Once upon a time there lived two brothers: one was rich, and the other was poor, it’s impossible to say. This poor brother died. Having remained with his son, he is still alive and miserable. I once slept with my uncle:
- Well, uncle, which is better to live: by truth or by untruth?
- E-e-e!.. Are you telling the truth now? There is no truth in the world now! Now there is only one lie.
- No, uncle! It’s the truth - it’s better to live by the truth.
- We're going to court.
- So why are we going to court? Better yet, let's take the dose and feed the person who is sick; as you say, so it will be. Your truth - all my thinness will be to you; my truth - your thinness will be mine. Do this up to three times.
- Well, okay.
And the stinks went on their way. Go, go - a man meets him - from earnings, whatever.
- Hello, kind man!
- Hello!
- Tell me, be kind, man, which is better to live now: whether by truth or by falsehood?
- E-e-e!.. Good people! Have you found the truth now? There is no place in the world now. It’s better to live in lies than in truth.
- Well, once again my truth! - seems like an uncle. And I hate that I will have to give all my thinness to my uncle. Go, go - the impan is sharpened. And nebіzh and even:
- Well, let’s feed this gentleman. This one has already told the whole truth: he is literate and knows everything.
- Well, okay.
We caught up with the lord and nourished him:
“Tell me, be kind, lady, how it’s better to live now: either by truth or by crook?”
- E-e-e!.. Good people! Have you now found the truth? There is no place in the world; It’s better to live in lies than in truth.
- It’s already and suddenly my truth! - the uncle said happily.
Nebizh frowned even more. Go, go - his voice catches on. Nebizh i kazhe:
“Well, let’s get some sleep, priest, he’s already told the truth - he’s spiritual.” As I have already said, so it will be.
- Well, good!
As we have caught up with the priest, feed him:
- Tell me, master, what is the best way to live now: by truth or by untruth?
- E-e-e!.. Good people! Did you know the truth now? There is no one in the world now: it is better to live in crookedness than in truth.
- My truth has already died! - the uncle said happily.
There is no need to work for the ungodly: having given all your thinness to the rich man, and leaving you naked, barefoot and hungry. It was hard for you to live. Fighting, fighting, heartfelt, she decided to hang herself - having seen the scraps of the forest near the forest. When she marvels at the tree, she chooses a tree to hang herself on. “This, he thinks to himself, is a good nail - strong, and from here on, it’s stuck and will hang.”
He was so amazed at the tree that he didn’t even notice when he arrived. Like a man, he threw himself dead on a tree, and forgot his haircut. Climb up a tree and sit. When three devils come running, and then three and a quarter, their gang. And nourishes the veins of his servants:
- What did you earn today?
- Eh... I’ve accumulated such a lot that you want there, why don’t you bother? At such and such a village, at the gentleman's, I tried so hard that my son would not be able to row. And the master beats his people, as if they said: we will have plenty of them.
- Having done well, it’s not like that anymore.
- What about the yak?
- There are three trees in the middle of the forest. Whoever cuts down those trees, put them crosswise on the rowing - drive them in.
- Oh!.. Who felt it, who knew it, what is so necessary to earn!
- Well, what have you done? — feeds the veins of another.
- Eh... I have accumulated such a thing that we will have a lot of people in our hands. In such and such a city, all the water dried up, so that now there are not a drop of water there, and it can be carried thirty or forty miles away. There are a lot of people missing there!
“Having done good, it’s not like that anymore,” it seems like a gang.
- What about the yak?
“Whoever digs up that raspberry bush that grows in the middle of the city, there will be water for the whole city.”
- Oh!.. Who felt it, who knew it, what is required to earn money!
- Well, what have you earned? — feeds the veins of the third.
- Eh... I’ve gained so much, so come on, don’t hesitate - don’t get anything! In such and such a kingdom, the king has one daughter, and I have beaten her so much that even if I wanted to rejoice, nothing would be done if it were ours.
- Having been kind, it’s not like that anymore.
- What about the yak?
- Whoever knocks out a deaf guy and gives him a smoke - so it will be like before.
- Who felt it, who knew it, what do you need to earn! And the man is sitting on a tree and he can smell that the devils are babbling. As the devils have already scattered, the man thinks: “Maybe it’s true, what did they say? I’ll go to the sir, maybe I’ll really slow down the rowing.”
Pishov. Come before the rowing, and there the gentleman will torture people so that the dead die away. The stink, the poor things, I can already rush and cry at them, but nothing helps. And sir, I know it’s fierce. A truthful man will come until he says:
- Eh, sir! If you don't care about people, it won't matter to anyone. What will you give me - will I pay?
“I’ll give you a hundred karbovanets and also a couple of horses with a carriage and a coachman (and there were the gentlemen’s horses too).
- Give me six people and three carts.
- Take it.
They went into the forest, cut down those three trees and put them crosswise on rows - so they pulled them in at once. The lord gave him a hundred carbovans and a couple of horses with a carriage and a coachman.
So that man thinks: “Let me go as far as that city where there is no water: maybe it’s true; maybe I’ll give them water.” I went to that city. Not reaching the city for many miles, I saw my grandmother, who was carrying a pair of buckets on a yoke.
- What are you talking about, grandma?
- Water, honey.
- Let me get something to drink.
- Eh, little darling! I’m carrying this for thirty miles; and by the time I get home, I’ll slurp half of it; and my family is large, it will be lost without water.
- I will come to your city, give water to everyone, and you will have the same water for ever.
She gave him something to drink, and she became so happy that she killed the town with a trick and told all the townspeople that there was such a man that he would give them some water. The townspeople all went out of the city, in the name of the man, with bread and all sorts of gifts. When this man came to the city, he found that raspberry bush that was growing in the middle of the city, having dug it up, water began to flow throughout the whole city. The townspeople rewarded him with both sins and all kinds of good, so that he has now become rich like his uncle. Further I think:
“I’ll go to that kingdom again, since the queen’s daughter is unwell—maybe her great one.”
As I conceived, so I executed it. Having arrived there, we arrived at the royal mansions, and people were still so confused, running and groaning. Wine and nourishment:
“I feel that your king’s daughter is very unwell.” Even if you want to rejoice, you can’t sing anything; Only I would have vilikuvav.
- Eh, man, where are you going! Overseas doctors can't tell you anything, but you're ready!
- Well, tell the queen.
The stinks told the queen. The King of the Wiishovs seems to be like this:
- If you are strong, I will reward you so that the world will not have anything rich for you, and I will give my daughter to you.
Like that man, he marveled at her, and now it ends. Having found out, having whittled the deaf bush, having smoked it - and she immediately stirred it up so that in three days she completely breathed, and again became the same as before.
The king and all the people became so happy it’s impossible to say. The king at the rejoicings and so on the people:
“For those who took my daughter, I will give her to you, and when I die, you will be king in my place.”
Soon the true king died, and in his place this truthful man became.
Having reigned for a few years, when some rich merchant came to his kingdom and tried to get the king to allow him to trade with his kingdom. The king ordered you to come before this. A merchant arrives. The king immediately recognized his uncle, but without showing him: he indulged him and let him trade. And he ordered his people not to let him go home, but so that when they were getting ready to leave, they asked for him before he left. And so it happened. Bring this merchant to the king, the king feeds him:
- What kind of kingdom are you from?
- From such and such.
- From which city?
- From such and such.
- What is your nickname?
- That's right.
Here the king confessed that he was guilty of his heaven - the one who had disappeared into obscurity.
- Well, uncle: you said that it is better to live by crookedness than by the truth: well, no! You are only a merchant, and I am a king - the truth has overcome the lies!
- How did it happen?
He told him everything that had happened to him: how he wanted to hang himself, how he heard what the devils were saying, everything, everything... And finally, having piled up two ships of all sorts of goodness, he gave his uncles a gift, saying:
- I forget all those things that bothered me. Take two ships with everything you need. When you arrive in your city, tell everyone that it is better to live in truth rather than in lies.
My uncle took those two ships with all the goods and went home. Having already arrived, the delay began to torment him: why is he not a king? Having summed it up, summed it up, and then he thinks:
- I’m going to hang myself, maybe it will happen to me like my godless one.
Having caught the motorcycle, go to the forest in the same place where you want to hang out. It didn’t happen that way for him - but the devils didn’t come, they hid him and buried him in the most vulnerable place.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru