Once upon a time there was an old man and an old woman, and they had a daughter. When the daughter grew up, the old man and the old woman began to think: what kind of groom should she find?
“I’ll marry her to the most powerful man in the world,” said the old man.
And so, to find the strongest, the old man set off on a journey. He somehow had to walk on the ice. The ice was slippery, the old man slipped and fell.
The old man got angry and said:
- Eh, ice, you seem to be very strong! Otherwise you wouldn’t have been able to knock me down so quickly. Be my daughter's fiance!
Ice says in response:
“If I were strong, I wouldn’t melt in the sun.” Then the old man went to the sun and said:
- Oh the sun! You make the ice melt. Therefore, you are stronger than him - be my daughter’s fiancé! The sun answers:
- If I were strong, the cloud could not cover me.
Then the old man went to the cloud.
- Cloud! Cloud! You even block the sun, be my daughter's fiancé!
Cloud answers:
“If I were strong, the rain wouldn’t pierce right through me.”
The old man went to the rain and said:
- Oh rain! You are obviously very strong, you can even break through a cloud. Be my daughter's fiance!
Rain says in response:
“If I were strong, the earth wouldn’t drink me up to a drop.”
Then the old man sank to the ground and addressed her:
- Oh earth! You are the strongest: you even drink the rain down to the drop. Be my daughter's fiance!
And the earth says:
“If I were strong, the grass wouldn’t get through me.”
Then the old man went to the grass and said to her:
- Weed! You make your way even through the ground, which means you are very strong. Be my daughter's fiance!
The grass answers:
“If I were strong, the bull wouldn’t eat me.” The old man went to the bull:
- Hey, bull, you are, after all, very strong - you even eat grass. Be my daughter's fiance!
The bull answers:
“If I were strong, the knife wouldn’t stab me.” The old man went to the knife:
- Knife! You even stab a bull. This means you are the strongest. Be my daughter's fiance!
The knife says in response:
“If I were strong, the man wouldn’t twist me the way he wanted.” No, I'm not strong.
“The man, it turns out, is stronger than everyone else,” the old man said then and married his daughter to the man who was stronger than everyone else.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru