There were two people living there. They had a pot, they had lobio, but there was no salt. One said to the other: “We can’t cook lobio like that.” Go to town, buy one and a half handfuls of salt. - If I forget, how can I remember? - says another. - And you go and repeat: “One and a half handfuls, one and a half handfuls” - you won’t forget. The man went into town to buy salt.
He walks and sees that the peasant has plowed the field, sows it and says: “A thousand to one, a thousand to one.” And he goes and shouts: “One and a half handfuls, one and a half handfuls.” The plowman got angry: “I ask for one thousand grains to grow, but you say: one and a half handfuls!” He grabbed him and beat him thoroughly. He beat me, took my soul away and let me go. He asks: “Why did you beat me?” “Because I sow, and you say: one and a half handfuls.” “So what should I say?” “A thousand to one, a thousand to one” - I wouldn’t have beaten you, I would have thanked you. This salt buyer moved on. He walks through one village, they carry a dead man towards him, and he goes and shouts: “A thousand for one, a thousand for one!”
The relatives of the deceased grabbed him and started beating him, beat him well, took his soul away, let him go. “Why did you beat me?” “For what you say - a thousand for one.” “What should I have said?” “And you would have come up, taken off your hat and said: “Let this misfortune be the first and the last in your family” - we would have thanked you and seen off with honor.
This “One and a half handful” went further, met the wedding train on the way, took off his hat and began to say: “Let this misfortune be the first and last in your family!” They grabbed it, laid it out, and whatever was wide in it was turned into length. They took their souls and let them go.
The poor “One and a half handful” walked away a little and asked: “Why did you beat me?” What have I done to you? They taught me that way, but what should I have said? - I should have come up, taken off my hat and shouted: “Long live the wedding train, long live the wedding train!”
“A handful and a half” trudged further, all beaten up, barely dragging his feet. He walks and thinks about what to do, what to say if he meets someone else. He goes and sees that the hunter has crept up to the pigeons and has already cocked the trigger, about to shoot. He tore off our “One and a Half Handful” hat, rushed to the hunter and let’s shout: “Long live!” Long live!” The pigeons fluttered and flew away.
The hunter jumped up, gnashed his teeth, rushed at poor “One and a Half Handfuls” and started beating him on the back with the butt. He beat him and beat him, almost knocking out his soul. And he is already barely alive, he only asks: “Why did you beat me, how should I have said or acted?” The hunter said: “If you wouldn’t have made a voice, you would have bent down, hid, crawled quietly, would not have scared away the pigeons - and I wouldn’t have touched you.” The unfortunate “One and a half handfuls” trudged on.
Four people have lost a wallet with money and are walking and searching all over the earth. He saw them “A handful and a half”, bent down, hid and crawled along the fence. They noticed him, ran up, grabbed him. “Oh, you scoundrel, you found the money, and now you’re hiding, you want to run away?!” - and let’s beat the poor guy. They beat him, beat him, and beat him so much that he couldn’t even drag his feet home.
Pestilence is there, feast is here, Elimination is there, torment is here.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru