The Russian Story Book 11

The Russian Story Book 11

"In all this royal city," he said, "there is no such hero as quiet

Dunai. From the land of Lithuania he carried away two white swans of

glorious plumage, one of whom he took for himself while he gave away

the other with ungrudging hand."

 

The Princess Nastasya looked at him, and a world of wisdom was in

her glance. "Your boast is emptiness, Dunai," she said. "I have not

dwelt long in this city, but I have learnt much. There are handsomer,

braver, more courteous heroes in Kiev town whom I could name. Neither

in deeds nor promise are these men lacking, and, apart from them,

even I, the wife of a boaster, have some skill with the bow. Let us

take a stout bow and set up a sharp dagger on the open steppe a mile

away, and before the dagger a silver ring. Then let us shoot through

the ring of silver at the sharp dagger in such a skilful way that

the shaft may fall into two equal parts against the dagger, into two

parts exactly equal both to the eye and to the discerning hand which

can tell weight from weight."

 

Thereupon quiet Dunai was very angry, but he said steadily, "It

is well, little Nastasya. Let us go to the open steppe, set up a

sharp dagger a mile away with a silver ring before it, and shoot our

fiery darts as you have said." So they went out to put the matter to

the trial. Nastasya shot a flaming arrow, which passed through the

ring as through the open air, fell upon the sharp blade and was cut

into two parts exactly equal both to the eye and to the discerning

hand. Then quiet Dunai shot a flaming arrow, and it sped too far;

he shot a second, and it sped not far enough; he shot a third, which

came not near the silver ring and was not seen again. Then he shot a

fourth into the breast of Nastasya, and she fell upon the open plain

where she had loved to wander.

 

And still in the moment of her death she loved quiet Dunai and

kept him ever in her golden heart. "Forgive, my lord, my foolish

woman's words," she said, "and tend with care the son of mine whom

I leave in Kiev town, for such a boy is not to be found in all the

world. His little legs are silver to the knee, his arms to the elbow

are of purest gold; upon his open forehead glows the fair round sun,

upon his golden head glitter countless stars, and at the back of

his head the bright moon shineth." So she spoke in her death-pain,

and the heart of quiet Dunai burned within his breast for deep grief

and scorching remorse and torturing pity. "Where the white swan fell,"

he said, "there shall fall the falcon bright."

 

Then he placed the handle of his sword in the bosom of moist Mother

Earth and fell with his white breast upon the sharp point. And from

that spot far away across the boundless plain flowed two gently

wandering streams. The greater was the Dnieper, deep and full and

quiet, yet resistless in its noiseless might, which ran past Kiev town;

the lesser was the Dwina, which flowed to the kingdom of Lithuania. And

where the two streams met, two cypress trees sprang up, and their

branches twined lovingly together, whispering when the breeze arose

in tender tones of love and pity of the steadfastness of the Princess

Nastasya, who loved quiet Dunai and kept him ever in her golden heart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE STORY OF NIKITICH AND MARINA

 

 

The day of the birth of Nikitich had been a day of trouble for wide

distances across the open steppe. For upon that wonderful day a

great storm seemed to arise, and yet not a great storm but a strange

commotion, unseen, unheard, but keenly felt. From far across the open

plain came a herd of beasts, wild beasts and fearsome dragons large

and small, and sought the shallow valley of the Dnieper river. At

their head ran the Skiper-beast, with woolly fleece, twisted horn,

and hoofs which struck sparks from the pebbles of flint. Then the

waters of the Dnieper were strangely troubled, the banks of the river

quaked and fell, and trees which once had waved upright now spanned

the stream. Such had been the day of the birth of Nikitich.

 

Now when he grew up to youthful manhood, Nikitich sought service in the

royal household of Prince Vladimir, and though he was of supernatural

wisdom, having learnt to read and write, he served with the rest,

for three years in the palace, for three years in the royal gardens,

and for three years as keeper of the gate; but for all his faithful

service he won no praise of Vladimir and no reward except a horse of

the finest mettle, and he was kept always within the confines of the

royal palace. But at a certain princely banquet Nikitich rose to his

feet in his place at one end of the oaken board, and said:

 

"Prince Vladimir, Fair Sun of royal Kiev, I have served thee long and

faithfully, but always within the confines of the royal palace. Give

me leave to wander farther, and first of all through the narrow lanes

of Kiev town."

 

"Young nestling," said Prince Vladimir, "fly not from the nest. Young

colt of the open steppe, gallop not away." But the heroes of Holy

Russia who sat at the board of Prince Vladimir had pity upon the

young man and they said, "Go, Nikitich, and ask your mother." Then

Vladimir laughed and gave the young man leave.

 

And the counsel of the mother of Nikitich ran thus:

 

"Walk at will through all the streets of Kiev town and roam through

all the little by-ways. But avoid a certain little lane where dwells

the Princess Marina, for she is a witch of the vilest who has brought

to their death many Tsars and Tsareviches, Kings, and Crown Princes,

nobles and their heirs. If you go near the Princess Marina you will

lose your life."

 

But, sad to tell, the counsel had this effect upon the young man,

that he longed most of all to go to the certain little lane where

dwelt the Princess Marina.

 

On the next day he rose very early and washed himself very white in

clear water from the spring. Then he took his stout bow in his hand

and slung his quiver of gleaming arrows upon his back. He wandered on

through the streets and narrow lanes and came at length to a certain

little lane where he found the palace of the Princess Marina. It was

finely built and richly adorned, while in the window of one apartment

sat a mated pair of dark-blue doves cooing lovingly with yellow bill

to yellow bill and wing enfolding wing. Then Nikitich fitted a flaming

arrow to his stout bow and shot at the cooing doves, but as the shaft

was leaving the string his left foot slipped and his right hand shook

so that the arrow missed the loving birds, went singing through the

lattice-window and slew the favourite of the Princess Marina who was

known as the Son of the Dragon and was known for nothing good.

 

"If I go into the palace," said Nikitich to himself, "I shall lose my

head. If I do not go, I shall lose my arrow." So he called to his page,

who always walked or stood three paces behind him, and sent him into

the palace to seek for the arrow.

 

"Thou witch and sorceress," said the bold page to the Princess,

"return to us our burning arrow."

 

"Nay," said Marina, "let him who sent it come to ask for it." And

when this was told to Nikitich he ran quickly into the courtyard of

the palace and from thence to the apartment of the Princess Marina

and took the shaft from the body of the Son of the Dragon. Marina lay

upon a couch which was covered with a broad mantle of marten skins

and fondled a fiery dragon with her right hand, while she played with

two poisonous serpents with her left. As soon as Nikitich entered the

room she sprang to her nimble feet and stretched out her lily-white

hands to him:

 

"Sweet Nikitich," she said looking at him with honey eyes and sugar

lips, "stay with me always and I will teach you to calm the fiery

dragon and charm the poisonous serpent. You shall rest all day and

no foe, however powerful, will be able to harm you."

 

"Sweet Marina," answered the young man, who was really in a very

great hurry, "I will not. I have no desire to calm the fiery dragon

and charm the poisonous serpent but to fight and kill them. Nor would

rest without labour have any charms for me. Besides I know your guile,

for you have brought nine brave Russian heroes to their end and now

are minded to put an end to me." Then he turned abruptly from the

apartment in spite of all the sweet glances of Marina, who was really

very lovely, and went home again to his mother with his fiery dart

in his hand.

 

As soon as he was gone, Marina seized her dagger, and from the clay

floor of the apartment she hacked out the footprints of Nikitich. Then

she painted the pieces of earth with many devices in various colours

and said her verses over them as she placed them in an oven to bake:

 

"Burn ye footsteps of Nikitich, burn in this oven, burn, burn; and

as his footsteps burn may his heart burn to return to me."

 

Now as the witch spoke these words Nikitich felt a strange longing and

uneasiness fall upon his spirit. He sat down at night by the fair white

oaken table but he could eat no food; when he went to rest he could not

sleep but lay tossing about and waiting with impatience for the coming

of the white dawn. At the first bell for prayers he rose, dressed

himself, went first to the cathedral service, and then took his way

to a certain little lane in Kiev town where lived the Princess Marina.

 

He entered the apartment of the Princess slowly and with downcast

eyes; but she turned her white shoulders upon him and did not reply

to his greeting.

 

"Ah, sweet Marina," said the enchanted youth, "I have come to stay

with you always, for since yesterday I have had no peace of mind

apart from you."

 

"I asked you yesterday to stay with me, Nikitich," said the

enchantress, "and you would not. So now you are in my power. If I

wish, I can turn you into a raven, a magpie, a pig, or a heroic ox

with golden horns, silver hoofs, and a coat as sleek as velvet, or

even into a loathsome frog. And if I change you into a frog no power

on earth or in the sky or in the sea, or in the underworld can change

you again so that your spiteful mother will know you."

 

Then by a slight movement of her lily-white hand she turned the young

man into a heroic ox with golden horns, silver hoofs, and a coat as

sleek as velvet. And she drove him out into the open steppe to drink

swamp water and to eat marsh grass and to be lord over the nine brown

oxen which had once been Russian heroes, strong and mighty. Now as

he roamed about the plain not far away from the dwellings of Kiev,

he saw a flock of geese which belonged to his aunt; and wickedness

entered into his heart, so that he trampled the whole gabbling flock

to death down to the very last gosling. Then the goose-girls went

to their mistress and with much shaking of dark locks and heaving of

white shoulders they told their tale.

 

As soon as they had finished their story the swan-keepers came with a

similar tale, and then the shepherds, and after these the herdsmen. Not

a living creature of all the flocks and herds had the golden-horned

monster spared.

 

"I know," said the aunt of Nikitich, "whence comes this fierce

beast. It is my well-beloved Nikitich whom the vile witch Marina has

changed by her sorcery." Even as she spoke the horse-keepers came to

tell how the animal had driven the steeds before him so that all had

been lost far over the open steppe, dispersed and driven away many

miles from Kiev city. Then the aunt of Nikitich rose in white anger,

and by means of a secret charm she knew she changed herself into a

chattering magpie and flew away to the palace of Marina, where she

perched herself upon the sill of the lattice-window and began to

scold with all her might and to say:

 

"Wicked Marina, the ugly! Why have you turned my nephew Nikitich into

a golden-horned heroic ox, and set him free to roam across the open

steppe? Take off your charm from my nephew or I will turn you into a long-tailed dog to be chased through the lanes of Kiev by the children, or into a chattering magpie full of guile and spleen."