SONG ONE
There is a green oak near the Lukomorye; The golden chain on that oak tree: Day and night, the learned cat keeps walking around on the chain; Goes to the right - starts a song, Goes to the left - tells a fairy tale. There are miracles there: a goblin wanders there, a mermaid sits on the branches; There on unknown paths are traces of unseen animals; There is a hut there on chicken legs. It stands without windows, without doors; There the forest and valley are full of visions; There, at dawn, the waves will rush onto the sandy and empty shore, And thirty beautiful knights emerge from the clear waters in succession, And with them is their sea uncle; There the prince casually Captures the formidable king; There in the clouds in front of the people, Through the forests, across the seas, the Sorcerer carries the hero; In the dungeon there the princess grieves, And the brown wolf serves her faithfully; There the stupa with Baba Yaga goes, wanders by itself; There, King Kashchei is wasting away over gold; There's a Russian spirit... it smells like Russia! And there I was, and I drank honey; I saw a green oak by the sea; He sat under it and the learned cat told me his fairy tales. I remember one: I will now tell this fairy tale to the world... Deeds of days gone by, Traditions of deep antiquity. In the crowd of mighty sons, With friends, in the high grid, Vladimir the sun feasted; He married his youngest daughter to the brave prince Ruslan and drank honey from a heavy glass to their health. Our ancestors did not quickly eat, nor did they move around quickly. The ladles and silver bowls with boiling beer and wine. They poured joy into their hearts, foam hissed around the edges, the cups carried them importantly and bowed low to the guests. Speeches merged into indistinct noise; A cheerful circle of guests buzzes; But suddenly there was a pleasant voice and the fluent sound of a ringing harp; Everyone fell silent and listened to Bayan: And the sweet singer glorified Lyudmila the beauty and Ruslan And Lelem the crown he had made. But, tired of ardent passion, Ruslan in love does not eat or drink; He looks at his dear friend, sighs, gets angry, burns, and, pinching his mustache with impatience, counts every moment. In despondency, with a cloudy brow, Three young knights sit at a noisy wedding table; They are silent, behind an empty ladle, they have forgotten their round cups, and the trash is unpleasant to them; They do not hear the prophetic Bayan; They lowered their embarrassed gaze: Those are Ruslan’s three rivals; In their souls the unfortunate harbor poison of love and hate. One is Rogdai, a brave warrior, who with his sword pushed the boundaries of the rich fields of Kyiv; The other is Farlaf, an arrogant screamer, not defeated by anyone at feasts, but a humble warrior among swords; The last one, full of passionate thought, is the Young Khazar Khan Ratmir: All three are pale and gloomy, And a cheerful feast is not a feast for them. Here it is over; they stand in rows, mingle in noisy crowds, and everyone looks at the young people: the bride lowered her eyes, as if her heart was depressed, and the joyful groom is bright. But the shadow envelops all nature, It is already close to midnight; The boyars, having dozed off from the honey, went home with a bow. The groom is delighted, in ecstasy: He caresses the beauty of the shy maiden in his imagination; But with secret, sad tenderness, the Grand Duke bestows his blessing on the young couple. And now the young bride is led to the wedding bed; The lights went out... and Lel lights the night lamp. Sweet hopes have been fulfilled, gifts are being prepared for Love; Jealous clothes will fall on the Constantinople carpets... Do you hear the loving whisper, And the sweet sound of kisses, And the intermittent murmur of the last timidity?.. The spouse feels delight in advance; And then they came... Suddenly thunder struck, light flashed in the fog. The lamp goes out, the smoke runs, Everything around is dark, everything is trembling, And the soul in Ruslan froze... Everything fell silent. In the menacing silence A strange voice was heard twice, And someone in the smoky depths Soared blacker than the foggy darkness... And again the tower is empty and quiet; The frightened groom gets up, cold sweat rolls off his face; Trembling, with a cold hand He asks the mute darkness... About grief: there is no dear friend! The air is empty; Lyudmila is missing in the thick darkness, kidnapped by an unknown force. Ah, if the martyr of love suffers hopelessly from passion, Although it is sad to live, my friends, However, it is still possible to live. But after many, many years, to hug a friend in love, an object of desires, tears, longing, and suddenly lose a momentary wife forever... oh friends, Of course, it would be better if I died! However, unhappy Ruslan is alive. But what did the Grand Duke say? Suddenly struck by a terrible rumor, inflamed with anger at his son-in-law, he convenes him and the court: “Where, where is Lyudmila?” - asks With a terrible, fiery brow. Ruslan doesn't hear. “Children, friends! I remember my previous merits: Oh, have mercy on the old man! Tell me, which of you agrees to ride after my daughter? Whose feat will not be in vain, torment him, cry, villain! I couldn’t save my wife! - To him I will give her as a wife with half the kingdom of my great-grandfathers. Who will volunteer, children, friends?..” “Me!” - said the sad groom. "I! I! - Farlaf and joyful Ratmir exclaimed with Rogdai. “Now we saddle our horses; We are happy to travel all over the world. Our Father, let us not prolong the separation; Don’t be afraid: we’re going for the princess.” And with gratitude, the mute In tears, the Old Man, exhausted by melancholy, stretches out his hands to them. All four go out together; Ruslan was killed by despondency; The thought of his lost bride torments and kills him. They sit on zealous horses; Along the banks of the Dnieper the happy ones fly in the swirling dust; Already hiding in the distance; The horsemen are no longer visible... But for a long time the Grand Duke still looks at the empty field and flies after them in thought. Ruslan languished in silence, and lost his meaning and memory. Looking arrogantly over his shoulder and pompously akimbo, Farlaf, sulking, rode after Ruslan. He says: “I broke free by force, friends! Well, will I soon meet the giant? There will be blood flowing, there will be victims of jealous love! Have fun, my faithful sword, Have fun, my zealous horse!” The Khazar Khan, already hugging Lyudmila in his mind, is almost dancing over the saddle; The blood in him is young, His gaze is full of the fire of hope: Now he gallops at full speed, Now he teases the dashing runner, He circles, rears up, Or he boldly rushes to the hills again. Rogdai is gloomy, silent - not a word... Fearing an unknown fate And tormented by vain jealousy, He is the most restless of all, And often his terrible gaze is gloomily fixed on the prince. Rivals on the same road All travel together all day. The Dnieper became dark and sloping; The shadow of the night pours from the east; The fogs over the Dnieper are deep; It's time for their horses to rest. Here, under the mountain, along a wide path, a wide path crossed. “Let’s leave, it’s time! - they said, “Let us entrust ourselves to the unknown fate.” And each horse, not sensing the steel, chose its own path according to its will. What are you doing, unfortunate Ruslan, alone in the desert silence? Lyudmila, it’s a terrible wedding day, I think you saw everything in a dream. Having pulled the copper helmet over your eyebrows, Having left the bridle from your powerful hands, You are walking at a pace between the fields, And slowly in your soul Hope is dying, faith is extinguishing. But suddenly there was a cave in front of the knight; There is light in the cave. He goes straight to her under the dormant arches, the same age as nature itself. He entered with despondency: what is he seeing? There is an old man in the cave; clear appearance, calm gaze, gray hair; The lamp in front of him is burning; He sits behind an ancient book, reading it carefully. “Welcome, my son! “He said with a smile to Ruslan. “I’ve been here alone for twenty years, I’ve been withering in the darkness of my old life; But finally I waited for the day I had long foreseen. We are brought together by fate; Sit down and listen to me. Ruslan, you have lost Lyudmila; Your strong spirit is losing strength; But a quick moment of evil will rush by: For a while, doom has befallen you. With hope, cheerful faith, go for everything, don’t be discouraged; Forward! With a sword and a bold chest, make your way to midnight. Find out, Ruslan: your offender is the terrible Wizard Chernomor, the long-time thief of beauties, the owner of full mountains. Until now, no one's gaze has penetrated his abode; But you, destroyer of evil machinations, will enter into it, and the villain will perish by your hand. I must tell you no more: The fate of your coming days, My son, is in your will from now on.” Our knight fell at the elder’s feet and kissed his hand in joy. The world brightens his eyes, And his heart has forgotten the torment. He came to life again; and suddenly again there is a sadness on the flushed face... “The reason for your melancholy is clear; But sadness is not difficult to disperse, - Said the old man, - the Love of a gray-haired sorcerer is terrible for you; Calm down, know: it is in vain And the young maiden is not afraid. He brings down the stars from the sky, He whistles - the moon trembles; But against the time of the law, His science is not strong. A jealous, reverent guardian of the locks of merciless doors, He is only a weak tormentor of His charming captive. Around her he silently wanders, Curses his cruel lot... But, good knight, the day passes, And you need peace.” Ruslan lies down on the soft moss Before the dying fire; He seeks to fall asleep, Sighs, slowly turns around... In vain! The Knight finally: “I can’t sleep, my father! What to do: I am sick at heart, And I can’t sleep, how sick it is to live. Let me refresh my heart with Your holy conversation. Forgive my impertinent question. Open up: who are you, blessed one, Fate’s incomprehensible confidant? Who brought you to the desert? Sighing with a sad smile, the Old Man replied: “Dear son, I have already forgotten the distant homeland, the gloomy land. A natural Finn, In the valleys known to us alone, Chasing the herd of the surrounding villages, In my carefree youth I knew Some dense oak groves, Streams, caves of our rocks and wild poverty fun. But it was not given to me to live in gratifying silence for long. Then, near our village, like a sweet flower of solitude, Naina lived. Between her friends She thundered with beauty. One morning I drove My flocks into a dark meadow, blowing the bagpipes; There was a stream in front of me. Alone, the young beauty was weaving a wreath on the shore. I was attracted by my destiny... Ah, knight, it was Naina! I came to her - and the fatal flame was my reward for the daring gaze, And I recognized love with my soul With its heavenly joy, With its painful melancholy. Half of the year has flown away; I opened up to her with trepidation and said: I love you, Naina. But Naina proudly listened to my timid sorrow, Loving only her charms, And answered indifferently: “Shepherd, I don’t love you!” And everything became wild and gloomy to me: My native bush, the shadow of the oak trees, The cheerful games of the shepherds - Nothing consoled my melancholy. In despondency, my heart withered and sluggishly. And finally I decided to leave the Finnish fields; to cross the faithless seas with a brotherly squad and earn Naina’s proud attention with the glory of war. I called brave fishermen to look for dangers and gold. For the first time, the quiet land of our fathers heard the abusive sound of damask steel and the noise of unpeaceful shuttles. I sailed into the distance, full of hope, With a crowd of fearless fellow countrymen; Ten years of snow and waves We were red with the blood of enemies. Rumor spread: the kings of a foreign land Feared my audacity; Their proud squads Fled the northern swords. We fought merrily, we fought menacingly, We shared tributes and gifts, And we sat down with the vanquished at friendly feasts. But a heart full of Naina, Under the noise of battle and feasts, languished in secret torment, Searched for the Finnish shores. It's time to go home, I said, friends! Let's hang idle chain mail in the shadow of our native hut. He said - and the oars rustled: And, leaving fear behind us, We flew into the bay of our homeland with proud joy. Long-time dreams have come true, ardent desires have come true! A minute of sweet meeting, And you flashed for me! At the feet of the arrogant beauty I brought a bloody sword, Corals, gold and pearls; Before her, intoxicated with passion, surrounded by a silent swarm of her envious friends, I stood as an obedient prisoner; But the maiden hid from me, Saying with an indifferent look: “Hero, I don’t love you!” Why tell, my son, What is there no strength to retell? Oh, and now alone, alone, Asleep in my soul, at the door of the grave, I remember sorrow , and sometimes, As a thought is born about the past, A heavy tear rolls down my gray beard. But listen: in my homeland, Among the desert fishermen, a wondrous science lurks. Under the roof of eternal silence, Among the forests, in the distant wilderness, gray sorcerers live; To the objects of lofty wisdom All their thoughts are directed; Everyone hears their terrible voice, What happened and what will happen again, And the grave and love itself are subject to their formidable will. And I, a greedy seeker of love, Decided in joyless sadness to attract Naina with charms And in the proud heart of a maiden, cold Love to light with magic. Hastened into the arms of freedom, Into the secluded darkness of the forests; And there, in the apprenticeship of sorcerers, Spent invisible years. The long-desired moment came, And with a bright thought I comprehended the terrible secret of nature: I learned the power of spells. The crown of love, the crown of desires! Now "Naina, you are mine! The victory is ours, I thought. But in fact the winner was rock, my persistent persecutor. In the dreams of young hope, In the delight of ardent desire, I hastily cast a spell, Calling the spirits - and in the darkness of the forest A thunder arrow rushed, A magic whirlwind raised a howl, The earth trembled under my feet... And suddenly a decrepit, gray-haired old woman sits in front of me, Her sunken eyes sparkling. , With a hump, with a shaking head, A picture of sad disrepair. Ah, knight, it was Naina!.. I was horrified and silent, The terrible ghost measured with his eyes, I still didn’t believe in doubt, And suddenly I cried and shouted: “Is it possible!” oh, Naina, is it you! Naina, where is your beauty? Tell me, has heaven really changed you so terribly? Tell me, how long ago, after leaving the light, did I part with my soul and my sweetheart? How long ago?..” “Exactly forty years,” was the maiden’s fatal answer, “Today I hit seventy. What should I do,” she squeaks to me, “The years have flown by in a crowd.” Mine, your spring has passed - We both managed to grow old. But, friend, listen: it doesn’t matter if you lose your unfaithful youth. Of course, I’m gray-haired now, maybe a little hunchbacked; Not like she was in the old days, Not so alive, not so sweet; But (the chatterbox added) I’ll reveal a secret: I’m a witch!” And it really was like that. Mute, motionless in front of her, I was a complete fool With all my wisdom. But it’s terrible: the witchcraft was completely accomplished, due to misfortune. My gray-haired deity Come to me glowed with new passion. Twisting his terrible mouth with a smile, In a sepulchral voice, the freak Mutters a confession of love to me. Imagine my suffering! I trembled, lowering my gaze; She continued through her coughing Heavy, passionate conversation: “So, now I recognize the heart; I see, faithful friend, it was born for tender passion; Feelings have awakened, I am burning, I am languishing with the desires of love... Come into my arms... Oh, dear, dear! I am dying..." And meanwhile she, Ruslan, Blinked with languid eyes; And meanwhile I held onto my caftan with my skinny hands; And meanwhile, I was dying, closing my eyes in horror; And suddenly I couldn’t stand the urine; I broke out screaming and ran. She followed: “Oh, unworthy!” You have disturbed my calm age, The days of an innocent maiden are clear! You have achieved Naina's love, And you despise - these are men! They all breathe treason! Alas, blame yourself; He seduced me, wretched one! I gave myself up to passionate love... Traitor, monster! oh shame! But tremble, maiden thief!" So we parted. From now on I live in my solitude With a disappointed soul; And in the world the old man has consolation Nature, wisdom and peace. The grave is already calling me; But the old woman has not yet forgotten her former feelings And the flame is later than love Turned from vexation into malice. Loving evil with a black soul, The old sorceress, of course, Will hate you too; But grief on earth does not last forever. " Our knight greedily listened to the stories of the old man; his eyes were clear, He did not sleep in a light slumber, And did not sleep on the quiet flight of the night In deep thought heard. But the day is shining radiant... With a sigh, the grateful knight embraces the old sorcerer; The soul is full of hope; He goes out. Ruslan squeezed the neighing horse with his legs, recovered in the saddle, whistled. “My father, do not leave me.” And gallops on empty meadow. The gray-haired sage shouts after his young friend: “Happy journey! Forgive, love your wife, don’t forget the elder’s advice!”
Told:
Lukomorye has a green oak tree, a golden chain on the oak tree...
Lukomorye has a green oak
Golden chain on the oak tree
The cat is fat and sleek
Yells heart-rendingly about his own things.
All he needs is some fun
Seduce the red maiden
He walked left or right,
Or across, but still fornicate,
And although our cat suffered from gluttony,
Puzen size 56,
I admire his agility
And I'll give you one example...
The mermaid is warmed by foam,
Although a decent b^$d,
Sunbathe scantily clad
I gathered under this oak tree.
Koshak saw this miracle
Almost fell out of the hollow
And, grabbing a can of beer,
I forgot about all my business.
He bred her honorably,
He poured in without a break,
When did she get drunk as hell?
Kotyar blew it for the third time.
Having fun with an elastic body
And, having finished my booze,
Gently slapping the girl on the bottom,
He crawled into his hollow to snore.
The crimson rays of the luminary,
The wave covered the quiet shore,
Then she rolled back,
Leaving 30 people.
Everyone, as one, is drunk,
They dragged the guy in their arms
And the dashing fighters spotted
A mermaid sleeping in the bushes.
The heroes, throwing away their armor,
And having wiped off the mucus from the scales,
Five minutes of love per brother,
Having raised her tail, they broke away.
And the prince in passing,
Then the sorcerer with the hero,
Then Kashchei with some rabble
And a brown wolf with a forest animal.
In short, they violated in chorus,
Caught in a helpless moment,
And only with uncle Chernomor
It didn’t work out... that old bastard is asleep.
The moral is simple, judge for yourself
Girls, know how to drink in moderation!
And be careful with cats
If you want to preserve your honor!...
For you, the soul of my queen,
Beauties, for you alone
Tales of times gone by,
During golden leisure hours,
Under the whisper of chatty old times,
I wrote with a faithful hand;
Please accept my playful work!
Without demanding anyone's praise,
I am already happy with sweet hope,
What a maiden with the trembling of love
Maybe he'll look furtively
To my sinful songs.
There is a green oak near the Lukomorye;
Golden chain on the oak tree:
Day and night the cat is a scientist
Everything goes round and round in a chain;
He goes to the right - the song starts,
To the left - he tells a fairy tale.
There are miracles there: a goblin wanders there,
The mermaid sits on the branches;
There on unknown paths
Traces of unseen beasts;
There's a hut there on chicken legs
It stands without windows, without doors;
There the forest and valley are full of visions;
There the waves will rush in at dawn
The beach is sandy and empty,
And thirty beautiful knights
From time to time clear waters emerge,
And their sea uncle is with them;
The prince is there in passing
Captivates the formidable king;
There in the clouds in front of the people
Through the forests, across the seas
The sorcerer carries the hero;
In the dungeon there the princess is grieving,
And the brown wolf serves her faithfully;
There is a stupa with Baba Yaga
She walks and wanders by herself;
There, King Kashchei is wasting away over gold;
There's a Russian spirit... it smells like Russia!
And there I was, and I drank honey;
I saw a green oak by the sea;
The cat was sitting under him, a scientist
He told me his fairy tales.
I remember one: this fairy tale
Now I will tell the world...
Song one
Things of days gone by
Deep legends of antiquity.
In the crowd of mighty sons,
With friends, in the high grid
Vladimir the sun feasted;
He gave away his youngest daughter
For the brave prince Ruslan
And honey from a heavy glass
I drank to their health.
Our ancestors did not eat soon,
It didn't take long to move around
Ladles, silver bowls
With boiling beer and wine.
They poured joy into my heart,
Foam hissed around the edges,
It is important that the teacups wore them
And they bowed low to the guests.
Speeches merged into indistinct noise;
A cheerful circle of guests buzzes;
But suddenly a pleasant voice was heard
And the sound of the harp is a fluent sound;
Everyone fell silent and listened to Bayan:
And the sweet singer praises
Lyudmila-precious and Ruslana
And Lelem made a crown for him.
But, tired of ardent passion,
Ruslan, in love, does not eat or drink;
He looks at his dear friend,
Sighs, gets angry, burns
And, pinching my mustache with impatience,
Counts every moment.
In despondency, with a cloudy brow,
At a noisy wedding table
Three young knights are sitting;
Silent, behind an empty bucket,
Forgot the circular cups,
And the trash is unpleasant to them;
They do not hear the prophetic Bayan;
They looked down, embarrassed:
Those are three rivals of Ruslan;
The unfortunate are hidden in the soul
Love and hate are poison.
One - Rogdai, brave warrior,
Pushing the limits with a sword
Rich Kyiv fields;
The other is Farlaf, an arrogant screamer,
In feasts, not defeated by anyone,
But the warrior is humble among swords;
The last one, full of passionate thought,
Young Khazar Khan Ratmir:
All three are pale and gloomy,
And a merry feast is not a feast for them.
Here it is over; stand in rows
Mixed in noisy crowds,
And everyone looks at the young people:
The bride lowered her eyes
As if my heart was depressed,
And the joyful groom shines.
But the shadow embraces all nature,
It’s already close to midnight; it’s deaf;
The boyars, dozing off from honey,
With a bow they went home.
The groom is delighted, in ecstasy:
He caresses in the imagination
The beauty of a shy maid;
But with secret, sad tenderness
Grand Duke blessing
Gives a young couple.
And here is the young bride
Lead to the wedding bed;
The lights went out... and the night
Lel lights the lamp.
Sweet hopes have come true,
Gifts are being prepared for love;
Jealous robes will fall
On Constantinople carpets...
Do you hear the loving whisper,
And the sweet sound of kisses,
And an intermittent murmur
The last timidity?.. Spouse
Feels delight in advance;
And then they came... Suddenly
Thunder struck, light flashed in the fog,
The lamp goes out, the smoke runs out,
Everything around is dark, everything is trembling,
And Ruslan’s soul froze...
Everything fell silent. In the menacing silence
A strange voice was heard twice,
And someone in the smoky depths
Soared blacker than the foggy darkness...
And again the tower is empty and quiet;
The frightened groom stands up
Cold sweat rolls off your face;
Trembling, with a cold hand
He asks the mute darkness...
About grief: there is no dear friend!
The air is empty;
Lyudmila is not in the thick darkness,
Abducted by an unknown force.
Oh, if love is a martyr
Suffering hopelessly from passion,
Even though life is sad, my friends,
However, it is still possible to live.
But after many, many years
Hug your loving friend
The object of desires, tears, longing,
And suddenly a minute wife
Lose forever... oh friends,
Of course, it would be better if I died!
However, unhappy Ruslan is alive.
But what did the Grand Duke say?
Suddenly struck by a terrible rumor,
I became angry at my son-in-law,
He convenes him and the court:
“Where, where is Lyudmila?” - asks
With a terrible, fiery brow.
Ruslan doesn't hear. “Children, friends!
I remember my previous achievements:
Oh, have mercy on the old man!
Tell me which one of you agrees
Jump after my daughter?
Whose feat will not be in vain,
Therefore, suffer, cry, villain!
He couldn’t save his wife! -
To him I will give her as a wife
With half the kingdom of my great-grandfathers.
Who will volunteer, children, friends?..”
"I!" - said the sad groom.
"I! I! - exclaimed with Rogdai
Farlaf and joyful Ratmir. -
Now we saddle our horses;
We are happy to travel all over the world.
Our Father, let us not prolong the separation;
Don’t be afraid: we’re going for the princess.”
And gratefully dumb
In tears he stretches out his hands to them
An old man, exhausted by melancholy.
All four go out together;
Ruslan was killed by despondency;
Thought of the Lost Bride
It torments and kills him.
They sit on zealous horses;
Along the banks of the Dnieper happy
They fly in swirling dust;
Already hiding in the distance;
The riders are no longer visible...
But he still looks for a long time
Grand Duke in an empty field
And the thought flies after them.
Ruslan languished silently,
Having lost both meaning and memory.
Looking over your shoulder arrogantly
And it’s important to put your arms akimbo, Farlaf,
Pouting, he groaned for Ruslan.
He says: “I force
I've broken free, friends!
Well, will I soon meet the giant?
Surely blood will flow,
These are the victims of jealous love!
Have fun, my faithful sword,
Have fun, my zealous horse!”
Khazar Khan, in his mind
Already hugging Lyudmila,
Almost dancing over the saddle;
The blood in him is young,
The look is full of fire of hope:
Then he gallops at full speed,
It teases the dashing runner,
It circles, rears up,
Ile boldly rushes to the hills again.
Rogday is gloomy, silent - not a word...
Fearing an unknown fate
And tormented by vain jealousy,
He is the most worried
And often his gaze is terrible
He looks gloomily at the prince.
Rivals on the same road
Everyone travels together all day.
The Dnieper became dark and sloping;
The shadow of the night pours from the east;
The fogs over the Dnieper are deep;
It's time for their horses to rest.
There's a wide path under the mountain
A wide path crossed.
“Let’s leave, it’s time! - they said -
Let us entrust ourselves to the unknown fate.”
And every horse, not smelling steel,
By will, I chose the path for myself.
What are you doing, Ruslan, unhappy,
Alone in desert silence?
Lyudmila, the wedding day is terrible,
It seems like you saw everything in a dream.
Pushing the copper helmet over his eyebrows,
Leaving the reins from powerful hands,
You're walking between the fields,
And slowly in your soul
Hope dies, faith fades.
But suddenly there was a cave in front of the knight;
There is light in the cave. He's straight to her
Walks under the dormant arches,
Contemporaries of nature itself.
He entered with despondency: what is he seeing?
There is an old man in the cave; clear view,
Calm gaze, gray hair;
The lamp in front of him is burning;
He sits behind an ancient book,
Reading it carefully.
“Welcome, my son! -
He said with a smile to Ruslan. -
I've been here alone for twenty years
In the darkness of the old life I wither;
But finally I waited for the day
Long foreseen by me.
We are brought together by fate;
Sit down and listen to me.
Ruslan, you have lost Lyudmila;
Your strong spirit is losing strength;
But a quick moment of evil will rush by:
For a while, fate befell you.
With hope, cheerful faith
Go for everything, don’t be discouraged;
Forward! with a sword and a bold chest
Make your way to midnight.
Find out, Ruslan: your insulter
The terrible wizard Chernomor,
Longtime thief of beauties,
Full owner of the mountains.
No one else in his abode
Until now the gaze has not penetrated;
But you, destroyer of evil machinations,
You will enter it, and the villain
He will die by your hand.
I don't have to tell you anymore:
The fate of your coming days,
My son, from now on it is your will.”
Our knight fell at the feet of the old man
And in joy he kisses his hand.
The world brightens before his eyes,
And the heart forgot the torment.
He came to life again; and suddenly again
There is a sadness on the flushed face...
“The reason for your melancholy is clear;
But sadness is not difficult to disperse, -
The old man said, “You are terrible.”
Love of a gray-haired sorcerer;
Calm down, know: it is in vain
And the young maiden is not afraid.
He brings down the stars from the sky,
He whistles and the moon trembles;
But against the time of the law
His science is not strong.
Jealous, reverent guardian
Locks of merciless doors,
He's just a weak torturer
Your lovely captive.
He silently wanders around her,
Curses his cruel lot...
But, good knight, the day passes,
But you need peace.”
Ruslan lies down on soft moss
Before the dying fire;
He is looking for sleep,
Sighs, turns slowly...
In vain! Knight finally:
“I can’t sleep, my father!
What to do: I am sick at heart,
And it’s not a dream, how sickening it is to live.
Let me refresh my heart
Your holy conversation.
Forgive my impertinent question.
Open up: who are you, O blessed one,
An incomprehensible confidant of fate?
Who brought you to the desert?
Sighing with a sad smile,
The old man replied: “Dear son,
I've already forgotten my distant homeland
Gloomy edge. Natural Finn,
In the valleys known to us alone,
Chasing the herd from the surrounding villages,
In my carefree youth I knew
Some dense oak groves,
Streams, caves of our rocks
Yes, wild poverty is fun.
But to live in gratifying silence
It didn't last long for me.
Then, near our village,
Like a sweet color of solitude,
Naina lived. Between friends
She thundered with beauty.
One morning
Their herds on the dark meadow
I drove on, blowing the bagpipes;
There was a stream in front of me.
Alone, young beauty
I was making a wreath on the shore.
I was attracted by my destiny...
Ah, knight, it was Naina!
I go to her - and the fatal flame
I was rewarded for my daring gaze,
And I recognized love in my soul
With her heavenly joy,
With her painful melancholy.
Half of the year has flown away;
I opened up to her with trepidation,
He said: I love you, Naina.
But my timid sorrow
Naina listened with pride,
Loving only your charms,
And she answered indifferently:
“Shepherd, I don’t love you!”
And everything became wild and gloomy for me:
Native bush, shade of oak trees,
Merry games of shepherds -
Nothing consoled the melancholy.
In despondency, the heart became dry and sluggish.
And finally I thought
Leave Finnish fields;
Seas of faithless depths
Swim across with a brotherly squad
And deserve the glory of abuse
Naina's proud attention.
I called the brave fishermen
Look for dangers and gold.
For the first time the quiet land of fathers
I heard the swearing sound of damask steel
And the noise of non-peaceful shuttles.
I sailed into the distance, full of hope,
With a crowd of fearless countrymen;
We are ten years of snow and waves
They were stained with the blood of enemies.
Rumor spread: the kings of a foreign land
They were afraid of my insolence;
Their proud squads
The northern swords fled.
We had fun, we fought menacingly,
They shared tributes and gifts,
And they sat down with the vanquished
For friendly feasts.
But a heart full of Naina,
Under the noise of battle and feasts,
I was languishing in secret sorrow,
Searched for the Finnish coast.
It's time to go home, I said, friends!
Let's hang up the idle chain mail
Under the shadow of my native hut.
He said - and the oars rustled:
And, leaving fear behind,
To the Gulf of the Fatherland dear
We flew in with proud joy.
Long-time dreams have come true,
Ardent wishes come true!
A minute of sweet goodbye
And you sparkled for me!
At the feet of the haughty beauty
I brought a bloody sword,
Corals, gold and pearls;
Before her, intoxicated with passion,
Surrounded by a silent swarm
Her envious friends
I stood as an obedient prisoner;
But the maiden hid from me,
Saying with an air of indifference:
"Hero, I don't love you!"
Why tell me, my son,
What is there no power to retell?
Ah, and now alone, alone,
Soul asleep, at the door of the grave,
I remember sorrow, and sometimes,
How a thought is born about the past,
By my gray beard
A heavy tear rolls down.
But listen: in my homeland
Between the desert fishermen
Wonderful science lurks.
Under the roof of eternal silence,
Among the forests, in the distant wilderness
Gray-haired sorcerers live;
To objects of high wisdom
All their thoughts are directed;
Everyone hears their terrible voice,
What happened and what will happen again,
And they are subject to their formidable will
And the coffin and love itself.
And I, a greedy seeker of love,
Decided in joyless sadness
Attract Naina with charms
And in the proud heart of a cold maiden
Ignite love with magic.
Hastened into the arms of freedom,
Into the lonely darkness of the forests;
And there, in the teachings of sorcerers,
Spent invisible years.
The long-awaited moment has come,
And the terrible secret of nature
I realized with bright thoughts:
I learned the power of spells.
The crown of love, the crown of desires!
Now, Naina, you are mine!
The victory is ours, I thought.
But really the winner
There was rock, my persistent persecutor.
In dreams of young hope,
In the delight of ardent desire,
I cast spells hastily,
I call the spirits - and in the darkness of the forest
The arrow rushed like thunder,
The magic whirlwind raised a howl,
The ground shook under my feet...
And suddenly he sits in front of me
The old woman is decrepit, gray-haired,
Sparkling with sunken eyes,
With a hump, with a shaking head,
A picture of sad disrepair.
Ah, knight, it was Naina!..
I was horrified and silent
With his eyes the terrible ghost measured,
Still didn't believe in doubt
And suddenly he began to cry and shout:
“Is it possible! oh, Naina, is it you!
Naina, where is your beauty?
Tell me, is heaven really
Have you been changed so badly?
Tell me, how long has it been since you left the light?
Have I parted with my soul and my sweetheart?
How long ago?..” – “Exactly forty years,”
There was a fatal answer from the maiden, -
Today I hit seventy.
“What should I do,” she squeaks to me, “
The years flew by in a crowd.
My, your spring has passed -
We both managed to grow old.
But, friend, listen: it doesn’t matter
Loss of unfaithful youth.
Of course, I'm gray now,
A little hunchbacked, maybe;
Not like in the old days,
Not so alive, not so sweet;
But (added the chatterbox)
I’ll tell you a secret: I’m a witch!”
And it really was like that.
Mute, motionless in front of her,
I was a complete fool
With all my wisdom.
But here's something terrible: witchcraft
Unfortunately, it came to pass.
My gray deity
There was a new passion for me.
Curling his terrible mouth into a smile,
Freak with a grave voice
He mumbles a confession of love to me.
Imagine my suffering!
I trembled, looking down;
She continued through her cough.
Heavy, passionate conversation:
“So, now I recognize the heart;
I see, true friend, it
Born for tender passion;
Feelings have awakened, I'm burning,
I'm yearning for love...
Come into my arms...
Oh darling, darling! I'm dying..."
And meanwhile she, Ruslan,
She blinked with languid eyes;
And meanwhile for my caftan
She held herself with her skinny arms;
And meanwhile I was dying,
I closed my eyes in horror;
And suddenly I couldn’t stand the urine;
I broke out screaming and ran.
She followed: “Oh, unworthy!
You have disturbed my calm age,
The days are bright for the innocent maiden!
You have achieved Naina's love,
And you despise - these are men!
They all breathe treason!
Alas, blame yourself;
He seduced me, wretched one!
I gave myself up to passionate love...
Traitor, monster! oh shame!
But tremble, maiden thief!
So we parted. From now on
Living in my solitude
With a disappointed soul;
And in the world there is consolation for the old man
Nature, wisdom and peace.
The grave is already calling me;
But the feelings are the same
The old lady hasn't forgotten yet
And the flame is later than love
Turned from frustration into anger.
Loving evil with a black soul,
The old witch, of course,
He will hate you too;
But grief on earth does not last forever.”
Our knight greedily listened
Stories of the Elder; clear eyes
I didn’t fall into a light nap
And a quiet flight of the night
I didn't hear it in deep thought.
But the day shines radiantly...
With a sigh the grateful knight
Volume of the old sorcerer;
The soul is full of hope;
Gets out. Legs squeezed
Ruslan of the neighing horse,
He recovered in the saddle and whistled.
"My father, do not leave me."
And gallops across the empty meadow.
Gray-haired sage to a young friend
He shouts after him: “Happy journey!
Forgive, love your wife,
Don’t forget the elder’s advice!”
Familiar lines from childhood:
There is a green oak near the Lukomorye,
Golden chain on the oak tree:
Both day and night the cat is a scientist
Everything goes around and around in a chain.
He goes to the right - the song starts,
To the left - he tells a fairy tale...
And it’s always interesting - what kind of cat is it? Why does he walk on a chain?
Cat Bayun is a character from Russian fairy tales. The image of the cat Bayun combines the features of a fairy-tale monster and a bird with a magical voice. Fairy tales say that Bayun sits on a high iron pillar. He weakens everyone who tries to approach him with the help of songs and spells.
To capture the magic cat, Ivan Tsarevich puts on an iron cap and iron gloves. Having caught the animal, Ivan Tsarevich takes it to the palace to his father. There, the defeated cat begins to tell fairy tales and helps heal the king. The image of a magic cat was widespread in Russian popular print stories. Probably, it was borrowed from there by A.S. Pushkin: he introduced the image of a scientist’s cat - an integral representative of the fairy-tale world - into the Prologue of the poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila”.
The prologue was written in Mikhailovsky in 1826 and included in the text of the 2nd edition of the poem, published two years later. The image of the “scientist cat” goes back to the character of Russian mythology and fairy tales, the cat Bayun, in whom the magical voice of the bird Gamayun combined with the strength and cunning of a fairy-tale monster.
The tales of the cat Baiun and the “scientist cat” became especially famous thanks to the spread of popular prints. “Scientist cat” is a tamed and ennobled version of the cat Bayun. Here is the entry Pushkin made in Mikhailovskoye from the words of his nanny Arina Rodionovna: “By the seaside Lukomoriya there is an oak tree, and on that oak tree there are golden chains, and on those chains a cat walks: up it goes - it tells fairy tales, down it goes - it sings songs.” Presenting the content of the poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila” as one of the fairy tales of the “scientist cat,” Pushkin emphasized the connection of his work with Russian folklore.
And although the cat came to the territory of Rus' quite late, it immediately took an important place in human life. She is an indispensable character in Russian fairy tales. Kot-Bayun was endowed with a voice “heard seven miles away, and seen seven miles away; as he purrs, he will cast upon whomever he wants an enchanted dream, which you cannot distinguish, without knowing it, from death.”
Monument to Cat Bayun the Scientist in Kyiv.
Nowadays the “scientist cat” and the cat Bayun are very popular characters. Many such “cats” have “settled” in the Internet space: from literary pseudonyms and the name of a web magazine, to the name of the medicinal product for cats “Cat Bayun” and captions to photographs.
The great storyteller Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, when starting to write his poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila,” most likely did not suspect that even small children would read its first lines about the magical “Lukomorye” with pleasure. “By the seaside there is a green oak tree, a golden chain on that oak tree,” you read, and before your eyes there appears the image of a majestic hundred-year-old oak tree with spreading branches bound in a chain. And a fairy-tale cat walks through them and purrs his tales, in which fairy-tale characters beloved by children and adults participate - Baba Yaga, Koschey the Immortal, the sorcerer and the talking wolf, and other wonderful characters. And most importantly, the poem is imbued with love for the homeland and pride in the fact that the author, A. Pushkin, was born and lives in Rus'. Let's dive into the fabulous Lukomorie together with Pushkin!
A.S. Pushkin
There is a green oak near the Lukomorye
From the poem "Ruslan and Lyudmila"
There is a green oak near the Lukomorye;
Golden chain on the oak tree:
Day and night the cat is a scientist
Everything goes round and round in a chain;
He goes to the right - the song starts,
To the left - he tells a fairy tale.
There are miracles there: a goblin wanders there,
The mermaid sits on the branches;
There on unknown paths
Traces of unseen beasts;
There's a hut there on chicken legs
It stands without windows, without doors;
There the forest and valley are full of visions;
There the waves will rush in at dawn
The beach is sandy and empty,
And thirty beautiful knights
From time to time clear waters emerge,
And their sea uncle is with them;
The prince is there in passing
Captivates the formidable king;
There in the clouds in front of the people
Through the forests, across the seas
The sorcerer carries the hero;
In the dungeon there the princess is grieving,
And the brown wolf serves her faithfully;
There is a stupa with Baba Yaga
She walks and wanders by herself,
There, King Kashchei is wasting away over gold;
There's a Russian spirit... it smells like Russia!
And there I was, and I drank honey;
I saw a green oak by the sea;
The scientist cat sat under him
He told me his fairy tales.
