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Tale of the fisherman and the little fish















V.Mochkovitch. "The ale of the fisherman and the little fish"

V.Moshkovich. "The tale of the fisherman and the little fish"
Box. 2000  Mstera











 


A.Kotukhine. "The tale of the fisherman and the little fish"

A.Kotukhine. "The tale of the fisherman and the little fish"
Paper-holder. 1934  Palekh









V.Belov. "The tale of the fisherman and the little fish"

V.Belov. "The tale of the fisherman and the little fish"
Box. 1997  Kholui




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Russian literature / A. Pushkin

  Ruslan and Liudmila
  Tale of the pope and of his workman Balda
  Tale of tsar Saltan
  Tale of the fisherman and the little fish
  Tale of the golden cockerel
  Marya Volkonsky
  Natalya Goncharova





An old man lived with his good-wife
By the shore of the deep blue ocean
In a hovel of clay and wattle;
They had lived there for three years and thirty.
The old man netted fishes,
The good-wife sat at her spinning.
Once he cast his net on the waters;
The net came up-full of sea-slime.
Again he cast the net on the waters;
The net came back-full of sea-weed.
A third time the net sank in the waters
And came up with one fish in it.
No common fish, but a golden.
The golden fish begged for mercy
And spoke with the voice of a human:
"Old man, throw me back in the ocean,
I will pay you a splendid ransom:
I will grant you whatever you wish for." The old man was amazed and awestruck:
He had fished here for three years and thirty
But never once heard a fish talking.
Freeing the fish from the meshes
He gave him fair words and gentle:
"Golden fish, go your ways in peace now
There is no need to pay me a ransom;
Go back to your deep blue seas
And swim there and splash as you please."...













...The old man returned to his good-wife.
And what do you think? A palace
Now houses the shrewish old woman.
She sits in state at her table.
Great nobles and lords wait upon her,
Serve her wine in a golden goblet
While she nibbles at crested sweet-meats;
Stern sentries mount guard about her
Each with an axe at the ready.
The old man took one look-his knees failed him!
He bowed to the ground before her
But spoke out: "All hail, dread Empress!
Tell me, is you heart content now?"
Not a glance did his good-wife spare him
But ordered her men to remove him...











...Again he went down to the ocean
And saw-a black storm had arisen:
Angry waves reared up to meet him,
All a-quake, all a-swirl, all a-roaring.
But he raised his voice and shouted,
And the golden fish came swimming:
"What is it, old man, come, tell me! "
With a low bow the old man made answer:
"Be gracious, Lord of Fishes!
What can I do with the woman?
The old fool will no longer be Empress,
She will rule over Sea and Ocean;
In the Deep she will make her stronghold
And have you yourself to serve her
And swim back and forth on her errands."
The golden fish said nothing;
With a flick of its tail in the water
It swam away, back to the deep sea.
The old man by the shore stood waiting
For a long time, but got no answer.
At last, he returned to his good-wife...

1833

Translated by Avril Pyman