Whether it happened or not, there lived one king, and he had three sons. In that kingdom there was one beauty unprecedented under the sun. This beauty was not shown to anyone, and it cost a lot of money to see her.
It cost ten thousand to look at just one of her hands, and to see the whole thing cost apparently and invisibly money. The king’s sons really wanted to look at this beauty. The father gave them - the eldest and the middle - apparently and invisibly money, they paid and saw her. But the king did not give the youngest any money, and he never saw the beauty.
It’s a shame for the younger one, he said sadly. Left. He left home completely and went crying. One beardless deceiver meets him and asks: “What is this, what are you crying about?” “My brothers saw a beauty unprecedented under the sun - my father gave them money, but he didn’t give it to me, I didn’t even see her at all.”
The beardless deceiver said to him: “Go buy a goat and an awl, I will show you a beauty unprecedented under the sun.” The king's son went, bought a goat and an awl and brought it to the beardless deceiver.
They came to this beauty’s house, pricked the goat with an awl, tormented it as if they wanted to kill it. The goat screams. The servants ran to this beauty and reported: “Come out, madam, look at how these eccentrics are slaughtering a goat.” The beauty came out, and the king’s son saw her. This is the first time. The beauty told the servants: “Go and slaughter the goat for them properly.”
The servants went, killed the goat, skinned it, put it in a cauldron and put it on the fire to cook. The beardless deceiver took it and turned the cauldron upside down. The servants came again to the beauty unseen under the sun and reported:
- Come out, madam, look at how these eccentrics cook meat. The beauty came out, took a look and told the servants: “Go, cook the goat for them properly.” And for the second time the king’s son saw the beauty.
The servants went, took the meat, washed it, put it in a cauldron, and cooked it. As soon as the meat was cooked, the king’s son and the beardless deceiver sat down, and first one hit the table, then the other; They hit the hot meat and burned all their lips.
The servants saw it, ran, and reported to the beauty: “Come out, madam, look at how these eccentrics eat.” The beauty ordered: “Go, bring them, let’s do a good deed - teach them to eat properly.” They went and brought them to the beauty, sat them down and fed them. After eating, they began to feel sleepy. They fall - then this one will fall on that one, lay down as if on a feather bed, then this one will fall on that one.
The beauty told the servants: “You take this beardless one, and I’ll put the other one to bed myself.” The beauty laid down the Tsar’s son and said: “This is how you should lie.” Lie still, don’t move, or I’ll take your head off. Tomorrow I will give you three mules loaded with gold and silver, take them; If you double this goodness for me, I’ll become your wife, but if I don’t, I won’t.
The king's son drove these mules. He himself thinks: what to do, how to double all this wealth? I thought and thought, came to the hashi seller and said: “Here is a mule with all the wealth for you, and I’ll go back, give me one head for it.” The hashi seller was very happy.
The king's son went further. He gave another mule to the matsoni seller and said: “When I come back, give me a bowl of matsoni.”
I moved on. I gave the third mule to the rope seller. “I’ll come back and give me a good rope.” I was left with nothing; goes sad. Meets one person. He asks him: “Why are you sad?” “Because I’m sad because a beauty of unprecedented beauty gave me three mules loaded with gold and silver, and said: “If you return all the goods twice, I will marry you.” But I lost everything: I gave one mule to a khashi seller, another to a matsoni seller, and a third to a ropemaker, and was left with nothing.
The man said: “There is a tree in such and such a place, go to it and hide, all the merchants will come there, and their eldest will come there.” They will gather and begin to talk about their profits and losses, and you listen to everything and think. You think that it’s your happiness, but if it’s not, it’s not.
The king's son went, found that tree, climbed up it and hid. Those merchants came, and their elder also came. “Well, how are your profits and losses?” asks the elder. The khashi seller said: “I made a good profit yesterday: one man came to me, gave me a mule loaded with gold and silver, when he returns, I must give him one head.” “You didn’t earn much,” says the elder, “maybe he will demand a man’s head from you?” Where will you find her?
The hashi seller thought about it and left. A matsoni seller comes up. “What did you earn, what did you work for?” - the elder tells him. “Yesterday I had a good profit,” says the seller of matsoni, “one man came to me, gave me a mule loaded with gold and silver, and will return and take one bowl of matsoni.” “You didn’t gain much!” - the elder says to him too. “Maybe he’ll ask you for matsoni made from human milk, where can you get it for him?”
This one also became thoughtful and left. The third merchant, a ropemaker, came up. “What did you get out of it?” - the eldest asks him. “And I helped out well yesterday.” One man came to me, gave me a mule loaded with gold and silver, and when he came back he would take one rope. “You didn’t help me out,” the elder told him. “What if he asks you for a rope woven from your mustache, will you give him?” This one thought too, and left.
Everyone left. The eldest went on his way. The king’s son came down from the tree and ran to the hashi seller. “Come on, give me the promised head.” He brings him one ram’s head. “Take it!” “No,” says the king’s son, “I don’t agree, either give me twice as much gold and silver as I left you, or give me a human head.” What should he do? He gave him twice as much gold and silver as he had taken, and sent him away. The king's son went to the matsoni maker. “Give me the matsoni.”
He brought him a bowl of matsoni. “No,” says the king’s son, “give me matsoni made from human milk, but no, then give me double the gold and silver.”
He took the gold and silver from him and went to the seller of the ropes. “Give me my rope.” He gives him a beautiful rope. “Please get it.” “No,” says the king’s son, “give me the rope from your mustache, but no, then give me twice as much.” He took all his goods and went rejoicing. He brought everything to the beauty, married her and lived happily.
Pestilence is there, feast is here, Elimination is there, torment is here.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru