When night came, he took up his
laths and boards and a basket of pears, and went to the church. He entrenched
himself behind his boards, stood there and began to read. At dead of night
there was a rustling and a rattling. O Lord! what was that? There was a shaking
of the bier––bang! bang!––and the Tsarivna arose from her coffin and came
straight toward him. She leaped upon the boards and made a grab at him and fell
back. Then she leaped at him again, and again she fell back. Then he took his
basket and scattered the pears. All through the church they rolled, she after
them, and she tried to pick them up till cockcrow, and at the very first
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!” she got into her bier again and lay still.
When God’s bright day dawned, the
people came to clean out the church and sweep away his bones; but there he was
reading his prayers, and the rumour of it went through the town and they were
all filled with joy.
Next night it was the turn of the second
uncle, and he began to beg and pray, “Go thou, simpleton, in my stead! Look
now, thou hast already passed a night there, thou mayst very well pass another,
and I’ll give thee all my ship.”––But he said, “I won’t go, I am afraid.”––But
then St Michael said to him again, “Fear not, but go! Fence thee all about with
thy boards, and take with thee a basket of nuts. When she rushes at thee,
scatter thy nuts, and the nuts will go rolling all about the church, and it
will take her till cockcrow to gather them all up. But do thou go on reading
thy prayers, nor look thou up, whatever may happen.”
And he did so. He took his boards
and the basket of nuts, and went to the church at nightfall and read. A little
after midnight there was a rustling and an uproar, and the whole church shook.
Then came a fumbling round about the coffin––bang! bang!––up she started, and
made straight for him. She leaped and plunged, she very nearly got through the
boards. She hissed, like seething pitch, and her eyes glared at him like coals
of fire, but it was of no use. He read on and on, and didn’t once look at her.
Besides, he scattered his nuts, and she went after them and tried to pick them
all up till cockcrow. And at the first “Cock-a-doodle-doo!” she leaped into her
coffin again and pulled down the lid. In the morning the people came to sweep
away his bones, and lo! they found him alive.
The next night he had to go again in
the third uncle’s stead. Then he sat down and cried and wailed, “Alas, alas!
what shall I do? ’Twere better I had never been born!”––But St Michael said to
him, “Weep not, ’twill all end happily. Fence thyself
about with thy boards, sprinkle thyself all about with holy water, incense
thyself with holy incense, and take me with thee. She shall not have thee. And
the moment she leaves her coffin, do thou jump quickly into it. And whatever
she may say to thee, and however she may implore thee, let her not get into it
again until she says to thee, ‘My consort!’”
So he went. There he stood in the
middle of the church, fenced himself about with his boards, strewed consecrated
poppy-seed around him, incensed himself with holy incense, and read and read.
About the middle of the night a tempest arose outside, and there was a rustling
and a roaring, a hissing and a wailing. The church shook, the altar candelabra
were thrown down, the holy images fell on their faces. O Lord, how awful! Then
came a bang! bang! from the coffin, and again the Tsarivna started up. She left
her coffin and fluttered about the church. She rushed at the boards and made a
snatch at him, and fell back; she rushed at him again, and again she fell back.
She foamed at the mouth, and her fury every instant grew worse and worse. She
dashed herself about, and darted madly from one corner of the church to the
other, seeking him everywhere. But he skipped into the coffin, with the image
of St Michael by his side. She ran all over the church seeking him. “He was
here––and now he is not here!” cried she. Then she ran farther on, felt all
about her, and cried again, “He was here––and now he’s not here!” At last she
sprang up to the coffin, and there he was. Then she began to beg and pray him,
“Come down, come down! I’ll try and catch thee no more,
only come down, come down!” But he only prayed to God, and answered her never a
word. Then the cock crew once, “Cock-a-doodle-doo!”––“Alas! come down, come
down, my consort!” cried she. Then he came down, and they both fell on
their knees and began praying to God, and wept sore and gave thanks to God
because He had had mercy on them both.
And at dawn of day crowds of people,
with the Tsar at the head of them, came to the church. “Shall we find him
reading prayers, or shall we only find his bones?” said they. And lo! there
they both were on their knees praying fervently to God. Then the Tsar rejoiced
greatly, and embraced both him and her. After that they had a grand service in
the church, and sprinkled her with holy water, and baptized her again, and the
unclean spirit departed from her. Then the Tsar gave the young man half his
power and half his kingdom, but the merchants departed in their ships, with
their nephew on board.
They lived together, and time went
on and the young man still remained a bachelor, and was so handsome that words
cannot describe it. But the Tsar lived alone with his daughter. She, however,
grew sadder and sadder, and was no longer like her former self, so sorrowful
was she. And the Tsar asked her, saying, “Wherefore art thou so sorrowful?”––“I
am not sorrowful, father,” said she. But the Tsar watched her, and saw that she
was sorrowful, and there was no help for it. Then he asked her again,
“Art thou ill?”––“Nay, dear dad,” said she. “I myself know not what is the
matter with me.”
And so it went on, till the Tsar
dreamt a dream, and in this dream it was said to him, “Thy daughter grieves
because she loves so much the youth who drove the unclean spirit out of her.”
Then the Tsar asked her, “Dost thou love this youth?”––And she answered, “I do,
dear father.”––“Then why didst thou not tell me before, my daughter?” said he.
Then he sent for his heyducks and commanded them, saying, “Go this instant to
such and such a kingdom, and there ye will find the youth who cured my
daughter; bring him to me.” Then they went on and on until they found him, and
he took just the same laths and boards that he had had before, and went with
them. The Tsar met him, and bought all his boards, and when they split them in
pieces, lo! they were full of precious stones. Then the Tsar took him to his
own house and gave him his daughter. And they lived right merrily together.
-------------------------
From COSSACK FAIRY TALES AND FOLK TALES
Format: Currently only in PDF ebook format
ISBN:
978-1-907256-30-1
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