Folk-lore and Legends: Russian and Polish 5

Folk-lore and Legends: Russian and Polish 5

Prince Peter followed the bird, and, having come to the seashore, he

looked about him for a boat in which he could pursue it to the island.

At length he set off in a small fishing-boat, but as he had no oars he

paddled along with his hands. All of a sudden, as he was on his way,

there came on a storm of wind which carried him away to the open sea.

When the Prince saw he was far from the shore he thought he was lost,

and he prayed with groans and tears.

 

“Alas! I am the most miserable and unfortunate of all men,” said he.

“Why did I not leave the rings in the locket where they were safe? No

one in the world is so unfortunate as I, for I have lost my happiness. I

have led the Princess away, and have left her in the thick forest, where

wild beasts will tear her in pieces, or she will wander about till she

dies of hunger. I am her destroyer, and have spilt innocent blood!” He

then began to sink in the sea.

 

As it chanced, a vessel came by, bound from Turkey, and when the sailors

saw a man floating on the sea, they took him on board, and, carrying him

away to Alexandria, they sold him to a Turkish Pasha, who sent him off

as a present to the Sultan. When the Sultan saw how good his behaviour

was, and how agreeable he was, he made him one of his counsellors, and

his honesty and his good nature won him the love of all who came in

contact with him.

 

When the Princess awoke she found herself in the thick forest. She

looked on every side, and when she could not see Prince Peter, she was

much distressed, and sank down upon the ground. Then she went into the

wood, and called with all her strength—

 

“My dear husband, Prince Peter, where are you?”

 

She wandered on a long way until she met a nun, with whom she exchanged

clothes, putting on the nun’s dark garments and giving her her own

light-coloured dress. Then she went on to a port, where she went on

board a vessel which was about to sail to the country over which Prince

Peter’s father ruled. When she came there she went to live with a noble

lady named Susanna, and, finding a place among the mountains, she made a

harbour, built a convent there named after the apostles Peter and Paul,

and there she also founded a hospital for strangers. So she became

famous for her pious works. One day the father and mother of Prince

Peter came to her and brought to her three rings. They told her that

their cook had purchased a fish in which the rings had been found. These

rings they had given to their son Peter, and they therefore concluded

that he had been drowned, and they wept bitterly.

 

Now when Peter had been with the Sultan a long time, he wished to visit

his own land, and the Sultan gave him his leave to go, loading him, at

the same time, with presents of gold, silver, and magnificent pearls.

Having taken leave of the Sultan, the Prince went and hired a French

vessel, bought fourteen casks, put salt at the bottom of them, laid the

gold and silver in the casks, scattered more salt on the top of the

treasure, and told the sailors that there was nothing but salt in the

casks. The wind was favourable, and they set off for the Prince’s land,

and, having arrived at an island not far off the coast of France, they

weighed anchor, for the Prince was very sea-sick. He went upon shore and

wandered about in the island till he lost his way, and being tired he

lay down and went to sleep. He slept a long time, and the sailors sought

him and called him everywhere, but as they could not find him they set

sail. They came to the Princess’s convent, and there they sold the salt.

Now one day when salt was wanted Magilene went to the casks and was very

much surprised to find in them all the treasure.

 

Prince Peter was picked up by another vessel and came likewise to the

convent. There he was in Magilene’s hospital for a month, but all that

time he did not recognise the Princess, for her black veil hid her

features from him. While he was there he wept every day.

 

One day as Magilene came into the hospital she saw the Prince weeping,

and she asked him why he did so, and he told her all his misfortunes.

Magilene then recognised him, and sent off to his father and mother to

tell them that their son was come back. When they came to the convent

they found the Princess arrayed in her royal garments; and when the

Prince saw his parents he fell at their feet, embraced them and wept,

while they wept with him. At length he stood up, and, taking them by the

hand, kissed them, and said—

 

“My father and my mother, this lady is the daughter of the great King of

Naples on account of whom I left you.”

 

So they were married, and they lived in great happiness.

 

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THE OLD MAN, HIS WIFE, AND THE FISH.

 

 

THERE once lived in a hut on the shores of the Isle of Buyan an old man

and his wife. They were very poor. The old man used to go to the sea

daily to fish, and they only just managed to live on what he caught. One

day he let down his net and drew it in. It seemed to be very heavy. He

dragged and dragged, and at last got it to shore. There he found that he

had caught one little fish of a kind he had never before seen—a golden

fish.

 

The fish spoke to him in a man’s voice. “Do not keep me, old man,” it

said; “let me go once more free in the sea and I will reward you for it,

for whatever you wish I will do.”

 

The old man thought for a while. Then he said, “Well, I don’t want you.

Go into the sea again,” and he threw the fish into the water and went

home.

 

“Well,” said his wife, when he got home, “what have you caught to-day?”

 

“Only one little fish,” said the man, “a golden fish, and that I let go

again, it begged so hard. ‘Put me in the blue sea again,’ it said, ‘and

I will reward you, for whatever you wish I will do.’ So I let it go, and

did not ask anything.”

 

“Ah, you old fool!” said the wife in a great rage, “what an opportunity

you have lost. You might, at least, have asked the fish to give us some

bread. We have scarce a crust in the house.”

 

The old woman grumbled so much that her husband could have no quiet, so

to please her off he went to the seashore, and there he cried out—

 

“Little fish, little fish, come now to me,

Your tail in the water, your head out of sea!”

 

The fish came to the shore.

 

“Well, what do you want, old man?” it asked.

 

“My wife,” said the man, “is in a great passion, and has sent me to ask

for bread.”

 

“Very well,” said the fish, “go home and you shall have it.”

 

The old man went back, and when he entered the hut he found bread in

plenty.

 

“Well,” said he to his wife, “we have enough bread now.”

 

“Oh yes!” said she, “but I have had such a misfortune while you were

away. I have broken the bucket. What shall I do the washing in now? Go

to the fish, and ask it to give us a new bucket.”

 

Away went the man. Standing on the shore he called out—

 

“Little fish, little fish, come now to me,

Your tail in the water, your head out of sea!”

 

The fish soon made its appearance.

 

“Well, old man,” it said, “what do you want?”

 

“My wife,” said the man, “has had a misfortune, and has broken our

bucket. So I have come to ask for a new one.”

 

“Very well,” said the fish, “you shall find one at home.”

 

The old man went back. As soon as he got home his wife said to him—

 

“Be off to the golden fish again, and ask it to give us a new hut. Ours

is all coming to pieces. We have scarcely a roof over our heads.”

 

The old man once more came to the shore, and cried—

 

“Little fish, little fish, come now to me,

Your tail in the water, your head out of sea!”

 

The fish came.

 

“Well, what is it?” asked the fish.

 

“My wife,” said the man, “is in a very bad temper, and has sent me to

ask you to build us a new cottage. She says she cannot live any longer

in our present one.”

 

“Oh, do not be troubled about that,” said the fish. “Go home. You shall

have what you want.”

 

The old man went back again, and in the place of his miserable hovel he

found a new hut built of oak and nicely ornamented. The old man was

delighted, but as soon as he went in his wife set on him, saying—

 

“What an idiot you are! You do not know how to take good fortune when it

is offered to you. You think you have done a great thing just because

you have got a new hut. Be off again to the golden fish, and tell it I

will not be a mere peasant’s wife any longer. I will be an Archduchess,

with plenty of servants, and set the fashion.”

 

The old man went to the golden fish.

 

“What is it?” asked the fish.

 

“My wife will not let me rest,” replied the man; “she wants now to be an

Archduchess, and is not content with being my wife.”

 

“Well, it shall be as she wishes. Go home again,” said the fish.

 

Away went the man. How astonished was he, when, on coming to where his

house had stood, he now found a fine mansion, three stories high.

Servants crowded the hall, and cooks were busy in the kitchens. On a

seat in a fine room sat the man’s wife, dressed in robes shining with

gold and silver, and giving orders.

 

“Good day, wife!” said the man.

 

“Who are you, man?” said his wife. “What have you to do with me, a fine

lady? Take the clown away,” said she to her servants. “Take him to the

stable, and whip some of the impudence out of him.”

 

The servants seized the old man, took him off to the stable, and when

they had him there beat him so that he hardly knew whether he was alive

or not. After that the wife made him the door-keeper of the house. She

gave him a besom, and put him to keep the yard in order. As for his

meals, he got them in the kitchen. He had a hard life of it. If the yard

was not swept clean, he had to look out.

 

“Who would have thought she had been such a hag?” said the old man to

himself. “Here she has all such good fortune, and will not even own me

for her husband!”

 

After a time the wife got tired of being merely an Archduchess, so she

said to her husband—