004_112_Tereshichka.xml

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 An old man and his wife led a miserable existence. 
 They had lived together all of their lives, yet had no children. 
 In their younger days they had managed somehow to struggle along; 
 but now that they were old there was no one to give them drink, and they grieved and lamented.
 One day they cut a little block of wood,
 wrapped it in swaddling clothes,
 put it in a little cradle, and began to rock it and sing lullabies to it; 
 and in place of the block of wood there began to grow in the swaddling clothes a little son,
 Tereshichka, a real little jewel. 
 
 The boy grew and grew and reached the age of reason.
 His father made him a little boat. 
 Tereshichka went to catch fish and his mother brought him milk and curd cheese.
 She would go to the shore and call: 
 "Tereshichka, my little son, sail, sail to the little shore;
 I, your mother, have brought you milk."
 Tereshichka would hear her voice from afar, sail to the shore, 
 pour out his catch of fish, eat and drink,
 and go back to fish again. One day his mother told him: 
 "My darling little son, be careful, Chuvilikha, the witch, 
 is after you; do not fall into her clutches."
 Having said this she left. 
 Chuvilikha came to the shore and called in a terrible voice:
 "Tereshichka, my little son, sail, sail to the little shore; 
 I, your mother, have brought you milk."
 But Tereshichka was not deceived and said: 
 "Sail farther, farther, my little boat! 
 This is not the voice of my dear mother, but that of Chuvilikha,
 the wicked witch." 
 Chuvilikha heard him,
 ran away, found a skillful singing teacher, 
 and got herself a voice like that of Tereshichka's mother. 
 The mother came and called her son in a soft voice:
 "Tereshichka, my little son, sail, sail to the little shore; 
 I, your mother, have brought you milk." Tereshichka heard her and said: 
 "Sail closer, closer, my little boat; this is the voice of my dear mother." 
 His mother gave him food and drink and he went again to fish. 
 Chuvilikha, the witch, came, and chanted in the voice she had acquired,
 exactly like his own mother. Tereshichka was deceived and came close to shore; 
 she snatched him, put him in a bag, and darted off.
 She came to a little hut on chicken legs,
 told her daughter to roast him, and left to get other booty. 
 Tereshichka was not a fool; he did not let the girl hurt him. 
 Instead, he put her to roast in the oven and climbed up a tall oak. 
 Chuvilikha came back, jumped into the house, ate and drank,
 went out into the courtyard, rolled and wallowed, and said:
 "I will roll and wallow, having eaten of Tereshichka's flesh." 
 And he cried to her from the oak: 
 "Roll, witch, wallow, witch, having eaten your own daughter's flesh!" 
 She heard him, raised her head, looked in all directions-there was no one to be seen anywhere!
 Again she intoned:
 "I will roll and wallow, having eaten of Tereshichka's flesh." And he again answered: 
 
 
 
 "Roll, witch, wallow, witch, having eaten your own daughter's flesh." 
 She took fright, looked up, and saw him in the tall oak. 
 She jumped up and rushed to the blacksmith, crying: 
 "Blacksmith, blacksmith, forge me an ax!" 
 The blacksmith forged an ax for her and said to her: "Do not cut with the edge but with the butt end." 
 She did as he had told her, knocked and knocked, cut and cut, but could not achieve anything.
 She clung to the tree and sank her teeth in it, and the tree cracked. 
 Gray geese flew in the sky. Tereshichka saw that he was in trouble, beheld the geese, 
 and began to implore them: 
 Geese, gray geese, take me with you! Take me on your wings To my father, to my mother, 
 They will give you food and drink. 
 The geese answered: "Qua-qua! 
 There is another flock flying, hungrier than we, 
 they will take you home!" Meanwhile the witch was gnawing so that splinters flew,
 and the oak cracked and shook. The second flock came.
 Tereshichka cried again: 
 Geese, gray geese, take me with you! 
 Take me on your wings, 
 To my father, to my mother, 
 They will give you food and drink. 
 "Qua-qua!" answered the geese.
 "A little plucked goose is following us, he will take you home!"
 The little goose did not come, 
 and the tree cracked and shook. The witch would bite a while, 
 then look at Tereshichka, 
 lick her lips, and gnaw the tree again; any time now he would fall down. 
 Fortunately, the little plucked goose came,
 flapped his wings, and Tereshichka implored him: 
 My little goose, take me with you! Take me on your wings To my mother,
 to my father, 
 They will give you food and drink And wash you in clean water. 
 
 The little plucked goose pitied him. 
 They flew to the window of his own father's house and sat on the grass. 
 Meanwhile the old woman had fried pancakes and had invited guests, 
 and was serving Tereshichka's funeral repast, saying: 
 "This pancake is for you, my little guest, and this one for you, 
 my husband, and this one for me." 
 Tereshichka said beneath the window: 
 "And which one is for me?" "Look out, old man, who wants a pancake there?" the old woman asked.
 The old man went out, saw Tereshichka, took him in his arms,
 brought him to his mother-and hearty embraces were exchanged all around. 
 As for the little plucked goose, he was given food and drink and set free.
 And thereafter he spread his wings wide,
 flew at the head of the flock,
 and remembered how he had rescued Tereshichka. 
 

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