They say that in ancient times there lived a young king. Next door to him lived a poor peasant. This peasant worked for the king from morning to night and earned one spoonful of flour. This is how he lived with his old woman and only daughter.
So the young king called him and said: “Well, poor peasant, you have lived your life, and I want to know what kind of mind you are!” Guess the riddle: what is sweetest? You'll tell me in the morning! If you don’t guess, I’ll cut off your head!
The poor peasant thought and thought and couldn’t guess. He never tried sweet food. What the king gave him seemed sweet. He came home and cried.
My daughter asks:
- Why, father, are you crying?
- Well, daughter, I’ll die tomorrow: I walked - I left my life, I lived - the end has come for me! The young king asked me a riddle! If I don’t guess it, he promises to cut off my head!
-What did you wish for?
– He asks: what is sweetest of all?
- Well, father, why are you crying? Better sleep and have a good rest! Tomorrow you will say: “I know what is sweetest! When I work for you from morning to night, cleaning out your dirt, and bring home one spoon of flour, and my old woman heats the oven in an earthen chum-golomo [25 - Chum-golomo is a conical dwelling, lined with turf.] - then my nose gets warm. In the meantime, she cooks oatmeal from flour, I’m already falling asleep without dinner. So the sweetest thing is sleep!” Does he himself know more than this?
The old man calmed down and fell asleep.
The next day the old man got up early in the morning and went to the king.
The young king asks:
- Well, did you guess it?
- Uh! Looks like I guessed it right! I just don’t know: is it right or wrong?
- Well, what’s the sweetest thing?
“When I work for you from morning to night, cleaning out your dirt, and bring home one spoonful of flour, and my old woman stokes the oven in an earthen chum-holomo, then my nose gets warm.” In the meantime, she cooks oatmeal from flour, I’m already falling asleep without dinner. So the sweetest thing is sleep!
- Yes, well? – the young king was surprised. - It turns out that you are a smart person! Why then do you live so poorly? Guess another riddle: what is the fastest thing in the world? If you don’t guess by morning, I’ll cut off your head!
The old man couldn’t think of anything, cried and went home. At home I told my daughter everything.
- Why cry over this! - says the daughter. - Lie down and sleep! In the morning you will say: “When I come out of my smoky earthen chum-holomo and, rubbing my eyes, look at the sky - I see every single star in the sky, I look at the earth - I see every single grass on the ground. But I can’t reach the end. So the fastest thing is the human gaze!” The old man fell asleep. In the morning he came to the king with a ready answer.
- Well, did you guess it? - asks the young king.
- Uh! Looks like I guessed it right! The only unknown is: is it right or wrong? When I come out of my smoky earthen chum-holomo and, having rubbed my eyes, look at the sky - I see every single star in the sky, I look at the earth - I see every blade of grass on the earth. But I can’t reach the end. So the fastest thing is the human gaze!
The young king was even more surprised:
- Yes, you, old man, turns out to be a smart person! Everything has three measures! – The king brings out and hands the old man Poroz [26 – Poroz is an unbleached domestic deer.]. - So that the porosity calves by morning! Bring him with the calf. Just don't you dare collect droppings!
The poor old man brings the poz home and cries.
- Why are you crying, father? - asks the daughter.
- Here, I conveyed the poison! He ordered him to calve by morning. How does the poros calve?
- Uh! How does poros calve? You brought free food! Kill the porosa, let's eat the meat!
The old man stabbed the wound. The meat was eaten. The daughter collected the hooves and internal bones in a bag and told her father:
“These black hooves are the mother, and the inner bones are the calves.” You will say so and, like children’s toys, you will place them on the royal table. Porosity just happens that way! Does he himself know more than this? Then he will persistently ask: “You couldn’t achieve this with your mind. If you were so smart, you wouldn’t clean up my dirt. Who advises you, tell me?!” Don’t hide it and tell him: “I have a daughter, she advises!” In the morning the old man comes to the young king.
- Well, did you guess it? - asks the king.
The old man places his hooves and internal bones on the table like children’s toys and says:
- Poroz calves just like that!
“You couldn’t achieve this with your mind, old man.” If you were so smart, you wouldn’t clean up my dirt. Who advises?
- I have a daughter. She advises!
– Your daughter is smart! - says the young king and hands the old man a bucket with a broken bottom. - Let him patch it up! If he doesn’t patch it up, I’ll cut off both their heads!
The old man brings a bucket crying:
- Well, the day of inevitable death has come! The king says: “Let the daughter patch this bucket!” If he doesn’t patch it up, I’ll cut off both their heads!”
Daughter says:
- Take it back and tell me: patching, of course, is a woman’s job, but let him, like a man, turn the bucket inside out, like a torbasa [27 - Torbasa - leather shoes.].
The old man took the bucket away and handed it over, as his daughter said. The young king released the old man and said:
- I’ll go and look at your daughter myself!
And he came, saw the girl and immediately fell in love. The next day the wedding took place.
How long they lived is unknown. But ever since the young king got married, he became like a doll: he sits and does nothing but let his wife do everything.
Then, apparently, he got tired of his wife deciding everything.
– There cannot be two kings in one country! Better let's go our separate ways! - he says.
- Let's go our separate ways! – the wife agreed.
- Take whatever you want with you!
The last night is coming. When the husband has fallen asleep, the wife takes him with the bed in her arms and carries him to her father’s earthen tent. The young king woke up in the morning, wanted to stretch, but his head and legs rested against the walls. The young king was surprised:
- Where am I? How did you end up here? - asks his wife.
“I brought you to the chum-holomo!” - the wife answers.
- Why did you bring it?
- But of course! I wanted it and brought it. He said it himself: I can take whatever I want with me!
The young king was never able to separate from his wife.
- Not so smart, it turns out! - his wife tells him. - Live as a king. And I will live as a simple housewife.
So, thanks to his daughter, the old man and the old woman, leaving their earthen tent-golomo, also began to live in a rich house.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru