Russian Folk-TalesAfanas'ev, A. N. (Aleksandr Nikolaevich)
General
Russian Folk-Tales
Afanas'ev, A. N. (Aleksandr Nikolaevich)
Folklore -- Russia
“Forgive me, Márya Moryévna; let bygones be bygones: come away with me
now, whilst Koshchéy the Deathless is away: possibly he may not catch us
up.”
So they went away.
Now Koshchéy was out hunting. Towards evening he returned home, and his
horse stumbled. “Why, you sorry jade, are you stumbling, or is it some
evil that you fear?”
And the horse answered: “Iván Tsarévich has arrived, and has taken away
Márya Moryévna.”
“Can one catch them up?”
“You can sow wheat, wait until it grows up, harvest it, thresh it, turn
it into flour, make five stones of bread, eat the bread, and then set
out on the hunt, and we shall succeed.”
Koshchéy leapt on the horse, caught up Iván Tsarévich. “Now,” he said,
“for the first time I will let you go for your doughtyhood, as you fed
me with water; for the second time I will let you go; for the third
time, take care: I will tear you to morsels.” And he took Márya Moryévna
from him, took her away, and Iván Tsarévich sat on the stone and cried.
And he cried and he cried, and again came back to Márya Moryévna.
Koshchéy the Deathless was not at home: “Let us start, Márya Moryévna.”
“Oh, Iván Tsarévich, he will catch us up.”
“Well, let him; still we shall have one or two hours together.”
So they started, and off they went.
Koshchéy the Deathless came back home, and his good horse stumbled under
him. “Why, you sorry jade, are you stumbling, or is it some evil thing
which you fear?”
And the horse answered, “Iván Tsarévich has again arrived, and has taken
Márya Moryévna away.”
“Can one catch them up?”
“It would be possible to sow barley and to wait until it grows up, reap
it, thresh it, to brew beer, drink it until you were drunk, sleep out
your sleep and then to go on the hunt, and we should still succeed.”
Koshchéy leaped on his horse, caught up Iván Tsarévich, and said, “I
said you were not to see anything more of Márya Moryévna!” and he took
her away with him.
So Iván Tsarévich was again left alone, and he wept bitterly; and once
again he returned to Márya Moryévna, and this time too Koshchéy was not
at home. “Let us go, Márya Moryévna!”
“Oh, Iván Tsarévich, he will catch us up and he will tear you to bits.”
“Let him tear me to bits; I cannot live without you.”
So they got ready, and off they went.
Koshchéy the Deathless returned home, and under him his good horse
stumbled. “Why do you stumble, you sorry jade, or is it some evil that
you fear?”
“Iván Tsarévich has arrived, and has taken Márya Moryévna with him.”
Koshchéy leaped on his horse, caught up Iván Tsarévich, broke him up
into tiny bits, put them into a tar cask, took this cask, locked it with
iron bolts and threw it into the blue sea. And he took Márya Moryévna
away with him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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