Once upon a time there was an old man who had three sons. Two of them were bright fellows, the third, called Yemélia, was a bit of a fool. While his brothers worked, Yemelia spent the whole day lying on the stove and took no interest in anything.
One day Yemelias two brothers had gone to the market, and their wives decided
to send him for water.
“Fetch some water, Yemelia.”
But he called down from the stove:
“I don’t feel like it.”
“Fetch some water, or you won’t get anything tasty when your brothers come back
from the market.”
“Oh, all right then.”
Yemelia climbed down off the stove, pulled on his coat and boots, took a couple of buckets and an axe and went down to the stream. He broke a hole in the ice, filled the buckets and put them on the bank. He looked into the hole in the ice and spotted a pike in the water. He dropped down and somehow managed to catch hold of the pike and pull it out.
“This will make fine fish soup!”
Suddenly the pike spoke to him in a human voice:
“Yemelia, put me back in the water, I shall be of use to you.” Yemelia just laughed:
“Now how can you be of use to me? No, I’ll take you home and my brothers’
wives can turn you into soup. You’ll make fine soup.”
The pike begged him again:
“Yemelia, o Yemelia. Put me back in the water and I shall do everything you ask.”
“Very well, but first prove that you are not deceiving me, then I’ll let you go.” The pike replied:
“Yemelia, tell me what you want just now.”
“I want… I want the buckets to take themselves home, and not spill a drop of water.” The pike said:
“Remember these words, and when you want
something just say:
“At my request, At the pike’s behest.”
Yemelia repeated after him:
“At my request,
At the pike’s behest — buckets, take yourselves off home.”
As soon as he had spoken, the buckets stirred and headed back up the slope.
Yemelia dropped the pike back into the water and followed the buckets.
The buckets passed through the village and everyone who was around stopped and stared. Yemelia walked behind grinning. The buckets went into the house and set themselves down on the bench, while Yemelia climbed back onto the stove.
After a time, his sisters-in-law called out:
“Yemelia, why are you lying down? Go and chop some firewood.”
“I don’t feel like it.”
“Chop some firewood, or you won’t get anything tasty when your brothers come
back from the market.”
Yemelia climbed unwillingly down from the stove. Then he remembered about
the pike and quietly said:
“At my request,
At the pike’s behest – go, axe, and chop wood, and firewood come into the house
and stack yourself by the stove.”
The axe sprang up from under the bench, flew out into the yard and chopped the wood in the blinking of an eye. The chopped wood came inside and stacked itself by the stove.
After a time, Yemelia’s sisters-in-law called out:
“Yemelia, we’ve run right out of wood. Go into the forest and cut some.” But he called down from the stove:
“What are you here for?”
“What do you mean? It’s none of our business to go into the forest for wood!”
“I don’t feel like it.”
“Well then, you won’t get anything tasty?”
There was nothing for it. Yemelia climbed down off the stove, pulled on his coat and boots, took a rope and an axe. He went out into the yard and sat in the sledge.
“Hey, you, women! Open the gate!”
His sisters-in-law shouted:
“Why are you sitting in the sledge, you fool, when you haven’t harnessed
up the horse?”
“I don’t need a horse!”
The women opened the gate, and Yemelia quietly said:
“At my request,
At the pike’s behest — sledge, carry me to the forest.”
The sledge stirred and sped out of the gate so fast that a horseman would have
been left behind.
To get to the forest, though, Yemelia had to go through the town and he knocked down quite a few people who failed to get out of the way in time. The townsfolk
shouted, “Catch him! Stop him!” but Yemelia urged his sledge on even faster. He came to the forest:
“At my request,
At the pike’s behest – axe, cut down fire-wood, as dry as you can find; firewood tie yourself in bundles and stack yourself in the sledge.”
Then Yemelia had the axe cut him a cudgel so big and heavy he could hardly lift it.
He got back on the sledge and:
“At my request,
At the pike’s behest — sledge, carry me back home.”
The sledge started back. Again Yemelia had to go through the town where he had knocked people down, but this time they were expecting him. The men seized Yem-elia and dragged him from the sledge. They beat and cursed him. Yemelia saw he was in real trouble and quietly said:
“At my request,
At the pike’s behest — up, cudgel, and give them a thrashing.”
The heavy cudgel sprang up and battered the men until they fled. Ivan drove
home and climbed onto the stove.
In time the Tsar himself came to hear about Yemelias deeds and he sent one of
his officers to find him and bring him to the palace:
The officer drove into the village, came into the house where Yemelia lived and
asked:
“Are you Yemelia the Fool?”
“What’s it to you?” came the voice from the stove.
“Get dressed quickly. I am to take you to the Tsar.”
“I don’t feel like it.”
At that the officer lost his temper and slapped Yemelia on the
cheek.
And Yemelia quietly said:
“At my request,
At the pike’s behest — up, cudgel, and give him a thrashing.”
The heavy cudgel sprang up and battered the officer, who
barely managed to get away.
The Tsar was surprised that his officer had not managed to deal with Yemelia
and called his grandest courtier:
“Fetch Yemelia the Fool here to the palace, or I’ll have your head from your
shoulders.”
The grandest courtier bought raisins, prunes and spice-cakes and went off to the village. He went into the house and there he asked the women what Yemelia liked.
“Our Yemelia likes it when people ask him kindly and promise him a fine caf-
tan — then hell do whatever you ask.”
The grandest courtier gave Yemelia the raisins, prunes and spice-cakes and
said:
“Yemelia, my boy, why are you lying here on the stove. Let’s go and see the Tsar.”
“I’m warm enough where I am.”
“Yemelia, my boy, there’ll be good things to eat and drink at the palace.
Come on, let’s go.”
“I don’t feel like it.”
“Yemelia, my boy, the Tsar will give you a fine
caftan, and a hat and boots.”
Yemelia thought and thought.
“Very well. You go on ahead, and I shall be
right behind you.”
The grandest courtier drove off, but Yemelia
stayed lying down and just said:
“At my request,
At the pike’s behest – stove, carry me to
the Tsar.”
At that the joints between the logs of the house
sprang apart, the roof shook, one wall fell away and the stove lumbered out into the street and off down the road, straight to the palace.
The Tsar happened to look out of the window and was astonished:
“What’s this wonder?”
The greatest courtier replied:
“That’s Yemelia coming to see you on his stove.”
The Tsar went out onto the porch:
“Well, Yemelia, I’ve heard a lot of complaints against you.
You knocked down a lot of people.”
“Why did they get in front of my sledge?”
At that moment the Tsar’s daughter, Princess Maria, looked out of the window. Yemelia saw her in the window and said quietly:
“At my request,
At the pike’s behest — make the Tsar’s daughter fall in love with me…”
Then he added:
“And, stove, carry me home.”
The stove turned around and went back home. It entered the
house and settled back in its place. Yemelia carried on lying there as before.
Meanwhile the Tsar’s palace was full of sighs and tears. Princess Maria was longing for Yemelia. She said she could not live without him and begged her father to let her marry him. The Tsar was greatly disturbed and irritated and called his grandest courtier once again:
“Go and fetch Yemelia here, alive or
dead, or I’ll have your head from your shoulders.
The grandest courtier bought sweet wines and different delicacies and went off to the village. He went
into the house and regaled Yemelia with all of them. Yemelia ate and drank his fill, then turned over and fell fast asleep. The grandest courtier carried him out to his carriage and drove him to the palace.
The Tsar immediately ordered his men to bring a large barrel with iron hoops.
They placed Yemelia and Princess Maria inside, sealed the barrel up and tossed it into the sea.
Eventually the buffeting woke Yemelia up. He found himself somewhere dark
and cramped and groaned:
“Where on earth am I?”
“Alas, dear Yemelia,” a voice answered, “we have been sealed up in a barrel and thrown into the sea.”
“And who are you?”
“I am Princess Maria.”
Then Yemelia said:
“At my request,
sands.”
At the pikes behest – strong winds, drive this barrel to the shore, onto the yellow
The strong winds blew. The sea rose and tossed the barrel out onto the shore,
onto the yellow sands. Yemelia and the Princess climbed out.
“Dear Yemelia, where shall we live? Build us some kind of a hut.”
“I don’t feel like it.”
The Princess begged him to do it, and he said:
“At my request,
At the pike’s behest — build me a palace of stone with a roof of gold.”
No sooner had he spoken, than a palace of stone appeared with a roof of gold.
All around it was a green garden with flowers blooming and birds singing.
Princess Maria and Yemelia went inside and sat by one of the windows.
“Dear Yemelia, couldn’t you become handsome?”
Yemelia did not stop long to think:
“At my request,
At the pike’s behest — turn me into a fine figure of a man, a sight for sore eyes.” And Yemelia became fairer in face and body than can be imagined or de-
scribed.
Just then the Tsar was out hunting when he noticed a palace standing where
there had been nothing before.
“Who has dared to build a palace on my land without my permission?”
And he sent some of his courtiers to find out.
The messengers rode into the garden and called up to the window.
Yemelia leaned out and said:
“Ask the Tsar to come and be my guest. I shall tell him everything myself.” The Tsar accepted the invitation. Yemelia met him, conducted him into the palace and brought him to the dining-room. They sat down to a feast. The Tsar ate and drank, marvelling all the time:
“But who are you, my fine young sir?”
“You remember Yemelia the Fool who came to see you on a stove and you had him and your daughter sealed up in a barrel and thrown into the sea. I am that selfsame Yemelia. If the fancy takes me, I can burn and ruin your whole kingdom.”
The Tsar was terrified at that and began begging forgiveness:
“Marry my daughter, dear Yemelia. Take my kingdom, only spare me!” There was a great feast to which everyone was invited. Yemelia married Prin-
cess Maria and began to rule the kingdom.
Now the tale has all been told; if you were listening you’re as
good as gold
o
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