--- title: Opening, part 9 — Russian Folk-Tales · full text with trees description: Opening, part 9, «Russian Folk-Tales» by A. N. Afanas'ev: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: The brother and sister were betrothed, and he went into the room and cried out, “Sister mine, come in!” --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/9/) [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 9 # Opening, part 9 Opening, part 9 of «Russian Folk-Tales» by A. N. Afanas'ev: the whole text, 183 sentences and 2574 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/pg62509/9/page/2/) The brother and sister were betrothed, and he went into the room and cried out, “Sister mine, come in!”[1](1/ "tree and pragmatics") “I will come in in a moment, brother; I am only taking off my earrings.”[2](2/ "tree and pragmatics") And the dolls in the four corners began to sing:[3](3/ "tree and pragmatics") Coo-Coo—Prince Danílo Coo-Coo—Govorílo Coo-Coo—’Tis a brother Coo-Coo—Weds his sister: Coo-Coo—Earth must split asunder Cooo—And the sister lie hid under.[4](4/ "tree and pragmatics") Then the earth rose up and slowly swallowed the sister.[5](5/ "tree and pragmatics") And the brother cried out again, “Sister mine, come in to the feather-bed!”[6](6/ "tree and pragmatics") “In a minute, brother.[7](7/ "tree and pragmatics") I am undoing my girdle.”[8](8/ "tree and pragmatics") Then the dolls began to sing:[9](9/ "tree and pragmatics") Coo-Coo—Prince Danílo Coo-Coo—Govorílo Coo-Coo—’Tis a brother Coo-Coo—Weds his sister: Coo-Coo—Earth must split asunder; Cooo—And the sister lie hid under.[10](10/ "tree and pragmatics") Only she had vanished now, all but her head.[11](11/ "tree and pragmatics") And the brother cried out again: “Come into the feather-bed.”[12](12/ "tree and pragmatics") “In a minute, brother; I am taking off my shoes.”[13](13/ "tree and pragmatics") And the dolls went on cooing, and she vanished under the earth.[14](14/ "tree and pragmatics") And the brother kept crying, and crying, and crying.[15](15/ "tree and pragmatics") And when she never returned, he became angry and ran out to fetch her.[16](16/ "tree and pragmatics") He could see nothing but the dolls, which kept singing.[17](17/ "tree and pragmatics") So he knocked off their heads and threw them into the stove.[18](18/ "tree and pragmatics") The sister went farther under the earth, and she saw a little hut standing on cocks’ feet and turning round.[19](19/ "tree and pragmatics") “Hut!” she cried out, “Stand as you should with your back to the wood.”[20](20/ "tree and pragmatics") So the hut stopped and the doors opened, and a fair maiden looked out.[21](21/ "tree and pragmatics") She was knitting a cloth with gold and silver thread.[22](22/ "tree and pragmatics") She greeted the guest friendlily and kindly, but sighed and said, “Oh, my darling, my sister\![23](23/ "tree and pragmatics") Oh, I am so glad to see you.[24](24/ "tree and pragmatics") I shall be so glad to look after you and to care for you as long as my mother is not here.[25](25/ "tree and pragmatics") But as soon as she flies in, woe to you and me, for she is a witch.”[26](26/ "tree and pragmatics") When she heard this the maiden was frightened, but could not fly anywhere.[27](27/ "tree and pragmatics") So she sat down and began helping the other maiden at her work.[28](28/ "tree and pragmatics") So they chattered along; and soon, at the right time before the mother came, the fair maiden turned her guest into a needle, stuck her into the besom and put it on one side.[29](29/ "tree and pragmatics") But scarcely had this been done, when Bába Yagá came in.[30](30/ "tree and pragmatics") “Now, my fair daughter, my little child, tell me at once, why does the room smell so of Russian bones?”[31](31/ "tree and pragmatics") “Mother, there have been strange men journeying past who wanted a drink of water.”[32](32/ "tree and pragmatics") “Why did you not keep them?”[33](33/ "tree and pragmatics") “They were too old, mother; much too tough a snack for your teeth.”[34](34/ "tree and pragmatics") “Henceforth, entice them all into the house and never let them go.[35](35/ "tree and pragmatics") I must now get about again and look out for other booty.”[36](36/ "tree and pragmatics") As soon as ever she had gone, the maidens set to work again knitting, talking and laughing.[37](37/ "tree and pragmatics") Then the witch came into the room once more.[38](38/ "tree and pragmatics") She sniffed about the house, and said, “Daughter, my sweet daughter, my darling, tell me at once, why does it so smell of Russian bones?”[39](39/ "tree and pragmatics") “Old men who were just passing by who wanted to warm their hands.[40](40/ "tree and pragmatics") I did my best to keep them, but they would not stay.”[41](41/ "tree and pragmatics") So the witch was angry, scolded her daughter, and flew away.[42](42/ "tree and pragmatics") In the meantime her unknown guest was sitting in the besom.[43](43/ "tree and pragmatics") The maidens once more set to work, sewed, laughed, and thought how they might escape the evil witch.[44](44/ "tree and pragmatics") This time they forgot how the hours were flying by, and suddenly the witch stood in front of them.[45](45/ "tree and pragmatics") “Darling, tell me, where have the Russian bones crept away?”[46](46/ "tree and pragmatics") “Here, my mother; a fair maiden is waiting for you.”[47](47/ "tree and pragmatics") “Daughter mine, darling, heat the oven quickly; make it very hot.”[48](48/ "tree and pragmatics") So the maiden looked up and was frightened to death.[49](49/ "tree and pragmatics") For Bába Yagá with the wooden legs stood in front of her, and to the ceiling rose her nose.[50](50/ "tree and pragmatics") So the mother and daughter carried firewood in, logs of oak and maple; made the oven ready till the flames shot up merrily.[51](51/ "tree and pragmatics") Then the witch took her broad shovel and said in a friendly voice: “Go and sit on my shovel, fair child.”[52](52/ "tree and pragmatics") So the maiden obeyed, and the Bába Yagá was going to shove her into the oven.[53](53/ "tree and pragmatics") But the girl stuck her feet against the wall of the hearth.[54](54/ "tree and pragmatics") “Will you sit still, girl?”[55](55/ "tree and pragmatics") But it was not any good.[56](56/ "tree and pragmatics") Bába Yagá could not put the maiden into the oven.[57](57/ "tree and pragmatics") So she became angry, thrust her back and said, “You are simply wasting time\![58](58/ "tree and pragmatics") Just look at me and see how it is done.”[59](59/ "tree and pragmatics") Down she sat on the shovel with her legs nicely trussed together.[60](60/ "tree and pragmatics") So the maidens instantly put her into the oven, shut the oven door, and slammed her in; took their knitting with them, and their comb and brush, and ran away.[61](61/ "tree and pragmatics") They ran hard away, but when they turned round there was Bába Yagá running after them.[62](62/ "tree and pragmatics") She had set herself free.[63](63/ "tree and pragmatics") “Hoo, Hoo, Hoo! there run the two!”[64](64/ "tree and pragmatics") So the maidens, in their need, threw the brush away, and a thick, dense coppice arose which she could not break through.[65](65/ "tree and pragmatics") So she stretched out her claws, scratched herself a way through, and again ran after them.[66](66/ "tree and pragmatics") Whither should the two poor girls flee?[67](67/ "tree and pragmatics") They flung their comb behind them, and a dark, murky oak forest grew up, so thick, no fly could ever have flown its way through.[68](68/ "tree and pragmatics") Then the witch whetted her teeth and set to work.[69](69/ "tree and pragmatics") And she went on tearing up one tree after another by the roots, and she made herself a way, and again set out after them, and almost caught them up.[70](70/ "tree and pragmatics") Now the girls had no strength left to run, so they threw the cloth behind them, and a broad sea stretched out, deep, wide and fiery.[71](71/ "tree and pragmatics") The old woman rose up, wanted to fly over it, but fell into the fire and was burned to death.[72](72/ "tree and pragmatics") The poor maidens, poor homeless doves! did not know whither to go.[73](73/ "tree and pragmatics") They sat down in order to rest, and a man came and asked them who they were.[74](74/ "tree and pragmatics") He told his master that two little birds had fluttered on to his estate; two fairest damsels similar in form and shape, eye for eye and line for line.[75](75/ "tree and pragmatics") One was his sister, but which was it?[76](76/ "tree and pragmatics") He could not guess.[77](77/ "tree and pragmatics") So the master went to both of them.[78](78/ "tree and pragmatics") One was the sister—which?[79](79/ "tree and pragmatics") The servant had not lied; he did not know them, and she was angry with him and did not say.[80](80/ "tree and pragmatics") “What shall I do?” asked the master.[81](81/ "tree and pragmatics") “Master, I will pour blood into an ewe-skin, put that under my armpit and talk to the maiden.[82](82/ "tree and pragmatics") In the meantime I will go by and will stab you in the side with my knife; then blood will flow; then your sister will betray herself who she is.”[83](83/ "tree and pragmatics") “Very well!”[84](84/ "tree and pragmatics") As soon as it was said it was done.[85](85/ "tree and pragmatics") The servant stabbed his master in the side, and the blood poured forth, and he fell down.[86](86/ "tree and pragmatics") Then his sister flung herself over him and cried out, “Oh, my brother! my darling!”[87](87/ "tree and pragmatics") Then the brother jumped up again healthy and well.[88](88/ "tree and pragmatics") He embraced his sister, gave her a proper husband, and he married her friend, for the ring fitted her just as well.[89](89/ "tree and pragmatics") So they all lived splendidly and happily.[90](90/ "tree and pragmatics") THE THOUGHTLESS WORD[91](91/ "tree and pragmatics") Once upon a time an old man lived in a village with his wife, and they were very poor: they had only one son.[92](92/ "tree and pragmatics") And when he grew up, the mother said to her husband: “It is full time that we secured a wife for our son.”[93](93/ "tree and pragmatics") **1** [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/9/page/2/) - ← previous: [Opening, part 8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/8/) - next →: [page 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/9/page/2/) - ↑ back to [Russian Folk-Tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg62509/)