Once upon a time there lived in a castle near the marvelous mill dams of Binnori two royal daughters. And Sir William wooed the eldest of them, and won her heart, and sealed his vows with a ring and a glove. And then he saw his golden-haired younger sister, with a face as tender as a cherry blossom, and he gave his heart to her, but he stopped loving the eldest. And the eldest hated the younger because she had taken Sir William’s love from her, and her hatred grew day by day, and she kept thinking and wondering how she could destroy her sister.
And then one quiet bright morning the elder sister said to the younger: “Let’s go and see how our father’s boats enter the wondrous waters of Binnori!” And they held hands and went. And when they approached the shore, the youngest climbed onto a large stone: she wanted to see how they would pull the boats ashore. And the elder sister followed her and suddenly wrapped her arms around her waist and pushed her into the stormy waters of Binnori. “Oh, sister, sister, give me your hand!” - shouted the youngest princess as the water carried her away. - I will give you half of everything that I have and that will be! - Oh no, sister, I will not give you my hand! You will die, and your lands will go to me! It will be a shame for me if I touch the one who separated me from my beloved! - Oh sister, sister, just give me a glove and I will return William to you! - the princess screamed, and the stream carried her further and further. - Tony! - answered the cruel princess. “I won’t touch you with my hand or glove!” You will drown in the wondrous waters of Binnori, and dear William will be mine again! And she returned to the royal castle.
And the younger princess was carried further and further by the stream, and she either floated up, then disappeared again into the water, until finally the river brought her to the mill. Meanwhile, the miller’s daughter was preparing dinner and needed water. So she went down to the river, saw something floating towards the dam, and shouted: “Father!” Father! Hurry up and lower the doors! Something white—a swan or a mermaid—is floating here along the river. And the miller hurried to the dam and stopped the heavy, scary mill wheels. And then the father and daughter pulled the princess out of the water and laid her on the shore.
Bright and beautiful, she lay on the ground. Pearls and gems adorned her golden curls, a golden belt tightened her slender figure, a golden fringe at the hem of her white clothes hid her tender legs. But she didn’t breathe, didn’t breathe...
And while the beautiful princess was lying on the shore, a wanderer, a famous harpist, passed by the Binnori dams. He saw her lovely pale face and since then could not forget it. He wandered around the world for a long time, and this face still stood before his eyes.
Many, many days later he returned to the wondrous waters of Binnori, but the princess had long since fallen into eternal sleep, and he found only her bones and golden curls. And he made a harp out of them and climbed with it to the hill that stands above the Binnori dam, and approached the castle where the king-father lived.
That evening the king and queen, their son and daughter, Sir William and the whole court gathered in the hall to listen to the famous harpist. And so the harpist began to sing, plucking the strings of his harp, and everyone either rejoiced and rejoiced, or cried and was sad, obeying his wishes. And suddenly the harp itself began to sing in a quiet and clear voice; then the harpist fell silent, and everyone held their breath.
This is what the harp sang about: Oh, there sits my father, the king, Binnori, oh Binnori; And with him sits the queen mother Near the wondrous dam of Binnori. Stands here also Hugh, my dear brother, Binnori, oh Binnori; And my faithful and unfaithful William, Near the wondrous dam of Binnori;
Everyone in the hall marveled, and the old harpist told how he once saw a dead princess on the shore, who had drowned near the wondrous Binnori dam, and how he made this harp from her bones and curls. And suddenly the harp sang again in a loud and clear voice: And here comes the sister who drowned me Near the wondrous Binnori dam. And then the strings burst, and the harp fell silent forever, forever.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru