Stavr Godinovich the Boyar (Noble)

Courteous Prince Vladimir made a great feast in royal Kief town, and summoned thereto all his princes, boyars, mighty heroes and bold polyánitzas: likewise many merchants and strangers.

Among these last was young Stavr Godinóvich from Chérnigof. Softly he mounted the steps, and lightly paced through the antechambers, as he crossed himself and bowed low on all sides, and to Prince Vladimir and his daughter in particular.

The red sun inclined to even, and all the youths were merry with drink, so that they waxed boastful. The heroes vaunted their good steeds, heroic strength or golden treasure, the merchants their Siberian fox pelts, and black sables. — But Stavr sat alone, eating and drinking nothing, and making no brag. As Prince Vladimir paced the banquet hall, he espied Stavr sitting thus; and he poured out a cup of green wine and brought it to him, inquiring wherefore he neither ate nor drank.

"Thou tastest not my white swan," he said, "neither makest thou any brag. Hast thou, then, no towns with their suburbs, villages with their hamlets, nor even so much as a good mother or a praiseworthy young wife, of whom thou may est boast r'

"Stavr hath enough whereof to boast, Prince Vladimir of royal Kief," quoth Stavr. "What petty outpost is this Kief of royal Vladimir, forsooth? Stavr's spacious court is no worse than the whole of Kief town. His palace covers seven versts, his halls and chambers of white oak are hung with gray beaver skins, the ceilings with black sables. His floors are of silver only — his hasps and hinges of steel. Thirty youths also hath Stavr, master shoemakers all; — they sew shoes, pausing not. Stavr weareth a pair a day, and yet another day, perchance: then are they taken to the market place, and sold to princes and nobles for their full worth. And yet more hath Stavr whereof to boast:

— thirty young tailors — masters of their trade, who make ever new caftans, so that Stavr weareth his garments but a day, or at the most, two days, and then selleth them in the market to princes and nobles at a great price. — But Stavr will not brag.

— And yet more hath Stavr — a golden-coated mare, whose cost was five hundred rubles. On the best of her foals Stavr"rideth, and the worst he selleth at great prices to princes and boyars. Hence Stavr's golden treasure is never exhausted. Yet one thing hath Stavr whereof he will boast, a young wife, Vasilisa Mikúlichna: she could buy and sell all Kief town, deceive all these princes and nobles, and drive even Fair Sun Vladimir from his senses."

Then all at the feast fell silent at this word. Prince Vladimir liked not the discourteous speech, and his nobles cried:

"Fair Sun Vladimir, Prince of royal Kief! Let us now thrust this churl into a cold dungeon, and let his young wife deceive us all, princes and nobles, drive thee. Prince Vladimir, from thy wits, and deliver Stavr from his prison."

So Vladimir gave command that iron fetters should be placed on Stavr's hands and feet, and that he should be led to a dungeon forty fathoms deep, with iron doors and locks of steel, where his food should be oats and water.

But Stavr's serving-man mounted his master's good steed and rode in haste to Chérnigof, to Stavr's palace of white stone, and his young wife.

Now Vasilisa Mikúlichna had made a great banquet for the wives of the merchants and rulers of the town, and so the man found them feasting.

When her husband's man told her all that had befallen in Kief, the young wife rose from her bench of oak, and said:

"Time is it, my welcome guests, to betake yourselves to your own homes and dwellings."

Then she seated herself in her folding chair, and for the space of three full hours she meditated how she might release her husband.

"Untold treasure of gold will not ransom Stavr," she said, "nor may he be released by mighty heroic strength. Stavr must be saved by woman's wiles,"

Then she wrote a letter to show that she was an ominous ambassador from the Island of Kodól, in the land of Ledenótz, come on an honorable mission to Fair Sun Prince Vladimir, to sue for the hand of his fair daughter Beauty. After that she hastened to her heroic chamber, and summoned her tiring-women: "Ai, my trusty maids, make haste and cut off my ruddy braid, fetch me an ambassador's apparel, and saddle me a heroic steed."

In very great haste they sheared off her ruddy locks in fashion like a man's, dressed her in black velvet breeches and the garments of an ambassador, and led forth her horse.

Then she summoned a body-guard of forty good youths, and they mounted and rode with her.

When they had traversed half the way, a stem messenger came riding towards them from Kief town, and as they came together they saluted, palm kissing palm. Then the messenger began to inquire of Vasilisa whence this bold and goodly youth was come and whither he was going.

She told him that she was sent by the stern King Yetmanulla Yetmanullovich, to collect tribute for twelve years, — three thousand rubles for each year.

In turn the messenger told her, that he was on his way to seal up Stavr's palace, and to fetch his young wife to Kief. Then spoke the good youths of Vasilisa's guard:

"We have been at Stavr's palace, and there is no one therein: for his young wife hath departed to the distant land, to the Golden Horde."

So the messenger turned back to Kief, and outriding them, told Prince Vladimir privately that a threatening ambassador, Vasily Mikúlich, was on his way to Kief from a far-off land.

Prince Vladimir was sore troubled thereat, and the people made haste to sweep the streets, and to lay pine-trees in the muddy ways, so that they might be passable. Then they waited outside the gates, for the coming of the ambassador from the stern King Yetmanulla Yetmanullovich from the far-off land of Ledenótz.

But when Vasily Mikúlich came, he passed not the gates: — he leaped the city walls, past the corner towers, and came to the spacious princely court. There he sprang from his good steed, thrust the butt-end of his far-reaching spear into the earth, flung his silken bridle over the golden spike at its point, and entered straightway the fair, royal halls, asking leave of none, but flinging wide the doors.

There Vasilisa bowed on all sides, and to Prince Vladimir in particular, laid her letter on the oaken table, and demanded the hand of his daughter in marriage.

Prince Vladimir rose to his nimble feet, took the letter in his white hands, broke the seal and scanned each word narrowly, then spake:

"'Tis well, Vasily Mikúlich. I will give thee Beauty to wife. I go now to take counsel with my daughter."

But when he came to his well-loved daughter. Beauty said: "What art thou minded to do, dear father? wilt thou give a maiden in marriage to a woman? For I have marked this Vasily Mikúlich. No threatening ambassador is he — but a woman, by all the signs. When he walketh in the courtyard, 'tis like a duck swimming; his speech is a woman's pipe, his gait in the royal halls is mincing; when he sitteth upon the wall-bench, he presseth his feet close one to the other; his little hands are white, his fingers delicate, and upon them the marks of rings still linger."

"That we shall see," quoth Vladimir: "for I will now prove this ambassador. I will have the steam bath prepared for him after his journey. If he be in truth a mighty hero, then will he come to the bath with me: but if he be a woman, he will not come."

So the bath was heated, and Vladimir went to invite Vasily Mikúlich.

"Wilt thou steam thyself with me, after the road, good youth I" he said. And Vasily replied:

"My soul burneth to do that. Pleasing will it be after my journey."

Now, Prince Vladimir was royally apparelled, and while he was busy with putting off his garments, Vasilisa hastened to the bath, wet her head, and came forth as Vladimir entered.

"With great speed hast thou steamed thyself. Ambassador Vasily Mikúlich! Why didst thou not await my coming?"

"Thou art at home and at leisure. Prince Vladimir, but I am a traveller; my business brooketh no long delay in the bath. I am come to woo. Give me thy young daughter to wife."

"I will take counsel with the maiden," quoth Vladimir, and went to his daughter.

But Beauty said: "Wilt thou make thyself a laughing-stock for all Russia, my father, and wed thy daughter to a woman? For, by all signs, she is no man."

"I will prove her yet once more, my dear daughter," quoth Vladimir, and went to Vasily.

"Is it pleasing to thee to shoot a match with my young men, Vasiliushka Mikúlich?"

"My soul longeth for that," she answered. Then they went forth upon the open plain, and began to shoot at a damp oak, a full verst distant. The arrow of one good youth flew past, another good youth shot short, a third shot wide of the mark. Some shot fair, but all the fiery arrows which were lodged in that tree by heroic hands did but make the damp oak quiver, as in stress of weather.

Then Vasily Mikúlich spoke:

"Ho there. Prince Vladimir! I will have none of these heroic bows. I have by me a little travelling bow, with which I adventure out upon the open plain." Then came bold and goodly youths from the white pavilion without the walls, where she had left her body-guard. Five men bore the first end, and as many more the last, and thirty stout youths dragged along the quiver of burning arrows. — Then she took an arrow in her small left hand, — an arrow of steel, drew the great bow to her ear, and took aim at the damp oak. The cord of the stout bow sang, Vladimir crept about, and all his heroes stood as though stifled with stove gas. The firm dart screamed, lodged in the damp, ringbarked oak, and shivered it into splinters. Thereupon Prince Vladimir spat to one side, and said as he went away: "I will prove this ambassador yet once again. If he be a woman, he will refuse a wrestling match."

So he assembled thirty good youths and bold, in his spacious court, and spoke this word:

"Ai, Vasily Mikúlich! doth thy soul burn to wrestle with my men?"

"In sooth, Fair Prince Vladimir, are there any with whom I may wrestle?" the ambassador made answer. "Since my childhood have I run the streets, and many a bout have I wrestled with the children in sport." Then Vasily stepped forth into the court, grasped two heroes in one hand, three in the other, and knocked their skulls together, so that there was no soul left in them. Vladimir began to entreat her:

"Curb thy heroic heart, young Vasily Mikúlich, I pray: spare at least a remnant of our people."

Vasily answered: "I came on an honorable mission — to woo thy beloved daughter. If thou wilt now give her with honor, with honor will I take her; but if not, I will take her without honor, and I will beat in thy sides."

Then Prince Vladimir went no more to ask his daughter Beauty's pleasure in this matter, but betrothed her forthwith to the stern ambassador, and ordered a noble banquet and wedding feast.

On the third day of the feast, when the time drew near for them to fare to God's church and be married, Vasily grew sad and exceeding sorrowful.

Then Prince Vladimir began to inquire of him why he was not merry.

Vasily made answer: "I know not why my soul is heavy. My father hath died, perchance, or my dear mother. Hast thou then no good youths, no players upon the gúsly of maple-wood, who may solace us?"

But when the harp-players were summoned, and played and sang songs of the olden days and of the present, and of all times, Vasily was still sad, and said:

"Where is now Stavr Godinóvich from our land? He is a master player upon the harp of maple-wood, and none but he can cheer my spirit."

Then Prince Vladimir said to himself: "If I summon not Stavr, I shall anger the ambassador; but if I summon him, he will be carried away."

Nevertheless he dared not offend Vasily, and sent for Stavr, to the princely banquet-hall.

Stavr strung his harp, and began to pluck the strings. One string he strung from Kief, and one from Tzargrád, the third from far Jerusalem. He played great dances, and sang songs from over the blue sea.

Then Vasiliushka, the stern ambassador, began to sleep and dream, and to say: "Ai, Fair Sun Prince Vladimir; let Stavr go to my white pavilion, and view there my body-guard, and walk in the open fields." This Vladimir would fain have refused, yet dared not auger the man; and so allowed it.

When they were come to the open plain and the pavilion, Vasilisa said: "Dost thou not know me, Stavr?" And he answered: "After that dungeon, I cannot recall far distant years."

"Ai, thou stupid Stavr!. Knowest thou not thy young wife Vasilisa Mikúlichna?"

"Yea, her I should know after thirteen years."

"Foolish Stavr! thou hast not known me after scant three months."

Then she went into the pavilion, put off her manly garb, and donned her own raiment; and coming forth she took Stavr by his white hands, kissed his sugar mouth, called him her beloved husband. Then he knew his young wife, and said: "What will Fair Sun Vladimir do to us now? Let us mount and ride swiftly hence!"

But Vasilisa said: "Not so: we must not steal away in this fashion from royal Kief. Let us rather go to Prince Vladimir."

When they came to the royal palace, Stavr said: "Ai, thou Fair Sun Prince Vladimir! I have made good my boast; for thou hast betrothed thy daughter to my young wife."

Then was Prince Vladimir shamed, and spoke this word: "With reason did Stavr boast of his young wife, Vasilisa Mikúlichna! May God forgive thee thy former offence! But boast no more of thy young wife, and trade evermore in our good city of Kief without tax."

But Stavr and Vasilisa mounted their good steeds, and rode to the glorious town of Chérnigof, to their lordly villages and palace of white stone. No more did Stavr frequent lordly banquets, and never more bragged he of his young wife, but dwelt thenceforth and took his ease in Chérnigof.