Whether it happened or not, there lived one very rich merchant. He had two children - a daughter and a son. Both daughter and son studied. The daughter studied in the same city where the merchant himself lived, and the son in another. This merchant had a close friend, a holy father, a monk. The merchant loved this monk so much that he would not drink even a sip of water without him. One day a merchant was going to trade in another city, but there was no one to leave the house with. Only one daughter, and she has blossomed so much that you can’t leave her alone. The merchant called his monk friend and said: “I don’t know what to do.” I need to go to trade in such and such a city, but who will I leave my daughter and all my wealth to? I’m sitting here with my hands and feet tied, I can’t sell or buy anything.
And the monk says: “What am I for?” Don't you know - "brother to brother - in difficult times." What kind of friend and brother am I to you if I can’t look after your house and your family until you return.
The merchant's heart was relieved, he hugged the monk and said: “You are my angel-savior.” He handed over all his wealth and his beautiful daughter to him and set off on the road with a light heart. He forgot all his worries and grief, thinking that he was leaving a friend in the house.
Time has passed. The monk took up all his friend’s affairs very zealously. But most of all he cared about his daughter. He didn’t let her go anywhere, he doesn’t even let her study, he sits with her all day long, teaching her himself.
And the girl is in her prime, there is nothing more beautiful than her in the world. She is so beautiful, so beautiful that the devil himself would break his neck because of her.
The monk lost his head, it came to such a point that he directly told her: “I love you, there is no more urine.” Whether you like it or not, you must become mine. Only all his requests, and entreaties, and antics are in vain. And the girl doesn’t look at him, and doesn’t say a kind word in response, she just frowns, lowers her eyes and is silent. Only a monk works for nothing. He realized that caresses and requests would not achieve anything, and began to threaten: “Don’t you want it?” Okay, I’ll set your father and brother against you—you know how much they trust me. Look, you'll get into trouble.
For a long time the poor girl held on and strengthened herself, but the monk intimidated and hounded her so much that she said to him, as if she no longer dared to refuse: “Come on such and such a day, to such and such a place where there is a bathhouse, and I will agree to everything there.”
That Easter has come for the monk. The monk dressed up on the appointed day and rushed to that bathhouse. The girl also came, called the bathhouse attendant, whispered to him and rang the gold for him. The bathhouse attendant gave her a red-hot spit and let her into the bathhouse. As soon as she entered, the monk shouted with joy. The girl also shouted to the monk: “It’s the devil who has taken possession of you, wait, now I’ll brand you with a cross.” The skin on the monk's chest hissed, and the girl, like lightning, flew out of the bathhouse.
Time passed, and the monk was still burning with resentment towards the girl who had treated him so cruelly. He wrote a letter to his friend: “All my worries and efforts were in vain, your daughter has forgotten both shame and reason. She completely died. Go back and take care of your daughter yourself. She can no longer be saved from shame, but at least save her wealth, otherwise she will give it all to her lovers.”
The merchant received this letter and grabbed his head. The merchant tears out his hair, mourns his fate, mourns his beloved but lost daughter, his ruined family. There is no end to my grief.
As soon as the merchant was on his feet, he did not sit down, he went to the city where his son lived and studied. He came, called him and said: “Are you my son?” “That’s what my mother taught me.” “Do you value my fatherhood?” “I will prove it in practice.” “So go and punish the one who disgraced my family, slandered my name, kill her!” He said and gave him the monk’s letter.
Both father and son trusted the monk. It never occurred to any of them that this holy father could slander the poor girl like that.
When the son read the monk’s letter, he almost went crazy, almost chewed himself out. “Give me a knife, with my own hand I will destroy the sister who has disgraced us.” His father gave him a dagger and sent him home to deal with his sister. The father does not dare to stain his hands with his daughter’s blood, but he also does not want to leave her alive so that his depraved daughter does not disgrace him in front of the whole world.
My son arrived home at night. Approached the house. - Open the doors. - Who's there? - asks the sister. - Me. - Who are you? - Yes, I am, I am! - Am I not a monk? - Hmm! — the brother gnashed his teeth. “I completely forgot the shame.” Yes, I am your brother, open up!
In the blink of an eye, the girl jumped up, rushed to the door and was just about to throw herself on her brother’s neck when he put a naked dagger to her sister’s heart. The sister shouted: “Oh brother, don’t stain your hands with the blood of your sister!” Then the brother restrained himself and only said to her: “Okay, get dressed and follow me, just make sure you don’t say a word to me.” She went. They walked and walked and crossed nine mountains.
The brother brought his sister to the tenth mountain and left her there.
The girl was left alone. There’s not a soul around, there’s nowhere to expect pity. He sits and cries, bursts into tears. In the mountains there are visible and invisible beasts of prey. The poor thing is afraid, crying, but the animals took pity on her and did not touch her, so they walked past.
She entered a cave and settled there. Her blanket was wild grapes, and her bedding was green moss. A week passed, a month passed, a year passed.
A girl drinks from a waterfall and eats forest fruits. The poor thing has gone wild, she walks around disheveled and ragged, but she has become even more beautiful and blossomed than before.
One day there was a cry, noise, and barking of dogs in these mountains. And this son of the king of those places went hunting with all his servants. They tore up all the mountains, shooting, beating animals. The king's son saw a girl in a cave, saw and lost his heart. He had never seen anything more beautiful than her.
The king’s son stopped and said: “Tell me, who are you, where are you from, are you a man or a miracle?” “I am a mere mortal, I myself don’t know why they expelled me from home and left me in these parts.” People betrayed me, but the animals spared me and did not eat me, they saved my life. - Who is the cruel one, who is the blind one, who betrayed you and left you here alone? - My own brother.
They talked, and the girl told him everything. The king’s son looks at her and loses his mind more and more. “I want to be your friend.” Do you want to become my wife and queen in my kingdom? “Don’t laugh at me,” said the girl. “How did I deserve such happiness, if I didn’t even deserve the love of my brother and father?” “I swear by heaven and earth that I will never leave you, I will never betray you, and every joy without you will be grief for me.” “Don’t... I am the daughter of a simple merchant, you are the son and heir of the king.” “Whoever you are, from now on you are mine, and I will not give you up to anyone while I am alive.”
Were more oaths necessary? And without an oath, the poor girl was glad to trust his royal word, to trust his love and care. And who else could she go to and ask for protection? The prince took her home.
The king and queen were delighted with her beauty and did not even ask who she was or where she was from; celebrated the wedding. The young daughter-in-law gave birth to a son and a daughter.
She only grieves and yearns. She will have no peace until she remembers that the monk slandered and disgraced her in front of her father and brother. She wants to see her family. Her love for them burns with fire.
One day she knelt before her husband and asked: “Let me go home.” Let me dress up as a man and visit my father and brother like that.
Her husband let her go and also praised her for it. No sooner said than done. She changed her clothes and went to her homeland, and said to her husband: “I ask you, take your son and daughter and bring them there, to me, on such and such a day.” Whether she walked a lot or a little, she only came, disguised as a man, to the city where her father and brother were. She walked through the city, came to her father’s house and stood at the door. The father did not recognize his daughter in disguise. The brother didn’t recognize his sister either. “Would you like a clerk?” - says the daughter. - Take me, I’m not chasing pay. “I already have a lot of clerks,” says the merchant. “No, I’m still missing one,” says the son, “let’s take him; it’s clear from his face that he’s an honest man.” They took her as a clerk.
So she tied her brother to her with a good disposition and honest work, and most of all with all sorts of fairy tales that you can’t spill a brother and a sister-clerk with water. One day, in his free time, the clerk asked his brother: “Why are you all dressed in black, both father and son?” Her brother told her: “I had a sister...” He tells the story and cries, bursting into tears. She cried with him too.
The father came up, heard what they were talking about, and also became sad. They told everything, grieved, and decided that it was time to end the mourning for both the father for his dead daughter and the brother for his murdered sister. We decided to schedule a holiday for tomorrow and end the mourning period.
Tomorrow the prince was supposed to arrive with his son and daughter. Great fun began in the merchant's house. They invited everyone: big and small, rich and poor, and they also invited the best friend of the house - that monk.
In the midst of the fun, the guests began to tell all sorts of fairy tales, stories, fables and fables. They all say: everyone wants to distinguish themselves. Then the merchant’s son stood up and said: “We have one clerk, no one tells fairy tales like him.” Everyone began to ask this clerk to tell some kind of heartfelt tale. “I would tell you a very good tale, but I’m afraid you’ll interfere with me, you won’t let me finish it, I don’t want to bother you or myself in vain.” “No, we won’t interfere, we won’t interfere!” - everyone shouted. “So if anyone tries to stop me, at the first attempt let him take off his hat and boots, at the second he must remain in his underwear, and at the third he must take off his shirt.” If you promise to do all this, I’ll tell you, but if you don’t, I won’t tell you anything.
They swore to him that they would do everything as he asked, and this clerk began: “There was one rich merchant.” He had two children - a daughter and a son. This merchant had trade in different countries, and one day he had to travel far. He then called his best friend - his spiritual father - and instructed him to look after both his daughter and his wealth. - Not true! - the monk suddenly shouted with all his might. - Take off the monk’s cowl and boots! - she says. They fulfilled everything as promised. — The monk began to pester the girl in order to seduce and corrupt her. — Lies, lies! - the monk roared like a bull about to be slaughtered. - Take off his cassock and the rest of his dress. The guests rushed to the monk and undressed him, as they had promised. “He drove the poor girl to such an extent that he forced her to go to the bathhouse in order to...” “Lies, lies!” - the monk roared, and he himself went completely cold. - Oh, a lie? So take off his shirt and see how she branded him! See if he has a mark on his chest.
They took off their shirt and everyone was amazed to see the mark of a cross on the monk’s chest. There was a noise, a cry, they didn’t know what to do, what to think. The father cries: “Oh, my daughter, my poor daughter!” I destroyed an innocent, they stabbed, killed her. And the brother is killed: “Woe is me, why was I born into this world, I abandoned my own sister, innocent, pure, in the wild mountains, gave it to wild animals to be devoured!” “No, no, don’t cry, don’t be killed!” - says the clerk. - Wait, now there will be a miracle!
She threw off her man's dress and said: “What, do you recognize me?”
The father recognized his daughter, and the brother recognized his sister. And just as they want to rush to her, hug the wonderful storyteller, the doors opened and the prince, her husband, appeared with two wonderful children - a son and a daughter.
Everyone recognized each other, hugged and kissed. There is no end to their joy and caresses. And the monk was thrown into a dark basement, among dirty reptiles and snakes.
Pestilence is there, feast is here, Elimination is there, torment is here.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru