The Little Humpbacked Horse read Russian folk. Read the book “The Little Humpbacked Horse” online in full - Pyotr Ershov - MyBook

PART 1
The fairy tale begins to tell

Behind the mountains, behind the forests,
Across the wide seas
Against the sky - on the ground
An old man lived in a village.
The old lady has three sons:
The eldest was a smart kid,
Middle son and this way and that,
The younger one was completely stupid.
The brothers sowed wheat
Yes, they took us to the capital city:
You know, that was the capital
Not far from the village.
They sold wheat there
Money was accepted by invoice
And with a full bag
We were returning home.
In a long time al soon
Misfortune befell them:
Someone started walking in the field
And stir the wheat.
Men are so sad
Haven't seen them since birth;
They began to think and guess -
How to spot a thief;
Finally they realized
To stand on guard,
Save the bread at night,
Evil thief lie in wait.
Just as it was getting dark,
The elder brother began to get ready,
Took out a pitchfork and an ax
And he went on patrol.
A stormy night has arrived;
Fear came over him
And out of fear our man
Buried under the hay.
The night passes, the day comes;
The sentinel leaves the hay
And, pouring water on myself,
He started knocking on the door:
“Hey you sleepy grouse!
Unlock the door for your brother
I got wet in the rain
From head to toe."
The brothers opened the doors
The guard was let in
They began to ask him:
Didn't he see anything?
The guard prayed
Bowed to the right, to the left
And, clearing his throat, he said:
“I didn’t sleep the whole night;
Unfortunately for me,
There was terrible bad weather:
The rain poured down like this,
I wet my shirt all over.
It was so boring!..
However, everything is fine.”
His father praised him:
“You, Danilo, are great!
You are, so to speak, approximately,
Served me well,
That is, being with everything,
I didn’t lose face.”
It began to get dark again,
The middle brother went to get ready;
I took a pitchfork and an ax
And he went on patrol.
The cold night has come,
Trembling attacked the little one,
The teeth began to dance;
He started to run -
And I walked around all night
Under the neighbor's fence.
It was terrible for the young man!
But it's morning. He goes to the porch:
“Hey you, sleepyheads! Why are you sleeping?
Unlock the door for your brother;
There was a terrible frost at night -
I'm frozen to my stomach."
The brothers opened the doors
The guard was let in
They began to ask him:
Didn't he see anything?
The guard prayed
Bowed to the right, to the left
And through clenched teeth he answered:
“I didn’t sleep all night,
Yes to my unfortunate fate
The cold was terrible at night,
It reached my heart;
I rode all night;
It was too awkward...
However, everything is fine.”
And his father said to him:
“You, Gavrilo, are great!”
It began to get dark for the third time,
The younger one needs to get ready;
He doesn't even move his moustache,
Sings on the stove in the corner
With all your stupid urine:
“You are beautiful eyes!”
Brothers, blame him,
They began to drive into the field,
But no matter how long they shouted,
They just lost their voice;
He's not moving. Finally
His father approached him
He tells him: “Listen,
Run on patrol, Vanyusha;
I'll buy you some popular prints,
I’ll give you peas and beans.”
Here Ivan gets off the stove,
Malachai puts on his
He puts bread in his bosom,
The guard is on duty.
The night has come; the month rises;
Ivan goes around the entire field,
Looking around
And sits down under a bush;
Counts the stars in the sky
Yes, he eats the edge.
Suddenly, about midnight, the horse neighed...
Our guard stood up,
Looked under the mitten
And I saw a mare.
That mare was
All white, like winter snow,
Mane to the ground, golden,
The rings are curled in chalk.
“Ehehe! so this is what it is
Our thief!.. But wait,
I don't know how to joke,
I’ll sit on your neck at once.
Look, what locusts!”
And, for a moment,
runs up to the mare,
Grabs the wavy tail
And he jumped onto her ridge -
Only backwards.
Young mare
With wildly sparkling eyes,
The snake twisted its head
And it took off like an arrow.
Hovering around the fields,
Hangs like a sheet above the ditches,
Leaping through the mountains,
Walks on end through the forests,
Wants by force or deception,
Just to cope with Ivan;
But Ivan himself is not simple -
Holds the tail tightly.
Finally she got tired.
“Well, Ivan,” she told him, “
If you knew how to sit,
So you can own me.
Give me a place to rest
Yes, look after me
How much do you understand? Yes look:
Three morning dawns
Set me free
Take a walk through an open field.
By the end three days
I will give you two horses -
Yes, the same as today
There was no trace of it;
And I’ll also give birth to a horse
Only three inches tall,
On the back with two humps
Yes, with arshin ears.
Sell ​​two horses if you like,
But don't give up your skate
Not by the belt, not by the hat,
Not for a black woman, listen.
On the ground and underground
He will be your comrade:
He will warm you in winter,
In summer it will be cold;
In times of famine he will treat you with bread,
When you're thirsty, you'll drink honey.
I'll go out into the field again
Try your strength in freedom.”
“Okay,” thinks Ivan.
And to the shepherd's booth
Drives the mare
The door is closed by matting,
And as soon as it was dawn,
Goes to the village
Singing a song loudly
“The good guy went to Presnya.”
Here he comes up to the porch,
Here he grabs the ring,
What strength is there in the door is knocking,
The roof is almost falling down,
And shouts to the whole market,
It was like there was a fire.
The brothers jumped from the benches,
Stuttering, they cried out:
“Who knocks so hard like that?” -
“It’s me, Ivan the Fool!”

Pyotr Pavlovich Ershov

Little Humpbacked Horse

Pyotr Pavlovich Ershov (1815-1869) was born in Siberia.

As a child, he listened to the tales of Siberian peasants, remembered many of them for the rest of his life and told them well himself.

Ershov was very fond of folk tales. In them, the people wittily ridiculed their enemies - the tsar, boyars, merchants, priests, condemned evil and stood for truth, justice, and goodness.

Ershov was studying at St. Petersburg University when he first read Pushkin's wonderful fairy tales. They had just appeared then.

And he immediately decided to write his “Humpbacked Horse” - a funny fairy tale about the brave Ivanushka - peasant son, about a stupid king and a magical little humpbacked horse. For The Little Humpbacked Horse, Ershov took a lot from ancient folk tales.

The tale was published in 1834. A. S. Pushkin read and spoke with great praise about “The Little Humpbacked Horse.”

After graduating from university, Ershov returned from St. Petersburg to Siberia, his homeland, and lived there all his life. For many years he was a teacher at the city gymnasium

Tobolsk. Ershov passionately loved his harsh land, studied it and knew it well.

In addition to “The Little Humpbacked Horse,” he wrote several more works, but they are now forgotten. And “The Little Humpbacked Horse,” which appeared more than a hundred years ago, still remains one of the favorite fairy tales of our people.

V. Gakina

The fairy tale begins to tell Behind the mountains, behind the forests, Behind the wide seas, Against the sky - on the earth There lived an old man in a village. The old lady has three sons: The eldest was a smart kid, The middle son was this and that, The youngest was a complete fool. The brothers sowed wheat and took it to the capital city: You know, that capital was not far from the village. There they sold wheat, accepted the money and returned home with a full bag.
For a long time, and soon, grief befell them: Someone began to walk in the field and stir the wheat. The peasants have never seen such sadness; They began to think and guess - How to spot a thief; Finally they realized, To stand on guard, To save bread at night, To lie in wait for an evil thief. So, as soon as it began to get dark, the elder brother began to get ready, took out a pitchfork and an ax, and went on patrol. A stormy night has arrived; Fear attacked him, and out of fear, our man buried himself under the hay. The night passes, the day comes; The watchman comes down from the hay and, dousing himself with water, begins to knock on the door: “Hey, you sleepy grouse! Unlock the doors for your brother, I’m all wet in the rain From head to toe.” The brothers opened the doors, let the guard in, and began to ask him: Did he see anything? The guard prayed to the right, bowed to the left, and, clearing his throat, said: “I didn’t sleep all night; Unfortunately for me, there was terrible bad weather: The rain poured down like that and wet my shirt all over. It was so boring!.. However, everything is fine.” His father praised him: “You, Danilo, are great! You, so to speak, approximately, served me well, that is, despite everything, you didn’t lose face.”
It began to get dark again, the Middle brother went to get ready; He took a pitchfork and an ax and went on patrol. The cold night has come, the little one is overcome with trembling, his teeth begin to dance; He started to run - And all night he walked on patrol under the neighbor’s fence. It was terrible for the young man! But it's morning. He goes to the porch: “Hey, sleepyheads! Why are you sleeping? Unlock the door for your brother; There was a terrible frost at night - I was frozen to my stomach.”
The brothers opened the doors, let the guard in, and began to ask him: Did he see anything? The guard prayed, bowed to the right and left, and answered through gritted teeth: “I didn’t sleep all night, but to my unhappy fate. That night the cold was terrible, It got to my heart; I rode all night; It was too awkward... However, everything is fine.” And his father said to him: “You, Gavrilo, are great!”
It began to get dark for the third time. The youngest had to get ready; He doesn’t even move his mustache, On the stove in the corner he sings With all his stupid urine: “You are beautiful eyes!” The brothers blame him, They began to drive him into the field, But no matter how long they shouted, They only lost their voice; He's not moving. Finally his father came up to him and said to him: “Listen, run away to patrol, Vanyusha; I’ll buy you some splints, I’ll give you peas and beans.” Here Ivan gets off the stove, puts on his Malachai, puts the bread in his bosom, and goes to keep the guard.
The night has come; the month rises; Ivan goes around the entire field, looking around, and sits down under a bush; He counts the stars in the sky and eats the crumbs. Suddenly, at midnight, the horse neighed... Our guard stood up, looked under his mitten and saw a mare. That mare was all white, like winter snow, her mane was golden, curled into chalk rings. “Ehehe! so this is what Our thief is like!.. But, wait, I don’t know how to joke, I’ll sit on your neck at once. Look, what locusts!” And, a minute later, he runs up to the mare, grabs her by the wavy tail, and jumps onto her ridge - only backwards. The young mare, her eyes sparkling wildly, twisted her head like a snake and took off like an arrow. Hovering in a circle over the fields, Hanging like a sheet over the ditches, Leaping through the mountains, Walking on end through the forests, Wanting by force or deceit, Just to cope with Ivan; But Ivan himself is not simple - He holds on tightly to his tail. Finally she got tired. “Well, Ivan,” she told him, “If you knew how to sit still, then you can control me. Give me a place to rest and look after me as much as you can. Yes, look: at three mornings, let me out to take a walk in the open field. At the end of three days, I will give you two horses - Yes, such as have never been seen before; Moreover, I have the face of a horse, only three inches tall, with two humps on its back and arshin ears. Sell ​​two horses if you like, but don’t give up a skate, neither for a belt, nor for a hat, nor for a black one, listen, grandma. On earth and under the earth He will be your comrade: He will warm you in winter, He will fan you with cold in summer; In times of hunger he will treat you with bread, in times of thirst he will give you honey to drink. I’ll go out into the field of Strength again and try it in freedom.” “Okay,” thinks Ivan And he drives the Mare into the shepherd’s shed, closes the door with matting, and as soon as it’s dawn, he goes to the village, singing loudly the song “The good fellow went to Presnya.” Here he comes up to the porch, Here he grabs the ring, He knocks on the door with all his strength, Almost the roof collapses, And he screams at the whole market, As if there was a fire. The brothers jumped from the benches, stuttering, and cried out: “Who knocks so hard like that?” - “It’s me, Ivan the Fool!” The brothers opened the doors, let the Fool into the hut, and let's scold him, - How dare he scare them like that!
And our Ivan, without taking off his bast shoes or malakh, goes to the stove and from there he talks about the night’s adventure, to the surprise of all ears: “I didn’t sleep all night, I counted the stars in the sky; A month, exactly, too

Pyotr Pavlovich Ershov (1815-1869) was born in Siberia.

As a child, he listened to the tales of Siberian peasants, remembered many of them for the rest of his life and told them well himself.

Ershov was very fond of folk tales. In them, the people wittily ridiculed their enemies - the tsar, boyars, merchants, priests, condemned evil and stood for truth, justice, and goodness.

Ershov was studying at St. Petersburg University when he first read Pushkin's wonderful fairy tales. They had just appeared then.

And he immediately decided to write his “Humpbacked Horse” - a funny fairy tale about the brave Ivanushka, a peasant son, about a stupid king and about a magical little humpbacked horse. Ershov took a lot for “The Little Humpbacked Horse” from ancient folk tales.

The tale was published in 1834. A. S. Pushkin read and spoke with great praise about “The Little Humpbacked Horse.”

After graduating from university, Ershov returned from St. Petersburg to Siberia, his homeland, and lived there all his life. For many years he was a teacher at the city gymnasium

Tobolsk. Ershov passionately loved his harsh land, studied it and knew it well.

In addition to “The Little Humpbacked Horse,” he wrote several more works, but they are now forgotten. And “The Little Humpbacked Horse,” which appeared more than a hundred years ago, still remains one of the favorite fairy tales of our people.

V. Gakina

PART 1

...

The fairy tale begins to tell

Behind the mountains, behind the forests,
Across the wide seas
Against the sky - on the ground
An old man lived in a village.
The old lady has three sons:
The eldest was a smart kid,
Middle son and this way and that,
The younger one was completely stupid.
The brothers sowed wheat
Yes, they took us to the capital city:
You know, that was the capital
Not far from the village.
They sold wheat there
Money was accepted by invoice
And with a full bag
We were returning home.

In a long time al soon
Misfortune befell them:
Someone started walking in the field
And stir the wheat.
Men are so sad
Haven't seen them since birth;
They began to think and guess -
How to spy a thief;
Finally they realized
To stand on guard,
Save the bread at night,
To waylay the evil thief.

Just as it was getting dark,
The elder brother began to get ready,
Took out a pitchfork and an ax
And he went on patrol.
A stormy night has arrived;
Fear came over him
And out of fear our man
Buried under the hay.
The night passes, the day comes;
The sentinel leaves the hay
And, pouring water on myself,
He started knocking on the door:
“Hey you sleepy grouse!
Unlock the door for your brother
I got wet in the rain
From head to toe."
The brothers opened the doors
The guard was let in
They began to ask him:
Didn't he see anything?
The guard prayed
Bowed to the right, to the left
And, clearing his throat, he said:
“I didn’t sleep the whole night;
Unfortunately for me,
There was terrible bad weather:
The rain poured down like this,
I wet my shirt all over.
It was so boring!..
However, everything is fine.”
His father praised him:
“You, Danilo, are great!
You are, so to speak, approximately,
Served me well,
That is, being with everything,
I didn’t lose face.”

It began to get dark again,
The middle brother went to get ready;
I took a pitchfork and an ax
And he went on patrol.
The cold night has come,
Trembling attacked the little one,
The teeth began to dance;
He started to run -
And I walked around all night
Under the neighbor's fence.
It was terrible for the young man!
But it's morning. He goes to the porch:
“Hey you, sleepyheads! Why are you sleeping?
Unlock the door for your brother;
There was a terrible frost at night -
I'm frozen to my stomach."

The brothers opened the doors
The guard was let in
They began to ask him:
Didn't he see anything?
The guard prayed
Bowed to the right, to the left
And through clenched teeth he answered:
“I didn’t sleep all night,
Yes to my unfortunate fate
The cold was terrible at night,
It reached my heart;
I rode all night;
It was too awkward...
However, everything is fine.”
And his father said to him:
“You, Gavrilo, are great!”

It began to get dark for the third time,
The younger one needs to get ready;
He doesn't even move his moustache,
Sings on the stove in the corner
With all your stupid urine:
“You are beautiful eyes!”
Brothers, blame him,
They began to drive into the field,
But no matter how long they shouted,
They just lost their voice;
He's not moving. Finally
His father approached him
He tells him: “Listen,
Run away to patrol, Vanyusha;
I'll buy you some splints
I’ll give you peas and beans.”
Here Ivan gets off the stove,
Malachai puts on his
He puts bread in his bosom,
The guard is on duty.

The night has come; the month rises;
Ivan goes around the entire field,
Looking around
And sits down under a bush;
Counts the stars in the sky
Yes, he eats the edge.
Suddenly, about midnight, the horse neighed...
Our guard stood up,
Looked under the mitten
And I saw a mare.
That mare was
All white, like winter snow,
Mane to the ground, golden,
The rings are curled in chalk.
“Ehehe! so this is what it is
Our thief!.. But wait,
I don't know how to joke,
I’ll sit on your neck at once.
Look, what locusts!”
And, for a moment,
runs up to the mare,
Grabs the wavy tail
And I’ll jump onto her ridge -
Only backwards.
Young mare
With wildly sparkling eyes,
The snake twisted its head
And it took off like an arrow.
Hovering in a circle over the fields,
Hangs like a sheet above the ditches,
Leaping through the mountains,
Walks on end through the forests,
Wants by force or deception,
Just to cope with Ivan;
But Ivan himself is not simple -
Holds the tail tightly.

Finally she got tired.
“Well, Ivan,” she told him, “
If you knew how to sit,
So you can own me.
Give me a place to rest
Yes, look after me
How much do you understand? Yes look:
Three morning dawns
Set me free
Take a walk through an open field.
At the end of three days
I will give you two horses -
Yes, the same as today
There was no trace of it;
And I’ll also give birth to a horse
Only three inches tall,
On the back with two humps
Yes, with arshin ears.
Sell ​​two horses if you like,
But don't give up your skate
Not by the belt, not by the hat,
Not for a black woman, listen.
On the ground and underground
He will be your comrade:
He will warm you in winter,
In summer it will be cold;
In times of famine he will treat you with bread,
When you're thirsty, you'll drink honey.
I'll go out into the field again
Try your strength in freedom.”

An annotated edition of a fairy tale beloved by many generations. For primary school age.

• About the fairy tale “The Little Humpbacked Horse”

From the series: School library (Children's literature)

* * *

by liters company.

About the fairy tale “The Little Humpbacked Horse”

Father sent Ivanushka to guard the wheat: someone had gotten into the habit of trampling it at night. Ivan obeyed and went on patrol. Nineteen-year-old poet and student at St. Petersburg University Pyotr Pavlovich Ershov spoke about what followed and much more in his fairy tale. The author of “The Little Humpbacked Horse” studied at the philosophical and legal department. But Ershov was attracted to poetry, history, and music. He once admitted: “I’m ready to admire everything elegant until I’m dizzy...”

Ershov was a contemporary of the great Pushkin and Zhukovsky. From them he heard praise. The fairy tale was published first in a magazine, and then as a separate book. Since the memorable year of 1834 for Ershov, when this happened, the fairy tale about the little humpbacked horse has been known and loved by all reading Russia.

The poet was born in Siberia. As a child, he had to travel a lot: his father served in the hectic position of a volost commissar - the family often moved from place to place. The Ershovs lived in the fortress of St. Peter (now Petropavlovsk), and in Omsk, and in the Far North - in Berezovo (then a place of exile) and in Tobolsk. The future poet learned the life of peasants, taiga hunters, coachmen, merchants, Cossacks, heard stories about Siberian antiquity, and learned fairy tales from old-timers. Ershov, who became a high school student, was lucky again: he settled in Tobolsk with his mother’s relatives, with the merchant Pilenkov - they visited the people’s quarters here different people. From them Ershov learned about the Transbaikal region, about distant caravan routes to the south and east. The time has come, and Ershov himself became a storyteller.

Ershov came to St. Petersburg with his parents and his brother, who also became a student. They settled on the outskirts of the city, in a small wooden house. In the evenings, after getting into bed, Ershov loved to tell his family fairy tales. It was here that the poet’s friends first heard his tale about the Humpbacked Horse. The tale was adopted from Siberian storytellers, but it is not always easy to decide where we have the art of the people and where own creativity Ershova.

Are they traveling close or far?

Do they go low or high?

And did they see anyone -

I don't know anything.

Soon the tale will be told

Things are going wrong.

How can you not recognize the words from folk tales: “Whether it’s close, whether it’s far, whether it’s low, whether it’s high - soon the fairy tale is told, but not soon the deed is done.” Or here’s another thing - the little humpbacked horse asks the saddened Ivan three times:

“What, Ivanushka, are you unhappy?

Why did you hang your head?

But the fact is that the king sends Ivan to the ocean; The little hunchback invariably consoles his master:

“This is a service, not a service;

The service is all ahead, brother!”

In folk tales, the hero also finds solace in his friends and helpers. They also ask him why he is sad, why he hung his head below his shoulders, and console him with the same words: “This is not a service - a service, the service will be ahead.” Ershov also took words about Ivan’s transformation from folk tales:

And he became so handsome -

No matter what a fairy tale says,

You can't write with a pen!

It is not difficult to recognize the usual fairy tale ending in last verses O wedding feast:

My heart loves it! I was there

He drank honey, wine and beer;

Even though it ran down my mustache,

Not a drop got into my mouth.

But the poet not only retold folk tales in his poems. Ershov embellished folk fiction, colored it with his own invention, and supplemented it. Here Ivan is watching the wheat at night - sitting under a bush, counting the stars in the sky:

Suddenly, about midnight, the horse neighed...

Our guard stood up,

Looked under the mitten

And I saw a mare.

We can follow all of Ivan’s movements: a sudden neighing struck his ears, he stood up, put his hand to his eyes to better see something in the distance, and saw a mare. Ershov gives free rein to his imagination:

That mare was

All white, like winter snow,

Mane to the ground, golden,

Curled in chalk rings.

There are many wonderful things in folk tales, but we can guarantee that exactly such a description cannot be found in them.

“The Little Humpbacked Horse” captivates us with its fiction. What we don’t learn and where we go together with Ivan and his little hunchback! In the fairy-tale capital - at the market, in the equestrian row, in the royal stables, by the ocean-sea, in strange lands where firebirds live, on the seashore, at the very edge of the surf, from where a deserted expanse opens up and you can see how “alone” walks » white shaft. Here Ivan rode on his little humpback to the clearing:

What a field! greenery here

Like an emerald stone;

The wind blows over her,

So it sows sparks;

And the flowers are green

Inexpressible beauty.

In the distance rises a mountain, “all made of pure silver” - a dazzling shine spreads all around. The beauty of the magical world opens before our mind's eye.

Ershov fearlessly combines magical fiction with humor. A whale lies motionless across the ocean - the miracle Yudo. Smart peasants settled on it:

The men are plowing on the lip,

The boys are dancing between the eyes,

And in the oak grove, between the mustaches,

The girls are looking for mushrooms.

The poet laughs cheerfully at the old fantastic tales that the earth rests on three pillars.

Jocularity never leaves Ershov. It constantly accompanies his most enthusiastic descriptions. Even the princess did not seem beautiful to Ivan: when he saw her, he was disappointed - she seemed pale and thin to him:

“And the little leg, the little leg!

Ugh! like a chicken!

Let someone love you

I won’t take it for nothing.”

Retelling folk tales, Ershov kept them sharp social meaning. The author's sympathies are entirely on the side of the persecuted and despised Ivan. Ivan was already known as a fool in family of origin; he really seems like a fool: he lies on the stove and sings at the top of his lungs: “You are beautiful eyes!” But here’s the question: why are his older brothers better than him?... They don’t shout songs, don’t climb onto the stove in bast shoes and malakhai, don’t knock on doors so hard that “the roof almost falls off,” but they have no other merits. On the contrary, there is a lot of bad things about them: none of them is true to their word, they deceive their father, and are dishonest. For the sake of profit, they are ready to do anything - they would be happy to destroy Ivan. On a dark night, they send him into the field for a light, in the hope that it will not come back.

Danilo himself thinks:

“May you be crushed there!”

And Gavrilo says:

“Who knows what’s burning!

Since the villagers have arrived, -

Remember him by his name!”

But everything happens contrary to the wishes of the brothers. Ershov makes Ivan lucky. Why?

Because Ivan does not wish harm on anyone. His “stupid mind” is that he does not steal, does not deceive, and is true to his word. He does not plot against his neighbors. Every time, having done a good deed, Ivan sings carefree: he sings, returning from patrol, “Well done, he went to Presnya”; sings on the way to the booth where he has horses. And the real fun - a general dance - happened in the capital when Ivan was taken into the service of the tsar. We like the cheerful, kind and simple-minded Ivan because he is not like those who consider themselves “smart.”

Despised and deceived by his brothers, Ivan began to live at the royal court. Ivan himself is surprised by the change in his fate. According to him, he “from the garden” became a “royal governor.” The improbability of such a change in Ivan’s fate is ridiculed by the poet himself, but without such a course of action there would be no fairy tale.

Ivan remained the same in the tsar’s service: he negotiated for himself the right to sleep enough (“Otherwise I was like that”). Ershov often says that Ivan sleeps so soundly that they can hardly wake him up. Ivan almost killed himself by falling asleep near the girl’s tent while she was singing and playing the harp. The dissatisfied hunchback nudged him with his hoof and said:

“Sleep, my dear, to the star!

Pour out your troubles!”

Ivan would like to remain carefree, but in the royal service it is impossible to be carefree. Ivan must become different. He's learning this. In order not to fall asleep, not to miss the Tsar Maiden again, Ivan collected sharp stones and nails: “In order to prick himself if he takes a nap again.” The faithful horse teaches his master: “Gay! master! Full sleep! It’s time to fix things!” The horse is the embodiment of a wonderful fairy-tale power that comes to Ivan’s aid. This force acts against the courtiers and the king himself. The troubles that Ivan gets into are terrible. The Tsar learned from the denunciation of the sleeping bag that Ivan was hiding the feather of the Firebird. The king is angry. He gets Ivan to confess: “Answer! I’ll screw it up!..” The royal desire to have the Firebird’s feather is just a whim and nonsense. The king is funny: having received a feather, he plays with it like a child with a toy: “He stroked his beard, laughed and bit the end of the feather.” Ordering the Firebird to be caught, the Tsar threatens to impale Ivan in case of disobedience:

“God have mercy, I’m angry!

And sometimes from hearts

I’ll take off the forelock and the head.”

Ivan is a “servant” for the Tsar and should not contradict his words or desires. This is the order to bathe in boiling water:

"If you are at dawn

If you don't fulfill the command,

I will give you to torment

I'll order you to be tortured

Tear it apart piece by piece."

The ingratitude of the Tsar, to whom Ivan rendered so many services, denunciations, the hypocrisy of the courtiers, their clever slander - this is what caused misfortune even to such undemanding, gentle people as Ivanushka.

Ershov contrasted this very real evil with the fabulous power of the humpbacked horse.

Fairytale little humpbacked horse, like any good fiction, contains a serious thought: the power of the king and his courtiers can be crushed by the power of faithful partnership. Ershov poeticized this feeling. Giving Ivan horses, the mare said:

“Sell two horses if you like,

But don't give up your skate

Not by the belt, not by the hat,

Not for a black woman, listen.

On the ground and underground

He will be your comrade..."

Ershov himself revealed the inner meaning of the fairy tale: partnership can work miracles. And in life with student years Ershov believed in the power of true friendship. At the university he met Konstantin Timkovsky. They became friends. Both dreamed of useful activities for the benefit of Russia: it seemed to them that they could transform life in Siberia, make the region of hard labor and exile prosperous, and the peoples who inhabited it enlightened. The friends vowed to be faithful to this endeavor and even exchanged rings. On inside the rings were engraved with the first letters Latin words Mors et Vita, which meant: “Death and Life.” The friends vowed to remain faithful to their common civic duty all their lives until death. With all his activities after graduating from the university, Ershov - a teacher of Russian literature at the Tobolsk gymnasium, and then an inspector, its director, and after a while the manager of the directorate of schools throughout the vast Tobolsk province, confirmed his loyalty to his oath. The friends' lives turned out differently, but each one's path began with an oath of allegiance to Russia, sealed by a sense of camaraderie. This feeling was sung by Ershov in the fairy tale.

The little hunchback shares all the joys and sorrows of Ivan. When the time came for the most severe test - to jump into a boiling cauldron, the little hunchback said that now all his friendship would be needed:

“And sooner I myself will perish,

I’ll leave you, Ivan.”

This is what gave Ivan determination:

Ivan looked at the horse

And he immediately dived into the cauldron...

A real fairy tale always close to the truth. The poet has preserved many signs folk life. When going on patrol, the brothers take with them a pitchfork and an ax - those tools that a peasant could turn into a weapon. Ivan drove the captured mare into a shepherd's shed - a temporary pen under a canopy. Getting ready for the journey, Ivan takes three onions with him, puts bread in his bosom, and puts his modest luggage in a bag. The fairy-tale capital is very similar to the Russian provincial or even county town. The mayor with a detachment of mustaches clears the way in the crowd, scattering blows left and right: “Hey! you barefoot devils! Get out of the way! Get out of the way! People take off their hats. Trade guests-merchants, in collusion with the overseers, deceive and shortchange customers. At the auction there is not only monetary trade, but also an exchange in kind. The heralds are shouting. The king travels accompanied by archers. Such descriptions really color the fairy tale and give credibility to the fiction.

The tale is also colored by references to time, although brief, but expressive - they talk about the morning light, the daytime shine of the sky, the evening dusk and the darkness of the night: “It has just begun to get dark,” “Clear noon is coming,” “That’s how it just began to get dark,” “ It began to get dark in the sky,” “The West was quietly burning out,” “The cold night has come,” “The night has come, the month is rising.” Bright picture sketched out in verse:

It was getting late in the evening;

Now the sun has gone down;

A quiet flame of grief,

The dawn unfolded.

Ershov learned from the speech of the people many words and expressions, such as “staring”, “about midnight” and the like. Everyday speech gave the tale special artistic properties.

Once in heaven, Ivan reflects:

“Eco miracle! Eco miracle!

Our kingdom is at least beautiful...

How can it compare with the sky?

So it’s not suitable for an insole.

What is the earth!.. After all, it

And black and dirty;

Here the earth is blue,

And how bright!..

Look, little hunchback,

You see, over there, to the east,

Like lightning is glowing...

Tea, heavenly light...

Something is painfully high!”

This speech contains delight, reflection, surprise, comparison, speculation, and irony. This is live folk speech with stops, unexpected turns during. It also includes colloquial words: “eco”, “tea”, “hurt”, and they cannot be replaced by any others - instead of “Eco marvel!” say “What a miracle!” or “What a miracle!”, instead of “tea” - “probably”, “probably”, and instead of “painfully high” - “very high”. Replacing words would mean losing the folk flavor in fairy-tale speech.

Ershov had a brilliant mastery of verse. Like any real poet, Ershov’s verse was strong poetic means. Here is just one example: on the way back from the heavenly kingdom, Ivan reached the ocean -

Here is a horse running along a whale,

A hoof hits the bones.

The rhythm itself becomes an image of the sound of hooves. But then the skate’s run gives way to a jump, and the rhythm becomes different:

He strained himself - and instantly

Jump to a distant shore.

They say that Pushkin was delighted with Ershov’s skill. The young poet studied with the great master. It is believed that the beginning of the fairy tale is four verses “Beyond the mountains, beyond the valleys...” - Pushkin ruled. It is no coincidence that the poems:

“The way is the way, gentlemen!

Where are you from and where? -

inspired by “The Tale of Tsar Saltan”, where there are the lines:

“Oh, you, gentlemen, guests,

How long did it take you to go, where?"

And Ershov’s verse “Guns are firing from the fortress” was composed according to the model of Pushkin’s: “Guns are firing from the pier.”

Ershov's fairy tale - beautiful and high work art. The poet felt and conveyed the charm of folk tales, and most importantly, shared folk concepts and ideas.

Like ordinary people, Ershov dreamed of the victory of goodness and justice. This is what made the tale of the Humpbacked Horse a popularly recognized work.

The poet died in August 1869. During Ershov's lifetime, the fairy tale was published seven times and many times after the author's death. Pushkin dreamed of publishing a fairy tale with pictures. But such a book should have been cheap.

The little hunchback in Ershov's tale gallops and gallops from one generation of people to another, and the cheerful clatter of his hooves will sound for many more readers.

V. Anikin

The fairy tale begins to tell.

Behind the mountains, behind the forests,

Across the wide seas

Against the sky - on the earth,

An old man lived in a village.

The old lady has three sons.

The eldest was a smart kid,

Middle son and this way and that,

The younger one was completely stupid.

The brothers sowed wheat

Yes, they took us to the capital city:

You know, that was the capital

Not far from the village.

They sold wheat there

Money was accepted by invoice

And with a full bag

We were returning home.

In a long time al soon

Misfortune befell them:

Someone started walking in the field

And stir the wheat.

Men are so sad

Haven't seen them since birth;

They began to think and guess -

How to spy a thief;

Finally they realized

To stand on guard,

Save the bread at night,

To waylay the evil thief.

Just as it was getting dark,

The elder brother began to get ready:

Took out a pitchfork and an ax

And he went on patrol.

The stormy night has come,

Fear came over him

And out of fear our man

Buried under the hay.

The night passes, the day comes;

The sentinel leaves the hay

And, pouring water on myself,

He started knocking on the door:

“Hey you sleepy grouse!

Unlock the door for your brother

I got wet in the rain

From head to toe!”

The brothers opened the doors

The guard was let in

They began to ask him:

Didn't he see anything?

The guard prayed

Bowed to the right, to the left

And, clearing his throat, he said:

“I didn’t sleep all night,

Unfortunately for me,

There was terrible bad weather:

The rain poured down like this,

I wet my shirt all over.

It was so boring!..

However, everything is fine.”

His father praised him:

“You, Danilo, are great!

You are, so to speak, approximately,

Served me well,

That is, being with everything,

I didn’t lose face.”

It began to get dark again,

The middle brother went to get ready:

I took a pitchfork and an ax

And he went on patrol.

The cold night has come,

Trembling attacked the little one,

The teeth began to dance;

He started to run -

And I walked around all night

Under the neighbor's fence.

It was terrible for the young man!

But it's morning. He goes to the porch:

“Hey you, sleepyheads! Why are you sleeping?

Unlock the door for your brother;

There was a terrible frost at night -

I'm frozen to my stomach."

The brothers opened the doors

The guard was let in

They began to ask him:

Didn't he see anything?

The guard prayed

Bowed to the right, to the left

And through clenched teeth he answered:

“I didn’t sleep all night,

Yes, to my unfortunate fate,

The cold was terrible at night,

It reached my heart;

I rode all night;

It was too awkward...

However, everything is fine.”

And his father said to him:

“You, Gavrilo, are great!”

It began to get dark for the third time,

The younger one needs to get ready;

He doesn't even move his moustache,

Sings on the stove in the corner

With all your stupid urine:

“You are beautiful eyes!”

Brothers, blame him,

They began to drive into the field,

But no matter how long they shouted,

He's not moving. Finally

His father approached him

He tells him: “Listen,

Run on patrol, Vanyusha;

I'll buy you some splints

I’ll give you peas and beans.”

Here Ivan gets off the stove,

Malachai puts on his

He puts bread in his bosom,

The guard is on duty.

The night has come; the month rises;

Ivan goes around the entire field,

Looking around

And sits down under a bush;

Counts the stars in the sky

Yes, he eats the edge.

Suddenly, about midnight, the horse neighed...

Our guard stood up,

Looked under the mitten

And I saw a mare.

That mare was

All white, like winter snow,

Mane to the ground, golden,

Curled in chalk rings.

“Ehehe! So this is what

Our thief!.. But wait,

I don't know how to joke,

I’ll sit on your neck at once.

Look, what locusts!”

And, for a moment,

runs up to the mare,

Grabs the wavy tail

And he jumped onto her ridge -

Only backwards.

Young mare

With wildly sparkling eyes,

The snake twisted its head

And it took off like an arrow.

Hovering around the fields,

Hangs like a sheet above the ditches,

Leaping through the mountains,

Walks on end through the forests,

Wants, by force or deception,

Just to cope with Ivan;

But Ivan himself is not simple -

Holds the tail tightly.

Finally she got tired.

“Well, Ivan,” she told him, “

If you knew how to sit,

So you can own me.

Give me a place to rest

Yes, look after me

How much do you understand? Yes look:

Three morning dawns

Set me free

Take a walk through an open field.

At the end of three days

I will give you two horses -

Yes, the same as today

There was no trace of it;

And I’ll also give birth to a horse

Only three inches tall,

On the back with two humps

Yes, with arshin ears.

Sell ​​two horses if you like,

But don't give up your skate

Not by the belt, not by the hat,

Not for a black woman, listen.

On the ground and underground

He will be your comrade:

He will warm you in winter,

In the summer it will be cold,

In times of famine he will treat you with bread,

When you're thirsty, you'll drink honey.

I'll go out into the field again

Try your strength in freedom.”

“Okay,” thinks Ivan.

And to the shepherd's booth

Drives the mare

The matting door closes

And as soon as it was dawn,

Goes to the village

Singing a song loudly

“The good guy went to Presnya.”

Here he comes up to the porch,

Here he grabs the ring,

With all the strength there is knocking on the door,

The roof is almost falling down,

And shouts to the whole market,

It was like there was a fire.

The brothers jumped from the benches,

Stuttering, they cried out:

“Who knocks so hard like that?”

“It’s me, Ivan the Fool!”

The brothers opened the doors

They let a fool into the hut

And let's scold him -

How dare he scare them like that!

And Ivan is ours, without taking off

Neither bast shoes, nor malakhai,

Goes to the oven

And he talks from there

About the night adventure,

To everyone's ears:

“I didn’t sleep all night,

I counted the stars in the sky;

The month, exactly, was also shining, -

I didn't notice much.

Suddenly the devil himself comes,

With a beard and mustache;

The face looks like a cat's

And the eyes are like those bowls!

So that devil started jumping

And knock down the grain with your tail.

I don't know how to joke -

And jump on his neck.

He was already dragging, dragging,

Almost broke my head.

But I myself am not a mistake,

Listen, he held him like he was in a jam.

My cunning man fought and fought

And finally he begged:

“Don’t destroy me from the world!”

A whole year for you for this

I promise to live peacefully

Don’t bother the Orthodox.”

Listen, I didn’t measure the words,

Yes, I believed the little devil.”

Here the narrator fell silent,

He yawned and dozed off.

Brothers, no matter how angry they were,

They couldn’t - they started laughing,

Grabbing your sides,

Over the fool's story.

The old man himself could not help himself,

So as not to laugh until you cry,

At least laugh - that's how it is

It's a sin for old people.

Is there too much time or not enough?

Since this night it has flown, -

I don't care about that

I haven't heard from anyone.

Well, what does it matter to us,

Whether a year or two has flown by, -

After all, you can’t run after them...

Let's continue the fairy tale.

Well, sir, so that's it! Raz Danilo

(On a holiday, I remember it was),

Stretched and drunk,

Dragged into a booth.

What does he see? – Beautiful

Two golden-maned horses

Yes, a toy skate

Only three inches tall,

On the back with two humps

Yes, with arshin ears.

"Hm! Now I found out

Why did the fool sleep here!” -

Danilo says to himself...

The miracle knocked down the hops at once;

Here Danilo is running into the house

And Gavrile says:

“Look how beautiful

Two golden-maned horses

Our fool got himself, -

End of introductory fragment.

* * *

The given introductory fragment of the book Little Humpbacked Horse (P. P. Ershov, 1834) provided by our book partner -

Part one

The fairy tale begins to tell.

Behind the mountains, behind the forests,
Across the wide seas
Not in heaven - on earth
An old man lived in a village.
The peasant has three sons:
The eldest was a smart kid,
Middle son and this way and that,
The younger one was completely stupid.
The brothers sowed wheat
Yes, they took us to the capital city:
You know, that was the capital
Not far from the village.
They sold wheat there
Money was accepted by account
And with a full bag
We were returning home.

In a long time al soon
Misfortune befell them:
Someone started walking in the field
And stir the wheat.
Men are so sad
Haven't seen them since birth;
They began to think and guess,
Like spying for a thief.
Finally they realized
To stand on guard,
Save the bread at night,
To waylay the evil thief.

Just as it was getting dark,
The elder brother began to get ready,
Took out a pitchfork and an ax
And he went on patrol.
A stormy night has arrived;
Fear came over him
And out of fear our man
Buried under the hay.
The night passes, the day comes;
The sentinel leaves the hay
And, pouring water on myself,
He started knocking on the door:
"Hey you sleepy grouse!
Unlock the door for your brother
I got wet in the rain
From head to toe."
The brothers opened the doors
The guard was let in
They began to ask him:
Didn't he see anything?
The guard prayed
Bowed to the right, to the left
And, clearing his throat, he said:
“I didn’t sleep the whole night;
Unfortunately for me,
There was terrible bad weather:
The rain poured down like this,
I wet my shirt all over.
It was so boring!..
However, everything is fine."
His father praised him:
"You, Danilo, are great!
You are, so to speak, approximately,
Served me well,
That is, being with everything,
Didn't lose face."

It began to get dark again;
The middle brother went to get ready.
I took a pitchfork and an ax
And he went on patrol.
The cold night has come,
Trembling attacked the little one,
The teeth began to dance;
He started to run -
And I walked around all night
Under the neighbor's fence.
It was terrible for the young man!
But it's morning. He goes to the porch:
"Hey, sleepyheads! Why are you sleeping!
Unlock the door for your brother;
There was a terrible frost at night,
I'm frozen to my stomach."
The brothers opened the doors
The guard was let in
They began to ask him:
Didn't he see anything?
The guard prayed
Bowed to the right, to the left
And through clenched teeth he answered:
"I didn't sleep all night,
Yes, to my unfortunate fate,
The cold was terrible at night,
It reached my heart;
I rode all night;
It was too awkward...
However, everything is fine."
And his father said to him:
“You, Gavrilo, are great!”

It began to get dark for the third time,
The younger one needs to get ready;
He doesn't even move,
Sings on the stove in the corner
With all your stupid urine:
"You are beautiful eyes!"
Brothers, blame him,
They began to drive into the field,
But no matter how long they shouted,
They just lost their voice:
He's not moving. Finally
His father approached him
He tells him: "Listen,
Run on patrol, Vanyusha.
I'll buy you some splints
I'll give you peas and beans."

Here Ivan gets off the stove,
Malachai puts on his
He puts bread in his bosom,
The guard is on duty.

The night has come; the month rises;
Ivan goes around the whole field,
Looking around
And sits under a bush:
Counts the stars in the sky
Yes, he eats the edge.
Suddenly, about midnight, the horse neighed...
Our guard stood up,
Looked under the mitten
And I saw a mare.
That mare was
All white, like winter snow,
Mane to the ground, golden,
The rings are curled in chalk.
"Ehehe! So this is what
Our thief!.. But wait,
I don't know how to joke,
I’ll sit on your neck at once.
Look, what locusts!"
And, for a moment,
runs up to the mare,
Grabs the wavy tail
And sits on the ridge -
Only backwards.
Young mare
With wildly sparkling eyes,
The snake twisted its head
And it took off like an arrow.
Hovering around the fields
Hangs like a sheet above the ditches,
Leaping through the mountains,
Walks on end through the forests,
Wants by force or deception,
Just to deal with Ivan.
But Ivan himself is not simple -
Holds the tail tightly.

Finally she got tired.
“Well, Ivan,” she told him, “
If you knew how to sit,
So you can own me.
Give me a place to rest
Yes, look after me
How much do you understand? Yes look
Three morning dawns
Set me free
Take a walk through an open field.
At the end of three days
I will give you two horses -
Yes, the same as today
There was no trace of it;
And I’ll also give birth to a horse
Only three inches tall,
On the back with two humps
Yes, with arshin ears.
Sell ​​two horses if you like,
But don't give up your skate
Not by the belt, not by the hat,
Not for a black woman, listen.
On the ground and underground
He will be your comrade;
He will warm you in winter,
In summer it will be cold;
In times of famine he will treat you with bread,
When you're thirsty, you'll drink honey.
I'll go out into the field again
Try your strength in freedom."

“Okay,” thinks Ivan
And to the shepherd's booth
Drives the mare
The matting door closes
And as soon as it was dawn,
Goes to the village
Singing a song loudly
“Well done guy went to Presnya.”

Here he comes up to the porch,
Here he grabs the ring,
With all the strength there is knocking on the door,
The roof is almost falling down,
And shouts to the whole market,
It was like there was a fire.
The brothers jumped from the benches,
They stammered and cried:
"Who knocks so hard like that?" —
"It's me, Ivan the Fool!"
The brothers opened the doors
They let a fool into the hut
And let's scold him,
How dare he scare them like that!
And Ivan is ours, without taking off
Neither bast shoes, nor malakhai,
Goes to the oven
And he talks from there
About the night adventure,
To everyone's ears:
"I didn't sleep all night,
I counted the stars in the sky;
The month, exactly, was also shining, -
I didn't notice much.
Suddenly the devil himself comes,
With a beard and mustache;
The face looks like a cat's
And those eyes are like little bowls!
So that devil began to jump
And knock down the grain with your tail.
I don't know how to joke -
And jumped on his neck.
He was already dragging, dragging,
Almost broke my head
But I myself am not a mistake,
Listen, he held him in a tight grip.
My cunning man fought and fought
And finally he begged:
"Don't destroy me from the world!
A whole year for you for this
I promise to live peacefully
Don’t bother the Orthodox.”
Listen, I didn’t measure the words,
Yes, I believed the little devil.”
Here the narrator fell silent,
He yawned and dozed off.
Brothers, no matter how angry they were,
They couldn’t - they laughed
Grabbing your sides,
Over the fool's story.
The old man himself could not restrain himself,
So as not to laugh until you cry,
At least laugh, that's how it is
It's a sin for old people.

Is there too much time or not enough?
It has flown since this night, -
I don't care about that
I haven't heard from anyone.
Well, what does it matter to us,
Whether a year or two has flown by,
After all, you can’t run after them...
Let's continue the fairy tale.

Well, sir, so that's it! Raz Danilo
(On a holiday, I remember it was),
Stretched and drunk,
Dragged into a booth.
What does he see? Beautiful
Two golden-maned horses
Yes, a toy skate
Only three inches tall,
On the back with two humps
Yes, with arshin ears.
"Hmm! Now I know
Why did the fool sleep here?" -
Danilo says to himself.
Miraculously, the hops were knocked down.
Here Danilo is running into the house
And Gavrile says:
"Look how beautiful
Two golden-maned horses
Our fool got himself:
You haven't even heard of it."
And Danilo and Gavrilo,
What urine was in their feet,
Straight through the nettles
That's how they blow barefoot.

Stumbling three times
Having repaired both eyes,
Rubbing here and there
The brothers enter the two horses.
The horses neighed and snored,
The eyes burned like a yacht;
Curled into chalk rings,
The tail flowed golden,
And diamond hooves
Upholstered with large pearls.
Lovely to watch!
If only the king could sit on them.
The brothers looked at them like that,
Which almost got twisted.
“Where did he get them?”
The eldest said to the middle one,
But the conversation has been going on for a long time,
That treasure is given only to fools,
At least break your forehead,
You won't get two rubles that way.
Well, Gavrilo, during that week
Let's take them to the capital;
We'll sell it to the boyars there,
We'll split the money evenly.
And with the money, you know,
And you will drink and take a walk,
Just slap the bag.
And to the good fool
Guess won't be enough,
Where do his horses visit?
Let him look for them here and there.
Well, buddy, deal with it!"
The brothers agreed at once
We hugged and crossed ourselves
And returned home
Talking to each other
About horses and about the feast,
And about a wonderful little animal.

Time rolls on,
Hour after hour, day after day, -
And on the first week
The brothers are going to the capital city,
To sell your goods there
And at the pier you will find out
Didn't they come with ships?
The Germans are in the city for canvases
And is Tsar Saltan missing?
To fool Christians?
So we prayed to the icons,
Father was blessed
They took two horses secretly
And they set off quietly.

Evening made its way to night,
Ivan got ready for the night;
Walking down the street
He eats the crumb and sings.
Here he reaches the field,
Hands on hips
And with a spring, like a gentleman,
He enters the booth sideways.

Everything was still standing
But the horses were gone;
Just a hunchbacked toy
His legs were spinning,
Flapping his ears with joy
Yes, he danced with his feet.
How Ivan will howl here,
Leaning on the booth:
"Oh, you horses of Bura-Siva,
Good golden-maned horses!
Didn’t I caress you, friends?
Who the hell stole you?
Damn him, the dog!
To die in a gulley!
May he in the next world
Fail on the bridge!
Oh, you horses of Bor-Siva,
Good horses with golden manes!"

Then the horse neighed at him.
“Don’t worry, Ivan,” he said,
It’s a great misfortune, I don’t argue;
But I can help, I'm burning.
You didn't give a damn:
The brothers brought the horses together.
Well, what's the use of idle chatter?
Be at peace, Ivanushka.
Hurry up and sit on me
Just know yourself to hold on;
At least I'm small in stature,
Let me change the horse to another:
As soon as I set off and run,
That’s how I’ll overtake the demon.”

Here the horse lies down in front of him.
Ivan sits on his skate,
Rakes your ears,
That there are mochki roars.
The little humpbacked horse shook himself,
He stood up on his paws, perked up,
He clapped his mane and started snoring.
And he flew like an arrow;
Only in dusty clouds
The whirlwind curled under my feet,
And in two moments, if not in an instant,
Our Ivan caught up with the thieves.

The brothers, that is, were afraid,
They itched and hesitated.
And Ivan began shouting to them:
“It’s a shame, brothers, to steal!
Even though you are smarter than Ivan,
Yes, Ivan is more honest than you:
He didn’t steal your horses.”
The elder, writhing, said:
"Our dear brother, Ivasha!
What we fight is our business;
But take it into account
Our belly is unselfish.
No matter how much wheat we sow,
We have a little daily bread.
Do we have time for rent here?
And the police officers fight.
With such great sadness
Gavrila and I were talking
All last night -
How can I help the grief?
This is how we did it,
Finally we decided this:
To sell your skates
Even for a thousand rubles.
And as a thank you, by the way,
Bring you a new one -
Red hat with a vertebra
Yes, boots with heels.
Besides, the old man can’t
Can no longer work;
But you have to wash your eyes, -
You yourself smart man!"
“Well, if that’s the case, then go ahead,”
Ivan says, sell it
Two golden-maned horses,
Yes, take me too."
The brothers glanced painfully at each other,
No way! We agreed.

It began to get dark in the sky;
The air began to grow cold;
So that they don't get lost,
It was decided to stop.
Under the canopies of branches
They tied up all the horses,
They brought a basket with food,
Got a little hangover
And let's go, God willing,
Who is good at what?

Danilo suddenly noticed
That the fire lit up in the distance.
He looked at Gavrila,
Winked with his left eye
And he coughed lightly,
Pointing to the fire quietly.
Here I scratched my head,
“Oh, how dark!” he said.
At least a month like that as a joke
He looked at us for a minute,
Everything would be easier. And now,
Really, we are worse than aunts...
Wait a minute... I think
That light smoke curls there...
You see, Avon!.. It is so!..
I wish I could light a cigarette!
It would be a miracle!.. And listen,
Run away, brother Vanyusha.
And, I must admit, I have
No flint, no flint."
Danilo himself thinks:
“May you get crushed there!”
And Gavrilo says:
"Who knows what's on fire!
Since the villagers have arrived -
Remember him by his name!"

All is nothing to a fool.
He sits on his skate
Kicks the sides with his feet,
Tugging at him with his hands
Screaming with all his might...
The horse took off and the trail disappeared.
“Godfather be with us!”
Then Gavrilo shouted,
Protected by the holy cross. —
What kind of demon is this under him!”

The flame burns brighter
The little hunchback runs faster.
Here he is in front of the fire.
The field shines as if it were day;
A wonderful light flows all around,
But it doesn’t heat, it doesn’t smoke,
Ivan was amazed here.
“What,” he said, “what kind of devil is this!
There are about five hats in the world,
But there is no heat and no smoke;
Eco miracle light!

The horse tells him:
"There is something to marvel at!
Here lies the feather of the Firebird,
But for your happiness
Don't take it for yourself.
Much, much restlessness
It will bring it with it."
"You speak! How wrong!
The fool grumbles to himself;
And, raising the feather of the firebird,
Wrapped him in rags
I put rags in my hat
And he turned his skate.
Here he comes to his brothers
And he answers their demand:
"How did I get there?
I saw a burnt stump;
I fought and fought over him,
So I almost got fed up;
I fanned it for an hour,
No, damn it, it’s gone!”
The brothers didn't sleep the whole night,
They laughed at Ivan;
And Ivan sat down under the cart,
He snored until the morning.

Here they harnessed the horses
And they came to the capital,
We stood in a row of horses,
Opposite the large chambers.

In that capital there was a custom:
If the mayor does not say -
Don't buy anything
Don't sell anything.
Now mass is coming;
The mayor leaves
In shoes, in a fur hat,
With a hundred city guards.
A herald rides next to him,
Long mustache, bearded;
He blows a golden trumpet,
He shouts in a loud voice:
"Guests! Open the shops,
Buy, sell;
And the overseers sit
Near the shops and look,
So that there is no sodomy,
Neither pressure nor pogrom,
And so that no one is a freak
I didn’t deceive the people!”
Guests open the shop,
The baptized people cry out:
"Hey, honest gentlemen,
Come join us here!
How are our container bars?
All sorts of different goods!"
The shoppers are coming
The goods are taken from the guests;
Guests count money
Yes, the supervisors are blinking.

Meanwhile, the city detachment
Arrives in a row of horses;
They look - a crush of people,
There is no exit or entrance;
So they're swarming,
And they laugh and scream.
The mayor was surprised
That the people were cheerful,
And he gave the order to the detachment,
To clear the way.
"Hey you devils, barefoot!
Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"
The barbels screamed
And they hit the whips.
Here the people began to stir,
He took off his hats and stepped aside.

There is a row of horses before your eyes;
Two horses stand in a row
Young, black,
Golden manes curl,
Curled into chalk rings,
The tail flows golden...
Our old man, no matter how ardent he was,
He rubbed the back of his head for a long time.
“Wonderful,” he said, “God’s light,
There really aren’t any miracles in it!”
The whole squad bowed here,
I marveled at the wise speech.
Meanwhile the mayor
He punished everyone severely
So that they don’t buy horses,
They didn’t yawn, they didn’t scream;
That he is going to the yard
Report everything to the king.
And, leaving part of the detachment,
He went to report.

Arrives at the palace
“Have mercy, Tsar Father!”
The mayor exclaims
And his whole body falls. —
They didn't order me to be executed
Order me to speak!"
The king deigned to say: “Okay,
Speak, but it’s just awkward.”
“I’ll tell you as best I can:
I serve the mayor;
By faith and truth I am correcting
This position..." - "I know, I know!"
"Today, having taken a detachment,
I went to the horse row.
I arrive - there are tons of people!
Well, no exit, no entrance.
What to do here?.. Ordered
Drive the people out so as not to interfere.
And so it happened, king-hope!
And I went - and what?..
In front of me is a row of horses;
Two horses stand in a row
Young, black,
Golden manes curl,
Curled into chalk rings,
The tail flows golden,
And diamond hooves
Upholstered with large pearls."

The king could not sit here.
“We need to look at the horses,”
He says. - It’s not bad
And having such a miracle.
Hey, give me a cart!" - And so
The cart is already at the gate.
The king washed and dressed up
And off he went to the market;
Behind the king of the archers is a detachment.

Here he rode into a row of horses.
Everyone here fell to their knees
And they shouted “hurray” to the king.
The king bowed and instantly
Well done jumping off the wagon...
He doesn’t take his eyes off his horses,
From the right, from the left he comes to them,
With a kind word he calls,
It hits them quietly on the back,
Ruffles their steep neck,
Strokes the golden mane,
And, having seen enough,
He asked, turning around
To those around: “Hey guys!
Whose foals are these?
Who's the boss?" - Here Ivan,
Hands on hips like a gentleman
Because of the brothers he acts
And, pouting, he answers:
"This couple, king, is mine,
And the owner is me too."
"Well, I'm buying a pair!
Are you selling? - “No, I’m changing.”
“What good do you take in exchange?”
"Two to five caps of silver."
"So that would be ten."
The king immediately ordered to weigh
And, by my grace,
He gave me an extra five rubles.
The king was generous!

Led the horses to the stables
Ten gray grooms,
All in gold stripes,
All with colored sashes
And with morocco whips.
But dear, as if for a laugh,
The horses knocked them all off their feet,
All the bridles were torn
And they ran to Ivan.

The king went back
He tells him: “Well, brother,
Our couple is not given;
There's nothing to do, you have to
To serve you in the palace;
You will walk in gold
Dress up in a red dress,
It's like rolling cheese in butter,
My entire stable
I give you an order,
The royal word is a guarantee.
What, do you agree?" - "What a thing!
I will live in the palace
I will walk in gold.
Dress up in a red dress,
It's like rolling cheese in butter,
The entire stables
The king gives me an order;
That is, I'm from the garden
I will become a royal commander.
Wonderful thing! So be it
I will, king, serve you.
Just don't fight with me, please.
And let me sleep
Otherwise I was like that!”

Then he called the horses
And he walked along the capital,
Waving my mitten myself,
And to the song of a fool
The horses dance the trepak;
And his strong point is humpbacked
So it’s bursting squatted,
To the surprise of everyone.

Meanwhile, two brothers
The royal money was received
They sewed them into belts,
Knocked on the valley
And we went home.
They shared the house together
They both got married at the same time
They began to live and live,
Yes, remember Ivan.

But now we will leave them,
Let's have fun with a fairy tale again
Orthodox Christians,
What has our Ivan done?
Being in the royal service
At the state stable;
How did he become a neighbor?
Like I slept through my pen,
How cunningly he caught the Firebird,
How the Tsar kidnapped the Maiden,
How he went for the ring,
How I was an ambassador in heaven,
How is he in the sunny village
Kitu begged for forgiveness;
How, among other things,
He saved thirty ships;
How was it not cooked in the cauldrons?
How handsome he became;
In a word: our speech is about
How he became king.

Part two

Soon the fairy tale will tell
But it won’t be done soon.

The story begins
From the Ivanovs' pranks,
And from sivka, and from burka,
And from the prophetic hammer.
The goats are gone to the sea;
The mountains are overgrown with forest;
The horse broke from the golden bridle,
Rising straight towards the sun;
Forest standing under your feet,
To the side is a thunder cloud;
A cloud walks and sparkles,
Thunder scatters across the sky.
This is a saying: wait,
The fairy tale will be ahead.
Like on the sea-ocean,
And on the island of Buyan,
There is a new coffin in the forest,
The girl lies in the coffin;
The nightingale whistles over the coffin;
A black beast is prowling in the oak forest.
This is a saying, but here it is -
The fairy tale will take its course.

Well, you see, laymen,
Orthodox Christians
Our daring fellow
He wormed his way into the palace;
Serves at the royal stables
And it won’t bother you at all
It's about brothers, about father
In the sovereign's palace.
And what does he care about his brothers?
Ivan has red dresses,
Red hats, boots
Almost ten boxes;
He eats sweetly, he sleeps so much,
What freedom, and that’s all!

Here in about five weeks
I started to notice the sleeping bag...
I must say, this sleeping bag
Before Ivan there was a boss
Above the entire stable,
From the boyars he was reputed to be children;
It's no wonder he was angry
I swore against Ivan,
No matter the abyss, the alien
Get out of the palace.
But, hiding deceit,
It's for every occasion
The rogue pretended to be deaf,
Myopic and dumb;
He himself thinks: “Wait a minute,
I’ll move you, you idiot!”

So, in about five weeks
The sleeping bag began to notice
That Ivan doesn’t care for horses,
And he doesn’t clean, and he doesn’t school;
But for all that, two horses
As if only from under the ridge:
Washed clean,
The manes are twisted into braids,
The bangs are collected in a bun,
The wool, well, is as shiny as silk;
There is fresh wheat in the stalls,
As if he would be born right there,
And the big vats are full
As if it had just been poured.
"What kind of parable is this? -
The sleeping bag thinks, sighing: -
Isn't he walking, wait?
A prankish brownie is coming to us?
Let me keep watch
And anyway, I shoot a bullet,
Without blinking, I know how to drain,
If only the fool would leave.
I will report to the royal Duma,
That the state's stablemaster
Basurmanin, witch,
Warlock and Villain;
Why is he sharing bread and salt with the demon?
Doesn't go to God's church
Catholic holding a cross
And he eats meat during fasting."

That same evening this sleeping bag,
Former stablemaster
Hid secretly in the stalls
And covered himself in oats.

It's midnight.
There was a ache in his chest:
He lies neither alive nor dead,
He looks at everything himself.
Waiting for a neighbor... Chu! In fact,
The doors creaked dully,
The horses stamped, and lo and behold
An old horse guide enters.
The door is locked with a latch,
Carefully takes off his hat,
He puts it on the window
And he takes it from that hat
In three wrapped rags
The royal treasure is the feather of the Firebird.
Such a light shone here,
That the sleeping bag almost cried out,
And I was so terrified of fear,
That the oats fell off him.
But the neighbor has no idea!
He puts the pen in the bottom,
He begins to clean the horses,
Washing, cleaning,
Weaves long manes,
Sings different songs.
Meanwhile, curled up in a club,
Tapping the tooth
Looks at the sleeping bag half-eyed
The creator of nighttime pranks.
What a demon! Something on purpose
The midnight rogue has dressed up;
No horns, no beard,
What a cool guy!
The hair is smooth, on the side of the tape,
There are prose on the shirt,
Boots like al morocco, -
Well, definitely Ivan.
What a miracle? Looks again
Our eye on the brownie...
“Eh, so that’s it!” - finally
The sly man grumbled to himself. —
Okay, tomorrow the king will find out
What is your stupid mind hiding?
Just wait one day
You will remember me!"
And Ivan, not knowing at all,
Why is he in such trouble?
Threatens, weaves everything
Manes in braids and sings;
And having removed them, into both vats
Strained full of honey
And poured more
Beloyarova millet.
Here, yawning, the Firebird's feather
Wrapped again in rags,
Put a hat under your ear and lie down
Near the horses' hind legs.

It's just starting to get bright,
The sleeping bag began to move,
And, hearing that Ivan
He snores like Eruslan,
He quietly climbs down
And creeps up to Ivan,
I put my fingers in my hat,
Grab the pen and the trace is gone.

The king had just awakened
Our sleeping bag came to him,
Hit his forehead hard on the floor
And then he sang to the king:
"I'm resigned,
The king has appeared before you,
They didn't order me to be executed
Order me to speak."
"Speak without adding,"
The king told him, yawning. —
If you lie,
You can't escape the whip."
Our sleeping bag, having gathered its strength,
He says to the king: “Have mercy!
These are the true Christ,
My denunciation, king, is fair:
Our Ivan, everyone knows
From you, father, he hides
But not gold, not silver -
Firebird feather..."
“Zharoptitsevo?.. Damned!
And he is brave, so rich...
Wait, you villain!
You will not escape the lashes!.."
“And he still knows that!”
The sleeping bag continues quietly,
Bent over. - Welcome!
Let him have a pen;
And the Firebird itself
In your bright room, father,
If you wanted to order,
He boasts of getting it."
And the informer with this word,
Huddled with a tall hoop,
Came up to the bed
He handed over the treasure - and again on the floor.

The king looked and marveled,
Stroked his beard and laughed
And he bit the end of the feather.
Here, having put it in a casket,
Screamed (out of impatience),
Confirming your command
With a quick wave of the fist:
"Hey! Call me a fool!"

And the nobles' messengers
We ran along Ivan,
But, having all collided in the corner,
Stretched out on the floor.
The king admired it a lot
And he laughed until he broke out.
And the nobles, seeing
What is funny for a king,
They winked at each other
And suddenly the row stretched out.
The king was so pleased with this,
That he awarded them a hat.
The nobles' messengers are here
They started calling Ivan again
And this time already
We managed without mischief.

Here they come running to the stables,
The doors open wide
And kicking the fool
Well, push in all directions.
They fiddled with it for half an hour,
But they didn’t wake him up
Finally a private
I woke him up with a broom.

"What kind of servants are these here? -
Ivan says, standing up. —
How I grab you with a whip,
You won’t do that later
There's no way to wake up Ivan."
The nobles tell him:
"The king deigned to order
We should call you to him."
“Tsar?.. Well, okay! I’ll dress up
And I will appear to him immediately,”
Ivan speaks to the ambassadors.
Then he put on his caftan,
I tied myself with a girdle,
I washed my face, combed my hair,
I attached my whip to the side,
Like a duck swam.

So Ivan appeared to the king,
Bowed, cheered up,
He grunted twice and asked:
"Why did you wake me up?"
The king, squinting his left eye,
I shouted at him with anger,
Standing up: “Silence!
You must answer me:
By virtue of which decree
You hid our eyes from us
Our royal goods -
Firebird feather?
That I am a king or a boyar?
Answer now, Tatar!"
Here Ivan, waving his hand,
He says to the king: “Wait!
I didn’t exactly give those hats,
How did you find out about this?
What are you - are you even a prophet?
Well, so what, put me in prison,
Give the order now, at least to the sticks, -
There is no pen, and not even a scribbler!.." -
“Answer me! I’ll lock you up!”
"I really tell you:
No pen! Yes, hear where from
Should I get such a miracle?
The king jumped out of bed
And he opened the casket with the feather.
"What? Do you dare to fight again?
No, you can't get away with it!
What is this! Eh?" Ivan is here
Trembling like a leaf in a storm,
He dropped his hat in fright.
“What, buddy, apparently it’s tight? -
The king spoke. “Wait a minute, brother!”
"Oh, for mercy's sake, I'm guilty!
Let go of the blame to Ivan,
I won’t lie in advance.”
And, wrapped up in the floor,
Stretched out on the floor.
"Well, for the first time
I forgive you your guilt, -
The Tsar speaks to Ivan. —
I, God have mercy, am angry!
And sometimes from hearts
I'll take off my forelock and head.
So, you see, this is what I am like!
But, to say without further words,
I found out that you are the Firebird
To our royal room,
If you wanted to order,
You boast to get it.
Well, look, don't deny it
And try to get it."
Here Ivan jumped up like a top.
“I didn’t say that!”
He screamed, wiping himself. —
Oh, I don’t lock myself away,
But about the bird, as you wish,
You are lying in vain."
The king, shaking his beard:
“What? Should I dress up with you!”
He shouted. - But look,
If you're three weeks old
Can't you get me the Firebird?
To our royal room,
Then, I swear by my beard!
Somewhere, even under water,
I'll put you on a stake.
Get out, slave!" Ivan began to cry.
And he went to the hayloft,
Where his horse lay.

Little hunchback, I smell him,
The dance began to shake;
But when I saw tears,
I almost burst into tears myself.
“What, Ivanushka, are you sad?
Why did you hang your head? —
The horse told him,
At his spinning legs, -
Don't hide from me
Tell me everything that’s behind your soul;
I'm ready to help you.
Al, my dear, are you unwell?
Did Al get caught by a villain?"
Ivan fell on the skate on his neck,
Hugged and kissed.
“Oh, trouble, little horse!” he said.
The king orders to get the Firebird
To the state room.
What should I do, little hunchback?"
The horse tells him:
“It’s a great misfortune, I don’t argue;
But I can help, I'm burning.
That's why you're in trouble,
What didn't listen to me:
Do you remember, going to the capital city,
You found the Firebird's feather;
I told you then:
Don't take it, Ivan, it's a disaster!
Much, much restlessness
It will bring it with it.
Now you know
Did I tell you the truth?
But, to tell you out of friendship,
This is a service, not a service;
The service is all ahead, brother.
Now go to the king
And tell him openly:
"I need, king, I need two troughs
Beloyarova millet
Yes, overseas wine.
Yes, tell me to hurry up:
Tomorrow, it’s just going to be a mess,
We'll go hiking."

Here Ivan goes to the Tsar,
He tells him openly:
"I need a king, I need two troughs
Beloyarova millet
Yes, overseas wine.
Yes, tell me to hurry up:
Tomorrow, it’s just going to be a mess,
We'll go hiking."
The king immediately gives the order,
So that the messengers of the nobles
Everything was found for Ivan,
Called him a good guy
AND " bon voyage!" said.

The next day, early in the morning,
Ivan's horse woke up.
"Hey! Master! Get some sleep!
It's time to fix things!"
Here Ivanushka got up,
I was going on a journey,
Took troughs and millet
And overseas wine;
Dressed up warmer
He sat down on his skate,
He took out a slice of bread
And went east -
Get that Firebird.

They travel for a whole week,
Finally, on the eighth day,
They arrive in a dense forest.
Then the horse said to Ivan:
“You will see a clearing here;
In that clearing there is a mountain
All made of pure silver;
Right here before the lightning
The firebirds are arriving
Drink water from a stream;
This is where we will catch them."
And, having finished his speech to Ivan,
Runs out into the clearing.
What a field! The greenery is here
Like an emerald stone;
The wind blows over her,
So it sows sparks;
And the flowers are green
Inexpressible beauty.
In the middle of that clearing,
Like cloud mills,
The mountain rises
All made of pure silver.
Sun in summer rays
Paints it all with dawn,
Runs like gold in the folds,
There is a candle burning on the top.

Here's a skate along the slope
Climbed this mountain
I ran a mile to a friend,
He stood his ground and said:
"Soon the night, Ivan, will begin,
And you will have to guard.
Well, pour wine into the trough
And mix millet with wine.
And to be closed to you,
You sit at another trough,
Take note quietly
Yes, look, don’t yawn.
Before sunrise, hear the lightning
Firebirds will fly here
And they will begin to peck the millet
Yes, in your own way, scream.
You, who is closer,
And grab her, look!
And if you catch a bird,
And shout to the whole market;
I will come to you immediately."
“Well, what if I get burned?”
Ivan says to the horse,
Spreading out your caftan. —
You'll have to take mittens
Tea, the cheat stings painfully."
Then the horse disappeared from my eyes,
And Ivan, groaning, crawled up
Under the oak trough,
And he lies there like a dead man.

Sometimes it's midnight
The light spilled over the mountain, -
As if noon is coming:
The firebirds swoop in;
They started running and screaming
And peck the millet with wine.
Our Ivan, closed from them,
Looks at birds from under a trough
And he talks to himself,
Moving your hand like this:
"Ugh, devilish power!
Oh, the rubbish ones, they're gone!
Tea, there are about five dozen of them here.
To take over everyone, -
That would be a good time!
Needless to say, fear is beautiful!
Everyone has red legs;
And the tails are a real laugh!
Tea, chickens don’t have those;
And how much, boy, is the light,
Like my father’s oven!”
And, having finished such a speech,
Our Ivan, groaning in frustration,
Somehow got out of the ambush,
He crawled towards the millet and wine, -
Grab one of the birds by the tail.
"Oh! Little hunchbacked horse!
Come running quickly, my friend!
I caught a bird!”
So Ivan the Fool shouted.
The little hunchback immediately appeared.
“Ay, master, you’ve distinguished yourself!”
The horse tells him. —
Well, quickly put it in the bag!
Yes, tie it tighter;
And hang the bag around your neck,
We need to go back."
“No, let me scare the birds!”
Ivan says. - Look,
Look, you're fed up with screaming!"
And, grabbing your bag,
It whips along and across.
Sparkling with a bright flame,
The whole flock started up,
Twisted around in a fiery circle
And it rushed beyond the clouds.
And our Ivan follows them
With your mittens
So he waves and shouts,
As if doused with lye.
The birds were lost in the clouds;
Our travelers have gathered
The royal treasure was laid out
And they came back.

We've arrived in the capital.
"What, did you get the Firebird?" —
The Tsar says to Ivan,
He looks at the sleeping bag himself.
And that one, just out of boredom,
I bit all my hands.
“Of course, I got it,”
Our Ivan told the king.
"Where is she?" - "Wait a little,
Order the window first
Shut the bedroom,
You know, to create darkness."
Then the nobles ran
And the window was closed.
Here is Ivan's bag on the table.
"Come on, grandma, let's go!"
Such a light suddenly spilled out here,
That the whole yard was covered with a hand.
The king shouts to the whole market:
"Oh, my goodness, there's a fire!
Hey, call the bars!
Fill it up! Fill it up!"
"This, hear me, is not a fire,
This is the light from the bird-heat, -
The hunter said, bursting out laughing. —
You see, great fun
I brought those, sir!"
The Tsar says to Ivan:
“I love my friend Vanyusha!
You made my soul happy,
And to such joy -
Be the royal stepladder!"

Seeing this, a cunning sleeping bag,
Former stablemaster
He says under his breath:
"No, wait, little sucker!
It won't always happen to you
So candidly distinguish yourself.
I'll let you down again
My friend, you're in trouble!"

Three weeks later
In the evening we sat alone
Chefs in the royal kitchen
And the servants of the court;
Drinking honey from a jug
Yes, you read Eruslan.
“Eh!” one servant said, “
How did I get this today?
A miracle book from a neighbor!
It doesn't have too many pages,
And there are only five fairy tales;
And let me tell you the fairy tales,
So you can’t be surprised;
You have to manage this way!”
Here everyone is loud: “Be friends!
Tell me, brother, tell me!"
“Well, which one do you want?
There are five fairy tales; look here:
The first tale about the beaver,
And the second is about the king;
The third... God forbid... exactly!
About the eastern noblewoman;
Here in the fourth: Prince Bobyl;
In the fifth... in the fifth... oh, I forgot!
The fifth tale says...
That's how it goes in my mind..." -
"Well, leave her alone!" - “Wait!..”
“About a beauty, what, what?”
"Exactly! The fifth says
About the beautiful Tsar-Maiden.
Well, which one, friends?
Shall I tell you today?"
“Tsar Maiden!” everyone shouted.
We've already heard about kings,
We need some beauties soon!
It’s more fun to listen to them.”
And the servant, sitting down importantly,
He began to talk drawlingly:

"In distant German countries
There is an okiyan, guys.
Is it according to the okyan
Only infidels travel;
From the Orthodox land
Never been
Neither nobles nor laymen
On a filthy okiyan.
The rumor comes from the guests,
What girls