Repeatable Tales
Once upon a time, there were two brothers, two brothers—a sandpiper and a crane. They mowed a stack of hay and placed it in the middle of the field. Shall we tell the tale again from the end?---
Once there was an old man, and the old man had a well, and in the well was a dace, and here the tale ends.
Once there was an old man, and the old man had a well, and in the well was a dace, and here the tale ends.
---
Once there was a king, and the king had a yard, and in the yard was a stake, and on the stake was a bast; shall we start from the beginning?
Once there was a king, and the king had a yard, and in the yard was a stake, and on the stake was a bast; shall we start from the beginning?
---
- Shall I tell you a tale about a white bull?
- Tell me.
- You say, tell me, and I say, tell me, shall I tell you a tale about a white bull?
- Tell me.
- You say, tell me, and I say, tell me, and what will you have, and how long will this go on! Shall I tell you a tale about a white bull?
---
- Shall I tell you a little tale about a white goose?
- Tell me.
- That's all there is to it.
---
- Shall I tell you an annoying little tale?
- Tell me.
- You say, tell me, and I say, tell me; shall I tell you an annoying little tale?
- No need.
- You say, no need, and I say, no need; shall I tell you an annoying little tale? - and so on.
---
- Once there was an old man. He went to the mill to grind some flour...
- Well, you started it, but you're not telling it!
- If he had arrived, I would have told it, but he might take a week to get there!
---
A goose was flying, and as it landed on the road, it fell into the water.
It got wet, wet. It soaked, soaked—got soaked, climbed out, dried off.
It landed on the road and fell into the water again.
Wet, wet, soaked, soaked—dried off, climbed out, and so on.
---
A bear stood on a log—
Splash into the water!
It got wet, wet,
It soaked, soaked,
Got soaked, dried off,
Climbed out, dried off.
The bear stood on a log...
---
A river flows,
Across the river, a bridge,
On the bridge, a sheep,
The sheep has a tail,
On the tail, a bast,
Shall we start from the beginning?
---
A priest had a dog,
He loved it dearly.
It ate a piece of meat,
He killed it.
Buried it in a pit,
And wrote an inscription,
That:
A priest had a dog,
And so on.
---
Once there was a king named Vatuta, and that's the whole tale.
There stands a little gingerbread house,
Decorated with raisins,
Shining in the moonlight.
The door is made of candy,
Shall we start from the end?
---
We go further.
We see a bridge,
On the bridge, a crow is drying.
Grab it by the tail,
Push it under the bridge—
Let it get wet!
We go further.
We see a bridge,
Under the bridge, a crow is getting wet.
Grab it by the tail,
Pull it onto the bridge—
Let it dry!
We go further...
---
A river flows,
Across the river, a bridge,
On the bridge, a sheep,
The sheep has a tail,
On the tail, a bast,
Shall we start from the beginning?
---
A bear came to the ford—
Splash into the water!
It got wet, wet, wet,
It soaked, soaked, soaked.
Got soaked, dried off,
Climbed out, dried off,
Stood on a log—
Splash into the water...
---
Once upon a time, there were two brothers, two brothers—a sandpiper and a crane.
They mowed a stack of hay and placed it in the middle of the field.
Shall we tell the tale again from the end?
---
- Did we walk together?
- We did!
- Did we find a boot?
- We did!
- Did I give it to you?
- You did!
- Did you take it?
- I did!
- Where is it now?
- Who?
- Not who, but what!
- What?
- The boot!
- Which one?
- That one! Did we walk together?
- We did!
- Did we find a boot?
- We did!
---
- Shall I tell you a little tale about an owl?
- Tell me!
- Good! Listen, and don't interrupt!
An owl flew—
A merry head.
It flew and flew,
Landed on a birch tree,
Twisted its tail,
Looked around,
Sang a song,
And flew again.
It flew and flew,
Landed on a birch tree,
Twisted its tail,
Looked around,
Sang a song,
And flew again...
Shall I go on?
---
There stands an oak by the river.
On that oak sits a magpie—
Looking into the river.
A crawfish crawled out of the water and is crawling.
It crawls and crawls, crawls and crawls, and the magpie watches.
It watches, and the crawfish crawls and crawls.
It crawls and crawls, and the magpie watches.
It watches and watches and watches. And the crawfish crawls and crawls...
---
I was walking across a bridge,
Look—a crow is getting wet.
I grabbed the crow by the tail,
Placed it on the bridge—
Let it dry!
I walked across the bridge again,
Look—a crow is drying.
I grabbed the crow by the tail,
Placed it under the bridge—
Let it get wet!
I walked across the bridge again,
Look—a crow is getting wet.
I grabbed the crow by the tail,
Placed it on the bridge—
Let it dry!
I walked across the bridge again,
Look—a crow is drying.
I grabbed the crow by the tail,
Placed it under the bridge—
Let it get wet!
I came to the same bridge,
Look—a crow is getting wet...
---
A scarecrow-meow sat on the chimney,
A scarecrow-meow sang a song.
A scarecrow-meow with a red-red mouth,
It tormented everyone with its awful song.
Everyone around was sad and sick,
Because the song was about how
A scarecrow-meow sat on the chimney...
---
Once there lived and were friends
A cat and a Purr.
They ate from the same table,
Looked out the window from the same corner,
Went for walks from the same porch...
Shall we listen to the tale again from the end?
---
A dog walked across a bridge,
Got its tail stuck in the mud,
Pulled, pulled, pulled out its tail,
But got its nose stuck in the swamp.
Pulled, pulled...
---
On a hill—a little hut,
An old woman lives there.
She sits on the stove,
Chewing on rolls.
She got up,
Took the bast from behind the stove...
The old woman's bast is good!
Shall we start the tale from the beginning?
---
In a certain kingdom,
In an unfamiliar state,
Not the one we live in,
Something wondrous happened,
A marvelous wonder appeared:
A grand turnip grew in the garden,
Every old woman praised it:
In one day,
You couldn't walk around it.
Half of that turnip fed the whole village for a month,
Barely finished it.
The neighbors saw—
Took three weeks to eat the other half.
They loaded the leftovers onto a cart,
Dragged it past the forest,
The cart broke.
A bear ran by—was amazed,
Fell asleep from fright...
When it wakes up—
The tale will continue!
---
Once there was a king named Bubents.
He wanted to build himself a new palace.
They brought him wet boards,
Laid them out to dry on the sand.
They dried, dried—overdried them.
Put them in the river—got them too wet.
Dried them again—overdried them,
Wet them again—got them too wet!
When the boards are ready,
We'll take up this tale again.
But that won't be soon:
It will be in the year
When the goblin dies—
And he hasn't even been sick yet!
---
Auntie Arina
Was cooking porridge,
Yegor and Boris
Fought over the porridge.
Bast, bast,
Start from the beginning!
---
By grandma's little hut,
Burenka was chewing grass,
Chewed, chewed—was silent.
She saw: on the fence—a bast.
She saw the bast—started mooing...
Shall we tell about Burenka from the beginning?
---
Once there was a granny
By the river,
The granny wanted
To bathe in the river.
She bought
Soap and bast.
This tale is good,
Start from the beginning...
---
Once there lived Kutyr-Mutyr in the middle of a field,
He mowed himself a stack of hay.
A ram and a sheep came,
Ate the whole stack of hay...
Shall we tell the tale again from the end?
