About the Poor Lad and the Princess
There was a hut in the forest, and in that hut lived a woman with her son. They had no land, only dense forest all around, and they bought their bread. When they ran out of bread, the woman sent her son to buy some."Here," she said, "take the money, son, and go buy some bread."
The son took the money and set off. He walked and walked, and suddenly he saw a man leading a dog to be hanged.
"Hello, uncle!"
"Hello!"
"Where are you taking the dog?"
"I’ll take it to the forest and hang it," the man replied. "It’s old now, no good for anything."
"Don’t hang it, sell it to me instead!"
"Buy it, then!"
"What do you want for it?"
"What will you give me?"
The son handed over the money his mother had given him for bread, took the dog, and led it home. When he returned, his mother asked:
"Well, son, did you buy the bread?"
"No, mother, I didn’t."
"Why not?"
"I was walking, and suddenly I saw a man leading a dog to be hanged, so I bought it instead."
His mother gave him more money and sent him again to buy bread. He set off once more, and suddenly he saw a man carrying a cat.
"Hello, uncle!"
"Hello!"
"Where are you going, uncle?"
"I’m taking the cat to the forest."
"Why are you taking it to the forest?"
"To hang it. You can’t keep anything in the house because of it—whatever you put down, it steals."
"Why don’t you sell it to me instead?"
"Buy it, then!"
"What do you want for it?"
"I won’t haggle—whatever you give me, I’ll take."
The son handed over the money his mother had given him for bread, took the cat, and went home. When he returned, his mother asked:
"Where’s the bread? Did you buy it?"
"No, I didn’t."
"Why not? What did you do with the money? Did you buy some devil again?"
"Yes, I did," he replied.
"Why did you buy it?"
"A man was carrying the cat to the forest to hang it, and I felt sorry for it, so I bought it."
"Here’s more money, but don’t you dare buy anything else—there’s not even a crust of bread left in the house."
He set off again. He walked and walked, and suddenly he saw a man beating a snake.
"Why are you beating the snake?" he asked. "You should sell it to me instead!"
"Buy it, then," the man said. "I’ll sell it."
"What do you want for it?"
"Whatever you give me."
The son handed over all the money he had. The man took it and went on his way, and the snake said:
"Thank you, kind man, for saving me from death. Here’s a ring for you. If you ever need anything, just pass it from one hand to the other, and servants will come running to you instantly. Whatever you command, they will do for you."
He took the ring and went home. As he approached the hut, he passed the ring from one hand to the other—and suddenly so many servants appeared that it was downright frightening.
- "So that I," he says to them, "may have bread." No sooner had he said this than they brought him so much bread that it was truly frightening! He entered the house and said:
- Well, mother, now we won’t have to go buy bread anymore; the serpent gave me a ring such that all I have to do is toss it from one hand to the other, and servants will come running instantly, and whatever I tell them, whatever I command—they will do it all.
- Why did she give it to you?
- For saving her from death. A peasant wanted to kill her, but I bought her from him with the money you gave me for bread.
And so they live, with the little dog and the cat. And whenever he wants something, he just tosses the ring from one hand to the other, and servants come running immediately and do what’s needed.
Then he decided he wanted to get married. He said to his mother:
- Go, mother, and arrange a marriage for me with the princess.
She went to the princess, told her why she had come, and the princess said:
- If your son can make me a pair of shoes that fit me perfectly, then I will marry him. She returned home and told her son:
- The princess said that if you make her a pair of shoes that fit her perfectly, she will marry you.
- Alright, he said, I’ll make them.
In the evening, he went out into the yard, tossed the ring from one hand to the other—and instantly servants gathered. He said to them:
- By morning, I want a pair of shoes, embroidered with gold, lined with silver, and they must fit the princess perfectly.
The next day, he woke up—and there were the shoes, ready. His mother took the shoes and brought them to the princess.
The princess tried them on—they fit perfectly. Then she said:
- Tell your son to sew me a wedding dress in one night, and the dress must be neither too long nor too short, neither too tight nor too loose—it must fit me just right.
The woman returned home and said:
- The princess said that you must sew her a wedding dress overnight, and the dress must be neither too long nor too short, neither too tight nor too loose—it must fit her perfectly.
- Alright, he said, mother, you go to sleep, and I’ll do whatever she asks.
They went to sleep, and he went out into the yard, tossed the ring from one hand to the other—and so many servants appeared that it was truly frightening.
- By morning, he said, I want a dress made of fabric that shines like the sun, and it must fit the princess perfectly.
- Very well, it will be done.
He went to sleep. The next day, he woke up and said to his mother:
- Well, go, mother, to the princess, and bring her the dress. What else will she say?
- What should I bring, my son? Where is the dress?
He went to the table, lifted the cloth—and the room lit up as if the sun had risen.
- Here, mother, the dress is on the table, under the cloth, take it.
She took the dress and brought it to the princess. The princess asked:
- Well, what do you have to say, dear?
- I’ve brought you your wedding dress. As soon as she unfolded the dress, the entire chamber lit up. The princess put it on, stood in front of the mirror, looked at herself—and jumped for joy: she was so happy to see how beautiful she had become. She walked around the room once, then again—she shone like the sun.
- Well, she said, dear, tell him to build me a bridge from my palace straight to the church where we will be married, and the bridge must be made of silver and gold. When the bridge is ready, we will go to the wedding.
The woman returned home and told her son:
- The princess said to build a bridge from her palace to the church. And she ordered that the bridge be made of gold and silver.
- Alright, he said, now you go rest, mother.
They went to sleep in the evening, and he went out into the yard, tossed the ring from one hand to the other—and so many servants gathered that the yard was too small for them. He said to them:
- By morning, I want a bridge made of silver and gold, from the princess’s palace to the church where I will be married. And when I ride there with the princess, I want apple trees, pear trees, cherry trees, and sweet cherry trees to bloom on both sides, and when I return, I want everything to be ripe.
- Very well, they said, by morning everything will be as you wish.
The next day, he woke up, went outside, and saw the bridge standing there, with gardens growing on either side. He returned to the house and said to his mother:
- Go, mother, and tell the princess that the bridge is ready, and she should come to the wedding.
His mother went to the princess and told her, and the princess said:
- I’ve already seen the bridge—it’s very beautiful. Tell your son to come and get married. The woman returned home and told her son:
- The princess said that you should go to get married tomorrow. So he built himself a palace overnight, and the next day he went to the church; he married the princess, and they were returning home when, on the bridge, everything was already ripe: apples and pears, cherries and sweet cherries, and all sorts of fruits that exist in the world.
They arrived at the palace, celebrated the wedding, and began to live there. The dog and the cat stayed with them. They lived like this for some time, and one day the princess asked her husband:
"Tell me, my dear, how did you make my shoes and dress for me? You didn’t take my measurements. How did you build such a bridge overnight, and where did you get so much gold and silver?"
"I have a ring," he said. "When I toss it from one hand to the other, a whole courtyard of servants gathers before me. Whatever I command them, they do. They made the shoes, the dress, built the bridge, and even this palace where we live—they do everything for me."
She waited until he fell into a deep sleep, quietly took the ring from him, tossed it from one hand to the other, and suddenly so many servants appeared that it was frightening to look at them. She then said to them:
"Bring me horses and a carriage immediately. I will go to my palace, and turn this palace into a pillar, so that my husband can only stand or lie down. Then take this pillar and carry it across the sea. But make sure you don’t wake him; he must wake up already inside the pillar."
"Very well," they said. "Everything will be done as you command." She went outside—a carriage was waiting. She got in and rode away. And in an instant, the palace turned into a pillar, and the servants dragged it across the sea.
The next morning, the princess’s husband woke up, looked around—no wife, no palace, no ring—nothing was left, only a pillar stood there. He tried to leave, but there were no doors. He felt one wall, then another—there was no way out, only a small window was left. Poor man, he lived there—no one gave him food. He would have perished if it weren’t for the dog and the cat, who stayed in the pillar with him and could climb out through the window. The dog would run into the field, steal a piece of bread from some farmer’s bag, and bring it back. The cat would take it in its teeth, climb through the window, and give it to him. They gathered some bread, and the dog said to the cat:
"Well, our master has some bread now. Let’s go across the sea; maybe we can get the ring back somehow."
"Let’s go," said the cat.
So they went. They ran and ran until they reached the sea. The cat climbed onto the dog’s back, and they swam. They swam for a long time but finally reached the shore. They came out, dried themselves a little in the sun, and the cat said:
"You stay here by the sea, and I’ll run to the palace. If I get the ring, I’ll run back here as fast as I can so we can return quickly, or else they might catch us!"
"Alright," said the dog. "Go to the palace!" So the cat ran. It ran and ran without resting. Suddenly, it saw the palace and guards standing nearby. The cat slipped into the courtyard and began to wander around. The princess came to the window, looked out, and saw the cat walking around. She let it into her chambers. The cat wandered through all the rooms, looking for where the princess hid the ring. When it found it, it waited until everyone fell asleep, grabbed the ring, and ran. It reached the sea and was in such a hurry—it jumped onto the dog’s back, and the dog plunged into the water, and they swam.
They were almost across the sea, close to the shore, when the dog asked the cat:
"Well, do you have the ring?" The cat was silent because the ring was in its mouth. But the dog kept pestering:
"Tell me, I’m asking you, do you have the ring? If you don’t answer, I’ll throw you into the sea." The cat remained silent, and the dog got angry:
"Well, if you won’t answer, I’m throwing you in!" The cat got scared and said:
"I have it-tt-t!"
And the ring—plop!—fell into the sea. The cat fell silent and said nothing more.
They swam across the sea, came out, and the cat pounced on the dog.
"You good-for-nothing! Because of you, I lost the ring! Why did you keep asking me? Now go into the sea and look for it! However you want, but go!"
The dog went into the sea, searched and searched, wandered and wandered—nothing. The cat and the dog began to quarrel fiercely. Then they said:
"Let’s walk along the shore and ask around; maybe someone can get it out of the sea for us."
They warmed themselves a little in the sun and set off. They asked everyone they met if they could retrieve the ring from the sea or knew someone who could. No one could help. The cat said:
"You know what? Let’s go along the shore and ask the frogs and crayfish."
"Alright," said the dog, "let’s go!"
So they went. Whenever they found a frog, they asked:
"Can you get the ring out of the sea for us? Get it, or we’ll kill you."
Every frog they caught answered:
"I know where your ring is. Let me go, and I’ll bring it to you."
They let it go, and it swam away, but it never thought about the ring. At first, the frogs were afraid of them, but then they stopped being afraid. Every frog they caught immediately said, "I’ll bring the ring," and they let it go. One evening, as they were walking along the seashore, they saw a little frog hopping. They caught it and asked:
"Do you know where the ring is in the sea?"
"I don’t know... ribbit-ribbit!"
"If you don’t know, we’ll kill you!"
And they began to choke the little frog. An old frog saw this, came out of the water—it was as big as a bucket—and said:
"Don’t kill my child; I’ll get the ring out of the sea for you!"
"Alright," they said, "but we’ll hold onto the little frog until you bring it; once you bring it, we’ll let it go."
The old frog dove into the sea, found the ring, and gave it to them. They took the ring, released the little frog, and ran back to the pillar. They returned to their master, who had already eaten all the bread; for two days, he hadn’t had a crumb in his mouth—he had become as thin as a twig. The cat quickly climbed through the window and gave him the ring. He tossed it from one hand to the other—and instantly, the servants appeared. He said to them:
"Take this pillar back to where it was, and turn it back into a palace, with my wife and mother inside."
As soon as he said this, everything happened as he commanded. But he sent his wife away and now lives there alone with his mother, the cat, and the dog.
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