004_161_Prince_Ivan_i_Belyj_Poljanin.xml

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<Folktale>
<Move>
<Preparation> 
 
 
 In a Certain kingdom in a certain land there lived a king 
 
 who had three daughters and one son, Prince Ivan. 
 </Preparation>
 <Villainy>
 
 The king grew old and died, and Prince Ivan succeeded to the throne. 
 
 Upon learning this, the neighboring kings gathered together innumerable troops and waged war against him. 
 
 Prince Ivan did not know what to do. 
 </Villainy>
 <ConnectiveIncident/>
 
 He came to his sisters and asked them: 
 
 "My dear sisters, what shall I do? All the kings are waging war against me." 
 
 "Ah, you brave warrior!" they said: 
 
 "Why are you afraid? Think of how Byely Polyanin for thirty years has been warring
 
 against Baba Yaga the Golden-legged,
 
 without ever climbing down from his horse, without a moment's respite. 
 
 
 And you are afraid without having seen anything!" 
 </ConnectiveIncident>
 <Filler>
 Prince Ivan straightway saddled his good steed, donned his armor, took a steel sword, a long spear, 
 and a silken riding crop, prayed to God, and rode forth to meet the enemy. 
 
 He did not cut down as many with his sword as he trampled with his steed. 
 
 He slew all the enemy troops, returned to his capital, lay down to sleep, 
 and slept for three days without awakening. 
 
 On the fourth day he awoke, went out on the balcony, looked out on the open field, 
 and saw that the other kings had gathered even more troops than before 
 and were again approaching the very walls of his town. 
 
 The prince was grieved and went to his sisters. 
 
 "Ah, my sisters, what shall I do?" he said. 
 
 "I have destroyed one army; now,there is another one at the city gates, more menacing than the first." 
 
 "What kind of warrior are you?" his sisters said. 
 
 "You fought for a day and then slept three days without awakening.
 
 See how Byely Polyanin has been warring for thirty years against Baba Yaga the Golden-legged,
 without ever climbing down from his horse, without a moment's respite!" 
 
 Prince Ivan ran to the white stone stable, saddled a mighty steed, donned his armor, 
 girded on his steel sword, took a long spear in one hand and a silken riding crop in the other, prayed to God, 
 and went forth to fight the enemy.
 
 Like a bright falcon swooping down on a flock of geese, swans, and gray ducks, 
 Prince Ivan fell upon the enemy host; he did not slay as many himself as his steed trampled down. 
 
 He defeated the great host of troops, returned home, lay down to sleep, and slept without awakening for six days. 
 
 On the seventh day he awoke, went out on the balcony, looked out on the open field, 
 and saw that the other kings had gathered together an even greater army than before 
 and had again surrounded the entire town. Prince Ivan went to his sisters, saying: 
 
 "My dear sisters, what shall I do? I have destroyed two armies; now there's a third one before our walls, 
 more menacing than the others." 
 
 "Ah, you brave warrior!" 
 
 his sisters said. 
 
 "You fought for one day and slept for six days without awakening. 
 
 Think of how Byely Polyanin has been warring for thirty years against Baba Yaga the Golden-legged,
 
 without ever climbing down from his horse, without a moment's respite!"
 
 The prince was stung to the quick; 
 
 
 he ran to the white stone stable, saddled his good steed, donned his armor, 
 
 girded on his steel sword, took a long spear in one hand and a silken riding crop in the other, 
 
 prayed to God, and went forth to fight the enemy. 
 
 
 
 As a bright falcon swoops down on a flock 
 
 of geese, swans, and gray ducks, so Prince Ivan fell upon the enemy troops; 
 
 he did not slay as many himself as his horse trampled down. 
 
 He defeated the great host of troops, returned home, 
 
 lay down to sleep, and slept for ten days without awakening. 
 On the tenth day he awoke, summoned all his ministers and senators, 
 
 and said: "My ministers and senators, 
 
 I have decided to go to foreign lands, to see Byely Polyanin; 
 
 I charge you to rule and govern and judge all matters in accordance with the truth." 
 
 
 
 Then he took leave of his sisters, mounted his horse, 
 
 
 and set out on his way. After a long time or a short time, 
 
 he entered a dark forest and saw a little hut in which an old man dwelt. 
 
 Prince Ivan went in to see him. "Good day, grandfather," he said. "Good day, 
 
 Russian prince! Whither is God taking you?" "I am seeking Byely Polyanin; 
 
 do you know where he is?" "I myself do not know, but wait awhile; 
 
 I shall assemble my faithful servants and ask them." 
 
 The old man went out on the porch, blew on a silver trumpet, 
 
 and suddenly birds began to fly toward him from all sides. 
 
 A numberless host of them came, covering the whole sky like a black cloud. 
 
 The old man cried in a loud voice and whistled with a mighty whistle:
 
 "My faithful servants, birds of passage, have you ever seen, 
 
 have you ever heard anything about Byely Polyanin?" 
 
 "No," the reply came, "we have not seen him with our eyes nor heard of him with our ears." 
 
 "Well, Prince Ivan," said the old man, 
 
 "go to my older brother, he may be able to tell you. 
 
 Here is a little ball, let it roll before you; wherever the ball rolls, there direct your horse to go." 
 
 
 Prince Ivan mounted his good steed, rolled his ball, and rode after it; 
 
 and the forest grew darker and darker. 
 
 The prince rode up to a little hut and entered it;
 
 in the hut sat an old man, hoary with age. 
 
 "Good day, grandfather!" he said. 
 
 "Good day, Russian prince! Whither are you going?"
 
 "I am seeking Byely Polyanin; do you know where he is?" 
 
 "Wait a while; I shall assemble my faithful servants and ask them." 
 
 The old man went out on the porch, blew on a silver trumpet, 
 
 and suddenly all kinds of beasts gathered around him from every side. 
 
 He cried to them in a loud voice and whistled with a mighty whistle: 
 
 "My faithful servants, my roving beasts, have you ever seen, have you ever heard of Byely Polyanin?" 
 
 "No," answered the beasts, 
 
 "we have not seen him with our eyes nor heard about him with our ears."
 
 "Well, take a roll call among yourselves; perhaps not all of you are here." 
 
 The beasts took count among themselves and discovered that the one-eyed she-wolf was missing. 
 
 Straightway messengers set out and soon they brought her before the old man. 
 
 "Tell me, one-eyed she-wolf, do you know Byely Polyanin?" 
 
 "How can I help knowing him, since I am always with him? 
 
 He defeats armies and I feed on their carrion." 
 
 "Where is he now?" "In the open field, on a high mound, asleep in his tent. 
 
 He battled with Baba Yaga the Golden-legged, and after the contest he lay down to sleep for twelve days." 
 
 "Take Prince Ivan there," the old man ordered. 


 The she-wolf ran off and the prince galloped after her. 
 
 He came to the high mound, entered the tent, and found Byely Polyanin sleeping soundly. 
 
 He said to himself: 
 
 "My sisters said that Byely Polyanin wages war without ever resting, 
 
 and here he has lain down to sleep for twelve days. 
 
 Why shouldn't I too go to sleep for the present?" 
 
 Prince Ivan thought and thought, and then lay down beside Byely Polyanin. 
 
 At that moment a little bird came flying into the tent, circled around the head of the bed, and said: 
 
 "Arise, awake, Byely Polyanin, and make a cruel end of my brother, Prince Ivan! 
 
 If you do not, he will rise up and slay you." 
 
 Prince Ivan jumped up, caught the bird, tore off her right leg, 
 
 threw her out of the tent, and again lay down beside Byely Polyanin.
 
 
 He had not yet fallen asleep when another bird flew in, 
 
 circled around the head of the bed, and said:
 
 "Arise, awake, Byely Polyanin, and make a cruel end of my brother, Prince Ivan! 
 
 If you do not, he will rise up and slay you." 
 
 Prince Ivan jumped up, caught the bird, tore off her right wing, threw her out of the tent,
 
 and lay down in the same place. 
 
 Then a third little bird flew in, circled around the head of the bed, and said: 
 
 "Arise, awake, Byely Polyanin, and make a cruel end of my brother, Prince Ivan! 
 
 If you do not, he will rise up and slay you." Prince Ivan jumped up, caught the bird, 
 
 and tore off her beak; 
 
 he threw out the bird, lay down, and fell sound asleep. 


 At the time he had set for himself, 
 
 Byely Polyanin awoke and saw an unknown knight lying beside him; 
 
 he seized his sharp sword and was about to put the knight to a cruel death, but restrained himself in time.
 
 "No," he thought, "he came here while I was asleep and did not dip his sword in my blood.
 
 It would be no honor for me to kill him;
 
 a sleeping man is like a dead man. 
 
 Instead, I will awaken him." 
 
 He roused Prince Ivan and asked him: "Are you a good man or a wicked man?
 
 Tell me-what is your name and why have you come here?"
 
 "My name is Prince Ivan and I have come to see you, to try your strength." 
 
 "You are quite bold, prince! 
 
 You entered my tent without permission, 
 
 you went to sleep beside me without announcing yourself;
 
 for that I could put you to death."
 
 "Eh, Byely Polyanin, you're bragging before you have jumped the ditch! 
 
 Wait, perhaps you will stumble. 
 
 You have two arms, but I was not born with one arm either." 

 They mounted their mighty steeds, 
 
 rushed at each other,
 
 and clashed so violently that their spears were shattered into smithereens
 
 and their good steeds fell to the ground. 
 
 Prince Ivan unhorsed Byely Polyanin and raised his sharp sword over him. 
 
 
 Byely Polyanin implored him: 
 
 "Do not give me death, give me life! I shall call myself your younger brother, 
 
 I shall honor you as a father." 
 
 Prince Ivan took him by his hand, 
 
 raised him from the ground, kissed him on the mouth, called him his younger brother, and said: 
 
 "Brother, I have been told that for thirty years you have been warring against Baba Yaga the Golden-legged; 
 
 what is the cause of your war?" 
 
 "She has a beautiful daughter;
 
 I want to win her and marry her."
 
 "Well," said the prince, "since we are friends,
 
 I will help you in your trouble.
 
 Let us go to war together." 
 
 They mounted their steeds and rode into the open field; 
 
 Baba Yaga the Golden-legged brought forth an innumerable host of troops. 
 
 Like bright falcons swooping down on a flock of pigeons, 
 the mighty champions fell upon the enemy army; 
 
 they cut them down with their swords less than they trampled them with their horses, 
 and indeed they cut and trampled thousands upon thousands. 
 
 Baba Yaga took to her heels and Prince Ivan set out in pursuit of her.
 
 He had almost caught up with her when she ran to the edge of a sharp precipice, 
 
 pulled up a cast-iron trap door, and vanished underground. 
 
 
 Prince Ivan and Byely Polyanin bought a great multitude of oxen, slaughtered them, 
 
 skinned them, and cut the skins into thongs; 
 
 
 with these thongs they wound a cable so long that it would reach from this world to the other world. 
 
 The prince said to Byely Polyanin: 
 
 "Lower me into the chasm but do not pull out the cable until I give it a tug; 
 
 then pull me out." 
 
 Byely Polyanin lowered him into the very bottom of the chasm. 
 
 Prince Ivan looked about him and went to search for Baba Yaga.
 
 He walked and walked, and saw some tailors sitting behind a grating. 
 
 "What are you doing here?" he asked. 
 
 "We are sewing an army for Baba Yaga the Golden-legged." 
 
 "But how do you do it?" 
 
 "It is quite simple; 
 
 every time we take a stitch with the needle, a Cossack with a lance mounts a horse, gets in line, 
 
 and sets out to war against Byely Polyanin."
 
 "Eh, brothers, you are working quite fast, but not solidly; 
 
 stand in a row, and I will show you how to sew more solidly."
 
 They stood in one row; 
 
 Prince Ivan swung his sword and all their heads flew off. 
 
 Having slain the tailors, he went on farther. 
 
 He walked and walked and saw some cobblers sitting behind a grating.
 
 "What are you doing here?" he asked. 
 
 "We are preparing an army for Baha Yaga the Golden-legged." 
 
 "How do you prepare an army, brothers?" "This way," they said.
 
 "Each time we make a prick with an awl, a soldier with a gun mounts a horse, 
 
 stands in line, and sets out to war against Byely Polyanin." 
 
 
 "Eh, brothers, you are working fast, but poorly. 
 
 Stand in a row, I will show you how to do it better."
 
 They stood in a row; 
 
 Prince Ivan swung his sword and their heads flew off. 
 
 
 Having slain the cobblers, he went on farther.
 
 After a long time or a short time he reached a great and beautiful city; 
 
 in that city there was a royal castle and in the castle sat a maiden of indescribable beauty. 
 
 She saw the good youth through the window; 
 
 she fell in love with his black curls, his falcon eyes, his sable brows, his heroic gait.
 
 She invited the prince to her room and questioned him as to whither and why he was traveling. 
 
 He told her that he was looking for Baba Yaga the Golden-legged. 
 
 "Ah, Prince Ivan, I am her daughter. 
 
 She is now sound asleep; 
 
 she lay down to rest for twelve days." 
 
 The maiden led him out of the city and showed him the way; Prince Ivan went to Baba Yaga,
 
 found her asleep, struck her with his sword, and cut off her head. 
 
 The head rolled and uttered these words: "Strike again, Prince Ivan!" 
 
 "A hero strikes once, and that is enough," said the prince. 
 
 
 He returned to the castle and sat down with the lovely maiden at an oaken table with a checkered cloth.
 
 He ate and drank and asked her: 
 
 "Is there anyone in the world stronger than I or more beautiful than you?" 
 
 
 "Ah, Prince Ivan, what sort of beauty am I?" the maiden replied. 
 
 "Beyond thrice nine lands, in the thrice tenth kingdom, there lives a princess in the dragon king's palace.
 
 She is really of an indescribable beauty; 
 
 I am only good enough to wash myself in the water in which she has washed her feet." 
 
 Prince Ivan took the lovely maiden by her white hand, led her to the place where the cable hung, 
 
 and gave a sign to Byely Polyanin. 
 
 
 The warrior pulled out the cable and with it the prince and the lovely maiden. 
 
 "Hail, Byely Polyanin," said Prince Ivan, 
 
 "here is your bride; live merrily, do not worry about anything. As for me, I am going to the dragon's kingdom."
 
 
 
 He mounted his good steed, said farewell to Byely Polyanin and his bride, 
 and galloped beyond thrice nine lands. 
 
 After a long time or a short time-for speedily a tale is spun, 
 
 but with much less speed a deed is done-he came to the dragon's kingdom, 
 
 slew the dragon king, rescued the beautiful princess from captivity, and married her. 
 
 Then he returned home and began to live with his young wife in happiness and prosperity. 
 
 
</Filler>
</Move>
</Folktale>