The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Knights

The king bid farewell to the queen,
Prepared for his journey,
And the queen sat by the window,
Waiting for him alone.
She waited and waited from morning till night,
Gazing into the fields until her eyes
Ached from looking
From dawn till dusk.
No sight of her beloved!
All she saw was the swirling snowstorm,
Snow falling on the fields,
The earth all white.
Nine months passed,
She never took her eyes off the fields.
Then, on Christmas Eve, in the very night,
God gave the queen a daughter.
Early in the morning, the awaited guest,
Longed for day and night,
From afar at last
Returned the king, her father.
She looked at him,
Heaved a heavy sigh,
Could not bear the joy,
And by noon, she died.

For a long time, the king was inconsolable,
But what could he do? He, too, was sinful;
A year passed like an empty dream,
And the king married another.
Truth be told, the young bride
Was indeed a queen:
Tall, slender, fair,
Wise and accomplished in all;
But she was proud, haughty,
Self-willed and jealous.
As part of her dowry,
She was given a mirror;
This mirror had a special trait:
It could speak.
With it alone, she was
Kind-hearted and merry,
Joked amiably with it,
And, preening, would say:
“My light, mirror! Tell me,
Speak the whole truth:
Am I the fairest in the world,
The most rosy and white of all?”
And the mirror would reply:
“You, of course, without a doubt;
You, queen, are the fairest,
The most rosy and white of all.”
And the queen would laugh,
Shrug her shoulders,
Wink her eyes,
Snap her fingers,
Twirl around with hands on hips,
Proudly gazing into the mirror.

But the young princess,
Quietly blossoming,
Meanwhile grew and grew,
Rose up and flourished,
Fair-faced, dark-browed,
With a gentle nature.
And a suitor was found for her,
Prince Elisha.
The matchmaker arrived, the king gave his word,
And the dowry was ready:
Seven trading cities
And one hundred and forty mansions.

Preparing for the bridal shower,
The queen, dressing up
Before her mirror,
Exchanged words with it:
“Tell me, am I the fairest,
The most rosy and white of all?”
What did the mirror reply?
“You are beautiful, no doubt;
But the princess is the fairest,
The most rosy and white of all.”
How the queen jumped back,
How she swung her hand,
How she slapped the mirror,
Stamped her heel!..
“Oh, you vile glass!
You lie to spite me.
How can she rival me?
I’ll put an end to her foolishness.
Look how she’s grown!
And no wonder she’s fair:
Her mother sat pregnant
Gazing only at the snow!
But tell me: how can she
Be fairer than me in every way?
Admit it: I am the most beautiful.
Search the whole kingdom,
Even the whole world; there’s none like me.
Isn’t that so?” The mirror replied:
“But the princess is still the fairest,
Still the most rosy and white of all.”
There was nothing to be done. She,
Filled with black envy,
Threw the mirror under the bench,
Called her maid Chernavka,
And ordered her,
Her servant girl,
To lead the princess into the deep forest,
Bind her, and leave her alive
Under a pine tree
To be devoured by wolves.

Who can deal with an angry woman?
There’s no arguing. With the princess,
Chernavka went into the forest
And led her so far
That the princess guessed
And was frightened to death,
And pleaded: “My life!
Tell me, what is my guilt?
Do not kill me, maiden!
When I become queen,
I will reward you.”
Chernavka, loving her in her heart,
Did not kill her, did not bind her,
Let her go and said:
“Do not grieve, God be with you.”
And she returned home.
“Well?” the queen asked her.
“Where is the beautiful maiden?”
“There, in the forest, she stands alone,”
She replied.
“Her elbows are tightly bound;
If a beast catches her in its claws,
She will suffer less,
Die more easily.”

And rumors began to spread:
The king’s daughter was lost!
The poor king grieved for her.
Prince Elisha,
Having fervently prayed to God,
Set off on a journey
For the beautiful soul,
For his young bride.

But the young bride,
Wandering in the forest until dawn,
Meanwhile walked and walked
And came upon a mansion.
A dog ran out to meet her, barking,
Then fell silent, wagging its tail.
She entered the gates,
The courtyard was silent.
The dog ran after her, fawning,
And the princess, gathering herself,
Climbed the porch
And took hold of the ring;
The door quietly opened,
And the princess found herself
In a bright chamber; all around
Benches covered with carpets,
Under the icons, an oak table,
A tiled stove with a bench.
The maiden saw that here
Good people lived;
Surely, she would not be mistreated! —
Yet no one was in sight.
The princess walked around the house,
Put everything in order,
Lit a candle to God,
Stoked the stove hot,
Climbed onto the sleeping platform,
And quietly lay down.

The hour of dinner approached,
The sound of footsteps echoed in the yard:
Seven knights entered,
Seven ruddy mustached men.
The eldest said: “What a wonder!
Everything so clean and beautiful.
Someone tidied the mansion
And awaited the owners.
Who is it? Come out and show yourself,
Make friends with us honestly.
If you are an old man,
You’ll be our uncle forever.
If you are a ruddy lad,
You’ll be our sworn brother.
If an old woman, be our mother,
And we shall honor you so.
If a fair maiden...”

"Be our dear sister," they said.
And the princess came down to them,
Paid her respects to the hosts,
Bowed low at the waist;
Blushing, she apologized,
Saying that she had come to visit them,
Though she had not been invited.
At once, by her speech, they recognized
That they were hosting a princess;
They seated her in a corner,
Offered her a pie;
Poured a full glass of wine,
Presented it on a tray.
She declined the green wine;
Only broke the pie
And took a small bite,
Then asked to rest on a bed,
For she was weary from the road.
They led the maiden upstairs,
To a bright, clean room,
And left her alone
To drift off to sleep.

Day after day passed, fleeting by,
And the young princess
Remained in the forest; she was not bored
With the seven knights.
Before the morning dawn,
The brothers, in a friendly crowd,
Would ride out to roam,
To shoot gray ducks,
To amuse their right hands,
To chase a magpie in the field,
Or to cut off the head
Of a Tatar from his broad shoulders,
Or to drive out from the forest
A Circassian from the Pyatigorsk region.
Meanwhile, she, as the mistress,
Alone in the tower,
Would tidy and prepare.
She did not contradict them,
Nor did they oppose her.
And so the days passed.

The brothers grew fond of the sweet maiden.
Once, just as dawn broke,
All seven of them entered her room.
The eldest spoke to her: "Maiden,
You know: you are a sister to us all,
All seven of us love you,
And we would all gladly take you for ourselves,
But it cannot be, so, for God's sake,
Reconcile us somehow:
Be a wife to one,
And a dear sister to the rest.
Why do you shake your head?
Do you refuse us?
Or are we not to your liking?"

"Oh, you honest young men,
My dear brothers,"
The princess replied,
"If I lie, may God strike me
Dead on the spot.
What am I to do? For I am a bride.
To me, you are all equal,
All brave, all wise,
I love you all dearly;
But I am forever promised
To another. To me, the dearest
Is Prince Elisha."

The brothers stood in silence,
Then scratched the backs of their heads.
"Asking is no sin. Forgive us,"
The eldest said with a bow.
"If that is the case, I will not insist."
"I am not angry,"
She said softly,
"And my refusal is no fault."
The suitors bowed to her,
Quietly withdrew,
And once again, in harmony,
They began to live and thrive.

Meanwhile, the wicked queen,
Remembering the princess,
Could not forgive her,
And at her mirror
She sulked and raged for a long time:
Finally, she grabbed it,
And sitting before it, forgot her anger,
Began to admire herself again,
And with a smile said:
"Hello, mirror! Tell me,
And report the whole truth:
Am I the fairest in the world,
The rosiest and whitest?"
And the mirror replied:
"You are beautiful, no doubt;
But living without any glory,
In the green oak forest,
With the seven knights,
Is she who is still fairer than you."
And the queen flew into a rage,
Turning to Chernavka: "How dare you
Deceive me? And in what way!.."
Chernavka confessed everything:
This and that. The wicked queen,
Threatening her with the rack,
Decided either not to live,
Or to destroy the princess.

Once, the young princess,
Awaiting her dear brothers,
Sat spinning by the window.
Suddenly, the dog barked angrily under the porch,
And the maiden saw: a beggar nun
Wandered the yard, with a staff
Driving the dog away. "Wait,
Granny, wait a little,"
She called to her from the window,
"I'll scold the dog myself
And bring you something."
The nun replied:
"Oh, you dear maiden!
The cursed dog has worn me out,
Nearly killed me.
Look how he fusses!
Come out to me." The princess wanted
To go out to her and took some bread,
But as soon as she stepped off the porch,
The dog ran to her feet and barked,
Not letting her near the old woman;
Whenever the old woman approached,
He, fiercer than a forest beast,
Turned on her. What a wonder?
"Seems he slept poorly,"
The princess said to her.
"Here, catch!" And the bread flew.
The old woman caught the bread;
"Thank you," she said,
"God bless you;
Here, take this in return!"
And to the princess, a juicy,
Fresh, golden apple
Flew straight...
The dog leaped, yelped...
But the princess, with both hands,
Grabbed—caught it. "Out of boredom,
Eat the apple, my dear.
Thank you for the meal..."
The old woman said,
Bowed, and disappeared...
And with the princess on the porch,
The dog ran and looked at her face
Pitifully, howling fiercely,
As if its canine heart ached,
As if it wanted to say:
"Throw it away!" She petted it,
Caressed it with a gentle hand:
"What, Sokolko, what's wrong with you?
Lie down!" And she entered the room,
Quietly closed the door,
Sat by the window at her spinning wheel,
Waiting for the hosts, but kept looking
At the apple. It was
Full of ripe juice,
So fresh and fragrant,
So rosy and golden,
As if filled with honey!
The seeds were visible through it...
She wanted to wait
Until dinner; but she couldn't resist,
Took the apple in her hands,
Brought it to her red lips,
Gently bit into it,
And swallowed a piece...
Suddenly, my dear,
She swayed, breathless,
Dropped her white hands,
Let the rosy fruit fall,
Rolled her eyes,
And under the icons,
She fell headfirst onto the bench,
And lay still, motionless...

The brothers at that time
Returned home in a crowd
From their daring escapades.
Toward them, growling fiercely,
A dog ran and showed them the way to the courtyard.
"This is not good!"
The brothers said, "Trouble awaits us."
They galloped in, entered, and gasped.
The dog, rushing in,
Jumped onto the apple with a furious bark,
Swallowed it in anger, collapsed,
And died. It was clear
The apple was poisoned.
Before the dead tsarevna,
The brothers, in heartfelt sorrow,
Bowed their heads,
Lifted her gently from the bench,
Dressed her, intending to bury her—
But changed their minds.
She lay there,
As peaceful and fresh as if
Under the wings of sleep,
Only she did not breathe.
They waited three days, but she
Did not wake from her slumber.
Performing the sorrowful rites,
They placed the young tsarevna’s body
In a crystal coffin,
Carried her as a group
To a desolate mountain,
And at midnight,
Fastened her coffin with iron chains
To six tall columns.
They fenced the spot
And, before their deceased sister,
Made a deep bow.
The eldest said:
“Rest in your coffin.
Your beauty, a victim of malice,
Was extinguished suddenly on earth.
Your soul will ascend to heaven.
You were loved by us
And kept for your beloved—
You belonged to none,
Only to this coffin.”

On the same day, the wicked queen,
Awaiting good news,
Secretly took her mirror
And asked her question:
“Am I, tell me, the fairest of all,
The most rosy and white?”
And she heard in reply:
“Yes, oh queen, no doubt,
You are the fairest,
The most rosy and white.”

Meanwhile, Prince Elisei
Was wandering the world,
Searching for his bride.
Nowhere was she to be found!
He wept bitterly,
And whoever he asked
Found his question strange;
Some laughed in his face,
While others turned away.
Finally, he turned
To the crimson sun:
“O bright sun! You travel
Year-round across the heavens,
Bringing winter together with spring.
You see all of us beneath you.
Would you deny me an answer?
Have you seen anywhere in the world
The young tsarevna?
I am her groom.”
“My bright one,”
Answered the crimson sun,
“I have not seen the tsarevna.
It seems she is no longer among the living.
Perhaps my neighbor, the moon,
Has met her somewhere
Or noticed her trail.”

That night, Elisei,
Lost in grief,
Waited for the moon to rise.
As soon as it appeared,
He followed it with a plea.
“Moon, moon, my dear friend,
Golden crescent!
You rise in the deep dark,
Round-faced and bright-eyed.
The stars gaze at you lovingly,
Honoring your presence.
Would you deny me an answer?
Have you seen anywhere in the world
The young tsarevna?
I am her groom.”
“My brother,”
Replied the shining moon,
“I have not seen the fair maiden.
I stand guard only
When it is my turn.
Without me, the tsarevna must have passed.
What a shame!”
The prince replied.
The moon continued:
“Wait; perhaps the wind knows about her.
He will help you.
Go to him now;
Do not despair, farewell.”

Without losing hope,
Elisei turned to the wind:
“Wind, wind! You are mighty,
You scatter clouds,
You stir the blue sea,
You roam freely everywhere.
You fear none but God Himself.
Would you deny me an answer?
Have you seen anywhere in the world
The young tsarevna?
I am her groom.”
“Wait,”
Answered the fierce wind.
“Beyond the quiet river,
There is a tall mountain,
And within it, a deep cave.
In that cave, in the sorrowful dark,
A crystal coffin swings
On chains between columns.
There are no tracks near that place.
In that coffin lies your bride.”

The wind rushed away.
Elisei wept
And headed to the desolate place,
To see his beloved bride
One last time.
He approached the steep mountain,
A deserted land around it.
Beneath the mountain, a dark entrance.
He hurried in.
Before him, in the gloomy dark,
A crystal coffin swung,
And in that crystal coffin
The tsarevna lay in eternal sleep.
With all his strength,
He struck the coffin of his beloved.
The coffin shattered. Suddenly,
The maiden awoke.
She looked around
With astonished eyes;
Swaying on the chains,
She sighed and said:
“How long I have slept!”
She rose from the coffin.
Ah! Both wept with joy.
He took her hands,
Carried her out of the dark,
And as they walked back,
They spoke happily.
And soon, the news spread:
The tsar’s daughter is alive!

At home, meanwhile,
The wicked stepmother sat idly
Before her mirror,
Speaking to it:
“Am I the fairest of all,
The most rosy and white?”
And she heard in reply:
“You are beautiful, no doubt,
But the tsarevna is still fairer,
Rosier, and whiter.”
The wicked queen jumped up,
Smashed the mirror on the floor,
And ran out the door,
Only to meet the tsarevna.
Grief overtook her,
And the queen died.
Once she was buried,
The wedding was celebrated,
And Elisei married his bride.
No one, since the beginning of time,
Had seen such a feast.
I was there, drank mead and beer,
But only wetted my mustache.

More fairy tales

• The Tale of the Golden Cockerel
• The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish
• The Tale of Tsar Saltan, of His Son the Glorious and Mighty Bogatyr Prince Gvidon Saltanovich, and of the Beautiful Swan Princess
• The Tale of the Priest and His Worker Balda