for days she would dream about it. Then she looked out into the garden
through the golden lattice of her window, and longed with an
irresistible longing to walk in the open air upon the smooth lawn.
With great difficulty she at last persuaded her governesses to allow
her to do so, they agreeing on condition that she should keep with
them. So the crystal doors were thrown open, the oaken gates that shut
in the orchard turned on their hinges, and the princess found herself
on the green grass. She ran about, picking the sweet-scented flowers
and chasing the many-coloured butterflies. But she could not have been
a very prudent maiden, for she wandered away from her governesses,
with her face uncovered.
Just at that moment a raging hurricane, such as had never been seen or
heard before, passed by and fell upon the garden. It roared and
whistled round and round, then seizing the princess carried her far
away. The terrified governesses wrung their hands, and were for a time
speechless with grief. At last they rushed into the palace, and
throwing themselves on their knees before the king and queen, told
them with sobs and tears what had happened. They were overwhelmed with
sorrow and knew not what to do.
By this time quite a crowd of princes had arrived at the palace, and
seeing the king in such bitter grief, inquired the reason of it.
"Sorrow has touched my white hairs," said the king. "The hurricane has
carried off my dearly beloved child, the sweet Princess with the
Golden Hair, and I know not where it has taken her. Whoever finds this
out, and brings her back to me, shall have her for his wife, and with
her half my kingdom for a wedding present, and the remainder of my
wealth and titles after my death."
After hearing these words, princes and knights mounted their horses
and set off to search throughout the world for the beautiful Princess
with the Golden Hair, who had been carried away by Vikher.
Now among the seekers were two brothers, sons of a king, and they
travelled together through many countries asking for news of the
princess, but no one knew anything about her. But they continued their
search, and at the end of two years arrived in a country that lies in
the centre of the earth, and has summer and winter at the same time.
The princes determined to find out whether this was the place where
the hurricane had hidden the Princess with the Golden Hair. So they
began to ascend one of the mountains on foot, leaving their horses
behind them to feed on the grass. On reaching the top, they came in
sight of a silver palace supported on a cock's foot, while at one of
the windows the sun's rays shone upon a head of golden hair; surely it
could only belong to the princess. Suddenly the north wind blew so
violently, and the cold became so intense, that the leaves of the
trees withered and the breath froze. The two princes tried to keep
their footing, and battled manfully against the storm, but they were
overcome by its fierceness and fell together, frozen to death.
Their broken-hearted parents waited for them in vain. Masses were
said, charities distributed, and prayers sent up to God to pity them
in their sorrow.
One day when the queen, the mother of the princes, was giving a poor
old man some money she said to him, "My good old friend, pray God to
guard our sons and soon bring them back in good health."
[Illustration]
"Ah, noble lady," answered he, "that prayer would be useless.
Everlasting rest is all one may ask for the dead, but in return for
the love you have shown and the money you have given the poor and
needy, I am charged with this message--that God has taken pity on your
sorrow, and that ere long you will be the mother of a son, the like of
whom has never yet been seen."
The old man, having spoken thus, vanished.
The queen, whose tears were falling, felt a strange joy enter her
heart and a feeling of happiness steal over her, as she went to the
king and repeated the old man's words. And so it came to pass, for a
week or two later God sent her a son, and he was in no way like an
ordinary child. His eyes resembled those of a falcon, and his eyebrows
the sable's fur. His right hand was of pure gold, and his manner and
appearance were so full of an indescribable majesty, that he was
looked upon by every one with a feeling of awe.
His growth, too, was not like that of other children. When but three
days old, he stepped out of his swaddling-clothes and left his cradle.
And he was so strong that when his parents entered the room he ran
towards them, crying out, "Good morning, dear parents, why are you so
sad? Are you not happy at the sight of me?"
"We are indeed happy, dear child, and we thank God for having sent us
you in our great grief. But we cannot forget your two brothers; they
were so handsome and brave, and worthy of a great destiny. And our
sadness is increased when we remember that, instead of resting in
their own country in the tomb of their forefathers, they sleep in an
unknown land, perhaps without burial. Alas! it is three years since we
had news of them."
At these words the child's tears fell, and he embraced his parents and
said, "Weep no more, dear parents, you shall soon be comforted: for
before next spring I shall be a strong young man, and will look for my
brothers all over the world. And I will bring them back to you, if not
alive, yet dead: ay, though I have to seek them in the very centre of
the earth."
At these words and at that which followed the king and queen were
amazed. For the strange child, guided as it were by an invisible hand,
rushed into the garden, and in spite of the cold, for it was not yet
daylight, bathed in the early dew. When the sun had risen he threw
himself down near a little wood on the fine sand, rubbed and rolled
himself in it, and returned home, no longer a child but a youth.
It was pleasant to the king to see his son thrive in this way, and
indeed the young prince was the handsomest in the whole land. He grew
from hour to hour. At the end of a month he could wield a sword, in
two months he rode on horseback, in three months he had grown a
beautiful moustache of pure gold. Then he put on a helmet, and
presenting himself before the king and queen, said: "My much honoured
parents, your son asks your blessing. I am no longer a child, and now
go to seek my brothers. In order to find them I will, if necessary, go
to the furthest ends of the world."
"Ah, do not venture. Stay rather with us, dear son, you are still too
young to be exposed to the risks of such an undertaking."
"Adventures have no terrors for me," replied the young hero, "I trust
in God. Why should I for a moment hesitate to face these dangers?
Whatever Destiny has in store for us will happen, whatever we may do
to try to prevent it."
So they agreed to let him go. Weeping they bade him farewell, blessing
him and the road he was to travel.
A pleasant tale is soon told, but events do not pass so quickly.
The young prince crossed deep rivers and climbed high mountains, till
he came to a dark forest. In the distance he saw a cottage supported
on a cock's foot, and standing in the midst of a field full of
poppies. As he made his ways towards it he was suddenly seized by an
overpowering longing to sleep, but he urged on his horse, and breaking
off the poppy heads as he galloped through the field, came up close to
the house. Then he called out:
"Little cot, turn around, on thy foot turn thou free;
To the forest set thy back, let thy door be wide to me."
The cottage turned round with a great creaking noise, the door facing
the prince. He entered, and found an old woman with thin white hair
and a face covered with wrinkles, truly frightful to look upon. She
was sitting at a table, her head resting on her hands, her eyes fixed
on the ceiling, lost in deep thought. Near her were two beautiful
girls, their complexions like lilies and roses, and in every way sweet
to the eye.
"Ah, how do you do, Prince with Moustache of Gold, Hero with the
Golden Fist?" said old Yaga; "what has brought you here?"
Having told her the object of his journey, she replied, "Your elder
brothers perished on the mountain that touches the clouds, while in
search of the Princess with the Golden Hair, who was carried off by
Vikher, the hurricane."
"And how is this thief Vikher to be got at?" asked the prince.
"Ah, my dear child, he would swallow you like a fly. It is now a
hundred years since I went outside this cottage, for fear Vikher
should seize me and carry me off to his palace near the sky."
"I am not afraid of his carrying me off, I am not handsome enough for
that; and he will not swallow me either, for my golden hand can smash
anything."
"Then if you are not afraid, my dove, I will help you to the best of
my power. But give me your word of honour that you will bring me some
of the Water of Youth, for it restores even to the most aged the
beauty and freshness of youth."
"I give you my word of honour that I will bring you some."
"This then is what you must do. I will give you a pin-cushion for a
guide; this you throw in front of you, and follow whithersoever it
goes. It will lead you to the mountain that touches the clouds, and
which is guarded in Vikher's absence by his father and mother, the
northern blast and the south wind. On no account lose sight of the
pin-cushion. If attacked by the father, the northern blast, and
suddenly seized with cold, then put on this heat-giving hood: if
overpowered by burning heat of the south wind, then drink from this
cooling flagon. Thus by means of the pin-cushion, the hood, and the
flagon, you will reach the top of the mountain where the Princess with
the Golden Hair is imprisoned. Deal with Vikher as you will, only
remember to bring me some of the Water of Youth."
Our young hero took the heat-giving hood, the cooling flagon, and the
pin-cushion, and, after bidding farewell to old Yaga and her two
pretty daughters, mounted his steed and rode off, following the
pin-cushion, which rolled before him at a great rate.
Now a beautiful story is soon told, but the events of which it
consists do not in real life take place so rapidly.
When the prince had travelled through two kingdoms, he came to a land
in which lay a very beautiful valley that stretched into the far
distance, and above it towered the mountain that touches the sky. The
summit was so high above the earth you might almost fancy it reached
the moon.
The prince dismounted, left his horse to graze, and having crossed
himself began to follow the pin-cushion up steep and rocky paths. When
he had got half-way there the north wind began to blow, and the cold
was so intense that the wood of the trees split up and the breath
froze: he felt chilled to the heart. But he quickly put on the
heat-giving hood, and cried:
"O Heat-Giving Hood, see I fly now to thee,
Lend me quickly thine aid;
O hasten to warm ere the cold has killed me,
With thee I'm not afraid."
The northern blast blew with redoubled fury, but to no purpose. For
the prince was so hot that he streamed with perspiration, and indeed
was obliged to unbutton his coat and fan himself.
Here the pin-cushion stopped upon a small snow-covered mound. The
prince cleared away the snow, beneath which lay the frozen bodies of
two young men, and he knew them to be those of his lost brothers.
Having knelt beside them and prayed he turned to follow the
pin-cushion, which had already started, and was rolling ever higher
and higher. On reaching the top of the mountain he saw a silver palace
supported on a cock's foot, and at one of the windows, shining in the
sun's rays, a head of golden hair which could belong to no one but the
princess. Suddenly a hot wind began to blow from the south, and the
heat became so intense that leaves withered and dropped from the
trees, the grass dried up, and large cracks appeared in several places
of the earth's surface. Thirst, heat, and weariness began to tell upon
the young prince, so he took the cooling flagon from his pocket and
cried:
"Flagon, bring me quick relief
From this parching heat;
In thy draught I have belief,
Coolness it will mete."
After drinking deeply he felt stronger than ever, and so continued to
ascend. Not only was he relieved from the great heat, but was even
obliged to button up his coat to keep himself warm.
[Illustration]
The pin-cushion still led the way, ever climbing higher and higher,
while the prince followed close behind. After crossing the region of
clouds they came to the topmost peak of the mountain. Here the prince
came close to the palace, which can only be likened to a dream of
perfect beauty. It was supported on a cock's foot, and was built
entirely of silver, except for its steel gates and roof of solid gold.
Before the entrance was a deep precipice over which none but the birds
could pass. As the prince gazed upon the splendid building the
princess leaned out of one of the windows, and seeing him light shone
from her sparkling eyes, her lovely hair floated in the wind, and the
scent of her sweet breath filled the air. The prince sprang forward
and cried out:
"Silver Palace, oh turn, on thy foot turn thou free,
To the steep rocks thy back, but thy doors wide to me."
At these words it revolved creaking, the doorway facing the prince. As
he entered it returned to its original position. The prince went
through the palace till he came to a room bright as the sun itself,
and the walls, floor, and ceiling of which consisted of mirrors. He
was filled with wonder, for instead of one princess he saw twelve, all
equally beautiful, with the same graceful movements and golden hair.
But eleven were only reflections of the one real princess. She gave a
cry of joy on seeing him, and running to meet him, said: "Ah, noble
sir, you look like a delivering angel. Surely you bring me good news.
From what family, city, or country have you come? Perhaps my dear
father and mother sent you in search of me?"
"No one has sent me, I have come of my own free will to rescue you and
restore you to your parents."
When he had told her all that had passed she said, "Your devotion,
prince, is very great; may God bless your attempt. But Vikher the
hurricane is unconquerable, so, if life be dear to you, fly. Leave
this place before his return, which I expect every minute; he will
kill you with one glance of his eyes."
"If I should not succeed in saving you, sweet princess, life can be no
longer dear to me. But I am full of hope, and I beg you first to give
me some of the Strength-Giving Water from the Heroic Well, for this is
drunk by the hurricane."
The princess drew a bucketful of water, which the young man emptied at
one draught and then asked for another. This astonished her somewhat,
but she gave it him, and when he had drunk it he said, "Allow me,
princess, to sit down for a moment to take breath."
She gave him an iron chair, but directly he sat down it broke into a
thousand pieces. She then brought him the chair used by Vikher
himself, but although it was made of the strongest steel, it bent and
creaked beneath the prince's weight.
"Now you see," said he, "that I have grown heavier than your
unconquerable hurricane: so take courage, with God's help and your
good wishes I shall overcome him. In the meantime tell me how you pass
your time here."
"Alas! in bitter tears and sad reflections. My only consolation is
that I have been able to keep my persecutor at a distance, for he
vainly implores me to marry him. Two years have now passed away, and
yet none of his efforts to win my consent have been successful. Last
time he went away he told me that if on his return he had not guessed
the riddles I set him (the correct explanation of these being the
condition I have made for his marrying me), he would set them aside,
and marry me in spite of my objections."
"Ah, then I am just in time. I will be the priest on that occasion,
and give him Death for a bride."
At that moment a horrible whistling was heard.
"Be on your guard, prince," cried she, "here comes the hurricane."
The palace spun rapidly round, fearful sounds filled the building,
thousands of ravens and birds of ill omen croaked loudly and flapped
their wings, and all the doors opened with a tremendous noise.
Vikher, mounted on his winged horse that breathed fire, leapt into the
mirrored room, then stopped amazed at the sight before him. He was
indeed the hurricane, with the body of a giant and the head of a
dragon, and as he gazed his horse pranced and beat his wings.
"What is your business here, stranger?" he shouted: and the sound of
his voice was like unto a lion's roar.
"I am your enemy, and I want your blood," replied the prince calmly.
"Your boldness amuses me. At the same time, if you do not depart at
once I will take you in my left hand and crush every bone in your body
with my right."
"Try, if you dare, woman-stealer," he answered.
Vikher roared, breathing fire in his rage, and with his mouth wide
open threw himself upon the prince, intending to swallow him. But the
latter stepped lightly aside, and putting his golden hand down his
enemy's throat, seized him by the tongue and dashed him against the
wall with such force that the monster bounded against it like a ball,
and died within a few moments, shedding torrents of blood.
The prince then drew from different springs the water that _restores_,
that _revives_, and that _makes young_, and taking the unconscious
girl in his arms he led the winged horse to the door and said:
"Silver Palace, oh turn, on thy foot turn thou free,
To the steep rocks thy back, the courtyard may I see."
Whereupon the palace creaked round on the cock's foot, and the door
opened on the courtyard. Mounting the horse he placed the princess
before him, for she had by this time recovered from her swoon, and
cried:
"Fiery Horse with strength of wing,
I am now your lord;
Do my will in everything,
Be your law my word.
Where I point there you must go
At once, at once. The way you know."
And he pointed to the place where his brothers lay frozen in death.
The horse rose, pranced, beat the air with his wings, then, lifting
himself high in the air, came down gently where the two princes were
lying. The Prince with the Golden Hand sprinkled their bodies with the
Life-Restoring Water, and instantly the pallor of death disappeared,
leaving in its place the natural colour. He then sprinkled them with
the Water that Revives, after which they opened their eyes, got up,
and looking round said, "How well we have slept: but what has
happened? And how is it we see the lovely princess we sought in the
society of a young man, a perfect stranger to us?"
The Prince with the Golden Hand explained everything, embraced his
brothers tenderly, and taking them with him on his horse, showed the
latter that he wished to go in the direction of Yaga's cottage. The
horse rose up, pranced, lifted himself in the air, then, beating his
wings far above the highest forests, descended close by the cottage.
The prince said:
"Little cot, turn around, on thy foot turn thou free,
To the forest thy back, but thy door wide to me."
The cottage began to creak without delay, and turned round with the
floor facing the travellers. Old Yaga was on the look-out, and came to
meet them. As soon as she got the Water of Youth she sprinkled herself
with it, and instantly everything about her that was old and ugly
became young and charming. So pleased was she to be young again that
she kissed the prince's hands and said, "Ask of me anything you like,
I will refuse you nothing."
At that moment her two beautiful young daughters happened to look out
of the window, upon which the two elder princes, who were admiring
them, said, "Will you give us your daughters for wives?"
"That I will, with pleasure," said she, and beckoned them to her. Then
curtseying to her future sons-in-law, she laughed merrily and
vanished. They placed their brides before them on the same horse,
while the Prince with the Golden Hand, pointing to where he wished to
go, said:
"Fiery Horse with strength of wing,
I am now your lord;
Do my will in everything,
Be your law my word.
Where I point there you must go
At once, at once. The way you know."
The horse rose up, pranced, flapped his wings, and flew far above the
forest. An hour or two later he descended before the palace of the
Golden-Haired Princess's parents. When the king and queen saw their
only daughter who had so long been lost to them, they ran to meet her
with exclamations of joy and kissed her gratefully and lovingly, at
the same time thanking the prince who had restored her to them. And
when they heard the story of his adventures they said: "You, Prince
with the Golden Hand, shall receive our beloved daughter in marriage,
with the half of our kingdom, and the right of succession to the
remainder after us. Let us, too, add to the joy of this day by
celebrating the weddings of your two brothers."
The Princess with the Golden Hair kissed her father lovingly and said,
"My much honoured and noble sire and lord, the prince my bridegroom
knows of the vow I made when carried off by the hurricane, that I
would only give my hand to him who could answer aright my six enigmas:
it would be impossible for the Princess with the Golden Hair to break
her word."
The king was silent, but the prince said, "Speak, sweet princess, I am
listening."
"This is my first riddle: 'Two of my extremities form a sharp point,
the two others a ring, in my centre is a screw.'"
"A pair of scissors," answered he.
"Well guessed. This is the second: 'I make the round of the table on
only one foot, but if I am wounded the evil is beyond repair.'"
"A glass of wine."
"Right. This is the third: 'I have no tongue, and yet I answer
faithfully; I am not seen, yet every one hears me.'"
"An echo."
"True. This is the fourth: 'Fire cannot light me; brush cannot sweep
me; no painter can paint me; no hiding-place secure me.'"
"Sunshine."
"The very thing. This is the fifth: 'I existed before the creation of
Adam. I am always changing in succession the two colours of my dress.
Thousands of years have gone by, but I have remained unaltered both in
colour and form.'"
"It must be time, including day and night."
"You have succeeded in guessing the five most difficult, the last is
the easiest of all. 'By day a ring, by night a serpent; he who guesses
this shall be my bridegroom.'"
"It is a girdle."
"Now they are all guessed," said she, and gave her hand to the young
prince.
They knelt before the king and queen to receive their blessing. The
three weddings were celebrated that same evening, and a messenger
mounted the winged horse to carry the good news to the parents of the
young princes and to bring them back as guests. Meanwhile a
magnificent feast was prepared, and invitations were sent to all their
friends and acquaintances. And from that evening until the next
morning they ceased not to feast and drink and dance. I too was a
guest, and feasted with the rest; but though I ate and drank, the wine
only ran down my beard, and my throat remained dry.
IMPERISHABLE
[Illustration: Imperishable.]
Once upon a time, ever so many years ago, there lived a little old man
and a little old woman. Very old indeed were they, for they had lived
nearly a hundred years. But they took neither joy nor pleasure in
anything, and this because they had no children. They were now about
to keep the seventy-fifth anniversary of their wedding day, known as
the Diamond Wedding, but no guests were invited to share their simple
feast.
As they sat side by side they went over in memory the years of their
long life, and as they did so they felt sure that it was to punish
them for their sins that God had denied them the sweet happiness of
having children about them, and as they thought their tears fell fast.
At that moment some one knocked.
"Who is there?" cried the old woman, and ran to open the door. There
stood a little old man leaning on a stick, and white as a dove.
"What do you want?" asked the old woman.
"Charity," answered he.
The good old woman was kind-hearted, and she cut her last loaf in two,
giving one half to the beggar, who said, "I see you have been weeping,
good wife, and I know the reason of your tears; but cheer up, by God's
grace you shall be comforted. Though poor and childless to-day,
to-morrow you shall have family and fortune."