---
title: Opening, part 33 — Russian Folk-Tales · full text with trees
description: Opening, part 33, «Russian Folk-Tales» by A. N. Afanas'ev: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: So he began to pray to God, and went hungry for days on days; and he still went on praying.
---

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# Opening, part 33

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Opening, part 33 of «Russian Folk-Tales» by A. N. Afanas'ev: the whole text, 133 sentences and 2541 words. The small number after every sentence leads to its own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself.

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**1** [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/33/page/2/)

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So he began to pray to God, and went hungry for days on days; and he still went on praying.[1](1/ "tree and pragmatics")

At last Easter Day came, and the bells rang for Mass.[2](2/ "tree and pragmatics") So the poor peasant thought, “All good folks are getting ready to break the fast, and I have not a crust of bread.[3](3/ "tree and pragmatics") Well, if I bring water, I can sip it like soup.”[4](4/ "tree and pragmatics") So he took a small can, went to the well, and as soon as he dipped it into the water a big pike fell into it.[5](5/ "tree and pragmatics") Then the peasant was very glad.[6](6/ "tree and pragmatics") “Here is something for supper; I will cook it and make fish soup of it, and shall have a fine supper.”[7](7/ "tree and pragmatics")

Then the pike said to him in a human voice: “Let me go free, good man, go free.[8](8/ "tree and pragmatics") I will make you happy; whatever your soul may desire you shall possess.[9](9/ "tree and pragmatics") You need only say:[10](10/ "tree and pragmatics")

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At the pike’s good pleasure, By God’s good measure—[11](11/ "tree and pragmatics")

let this or that appear! and you will get it at once.”[12](12/ "tree and pragmatics")

So the peasant put the pike back into the water, went to his hut, sat down at the table and said:[13](13/ "tree and pragmatics")

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“At the pike’s good pleasure, By God’s good measure—[14](14/ "tree and pragmatics")

let the table be covered and my dinner ready.”[15](15/ "tree and pragmatics")

Then from somewhere or other all sorts of dishes and drinks appeared on the table, enough to please a Tsar, and a Tsar would not have been ashamed of it.[16](16/ "tree and pragmatics") So the poor man crossed himself, said “Glory be to Thee, O Lord! now I can break the fast.”[17](17/ "tree and pragmatics") So he went to the church, attended Matins and Mass, turned back and again broke his fast, ate and drank as well, went outside the door and sat at the counter.[18](18/ "tree and pragmatics")

Just about then the Princess had an idea that she would go abroad in the streets, and she went with her attendants and maids of honour, and for the sake of the holy festival went to give alms to the poor; she gave to them all but forgot the poor peasant.[19](19/ "tree and pragmatics") Then he said to himself:[20](20/ "tree and pragmatics")

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“At the pike’s good pleasure, Of God’s good treasure—[21](21/ "tree and pragmatics")

let the Tsarévna bear a child.”[22](22/ "tree and pragmatics") And at the word that very instant the Tsarévna became pregnant, and in ten months she bore a son.[23](23/ "tree and pragmatics")

Then the Tsar began to ask her, “Do acknowledge with whom you have been guilty.”[24](24/ "tree and pragmatics")

Then the Tsarévna wept and swore in every way that she had been guilty with nobody.[25](25/ "tree and pragmatics") “I do not know myself,” she said, “why the Lord has chastised me.”[26](26/ "tree and pragmatics")

The Tsar asked, but found nothing out.[27](27/ "tree and pragmatics")

Soon a boy was born who grew not by days but by hours; and at the end of a week he could already talk.[28](28/ "tree and pragmatics") So the Tsar summoned all the \_boyárs\_ and the senators from every part of the kingdom to show them the youth, but none of them acknowledged that he was the father.[29](29/ "tree and pragmatics")

“No,” the boy answered, “none of them is my father.”[30](30/ "tree and pragmatics")

Then the Tsar bade the maids of honour and attendants take him up to every courtyard, through all the streets, and to show him to all manner of people.[31](31/ "tree and pragmatics") So the attendants and maids of honour took the youth through all the courtyards, through all the streets they went.[32](32/ "tree and pragmatics") But the boy said nothing.[33](33/ "tree and pragmatics")

At last they came to the poor peasant’s hut.[34](34/ "tree and pragmatics") As soon as the boy saw that peasant, he at once stretched out his little hands and said “\_Tyátya, Tyátya\![35](35/ "tree and pragmatics") \_” Then they told the Emperor of this, and they summoned the poor man into the palace, and the Tsar began to inquire of him, “Acknowledge on oath, is this your boy?”[36](36/ "tree and pragmatics")

“No, he is God’s son.”[37](37/ "tree and pragmatics")

Then the Tsar was angry and married the poor man to the Princess, and after the wedding he set them both with the child in a big tub, smeared it with tar, and sent it out into the open sea.[38](38/ "tree and pragmatics") So the tub sailed on the open sea, and the boisterous winds carried and bore it to a distant shore.[39](39/ "tree and pragmatics") When the poor man heard that the water no longer moved under them, he said:[40](40/ "tree and pragmatics")

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“At the pike’s good pleasure, At God’s good measure—[41](41/ "tree and pragmatics")

let the barrel rest on a dry spot.”[42](42/ "tree and pragmatics")

So the barrel turned round and got on to a dry spot, and they went on, following their eyes.[43](43/ "tree and pragmatics") And they went on and on, on and on, and they had nothing to eat or drink.[44](44/ "tree and pragmatics") The Princess was utterly exhausted and had pined away to a shadow, and she could hardly stand on her legs.[45](45/ "tree and pragmatics")

“Now,” said the poor man, “do you know what hunger and thirst are?”[46](46/ "tree and pragmatics")

“Yes, I do,” said the Princess.[47](47/ "tree and pragmatics")

“Well, this is what the poor have to endure.[48](48/ "tree and pragmatics") Yet you would not give me alms on Easter Day.”[49](49/ "tree and pragmatics") Then the poor man said:[50](50/ "tree and pragmatics")

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“At the pike’s good pleasure, Of God’s good treasure—[51](51/ "tree and pragmatics")

let there be here a rich palace, the finest in all the world, with gardens and ponds and all sorts of pavilions.”[52](52/ "tree and pragmatics")

As soon as he had spoken a rich palace appeared; faithful henchmen ran out of it and carried them in their hands, led them into the white stone rooms, and they sat down at the oaken tables with chequered linen on them.[53](53/ "tree and pragmatics") It was marvellously decorated, was this palace.[54](54/ "tree and pragmatics") On the table everything was ready, wine and sweets and made dishes.[55](55/ "tree and pragmatics") The poor man and the Tsarévna ate and drank at their will, rested them, and went for a walk into the garden.[56](56/ "tree and pragmatics")

“Everything is beautiful here,” said the Princess; “the only thing still lacking is to see the birds upon our ponds.”[57](57/ "tree and pragmatics")

“Wait, you shall have birds as well,” answered the poor man, and he said at once:[58](58/ "tree and pragmatics")

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“At the pike’s good pleasure, At God’s good measure—[59](59/ "tree and pragmatics")

let twelve ducks and one drake swim on the pond, and let them have one feather of gold and another of silver, and let the drake have a diamond tuft on his forehead!”[60](60/ "tree and pragmatics") And lo and behold, on the water there were twelve ducks and one drake swimming; one feather was of gold and one feather was of silver, and the drake had a diamond tuft on his forehead.[61](61/ "tree and pragmatics")

So there the Princess and her husband lived without grief or moil, and their son grew up a big lad and began to feel in himself a giant’s strength.[62](62/ "tree and pragmatics") And he asked leave of his father and mother to go out into the white world and to seek himself a bride.[63](63/ "tree and pragmatics") They gave him leave to go, and said, “Go, my son.”[64](64/ "tree and pragmatics")

So he saddled his knightly horse and set out on his road and way.[65](65/ "tree and pragmatics") And as he journeyed on he met an old woman who said, “Hail, Russian prince, where do you wish to go?”[66](66/ "tree and pragmatics")

“I am going, \_bábushka\_,\[49\] to seek a bride, but I do not know where I am to find her.”[67](67/ "tree and pragmatics")

“Stay, I will tell you, my child.[68](68/ "tree and pragmatics") Do you go beyond the ocean into the thrice-tenth kingdom; there there is a king’s daughter so fair, that, if you go through all the world, you will never find any one more beautiful.”[69](69/ "tree and pragmatics")

So the good youth thanked the woman, went to the seashore, hired a boat, and sailed to the thrice-tenth land.[70](70/ "tree and pragmatics") He sailed, maybe far, maybe near, maybe long, maybe short—the tale is soon told but the deed is not soon done—and he at last arrived at that kingdom, and appeared before the king of it, and asked for his daughter’s hand in marriage.[71](71/ "tree and pragmatics")

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