Once upon a time there was a poor little man; No matter how hard he worked, no matter how hard he worked, nothing happened! “Oh,” he thinks to himself, “my fate is bitter! All my days I spend my time doing housework, and look at it - I’ll have to die of hunger; but my neighbor has been lying on his side all his life, so what? - the farm is large, the profits flow into your pocket. Apparently I didn’t please God; I will begin to pray from morning to evening, maybe the Lord will have mercy.” He began to pray to God; He goes hungry for whole days, but still prays. The bright holiday came, they struck for matins. The poor man thinks: “All the people will start breaking up, but I don’t have a piece of food!” I’ll at least go get some water and I’ll have some soup instead.” He took the bucket, went to the well and just threw it into the water - suddenly he caught a huge pike in the bucket. The man rejoiced: “Here I am, happy holiday!” I’ll make fish soup and have lunch to my heart’s content.” The pike says to him in a human voice: “Let me go free, good man; I will make you happy: whatever your soul desires, you will have everything! Just say: by pike command, by God’s blessing, if such and such appears, it will appear now!” The poor man threw the pike into the well, came to the hut, sat down at the table and said: “By the pike’s command, by God’s blessing, be the table set and dinner ready!” Suddenly, where did it come from - all sorts of foods and drinks appeared on the table; Even if you treat the king, you won’t be ashamed! The poor man crossed himself: “Glory to you, Lord! There’s something to break your fast.” He went to church, stood at Matins and Mass, returned and began to break his fast; I had a snack and a drink, went out the gate and sat on a bench.
At that time, the princess decided to take a walk through the streets, goes with her nannies and mothers and, for the sake of the holiday of Christ, gives alms to the poor; I served it to everyone, but forgot about this little guy. So he says to himself: “By the pike’s command, by God’s blessing, let the princess bear fruit and give birth to a son!” According to that word, the princess became pregnant at that very moment and nine months later gave birth to a son. The king began to interrogate her. “Confess,” he says, “with whom did you sin?” And the princess cries and swears in every possible way that she has not sinned with anyone: “And I myself don’t know why the Lord punished me!” No matter how much the king questioned, he learned nothing.
Meanwhile, the boy is growing by leaps and bounds; after a week I started talking. The Tsar convened boyars and Duma people from all over the kingdom and showed them to the boy: does he recognize anyone as his father? No, the boy is silent, he doesn’t call anyone his father. The Tsar ordered the nannies and mothers to carry it through all the courtyards, along all the streets and show it to people of all ranks, both married and single. The nannies and mothers carried the child through all the courtyards, along all the streets; We walked and walked, he was still silent. We finally came to the poor man’s hut; As soon as the boy saw that man, he immediately reached out to him with his little hands and shouted: “Daddy, daddy!” They reported this to the sovereign and brought the poor man to the palace; the king began to interrogate him: “Admit it with a clear conscience - is this your child?” - “No, God!” The king was angry, married the wretched man to the princess, and after the crown he ordered them to be put together with the child in a large barrel, tarred with tar and thrown into the open sea.
So the barrel floated across the sea, was carried by violent winds and washed up on a distant shore. The poor man hears that the water under them does not sway, and says this word: “By the command of the pike, by God’s blessing, disintegrate, barrel, in a dry place!” The barrel fell apart; They climbed out onto a dry place and walked wherever they looked. They walked and walked and walked and walked, there was nothing to eat or drink, the princess was completely emaciated, she could barely move her legs. “What,” asks the poor man, “do you know now what thirst and hunger are?” - "I know!" - the princess answers. “This is how the poor suffer; but you didn’t want to give me alms on Christ’s day!” Then the poor man says: “By the pike’s command, by God’s blessing, create a rich palace here - so that there is nothing better in the whole world, with gardens, and with ponds, and with all sorts of outbuildings!”
As soon as he spoke, a rich palace appeared; Faithful servants run out of the palace, take them by the arms, lead them into white-stone chambers and seat them at oak tables and stained tablecloths. The chambers are wonderfully decorated and decorated; Everything was prepared on the tables: wine, sweets, and food. The poor man and the princess got drunk, ate, rested and went for a walk in the garden. “Everyone would be happy here,” says the princess, “only it’s a pity that there are no birds on our ponds.” - “Wait, there will be a bird!” - answered the poor man and immediately said: “By the command of the pike, by God’s blessing, let twelve ducks swim on this pond, the thirteenth drake - they would all have one feather of gold, another of silver; If only the drake had a diamond forelock on his head!” Lo and behold, twelve ducks and a drake are swimming on the water - one feather is gold, the other is silver; The drake has a diamond forelock on its head.
This is how the princess lives with her husband without grief, without sadness, and her son grows and grows; He grew up big, sensed great strength in himself, and began to ask his father and mother to go around the world and look for a bride. They let him go: “Go, son, with God!” He saddled the heroic horse, sat down and rode off on his way. An old old woman comes across him: “Hello, Russian Tsarevich! Where would you like to go? - “I’m going, grandma, to look for a bride, but I don’t even know where to look.” - “Wait, I’ll tell you, child! Go overseas to the thirtieth kingdom; there is a princess there - such a beauty that you can travel all over the world, but you won’t find her better anywhere!” The good fellow thanked the old woman, came to the pier, hired a ship and sailed to the thirtieth kingdom.
How long or how short did he sail on the sea, soon the tale is told, but not soon the deed is done - he comes to that kingdom, appears to the local king and begins to woo his daughter. The king tells him: “You are not the only one wooing my daughter; We also have a groom - a mighty hero; If you refuse him, he will ruin my entire state.” - “If you refuse me, I’ll ruin you!” - "What you! It’s better to measure your strength with him: whichever of you wins, I’ll give my daughter for him.” - "OK! Call all the kings and princes, kings and princes to watch a fair fight, to take a walk at a wedding.” Immediately messengers were sent in different directions, and less than a year had passed before kings and princes, kings and princes gathered from all the surrounding lands; that king also arrived, who my own daughter I put it in a barrel and put it into the sea. On the appointed day, the heroes went out to fight to the death; they fought and fought, the earth groaned from their blows, the forests bowed, the rivers were agitated; The princess's son overpowered his opponent - he tore off his violent head.
The royal boyars ran up, took the good fellow by the arms and led him to the palace; the next day he married the princess, and as soon as the wedding was celebrated, he began to invite all the kings and princes, kings and princes to visit his father and mother. They all got up at once, equipped the ships and sailed across the sea. The princess and her husband greeted the guests with honor, and feasts and fun began again. Tsars and princes, kings and princes look at the palace, at the gardens and marvel: such wealth has never been seen anywhere, and most of all they seemed to be ducks and drakes - for one duck they could give half the kingdom! The guests feasted and decided to go home; Before they had time to reach the pier, fast messengers run after them: “Our master asks you to come back, he wants to hold secret council with you.”
Kings and princes, kings and princes returned back; The owner came out to them and began to say: “Is this what good people do? After all, my duck is missing! There’s no one else to take you!” - “Why are you making false accusations? - kings and princes, kings and princes answer him. - This is not a good thing! Now search everyone! If you find someone with a duck, do with it what you know; and if you don’t find it, your head is off!” - “Okay, I agree!” - said the owner, walked down the row and began to search them; As soon as it was the turn of the princess’s father, he quietly said: “By the command of the pike, by God’s blessing, let this king have a duck tied under the hem of his caftan!” He took it and lifted his caftan, and under the flap there was a duck tied as it was - one feather was gold, the other was silver. Then all the other kings and princes, kings and princes laughed loudly: “Ha-ha-ha! That's how it is! The kings have already begun to steal!” The princess's father swears by all the saints that stealing was never on his mind; but how the duck got to him, he himself doesn’t know. “Tell me! They found it on you, so you are the only one to blame.” Then the princess came out, rushed to her father and admitted that she was the same daughter of his, whom he married to a wretched man and put in a tar barrel: “Father! You didn’t believe my words then, but now you’ve learned for yourself that you can be guilty without guilt.” She told him how and what had happened, and after that they all began to live and get along together, making good things and doing bad things.
In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there lived an old man and an old woman... Many folk tales begin with this leisurely proverb. The word “fairy tales” itself comes from the verb to say: In the remote past, throughout vast Russia, in snow-covered huts in the dim light of a splinter, our distant ancestors composed and told their fairy tales.
There are so many miracles and fascinating fables in folk tales: there is a fire-breathing dragon with seven heads, and a talking Gray wolf, and the evil Baba Yaga... But the main characters of fairy tales and epics are not they, but brave and courageous people - Ivan Tsarevich and Vasilisa A wise, dashing retired soldier and a cunning farmhand, or a simple peasant son. At first glance, there is nothing remarkable about the peasant. He is dressed in a homespun overcoat, on his head is a well-worn cap, on his feet are worn bast shoes, and he does not speak very well. It is not surprising that sometimes he is considered a klutz, almost a fool. But the peasant son is not very offended by this, anyone, but he knows his own worth and does not particularly chase after easy fame, does not waste his strength on trifles.
However, as soon as someone gets into trouble, the peasant’s son, throwing an old army coat over his shoulders, sets off on his journey. And no matter how far he has to go, he will definitely come to the rescue of the offended and oppressed, and save a person from misfortune... On his way, the peasant son meets either the Gray Wolf, or Baba Yaga, or some other monster . Each of these meetings is nothing more than a test, a test of the hero’s spiritual strength, his kindness, and generosity.
For centuries, people have been creating their own fairy tales. In the last century, writers became interested in folk tales. They walked around villages and villages and wrote down songs, fairy tales, which were from famous storytellers - storytellers. One of the greatest experts on Russian folk tales was the tireless collector of folklore A. N. Afanasyev (1826-1871). He devoted his entire life to this matter. Afanasyev wrote down several hundred fairy tales, among them the fairy tale “At the Command of the Pike.”
This fairy tale is funny and mischievous. Here the stove goes to visit the king, the ax chops wood by itself, and the sleigh without a horse goes into the forest. All these miracles, which greatly alarmed the father-tsar, were performed by none other than Emelya the Fool. Emelya lies on the stove and says: “By the command of the pike, according to my desire,” and they begin to play tricks on things. To top it all off, Emelya the Fool decided to marry the Tsar’s daughter... Whatever he undertakes, everything works out for him, and the “pike’s word” is to blame. So, with the help of a magical proverb, a simple peasant forced himself to be respected and defeated not only the tsar’s officer, but also the tsar himself... So much for Emelya the fool!
B. Zabolotskikh
The main character of the fairy tale, Emelya, has absorbed both negative and positive qualities an ordinary Russian guy of his time.
Unknown author
Some fairy tales appear on their own, others are invented by writers. How did the story called “At the Pike’s Command” come about? The tale, the author of which is still unknown, is a product folk art. It had several variations and was told differently in different regions.
The Russian ethnographer Afanasyev, following the example of the Brothers Grimm or Charles Perrault, decided to organize a voyage around the country and collect scattered legends into one voluminous work, so to speak, to systematize the national heritage. He changed the title of the story somewhat and generalized certain elements that differed depending on the region. Thanks to this, the fairy tale “Emelya and the Pike” gained popularity.
The next person to take on the familiar plot was Alexei Tolstoy. He added literary beauty to the folk epic and returned the work to its old title, “At the Command of the Pike.” The fairy tale, the author of which tried to make it more interesting for children, quickly spread throughout Moscow and St. Petersburg, and local theaters even added a new play to their repertoire.
Main characters
The main character of this legend is a certain not very efficient young guy Emelya. It contains those negative qualities that prevent him from leading a good life:
frivolity;
indifference.
However, when he shows his intelligence and kindness, he comes across real luck - a pike from the ice hole.
The second character, literally the antipode of Emelya, is the pike. She is smart and fair. Fish is called upon to help a young man in his personal development, to direct his thoughts in the right direction. As is expected in such situations, Emelya and the pike became friends.
The third hero appears as a villain. The Tsar is a busy man, leading a state of many millions, whom Emelya forces with his antics to descend to the level of a commoner. The fairy tale “About Emelya and the Pike” endowed him with an envious character.
The Tsar's daughter is a prize for the main character for taking the path of correction.
Story
The fairy tale "Emelya and the Pike" begins with an introduction to the main character. He is so stupid and extremely lazy that everything assigned to him has to be remade by other people.
Emelya's daughters-in-law asked him for help through long persuasion. Nevertheless, as soon as someone promises him a reward for what he does, he will immediately set to work with double strength.
And suddenly one fine day Emelya takes out a magical pike from the hole. She offers him her service in exchange for life. The guy immediately agrees.
Magical help
After the pike becomes his magical subordinate, Emelya lives even better than before. Now he doesn’t even have to carry out very simple tasks.
Magical powers chop wood, walk on water and even beat up his enemies. Emelya remains very pleased with what is happening. He's so lazy that he doesn't even want to get up from the stove. Pike helps him in this too, turning the stove into the first prototype of a mechanical vehicle.
During such walks on horseback, Emelya can run over several peasants who come across along the road. He justifies himself by saying that people themselves jumped under his stove.
It seems that he does not repent at all of what he did. The fairy tale "About Emelya and the Pike" contains a hidden moral.
Tsar and Emelya
Having heard about an unprecedented miracle, a self-propelled stove, and even about the cool disposition of its owner, the Tsar decides to call Emelya to his place.
Reluctantly, the “hero” appears to look at the master’s mansions. But this trip changes the guy's whole life.
In the royal palace he meets the queen. At first, she also seems quite capricious and lazy. But Emelya decides that it’s time for him to settle down and wants to call her to be his wife.
The master's daughter does not agree at first. The monarch himself opposes such a union, harboring hopes that his daughter will marry only a noble person or a foreign king.
Emelya asks the pike to bewitch the naughty princess. As a result, the young man achieves his goal. The girl agrees. They are getting married.
The angry king locks the eternally in love couple in a barrel and throws them into the sea. Emelya asks the pike to save them. She makes sure that the barrel arrives at the shore, and they get out of it.
The guy asks the pike to build himself a huge palace, and turn himself into a handsome man. The magic fish makes wishes come true.
The happy newlyweds live happily ever after until an angry king comes to visit them. His palace is much smaller than Emelya's. The main character graciously forgives the sovereign for the entire past. He invites him to have lunch with them. During the banquet, Emelya confesses to him who he really is. The king remains amazed by his agility and intelligence young man. Now he understands that this is the kind of guy who should have married his daughter.
“At the command of the pike” is a kind and instructive fairy tale. Its end leaves no specific direction for action. On the contrary, everyone must think for themselves and decide for themselves what is right in life and what is not worth doing.
“At the command of the pike” (Russian fairy tale): analysis
This story is somewhat reminiscent of the dream of the Slavic peoples, with the help of magical powers, to get everything they want without straining too much.
At the same time, Emelya managed to catch a pike only on his own, when he finally began to do at least something conscientiously.
Before the eyes of the readers, a complete quitter evolves into a hardworking, decent person. Having received sufficient motivation in the form of love for the princess, he forgets about the desire to remain a lazy person, to live only for his own pleasure, and gets down to business.
If the pike does not make much of an impression on him, he initially takes her for granted, then the girl’s first refusal awakens feelings in him.
At the moment when Emelya on the stove begins to crush passers-by, according to many researchers of the fairy tale, the guy begins to show royal traits. After this incident, even the monarch turned his attention to him.
It is possible that our ancestors, who created the fairy tale, saw in the last external transformation of Emelya and internal changes for the better.
When he became more beautiful, he was able to forgive and understand the king, and became kinder and more attentive to others. People with visible distinctive marks on their faces were usually considered bad or even familiar with evil spirits.
As long as Emelya looked like an ordinary, not very pleasant guy, he could not become a king. With the acquisition of inner beauty, everything immediately changed.
Traditional Russian fairy tales always have a hopeful ending. Most likely, this is how the peasants of that time imagined their happiest day.
"At the behest of the pike"
The catchphrase of the entire fairy tale is “At the command of the pike, at my will.” This is a kind of spell that summons a magic pike. By uttering these words, Emelya gets everything she wants. “At the behest of the pike,” that is, just like that. Without putting any effort into it. Despite the fact that the fairy tale is called “Emelya and Pike,” it was popularly renamed in honor of these magic words.
Pike teaches the guy this secret spell. And as soon as it sounds, magic begins to work, wherever Emelya is. Either on the stove or under water. In the barrel he is saved by the phrase “at the behest of the pike.” The tale runs through it as its main thread.
These words immediately became a proverb among the people. They mean an attempt to do something not with one’s own hands, but at someone else’s, most often magical, expense.
Fairy tale in pop culture
When the story was first published in large numbers and could be read by many, it immediately became popular.
The fairy tale "Emelya and the Pike" even became the basis for a film of the same name. The children's film was made in 1938. The then famous Alexander Rowe was responsible for directing. Individual elements The script was taken from Elizaveta Tarakhovskaya's play "Emelya and the Pike". The fairy tale in its interpretation was adapted to modern realities, but the moral remained the same.
Director Ivanov-Vano made a cartoon based on the same fiction in 1957. And once again Tarakhovskaya’s play was taken in 1970, for a new film adaptation by Vladimir Pekar.
The third cartoon was created by Valery Fomin, already in 1984.
The fairy tale "Emelya and the Pike" was immortalized on GDR stamps in 1973. Each of the six stamps depicts one of the scenes.
The mentions of Emelya themselves became popular. The main character of the tale began to be associated with a lazy person seeking to gain wealth without doing anything.
“Emelya and the Pike” is a fairy tale, the author of which is unknown, did not want to immortalize himself and remain in the memory of his descendants, did not strive for fame, wealth, fame. Nevertheless, his image perfectly demonstrates what a good person should be.
A fairy tale ordered by a pike to read:
Once upon a time there lived an old man. And he had three sons: two were smart, and the third was the fool Emelya.
Those brothers work - they are smart, but the fool Emelya lies on the stove all day, doesn’t want to know anything.
One day the brothers went to the market, and the women, daughters-in-law, let’s send Emelya:
Go, Emelya, for water.
And he told them from the stove:
Reluctance...
Go, Emelya, otherwise the brothers will return from the market and won’t bring you gifts.
Yes? OK.
Emelya got down from the stove, put on his shoes, got dressed, took buckets and an ax and went to the river.
He cut through the ice, scooped up buckets and set them down, while he looked into the hole. And Emelya saw a pike in the ice hole. He managed to grab a pike in his hand:
This will be a sweet soup!
Emelya, let me go into the water, I will be useful to you.
What will I need you for?.. No, I’ll take you home and tell my daughters-in-law to cook some fish soup. The ear will be sweet.
Emelya, Emelya, let me go into the water, I will do whatever you want.
Okay, just show me first that you’re not deceiving me, then I’ll let you go.
Pike asks him:
Emelya, Emelya, tell me - what do you want now?
I want the buckets to go home on their own and the water not to spill...
Pike tells him:
Remember my words: when you want something, just say:
"At the behest of the pike, at my will."
Emelya says:
At the behest of the pike, at my will, go home yourself, buckets...
He just said - the buckets themselves and went up the hill.
Emelya let the pike into the hole, and he went to get the buckets. Buckets are walking through the village, people are amazed, and Emelya walks behind, chuckling...
The buckets came into the hut and stood on the bench, and Emelya climbed onto the stove.
How much or how little time has passed - the daughters-in-law again say to him:
Emelya, why are you lying there? I would go and chop some wood.
Reluctance...
If you don’t chop wood, your brothers will return from the market and they won’t bring you gifts.
Emelya is reluctant to get off the stove. He remembered about the pike and slowly said:
According to the pike's command, according to my desire - go, get an ax, chop some firewood, and for the firewood - go into the hut yourself and put it in the oven...
The ax jumped out from under the bench - and into the yard, and let’s chop wood, and the firewood itself goes into the hut and into the stove.
How much or how much time has passed - the daughters-in-law say again:
Emelya, we no longer have firewood. Go to the forest and chop it up.
And he told them from the stove:
What are you up to?
What are we doing?.. Is it our business to go to the forest for firewood?
I don't feel like...
Well, there won't be any gifts for you.
There is nothing to do. Emelya got down from the stove, put on his shoes, and got dressed. He took a rope and an ax, went out into the yard and sat in the sleigh:
Women, open the gates!
His daughters-in-law tell him:
Why did you, fool, get into the sleigh without harnessing the horse?
I don't need a horse.
The daughters-in-law opened the gate, and Emelya said quietly:
At the behest of the pike, at my will, go, sleigh, into the forest...
The sleigh drove through the gate on its own, but it was so fast that it was impossible to catch up with a horse.
But we had to go to the forest through the city, and here he crushed and crushed a lot of people. The people shout: "Hold him! Catch him!" And you know, he’s pushing the sleigh. Arrived in the forest:
At the behest of the pike, at my will - an axe, chop some dry wood, and you, woodworkers, fall into the sleigh yourself, tie yourself up...
The ax began to chop, chop dry firewood, and the firewood itself fell into the sleigh and was tied with a rope. Then Emelya ordered an ax to cut out a club for himself - one that could be lifted by force. Sat on the cart:
At the behest of the pike, at my will - go, sleigh, home...
The sleigh rushed home. Again Emelya drives through the city where he crushed and crushed a lot of people just now, and there they are already waiting for him. They grabbed Emelya and dragged her off the cart, cursing and beating her.
He sees that things are bad, and little by little:
At the behest of the pike, at my will - come on, club, break off their sides...
The club jumped out - and let’s hit. The people rushed away, and Emelya came home and climbed onto the stove.
Whether long or short, the king heard about Emelin’s tricks and sent an officer after him to find him and bring him to the palace.
An officer arrives in that village, enters the hut where Emelya lives, and asks:
Are you a fool Emelya?
And he from the stove:
What do you care?
Get dressed quickly, I will take you to the king.
And I don't feel like...
The officer got angry and hit him on the cheek. And Emelya says quietly:
At the behest of the pike, at my will, a club, break off his sides...
The baton jumped out - and let’s beat the officer, he forcibly carried off his legs.
The king was surprised that his officer could not cope with Emelya, and sent his greatest nobleman:
Bring the fool Emelya to my palace, otherwise I’ll take his head off his shoulders.
The great nobleman bought raisins, prunes, and gingerbread, came to that village, entered that hut and began asking his daughters-in-law what Emelya loved.
Our Emelya loves it when someone asks him kindly and promises him a red caftan - then he will do whatever you ask.
The great nobleman gave Emelya raisins, prunes, and gingerbread and said:
Emelya, Emelya, why are you lying on the stove? Let's go to the king.
I'm warm here too...
Emelya, Emelya, the Tsar will give you good food and water, please, let’s go.
And I don't feel like...
Emelya, Emelya, the Tsar will give you a red caftan,
hat and boots.
Emelya thought and thought:
Well, okay, you go ahead, and I’ll follow behind you.
The nobleman left, and Emelya lay still and said:
At the behest of the pike, at my desire - come on, bake, go to the king...
Then the corners of the hut cracked, the roof shook, the wall flew out, and the stove itself went down the street, along the road, straight to the king.
The king looks out the window and wonders:
What kind of miracle is this?
The greatest nobleman answers him:
And this is Emelya on the stove coming to you.
The king came out onto the porch:
Something, Emelya, there are a lot of complaints about you! You suppressed a lot of people.
Why did they crawl under the sleigh?
At this time, the Tsar’s daughter, Marya the Princess, was looking at him through the window. Emelya saw her in the window and said quietly:
At the pike's command. according to my wish, let the king’s daughter love me...
And he also said:
Go bake, go home...
The stove turned and went home, went into the hut and returned to its original place. Emelya is lying down again.
And the king in the palace is screaming and crying. Princess Marya misses Emelya, cannot live without him, asks her father to marry her to Emelya.
Here the king became upset, became upset and said again to the greatest nobleman:
Go, bring Emelya to me, alive or dead, otherwise I’ll take his head off his shoulders.
The great nobleman bought sweet wines and various snacks, went to that village, entered that hut and began to treat Emelya.
Emelya got drunk, ate, got drunk and went to bed. And the nobleman put him in a cart and took him to the king.
The king immediately ordered a large barrel with iron hoops to be rolled in. They put Emelya and Princess Marya in it, tarred them and threw the barrel into the sea.
Whether for a long time or for a short time, Emelya woke up and saw that it was dark and cramped:
Where am I?
And they answer him:
Boring and sickening, Emelyushka! We were tarred in a barrel and thrown into the blue sea.
Who are you?
I am Princess Marya.
Emelya says:
At the command of the pike, at my will - the winds are violent, roll the barrel onto the dry shore, onto the yellow sand...
The winds blew violently. The sea became agitated and the barrel was thrown onto the dry shore, onto the yellow sand. Emelya and Marya the Princess came out of it.
Emelyushka, where will we live? Build any kind of hut.
And I don't feel like...
Then she began to ask him even more, and he said:
At the command of the pike, at my will - line up, a stone palace with a golden roof...
As soon as he said, a stone palace with a golden roof appeared. There is a green garden all around: flowers are blooming and birds are singing. Princess Marya and Emelya entered the palace and sat down by the window.
Emelyushka, can’t you become handsome?
Here Emelya thought for a moment:
At the behest of the pike, at my desire - to become a good fellow, a handsome man...
And Emelya became such that he could neither be told in a fairy tale nor described with a pen.
And at that time the king was going hunting and saw a palace standing where there was nothing before.
What kind of ignoramus built a palace on my land without my permission?
And he sent to find out and ask: “Who are they?” The ambassadors ran, stood under the window, asking.
Emelya answers them:
Ask the king to visit me, I will tell him myself.
The king came to visit him. Emelya meets him, takes him to the palace, and seats him at the table. They begin to feast. The king eats, drinks and is not surprised:
Who are you, good fellow?
Do you remember the fool Emelya - how he came to you on the stove, and you ordered him and your daughter to be tarred in a barrel and thrown into the sea? I am the same Emelya. If I want, I will burn and destroy your entire kingdom.
The king was very frightened and began to ask for forgiveness:
Marry my daughter, Emelyushka, take my kingdom, but don’t destroy me!
Here they had a feast for the whole world.
Emelya married Princess Marya and began to rule the kingdom.
This is where the fairy tale ends, and whoever listened, well done.
There lived three brothers, two were smart, and the third was a fool: the smart brothers went to the lower cities to buy goods and said to the fool:
Well, look, fool, listen to our wives and honor them as you would your own mothers; We will buy you red boots, a red caftan, and a red shirt.
They gave the fool the order, and they themselves went to the lower cities; and the fool lay down on the stove and lies there. The daughters-in-law tell him:
What are you doing, you fool! The brothers told you to honor us and for this they wanted to bring you a gift, but you are lying on the stove, not working; at least go get some water.
The fool took the buckets and went to fetch water; he scooped up some water and a pike fell into his bucket. The fool says:
God bless! Now I’ll cook at least this pike, we’ll eat ourselves, but I won’t give it to my daughters-in-law; I'm angry at them!
Don't eat me, you fool; put it in the water again, you will be happy!
The fool asks:
What kind of happiness are you?
But what happiness: what you say will happen! Just say: at the command of the pike, at my request, go home, buckets, and put yourself in your place.
As soon as the fool said this, the buckets immediately went home on their own and were put in place. The daughters-in-law look and marvel. “What a fool he is! - they say. “Look how cunning, his buckets came home and were put in their place.”
The fool came and lay down on the stove; the daughters-in-law began to say to him again:
Why, you fool, lie down on the stove! There is no firewood, go get some firewood.
The fool took two axes, sat in the sleigh, but did not harness the horse.
“According to the pike’s command,” he says, “at my request, roll your sleigh into the forest!”
The sleigh rolled quickly and furiously, as if someone was pushing it. The fool had to ride past the city, and without a horse he crushed so many people that it was terrible! Then everyone shouted:
Hold him! Catch him! - but they didn’t catch him. The fool drove into the forest, got out of the sleigh, sat down on a log and said:
One ax, chop from the root, the other - chop wood! So they chopped the firewood and put it in the sleigh. Fool
Well, just one axe, now go and cut down the bush for me so that I have something to lift it with.
The ax went and cut off his bush; Kukova came and lay down on the cart. The fool sat down and drove off; drives past the city, and in the city people have gathered and have been guarding him for a long time. Then they caught the fool and began to pin him and pin him; fool and says:
At the behest of the pike, at my request, go, kukova, do some work!
Kukova jumped up and went to break, beat and beat a lot of people; people, like sheaves, fall to the ground! The fool got rid of them and came home, stacked the firewood, and sat down on the stove.
So the townspeople began to attack him with their foreheads and reported to the king: “Well, you can’t take him, you have to get him by deception, and the best thing is to promise him a red shirt, a red caftan and red boots.” The royal messengers followed the fool.
Go, they say, to the king; he will give you red boots, a red caftan and a red shirt.
So the fool said:
At the command of the pike, at my request, stove, go to the king!
He sat down on the stove, and the stove went on. The fool came to the king. The king really wanted to execute him, but that king had a daughter, and she really liked the fool; She began to ask her father to marry her to a fool. The father got angry, married them and ordered them both to be put in a barrel, the barrel to be tarred and put into the water. And so it was done.
The barrel floated on the sea for a long time; the fool's wife began to ask:
Make sure we are washed ashore. The fool said:
At the behest of the pike, at my request, throw this barrel ashore and tear it apart!
They came out of the barrel; the wife again began to ask the fool to build some kind of hut. The fool said:
At the command of the pike, at my request, build a marble palace, and so that this palace is directly opposite the royal palace!
Now everything is fulfilled; The king saw the new palace in the morning and sent to find out who lived in it? As soon as he found out that his daughter lived there, he immediately demanded her and her husband to come to him. They arrived; the king forgave them, and they began to live together and make good things.
