ENG0_154_Beglyj_Soldat_i_Chert.txt

Stravinsky and the Russian Traditions: A Biography of the Works Through Mavra
 By Richard Taruskin
 
 
 A soldier had requested leave, made ready, and set out a-marching. He marched and marched,
 but saw no water anywhere to soak himself a breadcrust and have a bite for the road, and his belly
 was long since empty. 
 
 There was nothign for it but to trudge further.
 
 He looked round an dspied a little brook a-running. 
 
 He went up to the broko, fetched three crusts from his knapsack, and set them in the water.
 
 And the soldier also had a fiddle.
 
 In his free time he would play various songs on it to stave off boredom. 
 
 In his free time he would play various songs on it to stave off boredom.
 
 So the soldier sat down by the brook, took his fiddle, and started up a tune.
 
 Suddenly out of nowhere the Devil came up to him in the guise of an old man clutching a book.
 
 "Greetings, Mr. Serviceman!"
  - "Hello there, kind sir!"
  
  The devil winced a bit at being called a kind sir. 
  
  "Listen, old chap! Let's trade: I'll give you my book, and you give me the fiddle."
   - "Ha, old man! What do I want with your book? I've been in service to our sovereign for a good
   ten years now without being able to read.
   
   I never knew how, and now it's too late to learn!"
    - "Never mind, Serviceman! My book is such that whoever looks in it will know how to read it!"
     - "Well, let's have it. I'll give it a try!"
     
     
  The soldier opened the book and started to read as if he had known how since childhood. 
  
  He rejoiced and immediately exchanged his fiddle for it.
  
  The Devil took the fiddle, began working the bow, but it was no go.
  
  There was no sense to his playing. 
  
  "Listen, pal," he said to the soldier, "come be my guest for three days or so and teach me to play 
  the fiddle. I'll thank you for it!
  
   - No, old man," replied the soldier, "I am needed at home. In three days, time I'll be far from here."
   
    - "Please, serviceman, if you come stay with me and teach me to fiddle, I'll have you home in one day.
    I'll drive you in a post carriage."
    
    The soldier sat and pondered: should he go or not? And as he did so he fished a crust out of the brook,
     for he was hungry. 
     
"Hey serviceman, old pal," said the Devil, "your food is awful. Have some of mine!"

He untied his sack and brought out white bread, roast beef, vodka, and all kinds of goodies --.
 "Eat to your heart's content!"
 
 The soldier ate his fill, drank his fill, 
  and agreed to stay with the old stranger and teach him to fiddle. 
 
 He remained his guest for three days, and then asked to go home;
 
 whereupon the devil led him out of his mansion. 
 
 In front of the porch stood a team of three fine horses. 
 
 "Had a seat, Serviceman, you'll be home in a flash."
 
 The soldier hseated himself with the devil in the carriage. 
 How the horses up and carried them off! 
 
 The miles vanished in the twinkling of an eye!
 
 They reached their destination in a trice.
 
 "Well, do you recognize this village?" asked the Devil.
 
 "How could I not!" replied the soldier. 
 "in this very village I was born and bred."
  - "Well, good-bye!"
  
  The soldier got down from the carriage,
  came to his kinfolk, started greeting them
   and telling them about himself, about his regiment, and about his leave.
   
   It had seemed to him that he had been visiting with the Devil
    for three days in all, but in fact he had spent three years with him. 
    
    Hi sleave had expired long ago, and in his regiment he was counted a deserter.
    
    The soldier became frightened.
    
    He didn't know what to do!
    
    Not even the thought of carousing crossed his mind! 
    He went out to the outskirts of the village and thought, "Where can I go?
    If I go back to the regiment they'll run me out of the service for sure. 
    
    Hey, you devil, you've played a jolly trick on me!"
    
    He had hardly pronounced these words when the Devil himself appeared. 
    
    "Don't carry on so, Serviceman! Stay with me. 
    In the regiment you live pitifully, they feed you crusts and beat you with sticks,
     while I will make you a fortune ... Would you like me to make you a merchant?"
     
      - "Well now, that wouldn't be so bad. Merchants live well, Let me try my luck!"
      
      The devil made him a merchant, gave him a big shop in the capital city with 
       all kinds of expensive wares, and said, "Now good-bye, old pal! I'm off to teh thrice-
        ninth realm, the thrice-tenth kingdom. The king there has a beautiful daughter, 
          the princess Maria. I'm off to torment her every which way!"
          
Our merchant lived without a care. 

Luck came his way of itself.

He had such success in business that he could ask for nothing more!

The other merchants began to envy him.

"Let's ask him," they said, "what manner of man he is and where he came from.

Can we strike a bargain with him? He's taken away all our trade - let him go to hell!"

They came to him, began questioning him, but he replied, 

"Brethren! Right now I'm terribly busy and have no time to talk. Come abck tomorrow - 
 you shall learn all!"
 
 The merchants went hom to their homes; and the soldier thought, What to do? 
 
 What answer should he give? 
 
 He thought and thought, and decided to give up his shop and leave town by night. 
 
 So he collected all teh money he had on hand and set off for the thrice-tenth kingdom.
 
 
 
 He marched and marched, and came at length to the gates.
 
 "Who goes there?" asked the sentry.
 
 He replied, "I am a healder. I have come to your realm because your king has a sick daughter. 
 
 I wish to cure her."
 
 The sentry toldthe courtiers, the courtiers told  the king himself. 
 
 The king senet for the soldier. "I fyou can cure my daughter, I'll give you her hand in marriage."
 
  - "Your majesty! Have them bring me three packs of cards, three botles of sweet wine
    plus three bottles of fiery spirits, three pounds of nuts, three pounds of lead bullets, 
       and three bundles of bright wax candles."
       
 - "Very well, all will be ready!"
 
 The soldier waited until nightfall, bought himself a fiddle, and went to the princess.
 
 He lit the candles in her chamber, began to drink and carouse, and played his fiddle.
 
 Atmidnight the Devil arrived, heard the music, and fell upon the soldier. 
 
 "Greetings, pal!"
  - "Hello!"
   - "What are you drinking?"
 "I'm having a sip of kvas."
 
 "Let's have some!"
 - "Certainly!"
 
 And he offered him a full glass of hiery spirits. 
 
 The devil drained it, and his eyes r4olled up under his forehad.
 
 "Hey, that's strong stuff! Give me something to munch!"
 
 - "Here are some nuts. Munch away!" said the soldier, but slipped him the lead bullets instead.
 
 The devil gnawed at these and broke his teeth. 
 
 They fell to playing cards.
 
 Waht with one thing and another the time passed, the cock crew, and teh devil vanished.
 
 The king asked the princess, "How did you sleep last night?"
  - "Peacefully, praise God"
  
  And the next night it was the same.
  
  But toward the third night the soldier asked teh king, "Your Majesty! 
  Have them forge a ten-ton vise and make me three rods of copper, three rods of iron, and three of tin."
   - "Very well, it shall all be done!"
   
   
   At the dead of midnight the Devil appeared. "Greetings, Serviceman! Once again I have come to 
    carouse with you."
    
     - "Greetings! Who is not glad to see a merry companion?" 
     
     They began to drink and carouse. 
     
     The Devil espied teh vise and asked, "And what is this?" 
     
     - "Oh, the king has taken me into this service and charged me with teaching his musicians to fiddle, 
      and they all have crooked fingers - no better than yours. 
      
      I've got to straighten them out in this vise."
      
       - "Say, pal," the Devil began to ask, "couldn't you straighten my fingers too? I still can't play 
        that fiddle!"
        
 - "Why not? Just lay your fingers down there."
 
 The Devil put both his hands in the vise. The soldier tightened it, squeezed it shut, then seized the rods
 and let the devil have it. 
 
 As he beat him he taunted, "There's merchanthood for you!"
 
 The devil begged, the devil pleaded, "Let me go, for pity's sake! I'll never come within a hundred miles
  of the palace again!"
  
 But he whipped him all the more.
 
 The Devil leaped and bounded, whirled and twirled, tore himself loose with all his might, 
  and said to the soldier, "Go ahead and marry the princess, but you'll not escape my clutches.
  
 As soon as you shall travel a hundred miles fromt he city, then and there I'll seize you!" 
 
 He spoke and vanished.
   
 So the soldier married the princess and lived with her in love and harmony.
 
 And a few years later the king died, and the soldier began to rule the entire kingdom.
 
 One time the new king and his wife went out to walk in the garden.
 
 "Ah, what a wonderful garden!" he said.
 
 "You call this a garden?" replied the queen. 
 
 "Beyond teh city we have another garden, about a hundre miles from here.
 Now that one is something to admire!"
 
 The king got ready and set out for it with his queen.
 
 No sooner had he aligghted from teh carriage than the devil met them: 
 
 "What are you doing here? Have you forgotten what I told you?
 
 Well, old pal, you've only yourself to blame."
 
 This time You'll never wriggle free."
  - What can I do? Such it seems is my fate! At least let me say good by e to my young wife.
  " Say it, but mak e it snappy!"