IVÁSHKO AND THE WISE WOMAN Once there lived an old man and an old dame, and they only had one little son, and you can’t imagine how they loved him. One day Iváshechko asked his mother and father, “Please may I go and catch fish?” “What nonsense! you’re much too little yet: you might get drowned, and that would be a fine story.” “Oh, no, I won’t get drowned. I’ll go and catch you a fish: let me go!” So grandfather gave him a little white shirt to wear, with a big red sash, and off he went. Soon he was sitting in a boat and singing: Little boat, little boat, sail far away, O’er the blue water away and away. The little skiff sailed far and far away and Iváshechko started fishing. Soon, how long I don’t know, up came the mother to the shore and said: Iváshechko, Iváshechko, my little son, Up to the shore let your little boat run: Here is some drink and here is a bun! And Iváshechko said: Little boat, little boat, sail to the shore: My mother’s calling me. The little skiff sailed up to the shore; the woman took the fish and fed her little boy, changed his shirt and sash and sent him out again to catch fish. And there he sat on the boat and sang: Little boat, little boat, sail far away, O’er the blue water away and away. The little boat sailed out so far away, and Iváshechko started fishing. Soon the grandfather came to the shore and called his son: Iváshechko, Iváshechko, my little son, Up to the shore let your little boat run: Here is some drink and here is a bun! And Iváshechko said: Little boat, little boat, sail to the shore: For father’s calling me! The little skiff sailed up to the shore; the grandfather took the fish and fed his little boy, changed his shirt and sash and sent him out again to catch fish. And there he sat on the boat and sang: Little boat, little boat, sail far away, O’er the blue water away and away. Now the wise woman saw how his grandparents called Iváshechko, and wanted to get hold of the boy. So she came to the shore and called out: Iváshechko, Iváshechko, my little son, Up to the shore let your little boat run: Here is some drink and here is a bun! But Iváshechko knew the voice, and whose voice it was. So he sang: Little boat, little boat, sail far away, O’er the blue water away and away. The Evil Woman’s calling me So the wise woman saw she must act the mother’s voice, so she ran to the smith and asked him, “Smith, just forge me a thin little voice like the one Iváshechko’s mother has, or I’ll eat you up!” So the smith forged the voice just like the mother’s. So up she went to the shore and sang: