The Goat-Dereza
Once upon a time, there lived an old man, an old woman, and their daughter. One day, the daughter went out to graze the goats. She grazed them on the hills, in the valleys, and across the green meadows, and in the evening, she drove them back home.The old man came out onto the porch and asked:
— Dear little goats, dear mothers,
Are you full, are you drunk?
The goats replied:
— We are full, we are drunk,
We walked over the hills,
Nibbled on the grass,
Gnawed on the aspen trees,
And rested under the birch tree!
But one goat answered:
— I am not full, I am not drunk,
I did not walk over the hills,
I did not nibble on the grass,
I did not gnaw on the aspen trees,
I did not rest under the birch tree,
But as I ran across the little bridge,
I grabbed a maple leaf.
And as I ran across the little dam,
I caught a drop of water.
The old man got angry at his daughter and sent her away. The next day, he sent the old woman to graze the goats. The old woman grazed them on the hills, in the valleys, and across the green meadows. Late in the evening, she drove them back home.
The old man came out onto the porch:
— Dear little goats, dear mothers,
Are you full, are you drunk?
The goats replied:
— We are full, we are drunk,
We walked over the hills,
Nibbled on the grass,
Gnawed on the aspen trees,
And rested under the birch tree!
But one goat stuck to her story:
— I am not full, I am not drunk,
I did not walk over the hills,
I did not nibble on the grass,
I did not gnaw on the aspen trees,
I did not rest under the birch tree,
But as I ran across the little bridge,
I grabbed a maple leaf.
And as I ran across the little dam,
I caught a drop of water.
The old man grew even angrier and sent the old woman away. On the third day, he went out to graze the goats himself. He grazed them on the hills, in the valleys, and across the green meadows. In the evening, he drove them back home, ran ahead, and asked:
— Dear little goats, dear mothers,
Are you full, are you drunk?
The goats replied:
— We are full, we are drunk,
We walked over the hills,
Nibbled on the grass,
Gnawed on the aspen trees,
And rested under the birch tree!
But one goat stuck to her story:
— I am not full, I am not drunk,
I did not walk over the hills,
I did not nibble on the grass,
I did not gnaw on the aspen trees,
I did not rest under the birch tree,
But as I ran across the little bridge,
I grabbed a maple leaf.
And as I ran across the little dam,
I caught a drop of water.
The old man caught the goat, tied her up, and began to beat her. He beat her and beat her, tore off half her side, and then went to sharpen his knife.
The goat saw that things were bad, broke free, and ran away. She ran and ran until she came to a hare's hut, climbed onto the stove, and lay down.
The hare came in:
— Who, who has climbed into my hut?
The goat replied:
— It is I, the goat-dereza,
Bought for three grosh,
Half my side is flayed,
I stomp, stomp with my feet,
I’ll gore you with my horns,
I’ll trample you with my hooves,
I’ll sweep you with my tail!
The hare got scared and ran away. He walked along, crying bitterly. Along the way, he met a rooster in red boots, with golden earrings, carrying a scythe on his shoulder:
— Hello, little hare. Why are you crying?
— How can I not cry? The goat has taken over my hut and driven me out.
— Come, I’ll help you with your trouble.
They approached the hut, and the rooster knocked:
— Knock-knock, who’s in the hut?
The goat called from the stove:
— It is I, the goat-dereza,
Bought for three grosh,
Half my side is flayed,
I stomp, stomp with my feet,
I’ll gore you with my horns,
I’ll trample you with my hooves,
I’ll sweep you with my tail!
But the rooster jumped onto the threshold and cried out:
— I come in boots,
With golden earrings,
I carry a scythe,
I’ll cut off your head
Right down to your shoulders,
Get off the stove!
The goat got so scared that she fell off the stove and died...
And the hare and the rooster began to live in the hut, catching fish and living happily ever after.