One king had a daughter who could not speak. She was already over twenty years old, but she had never spoken a single word. And the king promised to give her as a wife to the one who would make her speak. Noble gentlemen from all over the world gathered at his court and tried to force the girl to speak. But in vain.
Once a lady was walking through the forest and met a shepherdess with a herd of bulls and cows. She greeted the boy:
- Hello, darling! And asks him:
- Boy, have you heard the news here?
- Eh, madam, what could I find out here? All day long I’ve been grazing my cattle in the forest, I don’t see anyone here, I don’t hear any news!
- Oh, haven't you heard any news? Don't you know that the king's daughter has never spoken a word in her life?
- Why, madam, I have often heard about this.
- Well, so: you need to go there. You should see her, maybe you can make her talk.
- What are you saying, madam, where am I? These noble gentlemen, who are much more learned than me, cannot even get her to speak! No, no matter where!
- Doesn't matter! We need you to go there.
- Oh, madam! I can't leave my flock!
“Be calm, you can go there, and your cattle will not move from their place, not a single cow will get lost.” Here's a parrot and a stick. Whatever your wand touches, it will not leave you.
Well, then my fellow made up his mind. He took it and hit the road with his wand and parrot. When he had gone far, far away, night overtook him. It was completely dark. He finally found a hotel and demanded a room for himself and his parrot. And they were given a room.
And the parrot was so beautiful, beautiful, and amused the maid so much that she really wanted to take him for herself. “At night,” she thought, “the boy must be fast asleep.” And she went to his room to take the parrot. But as soon as she touched the parrot with her hand:
- Squealing stick, hit! Whoever takes it will get caught!
So the maid stuck to the parrot. So she was caught on the spot with her hands stretched out to the parrot.
In the morning the servant gets up, looks for the maid, calls and calls - no one answers. There is no maid anywhere! Nobody knows where she went. He decided to look into the shepherdess’s room. And he found a maid there with her hands stuck to the parrot.
- Come on, shameless girl, what are you doing here? And even with this young man! Is this where you belong? Why did you come here?
After all, she was completely naked, a servant: she didn’t have time to get dressed, so she was in a hurry to steal the parrot. The servant decided to give her a fight.
- Squealing stick, hit! Whoever takes it will get caught!
Well, they both got caught - the servant’s hand stuck to the maid’s butt.
And then the owner stood up. And there is no servant or maidservant. He calls them, clicks everywhere. Can't find anyone! He decided to go to the shepherdess's room. And he finds both servants at the boy’s bedside.
- Come on, what are you doing here, mischief makers? How long have I been looking for you! What are you doing here in this young man's room?
And how he kicks the servant!
- Squealing stick, hit! Whoever takes it will get caught!
Well, the master was caught - his leg was stuck to the servant's butt!
Then the hostess finally gets up, calls her husband, looks for him everywhere. He is nowhere to be seen. And she decides to go to the shepherdess’s room too. And he sees that everyone is stuck to the boy’s parrot.
- What are you doing here, what are you doing here? How long have I been looking for you, and at least someone is found!
And she grabs her husband’s hand and pulls him.
- Squealing stick, hit! Whoever takes it will get caught!
Well, the hostess got caught and stuck to her husband.
But it was already getting late. The boy got up and set off to get to the king. On the way he passed a small house. And two women lived in the house. One of them was chalking the yard, the other was preparing cheese.
The woman who was sweeping the yard came running with a broom and said:
- That's the thing! What does this mean? What kind of mischievous people are they running around here completely naked? What good is this?
And he runs with his broom, and how he swings it.
So the woman with the broom was caught and screaming, calling for help! So her friend was running after her and didn’t even have time to put the cheese back in its place. And he grabs his friend by the sleeve.
- Squealing stick, hit! Whoever takes it will get caught!
A woman with cheese in her hand is stuck to her companion, and the shepherd continues on his way with his entire retinue.
Arrives at the king's court. He asks the gatekeeper if the king’s daughter, who doesn’t say a word, lives here. They answer that it’s here and that, no matter how hard they tried and what they did, they couldn’t make her talk.
The shepherd asks to be allowed into the king's court. Before he could enter, the king's daughter appeared at the window.
“Oh, my God,” she said, “this is hilarious!” I've never seen anything funnier!
And she began to talk as if all her life she had done nothing but talk! Then everyone came out - noble gentlemen and courtiers, people came running from all sides and began to marvel.
- Well, Mister King, remember that you promised to give your daughter to the one who makes her talk!
Then all the noble gentlemen began to look at each other:
“Oh, lord king, will you really give your daughter to some unfortunate shepherd boy?”
But the king, before giving his daughter to the shepherdess, demanded something else from him - he ordered him to guard a hundred rabbits in his royal park, so that not a single one would escape.
So the boy became confused. And I went for a little walk. And I met the same lady.
“Well, boy, do you seem to have made the king’s daughter speak?” Well, that means you will get her as your wife.
- Yes, madam! But the king now demands something else from me: he has a hundred rabbits, and he tells me to guard them in the royal park.
- Well, it's not so difficult, my boy! Here's a whistle for you, and every time your rabbits scatter in different directions, all you have to do is whistle, and they will all come back, don't worry.
Well then! The shepherd boy returned to the king and said: “Release your rabbits!” And the rabbits and let's run away in all directions. They jump with all their might. He took them to the park
And the noble gentlemen began to confer among themselves:
“We need to get at least one rabbit from him so that by the evening he doesn’t bring them all home.”
Then the knight who had most desired the king's daughter said:
“I’ll go to him myself and buy a rabbit from him.”
And he went to look for the boy, approached him and said:
- Oh, boy, what beautiful rabbits you have! Sell me one.
- What are you talking about, sir! I don't sell them, they don't sell.
- Why don’t you sell it?
- I won’t sell it to you. But if you really want a rabbit, you can earn it.
- How can I deserve it?
“Sir, if you agree to have me poke you in the butt three times with an awl, you will get one of my rabbits.”
- Oh, boy, you don't want to poke me in the ass three times with an awl! Oh, really, you don't want to do that!
- Well, sir, you won't get the rabbit.
And so the knight agreed for the boy to poke him in the butt three times with an awl. But when the shepherd stuck the awl only halfway into him for the first time, he shouted:
- Oh-oh-oh!
The second time the awl went deeper.
- Oh-oh-oh! Oh, you scoundrel! Yes, it hurts me!
The third time the shepherd stabbed him with an awl up to the hilt, and the knight screamed and fell to the ground.
- Oh, you scoundrel! I'm dying, oh-oh-oh! A minute later the pain subsided.
- Well, my dear, give me a rabbit, I honestly deserve it!
The shepherd caught the rabbit, and the knight took it under his arm.
The knight left, all beaming, and... even though he had a hard time getting this rabbit, he said to himself:
Well, now it’s clear that the shepherd will be missing one tonight.”
But when he had gone far, a whistle was heard, the rabbit escaped from his hands and returned to his herd.
And the knight came back completely confused and kept repeating:
“I was already carrying the rabbit here, but suddenly it broke free and ran away!”
“Ah,” said the princess, “he escaped you!” My God! Well, I'll go there myself.
And she put on an apron made of rough canvas.
- He won’t run away from here!
So she went to the park to look for the little shepherd and, seeing him, shouted:
- Hello, boy!
- Hello, princess!
- Well, your rabbits are beautiful, boy!
- What can I say, princess!
-Will you sell me one?
- Well, no, princess, I don’t sell them, but you can earn them!
- How can you earn them?
“If you agree for me to kiss you three times here in the park, you will get one of my rabbits.”
- Oh, you wretch, do you want to kiss me? You?
- Well, princess! If you don't want it, you won't get my rabbits.
And so the princess allowed herself to be kissed three times, just to get at least one rabbit.
The shepherd caught the rabbit and handed it to her; she put it in her apron and clutched it tightly. Oh, she was sure she held him tightly, and she squeezed him tighter and tighter in her apron!
When she was already far away, a whistle was heard. The rabbit tore his apron and returned to his herd.
So they led our princess out, just like before the knight. And she returned completely confused and kept repeating:
“But I held him so tightly!” Look, he tore my apron!
Then her father, the king, saw this and shouted:
- What a misfortune! My God, you can't hold the rabbit! You can't hold the rabbit! I myself will go after him on my horse. And I will fasten him to the saddle so much that he will lose the desire to run away.
And the king galloped into the park to the shepherd, and caught up with him:
- Well, hello, boy!
- Hello, Mister King!
- Well, your rabbits are beautiful! Well, rabbits! Would you sell me one?
- Oh no, Mister King, I don’t sell them, but you can earn them from me.
- How can I earn them from you?
“Mr. King, if you deign to kiss your horse’s tail three times, you will receive one of my rabbits.”
- Oh, you scoundrel! Do you want me to kiss my horse's tail three times? Ah, wretch!
- Well, Mr. King! You won't get a rabbit!
And so His Majesty the King decides to kiss his horse’s tail three times.
Then the shepherd caught the rabbit and gave it to the king, and he tied it to his saddle, turned it, twisted it and squeezed it so hard that the rabbit’s guts almost came out. And he said, jumping on his horse:
- This one won’t leave me!
When he had already driven far, the shepherd whistled on his whistle! The rabbit broke the straps, broke free and returned to his herd.
And His Majesty the King returned to his palace beside himself with annoyance:
- Oh, he ran away from me too! He broke all the straps, broke free and ran away. All the same, this will be missed tonight: his guts are already spilling out.
So evening came, and the little shepherd brought in his rabbits. When he appeared before the king, the courtiers began to count and recount the rabbits, to see if they were all safe. And the rabbits are all right there, you can’t say anything!
The courtiers began to look at each other.
- Oh, Mister King, will you really give your daughter to some unfortunate shepherd? This can't be true! You can't decide on this. Demand first that he fill three bags to the top with truth.
How can we be here? The shepherd boy was very puzzled by this order. He went for a walk and met that same lady.
- How are you, boy? Perhaps you brought all the rabbits home?
- Oh yes, madam!
- Well, is the king giving you his daughter now?
- Oh no, madam! He wants me to fill three bags to the top with the truth first.
“So, my boy, you can do this.” It's not difficult. You only have to ask for three bags, and there will be truth in all three of them to the top.
Then the shepherd appeared in front of the king and his entourage.
- Well, how about it? Are you going to fill three bags with truth to the top?
- Yes, sir, give me three bags!
He demanded three bags, three simple bags. He placed two near him, and kept the third open.
- Look, there’s a gentleman standing here; he came to my park to buy one of my rabbits. I told him that I was not selling them, but that they could be earned. And he let me poke him in the butt with an awl three times just to get one of my rabbits. Get into my bag - one is already full.
Look, the princess is standing here; she came to my park to buy one of my rabbits. And I told her that I was not selling them, but that they could be earned. And she let me kiss her parka three times to get one of my rabbits. Get into the bag - two are already full!
Well, then the shepherd boy looked at His Majesty the King.
- And here is His Majesty the King; he came to my park to buy one of my rabbits. And I told him that I'm not selling them, but you can earn them. He kissed three times...
- Oh, shut up! You will get a princess. Shut up, shut up! You will receive it.
And the shepherd boy took the king's daughter as his wife.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru