Folk-lore and Legends: Russian and Polish 10

Folk-lore and Legends: Russian and Polish 10

Other people in the town, however, were far otherwise. At the word of

Emelyan, the king’s daughter had fallen in love with him, and she began

to implore her father to give her the fool for a husband. The king was

in a great rage, both with her and the fool, but he knew not how he

could lay hold of him. His minister, however, suggested that he should

again send the officer whom he had before sent to take him. This advice

pleased the king well, and he had the officer called to him. When he

came the king said—

 

“Hark ye, friend! I sent you before for the fool, and you came without

him. To punish you I now send you for him a second time. If you bring

him you shall be rewarded, but if you do not bring him you shall be

punished.”

 

When the officer heard that, he left the king, and lost no time in going

in quest of the fool. When he came to the village, he called for the

Starosta, and said to him—

 

“Here is money for you. Buy everything for a good dinner to-morrow.

Invite Emelyan, and when he comes make him drink till he falls asleep.”

 

The Starosta, knowing that the officer came from the king, felt obliged

to obey him, so he bought everything that was required, and invited the

fool. When Emelyan said he would come, the officer was greatly pleased.

So next day the fool came to dinner, and the Starosta plied him so well

with drink that he fell fast asleep. As soon as the officer saw he was

asleep, he laid hold of him, and ordered a carriage to be brought. When

it came, they put the fool in it, and the officer, getting in himself,

drove off to the town, and so to the palace. The minister informed the

king that the officer had come, and as soon as he heard it, he ordered a

large cask to be provided without delay, and to be hooped with strong

iron hoops. When the cask was brought to the king, and he saw that

everything had been done as he desired, he ordered his daughter and the

fool to be put into it and the cask to be well pitched. When all this

had been done, the king ordered the cask to be thrown into the sea, and

left to the mercy of the waves. The king then returned to his palace,

and the cask floated along for some time on the sea. All this time the

fool was fast asleep. When he awoke, and found it was quite dark, he

said to himself—

 

“Where am I?” for he thought he was all alone; but the princess said—

 

“You are in a cask, Emelyan, and I am shut up with you in it.”

 

“But who are you?” asked he.

 

“I am the king’s daughter,” answered the princess; and then she told him

why she had been shut up there with him. She then besought him to

deliver himself and her out of the cask, but the fool said—

 

“I am very warm here.”

 

“Grant me the favour,” said the princess; “have pity on my tears, and

deliver me out of this cask.”

 

“Why,” said Emelyan; “I am lazy.”

 

The princess began once more to entreat him.

 

“Grant me the favour, Emelyan,” said she; “deliver me out of this cask,

and let me not die.”

 

The fool was moved by her tears and entreaties, and said—

 

“Well, I will do this for you.”

 

He then said softly—

 

“At the pike’s command, and at my request, cast us, O sea, on the shore,

where we may dwell on a dry place, only let us be near our own country,

and do thou, cask, fall to pieces on the dry land.”

 

Scarcely had the fool spoken the words, when the waves began to roll,

and the cask was thrown up on a dry place and fell to pieces of itself.

Emelyan got up and went with the princess about the place where they

were cast. The fool saw that they were in a very fine island, where

there was an abundance of trees, with all kinds of fruit on them. When

the princess saw that, she rejoiced greatly at their being on such an

island, and she said—

 

“But, Emelyan, where shall we live? there is not even a nook here.”

 

“You want too much,” said the fool.

 

“Grant me the favour,” said the princess; “let there be, if nothing

more, a little cottage in which we may shelter us from the rain”—for the

princess knew he could do anything he wished.

 

“I am lazy,” said the fool.

 

The princess began again to urge him, and Emelyan, overcome by her

entreaties, was obliged to do as she desired.

 

He went away from her, and said—

 

“At the pike’s command, and at my request, let me have, in the middle of

this island, a finer castle than the king’s, and let a crystal bridge

lead from my castle to the royal palace, and let there be people of all

conditions in the court.”

 

The words were scarcely spoken than there appeared a splendid castle

with a crystal bridge. The fool went with the princess into the castle,

and saw that the apartments were all magnificently furnished, and that

there were many people there, such as footmen, and all kinds of

officers, who waited for the fool’s commands. When he saw that all these

men were like men, and that he alone was ugly and stupid, he wished to

be better, so he said—

 

“At the pike’s command, and at my request, let me become such a youth

that I shall have no equal, and let me be extremely wise.”

 

He had scarcely spoken the words before he became so handsome and so

wise that all were amazed.

 

Emelyan then sent one of his servants to the king to invite him and all

his ministers to the castle. The servant went along the bridge which the

fool had made, and when he came to the court the ministers brought him

before the king, and Emelyan’s messenger said—

 

“Please your majesty, I am sent by my master to ask you to dinner.”

 

The king asked him who his master was, but he answered—

 

“Please your majesty, I can tell you nothing about my master, but if you

come to dine with him he will inform you himself.”

 

The king, who was curious to know who it was who had sent to invite him,

told the messenger that he would come without fail.

 

The servant went away, and when he got home the king and his ministers

set out along the crystal bridge to visit the fool. When they arrived at

the castle, Emelyan came forth to meet the king, took him by the white

hands, kissed him on the mouth, led him into his castle, and made him

sit behind the oak tables, with fine diapered table-cloths, at

sugar-meats and honey-drinks. The king and his ministers ate and drank,

and made themselves merry. When they got up from table and retired, the

fool said to the king—

 

“Does your majesty know who I am?”

 

As Emelyan was now dressed in fine clothes, and was very handsome, it

was not possible to recognise him; so the king said that he did not know

him. Then said the fool—

 

“Does not your majesty recollect how a fool came on a stove to your

court, and how you fastened him up in a pitched cask with your daughter,

and cast them into the sea? Know me then now, for I am that Emelyan.”

 

When the king saw him thus before him, he was greatly terrified, and

knew not what to do. But the fool went to the king’s daughter, and

brought her out to him. When the king saw her he was very pleased, and

said—

 

“I have been very unjust towards you, so I give you my daughter for your

wife.”

 

Hearing that, Emelyan thanked the king, and when he had prepared

everything for the wedding, it was celebrated with great magnificence,

and the following day Emelyan gave a feast to the ministers and to the

common people. There were barrels of wine set forth; and when all these

festivities were at an end, the king wanted to give up his kingdom to him, but Emelyan had no mind to take it. So the king went back to his kingdom, and Emelyan remained in his castle, and lived happily.