Fairy tale of a beautiful princess and a happy dwarf. Nikolai Karamzin - beautiful princess and happy Karla

Shklovsky V.B. Art as a technique (Document)

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2.4. Fairy tale story “The Beautiful Princess and happy carla"as a generalization of N.M. Karamzin’s experience in working with the folk tale genre

As N.D. Kochetkova emphasized, “...in the second half of the 90s, N.M. Karamzin began to avoid folk expressions, his attitude towards vernacular and folklore elements was not always the same. How attentively the writer treated each stylistically colored word can be judged by the changes he made to the text of the works during reprinting. On the one hand, N. M. Karamzin really tries to eliminate words that seem to him too colloquial or common. So, everywhere he consistently replaces “window” with “window”, instead of “parent” appears “father”, instead of “mother” - “mother”, etc.” .

But on the other hand, it is N.M. Karamzin’s revised text that sometimes acquires a greater folkloric flavor. This applies primarily to the story “The Beautiful Princess and the Happy Karla” (1792). Compared to the first magazine edition of the story, the text published in “My Trinkets” contains, in particular, the following changes: “Once upon a time there lived a king” - “once upon a time there was a king”; “they ate your bread and salt” - “they ate your bread and salt.” Therefore, N.D. Kochetkova came to the conclusion: “But N.M. Karamzin’s imitation of the syllable of a folk tale is of a rather superficial nature: he constantly makes it clear to the reader that his story is nothing more than a funny joke, and this is already emphasized in the subtitle: “ an old fairy tale or a new caricature."

“The Beautiful Princess and the Happy Karla” is a kind of generalization of N. M. Karamzin’s accumulated experience in the field of using folklore. This is a new “attempt” by the writer to create a fairy tale, albeit based on the plot of a Western European fairy tale. “An Old Tale” undoubtedly differs from the fairy-tale poem “Ilya Muromets”. N.M. Karamzin, who had already turned to the fairy tale genre more than once, mastered its features and conveyed them in the story “The Beautiful Princess and the Happy Karla.”

The fairy tale story “The Beautiful Princess and the Happy Karla” has two introductions: the beginning of the story is the author’s sentimental appeal to the readers; The immediate action of the “old fairy tale” begins with a fairytale beginning: “In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there lived The king is a good man, father of only one daughter, a beautiful princess, dear to the heart of a parent, dear to every sensitive heart, rare, incomparable.”

The chronotope of the story “The Beautiful Princess and the Happy Karla” corresponds to the fairy tale. In the fairy tale, the main folklore law, the law of chronological incompatibility, is observed: time flows continuously, without branching and without stopping for a moment: “In this way days, weeks and months passed.” Just like in fairy tales, important events are accomplished with lightning speed: “In an instant, the white tents in front of the palace disappeared, the princes mounted their horses and, with sadness, rushed off at full speed, each on their own path; the dust rose in a column and fell back into place again.” The author also chose a fairy-tale setting for the action - “a certain kingdom, a certain state.” Thus, the uncertainty of time and place indicates that the plot is based on a deliberately fictitious past.

In the “old fairy tale” one can also find the mythological ideas of the ancient Slavs, which were built on binary oppositions. Thus, the story contrasts “a certain kingdom” and the “thirtieth kingdom”, from where the princes come to woo. N.M. Karamzin, with the help of this opposition, managed to emphasize the isolation moral world heroine: the material world of suitors is alien to her, since she loves the handsome soul of Karl.

Just like in folk tales, main character beautiful in body and soul. According to typology fairy-tale heroines, beautiful princess combines the features of the “wise maiden”, Helen the Beautiful: “All the orphans in the spatial region King of a good man they called her mother, and even those whom nature itself oppressed, the unfortunate, deprived of health, were relieved by her healing hand, for the Princess completely knew the science of healing, the secret powers of herbs and minerals, celestial plants and underground springs. Such was the soul of the Princess. Poets of that time described her bodily beauty as best work skillful nature." .

To describe the heroine, N.M. Karamzin turns to a traditional folklore device - negative parallelism: “The full moon rising in the sky between countless stars is not as pleasant as ours dear Princess walking through green meadows with her friends; The rays of the bright month do not shine as beautifully, silvering the wavy edges of the gray clouds of the night, as the golden hair shines on her shoulders; she walks like a proud swan, like the beloved daughter of heaven.” .

N.M. Karamzin defended people’s right to love in all his works. It is no coincidence that the story has a theme of love, free choice is the main one. The beautiful princess fell in love with the “ugly courtier” Karla, for the sake of this love she is ready to sacrifice everything: “My parent! kill me or give me away for the kind, dear, priceless Karla! I will never be the wife of another. My soul lives by his soul, my heart by his heart. In life and death we are inseparable." Karl's courtier is a sensitive hero, educated, musically gifted. N.M. Karamzin, creating the image of the hero, most likely relied on foreign folklore. N.D. Kochetkova noted that the plot of the fairy tale “is focused on the plot of Anton Wall.” Therefore, “heroism,” the hero’s strength, does not manifest itself quite usually, as in the heroes of Russian fairy tales: “When the barbarians, under the command of their gigantic king, approached our state like a menacing storm; when the sickle fell from the hands of the frightened villager and the pale shepherd fled in horror from his flock, then the young dwarf, alone and unarmed, with an olive branch appeared in the non-steering camp and sang the sweet song of peace; tenderness appeared on the faces of the barbarians, their king threw the sword from his hand and embraced the singer.” .

The action of the story, like the action of fairy tales, develops quickly. The good king gave his blessing. Goodness and beauty won, as the fairy-tale morality demanded: “Karla lived happily ever after with his beautiful wife.” N.D. Kochetkova rightly emphasized: “Reflections on internal and external beauty are directly reflected in Karamzin’s story “The Beautiful Princess and the Happy Karla” (1792). The characters in the story are comparable to the heroes folk tales, in which occur wonderful transformations: the ugly becomes beautiful thanks to the victory of good forces over evil. Allegorically, the idea that is important for the writer is embodied here that goodness generates beauty, and beauty generates goodness.”

The fairy tale has always reflected the ancient aspirations of the people, according to which the king is the people's benefactor. N.M. Karamzin reflected in the story popular ideas about the tsar, a kind man: “. judged his subjects with justice." But this is where it is revealed important feature N. M. Karamzin’s style is the author’s irony, which always indicates a deep subtext. IN in this case- this is the author’s ironic attitude towards rulers, kings in general. Literature researchers have repeatedly emphasized that N.M. Karamzin never spoke out against the tsarist government. Our research refutes these claims. It is no coincidence that the author will call the king “good man” several times in the story so that this name will become a stable expression - "The king is a good man." The king in the story is nameless, this indicates that "The Tsar is a good man"- This is a generalized image of the king. The author's irony is also manifested in the author's attitude to the reign of the “good king”: “. And The king is a good man began his ordinary work, which consisted in ruling his subjects as a father rules his children, and spreading prosperity in the country under his control - a difficult task, but holy and pleasant!” . The writer's turn to folklore helped define his political position, attitude to what is happening.

"The Beautiful Princess and the Happy Karla"

An old fairy tale, or a new caricature

O you ugly sons of humanity, ugly creations of a playful nature! you, who in no way can serve as an example to the artist when he wants to represent elegance human form! you who complain about nature and say that she has not given you ways to please and has blocked for you the source of the sweetest pleasure in life - the source of love! do not despair, my friends, and believe that you can still be kind and loved, that the helpful Zephyrs today or tomorrow can bring to you some lovely Dog, who will enthusiastically rush into your arms and say that there is nothing sweeter than you light. Listen to the next story.

In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there lived a Tsar, a kind man, the father of one daughter, a beautiful princess, dear to the heart of a parent, dear to every sensitive heart, rare, incomparable. When the Tsar, a good man, dressed in rich purple, crowned with a sapphire-ruby crown, sat on a high throne among the multitude and, holding right hand the golden scepter, judged his subjects with righteousness; when, sighing from the depths of his heart, he pronounced the sentence of due punishment, then the beautiful Princess appeared, looked straight into the eyes of her parent, raised white hand her, extended it to the judge, and the gloomy face of justice was suddenly illuminated by the sun of mercy; the guilty man, saved by her, swore in his soul to be from that time on a good subject of the good king. Was the poor man approaching the Princess? she helped him; Did the sad person shed tears? she consoled him. All the orphans in the vast region of the good man King called her mother, and even those whom nature itself oppressed, the unfortunate, deprived of health, were relieved by her healing hand, for the Princess completely knew the science of healing, the secret powers of herbs and minerals, heavenly plants and underground springs. Such was the soul of the Princess. Her bodily beauty was described by all the poets of that time as the best work of skillful nature, and the poets then were not such flatterers as they are now; They did not call black white, dwarf a giant, or ugliness an example of harmony. I managed to find one of these descriptions in an ancient book depository; Here is the correct translation:

“The full moon rising in the sky between countless stars is not as pleasant as our dear Princess walking through the green meadows with her friends; the rays of the bright moon do not shine so beautifully, silvering the wavy edges of the gray clouds of the night, as the golden hair shines on her shoulders ; she walks like a proud swan, like the beloved daughter of heaven; ethereal azure, on which the star of love, the evening star, shines, is the image of her incomparable eyes, thin eyebrows, like rainbows, bend over them, her cheeks are like white lilies when the morning dawns paints them with her scarlet color; when the tender lips of the beautiful Princess open, two rows of the purest pearls seduce the eye; two hills, covered with eternal fog... But who will describe all her beauties? "

The winged goddess, called Glory, was as talkative in those days as she is now. Flying all over the sunflower, she told miracles about the beautiful Princess and could not stop talking about her. From far away, princes came to see her beauty, pitched high tents in front of the stone palace of the good man King and came to him with a bow. He knew the reason for their visit and rejoiced heartily, wishing for a worthy husband for his dear daughter. They saw the beautiful Princess and were inflamed with love. Each of them told the King good man: “The king is a good man! I came from beyond nine lands, the thirtieth kingdom; my father owns countless people, a beautiful land; our towers are high, silver and gold shine in them, multi-colored velvets are cast. King! Give me your daughter for me!” - “Seek her love!” - he answered, and all the princes remained in his palace, drinking and eating at the oak table, behind the tablecloth, together with the Tsar and the Princess. Each of them looked with touching eyes at the beautiful one, and with their gazes said very clearly: “Princess! love me!” You need to know that in the old days lovers were timid and bashful, like red girls, and did not dare to express themselves verbally with the mistresses of their hearts. In our times they are much bolder, but the eloquence of their gaze has now lost almost all its power. Admirers of the beautiful Princess used another method to express their passion, a method that also went out of fashion with us. Namely, every night they walked under the window of the Princess's tower, played the banduras and sang in a quiet voice plaintive songs composed by the poets of their lands; Each verse concluded with deep sighs that could touch even a stony heart and soften it to tears. When five, six, ten, twenty lovers met there at one time, then they cast lots to whom to sing first, and each in turn began to sing of heartache; others, with their hands clasped, walked back and forth and looked at the Tsarevnino window, which, however, did not open for any of them. Then they all returned to their tents and deep sleep forgot love grief.

Days, weeks and months passed in this way. The beautiful Princess looked at this and that, at the third and fourth, but nothing was visible in her eyes except cold indifference to her suitors, princes and princes. Finally they all approached the good man King and unanimously demanded that beautiful daughter she announced solemnly which of them pleased her heart. “We have lived long enough in your stone palace,” they said, “we have eaten your bread and salt and emptied more than one barrel of sweet honey; it is time for us to return to our countries, to our fathers, mothers and sisters. Tsar is a good man! We want to know which of us will be your son-in-law." The king answered them with these words: “Dear guests! Even if you lived in my palace for several years, then, of course, you would not get bored with the owner, but I don’t want to keep you against your will and I will go now to the Princess. I can’t do anything.” force her; but whoever she chooses will receive my entire kingdom as a dowry and will be my son and heir: " The king went to the mansion to see his daughter. She was sitting at the hoop and sewing in gold, but when she saw her parent, she stood up and kissed his hand. He sat down next to her and said to her in gentle words: “My dear, sensible daughter, beautiful Princess! You know that I have no children except you, the light of my eyes; our family must reign in future centuries: it’s time for you to think about the groom "The princes have lived with us for a long time and are seduced by your beauty, choose a spouse from among them, my daughter, and comfort your father!" The princess sat in silence for a long time, looking down at the ground. Blue eyes their; Finally she raised them and directed them at her parent, then two shining tears rolled down from her scarlet cheeks, like two raindrops blown from a rose by a breath of marshmallow. “My dear parent!” she said in a gentle voice. “I will have time to grieve when I’m married. Ah! and the birds love freedom, and married woman doesn't have it. Now I live and rejoice; I have neither worries nor sadness; I only think about pleasing my parent. I can’t discredit the princes in any way, but let me, let me stay in my maiden’s mansion!" The king, a kind man, shed tears. “I am a gentle father, not your tyrant,” he answered the Princess, “prudent parents can control the inclinations of their children, but they cannot neither excite nor change them; So a skilled helmsman steers the ship, but cannot say to the silence: turn into the wind! or the eastern wind: be western!" The kind king hugged his daughter, went out to the princes and told them with a sad look and with all possible politeness that the beautiful Princess did not want to leave her maiden mansion for any of them. All the princes were depressed, thoughtful and hung their heads, for each of them hoped to be the husband of the beautiful Princess. One wiped himself with a white handkerchief, another looked at the ground, the third covered his eyes with his hand, the fourth pinched his dress, the fifth stood leaning against the stove, and looked at his nose, like an Indian to a brahmin reflecting on the nature of the human soul, the sixth... But what the sixth, seventh and others were doing at that very moment, the chronicles are silent about. Finally, they all sighed - so much that the stone walls almost shook - and in a languid voice They brought gratitude to the owner for the treat. In an instant, the white tents in front of the palace disappeared, the princes mounted their horses and, sadly, rushed off at full speed, each on his own way; the dust rose in a column and again lay down in its place.

IN royal palace everything became quiet and peaceful, and the good man Tsar set about his ordinary work, which consisted of ruling his subjects as a father rules his children, and spreading prosperity in the country under his control - a difficult task, but holy and pleasant! However, a hospitable man is rarely without guests, and soon after the departure of the princes, a traveling astrologer, gymnosophist, magician, Chaldean, in a high hat on which the moon and stars were depicted, came to the king, lived with him for several weeks, took the beautiful Princess to table, As a polite gentleman should, he drank and ate philosophically, that is, for five, and constantly talked about moderation and abstinence. The king treated him kindly, asked him about the events of the world, about the stars of heaven, about underground ores, about the birds of the air, and found pleasure in his conversation. To the honor of this knight-errant, it must be said that he had a lot of historical, physical and philosophical information, and the human heart was not entirely gibberish for him, that is, he knew people and often guessed their innermost feelings and thoughts by their eyes. Nowadays they would call him - I don’t know what, but in those days they called him a sage. It's true that everyone new Age brings with it a new concept about this word. Gen the sage, finally getting ready to go from the King of the good man, said these words to him: “In gratitude for your kindness,” (and for your good table, he could have said), “I will tell you an important secret, important to your heart.” . Tsar, good man! Nothing is hidden from my wisdom, nor is the soul of your daughter, the beautiful Princess, hidden from it. Know that she loves and wants to hide her love. A plant that blooms in darkness vegetates and is deprived of its beauty; love is color souls. I can't say more. I'm sorry!" He shook the King’s hand, went out, sat on a donkey and rode to another land.

The king, a kind man, stood in amazement and did not know what to think about the words of the sages: whether to believe them or not, when suddenly the Princess appeared and congratulated her father on his Good morning and asked if he slept peacefully in last night? “Very restless, my dear daughter!” answered the good man King. “My soul was disturbed by various unpleasant dreams, of which one remained in my memory. It seemed to me that I, together with many people, came to a wild cave in which mortals learned the future. Each of us wanted to ask fate about something; each one in turn entered the gloomy grotto, illuminated by one lamp, and wrote a question on the wall, a minute later the answer was depicted in fiery letters in the same place. I wanted to know whether I would soon have loved ones grandchildren? and to my horror I saw these words: maybe never. My hand trembled, but I wrote other questions: Does my daughter have a heart of stone? Will she never love? Another answer followed: She already loves, but not wants to open up to his love and collapses in secret. Then tears rolled from my eyes; my touched heart poured out in tender complaints to you, beautiful Princess! How did I deserve such insincerity, such lack of trust? Will a father be the enemy of his dear daughter? Can I resist your heartfelt desires? choice, dear Princess? Haven't your wishes always been my law? Didn’t I, in my old age, rush after that butterfly that you praised? Wasn’t it with my own hand that I watered those flowers that you liked?” Then the Princess began to cry, grabbed her father’s hand, kissed it passionately, and said: “Father! Father!” - she looked into his eyes and went into her mansion.

“So, the sage told me the truth,” the good man thought, “she could not hide her inner movement. Cruel! Did I think... And why hide it? Why not say which of the princes captivated her heart? Maybe "Perhaps he is not as rich, not as noble as others; but do I really need wealth and nobility? Do I not have enough silver and gold? Will he not be famous for his wife? I need to find out everything." He at that very moment decided to go to the beautiful Princess, walked up to the door of her mansion and heard the voice of a man who said: “No, beautiful Princess! Your father will never agree to recognize me as his son-in-law!” The parent's heart trembled greatly. He opened the door... But what pen will describe his feelings now? What appeared to his eyes? The ugly courtier of the Karl, with a hump in front, with a hump in the back, hugged the Princess, who, shedding tears, showered him with passionate kisses! The king was petrified. The beautiful Princess threw herself on her knees in front of him and said to him in a firm voice: “My parent! kill me or give me up for the kind, dear, priceless Karla! I will never be the wife of another. My soul lives by his soul, my heart by his heart. In life and in We are inseparable in death." Meanwhile, the dwarf stood calmly and looked at the king with respect, but without timidity. The king was motionless and silent for a long time. Finally, exclaiming: “What do I see? What do I hear?”, he fell into his chair. The princess hugged his knees. He looked at her in such a way that the beautiful woman could not bear this gaze and lowered her eyes to the ground. “You, you...” his voice broke off. He looked at Karla, jumped up, slammed the door and left.

“How, how could the beautiful Princess fall in love with the hunchbacked Karla?” - the reader will ask, or not ask. The Great Shakespeare says that the reason for love happens without a reason: well said for a poet! but the psychologist will not be satisfied with this and will want us to show him how this apparently incredible tendency was born. Ancient chronicles, in explanation of this moral phenomenon, say the following.

Karl's courtier was an extremely smart man. Seeing that his wayward nature had produced him into the world as a little freak, he decided to replace his physical defects with spiritual beauties, began to study with the greatest diligence, read ancient and modern authors and, like the Athenian rhetorician Demosthenes, went to the seashore to speak to the waves the magnificent speeches he composed. Thus, he soon acquired this great, this precious art, which conquers the hearts of people and makes the most insensitive person cry and laugh, that talent and that art with which the Thracian Orpheus captivated animals, birds, forests, stones, and rivers, and the winds are eloquent! Moreover, he had a pleasant voice, played the harp and guitar well, sang touching songs of his own composition and could in a wonderful way to revive the canvas and paper, depicting on them either heroes of antiquity, or the perfection of female beauty, or crystal streams shaded by tall willows and calling a tired shepherd and shepherdess to a sweet slumber. Soon rumors about the merits and talents of the wonderful dwarf spread throughout the city and the entire state. Everyone was looking for his acquaintance: both old and young, both men and women - in a word, the smart Karla became very fashionable. An important service he rendered to the fatherland... But this will be discussed elsewhere.

When the beautiful Princess was no more than ten or twelve years old, the clever dwarf went to her mansion to tell tales about beneficent fairies and evil wizards, under the names of the former he described the holy virtues that make a person happy, under the names of the latter the disastrous vices, which with their poisonous breath turn the flowering valley of life into a vale of darkness and death. The princess often shed tears, listening to the sorrowful adventures of the dear princes and princesses, but joy shone on her beautiful face when they, having finally overcome the numerous temptations of fate, in the arms of love enjoyed the fullness of earthly bliss. Loving the stories of the eloquent dwarf, she quietly fell in love with the narrator, and her penetrating eyes discovered in him those touching features of sweet sensitivity that adorned his romantic heroes. Her heart made, so to speak, a tender habit towards his heart, from which it learned to feel. Karla's very appearance became pleasant to her, for this appearance was an image in her eyes. beautiful soul; and it soon seemed to the princess that he could not be handsome if he was taller than twenty-five inches and who did not have a hump in front or back. As for our hero, he, not having blind pride, did not think that the Princess could be captivated by him, and therefore he himself was almost indifferent to her charms, for love is not born without hope. But when, in a moment of the most lively sympathy, the beautiful one said to him: “I love you!”, when suddenly a field of such bliss opened up to him, which he had never dared to dream of before, then deeply hidden sparks instantly ignited in his soul. In delight, he threw himself on his knees before the Princess and exclaimed in the sweet ecstasy of his heart: you are mine! It is true that he soon came to his senses, remembered her high family, remembered himself and covered his face with his hands, but the Princess kissed him and said: “Am I yours or no one’s!” Girlish timidity did not allow her to open up to her parent in her passion.

“This love of the beautiful Princess, although for a smart, but ugly dwarf,” says one of the scoffers of that time, “brings to mind that king of antiquity who fell mortally in love with frog eyes and, having called the wise men of his state, asked them what was most amiable ? “Blossoming youth,” answered one after long reflection; “Beauty,” answered another; “Science,” answered a third; “Royal mercy,” answered a fourth with a low bow, and so on. The king sighed and burst into tears. and said: “No, no! Most kindly - frog eyes!

Now let's turn to our story. We said that the Tsar, a good man, slammed the door and left the princess’s palace, but we did not say where. So, let it be known to the readers that he went to his upper room, locked himself there alone, thought, thought, and finally called Karla to him, then the beautiful Princess, spoke to them for a long time and with fervor, but how and what, history is silent about that.

The next day it was announced throughout the city that the Tsar, a good man, wanted to speak with the people, and the people surrounded the palace on all sides, so that there was nowhere for an apple to fall. The king went out onto the balcony, and when the exclamation: “Long live our good sovereign!” fell silent, asked his subjects: “Friends, do you love the Princess?” Thousands of voices answered: “We adore the beautiful!”

Tsar. Do you want her to choose a husband for herself?

Tsar. But will you be happy with her choice?

At that very moment the curtain rose on the balcony, a beautiful Princess appeared in snow-colored clothes, with flowing hair, which, like golden flax, fluttered on her shoulders, looked like the sun at the crowds of people and millions wild people would submit to this gaze. Karla stood next to her, calmly and majestically looked at the worried people, tenderly and passionately at the Princess. Thousands exclaimed: “Long live the beautiful!”

The Tsar, pointing to Karla, said: “Here he is, the one whom the Princess vows to love forever and with whom she wants to unite forever!”

Everyone was amazed, then they began to buzz like bumblebees and said to each other: “Is it possible, is it possible... Did we just hear? How can this be? She is beautiful, she royal daughter, and he’s a Karla, a hunchback, not a royal son!”

“I love him,” said the Princess, and after these words the Karl seemed almost handsome to the people.

“You are surprised,” continued the Tsar, a good man, “but this is how fate wills it. I thought for a long time and finally give my blessing. However, you know that he has merits; perhaps you have not forgotten the important service he rendered to the fatherland. When the barbarians, under the command of their gigantic king, were approaching our state like a menacing storm; when the sickle fell from the hands of a frightened villager and the pale shepherd fled in horror from his flock, then the young dwarf, alone and unarmed, with an olive branch appeared in the enemy camp and sang a sweet song of peace; tenderness appeared on the faces of the barbarians, their king threw the sword from his hand, embraced the singer, took his branch and said: “We are friends!” Then this formidable giant was my peaceful guest, and thousands of him departed from our country. “What should I reward you with?” I then asked the young dwarf. “Your grace,” he answered with a smile. Now..."

Solemn music thundered, choirs and hymns thundered, the good king clasped the hands of the lovers, and the marriage took place with all the magnificent ceremonies.

Karla lived happily ever after with his beautiful wife. When the King, a good man, after an active life, died a blessed death, that is, he fell asleep, like a tired wanderer falls asleep at the sound of a stream in a green meadow, then his son-in-law in a sapphire-ruby crown and with a golden scepter sat on a high throne and promised the people to reign with righteousness . He fulfilled his vow, and impartial history called him one of the best earthly rulers. His children were beautiful, like their mother, and intelligent, like their parent.

Nikolai Karamzin - The Beautiful Princess and the Happy Karla, read the text

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The beautiful princess and happy Karla

An old fairy tale, or a new caricature

O you ugly sons of humanity, ugly creations of a playful nature! you, who can in no way serve as an example to the artist when he wants to represent the elegance of the human form! you who complain about nature and say that she has not given you ways to please and has blocked for you the source of the sweetest pleasure in life - the source of love! do not despair, my friends, and believe that you can still be kind and loved, that the helpful Zephyrs today or tomorrow can bring to you some lovely Dog, who will enthusiastically rush into your arms and say that there is nothing sweeter than you light. Listen to the next story.

In some kingdom, in some state there lived The king is a good man, the father of one daughter, a beautiful princess, dear to the heart of the parent, dear to every sensitive heart, rare, incomparable. When The king is a good man, dressed in rich scarlet, crowned with a sapphire-ruby crown, he sat on a high throne among the multitude and, holding a golden scepter in his right hand, judged his subjects with righteousness; when, sighing from the depths of his heart, he pronounced the sentence of due punishment, then the beautiful princess, she looked straight into the eyes of her parent, raised her white hand, extended it to the judge, and the gloomy face of justice was suddenly illuminated by the sun of mercy, the guilty one, saved by her, swore in his soul to be from that time on a good subject of the good king. Was the poor man approaching To the princess? she helped him; Did the sad person shed tears? she consoled him. All orphans in the spatial area King of a good man they called her mother, and even those whom nature itself oppressed, the unfortunate, deprived of health, were relieved by her healing hand, for Princess She completely knew the science of healing, the secret powers of herbs and minerals, celestial plants and underground springs. Such was the soul Princess. Her bodily beauty was described by all the poets of that time as the best work of skillful nature, and the poets then were not such flatterers as they are now; They did not call black white, dwarf a giant, or ugliness an example of harmony. I managed to find one of these descriptions in an ancient book depository; Here is the correct translation:

“The full moon, rising in the sky between countless stars, is not as pleasant as our dear Princess, walking through green meadows with her friends; The rays of the bright month do not shine as beautifully, silvering the wavy edges of the gray clouds of the night, as the golden hair shines on her shoulders; she walks like a proud swan, like the beloved daughter of heaven; ethereal azure, on which the star of love, the evening star, shines, is the image of her incomparable eyes, thin eyebrows, like rainbows, bend over them, her cheeks are like white lilies, when the morning dawn paints them with its scarlet color; when do tender lips open beautiful princess, two rows of the purest pearls seduce the eye; two hills, covered with eternal fog... But who will describe all its beauty?

The winged goddess, called Glory, was as talkative in those days as she is now. Flying all over the sunflower, she told wonders about beautiful princess and couldn’t stop talking about her. From far away, princes came to see her beauty and pitched high tents in front of the stone palace. King of a good man and came to him with a bow. He knew the reason for their visit and rejoiced heartily, wishing for a worthy husband for his dear daughter. They saw beautiful princess and were inflamed with love. Each of them said To the Tsar, a good man: “Tsar, a good man! I came from beyond the nine lands, the thirtieth kingdom; my father owns a countless people, a beautiful land; Our towers are high, silver and gold shine in them, multi-colored velvets are cast. Tsar! give your daughter for me!” - “Seek her love!” - he answered, and all the princes remained in his palace, drinking and eating at the oak table, behind the tablecloth. scolding together with Tsar and with Princess. Each of them looked with touching eyes at the beautiful one, and with their gazes said very clearly: “Princess! Love me!" You need to know that in the old days lovers were timid and bashful, like red girls, and did not dare to express themselves verbally with the mistresses of their hearts. Nowadays they are much bolder, but eloquence of glances has now lost almost all its strength. Admirers beautiful princess They used another way to express their passion, a way that also went out of fashion with us. Namely, every night they walked under the window Princess towers, played banduras and sang plaintive songs in a quiet voice, composed by the poets of their lands; Each verse concluded with deep sighs that could touch even a stony heart and soften it to tears. When five, six, ten, twenty lovers met there at one time, then they cast lots to whom to sing first, and each in turn began to sing of heartache; others, with their hands clasped, walked back and forth and looked at the window Tsarevnino, which, however, was not opened for any of them. Then they all returned to their tents and in deep sleep forgot their love grief.

Days, weeks and months passed in this way. Beautiful Princess she looked at this and that, at the third and the fourth, but in her eyes nothing was visible except cold indifference to her suitors, princes and princes. Finally they all started To the good man king and they unanimously demanded that his beautiful daughter solemnly declare which of them pleased her heart. “We have lived long enough in your stone palace,” they said, “we have eaten your bread and salt and emptied more than one barrel of sweet honey; It’s time for us to return to our countries, to our fathers, mothers and sisters. The king is a good man! we want to know which of us will be your son-in-law.” Tsar answered them with these words: “Dear guests! even if you lived in my palace for several years, then, of course, the owner would not get bored, but I don’t want to keep you against your will and I will go now to To the princess. I can’t force her to do anything; but whoever she chooses will receive my entire kingdom as a dowry and will be my son and heir:.” Tsar went to the mansion to see his daughter. She was sitting at the hoop and sewing in gold, but when she saw her parent, she stood up and kissed his hand. He sat down next to her and said to her in tender words: “My dear, sensible daughter, beautiful princess! you know that I have no children except you, the light of my eyes; our family must reign in future centuries: it’s time for you to think about the groom. The princes have lived with us for a long time and are seduced by your beauty; choose a spouse from among them, my daughter, and comfort your father!” Princess she sat in silence for a long time, looking down at the ground with her blue eyes; Finally she raised them and directed them at her parent, then two shining tears rolled down from her scarlet cheeks, like two raindrops blown from a rose by a breath of marshmallow. “My dear parent! – she said in a gentle voice. “I’ll have time to grieve when I’m married.” Oh! and birds love freedom, but a married woman does not have it. Now I live and rejoice; I have neither worries nor sadness; I only think about pleasing my parent. I can’t discredit the princes with anything, but let me, let me stay in my maiden’s mansion!” The king is a good man teared up. “I am a gentle father, not your tyrant,” he answered To the princess, - prudent parents can manage the inclinations of their children, but they can neither excite nor change them; This is how a skilled helmsman steers the ship, but cannot say to the silence: turn into the wind! or east wind: be Western!” The king is a good man embraced his daughter, went out to the princes and told them with a sad look and with all possible courtesy that beautiful princess He doesn’t want to leave his maiden mansion for any of them. All the princes became dejected, became thoughtful and hung their heads, for each of them hoped to be a husband beautiful princess. One was wiping himself with a white handkerchief, another was looking at the ground, the third was covering his eyes with his hand, the fourth was pinching his dress, the fifth was standing leaning against the stove, looking at his nose, like an Indian Brahmin reflecting on the nature of the human soul, the sixth... But what about this? he did the sixth, seventh and others for a minute, the chronicles are silent about that. Finally, they all sighed - so much that the stone walls almost shook - and in a languid voice they thanked the owner for the treat. In an instant, the white tents in front of the palace disappeared, the princes mounted their horses and, with sadness, rushed off at full speed, each on their own path; the dust rose in a column and fell back into place.

Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin

The beautiful princess and happy Karla

An old fairy tale, or a new caricature

N. M. Karamzin

The beautiful princess and happy Karla
An old fairy tale, or a new caricature

Russian literary fairy tale/ Comp. and note. N. A. Listikova. - M.: Sov. Russia, 1989. O you, ugly sons of humanity, ugly creations of a playful nature! you, who can in no way serve as an example to the artist when he wants to represent the elegance of the human form! you who complain about nature and say that she has not given you ways to please and has blocked for you the source of the sweetest pleasure in life - the source of love! do not despair, my friends, and believe that you can still be kind and loved, that the helpful Zephyrs today or tomorrow can bring to you some lovely Dog, who will enthusiastically rush into your arms and say that there is nothing sweeter than you light. Listen to the next story. In some kingdom, in some state there lived The king is a good man, the father of one daughter, a beautiful princess, dear to the heart of the parent, dear to every sensitive heart, rare, incomparable. When The king is a good man, dressed in rich scarlet, crowned with a sapphire-ruby crown, he sat on a high throne among the multitude and, holding a golden scepter in his right hand, judged his subjects with righteousness; when, sighing from the depths of his heart, he pronounced the sentence of due punishment, then the beautiful princess, she looked straight into the eyes of her parent, raised her white hand, extended it to the judge, and the gloomy face of justice was suddenly illuminated by the sun of mercy, the guilty one, saved by her, swore in his soul to be from that time on a good subject of the good king. Was the poor man approaching To the princess? she helped him; Did the sad person shed tears? she consoled him. All orphans in the spatial area King of a good man they called her mother, and even those whom nature itself oppressed, the unfortunate, deprived of health, were relieved by her healing hand, for Princess She completely knew the science of healing, the secret powers of herbs and minerals, celestial plants and underground springs. Such was the soul Princess. Her bodily beauty was described by all the poets of that time as the best work of skillful nature, and the poets then were not such flatterers as they are now; They did not call black white, dwarf a giant, or ugliness an example of harmony. I managed to find one of these descriptions in an ancient book depository; Here is its correct translation: “The full moon rising in the sky between countless stars is not as pleasant as our dear Princess, walking through green meadows with her friends; The rays of the bright month do not shine as beautifully, silvering the wavy edges of the gray clouds of the night, as the golden hair shines on her shoulders; she walks like a proud swan, like the beloved daughter of heaven; ethereal azure, on which the star of love, the evening star, shines, is the image of her incomparable eyes, thin eyebrows, like rainbows, bend over them, her cheeks are like white lilies, when the morning dawn paints them with its scarlet color; when do tender lips open beautiful princess, two rows of the purest pearls seduce the eye; two hills, covered with eternal fog... But who will describe all its beauties?" The winged goddess, called Glory, was as talkative in those days as now. Flying throughout the sunflower, she told wonders about beautiful princess and couldn’t stop talking about her. From far away, princes came to see her beauty and pitched high tents in front of the stone palace. King of a good man and came to him with a bow. He knew the reason for their visit and rejoiced heartily, wishing for a worthy husband for his dear daughter. They saw beautiful princess and were inflamed with love. Each of them said To the Tsar, a good man: “The Tsar is a good man! I came from beyond the nine lands, the thirtieth kingdom; my father owns a countless people, a beautiful land; Our towers are high, silver and gold shine in them, multi-colored velvets are cast. Tsar! give your daughter for me!” “Seek her love!” he answered, and all the princes remained in his palace, drank and ate at the oak table, behind the tablecloth. scolding together with Tsar and with Princess. Each of them looked with touching eyes at the beautiful one, and with their gazes said very clearly: "Princess! love me!" You need to know that in the old days lovers were timid and bashful, like red girls, and did not dare to express themselves verbally with the mistresses of their hearts. Nowadays they are much bolder, but eloquence of glances has now lost almost all its strength. Admirers beautiful princess They used another way to express their passion, a way that also went out of fashion with us. Namely, every night they walked under the window Princess towers, played banduras and sang plaintive songs in a quiet voice, composed by the poets of their lands; Each verse concluded with deep sighs that could touch even a stony heart and soften it to tears. When five, six, ten, twenty lovers met there at one time, then they cast lots to whom to sing first, and each in turn began to sing of heartache; others, with their hands clasped, walked back and forth and looked at the window Tsarevnino, which, however, was not opened for any of them. Then they all returned to their tents and in deep sleep forgot their love grief. Days, weeks and months passed in this way. Beautiful Princess she looked at this and that, at the third and the fourth, but in her eyes nothing was visible except cold indifference to her suitors, princes and princes. Finally they all started To the good man king and they unanimously demanded that his beautiful daughter solemnly declare which of them pleased her heart. “We have lived long enough in your stone palace,” they said, “we have eaten your bread and salt and emptied more than one barrel of sweet honey; it is time for us to return to our countries, to our fathers, mothers and sisters. The king is a good man! We want to know which of us will be your son-in-law." Tsar answered them with these words: “Dear guests! Even if you lived in my palace for several years, then, of course, you would not get bored with the owner, but I don’t want to keep you against your will and I will go now to To the princess. I can’t force her to do anything; but whoever she chooses will receive my entire kingdom as a dowry and will be my son and heir: " Tsar went to the mansion to see his daughter. She was sitting at the hoop and sewing in gold, but when she saw her parent, she stood up and kissed his hand. He sat down next to her and said to her in tender words: “My dear, sensible daughter, beautiful princess! you know that I have no children except you, the light of my eyes; our family must reign in future centuries: it’s time for you to think about the groom. The princes have lived with us for a long time and are seduced by your beauty; choose a spouse from among them, my daughter, and comfort your father!” Princess she sat in silence for a long time, looking down at the ground with her blue eyes; Finally she raised them and directed them at her parent, then two shining tears rolled down from her scarlet cheeks, like two raindrops blown from a rose by a breath of marshmallow. “My dear parent!” she said in a gentle voice. “I will have time to grieve when I am married. Ah! and birds love freedom, but a married woman does not have it. Now I live and rejoice; I have neither worries nor sorrow; I think "It's only about pleasing my parent. I can't discredit the princes in any way, but let me, let me stay in my maiden's mansion!" The king is a good man teared up. “I am a gentle father, not your tyrant,” he answered To the princess,-- prudent parents can manage the inclinations of their children, but they can neither excite nor change them; This is how a skilled helmsman steers the ship, but cannot say to the silence: turn into the wind! or east wind: be Western!" The king is a good man embraced his daughter, went out to the princes and told them with a sad look and with all possible courtesy that beautiful princess He doesn’t want to leave his maiden mansion for any of them. All the princes became dejected, became thoughtful and hung their heads, for each of them hoped to be a husband beautiful princess. One was wiping himself with a white handkerchief, another was looking at the ground, the third was covering his eyes with his hand, the fourth was pinching his dress, the fifth was leaning against the stove, looking at his nose, like an Indian Brahmin reflecting on the nature of the human soul, the sixth... But what at this very moment he was doing the sixth, seventh and others, the chronicles are silent about that. Finally, they all sighed - so much that the stone walls almost shook - and in a languid voice they thanked the owner for the treat. In an instant, the white tents in front of the palace disappeared, the princes mounted their horses and, with sadness, rushed off at full speed, each on their own path; the dust rose in a column and fell back into place. In the royal palace everything became quiet and peaceful, and The king is a good man set about his usual work, which consisted in ruling his subjects as a father rules his children, and spreading prosperity in the country under his control - a difficult task, but holy and pleasant! However, the hospitable man is rarely without guests, and soon after the departure of the princes, a traveling astrologer, gymnosophist, magician, Chaldean, in a high hat on which the moon and stars were depicted, came to the king, lived with him for several weeks, took him to table beautiful princess, As a polite gentleman should, he drank and ate philosophically, that is, for five, and constantly talked about moderation and abstinence. The king treated him kindly, asked him about the events of the world, about the stars of heaven, about underground ores, about the birds of the air, and found pleasure in his conversation. To the credit of this knight-errant it must be said that he had a lot of historical, physical and philosophical information, and the human heart was not quite for him gibberish writing, that is, he knew people and often guessed their most intimate feelings and thoughts by their eyes. Nowadays they would call him - I don’t know what, but in those days they called him a sage. It is true that every new age brings with it a new concept of this word. Gen the sage, finally getting ready to leave King of a good man, said these words to him: “In gratitude for your kindness,” (and for your good table,- he could have said), - I will tell you an important secret, important to your heart. The king is a good man! Nothing is hidden from my wisdom, and neither is the soul of your daughter, beautiful princess. Know that she loves and wants to hide her love. A plant that blooms in darkness vegetates and loses its beauty; love is the color of the soul. I can't say more. Sorry!" He shook hands Tsar hand, went out, sat on a donkey and rode to another land. The king is a good man stood in amazement and did not know what to think about the words of the sages: whether to believe them or not to believe them, when suddenly she appeared Princess, congratulated her father good morning and asked if he slept peacefully last night? “Very restless, my dear daughter!” answered The king is a good man.-- My soul was disturbed by various unpleasant dreams, of which one remained in my memory. It seemed to me that I, along with many people, had come to a wild cave in which mortals learned the future. Each of us wanted to ask fate about something; Each one in turn entered the gloomy grotto, illuminated by one lamp, and wrote a question on the wall; a minute later, in the same place, the answer was depicted in fiery letters. I wanted to know if I would soon have cute grandchildren? and to my horror I saw these words: maybe never. My hand was shaking, but I wrote other questions: Does my daughter have a heart of stone? will she never love? Another answer followed: She already loves, but does not want to open her love and is destroyed in secret. Then tears rolled from my eyes; my touched heart poured out in tender complaints for you, beautiful princess! What did I do to deserve such insincerity, such lack of trust? Will a father be the enemy of his dear daughter? Can I resist your heartfelt choice, dear Princess? Haven't your wishes always been my law? Didn’t I, in my old age, rush after that butterfly that you praised? Wasn’t it with my own hand that I watered those flowers that you liked?” Here Princess she began to cry, grabbed her father’s hand, kissed it passionately, and said: “Father! Father!” - looked into his eyes and went into her mansion. “So the sage told me the truth,” he reflected The king is a good man,- she could not hide her inner movement. Cruel! did I think... And why hide it? Why not say which of the princes captivated her heart? Perhaps he is not as rich, not as noble as others; but do I really need wealth and nobility? Do I not have enough silver and gold? Will he not be famous for his wife? We need to find out everything." At that very moment he decided to go to beautiful princess, approached the door of her mansion and heard the voice of a man who said: “No, beautiful princess! your father will never agree to recognize me as his son-in-law!" The parent's heart trembled greatly. He opened the door... But what pen will now describe his feelings? What appeared to his eyes? The ugly courtier of the king, with a hump in front, with a hump in the back, hugged Princess, who, shedding tears, showered him with passionate kisses! The king was petrified. Beautiful Princess threw herself on her knees in front of him and said to him in a firm voice: “My parent! kill me or give me up for the kind, sweet, priceless Karla! I will never be the wife of another. My soul lives by his soul, my heart by his heart. In life and in death we inseparable." Meanwhile, the dwarf stood calmly and looked at the king with respect, but without timidity. The king was motionless and silent for a long time. Finally, exclaiming: “What do I see? What do I hear?”, he fell into his chair. Princess hugged his knees. He looked at her in such a way that the beautiful woman could not bear this gaze and lowered her eyes to the ground. "You, you..."- his voice broke. He looked at Karla, jumped up, slammed the door and left. "How, how could beautiful princess to fall in love with the hunchbacked Karla?" - the reader will or will not ask. The great Shakespeare says that the reason for love happens without a reason: well said for a poet! But the psychologist will not be satisfied with that and will want us to show him how this was born an inclination, apparently incredible. Ancient chronicles, in explanation of such a moral phenomenon, say the following: Karl's courtier was an extremely smart man. Seeing that his wayward nature had produced him as a little freak, he decided to replace physical defects with spiritual beauties, began to study with the greatest diligently, read ancient and modern authors and, like the Athenian rhetorician Demosthenes, went to the seashore to speak to the waves of the magnificent speeches he composed. Thus, he soon acquired this great, this precious art, which conquers the hearts of people and makes the most insensitive person cry and laugh , that talent and that art with which the Thracian Orpheus captivated animals, birds, forests, stones, rivers, and winds - eloquence! Moreover, he had a pleasant voice, played the harp and guitar well, sang touching songs of his own composition and could wonderfully enliven canvas and paper, depicting on them either heroes of antiquity, or the perfection of female beauty, or crystal streams shaded by tall willows and calling for the sweet slumber of a tired shepherd and shepherdess. Soon rumors about the merits and talents of the wonderful dwarf spread throughout the city and the entire state. Everyone was looking for his acquaintance: both old and young, both men and women - in a word, the smart Karla became very fashionable. An important service he rendered to the fatherland... But this will be discussed elsewhere. When beautiful princess was still no more than ten or twelve years old, the smart Karla went to her mansion to tell tales about beneficent fairies and evil wizards, under the names of the former he described the holy virtues that make a person happy, under the names of the latter the disastrous vices that with their poisonous breath transform the flowering valley of life into a vale of darkness and death. Princess She often shed tears listening to the sorrowful adventures of her dear princes and princesses, but joy shone on her beautiful face when they, having finally overcome the numerous temptations of fate, in the arms of love enjoyed the fullness of earthly bliss. Loving the stories of the eloquent dwarf, she quietly fell in love with the narrator, and her penetrating eyes discovered in him those touching features of sweet sensitivity that adorned his romantic heroes. Her heart made, so to speak, a tender habit towards his heart, from which it learned to feel. Karla's very appearance became pleasant to her, for this appearance was in her eyes the image of a beautiful soul; and it soon seemed to the princess that he could not be handsome if he was taller than twenty-five inches and who did not have a hump in front or back. As for our hero, he, not having blind pride, did not think that Princess she could be captivated by her, and therefore he himself was almost indifferent to her charms, for love is not born without hope. But when, in a moment of the most lively sympathy, the beautiful one said to him: “I love you!”, when suddenly a field of such bliss opened up to him, which he had never dared to dream of before, then deeply hidden sparks instantly ignited in his soul. In delight he threw himself on his knees in front of Princess and exclaimed in the sweet ecstasy of his heart: you are mine! It is true that he soon came to his senses, remembered her high family, remembered himself and covered his face with his hands, but the Princess kissed him and said: "I'm yours or nobody's!" Girlish timidity did not allow her to open up to her parent in her passion. "This love beautiful princess although to an intelligent, but ugly dwarf,” says one of the scoffers of that time, “brings to mind that king of antiquity who fell mortally in love with frog eyes and, convening the wise men of his state, asked them what is most kind?” "Blossoming Youth"- answered one after long reflection; "Beauty",- answered the other; "Science",- answered the third; "Royal Grace"- answered the fourth with a low bow, and so on. The king sighed, burst into tears and said: "No, no! Most kindly-- frog eyes!" Now let's turn to our story. We said that The king is a good man He slammed the door and left the princess’s mansion, but they didn’t say where. So, let it be known to the readers that he went to his upper room, locked himself there alone, thought, thought and finally called Karla to him, then beautiful princess, spoke to them for a long time and with fervor, but how and what, history is silent about that. The next day it was announced throughout the city that The king is a good man wants to talk to the people, and the people surrounded the palace on all sides, so that there was nowhere for an apple to fall. The king went out onto the balcony, and when he exclaimed: "Long live our good sovereign!" fell silent, asked his subjects: "Friends, do you love the Princess?" Thousands of voices answered: "We adore the beautiful one!" Tsar. Do you want her to choose a husband for herself? Thousands of voices. Oh! We wish you warmly! He should be your heir The king is a good man! We will love him as we love you and your daughter. Tsar. But will you be happy with her choice? Thousands of voices. Who's nice To the princess, he is also dear to your subjects! At that very moment the curtain rose on the balcony and appeared beautiful princess in snow-colored clothes, with flowing hair that fluttered like golden flax on her shoulders, she looked like the sun at the crowds of people, and millions of wild people would submit to this gaze. Karla stood next to her, calmly and majestically looked at the worried people, tenderly and passionately at Princess. Thousands exclaimed: "Long live the beautiful one!" The king, pointing to Karla, said: “Here he is, the one whom Princess swears to love forever and with whom she wants to unite forever!" Everyone was amazed, then they began to buzz like bumblebees and said to each other: “Is it possible, is it possible... Did we just hear it? How can this be? She is beautiful, she is the king’s daughter, and he is a dwarf, a hunchback, not a king’s son!” "I love him",-- said Princess, and after these words Karla seemed almost handsome to the people. “You are surprised,” continued The king is a good man,- but fate wills it that way. I thought for a long time and finally give my blessing. However, you know that he has merits; You may not have forgotten the important service he rendered to the fatherland. When the barbarians, under the command of their gigantic king, approached our state like a menacing storm; when the sickle fell from the hands of the frightened villager and the pale shepherd fled in horror from his flock, then the young dwarf, alone and unarmed, with an olive branch appeared in the enemy camp and sang the sweet song of peace; tenderness appeared on the faces of the barbarians, their king threw the sword from his hand, embraced the singer, took his branch and said: "We are friends!" Then this formidable giant became my peaceful guest, and thousands of him moved away from our country. "What should I reward you with?" - I then asked the young dwarf. "By Your Grace"- he answered with a smile. Now..." Then all the people exclaimed in one voice: “May he be the husband of the beautiful Princess! May he reign over us!” Solemn music thundered, choirs and hymns thundered, The king is a good man He clasped the hands of the lovers, and the marriage took place with all the pomp and ceremony. Karla lived happily ever after with his beautiful wife. When The king is a good man, after an active life, he died a blessed death, that is, he fell asleep, like a tired wanderer falls asleep at the sound of a stream in a green meadow, then his son-in-law in a sapphire-ruby crown and with a golden scepter sat on a high throne and promised the people to reign with righteousness. He fulfilled his vow, and impartial history called him one of the best earthly rulers. His children were beautiful, like their mother, and intelligent, like their parent.

NOTES

N. M. Karamzin was born in 1766 near Buzuluk in the family of a Simbirsk middle-class nobleman. He studied in private boarding schools in Simbirsk and Moscow. In 1802, Karamzin founded the journal "Bulletin of Europe"; in 1818 he was elected a member of the Russian Academy. Karamzin is largest representative Russian sentimentalism, which influenced the development of Russian literary language. Acting as a poet, prose writer and critic, he played a significant role in the preparation classical period Russian literature. In the 19th century, together with Derzhavin and Zhukovsky, he was one of the national classics - the predecessors of Pushkin. Karamzin gained enormous fame, already during his lifetime, as the greatest historian for the entire 18th century and the first half of XIX centuries. In his twelve-volume “History of the Russian State,” as Pushkin aptly put it, “ ancient Russia seemed to be found by Karamzin as America by Columbus." The fairy tale "The Beautiful Princess and the Happy Karla" is published according to the publisher: Karamzin N. M. Notes of an old Moscow resident. - M., 1986.