An old man and an old woman lived in Malaya Sosva. They had a son. Everyone living on Malaya Sosva are hunters of red and black animals. The baby grew up and began to hunt too.
One day they sat down to dinner. The old woman started a conversation:
- Old man, you and I have grown old. Our son grew up and began to hunt, walk through forests, and ride on waters. We need to find him a wife.
The old man says: ‘– There are no suitable brides here. You know it yourself. that we live on a crowded road, we have a lot of people passing below and above. When a good guest arrives, the bad daughter-in-law will not be able to cook food or stock up on drink. I think so: there is a merchant living in Sherkali, he has a daughter. We are going to marry his daughter.
“Indeed, it will be all right,” says the old woman. As they said, so they did. We went to Sherkali and wooed a merchant’s daughter. We arrived home and began to live and live.
The merchant's daughter prepares food and drinks. How long or how long have they lived like this, one day after dinner the old man says to his daughter-in-law:
“Well, my dear, merchant’s daughter, you should prepare a wooden cauldron for me.”
The merchant's daughter wondered: what kind of wooden cauldron is it, and how is it made?
The old man sat and sat and said:
- Daughter-in-law, merchant’s daughter, do you hear or not? Prepare a wooden cauldron for me.
The daughter-in-law, a merchant's daughter, says:
- How do I know how this wooden cauldron is made? The old man got angry, jumped up and said:
“I don’t need a daughter-in-law who doesn’t know how to do anything!”
And he drove away his daughter-in-law, a merchant’s daughter. The three of us began to live together again.
You never know, we lived for a long time, and one day we sat down to dinner. At dinner the old woman says:
- How long will our son continue to walk like this? We will soon be completely old, we need to find him a wife. The old man reasons:
- What's the use of taking a bad one? They took a merchant's daughter. The merchant's daughter was unable to get along. I think we need to woo the daughter of the city boyar.
We went again to Sherkali and wooed the boyar’s daughter. We arrived home and began to live and live. The boyar's daughter prepares food and supplies drink.
How long or how long did they live like this, one day after eating the old man said:
- Well, my dear, boyar’s daughter, make me a wooden cauldron.
The boyar's daughter wondered: how to make a wooden cauldron? And the old man sat and sat and said:
- Daughter-in-law, boyar’s daughter, I tell you in Khanty, make me a wooden cauldron.
- How do I know how this wooden cauldron is made? The old man jumped up and said:
“I don’t need a daughter-in-law who doesn’t know how to do anything!”
And he drove away his daughter-in-law, the boyar’s daughter. How much time has passed after this, one day the old woman says to the old man:
- Well, old man, how long will our son go without a wife? We will die, how will he live alone? The old man says:
- Eh, old woman, as you wish, now I don’t know who to take in the neighborhood... They took a merchant’s daughter, she couldn’t get along, they took a boyar’s daughter, she couldn’t stand it either.
The old woman says:
– There is no need for us to look for brides from rich places. Here, here on the shore, at the descent to the hunting barn, lives an orphan girl.
The old man answers:
- As you want, as you like.
“If they want to live their life in a good way, then they will live like that,” says the old woman.
We talked, judged, called our son.
“Son,” says the mother, “we are again planning to look for a wife for you.” We have now decided to take the local one. Would the orphan girl who lives at the entrance to the barn suit you?
“You better know what kind of orphan will get along with you.” “The mother went and persuaded the orphan girl, and the wedding was celebrated in an instant.”
They feasted and began to live and live. The orphan cooks food and stores drink. Whether they lived long or short, the old man sat down on his bunk after dinner and said:
- Well, little orphan, make me a wooden cauldron. The daughter-in-law jumped up, took a pouch and a pipe of tobacco from under the pillow, lit it and brought it to the old man.
The old man began to smoke. He smoked a pipe and said:
“Well, my dear little orphan, always be so wise, so smart.” May you and your husband never run out of food or drink.
They began to live and live. Whether they live long or short, autumn has come.
The old man says:
- Well, son, we need to prepare hunting equipment for you and me.
We spent a week or two weeks packing, preparing, and finally loaded up and set off for our adventure. They began to drag the sledges. After a long or short dragging, we finally reached the hunting hut.
They began to circle through the forests and waters; every day a black and a red beast was brought.
One day they were hunting far from the hut. The old man is tired and it’s hard for him to walk.
“Son,” says the old man, “make the long road short.” So, tired, when will we get there?
The son thought and thought and didn’t know what to do. He’ll probably beat me, he thinks and walks silently, head down.
“Son,” the old man says again, “I tell you in Khanty: make the long road short!”
- How can I know how to make a long road short?
The old man got angry and let's hit him with the staff.
- So and so, if you are so clumsy, you will disappear completely.
Muttering angrily, the old man left. The son, wincing in pain, walked to the hut. Whether they hunted for a long time or for a short time after that, autumn passed, they went home.
We came home. After a long hunt they lie down and rest. The son says to his orphan wife:
“When we hunt, my father makes me make the long road short.” I don’t know how to do this, he beats me for it.
- Oh, you were born a man and you don’t know such a trifle. It’s he who makes you sing so that the journey seems short.
Whether they lived long or short, another autumn came. We were getting ready to go to Urman again. We got ready, got ready, loaded the sleds and pulled them away. They came to the hunting hut and began to hunt: black and red animals were brought in every day.
One day we went very far. In the evening they began to return home, the old man was so tired that he could barely drag his legs.
“Well, son,” says the old man, “make the long road short!”
The son sang: the short song ends, the long one begins, the long song ends, the short one begins. So, singing, laughing and joking, the son and father did not notice how they arrived at the hut - they did not feel either tired or hungry.
We prepared food. While eating, my father says:
“This, son, is how you have to live.” Dark thoughts, gloomy thoughts will come, your step will begin to slow down, and your eyes will not see between which trees you need to pass. To get rid of gloomy thoughts, you need to cheer yourself up with a song. You start a cheerful song, you won’t notice how time passes, you won’t notice how things get done.
A good hunter always amuses himself with song.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru