The Russian story book

by Richard Wilson

MACMILLAN AND CO., Limited

LONDON • BOMBAY • CALCUTTA
MELBOURNE

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

NEW YORK • BOSTON • CHICAGO
DALLAS • SAN FRANCISCO

THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, Ltd.

TORONTO

Falcon the Hunter (p. 64)

THE

RUSSIAN STORY BOOK

CONTAINING TALES FROM THE SONG-CYCLES
OF KIEV AND NOVGOROD AND OTHER
EARLY SOURCES

RETOLD BY

RICHARD WILSON

AUTHOR OF "THE INDIAN STORY BOOK"

WITH SIXTEEN COLOURED PLATES AND
LINE ILLUSTRATIONS FROM DRAWINGS BY
FRANK C. PAPÉ

MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED

ST. MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON

1916

COPYRIGHT

PREFACE

I have gone right into the heart of "Holy Russia," to Kiev and Novgorod and the borders of the Caspian, in an endeavour to show by means of some of the early legends the ideals and point of view of the Russian nation while it was in the process of being made. The stories of the song-cycles of Kiev and Novgorod tell of a barbaric, though not a barbarian, world, full of high colour and spirited action, of the knock-down blow followed quickly by the hand of friendship freely extended to pick up the fallen foeman—if indeed he has had the hardihood to survive.

The land of Vladimir and Ilya of Murom the Old Cossáck is a Christian land, with the Christianity of the Greek Church, and it is before all else an Easter land, where the Christian Festival of the Resurrection means infinitely more than it can ever do in countries which are not ice-bound for several winter months. The country is, moreover, an outpost of Christianity towards the East—uninfluenced by Renaissance or Reformation—and must therefore have developed interesting characteristics entirely different from those of Western lands. I think that such characteristics are clearly shown in these stories, but I must leave those of my older readers who are interested in this matter to find them out and to discover the Arthur, Guinevere and Galahad of Russia; for my first concern is to tell a tale which will please healthy-minded boys and girls in their early teens.

This book might have been written by a Russian who thoroughly understands our language, or by an English author who has spent the best part of a lifetime in studying Russia and the Russians, illustrated by a native artist, and decorated by a Russian designer. When such a volume does appear, it will have a great interest for me. Meanwhile, I submit that there is some artistic unity, also, in a volume of Russian stories, written by an Englishman, illustrated by an English artist, and decorated by an English designer, the whole production being for an English child.

One cannot delve far into these folk-lore records without becoming indebted to Miss I. F. Hapgood's English renderings from the collections of Kirshá Danilóv, P. B. Kirýeevsky, A. T. Gillferding, Rybnikof, P. A. Bezsonof and others, published in New York in 1885; to J. Curtin's literal translations from the Naródniya Rússyika Shazki of A. N. Afanásieva; to W. R. S. Ralston's books on Russian folk-song and fable; and to the writings of the Hon. Maurice Baring and Mr. Stephen Graham. To all of these I desire to express my indebtedness for help and guidance, though the responsibility for the telling and interpretation of the tales is entirely my own. If this little collection makes the British child more sympathetic towards Russia and helps it to understand the Russian people to a small degree its purpose will have been achieved.

R. W.

Hampstead, 1915.

CONTENTS

Ilya and Cloudfall	11
Ilya meets Svyatogor and parts with Him	19
Ilya and Nightingale the Robber	33
Ilya and Falcon the Hunter	51
The Adventure of the Burning White Stone	73
How Quiet Dunai had brought the Princess Apraxia to Kiev	83
The Story of Nikitich and Marina	103
How the Court of Vladimir received a Visitor from India the Glorious	119
The Story of Kasyan and the Dream Maiden	149
How Stavr the Noble was saved by a Woman's Wiles	161
The Golden Horde	175
Whirlwind the Whistler, or the Kingdoms of Copper, Silver, and Gold	195
Vasily the Turbulent	231
Nikita the Footless and the Terrible Tsar	267
Peerless Beauty the Cake-Baker	289

ILLUSTRATIONS

IN COLOUR

Falcon the Hunter (p. 64)	Frontispiece
	FACE PAGE
"Come down," cried the hero's wife	24
Nightingale the Robber fell from his nest in the old oaks	42
It was clear that her fascination still worked upon the hearts of the prisoners	81
Then the Princess ran with her feet all bare out into the open corridor	87
Marina lay upon a couch … and fondled a fiery dragon with her right hand	108
Diuk stooped and caught Churilo by his yellow curls	142
There passed over the boundless plain an aged saint with flowing beard, and eyes which shone with laughter	159
She put her good steed to the walls and leapt lightly over them	167
A mountain cave which no man has ever seen	192
Whirlwind the Whistler carries away Golden Tress	198
"Oh," said the man, "I am able to do everything"	222
The black-browed maid stood upon the bank as the red ship … sailed away from Novgorod	249
The Water Tsar dances	263
Timothy began to dance, the cabin also began to dance, the table danced	285
"Bless me, Little Father, for I am going to my wedding"	292