Once upon a time there lived in some city a poor shoemaker. In his entire life he had not saved not only one ruble, but even two copper coins. What he earns during the day, he will eat in the evening with his wife and children.
He never went to the dukhan, but was always cheerful, he went to work - he sang songs, he returned from work - he joked. So he lived, not knowing grief and worries.
And that city was ruled by a cunning and evil king.
One day the king decided to see how his subjects lived. He put on a dress and all the signs of a market ustabashi (headman, overseer) and, when evening came, he set off to wander the streets.
He looks in the windows, listens at the door, and no matter how much he walks around, he doesn’t notice anything special: someone is counting their profits for the day, someone is mourning their losses, someone is quarreling with their wife, someone is scolding their children. Only in one house did he hear cheerful laughter and songs.
The king was surprised and decided to see what kind of people live there and why they are so happy and happy.
He knocked. They opened it for him. Invited to dinner. The food on the table is not rich, there are no guests, but the feast is going on.
The king sits at the table, eats lobio, drinks wine, and everything inside him is burning with curiosity: he is not used to seeing happy and contented people in his city.
“Forgive me for the question, genatsvale (dear),” the king finally said, “but I really want to know who you are and what you do, if even on a weekday you drink and have fun, as if on a holiday.”
“I’m a simple, poor shoemaker, sir,” answered the owner. — I have a shop at the market. If anyone passes by, I will make him boots, or soles of boots, or patch up his ankle boots (a type of shoe). I work during the day and feast with my family in the evening. Why should we wait for a holiday? All days are good.
- Well, what will you do if the shops suddenly close?
- Oh, I wouldn’t wish what will happen to me then to my enemy! “I’ll stay hungry,” said the shoemaker. - But what should we think about it? And what kind of evil person would think of closing shops?
The king sat with the shoemaker, drank, ate, and left.
And the next morning he sent his heralds to all parts of the city so that they would announce his royal will to the people. On the occasion of the holiday, the king orders all the shops in the market to be closed, so that no one dares to work when the king is resting - not a tailor, not a shoemaker, not a blacksmith, not a barber.
The people don’t understand what kind of whim came into the king’s head, they all walk around without it. business, they scold the king, but they do not dare to violate the order.
And the king, as soon as it got dark, changed his clothes again and again went to visit the shoemaker. Let’s see, he thinks, if he’s having as much fun as yesterday, if all days are good for him now!
He comes, and the shoemaker, as if nothing had happened, sits with his children and wife at the table, drinks, eats, and has fun.
“Hello, friend, please, my dear, to the table,” said the shoemaker, leading the guest away.
“You, I see, are still feasting,” said the king. - Where did you get the money? After all, all the shops are closed. Or did you disobey the king's order?
“Curse him, our king,” said the shoemaker. “Because of him, I was almost left hungry.” It’s his holiday, but they closed my shop. What to do? I went out into the street - I brought water to someone, I chopped wood to someone, I helped someone demolish things, so I earned a little, and so we have a holiday. Why are we worse than the king?
The king sat with the shoemaker, talked and left. And the next morning the royal servant came to the shoemaker and took the poor fellow to the palace.
By order of the king, they girded the shoemaker with a heavy sword and placed him at the royal doors.
“Look,” they say, “don’t leave a single step from here, and take care of your sword more than your eyes.”
The poor shoemaker stood guard all day. In the evening I came home upset. I didn't earn anything that day. Where can I get money now? How to feed a family?
- Why are you sad, my dear? - asks his wife. - Well, why are we left without dinner today? Others sit for weeks without a piece of bread, and they endure it. So can't we stand it for one day?
The shoemaker immediately cheered up at these words and, in order to occupy himself with something and not think about food, he took a stick and, humming a song under his breath, began to whittle it. He planed and planed and saw that the stick became flat on one side, like a sword.
Aha, thought the shoemaker, now I’ll do the job! I won’t go hungry because of this stupid king!
He planed the stick on both sides, sharpened one end, attached a patterned handle to the other, and he got a real sword, only a wooden one.
The shoemaker sheathed the wooden sword, and took the iron one to his neighbor, the money changer. He gave him money, and the shoemaker bought so much bread, wine, lard, and lamb that he could barely take it home.
“Take it, wife,” he says, “and thank the king for the rich dinner.”
Meanwhile, the king changed his clothes again and again came to visit the shoemaker.
Well, he thinks, there’s no reason for him to have fun today.
Only nothing happened. The shoemaker is more cheerful than before, and his feast is richer than before. The shoemaker seated the guest at the table, laughed, and told his new friend:
“You see,” he says, “today our stupid king forced me to stand guard and guard his chambers.” I stood there all day, came home, and there was no money or bread at home. So I thought: I’ll sell the royal sword and put it in a wooden scabbard. How will the king know? Come on, wife, take out my piece of wood, show our friend what kind of sword I have.
The wife brought a wooden sword.
Everyone laughed, ate their fill, drank, and the king left.
And the next morning the royal messenger came for the shoemaker again.
Again they placed the poor fellow at the royal doors. The shoemaker stands at attention, hands at his sides, a wooden sword at his side.
And the king sat down on his throne and chuckled.
Now, he thinks, there’s no way he’ll get out of my way. And in order to teach the shoemaker a lesson, the king came up with this.
He ordered his treasurer to be called, and when he arrived, the king suddenly began shouting at him and stamping his feet, as if the treasurer had really offended him.
“Traitor,” he shouts, “a thief, a swindler!” It was you who stole gold from my treasury. Yes, I will have you executed right now!
The treasurer even gaped in surprise.
- May your son not die! Come to your senses, dear king! What evil person suggested these words to you?
But the king doesn’t want to listen to anything.
“Hey,” he shouts, “call the guards here!” Let this thief's head be cut off this minute!
They brought the shoemaker to the king.
The king moved on his throne deeper under the canopy, pulled his crown down to his eyebrows, covered himself with his robe right up to his eyes so that the shoemaker would not recognize him, and said:
- Cut off this traitor's head. He stole a bag of gold from my treasury.
“Dear king,” the treasurer cries, “I swear, I am innocent.” Count your own treasury...
“And I won’t count,” says the king, “and I won’t listen to you, but I’ll execute you.” Hey guard, cut off his head!
The shoemaker can't figure out how to get out of trouble. He is not afraid for the treasurer; he knows that his head will survive. The treasurer gets hit on the neck with a wooden stick - and that’s it. But how can you save your head?
“Great, merciful king,” the shoemaker began to ask, “forgive and have mercy on this unfortunate man.” If he took anything extra, now he probably won’t even take one gold coin.
“You can’t forgive him,” the king answers. “Let everyone know what it’s like to deceive the Tsar.” I say: cut off his head, otherwise yours will fly away too.
What to do here? The shoemaker raised his eyes to the sky and said:
“Lord, if this man is not guilty, perform a miracle: turn iron into wood.” Save me from murder, save him from death.
He said so and grabbed the sword from its sheath. Everyone looks - and the sword is wooden. The king grinned.
“Well,” he says, “you can’t be outsmarted.” And even though you deceived me, I still praise you for your intelligence. “He rewarded the shoemaker with gold and silver and sent him home in peace.
“Go,” he says, “and live as you lived, and the shoemaker lived as before - cheerfully and happily.” Works during the day, feasts in the evening.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru