Children's fairy tales online. Alexander Pushkin - The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Knights: Verse Where Prince Elisha Lived

Among other fairy tales created by the great Russian poet Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin (and there are five in total), “The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Knights” occupies a special place. She seems to be standing in the middle. Both in terms of the time it was written (1863, Boldino), and in terms of the deep meaning contained in it.

It may not be as popular as, say, the cheerful “Tale of the Priest and His Worker Balda” or the “Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish,” filled with popular common sense and the concept of supreme justice, which has entered folklore. It is simpler in plot than the touchingly naive “The Tale of Tsar Saltan,” in which miracles are at every turn, or the philosophical and satirical “The Tale of the Golden Cockerel.”

But in it, as, perhaps, in no other of Pushkin’s fairy tales, we are talking about a different magic, about a different power than the machinations of some Koshchei or Baba Yaga. There is essentially no truly magical witchcraft here. Of course, this is a fairy tale. And therefore, it contains a talking mirror, and the elements of nature giving advice to Prince Elisha, and a wonderful heroic mansion in the thicket of a deep forest, and the traditional saying “I was there: I drank honey, drank beer, but only wet my mustache.”

But let’s think about it: wouldn’t the loving queen, who died at the beginning of the fairy tale “from admiration”, from love, barely waiting for her husband to return from distant wanderings, to whom she gave birth to a daughter - would she, if she had been a sorceress, have managed to stay alive? Or would Prince Elisha, if he had self-assembled tablecloths, flying carpets and invisible hats, have wandered around the world for so long in search of the disappeared Princess? And having finally found her, would he have grieved so much if he knew some magic word that could revive his bride? But in other fairy tales everything was different.

As soon as Guidon wanted something, his wish was instantly fulfilled. As soon as the old man went to the seashore and clicked on a goldfish, his grumpy old woman immediately got whatever she wanted.
But in “The Tale of the Dead Princess” there is nothing like that. Here, perhaps, the only sorceress is the evil, envious queen. And even then, no thunder from heaven overtook her - she herself died “from melancholy,” unable to bear the weight of her anger. It is quiet, not solemn, very sad and good fairy tale. It is rather a lyrical story in verse, a poem about the power of love, omnipotent, overcoming everything, saving. This is a story about “a gentle disposition”, about the beauty of feeling, about devotion and fidelity that conquers death itself.

Everyone loves here, except the queen-stepmother. The Tsar and the Queen-Mother love, the Princess and Prince Elisha love, even Chernavka at first let the princess go alive, even the dog, out of love and devotion, deliberately swallowed a poisoned apple. All seven mighty and kind heroes love the princess. The author also loves his wonderful heroes. He seems to admire them. That’s why his voice is so mocking and harsh when he ridicules the narcissistic queen spinning in front of the mirror (who really loves only himself!). That is why the narrator’s tone softens and warms when he fixes his gaze on the quiet, lovely Princess. And therefore, the intonations of his unhurried story become melodiously affectionate (just like those of the peasants, from whom he wrote down some motives for his fairy tale-poem), as soon as it comes to the gentle disposition of the “secretly” blossoming beauty. And the point here is not even the beauty of the Princess, about which the magic mirror so insistently repeats. It is much more important for Pushkin that we understand: no beauty can replace spiritual nobility. And this is it: in the triumphant, albeit not at all loud, affirmation of the omnipotent power of human spiritual beauty, in the unostentatious superiority of heartfelt fidelity, inner grace over the noisy boasting of narcissistic and empty “ruddiness” - this is precisely the most wonderful and most truthful secret of Pushkin’s fairy tale .

People's Artist of the USSR Vera Petrovna Maretskaya, who reads “The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Knights,” spoke about her attitude to Pushkin’s fairy tales and her understanding of their meaning. “It’s impossible not to love Pushkin. His work among the people is a whole choir of voices, polyphonic, admiring, pronouncing the lines of the great poet as if they were their own, the people’s. Now I tried to fulfill my old dream. I’ve wanted to do this for a long, long time. But... I didn’t dare. Or rather, she was afraid to touch. Everyone will understand this. No one can probably record them perfectly on tape. I tried my best, to the best of my love, admiration, and fascination. Well, if we talk about this love, then Pushkin amazes me every time with his splashing cheerfulness, extraordinary abundance vitality, boundless kindness. This is an indescribable feeling. My dream is to give the listener the joy of communicating with this magical source of fantasy, so that he plunges headlong into the stormy ocean of Pushkin’s thoughts, Pushkin’s kindness...”
M. Babaeva

The king and queen said goodbye
Prepared for the journey,
And the queen at the window
She sat down to wait for him alone.
He waits from morning until night,
Looks into the field, indian eyes
Got sick looking
From white dawn until night;
I can't see my dear friend!
He just sees: a blizzard is swirling,
Snow is falling on the fields,
The whole white earth.
Nine months pass
She doesn't take her eyes off the field.
Here on Christmas Eve, right at night
God gives the queen a daughter.
Early in the morning the guest is welcome,
Day and night so long awaited,
From afar at last
The Tsar Father returned.
She looked at him,
She sighed heavily,
I couldn't stand the admiration
And she died at mass.

For a long time the king was inconsolable,
But what should we do? and he was a sinner;
A year has passed like an empty dream,
The king married someone else.
Tell the truth, young lady
There really was a queen:
Tall, slender, white,
And I took it with my mind and with everything;
But proud, brittle,
Willful and jealous.
She was given as a dowry
There was one mirror:
The mirror had the following properties:
It can speak well.
She was alone with him
Good-natured, cheerful,
S. joked with him affably
And, showing off, she said:
“My light, mirror! Tell
Tell me the whole truth:
Am I the sweetest in the world,
All rosy and white?”
And the mirror answered her:
“You, of course, no doubt:
You, queen, are the sweetest of all,
All blush and whiter.”
And the queen laughs
And shrug your shoulders.
And wink your eyes,
And click your fingers,
And spin around with your arms akimbo.
Looking proudly in the mirror.

But the princess is young,
Silently blooming,
Meanwhile, she grew and grew.
She rose and blossomed.
White-faced, black-browed,
The character of such a meek one.
And the groom was found for her,
Prince of Elisha.
The matchmaker arrived, the king gave his word.
And the dowry is ready:
Seven trading cities
Yes, one hundred and forty towers.

Getting ready for a bachelorette party.
Here is the queen, dressing up
In front of your mirror,
I exchanged words with him:
“I am, tell me. the cutest of all.
All rosy and white?”
What's the answer to the mirror?
“You are beautiful, no doubt;
But the princess is the sweetest of all,
All blush and whiter.”
As the queen jumps away,
Yes, as soon as he waves his hand,
Yes, it will slam on the mirror,
It'll stomp like a heel!..
“Oh, you vile glass!
You're lying to spite me.
How can she compete with me?
I'll calm the stupidity in her.
Look how much she has grown!
And it’s no wonder that it’s white:
Mother belly sat
Yes, I just looked at the snow!
But tell me: how can she
Be nicer to me in everything?
Admit it: I am more beautiful than everyone else.
Go around our entire kingdom,
Even the whole world; I have no equal.
Is that so?” Mirror in response:
“But the princess is still sweeter,
Everything is more rosy and white.”
There is nothing to do. She,
Full of black envy
Throwing the mirror under the bench,
She called Chernavka to her place
And punishes her
To his hay girl,
News to the princess in the depths of the forest
And, tying her up, alive
Leave it there under the pine tree
To be devoured by the wolves.

Can the devil deal with an angry woman?
There is no point in arguing. With the princess
Here Chernavka went into the forest
And brought me to such a distance,
What did the princess guess?
And I was scared to death,
And she prayed: “My life!
What, tell me, am I guilty of?
Don't ruin me, girl!
And how will I be a queen,
I will spare you."
The one who loves her in my soul,
Didn't kill, didn't tie up,
She let go and said:
“Don’t worry, God bless you.”
And she came home.
"What? - the queen told her, -
Where is the beautiful maiden?
- “There, in the forest, there is one,”
She answers her, -
Her elbows are tightly tied;
Will fall into the claws of the beast,
She will have to endure less
It will be easier to die."

And the rumor began to ring:
The royal daughter is missing!
The poor king grieves for her.
Prince Elisha,
Having prayed earnestly to God,
Hitting the road
For the beautiful soul,
For the young bride.

But the bride is young,
Wandering in the forest until dawn,
Meanwhile everything went on and on
And I came across the tower.
A dog comes towards her, barking,
He came running and fell silent, playing;
She entered the gate
There is silence in the courtyard.
The dog runs after her, caressing her,
And the princess, getting close,
Went up to the porch
And she took the ring;
The door opened quietly.
And the princess found herself
In the bright upper room; all around
Carpeted benches
Under the saints there is an oak table,
Stove with tiled stove bench.
The girl sees what's here
Good people live;
I know she won't be offended.
Meanwhile, no one is visible.
The princess walked around the house,
I put everything away in order,
I lit a candle for God,
I lit the stove hot,
Climbed onto the floor
And she quietly lay down.

Lunch hour was approaching
There was a stomping sound in the yard:
Seven heroes enter
Seven ruddy barbels.
The elder said: “What a miracle!
Everything is so clean and beautiful.
Someone was tidying up the mansion
Yes, he was waiting for the owners.
Who? Come out and show yourself
Make friends with us honestly.
If you are an old man,
You will be our uncle forever.
If you're a ruddy guy,
You will be called our brother.
If the old lady, be our mother,
So let's call it a name.
If the red maiden
Be our dear sister."

And the princess came down to them,
I gave honor to the owners,
She bowed low to the waist;
Blushing, she apologized,
Somehow I went to visit them,
Even though I wasn’t invited.
Instantly they recognized me by their speech,
That the princess was received;
Sat in a corner
They brought a pie,
The glass was poured full,
It was served on a tray.
From green wine
She denied;
I just broke the pie,
Yes, I took a bite,
And get some rest from the road
I asked to go to bed.
They took the girl
Up into the bright room
And left alone
Going to bed.

Day after day goes by, flashing,
And the princess is young
Everything is in the forest, she's not bored
Seven heroes.
Before dawn
Brothers in a friendly crowd
They go out for a walk,
Shoot gray ducks
Amuse your right hand,
Sorochina rushes to the field,
Or head off broad shoulders
Cut off the Tatar,
Or chased out of the forest
Pyatigorsk Circassian,
And she is the hostess
Meanwhile alone
Will clean and prepare
She won't contradict them
They won't contradict her.
So days go by.

Brothers dear girl
Loved it. To her room
Once, as soon as it was dawn,
All seven of them entered.
The elder said to her: “Maiden,
You know: you are a sister to all of us,
All seven of us, you
We all love for ourselves
We would all be glad to take you,
Yes, you can’t, for God’s sake
Make peace between us somehow:
Be one's wife
Other affectionate sister.
Why are you shaking your head?
Are you refusing us?
Are the goods not for the merchants?

“Oh, you guys are honest,
Brothers, you are my family, -
The princess tells them,
If I lie, may God command
I won't get out of this place alive.
What should I do? because I'm a bride.
For me you are all equal
All are daring, all are smart,
I love you all from the bottom of my heart;
But to another I am forever
Given away. I love everyone
Prince Elisha."

The brothers stood silently
Yes, they scratched their heads.
“Demand is not a sin. Forgive us, -
The elder said bow, -
If so, I won’t mention it
About that.” “I’m not angry,”
She said quietly,
And my refusal is not my fault.”
The suitors bowed to her,
Slowly they moved away
And everything agrees again
They began to live and get along.

Meanwhile, the queen is evil,
Remembering the princess
I couldn't forgive her
And on the mirror
I sulked and got angry for a long time;
Finally had enough of him
And she followed him, and sat down
In front of him, I forgot my anger,
Started to show off again
And with a smile she said:
“Hello, mirror! Tell
Tell me the whole truth:
Am I the sweetest in the world,
All rosy and white?”
And the mirror answered her:
“You are beautiful, no doubt;
But he lives without any glory,
Among the green oak groves,
At the seven heroes
The one who is still dearer than you.”
And the queen flew in
To Chernavka: “How dare you
Fool me? and in what!..”
She admitted everything:
So and so. Evil queen
Threatening her with a slingshot
I put it down or not live,
Or destroy the princess.

Since the princess is young,
Waiting for my dear brothers,
She was spinning while sitting under the window.
Suddenly angrily under the porch
The dog barked and the girl
Sees: beggar blueberry
Walks around the yard with a stick
Driving the dog away. “Wait,
Grandma, wait a little, -
She shouts to her through the window, -
I'll threaten the dog myself
And I’ll bring you something.”
The blueberry answers her:
“Oh, you little girl!
The damned dog prevailed
Almost ate it to death.
Look how busy he is!
Come out to me.” - The princess wants
Go out to her and take the bread,
But I just left the porch,
The dog is at her feet and barks,
And he won’t let me see the old woman;
Only the old woman will go to her,
He is angrier than the forest beast,
For an old woman. “What kind of miracle?
Apparently he didn't sleep well, -
The princess tells her,
Well, catch it!” - and the bread flies.
The old woman caught the bread;
“Thank you,” she said.
God bless you;
Here’s to you, catch him!”
And to the princess a liquid,
Young, golden
The apple is flying straight...
The dog will jump and squeal...
But the princess in both hands
Grab - caught. "For the sake of boredom,
Eat an apple, my light.
Thank you for lunch."
The old lady said,
She bowed and disappeared...
And from the princess to the porch
The dog runs into her face
He looks pitifully, howls menacingly,
It’s like a dog’s heart is aching,
As if he wants to tell her:
Give it up! - She caressed him,
Ruffles with a gentle hand;
“What, Sokolko, what’s wrong with you?
Lay down! - and entered the room,
The door was quietly locked,
I sat down under the window and grabbed some yarn.
Wait for the owners, and looked
All for the apple. It
Full of ripe juice,
So fresh and so fragrant
So ruddy and golden
It’s like it’s filled with honey!
The seeds are visible right through...
She wanted to wait
I couldn’t stand it until lunchtime,
I took the apple in my hands,
She brought it to her scarlet lips,
Slowly bit through
And she swallowed a piece...
Suddenly she, my soul,
I staggered without breathing,
White hands dropped,
I dropped the ruddy fruit,
Eyes rolled back
And she's like that
She fell head on the bench
And she became quiet, motionless...

The brothers went home at that time
They came back in a crowd
From a brave robbery.
To meet them, howling menacingly,
The dog runs to the yard
Shows them the way. “Not good! -
The brothers said - sadness
We won’t pass.” They galloped up,
They entered and gasped. Having run in,
Dog at apple headlong
He rushed barking, got angry,
Swallowed it, fell down
And died. Got drunk
It was poison, you know.
Before the dead princess
Brothers in grief
Everyone hung their heads
And with the holy prayer
They lifted me from the bench, dressed me,
They wanted to bury her
And they changed their minds. She,
Like under the wing of a dream,
She lay so quiet and fresh,
That she just couldn’t breathe.
We waited three days, but she
Didn't rise from sleep.
Having performed a sad ritual,
Here they are in the crystal coffin
Young princess corpse
They laid it down - and in a crowd
They carried me to an empty mountain,
And at midnight
Her coffin to six pillars
On cast iron chains there
Screwed down carefully
And they fenced it off with bars;
And, before the dead sister
Having made a bow to the ground,
The elder said: “Sleep in a coffin.
Suddenly went out, a victim of anger,
Your beauty is on earth;
Heaven will receive your spirit.
You were loved by us
And for the dear one we keep -
No one got it
Only one coffin."

On the same day the evil queen
Waiting for good news
Secretly I took a mirror
And she asked her question:
“Am I, tell me, the cutest of all,
All rosy and white?”
And I heard in response:
“You, queen, no doubt,
You are the sweetest in the world,
All blush and whiter.”

For his bride
Prince Elisha
Meanwhile, he jumps around the world.
No way! He cries bitterly
And whoever he asks
His question is tricky for everyone;
Who laughs in his face,
Who would rather turn away;
To the red sun at last
Well done.
“Our sunshine! are you walking
All year round in the sky, you drive
Winter with warm spring,
You see us all below you.
Al will you refuse me an answer?
Haven't you seen anywhere in the world
Are you young princess?
I am her fiancé.” “You are my light,”
The red sun answered, -
I haven't seen the princess.
Know that she is no longer alive.
Is it a month, my neighbor,
I met her somewhere
Or a trace of her was noticed.”

Dark Night Elisha
He waited in his anguish.
It's only been a month
He chased after him with a prayer.
“A month, a month, my friend,
Gilded horn!
You rise in deep darkness,
Chubby, bright-eyed,
And, loving your custom,
The stars are looking at you.
Al will you refuse me an answer?
Have you seen anywhere in the world
Are you young princess?
I am her fiancé.” “My brother,”
The month is clear, -
I have not seen the red maiden.
I stand on guard
Just in my turn.
The princess can be seen without me
I ran through.” - “What a shame!” -
The prince answered.
The clear month continued:
“Wait; about her, perhaps
The wind knows. He will help.
Now go to him
Don’t be sad, goodbye.”

Elisha, without losing heart,
He rushed to the wind, calling:
“Wind, wind! You are powerful
You are chasing flocks of clouds,
You stir the blue sea
There is open air everywhere.
You're not afraid of anyone
Except God alone.
Al will you refuse me an answer?
Have you seen anywhere in the world
Are you young princess?
I’m her fiancé.” “Wait,”
The wild wind answers, -
There behind the quiet river
There is a high mountain
There is a deep hole in it;
In that hole, in the sad darkness,
The crystal coffin is rocking
On chains between pillars.
No traces of anyone to be seen
Around that empty place
Your bride is in that coffin.”

The wind ran away.
The prince began to cry
And went to an empty place
For a beautiful bride
Watch it again at least once.
Here he comes; and got up
The mountain in front of him is steep;
The country around her is empty;
There is a dark entrance under the mountain.
He's heading there quickly.
Before him, in the sad darkness,
The crystal coffin is rocking,
And in the crystal coffin
The princess sleeps in eternal sleep.
And about the coffin of the dear bride
He hit with all his might.
The coffin broke. Virgo suddenly
Alive. Looks around
With amazed eyes,
And, swinging over the chains,
Sighing, she said:
“How long have I been sleeping!”
And she rises from the grave...
Ah!.. and they both burst into tears.
He takes her in his hands
And brings light from darkness,
And, having a pleasant conversation,
They set off on their way back,
And the rumor is already trumpeting:
The royal daughter is alive!

At home idle at that time
The evil stepmother sat
In front of your mirror
And talked to him,
Saying: “I am the cutest of all,
All rosy and white?”
And I heard in response:
“You are beautiful, there are no words,
But the princess is still sweeter,
Everything is redder and whiter.”
The evil stepmother jumped up,
Breaking a mirror on the floor
I ran straight to the door
And I met the princess.
Then sadness took over her,
And the queen died.
They just buried her
The wedding was celebrated immediately,
And with his bride
Elisha got married;
And no one since the beginning of the world
I have never seen such a feast;
I was there, honey, drank beer,
Yes, he just wet his mustache.

Analysis of “The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Knights”

Pushkin claimed that the plot of “The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Knights” was based on a folk tale that he recorded in 1824 from the words of his nanny. The poet supplemented his work with details from other Russian (“Morozko”) and foreign (“Snegurochka”) fairy tales. As a result, in 1833, an original author's work appeared, which had its own plot and instructive meaning.

In the fairy tale there is a clear division of characters into good and evil. Most of the main characters are positive. Negative ones include the evil queen and Chernavka. But the latter takes the side of evil not of her own free will, but out of fear of punishment. In her heart she loves the poor princess and tries to help her as much as possible. Chernavka does not bind the princess, but simply releases her on all four sides. This episode shows that despite the apparent power of evil, human kindness and compassion always come to the aid of positive characters.

Pushkin vividly describes the image of an evil stepmother. In her characterization one immediately feels the inevitability of some kind of tragedy. The young queen shines with beauty, but is distinguished by excessive pride and jealousy. She is completely indifferent to others and is concerned only with her own superiority. The queen has no friends or just close people. Her constant companion is a mirror that magically talks. But all the conversations of the favorite toy are devoted to one topic - the beauty of its owner. The queen will not tolerate words of truth even from a mirror. She becomes furious when she learns about her stepdaughter's beauty. The first time she throws the mirror into a corner, the second time she breaks it in impotent anger.

The young princess personifies the ideal female beauty, kindness and loyalty. She treats everyone equally well and does not suspect deception from the “beggar monk.” Even having lost all hope of returning home, she remains faithful to her betrothed husband.

Prince Elisha symbolizes the strength of male love and devotion. In search of a bride, he is ready to travel around the world. The threefold appeal to natural forces (sun, moon and wind) has ancient national roots. It means an incredibly long and difficult search for the truth.

The happy ending of a fairy tale symbolizes the victory of good over evil. Moreover, this victory went to the main characters exclusively for positive qualities. The tale does not contain a traditional decisive battle or a picture of the punishment of villains. The queen herself dies from “longing.” The wedding of the princess and Elisha is a triumph of happiness and justice.

Prince Elisha,

Having prayed earnestly to God,

Hitting the road

For a beautiful soul,

For the young bride.

But the bride is young,

Wandering in the forest until dawn,

Meanwhile everything went on and on

And I came across the tower.

The dog meets her, barking,

He came running and fell silent, playing;

She entered the gate

There is silence in the courtyard.

The dog runs after her, caressing her,

And the princess, getting close,

Went up to the porch

And she took the ring;

The door opened quietly,

And the princess found herself

In the bright upper room; all around

Carpeted benches

Under the saints there is an oak table,

Stove with tiled stove bench.

The girl sees what's here

Good people live;

You know, she won’t be offended!

Meanwhile, no one is visible.

The princess walked around the house,

I put everything away in order,

I lit a candle for God,

I lit the stove hot,

Climbed onto the floor

And she quietly lay down.

Lunch hour was approaching

There was a stomping sound in the yard:

Seven heroes enter

Seven ruddy barbels.

The elder said: “What a miracle!

Everything is so clean and beautiful.

Someone was tidying up the mansion

Yes, he was waiting for the owners.

Who? Come out and show yourself

Make friends with us honestly.

If you are an old man,

You will be our uncle forever.

If you're a ruddy guy,

You will be called our brother.

If the old lady, be our mother,

So let's call it a name.

If the red maiden

Be our dear sister."

And the princess came down to them,

I gave honor to the owners,

She bowed low to the waist;

Blushing, she apologized,

Somehow I went to visit them,

Even though I wasn’t invited.

Instantly, by their speech, they recognized

That the princess was received;

Sat in a corner

They brought a pie;

The glass was poured full,

It was served on a tray.

From green wine

She denied;

I just broke the pie,

Yes, I took a bite,

And get some rest from the road

I asked to go to bed.

They took the girl

Up into the bright room

And left alone

Going to bed.

Day after day goes by, flashing,

And the princess is young

Everything is in the forest, she’s not bored

Seven heroes.

Before dawn

Brothers in a friendly crowd

They go out for a walk,

Shoot gray ducks

Amuse your right hand,

Sorochina rushes to the field,

Or head off broad shoulders

Cut off the Tatar,

Or chased out of the forest

Pyatigorsk Circassian.

And she is the hostess

Meanwhile alone

He will clean and cook.

She won't contradict them

They won't contradict her.

So days go by.

Brothers dear girl

Loved it. To her room

Once, as soon as it was dawn,

All seven of them entered.

The elder said to her: “Maiden,

You know: you are a sister to all of us,

All seven of us, you

We all love for ourselves

We would all like to take you,

Yes, you can’t, for God’s sake

Make peace between us somehow:

Be one's wife

Other affectionate sister.

Why are you shaking your head?

Are you refusing us?

Are the goods not for the merchants?

“Oh, you guys are honest,

Brothers, you are my family, -

The princess tells them,

If I lie, may God command

I won't get out of this place alive.

What should I do? because I'm a bride.

For me you are all equal

All are daring, all are smart,

I love you all from the bottom of my heart;

But to another I am forever

Given away. I love everyone

Prince Elisha."

The brothers stood silently

Yes, they scratched their heads.

“Demand is not a sin. Forgive us, -

The elder said bowing, -

If so, I won’t mention it

About that." - “I’m not angry,”

She said quietly,

And my refusal is not my fault.”

The suitors bowed to her,

Slowly they moved away

And everything agrees again

They began to live and get along.

Meanwhile, the queen is evil,

Remembering the princess

I couldn't forgive her

And on the mirror

I sulked and got angry for a long time;

Finally had enough of him

And she followed him, and sat down

In front of him, I forgot my anger,

Started to show off again

And with a smile she said:

“Hello, mirror! Tell

Tell me the whole truth:

Am I the sweetest in the world,

All rosy and white?”

And the mirror answered her:

“You are beautiful, no doubt;

But he lives without any glory,

Among the green oak groves,

At the seven heroes

The one who is still dearer than you.”

And the queen flew in

To Chernavka: “How dare you

Fool me? and in what!..”

She admitted everything:

So and so. Evil queen

Threatening her with a slingshot

I put it down or not live,

Or destroy the princess.

Since the princess is young,

Waiting for my dear brothers,

She was spinning while sitting under the window.

Suddenly angrily under the porch

The dog barked and the girl

Sees: beggar blueberry

Walks around the yard with a stick

Driving the dog away. “Wait,

Grandma, wait a little, -

She shouts to her through the window, -

I'll threaten the dog myself

And I’ll bring you something.”

The blueberry answers her:

“Oh, you little girl!

The damned dog prevailed

Almost ate it to death.

Look how busy he is!

Come out to me." - The princess wants

I went out to her and took the bread,

But I just left the porch,

The dog is at her feet and barks,

And he won’t let me see the old woman;

Only the old woman will go to her,

He is angrier than the forest beast,

For an old woman. “What kind of miracle?

Apparently he didn't sleep well, -

The princess tells her: -

Well, catch it!” - and the bread flies.

The old woman caught the bread:

“Thank you,” she said. -

God bless you;

Here’s to you, catch him!”

And to the princess a liquid,

Young, golden,

The apple is flying straight...

The dog will jump and squeal...

But the princess in both hands

Grab - caught. "For the sake of boredom

Eat an apple, my light.

Give thanks for lunch."

The old lady said,

She bowed and disappeared...

And from the princess to the porch

The dog runs into her face

He looks pitifully, howls menacingly,

It’s like a dog’s heart is aching,

As if he wants to tell her:

Give it up! - She caressed him,

Ruffles with a gentle hand;

“What, Sokolko, what’s wrong with you?

Lay down! - and entered the room,

The door was quietly locked,

I sat down under the window and grabbed some yarn.

Wait for the owners, and looked

It's all about the apple. It

Full of ripe juice,

So fresh and so fragrant

So ruddy and golden

It’s like it’s filled with honey!

The seeds are visible right through...

She wanted to wait

Before lunch; couldn't stand it

I took the apple in my hands,

She brought it to her scarlet lips,

Slowly bit through

And she swallowed a piece...

Suddenly she, my soul,

I staggered without breathing,

White hands dropped,

I dropped the ruddy fruit,

Eyes rolled back

And she's like that

She fell head on the bench

And she became quiet, motionless...

The brothers went home at that time

They came back in a crowd

From a brave robbery.

To meet them, howling menacingly,

The dog runs to the yard

Shows them the way. “Not good! -

The brothers said: - sadness

We won’t pass.” They galloped up,

They entered and gasped. Having run in,

Dog at apple headlong

He rushed barking, got angry,

Swallowed it, fell down

And died. Got drunk

It was poison, you know.

Before the dead princess

Brothers in grief

Everyone hung their heads

And with the holy prayer

They lifted me from the bench, dressed me,

They wanted to bury her

And they changed their minds. She,

Like under the wing of a dream,

She lay so quiet and fresh,

That she just couldn’t breathe.

We waited three days, but she

Didn't rise from sleep.

Having performed a sad ritual,

Here they are in the crystal coffin

Young princess corpse

They laid it down - and in a crowd

They carried me to an empty mountain,

And at midnight

Her coffin to six pillars

On cast iron chains there

Screwed down carefully

And they fenced it off with bars;

And, before the dead sister

Having made a bow to the ground,

The elder said: “Sleep in the coffin;

Suddenly went out, a victim of anger,

Your beauty is on earth;

Heaven will receive your spirit.

You were loved by us

And for the dear one we keep -

No one got it

Only one coffin."