--- title: Opening, part 15 — Russian Folk-Tales · full text with trees description: Opening, part 15, «Russian Folk-Tales» by A. N. Afanas'ev: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: Bába Yagá sat down to supper, and Vasilísa sat silently in front of her. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/15/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [Russian Folk-Tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/) / Opening, part 15 # Opening, part 15 Opening, part 15 of «Russian Folk-Tales» by A. N. Afanas'ev: the whole text, 172 sentences and 2530 words. The small number after every sentence leads to its own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself. **1** [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/15/page/2/) Bába Yagá sat down to supper, and Vasilísa sat silently in front of her.[1](1/ "tree and pragmatics") “Why do you not speak; why do you stay there as if you were dumb?”[2](2/ "tree and pragmatics") Bába Yagá asked.[3](3/ "tree and pragmatics") “I did not venture to say anything; but if I might, I should like to ask some questions.”[4](4/ "tree and pragmatics") “Ask, but not every question turns out well: too knowing is too old.”[5](5/ "tree and pragmatics") “Still, I should like to ask you of some things I saw.[6](6/ "tree and pragmatics") On my way to you I met a white horseman, in a white cloak, on a white horse: who was he?”[7](7/ "tree and pragmatics") “The bright day.”[8](8/ "tree and pragmatics") “Then a red horseman, on a red horse, in a red cloak, overtook me: who was he?”[9](9/ "tree and pragmatics") “The red sun.”[10](10/ "tree and pragmatics") “What is the meaning of the black horseman who overtook me as I reached your door, grandmother?”[11](11/ "tree and pragmatics") “That was the dark night.[12](12/ "tree and pragmatics") Those are my faithful servants.”[13](13/ "tree and pragmatics") Vasilísa then thought of the three pairs of hands and said nothing.[14](14/ "tree and pragmatics") “Why don’t you ask any further?”[15](15/ "tree and pragmatics") Bába Yagá asked.[16](16/ "tree and pragmatics") “I know enough, for you say yourself ‘too knowing is too old.’”[17](17/ "tree and pragmatics") “It is well you asked only about things you saw in the courtyard, and not about things without it, for I do not like people to tell tales out of school, and I eat up everybody who is too curious.[18](18/ "tree and pragmatics") But now I shall ask you, how did you manage to do all the work I gave you?”[19](19/ "tree and pragmatics") “By my mother’s blessing!”[20](20/ "tree and pragmatics") “Ah, then, get off with you as fast as you can, blessed daughter; no one blessed may stay with me!”[21](21/ "tree and pragmatics") So she turned Vasilísa out of the room and kicked her to the door, took a skull with the burning eyes from the fence, put it on a staff, gave it her and said, “Now you have fire for your stepmother’s daughters, for that was why they sent you here.”[22](22/ "tree and pragmatics") Then Vasilísa ran home as fast as she could by the light of the skull; and the flash in it went out with the dawn.[23](23/ "tree and pragmatics") By the evening of the next day she reached the house, and was going to throw the skull away, when she heard a hollow voice coming out of the skull and saying: “Do not throw me away.[24](24/ "tree and pragmatics") Bring me up to your stepmother’s house.”[25](25/ "tree and pragmatics") And she looked at her stepmother’s house and saw that there was no light in any window, and decided to enter with the skull.[26](26/ "tree and pragmatics") She was friendlily received, and the sisters told her that ever since she had gone away they had had no fire; they were able to make none; and all they borrowed of their neighbours went out as soon as it came into the room.[27](27/ "tree and pragmatics") “Possibly \_your\_ fire may burn!” said the stepmother.[28](28/ "tree and pragmatics") So they took the skull into the room, and the burning eyes looked into the stepmother’s and the daughters’ and singed their eyes out.[29](29/ "tree and pragmatics") Wherever they went, they could not escape it, for the eyes followed them everywhere, and in the morning they were all burned to cinders.[30](30/ "tree and pragmatics") Vasilísa alone was left alive.[31](31/ "tree and pragmatics") Then Vasilísa buried the skull in the earth, locked the house up, and went into the town.[32](32/ "tree and pragmatics") And she asked a poor old woman to take her home and to give her food until her father came back; she said to the old woman, “Mother, sitting here idle makes me feel dull.[33](33/ "tree and pragmatics") Go and buy me some of the very best flax; I should like to spin.”[34](34/ "tree and pragmatics") So the old woman went and bought good flax.[35](35/ "tree and pragmatics") Vasilísa set herself to work, and the work went merrily along, and the skein was as smooth and as fine as hair, and when she had a great deal of yarn, no one would undertake the weaving, so she turned to her doll, who said: “Bring me some old comb from somewhere, some old spindle, some old shuttle, and some horse mane; and I will do it for you.”[36](36/ "tree and pragmatics") Vasilísa went to bed, and the doll in that night made a splendid spinning stool; and by the end of the winter all the linen had been woven, and it was so fine that it could be drawn like a thread through the eye of a needle.[37](37/ "tree and pragmatics") And in the spring they bleached the linen, and Vasilísa said to the old mistress: “Go and sell the cloth, and keep the money for yourself.”[38](38/ "tree and pragmatics") The old woman saw the cloth and admired it, and said: “Oh, my child! nobody except the Tsar could ever wear such fine linen; I will take it to Court.”[39](39/ "tree and pragmatics") The old woman went to the Tsar’s palace, and kept walking up and down in front of it.[40](40/ "tree and pragmatics") The Tsar saw her and said: “Oh, woman, what do you want?”[41](41/ "tree and pragmatics") “Almighty Tsar, I am bringing you some wonderful goods, which I will show to nobody except you.”[42](42/ "tree and pragmatics") The Tsar ordered the old woman to be given audience, and as soon as ever he had seen the linen he admired it very much.[43](43/ "tree and pragmatics") “What do you want for it?” he asked her.[44](44/ "tree and pragmatics") “It is priceless, Bátyushka,” she said; “I will give it you as a present.”[45](45/ "tree and pragmatics") And the Tsar thought it over and sent her away with rich rewards.[46](46/ "tree and pragmatics") Now the Tsar wanted to have shirts made out of this same linen, but he could not find any seamstress to undertake the work.[47](47/ "tree and pragmatics") And he thought for long, and at last he sent for the old woman again, and said: “If you can spin this linen and weave it, perhaps you can make a shirt out of it?”[48](48/ "tree and pragmatics") “I cannot weave and spin the linen,” said the old woman; “only a maiden can who is staying with me.”[49](49/ "tree and pragmatics") “Well, she may do the work.”[50](50/ "tree and pragmatics") So the woman went home and told Vasilísa everything.[51](51/ "tree and pragmatics") “I knew that I should have to do the work!” said Vasilísa.[52](52/ "tree and pragmatics") And she locked herself up in her little room, set to work, and never put her hands again on her lap until she had sewn a dozen shirts.[53](53/ "tree and pragmatics") The old woman brought the Tsar the shirts, and Vasilísa washed and combed herself, dressed herself, and sat down at the window, and waited.[54](54/ "tree and pragmatics") Then there came a henchman of the Tsar’s, entered the room and said: “The Tsar would fain see the artist who has sewn him the shirts, and he wants to reward her with his own hands.”[55](55/ "tree and pragmatics") Vasilísa the Fair went to the Tsar.[56](56/ "tree and pragmatics") When he saw her, he fell deep in love with her.[57](57/ "tree and pragmatics") “No, fairest damsel; I will never part from you.[58](58/ "tree and pragmatics") You must be my wife.”[59](59/ "tree and pragmatics") So the Tsar took Vasilísa, with her white hands, put her next to him, and bade the bells ring for the wedding.[60](60/ "tree and pragmatics") Vasilísa’s father came back home, and was rejoiced at her good luck, and stayed with his daughter.[61](61/ "tree and pragmatics") Vasilísa also took the old woman to live with her, and the doll ever remained in her pocket.[62](62/ "tree and pragmatics") THE ANIMALS IN THE PIT[63](63/ "tree and pragmatics") A Pig was going to church at St. Petersburg, and the Wolf met him.[64](64/ "tree and pragmatics") “Piggy, Piggy, where are you faring?”[65](65/ "tree and pragmatics") “To St. Petersburg, to pray to God.”[66](66/ "tree and pragmatics") “Take me with!”[67](67/ "tree and pragmatics") “Come along, Gossip.”[68](68/ "tree and pragmatics") So they went on together, and met the Vixen.[69](69/ "tree and pragmatics") “Pig, where are you going?”[70](70/ "tree and pragmatics") “To St. Petersburg, so please you.”[71](71/ "tree and pragmatics") “Take me with!”[72](72/ "tree and pragmatics") “Come along, Gossip.”[73](73/ "tree and pragmatics") So they went on together and met the Hare, who said, “Piggy, Piggy, where are you going?”[74](74/ "tree and pragmatics") “On to St. Petersburg, to pray to God.”[75](75/ "tree and pragmatics") “Very well, take me with.”[76](76/ "tree and pragmatics") “Very well, Slant-eyes, I will.”[77](77/ "tree and pragmatics") Then they met the Squirrel, who also went with them.[78](78/ "tree and pragmatics") But on their road they came across a broad, deep pit.[79](79/ "tree and pragmatics") The Pig jumped and tumbled in, and after him the Wolf, the Fox, the Hare and the Squirrel.[80](80/ "tree and pragmatics") **1** [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/15/page/2/) - ← previous: [Opening, part 14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/14/) - next →: [page 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/15/page/2/) - ↑ back to [Russian Folk-Tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/)