Morozko

• Ball der Tiere ≅ The Animals Ball
• Marya Morevna ≅ Марья Моревна
• Morozko ≅ Морозко
• Riaba the Hen ≅ Курочка ряба
• The Frog-Queen ≅ Царевна-лягушка
• The Giant Turnip ≅ Репка
• The Hen and the Golden Eggs ≅ Ὄρνις χρυσοτόκος
• The Magic Swan-Geese ≅ Гуси-лебеди
• Vasilisa the Beauty ≅ Василиса Прекрасная

There was once a stepmother who, besides her stepdaughter, had a daughter of her own. Whatever her own daughter might do, she looked kindly at her and said, “Sensible darling!” but as for the stepdaughter, whatever she might do to please, it was always taken amiss. Everything she did was wrong, and not as it should be.

Yet, sooth to say, the little stepdaughter was as good as gold; in good hands she would have swum in cheese and butter but, living with her stepmother, she bathed herself every day in tears. What was she to do? A blast does not blow forever, but a scolding old woman isn't so easy to avoid. She will take anything into her head, even to combing one's teeth, and the stepmother took it into her head to drive her stepdaughter from the house.
“Take her, take her away, my old man, whithersoever you like, that mine eyes may not see her, that my ears may not hear of her; but don't take her to my own daughter in the warm room, but take her into the bare fields to the bitter, biting frost.”

The old man began to lament and weep, but for all that he put his daughter in the sledge; he would have liked to cover her with the horse-cloth, but even that he dared not do, so he took the homeless one into the bare fields, threw her on a heap of snow, crossed himself, and hastened home as fast as possible, that his eyes might not see his daughter's death. There the poor little thing remained on the fringe of the forest; sat down under a fir-tree, shivered, and softly said her prayers. All at once she heard something.

Morozko was crackling in a fir-tree not far off, and he leapt from fir to fir and snapped his fingers and look! He came to that fir beneath which the girl was sitting; and he snapped his fingers, and leapt up and down, and looked at the pretty girl. “Maiden, maiden, this is I–Morozruby- nose!” - “Welcome, Moroz! God must have sent thee to my poor sinful soul.” - “Art thou warm, maiden?” - “Warm, warm, dear little father Morozushko!”
Moroz began to descend lower, and crackle still more, and snap his fingers more than ever, and again he began speaking to the girl. “Art thou warm, maiden? Art thou warm, beauty?”

The girl was scarce able to draw her breath, and yet she kept on saying, “Yes, warm, Morozushko; warm, little father!” Morozko crackled more than ever, and snapped his fingers harder and yet harder, and he said to the maiden for the last time,”

Art thou warm, maiden? Art thou warm, beauty? Art thou warm, sweet clover?” The girl was all benumbed, and it was only in a voice scarcely audible that she could say, “Oh, yes! Warm my darling little pigeon, Morozushko!” Morozko quite loved her for her pretty speeches. He had compassion on the girl; he wrapped her in furs, warmed her with warm coverings, and brought her a coffer, high and heavy, full of bridal garments, and gave her a robe all garnished with gold and silver. She put it on, and oh, how beautiful and stately she looked! And she sat down and began to sing songs.

The stepmother was preparing her funeral feast and frying pancakes. “Be off, husband, and bury your daughter!” she cried, and off the old man went, but the little dog under the table said, “Bow-wow! The old man's daughter is going about in silver and gold, but the old woman's daughter no wooers will look at.” - “Silence, you fool! Here's a pancake for you, and now say the wooers will take the old woman's daughter, but there's nothing left of the old man's daughter but her bones.” The little dog ate the pancake, but again he said, “Bow-wow! The old man's daughter goes about in silver and gold, but the old woman's daughter no wooers will look at.” The old woman kept beating the dog and giving him pancakes, but the little dog would have his way, and said, “The old man's daughter goes about in silver and gold, but the old woman's daughter no wooers will look at.”

The floors creaked, the doors flew open wide, and in they brought the high and heavy coffer, and behind it walked the stepdaughter, in gold and silver, glittering like the sun. The stepmother looked at her, and threw up her arms. “Old man, old man! Put to a pair of horses, and take my daughter at once.” “Put her in the same field, in the same place.” and the old man took the daughter to the same place.
 
And Moroz-ruby-nose came and looked at his guest, and began to ask her, “Art thou warm, maiden?” - “Be off with you!” replied the old woman's daughter,” or are you blind not to see that my arms and legs are quite benumbed with cold.” Morozko began skipping and jumping, fair words were not to be expected from that quarter and he was angry with the stepdaughter, and froze her to death.”

“Old man, old man! Go and fetch my daughter. Put to my swift horses, and don't overturn the sledge and upset the coffer,” but the little dog under the table said, “Bow-wow! The wooers will wed the old man's daughter, but they'll bring home nothing of the old woman's daughter but a sack of bones.” - “Don't lie! Here's a cake. Take it and say, “They’ll carry about the old woman's daughter in gold and silver!” and the doors flew open, the nasty old woman ran out to meet her daughter, and instead of her, she embraced a cold corpse. She began to howl and cry; she knew then that she had lost her wicked and envious daughter.

Жили-были дед и баба. У деда была дочка и у бабы была дочка. Все знают, как за мачехой жить: перевернешься - бита и недовернешься - бита. А родная дочь, что ни сделает - за все гладят по головке: умница.

Падчерица и скотину поила-кормила, дрова и воду в избу носила, печь топила, избу мела - еще до свету... Ничем старухе не угодишь - все не так, все худо. Ветер хоть пошумит, да затихнет, а старая баба расходится - не скоро уймется. Вот мачеха и придумала падчерицу со свету сжить.
- Вези, вези ее, старик, - говорит мужу, - куда хочешь, чтобы мои глаза ее не видали! Вези ее в лес, на трескучий мороз.

Старик затужил, заплакал, однако делать нечего, бабы не переспоришь. Запряг лошадь:
- Садись, мила дочь, в сани.
Повез бездомную в лес, свалил в сугроб под большую ель и уехал.

Девушка сидит под елью, дрожит, озноб ее пробирает. Вдруг слышит - невдалеке Морозко по елкам потрескивает, с елки на елку поскакивает, пощелкивает. Очутился на той ели, под которой девица сидит, и сверху ее спрашивает:
- Тепло ли тебе, девица?
Она чуть дух переводит:
- Тепло, Морозушко, тепло, батюшка.
Морозко стал ниже спускаться, сильнее потрескивает, пощелкивает:
- Тепло ли тебе, девица? Тепло ли тебе, красная?
Она чуть дух переводит:
- Тепло, Морозушко, тепло, батюшка.
Морозко еще ниже спустился, пуще затрещал, сильнее защелкал:
- Тепло ли тебе, девица? Тепло ли тебе, красная? Тепло ли тебе, лапушка?
Девица окостеневать стала, чуть-чуть языком шевелит:
- Ой, тепло, голубчик Морозушко!
Тут Морозко сжалился над девицей; окутал ее теплыми шубами, отогрел пуховыми одеялами.

А мачеха по ней поминки справляет, печет блины и кричит мужу:
- Ступай, старый хрыч, вези свою дочь хоронить!
Поехал старик в лес, доезжает до того места, - под большою елью сидит его дочь, веселая, румяная, в собольей шубе, вся в золоте-серебре, а около - короб с богатыми подарками. Старик обрадовался, положил все добро в сани, посадил дочь, повез домой.

А дома старуха печет блины, а собачка под столом:
- Тяф, тяф! Старикову дочь в злате, в серебре везут, а старухину замуж не берут.
Старуха бросит ей блин:
- Не так тявкаешь! Говори: "Старухину дочь замуж берут, а стариковой дочери косточки везут..." Собака съест блин и опять:
- Тяф, тяф! Старикову дочь в злате, в серебре везут, а старухину замуж не берут.
Старуха блины ей кидала и била ее, собачка - все свое...

Вдруг заскрипели ворота, отворилась дверь, в избу идет падчерица - в злате-серебре, так и сияет. А за ней несут короб высокий, тяжелый. Старуха глянула - и руки врозь...
- Запрягай, старый хрыч, другую лошадь! Вези, вези мою дочь в лес на то же место...
Старик посадил старухину дочь в сани, повез ее в лес на то же место, вывалил в сугроб под высокой елью и уехал.

Старухина дочь сидит, зубами стучит. А Морозко по лесу потрескивает, с елки на елку поскакивает, пощелкивает, на старухину дочь поглядывает:
- Тепло ли тебе, девица?
А она ему:
- Ой, студено! Не скрипи, не трещи, Морозко...

Морозко стал ниже спускаться, пуще потрескивать, пощелкивать:
- Тепло ли тебе, девица? Тепло ли тебе, красная?
- Ой, руки, ноги отмерзли! Уйди, Морозко...

Еще ниже спустился Морозко, сильнее приударил, затрещал, защелкал:
- Тепло ли тебе, девица? Тепло ли тебе, красная?
- Ой, совсем застудил! Сгинь, пропади, проклятый Морозко!
Рассердился Морозко да так хватил, что старухина дочь окостенела.

Чуть свет старуха посылает мужа:
- Запрягай скорее, старый хрыч, поезжай за дочерью, привези ее в злате-серебре...

Старик уехал. А собачка под столом:
- Тяв, тяв! Старикову дочь женихи возьмут, а старухиной дочери в мешке косточки везут. Старуха кинула ей пирог:
- Не так тявкаешь! Скажи: "Старухину дочь в злате-серебре везут..."

А собачка - все свое:
- Тяв, тяв! Старухиной дочери в мешке косточки везут...

Заскрипели ворота, старуха кинулась встречать дочь. Рогожу отвернула, а дочь лежит в санях мертвая. Заголосила старуха, да поздно.