--- title: Opening, part 35 — Russian Folk-Tales · full text with trees description: Opening, part 35, «Russian Folk-Tales» by A. N. Afanas'ev: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: And after a little while, an old man came into the hut. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/35/) [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 35 # Opening, part 35 Opening, part 35 of «Russian Folk-Tales» by A. N. Afanas'ev: the whole text, 174 sentences and 2542 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/pg62509/35/page/2/) And after a little while, an old man came into the hut.[1](1/ "tree and pragmatics") “Hail, master,” he said.[2](2/ "tree and pragmatics") “Hail, old man\![3](3/ "tree and pragmatics") Can I stay the night here?”[4](4/ "tree and pragmatics") “If you will.[5](5/ "tree and pragmatics") Stay the night if you like.[6](6/ "tree and pragmatics") But, Gossip, I have not a crust of bread in my house, and I cannot feed you.”[7](7/ "tree and pragmatics") “Never mind, master, I have three crusts of bread, and meat: give me a ladle of water.[8](8/ "tree and pragmatics") I will take a taste of the loaf and a sup of the water, and we shall be satisfied.”[9](9/ "tree and pragmatics") So the old man sat down on the bench, and spoke.[10](10/ "tree and pragmatics") “Why are you so sad, master?[11](11/ "tree and pragmatics") What has made you melancholy?”[12](12/ "tree and pragmatics") “Old man,” the master answered, “why should I not be heavy?—it is God’s gift.[13](13/ "tree and pragmatics") We were so looking forward to the feast.[14](14/ "tree and pragmatics") All the good folk are making merry and rejoicing, but we are clean swept out.[15](15/ "tree and pragmatics") All around me and within there is emptiness.”[16](16/ "tree and pragmatics") “Well, be of good cheer,” said the old man; “go to the rich peasant and ask whatever you require of him as a debt.”[17](17/ "tree and pragmatics") “No, I cannot go, for he will not give it.”[18](18/ "tree and pragmatics") “Go,” the old man insisted.[19](19/ "tree and pragmatics") “Fear nothing.[20](20/ "tree and pragmatics") Ask him for three pecks of malt, and we will brew the beer together.”[21](21/ "tree and pragmatics") “But it is so late.[22](22/ "tree and pragmatics") How shall we brew beer?—the feast is to be to-morrow.”[23](23/ "tree and pragmatics") “Do what I say.[24](24/ "tree and pragmatics") Go to the rich peasant and ask for the three pecks of malt.[25](25/ "tree and pragmatics") He will give it you at once.[26](26/ "tree and pragmatics") No, he cannot refuse it.[27](27/ "tree and pragmatics") And to-morrow you shall have beer so good at the feast—better than any you shall find throughout the village.”[28](28/ "tree and pragmatics") What could the poor man say?[29](29/ "tree and pragmatics") He got up, took his sack under his arm, and went up to the rich peasant.[30](30/ "tree and pragmatics") He went into the rich man’s \_izbá\_,\[52\] bowed down, besought him by his name and his father’s name, and asked him for the loan of three pecks of malt, as he wanted to brew beer for the festival.[31](31/ "tree and pragmatics") “Why did you not think of it sooner?” the rich man replied.[32](32/ "tree and pragmatics") “How can you do it now, for this is the eve of the festival?”[33](33/ "tree and pragmatics") “Never mind, Gossip,” the poor man replied; “if you will be so good, I and my wife will still brew something together, and can drink together and celebrate the festival.”[34](34/ "tree and pragmatics") The rich man gave him three pecks of malt and poured them into his sack.[35](35/ "tree and pragmatics") The poor man lifted the sack on to his shoulders and went home and recounted how things had gone.[36](36/ "tree and pragmatics") “Now, master,” his old guest said, “you shall have a feast.[37](37/ "tree and pragmatics") Is there a well at your door?”[38](38/ "tree and pragmatics") “There is,” said the peasant.[39](39/ "tree and pragmatics") “Well, we will go to your well and brew the beer.[40](40/ "tree and pragmatics") Bring your sack and follow me.”[41](41/ "tree and pragmatics") So they went out to the courtyard up to the well.[42](42/ "tree and pragmatics") “Pour it all in there,” the old man said.[43](43/ "tree and pragmatics") “Why should we hurl all this good stuff into the well?” the master replied, “for there are only three pecks, and it will all be thrown away for nothing.”[44](44/ "tree and pragmatics") “It is the best thing you can do.”[45](45/ "tree and pragmatics") “We shall not do any good—we shall only sully the water.”[46](46/ "tree and pragmatics") “Listen to me, and do what I say: there is nothing to fear.”[47](47/ "tree and pragmatics") So what could he do?[48](48/ "tree and pragmatics") He simply had to pour all his malt into the well.[49](49/ "tree and pragmatics") “Now,” the old man said, “formerly there was water in the well, and to-morrow it will be beer.[50](50/ "tree and pragmatics") Now, master, we will go into the \_izbá\_\[53\] and lie down to sleep, for the morning is wiser than the evening, and to-morrow you will have such good beer for dinner that one glass will make you drunk.”[51](51/ "tree and pragmatics") So they waited until the morning, and then when dinner-time came round the old man said: “Well, master, get as many tubs as you can, and stand them round the well and fill them all full of beer, and then call every one in to drink, and you shall have a really riotous feast.”[52](52/ "tree and pragmatics") And the peasant went and called all his neighbours and asked for tubs.[53](53/ "tree and pragmatics") “What do you want all these tubs and pails for?” they asked him.[54](54/ "tree and pragmatics") “Oh, I really want them at once, as I have not vessels enough to hold my beer.”[55](55/ "tree and pragmatics") And the neighbours whispered: “What on earth does he mean?[56](56/ "tree and pragmatics") Is the good fellow gone mad?[57](57/ "tree and pragmatics") There is not a crust of bread in his house, and he is still chattering about beer.”[58](58/ "tree and pragmatics") Well, somehow or other, he got twenty pails and tubs together, put them all round the well, and began to haul them up.[59](59/ "tree and pragmatics") And the beer turned out so fine, finer than ever anybody could think or guess, or any tale could tell.[60](60/ "tree and pragmatics") And he filled all the tubs to the very brim, and the well was as full as ever.[61](61/ "tree and pragmatics") And he began to cry out aloud and to call guests to his door.[62](62/ "tree and pragmatics") “Come to me, good Christians, and drink strong beer here, such beer as you never saw in your life!”[63](63/ "tree and pragmatics") And the people looked round.[64](64/ "tree and pragmatics") “What on earth was he up to?[65](65/ "tree and pragmatics") Surely you take water out of a well, and he calls it beer?[66](66/ "tree and pragmatics") Anyhow, let’s go and see, whatever knavery it may be.”[67](67/ "tree and pragmatics") So they all rushed up to the tubs, and they began to ladle it out and to look at it.[68](68/ "tree and pragmatics") Evidently, after all, it must be beer.[69](69/ "tree and pragmatics") And they said: “Such beer we have never drunk before!”[70](70/ "tree and pragmatics") His courtyard was full of the village folk.[71](71/ "tree and pragmatics") And the master was not at a loss to ladle beer out of the well for himself, and treated all of his guests right royally.[72](72/ "tree and pragmatics") When the rich peasant heard of this, he came to the poor man’s courtyard, tasted the beer, and began to ask the poor man: “Please to tell me how ever you managed to make such magnificent beer?”[73](73/ "tree and pragmatics") “Oh, there was not any cleverness about it,” the poor man answered.[74](74/ "tree and pragmatics") “It is the simplest thing in the world.[75](75/ "tree and pragmatics") When I took your three pecks from you I simply went and threw them into the well.[76](76/ "tree and pragmatics") Formerly it was water, and in a single night it all became beer.”[77](77/ "tree and pragmatics") “Well,” the rich man thought, “I will go home and I will do the same.”[78](78/ "tree and pragmatics") So he went home, and he ordered all of his servants to take all of the best malt out of his granaries, and throw it into the well.[79](79/ "tree and pragmatics") And his husbandmen threw ten sacks of malt into the well.[80](80/ "tree and pragmatics") “Now,” the rich man said, and rubbed his hands, “I shall have finer beer than the poor man.”[81](81/ "tree and pragmatics") So the next time he went out to his courtyard and up to the well, sampled it, and looked.[82](82/ "tree and pragmatics") It was water before, and it was still water; only it was rather dirtier.[83](83/ "tree and pragmatics") “I don’t quite understand this: I put too little malt into it, so I will add some more,” the rich man thought, and he ordered his workmen to put five more sacks into the well.[84](84/ "tree and pragmatics") They were all thrown in, and it was all no good: he had simply wasted all of his malt.[85](85/ "tree and pragmatics") And when the feast had passed by the water in the poor peasant’s well was as pure as ever, just as if nothing had happened.[86](86/ "tree and pragmatics") Once again the old man came to the poor peasant and said: “Listen, master, have you sown your corn this year?”[87](87/ "tree and pragmatics") “No, grandfather, I have not sown a single grain.”[88](88/ "tree and pragmatics") “Well, now go to the rich man and ask him for three pecks of every kind of corn.[89](89/ "tree and pragmatics") We will eat with you in the fields, and we will then sow the corn.”[90](90/ "tree and pragmatics") **1** [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/35/page/2/) - ← previous: [Opening, part 34](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/34/) - next →: [page 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/35/page/2/) - ↑ back to [Russian Folk-Tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/)