--- title: Opening, part 4 — Russian Folk-Tales · full text with trees · page 2 description: Opening, part 4, «Russian Folk-Tales» by A. N. Afanas'ev: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: When the master had heard of this, he instantly started out to see the gipsy. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/4/page/2/) [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 4 # Opening, part 4 · page 2 [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/4/) **2** Danílo took the silver staff and hied away, and she again stayed him on his course, and she gave him three little eggs, two of silver, one of gold, and said, “With the silver eggs give the Easter greeting to the Prince and the Princess, but the golden one keep and live your life along with it.”[73](../../73/ "tree and pragmatics") Danílo the Unfortunate bade farewell to her and went to matins.[74](../../74/ "tree and pragmatics") All the people wondered.[75](../../75/ "tree and pragmatics") “Look what a fine man Danílo the Unfortunate has become: he has made the \_shúba\_ and he has brought it with him for the feast.”[76](../../76/ "tree and pragmatics") After the Mass, he went up to the Prince and Princess, and he gave them the Easter greeting, but carelessly took out the golden egg.[77](../../77/ "tree and pragmatics") Alyósha Popóvich saw this, the Mocker of Women.[78](../../78/ "tree and pragmatics") As they went out of the church, Danílo the Unfortunate struck himself on the breast with the silver staff, and the birds sang and the lions roared; and all the folk were amazed and gazed at Danílo.[79](../../79/ "tree and pragmatics") But Alyósha Popóvich, the Mocker of Women, dressed himself as a sorry beggar and asked for holy alms.[80](../../80/ "tree and pragmatics") They all gave to him; only Danílo the Unfortunate alone said and thought, “What shall I give him?[81](../../81/ "tree and pragmatics") I have nothing to give.”[82](../../82/ "tree and pragmatics") So, as it was Easter Day, he gave him the golden egg.[83](../../83/ "tree and pragmatics") Alyósha Popóvich took that golden egg and changed into his former garb.[84](../../84/ "tree and pragmatics") Prince Vladímir summoned them all to him, all to his palace to dessert: so they ate and drank and were refreshed, and they exalted themselves.[85](../../85/ "tree and pragmatics") Danílo drank until he was drunk; and, when he was drunk, made boast of his wife.[86](../../86/ "tree and pragmatics") Alyósha Popóvich bragged at the feast that he knew Danílo’s wife.[87](../../87/ "tree and pragmatics") But Danílo said, “If you know my wife you may cut off my head; and, if you do not know her, you shall forfeit your own.”[88](../../88/ "tree and pragmatics") So Alyósha Popóvich, the Mocker of Women, went whither his eyes might go, and he went and wept.[89](../../89/ "tree and pragmatics") Then the old woman met him on his way and asked, “Why are you weeping, Alyósha Popóvich?”[90](../../90/ "tree and pragmatics") “Go away, old woman with the swollen belly; I have naught to do with you.”[91](../../91/ "tree and pragmatics") “Yet I shall be of service to you.”[92](../../92/ "tree and pragmatics") Then he began to ask her, “O my own grandmother, what did you wish to tell me?”[93](../../93/ "tree and pragmatics") “Ha! am I now your own grandmother?”[94](../../94/ "tree and pragmatics") “O, I was boasting I knew Danílo’s wife!”[95](../../95/ "tree and pragmatics") “O \_bátyushka\_,\[10\] how do you know her: was there any little bird that told you?[96](../../96/ "tree and pragmatics") Do you go up to a certain house and invite her to feast with the Prince.[97](../../97/ "tree and pragmatics") She will wash herself, busk herself, and put a little chain out of the window.[98](../../98/ "tree and pragmatics") You take that chain and show it to Danílo the Unfortunate.”[99](../../99/ "tree and pragmatics") So Alyósha Popóvich, the Mocker of Women, went to the window jamb, and called the Swan-bird, the fair maiden, to dine with the Prince.[100](../../100/ "tree and pragmatics") She was starting to wash herself, busk herself, and make ready for the feast, and that moment Alyósha Popóvich seized her little chain, ran up into the palace, and showed it to Danílo the Unfortunate.[101](../../101/ "tree and pragmatics") So Prince Vladímir said to Danílo the Unfortunate, “I see now that you must forfeit your head.”[102](../../102/ "tree and pragmatics") “Let me go home and bid farewell to my wife.”[103](../../103/ "tree and pragmatics") So he went home and said, “O fair Swan-maiden, what have I done?[104](../../104/ "tree and pragmatics") I became drunk and I bragged of you and have lost my life.”[105](../../105/ "tree and pragmatics") “I know it all, Danílo the Unfortunate.[106](../../106/ "tree and pragmatics") Go, summon the Prince and Princess here as your guests, and all the burghers and generals and field-marshals and \_boyárs\_.”[107](../../107/ "tree and pragmatics") “But the Prince will not come out in the mud and the mire!”[108](../../108/ "tree and pragmatics") (For the roads were bad, and the blue sea became stormy; the marshes surged and opened.)[109](../../109/ "tree and pragmatics") “You are to tell him: ‘Have no fear, Prince Vladímir: across the rivers have been built hazel-tree bridges, the transoms are of oak covered with cloth of purple and with nails of tin.[110](../../110/ "tree and pragmatics") The shoes of the doughty warrior will not be soiled, nor will the hoofs of his horse be smeared.’”[111](../../111/ "tree and pragmatics") So Danílo the Unfortunate invited them as guests; and the Swan-bird, the fair maiden, stepped out to her window, flapped her wings, shook her little head, and there was a bridge laid from her house to the palace of Prince Vladímir.[112](../../112/ "tree and pragmatics") It was covered with cloth of purple, tacked in with tacks of tin; and on one side flowers grew, nightingales sang, and on the other side apple trees and fruits bloomed and ripened.[113](../../113/ "tree and pragmatics") The Prince and Princess made ready to be guests, and they set out on their journey with all their noble host with them, crossed the first river, which ran with splendid beer.[114](../../114/ "tree and pragmatics") And very many soldiers fell down by that beer.[115](../../115/ "tree and pragmatics") Then they advanced to the second river, which ran with wonderful mead, and more than half of the brave host bent down to drink the mead and rolled on their sides.[116](../../116/ "tree and pragmatics") So they came to the third river, which ran with glorious wine.[117](../../117/ "tree and pragmatics") Here all the officers bent down and drank till they were drunk.[118](../../118/ "tree and pragmatics") At the fourth river powerful \_vódka\_ flowed.[119](../../119/ "tree and pragmatics") And the Prince looked backwards: all of his generals were lying on their backs.[120](../../120/ "tree and pragmatics") Only the Prince was left with three companions—with the Princess, Alyósha Popóvich, the Mocker of Women, and Danílo the Unfortunate.[121](../../121/ "tree and pragmatics") Then the invited guests arrived, and they entered into the lofty palace: there were tables standing, and the table-cloths were of silk, and the chairs painted with many colours.[122](../../122/ "tree and pragmatics") They sat down at the tables: there were all sorts of dishes and of foreign drinks.[123](../../123/ "tree and pragmatics") There were no bottles, no mere pints—entire rivers flowed\![124](../../124/ "tree and pragmatics") Prince Vladímir and the Princess drank nothing, tasted nothing, only looked on.[125](../../125/ "tree and pragmatics") When would the Swan, the fair maiden, come out?[126](../../126/ "tree and pragmatics") And they sat long at the table, waited for her long, until it was time to go home.[127](../../127/ "tree and pragmatics") Danílo the Unfortunate called her once, and twice, and a third time, but she would not come and see her guests.[128](../../128/ "tree and pragmatics") Alyósha Popóvich, the Mocker of Women, then said, “If this had been my wife I should have taught her to obey!”[129](../../129/ "tree and pragmatics") Then the Swan-bird, the fair maiden, came out and stood at the window, and she said these words: “This is how we teach our husbands!”[130](../../130/ "tree and pragmatics") And so she flapped her wings, moved her little head, and flew about: and there the guests sat on mounds in the bog.[131](../../131/ "tree and pragmatics") One way the waters tossed, On the other lay woe, On the third side naught but moss, On the fourth side—Oh\![132](../../132/ "tree and pragmatics") “Get up, Prince, and avaunt\![133](../../133/ "tree and pragmatics") Let Danílo sit at the head of the table.”[134](../../134/ "tree and pragmatics") So they went back all the way to their palace, and they were covered with mud from head to foot.[135](../../135/ "tree and pragmatics") [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/4/) **2** - ← previous: [page 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/4/) - next →: [Opening, part 5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/5/) - ↑ back to [Russian Folk-Tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/)