Shabarsha

Oh, shall I entertain you with a tale? A marvelous tale it is, full of wondrous marvels and miraculous wonders, and in it, there is a farmhand named Shabarsha, the craftiest of all the crafty. Once he set his hands to the task, there was no stopping him—he was strong as an ox!

So, Shabarsha went to work as a farmhand, but times turned grim: no grain grew, no vegetables sprouted. The master of the house fell into deep thought, pondering how to dispel his sorrow, how to make a living, and where to get money.

"Ah, don't fret, master!" said Shabarsha. "As long as there is day, there will be bread and money!"

And off Shabarsha went to the mill's dam. "Maybe," he thought, "I'll catch some fish, sell them, and there's your money! Oh, but I don't have a line for my fishing rod... Wait, I'll make one now."

He asked the miller for a handful of hemp, sat by the shore, and began twisting a line. He twisted and twisted, when suddenly a little boy in a black jacket and a red cap jumped out of the water.

"Uncle! What are you doing here?" the boy asked.

"I'm making a rope."

"What for?"

"I want to clean the pond and drag you devils out of the water."

"Oh, no! Wait a moment; I'll go tell my grandfather."

The little devil dived back into the depths, and Shabarsha resumed his work. "Wait," he thought, "I'll play a trick on you, cursed ones. You'll bring me gold and silver."

And Shabarsha began digging a hole. He dug it out and placed his hat with the top cut off over it.

"Shabarsha, oh Shabarsha! Grandfather says I should strike a deal with you. What will you take to leave us in the water?"

"Fill this hat with gold and silver."

The little devil dived back into the water and returned.

"Grandfather says I must wrestle with you first."

"Oh, where would a little whelp like you wrestle with me? You wouldn't even manage my middle brother Mishka."

"Where is your Mishka?"

"Over there, see, resting under a bush in the ravine."

"How do I call him?"

"Go up and hit him on the side; he'll get up by himself."

The little devil went to the ravine, found the bear, and struck him with a stick. Mishka rose up on his hind legs, twisted the little devil so hard his bones cracked. The devil barely escaped the bear's claws and ran back to the water spirit.

"Well, grandfather," he said in fright, "Shabarsha has a middle brother Mishka. I tried to wrestle with him, and my bones nearly cracked! What would happen if Shabarsha himself wrestled with me?"

"Hmm! Go and try racing with Shabarsha: see who can outrun whom."

And so the boy in the red cap was back by Shabarsha's side, delivering the grandfather's message. Shabarsha replied:

"Where would you race with me? My little brother Zayinka would leave you far behind!"

"Where is your brother Zayinka?"

"Over there, lying in the grass, wanting to rest. Go closer and touch his ear—he'll run with you!"

The little devil ran to Zayinka, touched his ear, and the hare bolted. The devil tried to keep up:

"Wait, wait, Zayinka, let me catch up... Oh, he's gone!"

"Well, grandfather," he said to the water spirit, "I tried to run fast, but he wouldn't even let me catch up, and that wasn't even Shabarsha—it was his younger brother!"

"Hmm!" grumbled the old man, furrowing his brows. "Go to Shabarsha and try this: see who can whistle louder."

"Shabarsha, oh Shabarsha! Grandfather says we should try: who can whistle louder?"

"Well, you go first."

The little devil whistled so loudly that Shabarsha could barely stand, and leaves fell from the trees.

"You whistle well," said Shabarsha, "but not like me! When I whistle, you won't be able to stand, and your ears won't bear it... Lie face down on the ground and cover your ears with your fingers."

The little devil lay face down and covered his ears. Shabarsha took a club and swung it with all his might, hitting the devil on the neck, while whistling softly: "Fyu-fyu-fyu!"

"Oh, grandfather, grandfather! Shabarsha whistled so loudly that sparks flew from my eyes! I could barely get up, and my neck and back feel like all my bones are broken!"

"Oho! You're not strong enough, little devil! Go fetch my iron club from the reeds, and let's see who can throw it higher."

The little devil took the club, heaved it onto his shoulder, and went to Shabarsha.

"Well, Shabarsha, grandfather says we should try one last thing: who can throw this club higher?"

"Go ahead, you throw first, and I'll watch."

The little devil threw the club—it flew so high it looked like a dot in the sky! They barely waited for it to fall back to the ground...

Shabarsha took the club—it was heavy! He placed it on the tip of his foot, leaned on his palm, and stared intently at the sky.

"Why aren't you throwing? What are you waiting for?" asked the little devil.

"I'm waiting for that cloud to come closer—I'll throw the club onto it. My brother the blacksmith sits there; he could use the iron."

"Oh no, Shabarsha! Don't throw the club onto the cloud, or grandfather will get angry!"

The little devil snatched the club and dived back to his grandfather.

When the grandfather heard from his grandson that Shabarsha almost threw his club onto the cloud, he was terribly frightened and ordered them to bring money from the depths to buy him off.

The little devil carried and carried money—he brought so much, but the hat still wasn't full!

"Well, grandfather, Shabarsha's hat is truly a marvel! I've carried all this money, and it's still empty. Now only your last chest remains."

"Bring it quickly! Is he still twisting the rope?"

"Yes, grandfather!"

"That's what I thought!"

The little devil had no choice but to fetch his grandfather's cherished chest and began filling Shabarsha's hat. He poured and poured... and finally filled it to the brim!

From that day on, the farmhand lived in splendor. They invited me to drink honey and beer with him, but I didn't go: they say the honey was bitter, and the beer was murky. Why do you think that was?

↑ To the top

Shabarsha

More fairy tales