Ivan Godinovich

In Kief town dwelt a great and mighty hero, Ivan Godinóvich, nephew to Prince Vladimir. Long he roamed through many infidel lands; many great hosts did he assemble, frightened Tzars and slew warriors.

Upon a certain day, courteous Prince Vladimir made a great supper, whereat sat many honorable widows. Ivan Godinóvich sat with eyes fixed upon the floor, eating nothing, drinking nothing, tasting not the white swan.

"Ho there, Ivanushka!" spoke Prince Vladimir. "Wherefore art thou sad? Is not thy seat to thy liking? Have I passed thee by with the cup of drunkenness? Hath the fool scoffed at thee, hath a black raven cawed at thee, or have the dogs barked?"

"None of these things have come to pass, Fair Sun Prince Vladimir," Ivanushka replied. "But all in Kief town are wedded: I only sit alone."

"Why then dost thou not wed likewise, Ivan Godinóvich?"

"Fain would I wed, lord, but that may not be.

Where I would take, there I am refused: and where they would give, I will not take."

Then spoke courteous Prince Vladimir: "Ho there, Ivan! Sit thou on this folding-chair, and write a letter."

So Ivan sat upon the folding-chair, and wrote a letter of wooing to Dmitry the rich merchant in Chérnigof town; and Vladimir the Prince set his hand to it. "'Tis not thou, Ivan Godinóvich, who now goest a-wooing: — 'tis I, Prince Vladimir, who woo."

Then quickly did Ivan array himself, and quickly, very, very quickly and with speed did he ride to Chérnigof town, one hundred and eighty versts by -measurement: that space Ivan compassed in two hours. When he came to the courtyard of Dmitry the Merchant, he leaped from his good steed and bound him to the oaken pillar. Then he entered the fair hall, prayed to the Saviour's picture, did reverence to Merchant Dmitry, and laid the letter upon the round table.

Guest Dmitry broke the seal, looked upon it and read it.

"Foolish Iván! Senseless Iván!" quoth he. "Thou art not the first, Ivanushka! My Avdótya is now betrothed to Tzar Koschói of a distant land. If I give her to a Tzar, she will be a Tzaritza, and all the nobles will bow before her in homage; but if I give her to thee, she will be a serf, and must sweep the cottage and clean the stable. But I have a dog in my courtyard; her will I give to thee."

Then was Ivan grieved: he seized the letter and ran forth, mounted his good steed, and hastened with what speed he might, to Kief, and told Prince Vladimir all that had passed.

When Prince Vladimir heard how Ivan had been scorned, he was grieved for Ivanushka's sake, tore the black curls from his head, and cast them upon the brick floor. "Take her not, Ivan," he said.

Then was Ivan wroth, and departed from the oaken tables, from the cloths richly patterned with drawn work; leave took he of none, but opened the doors very wide and shut them very hard, thrusting the door-posts aside.

"Ho there, Ivan Godinóvich!" cried courteous Prince Vladimir then, "Take a hundred of my men, and a second hundred of the princely nobles, and yet a third hundred of thine own. Go in honor to woo, and if they give not the maid willingly, then take her by force."

In haste did the youths assemble, and prepare for their journey. They had but passed the swift Dniepr when a powdering of white snow fell, and upon this light, pure snow they beheld traces of three beasts. The first trace was of a brown aurochs, the second of a fierce lion, the third of a wild boar. Then Ivan began to tell off the, youths in companies. He sent a hundred men after the brown aurochs, commanding them to take him with care and without bloody wounds; another hundred sent he in pursuit of the fierce lion, and a third hundred after the wild boar, — these likewise must be taken heedfully and without disfiguring wounds, and borne to royal Kief, to great Prince Vladimir.

But Ivan himself went on alone to Chérnigof town, rode into the midst of Guest Dmitry's spacious court, and bound his good steed to the oaken pillar. Then he entered the fair chamber, and prayed before the Saviour's picture, but did no reverence to Dmitry the rich merchant. With Dmitry were sitting then, divers of the Tatar body-guard, who had brought a garment, in value one hundred thousand rubles, from the Tzar Koschói to his love Avdótya Dmitrievna. — The Tzar himself was but three versts from Chérnigof, and with him was a host of three thousand men.

"Give me thy daughter," spoke Ivan Godinóvich.

"Thou shalt have the dog in my courtyard," Dmitry made answer as before.

"I shall neither ask thee much nor long dispute," said Ivan; and thereupon he rose from the hewn wall bench, pushed aside the silken hangings, and so came into the new hall where sat the White Swan weaving linen. "Hail, Avdótya the White Swan!" he said in greeting. Upon Avdótya's head were white swans, on her left shoulder black sables; on her right shoulder sat bright falcons; on the frame of her loom perched dark blue doves, and on her loom-bench, black ravens: and her face was like the first fair snows of autumn.

"And hail to thee, fair Ivan Godinóvich," she answered; then left her delicate linen, took Ivan by his white hands, kissed his sugar lips, and fondled him.

Then Ivan delayed no longer, but led Avdótya forth to the fair hall. There she began to weep and to say: "Thou hast known, my father, how to feed me and give me drink, to cherish me until I had attained my growth: but one thing, my father, thou hast not known — how to give me in marriage without great bloodshed!"

To this the Chérnigovian made reply: "Wilt thou not eat bread and salt with me, Ivanushka Godinóvich'

"Thou hast not refreshed the guest at his coming," quoth Ivan, "and at his going it shall not be permitted to thee."

Said Dmitry: "I have written a letter to Koschói the Deathless, and have thereto set my hand, and he shall cut off thy turbulent head."

"When Koschói cutteth off my head," quoth Ivan, "then will be the fitting hour to boast, both for him and for thee."

Then he set Avdótya on his good steed, and rode forth upon the open plain. After they had forded many streams, night overtook them on the plain; and Ivan pitched a pavilion of white damask linen for himself and his Avdótya.

Now when the news came to Koschói, he went forth to the stable-yard, took a foal with nine chains, put on him heroic trappings, girded on his broad sword, took his sharp spear and his battle-mace, seized on the way his steel dagger, and rode forth over the plain until he came to Chérnigof. There he learned that Ivan Godinóvich had in truth carried off Avdótya the White Swan, and he rode in pursuit.

When he espied the pavilion of white damask, he shouted in a piercing voice: "Dwelleth there any in this pavilion of fine damask? Let him who is alive therein, come forth!"

Ivan heard this, and roused himself, good youth, from sleep, came forth, and washed himself with fresh spring water, dried himself upon a towel of fine damask, crossed himself as prescribed, did reverence as enjoined, and prayed to the most wondrous Saviour. Then he mounted his good steed, took his arms, and rode at Koschói. The adversaries went apart about the space of three versts, and when they came together they greeted each other, and smote each other with their Tatar spears, but yet pierced one another not. Again they rode aside about three versts, came at each other, saluted courteously and brandished their battle-maces.

Ivan's mace fell upon Koschói's head, and Koschói flew from his good steed. Ivánushka was cunning: he leaped over his good steed's mane to the earth, hurled himself upon Koschói's black breast, undid the silken loops, unfastened the buttons of pure gold, and would have pierced his black breast, and taken out his restive heart with his liver. But he had forgotten his dagger of damascened steel, and shouted with a great voice: "Ho there, my White Swan Avdótya! Throw my steel dagger from the white pavilion: I must needs prick Koschói's black breast, and draw forth his restive heart."

Avdótya obeyed his behest, and fetched the dagger. But when Koschói espied her, he spoke this word:

"Bethink thee, Avdótya the White Swan! If thou livest with Ivan thou wilt be a servant, and must bow in lowly reverence before all men: but I will make thee a Tzaritza. Many lands shall do homage to thee, and all nobles shall do reverence to thee. Do thou therefore seize Ivan by his ruddy curls, and drag him from my breast."

And Avdótya listened to his counsel. She flung the dagger far out upon the plain, seized Ivan by his ruddy curls, and dragged him aside; and so Koschói got the upper hand. As he sat upon Ivan's white breast he opened his garments, and would have taken out his restive heart, and his liver, with his dagger which he snatched from its sheath.

But Avdótya had compassion on Ivanushka, and said:

"Pierce not Ivan's white breast, Koschói, pluck not his restive heart therefrom. Let us rather bind him with this three-stranded cord to yon damp, ringbarked oak." And they did so.

— As Koschói came forth from the white pavilion, very early the next morning, two dark blue doves alighted upon the damp oak; and he told Avdótya.

"Shoot me those dark blue doves," quoth the White Swan, "for I would fain eat of them."

Koschói hearkened to her, fitted a sharp burning arrow to his bow, and conjured it:

"Fall not, my arrow, in the water or upon the damp earth; but fall, my shaft, upon the damp oak tree, and into the right eye of the blue dove thereon."

But Ivan conjured in his turn: "O stout bow, clear burning mother arrow! fall not to earth, strike not the dove; but bound back from this damp oak, and pierce Koschói's black breast, drag forth his royal heart, to the discontent of old crones, and the cawing of black crows."

So the arrow did, and attained Koschói's impetuous heart; and thus died Koschói the Deathless.'

Then Avdótya bethought herself once more and wept. "Long is woman's hair," she said, "but short, in sooth, are her wits! I have deserted one shore, yet attained not unto the other. I will slay Ivan, and go back to Chérnigof a maid."

Thereupon she took the sharp sword from where it lay upon damp mother earth. But Ivanushka began to entreat her: "Ai, Avdótya, my White Swan! unbind me now from the damp oak!"

"Wilt thou"take me for thy wife, young Ivan Godinóvich? If thou wilt swear it, I will sever the silken bonds upon thy white hands. But if thou wilt not swear it, I will give thee over to speedy death."

Then Ivan spoke firmly as he lay upon the damp earth:,.

"Release me, and I will neither beat thee, nor impute to thee great blame. I will but read thee three lessons meet for a wife."

Yet Avdótya was afraid, and would still have cut off Ivan's turbulent head, with her sharp sword. But her white hands trembled; and the sword fell not upon Ivan's white throat, but upon the silken cords, and severed them.

Then the good youth rose up at liberty, placed Avdótya upon his good steed, and rode over the open plain.

"Alight now at the ford, Avdótya my White Swan," he said: "pull off my morocco boot and fetch me fresh water therein, for I would fain drink at this spot."

Avdótya answered him: "Thou carest not to drink, Ivánushka Godinóvich, but only to slay me!"

This seemed to Ivanushka a grief and a great evil; so he hewed off Avdótya's arms to the elbow, for her first wifely lesson: "I need not these," quoth he; "they have embraced Koschói." For his second lesson he cut off her lips, saying: "These I need not: they have kissed Koschói." And for the third lesson, he smote off her feet to the knee: "Of these I have no need," quoth he: "they bore thee from my white pavilion to drag Ivan by his ruddy curls."

Last of all, he cut off her turbulent head.

Then he washed his sword in the Dniepr river, and rode to Kief town, where all the mighty heroes came forth to meet him.

Alyósha Popóvich laughed in his face:

"Hail, Ivanushka!" said he. "Thou art wedded? But thou hast no companion with whom to dwell."

And Ivan Godinóvich replied:

"I have wedded my sharp sword!"