Once upon a time there lived a poor man. The only relative he had was his only son. The only wealth he had was a dog and a cat. One evening the poor man said to his son:
- Son, I have become old and sick, I will die soon. I want to tell you my secret. A long time ago, when I was young, I was digging a house in the yard. Suddenly my ketmen bumped into something hard. I began to dig further and found an iron chest in the ground. It was locked and the key was stuck in the lock. I took out the key and did not open the chest; I decided to wait for the hardest time in my life. So I lived to old age, but did not use the treasure. Now I want to give it to you.
The father rummaged in his headboard, took out the key and gave it to his son.
- Tomorrow morning, dig the ground in the courtyard on the right near the house, take out the chest and take the treasure.
Early in the morning the son took the ketmen, went to the house and began to dig. The dog and cat followed him and helped him dig the ground with their paws.
Finally, the young man dug up the chest, pulled it by the handle of the lid, but the chest did not budge, as if it had grown into the ground. Then the son inserted the key into the lock and unlocked the chest.
Immediately the lid of the chest bounced off, as if on a spring, and a large snake curled into a ball rose from the chest. The young man swung his catman to hit the snake on the head; the dog and cat wanted to rush at it to protect their owner. But the snake hissed:
- Quiet! For the fact that you freed me from captivity, I will reward you generously. At the bottom of the chest you will find a golden bird. Take it, wrap it in seven layers of cotton wool and hide it under the head of your bed. When you have some desire -
So, take out the bird, put it on your palm and ask for whatever you want. The bird will flap its wings, and at that very moment your wish will come true.
Having said this, the snake quickly slithered away. The young man looked at the bottom of the chest and found a golden bird there. He took it in his hands, put it on his palm and said:
- Make my father healthy, and make our old house new! The bird flapped its wings and sparkled dazzlingly.
The young man quickly covered the bird with the hollow of his robe and ran to the house. In place of his old home, he saw a new, beautiful and bright house, and his father was standing on the porch, healthy and cheerful.
The young man again put the bird in his palm and said:
“Make my dog so fleet-footed that she can rush like the wind, and make my cat so sharp-eyed that she can see everything that is hidden!”
The bird flapped its wings and sparkled dazzlingly. The young man quickly covered the bird with the hollow of his robe, entered the house and ordered the cat to find and bring cotton wool. The cat immediately found the cotton wool and brought it to the owner. He wrapped the bird in seven layers of cotton wool and hid it under the head of his bed.
“You, my red dog, rush now and find where the padishah’s palace is,” he ordered his dog.
And while the son inspected the new house, the dog had already returned, having completed his assignment. Then the son said to his father:
- Get on the dog, it will take you to the palace of the padishah. Enter the palace and woo the daughter of the padishah for me!
-Are you sane, son? Why do you want to marry the padishah’s daughter?” the father was surprised.
But the son insisted:
- I want to marry the padishah’s daughter! Go to the padishah and say: “My son will give whatever you want for your daughter!”
There was nothing to do, the father and the dog went to the padishah. So the father picked up a broom and began to take revenge. They immediately informed the padishah that some poor man had come to woo his daughter.
“What?” cried the padishah. “How dare he?!” Hang him for such insolence! The old man was grabbed, and he shouted:
- Tell the padishah that my son will give whatever he wants for his daughter! Seeing that trouble had happened to the owner, the dog howled pitifully and quickly rushed to the young man.
The son took out the bird, took it out of the cotton wool, put it in his palm and said: “Bring your father home now!”
The bird spread its wings and sparkled dazzlingly. When the executioners threw a noose around the old man's neck, he suddenly disappeared and instantly found himself at home.
“You see, son, how to woo the padishah’s daughter?” said the father.
“Don’t be afraid, father, and tomorrow go again to woo the padishah’s daughter,” said the son.
The next day, the padishah's servants saw that the same poor man was again sweeping at the doors of the palace.
“Burn him at the stake!” said the padishah when he was informed about the poor man’s second matchmaking.
“Tell the padishah that my son can give whatever he wants for his daughter!” the father shouted, but they did not listen to him and dragged him to the place of execution.
While they were carrying wood for the fire, the dog rushed home to tell his son about the misfortune.
They had already put my father on a pile of wood and started setting it on fire from all sides, but he suddenly disappeared and instantly found himself at home.
“Nothing will come of it, son, if you give up the padishah’s daughter,” said the father.
“We’ll try a third time,” said the son. “Tomorrow, father, you will woo the padishah’s daughter again.”
When on the third day they reported to the padishah that the same poor man was sweeping at the doors of the palace and wanted to woo the padishah’s daughter, the padishah exclaimed:
- What kind of person is this, whom even death does not take? Bring him to me!
Bowing to the padishah, the old man said:
“My son wants to woo your daughter, he can give her any kind of bride price you want.”
“What can the son of a simple farmer give for my daughter?” the padishah exclaimed contemptuously.
“Sir,” the Wazir whispered in his ear, “demand from him what he never dreamed of, then he will no longer dare to appear here.”
And the padishah demanded:
“Let your son build a fortress on the river, and in the fortress a golden palace.” Let there be a garden near the palace, and let all the trees in the garden be golden. In the middle of the garden there should be a house made of pure gold, and goldfish should swim in it. My daughter will live in this palace. And let your son bring me a caravan of expensive gifts.
The old man at home said to his son:
“The padishah agreed to marry his daughter to you, but he demanded such a bride price that no one even dreamed of.”
And he said what the padishah demanded.
In the evening, the son took out a golden bird from the cotton wool, placed it on his palm and asked him to do what the padishah demanded.
The next morning the city residents woke up and saw: in the middle of the river there was an island, on the island there was a fortress, and in it a wonderful golden palace with high towers.
They told the padishah about such a miracle. The padishah went out to see the beautiful palace, and at the gate he met an old man and his son. They brought a caravan with expensive gifts.
“Your wish is fulfilled,” said the old man’s son to the padishah, “now you must give your daughter to me as a wife.”
The padishah had to marry his daughter to the son of a poor man.
After the wedding, the daughter of the padishah and her husband began to live in a golden palace on an island in the middle of the river.
But the wazir, who wanted to marry his son to the padishah’s daughter, harbored a grudge against the poor man’s son. He guessed that someone was helping him and decided to reveal his secret at all costs.
He bribed an old maid who had been serving the padishah’s daughter for a long time, and told her:
“Try to find out who is helping the padishah’s son-in-law, and I will give you whatever you want.” And when my son becomes the son-in-law of the padishah, he will make you the head of all the palace servants.
The old woman tried her best to please the daughter of the padishah and soon managed to earn her favor.
One day, as if by chance, the old woman started a conversation with the daughter of the padishah about a wonderful palace, a luxurious garden with golden trees and a golden pool with goldfish.
“Tell me, where does your husband get such miracles?” asked the old woman.
“I don’t know myself,” answered the padishah’s daughter.
“What kind of wife are you if you don’t know anything about your husband’s affairs!” Or does he not trust you?” the old woman grumbled. The words of the insidious old woman aroused the curiosity of the padishah’s daughter. That same day she asked her husband where he got such wealth.
- Why do you need to know this? “Don’t ever ask me about this,” her husband told her. The daughter of the padishah frowned. When lunch hour arrived, she posted on
She placed a dish of pilaf from the cauldron in front of her husband, but did not eat it herself, she went away and sat down far from him. No matter how much her husband called her, she did not want to have dinner with him and stopped even talking.
Her husband became angry with her for being stubborn and began to scold her. Then she cried and said:
“What kind of husband are you if you keep secrets from your wife?”
He thought: “Of course, a husband should not have secrets from his wife,” he went to his bed and took out a golden bird wrapped in seven layers of cotton wool. He unfolded it, put it in his palm and said:
- Give my wife a box with necklaces, rings and bracelets.
And before the daughter of the padishah had time to wipe the tears from her eyes, a golden bird in the palm of her husband flapped its wings and sparkled dazzlingly - and instantly a box appeared in front of them, and in it were pearl and coral necklaces, gold and turquoise bracelets, rings with precious stones.
“Well, are you happy with me now?” asked the husband. He carefully wrapped the bird in seven layers of cotton wool and hid it under his headboard.
The next day, the poor man's son called his favorites - a cat and a dog - and went hunting with them. And the daughter of the padishah ordered to call the old woman to her and boasted of a magical golden bird.
The old woman shook her head and said:
- This means that all his strength lies in this bird, and he himself is a simple man and does not deserve the love of the padishah’s daughter. It would be better for you to marry the Wazir's son. The Wazir's son is no match for your man; he is noble and handsome and has loved you for a long time.
The old woman whispered for a long time to the padishah’s daughter about the wazir’s son and finally brought him under a burqa to the golden palace.
The Wazir's son liked the padishah's daughter. She took out a golden bird wrapped in cotton wool and gave it to the wazir's son. He put the bird in his palm and said:
- Move this entire island - with the fortress, with the garden, with the golden palace and everything that is in it - far to another river, three years' journey from here.
The bird flapped its wings and sparkled dazzlingly.
In the evening, the padishah's son-in-law returned from hunting. He looks - there is no fortress, no palace, not even an island on the river! He remembered that the day before he had revealed his secret to his wife, and realized that someone had taken possession of his magic bird.
Then he put the cat in his bosom, sat on his huge red dog and said:
- Well, fleet-footed one, rush, look for the fortress with the golden palace! The dog ran like the wind.
After a few hours of travel, the poor man's son saw shining golden domes, and then a fortress in the middle of the river became visible.
He stopped with his animals opposite the fortress on the river bank and said to the cat:
- Well, weasel, now it’s up to you. Get on the dog and swim to the fortress. You, cat, get into the palace. Find a golden bird wrapped in cotton wool at my head, take it in your teeth, hide somewhere and wait for the dog to come back for me and take me to the island.
The cat and dog carried out the instructions of their owner. When he entered the fortress, the first thing he saw was his father.
“Finally, I’ve waited for you!” the father rejoiced. “The wazir’s son has now become the master here, and the padishah’s daughter is his wife.” Evil old woman, eldest over everyone
servants, kicked me out of the palace, pushes me around, forces me to do
the most menial work.
The son hugged his father and told him what happened to him. And the cat with the bird in its teeth was already rubbing against his legs.
“Oh, you are my faithful friends!” exclaimed the poor man’s son, stroking the dog and cat and hiding the golden bird in his bosom.
- Yes, son, it’s good that you thought of asking the golden bird for fast running for the dog, and vigilance for the cat, otherwise we would never see each other again! - said the father to his son.
The poor man's son entered the palace and shouted loudly so that the daughter of the padishah would now
she left the palace.
And as soon as she, the wazir’s son and the treacherous old woman left the gates of the fortress, the poor man’s son took a golden bird from his bosom and put it in his palm
and said:
- Move my fortress with the palace and garden from this island to my homeland. The bird flapped its wings, sparkled dazzlingly, and at that same moment the entire fortress with a golden palace and garden found itself in a distant village - on the site of the poor man’s old dwelling.
And the daughter of the padishah with the son of the wazir and the evil old woman were left alone on an empty island in the middle of the river, and no one knows what became of them.
The padishah sent messengers to look for his daughter and the wazir's son, but the messengers have not returned yet.
The son of a poor man, on the advice of his father, soon married a poor girl from the village. She was his kind and faithful wife and always took care of the golden bird, which was kept in seven layers of cotton wool under the head of the bed.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru