Vasily the Drunkard and Tzar Batyg

From beneath the cross Levanídof, from beneath the birch so white, issued forth two aurochs, and three aurochs, and roamed past Kief town.

By Kief they beheld a wondrous marvel, a marvellous wonder: a damsel came forth, weeping bitterly, and bearing in her hands the book of the Holy Gospel. And as she read, she wept in twofold measure.

Then the aurochs went to their mother: "Hail, mother aurochs!" said they; "we have been to Kief town, and beheld a marvel:" and they told her of the damsel.

"Foolish aurochs are ye, little children!" quoth mother aurochs. "That was no damsel weeping sore, but the city wall lamenting, for she hath foreseen ill fortune for Kief. Tzar Bátyg is come with his son, his son-in-law, and with his learned scribe. His son's host numbereth forty thousand; the host of his son-in-law, forty thousand; and the learned scribe's no less."

— Bátyg marched to Kief town, pitched his white pavilions, and demanded of Prince Vladimir an adversary in single combat.

Now, it chanced by evil fortune, that the best of the heroes were not in Kief town. Ilyá had been despatched to the Latinsky land to buy heroic steeds, Dobrynya to the Cherkéssian country for saddles, and Alyósha to the Sorochinsky land for wheat.

But there dwelt in Kief in those days, a hero and good youth, Vasily Ignátievich by name, who abode in the imperial pot-house. He had squandered in drink his wife's dowry and all his possessions.

"Ho there, ye my princes and nobles!" quoth Prince Vladimir; "summon Vasily Ignátievich hither to me."

Then the nobles went to the royal pot-house, and sought out Vasily, and addressed to him these words:

"Ho there, little Vasily the Drunkard! Why dost thou lie there naked on the oven, without a thread? Nothing knowest thou, nor carest. Tzar Batyg hath come upon us, and is now before Kief. The dog hath written to our Prince, and maketh boast. — ' I will burn and rase Kief town, I will dissolve God's churches in smoke, I will take captive the Prince and his Princess.' And us, the princes and nobles, he will seethe in a kettle."

Then Vasily slipped down from the oven, barred up the pot-house, making all Very fast, tore from the princes and nobles all their fair apparel, wrenched out a door-post, and belabored the men upon their naked ribs, pursuing them even to the royal court.

When Vladimir looked on them he smiled, and said: "Ho, my princes and nobles; have ye drunk or gamed?"

"Little father! Prince Vladimir," they made answer, "we have neither drunk nor gamed, but Vasily the Drunkard hath done us this dishonor."

"Ah, ye stupid nobles and senseless!" quoth Vladimir, "ye have not appeased the youth, but irritated him."

Then Vladimir went himself to the royal pot-house, prayed before the wondrous picture, saluted on all four sides, with a special reverence to Vasily, and spoke to him in the words of the princes and nobles.

"Fetch me a little cup of drunkenness, little father, Prince Vladimir!" quoth Vasily, "the cup from which drinketh Ilyá of Múrom."

— Now Ilyá's cup held six buckets and a half; but he drained it dry.

"Fetch yet another cup for health, little father; the one from which drinketh Dobrynya Nikitich."

And that cup, of four buckets and a half, Vasily drained also; and yet a third, the cup of Alyósha, of two buckets and a half.

Then Vasily. said: "Now I may sit my horse, and wield my sword of ninety poods."

Thereupon he went forth upon the city wall, and from the angle tower thereon he shot an arrow which slew three of Bátyg's best heads — his son, his son-in-law, and his cunning scribe.

Tzar Bátyg had fleet horses and good, and he sent swift messengers to Kief town, demanding that the offender be delivered up to him forthwith. But Kief town is not small; a falcon may not fly about it in a summer's day, nor a little bird soar across — and the guilty man could not be found.

Vasily mounted his good steed, and clad in warlike array, with his Tatar spear, his sword of ninety poods, his stout bow, and gilded arrows, sallied forth before the face of Bátyg.

"Hall, Tzar Bátyg!" he said. "Wilt thou receive me as thy comrade I We will take Kief together, we will burn and destroy it, and God's temples we will turn to dust."

Tzar Bátyg was beguiled with his speech; and when Vasily asked for forty thousand men to take Kief, he gave them gladly. Then Vasily rode forth into the open plain with this host, made a turn to the right, unsheathed his sword of ninety poods, and cut down and slew them to the last man.

Then he returned again to the face of Bátyg.

"Forgive this my first fault," he said; "I have lost that host of forty thousand. But I have spied out Kief town and viewed it, where the gates are open and unbarred."

So Tzar Bátyg gave him another band of forty thousand, and forty forties of black sables, besides gold and silver without measure.

Again Vasily rode to the open plain; and having cut down and slain his host, he returned to Bátyg craving pardon and yet another troop.

Tzar Bátyg gave them, and rich presents likewise; but when Vasily had slain these men also, Bátyg took a spyglass and viewed the glorious open plain, and beheld the evil deed.

Then he assembled his good steeds, and returned to his own country, and swore an oath never more to lay siege to Kief town, for in Kief was no lack of heroes.

And from that day forth they began to sing the Song of Vasily, which shall be sung for evermore.