, that it is impossible to
tell it."--"What dost thou mean? Speak!"--"No, I'll not!"--"Speak,
sir, when I bid thee!"--"No, I won't speak, I won't." The father
was very angry with his youngest son, and resolved to punish him
for his disobedience, so he sent for his overseers and bade them
strip Ivan naked and tie him to a post at the crossways as tightly
as possible. No sooner said than done. The overseers seized hold
of him, dragged him far, far away from home to the crossways, where
seven roads crossed, tied him by the hands and feet to the post, and
left him alone to his fate. The poor youth fared very badly. The sun
scorched him, the gnats and flies sucked his blood, hunger and thirst
tortured him. Fortunately for Ivan, a young Tsarevich happened to be
going along one of these seven roads; he saw the merchant's son, had
compassion on him, and bade his attendants untie him from the post,
dressed him in his own clothes, and saved him from a cruel death. The
Tsarevich took Ivan to his court, gave him to eat and drink, and asked
him who had tied him to the post. "My own father, who was angry with
me."--"And wherefore, pray? Surely thy fault was not small?"--"Well,
in fact, I would not obey him; I would not tell him what I saw in my
dreams."--"And for such a trifle as that he condemned thee to so cruel
a punishment! The villain! But surely he has outgrown his wits! But
what then didst thou see in thy dream?"--"I saw what I cannot even
tell unto thee, O Tsarevich!"--"What! Not tell? Not tell me? me, the
Tsarevich? What! I saved thee from a cruel death, and thou wilt not
do this trifle for me in return? Speak immediately, or it will not
be well with thee!"--"Nay, Tsarevich! I stick to my word. I haven't
told my father, and I'll not tell thee."--The Tsarevich boiled over
with unspeakable rage, and shrieked to his servants and attendants,
"Hi! my faithful servants, take this good-for-nothing boor, put
heavy irons on his hands, weld grievous fetters to his legs, and
cast him into my deep dungeon!" The servants did not think twice
about their master's commands; they seized Ivan the merchant's son,
loaded his hands and feet with fetters, and put him as God's slave in
the stone sack. A little and a long time passed by, and the Tsarevich
thought of marrying the thrice-wise Helena, the first maiden in the
whole earth for beauty and wisdom, so he made ready and went into
the strange country far away to marry this thrice-wise Helena. Now
it happened that the day after he had gone, his sister the Tsarevna
went walking in the garden hard by the very same dungeon in which
Ivan the merchant's son had been put. He saw the Tsarevna through
the little grated window, and cried to her with a lamentable voice:
"Dear mother Tsarevna, thy brother will never be married without my
help."--"Who art thou?" answered the Tsarevna. Ivan named his name
and added: "I suppose thou hast heard, O Tsarevna, of the trickeries
and the cunning wiles of the thrice-wise Helena? I have heard not
once nor twice that she has expedited many wooers into another
world; believe me that thy brother also will not be able to marry
her without me!"--"And thou art able to help the Tsarevich?"--"Able
and willing, but the falcon's wings are bound, and no way for him
is found."--The Tsarevna bade them release Ivan from his dungeon,
and gave him full liberty to do what was in his mind so long as he
only helped the Tsarevich to marry. And then Ivan the merchant's
son chose him comrades first of all, one by one, and added youth to
youth, and they were all as like to each other as if they had been
born brothers. He dressed them in mantles of one kind, sewn in one
and the same fashion; he mounted them on horses of one colour, and
like each other to a hair, and they all mounted and rode away. Twelve
was the number of the young comrades of Ivan the merchant's son. They
rode for one day, they rode for another day, and on the third day
they entered a gloomy forest, and Ivan said to his comrades: "Stay,
my brothers, there is here, on the verge of the precipice, an old tree;
a hollow, branchless tree; I must look into its hollow trunk and find
my fortune there." So he went to the tree he had described and plunged
his hand into the hollow trunk, and drew out of it an invisible cap,
hid it in his bosom, and returned to his comrades.
And they came to the realm of the thrice-wise Helena, went straight
into the capital, sought out the Tsarevich, and begged him: "Take
us into thy service, O Tsarevich; we will serve thee with a single
heart." The Tsarevich thought the matter over and said: "How can I
help taking such gallant youths into my service? perhaps in a strange
land they may be of service to me." And to each of them he assigned
his post; he made one his equerry, another his cook, but Ivan he bade
never to depart from his side.
The next day the Tsarevich attired himself in festal raiment, and went
forth to woo the thrice-wise Helena. She received him courteously,
regaled him with all manner of rich meats and drinks, and then she
said to the Tsarevich: "I don't at all mind being thy wife, but first
of all thou must accomplish these tasks. If thou do them I will be
thy faithful wife, but if not, thy haughty head shall wag no more on
thy stalwart shoulders."--"Why be afraid before the time? tell me thy
tasks, thrice-wise Helena!"--"This then is my first task for thee:
I shall have ready by to-morrow what I will not tell thee, and for
what purpose I do not know; show thy wit, then, and bring me the
fellow of it, of thine own devising." The Tsarevich went home from
the court by no means happy; his haughty head hung lower than his
stalwart shoulders. And Ivan met him and said: "Halve thy grief with
me, O Tsarevich, and it will be better for thee."--"Well, look now,"
said the Tsarevich, "Helena has set me a task that not a single wise
man in the world could do"--and he told Ivan all about it. "Well,"
said Ivan, "'tis not such a great matter after all! Pray to God and
lie down to sleep; the morning is wiser than the evening--to-morrow
we'll consider the matter." The Tsarevich lay down to sleep, but
Ivan the merchant's son put on his invisible cap, went as swiftly as
possible to the palace, ran through all the chambers, and made his
way right into the bedchamber of the thrice-wise Helena. And then he
heard her giving these orders to her favourite servant: "Take this
cloth-of-gold to my shoemaker, and let him make me shoes for my feet
as soon as possible." The servant ran with all her might, and behind
her ran Ivan. The cobbler set to work; the work seemed to burn his
fingers, so quickly did he do it; he beat the stuff with his little
hammer and stitched it with his needle; a little shoe was quickly
ready, and he put it on the little window-sill. Ivan the merchant's
son took the little shoe and hid it in his bosom. The shoemaker was in
great consternation: what was the meaning of it? His work had vanished
from before his eyes. He searched and searched. He rummaged in every
corner, but it was all in vain. "What marvel is this?" thought he;
"can the unclean spirit [60] be playing his tricks with me?" There
was no help for it. He set to work again with his awl, finished the
other slipper, and sent it by the servant-maid to the thrice-wise
Helena. But Ivan was after her again, crept like a shadow into
the palace in his invisible cap, stood behind the shoulders of the
thrice-wise Helena, and saw that she sat behind her little table and
began to cover the slipper with gold, embroider it with large pearls,
and set it thickly with precious stones. Ivan the merchant's son drew
his own slipper out of his bosom and began to do the like with it;
whenever she took up a little gem, he chose out just such another;
wherever she threaded a pearl, he took another and sewed that on
too. The thrice-wise Helena finished her work, looked at the slipper,
and couldn't admire it enough. She smiled, and thought to herself:
"We will see what the Tsarevich will present himself with to-morrow
morning." But Ivan the merchant's son awoke the Tsarevich very early
next morning, took the slipper from his bosom, and gave it to him. "Go
to thy lady and show her this slipper," said he; "there thou hast her
first task!" The Tsarevich washed and dressed himself, hastened to his
lady, and found her apartments full of Boyars and Grandees, and her
Councillors were all assembled there down to the very last one. There
was a noise of melody, there came a crash of lively music, the doors
of the inner chambers were thrown open, and out came the thrice-wise
Helena, sailing along like a white swan. She bowed on all sides, but
particularly to the Tsarevich: then she drew out of her pocket the
shoe, set with large pearls and adorned with precious stones, and she
looked at the Tsarevich with a mocking smile, and all the Boyars, the
Grandees, and the Councillors who were in the palace looked intently
at the Tsarevich. And the Tsarevich said to the thrice-wise Helena:
"Thy slipper is very fine, but 'tis no good at all unless it have a
fellow. Well, here it is, and I give thee the other, which is exactly
like it." And he drew out of his pocket the slipper, and placed it by
the side of the other one. The whole palace heaved a great "Oh!" The
Boyars, Grandees, and Councillors exclaimed with one voice: "Thou
art indeed worthy, O Tsarevich, to wed our Tsarevna, the thrice-wise
Helena."--"Not so quick, please," cried the Tsarevna; "let us see what
he'll make of the second task. I shall await thee to-morrow in this
self-same place, Tsarevich, and this is my task for thee: I shall have
an unexplainable somewhat disguised in feathers and in stones; bring
thou also just such another unknown, somewhat disguised in just such
feathers and stones." The Tsarevich bowed and went out, looking much
blacker than the evening before. "Well," thought he, "now indeed my
shoulders will not support my head very much longer." And again Ivan
the merchant's son met him and consoled him with a friendly smile:
"Come, Tsarevich, wherefore grieve? Pray to God and lie down to sleep,
the morning is wiser than the evening." Ivan made the Tsarevich lie
down, then he quickly took his invisible cap, darted into the palace,
and arrived just in time to hear the Tsarevna give this command to
her favourite servant: "Go into the fowl-yard and bring me hither a
duck." Off went the servant to the fowl-yard and Ivan after her; she
put a duck under her arm, but Ivan hid a drake in his bosom, and they
came back the same way. The thrice-wise Helena again sat down at her
little table, took the duck, adorned its wings with ribands and its
little tail with amethysts, and fastened a necklace of pearls round
its neck; and Ivan saw it all, and did just the same to his drake.
The next day the Tsarevich again went up to the palace, and again
all the Boyars and Grandees were assembled there; again there was a
crash of music, and the doors of the inner chambers opened, and the
thrice-wise Helena came forth strutting along like a pea-hen. Behind
her came the maids of honour bearing a golden dish, and they all
saw that upon this dish beneath the white cloth some living thing
was moving about. Softly, very softly, the Tsarevna raised the cloth
from the dish, took out the duck, and said to the Tsarevich: "Well,
didst thou guess my riddle?"--"How could I help guessing it?" replied
the Tsarevich, "there's nothing so very knowing in such a task as
that," and forthwith he put his hand into his cap and drew out his
dressed-up drake.
All the Boyars and Grandees cried "Oh!" and with one voice exclaimed:
"Well done, young hero Tsarevich! Thou art indeed worthy to take
Helena the thrice-wise to wife." But Helena the thrice-wise knit her
brows and said: "Stop a bit! Let him first fulfil my third task. If
he be such a hero, let him fetch me three hairs from the head, and
three hairs from the beard, of my grandfather, the Sea-king, and then
I am ready to be his wife." The Tsarevich returned home gloomier than
an autumn night: he would look at nothing and speak to nobody. "Don't
fret, Tsarevich!" whispered Ivan the merchant's son in his ear, and he
seized his invisible cap, and was in the palace in a trice, and saw
the thrice-wise Helena sitting in her state-coach and preparing to
drive to the blue sea. And our Ivan, in his invisible cap, took his
seat in the very carriage, and the fiery horses of the Tsar carried
them in hot haste to the blue sea.
So the thrice-wise Helena arrived at the blue sea, sat under a rock
by the shore on a large stone, turned her face to the blue sea,
and began to call her dear grandad the Sea-king. The blue sea boiled
as in a storm, and despite a great calm, the depths of the sea were
disturbed by a huge wave; a crest of silvery foam worked its way up,
rolled along the shore as if caressing it, broke up gradually on
the golden beach, scattering crystal jets and pearly shells on the
shore, and there rose out of the water, up to the waist, the old,
old grandfather. On his head heaps and heaps of gray locks sparkled
like silver in the sun, dripping wet, and great tufts of hair hung
over his brows; but his face was covered with a thick, thick golden
beard like moss; he rode up to the breast in a broad big wave which
swept over his shoulders and hid his body to the waist. The ocean
grandfather leaned against a stone with his goose-like paws, looked
with his green eyes into the eyes of the thrice-wise Helena, and cried:
"Hail, granddaughter of my desires. 'Tis a long time since I have
seen thee; 'tis a long time since thou hast visited me. And now,
please, comb my little head for me." And he leaned his unkempt head
against the knee of his granddaughter, and dozed off into a sweet
sleep. But the thrice-wise Helena began smoothing her grandfather's
hair and winding his gray locks round her fingers to curl them, and
whispering soft words in her grandfather's ear, and lulling him to
sleep with gentle songs; and as soon as she saw that her grandfather
was asleep she tugged three silver hairs out of his head. But Ivan
the merchant's son, slipping his hand below hers, wrenched out a
whole handful. The grandfather awoke, looked at his granddaughter,
and said sleepily: "Art thou mad? It hurts me horribly!"--"Pardon,
dear grandfather," said the thrice-wise Helena, "but it's such a
long time since I did thy hair, that it is quite tangled." But the
grandfather did not hear her to the end; he was already snoring,
and shortly afterwards the Tsarevna pulled three golden hairs out
of his beard. Ivan the merchant's son thought, "I must have some of
that too," seized the grandfather by the beard, and tore out a good
piece of it. The sea-grandfather roared aloud, awoke from his sleep,
and dived into the depths like a bucket--only bubbles remained behind.
Next day the Tsarevna entered the palace and thought: "The Tsarevich
really will fall into my clutches now." And she showed the Tsarevich
the three golden hairs and the three silver ones: "Well, Tsarevich,
hast managed to pick up such wonderful things as these?"--"Well,
Tsarevna, that's a lot to boast of, I must say! Why, I'll give thee
whole handfuls of such rubbish if thou wilt." And the whole palace
resounded with cries of amazement when the Tsarevich drew from his
breast the grandfather's hairs. The thrice-wise Helena was very
wroth; she rushed off to her bedroom, looked into her magic books,
and saw that it was not the Tsarevich who was so knowing, but his
favourite servant, Ivan the merchant's son. She returned to her
guests and said in soft and wheedling tones: "Thou hast not guessed
my riddles and done my tasks of thine own self alone, Tsarevich, but
thy favourite servant Ivan has helped thee. I should like to look at
the good youth. Bring him to me quickly."--"I have not one servant
but twelve servants, Tsarevna."--"Then bring him hither whose name is
Ivan!"--"They are all called Ivan."--"Then let them all come," said
she, but she thought to herself: "I'll pick out the guilty party,
I know." The Tsarevich sent for his servants, and the twelve youths
appeared at court. They were all of one face and one stature; their
voices were all alike, and there was not a hair's difference between
them. "Which among you is the biggest?" And they all cried with a loud
voice: "I am the biggest, I am the biggest!"--"Well," thought Helena,
"I can't catch you this way, but I'll manage it somehow." And she
bade them bring eleven common drinking-cups, but the twelfth of pure
gold; she filled the drinking-cups full with good wine, and gave them
to the good youths to drink. But not one of them would look at the
common cups, and all stretched out their hands towards the golden cup,
so in struggling for it they only made a great clamour, and all the
wine was spilled. The Tsarevna perceived that her artifice had failed,
so she invited all the servants of the Tsarevich to pass the night at
the palace. All the evening she gave them as much as they could eat
and drink, and then she gave them soft downy beds to lie upon. And
when all the good youths were sound asleep, then the thrice-wise
Helena came to them in their bedroom, looked into her magic book, and
immediately discovered which of them was Ivan the merchant's son. Then
she drew out her penknife and cut off the lock of hair over his left
temple, and she thought to herself: "By that mark I shall know you
in the morning and have you punished." But in the morning, Ivan the
merchant's son awoke before them all, clapped his hand to his head,
and saw that he was shorn of his lock. He immediately rose from his
bed and awoke all his comrades: "Quick, my brothers! take your knives
and shear off your locks." In an hour's time they were summoned to
the presence of the thrice-wise Helena. The Tsarevna looked and saw
that all of them had their locks shorn off. Full of rage, she seized
her magic book, pitched it into the fire, called the Tsarevich to her,
and said to him: "I'll be thy wife, make ready for the wedding!" And
the Tsarevich sent for his good youths, and said to Ivan: "Go to my
sister and bid her make ready everything for the wedding." Ivan went
to the Tsarevna, told her of her brother, and gave her his command. "I
thank thee, thou good youth and faithful servant, for thy services,"
said the Tsarevich's sister to Ivan, "but say now, how shall I reward
thee?"--"How shalt thou reward me?" answered Ivan the merchant's son;
"why, bid them put me again in my old dungeon." And do what the
Tsarevna would to persuade him, he insisted upon it.
The Tsarevich and his bride arrived, and the Boyars, the Grandees,
and the festal guests came out to meet them, wished them health and
happiness, and presented them with bread and salt, and there were
so many people pressed together that you could have walked on their
heads. "But where is my faithful servant Ivan?" asked the Tsarevich;
"how is it I do not see him here?" The Tsarevna answered him:
"Thou thyself hadst him put into a dungeon because of a certain
dream."--"What! surely this is never the same person!"--"It's the
very same; I only let him out for a time to go and help thee." The
Tsarevich bade them bring Ivan to him, threw himself on his neck,
burst into tears, and begged him not to think evil of him. "But dost
thou know, O Tsarevich," said Ivan, "that I did not tell thee this
dream of mine because I saw beforehand in my slumbers all that has
now happened to thee. Judge now thyself and tell me, wouldst thou not
have thought me half mad if I had told thee all?" And the Tsarevich
rewarded Ivan, and made him the greatest in the realm after himself;
but Ivan wrote to his father and his brother, and they all lived
together and had no end of good things, and lived happily ever after.