The Tale of Bova the Prince summary. Bova the Prince - Russian folk tales

The time of creation of the third edition of “The Tale of Bova the Prince” was the end of the 17th century. This folk story was so popular in Russia that the names of its heroes entered the work of even A.S. himself. Pushkin. Until 1918 it was published in mass editions. The transcription offered to the reader preserves all the details of the plot and age-old wisdom this wonderful monument of literature of Ancient Rus'.

THE TALE OF BODY QUEEN
Arranged by Sergei Smetanin

1
In some kingdom, in a great state, in glorious city Antone, there lived a good king, Guidon.
And he learned that in the glorious city of Dementian, King Kirbit had a daughter, the beautiful princess Militris.
And he called his beloved servant Richard to him, handed him a letter and said: “Servant Richard! Serve me with faith and truth, go to the city of Dementian to the good and glorious king Kirbit to woo me.”
And the servant Richard did not disobey his sovereign, accepted the letter, bowed, and went to the city of Dementian to the good and glorious king Kirbit.
And the servant Richard arrived in the city of Dementian, and gave the letter to King Kirbit.
And the king went to the chambers of the beautiful princess Militrisa with the words: “My daughter, Militrisa! An ambassador from King Guidon came to our city to woo you. And I cannot refuse him, because he will gather a lot of troops, he will burn our city with fire and he'll hit you with a firebrand, and he'll take you by force."
And the beautiful princess Militrisa fell to her knees before her father, saying: “My lord, father, glorious king Kirbit! When I was young, King Dodon wooed me. And you, my lord, did not give me for him. And now do not give me for "Give King Guidon for King Dodon. King Dodon will be the ruler of our city and protector from all countries."
And the glorious King Kirbit could not defend himself from the glorious King Guidon and gave his daughter, the beautiful princess Militris, to King Guidon.
And King Gvidon lived with her for three years, and gave birth to a son, the brave knight Prince Bova.
And the beautiful princess Militrisa called a servant and wrote a letter to King Dodon: “Good and glorious King Dodon! Come to the city of Anton, destroy King Guidon, and take me as your wife.”
“And if you, servant Richard, disobey your empress, I will slander you before King Guidon, so that he will order you to be executed with an evil death.”
And the servant Richard did not disobey his empress, accepted the letter and went to King Dodon.
And the servant Richard arrived to King Dodon and entered royal chambers, and placed the letter on the table in front of King Dodon.
And King Dodon accepted the letter, and printed it out, and read it, and shook his head, and laughed: “Why is your empress embarrassing me? She is married to King Guidon and her son is the brave knight Prince Bova.”
And the servant said: “Sovereign, good King Dodon! Leave me here, order me to be put in prison and give me enough to feed. And yourself, Emperor, go to our city Anton. And if my words do not come true, order me to be executed with an evil death.”
And King Dodon rejoiced and ordered the horn to be blown. And he gathered 37,000 troops. They went to Anton and pitched tents in the royal meadow.
And Militrisa saw them from her tower, put on a precious dress, went to the royal chambers, and said: “My lord, good King Guidon, I am pregnant for the second time. I wanted wild boar meat. Kill the boar and feed me fresh meat.”
And King Guidon was delighted, since he had not heard such speeches for three years from his beautiful princess Militrisa.
And the king ordered him to saddle his horse, took a spear in his hands, and rode into an open field to hunt for a wild boar.
And the beautiful princess Militrisa ordered the city gates to be opened and joyfully greeted King Dodon. She took him by the white hands, kindly kissed his mouth and led him to the royal chambers. And they began to drink, eat and have fun.
And the brave knight Bova the prince, still a foolish child, went to the stable and hid under the manger. Bova had uncle Cymbalt, he entered the stable, found Bova under the manger and said: “My lord, brave knight, Bova the prince! Your mother is a villain, the beautiful princess Militrisa. She, the villain, tortured my sovereign and my father with King Dodon. your good and glorious king Guidon. And you are still a small child, you cannot avenge the death of your father. Let us run, sir, to the city of Sumin. That city is very strong."
And Bova said to Uncle Cymbalt: “My lord, Uncle Cymbalt! I am still a small child, I cannot sit on a good horse and gallop at full speed.” And uncle Cymbalt saddled himself good horse, and Bove the pacer, gathered thirty young men and fled to the city of Sumin.
And there were traitors in the city, and they told King Dodon and the beautiful princess Militrisa that uncle Cymbalt fled to Sumin and took the prince’s son Bova with him.
And King Dodon ordered the horn to be blown, and gathered 40,000 troops, and chased after uncle Cymbalt and Bova.
And the army caught up with uncle Cymbalt and Bova the prince. Uncle Cymbalt looked back and saw the chase, and ran at full speed, and hid in the city of Sumin.
But Bova the prince could not gallop away, and Bova fell from his horse to the ground. And they took Bova and brought him to King Dodon.
And King Dodon sent Bova to his mother, the princess Militrisa.
And King Dodon came to the city of Sumin and pitched the royal tents in the meadow. And, resting in the tent, he had a very terrible dream, as if Bova the prince was riding on a good horse, holding a spear in his hand and piercing King Dodon’s heart.
And King Dodon called his brother to him, told him his dream, and sent his brother to the city of Anton to the beautiful princess Militrisa, to tell about that dream and to put Bova to an evil death for that dream.
And the brother of King Dodon went straight to the city of Anton, told the dream and asked the princess to hand over Bova to put him to death.
And Militrisa said: “I can put Bova to death myself. I’ll put him in prison and won’t give him anything to drink or eat, and then he’ll die.”
And King Dodon stood near Sumin for 6 months, and could not take the city of Sumin, and returned to the city of Anton.
And uncle Cymbalt ordered the horn to be blown, and gathered 15,000 troops, and went to the city of Anton. He began to beat relentlessly on the city wall and shout and ask for the extradition of his sovereign Bova the prince: “If you don’t hand me over my sovereign Bova the prince, I will not leave the city alive!”
And the beautiful princess Militrisa said to King Dodon: “My lord, King Dodon. This villain will not give us peace either day or night.”
And King Dodon ordered the horn to be blown, and gathered 30,000 troops, and drove out uncle Cymbalta.
And uncle Cymbalt fled to the city of Sumin and closed himself tightly.
And Princess Militrisa ordered Bova to be put in prison, covered with an iron board, covered with sand and not allowed to drink or eat for five days and five nights. And Bova, being young, really wants to eat.
And when the beautiful princess Militrisa walked through the royal court, Bova saw her from the dungeon and shouted in a loud voice: “My empress, mother, the beautiful princess Militrisa! Why, my empress, won’t you send me anything to drink or eat? I’m already approaching starvation!”
And the beautiful princess Militrisa said: “My dear child, Bova the prince! Truly, I have forgotten you out of grief. I grieve for your father, for my sovereign, the good king Guidon. I will send you food and drink.”
And the beautiful princess Militrisa entered the royal chambers and kneaded two loaves of bread with her own hands using snake venom. She baked two loaves of bread and sent them with the girl to Bova in prison.
And the girl, coming to the dungeon, ordered to shovel away the sand and open the board.
And the girl entered Bova’s prison, began to cry and said: “Sire, brave knight, Bova the prince! Don’t eat this bread, you will die. Your mother, and my beautiful princess Militrisa, kneaded this bread with snake venom.”
And Bova took a loaf of bread and threw it to the dog, and the other to the second dog. And as soon as the dogs ate the bread, they were torn apart.
And Bova shed tears: “Lord! Why did my Empress mother want to put me to an evil death?”
And the girl gave Bova her bread. And he ate his fill of Bova. And the girl, coming out of the dungeon, did not close it and did not close the iron board.
And Bova left the prison and fled through the city wall. He jumped off the wall and broke his legs, and lay outside the city for three days and three nights.
And Bova got up and went wherever his eyes led him. And Bova came to the seashore and saw the ship. And Bova shouted loudly, so that waves rose on the sea and the ship shook.
And the shipbuilders were surprised that such a small child was screaming so loudly.
They sent a boat and ordered to ask whether he was of Christian or Tatar descent. And if it’s Christian, then take it on board the ship.
And Bova said: “I am not a Tatar, but a Christian, a sexton’s son, and my mother was a laundress.”
And they took Bova onto the ship. And the shipmen asked him: “How your name?" And Bova said: “My name is Bova.”
And Bova began to walk around the ship. And the shipbuilders are all surprised, they can’t get enough of Bovina’s beauty, he’s very handsome.
And when Bova went to bed, they argued about which of them he would serve.
And Bova woke up and said: “Don’t quarrel over me. I will serve you according to the calculation: whoever saw me first on the shore, I will serve him until lunch, and whoever saw me after, I will serve him after lunch until the evening.
And the shipbuilders liked his words. They raised anchors, set sails, sailed on the sea for three years and three months, and sailed to the Armenian kingdom. And in the Armenian kingdom there was a king Zenzevey Adarovich.
And the shipmen threw the gangplank ashore, but Bova remained on the ship.
And King Zenzevey Adarovich sent to ask what kind of ship came, where the guests were from and with what goods. The messengers, having arrived on the ship and seeing Bova on the ship, could not look enough at its beauty and forgot to ask from which kingdom the ship was from and from which city the guests with goods were from.
And then King Zenzevey ordered the horse to be saddled, he himself rode to the ship and saw: a very handsome young man was walking on the ship. And he forgot to ask himself where the ship was from. He began to ask the guests to sell him the boy: “Guests, shipbuilders, sell me the boy, take 30 buckets of gold from me.”
And the shipmen said: “Sovereign, King Zenzevey Adarovich! We cannot sell that boy to us, since he is our common worker.” And King Zenzevey said to them: “And if he is your common worker, then sell him to me for 30 buckets of gold, and trade in my kingdom tax-free and duty-free; and if you don’t sell, then you will not leave my kingdom alive and will never pass my kingdom in the future.” your ships will not sail."
And the shipowner guests sold Bova and took 30 buckets of gold for him.
And King Zenzevey Adarovich put Bova on a horse, and rode to the Armenian kingdom, and began to ask Bova: “Bova, what kind of family are you, royal or royal?”
And Bova said: “My lord, Zenzevey Adarovich! I am not of royal or royal descent, I am of Christian descent, the son of a sexton, and my mother is a laundress.”
And King Zenzevey said: “And if you, Bova, are of such a bad kind, then serve in my stable, you will be the senior groom.” And Bova bowed to his sovereign and went to the stable. And Bova was then seven years old.

And Bova began to serve in the stable. And that king Zenzevey Adarovich had a daughter, the beautiful princess Druzhnevna. And from her choir she saw Bova in the stable, and his beauty lit up the whole stable.
And the beautiful princess Druzhnevna put on a precious dress and went to the royal chambers to her father.
And, having arrived, she said: “My lord, father, King Zenzevey Adarovich! There are many, sir, mothers and nannies, and pretty girls, but not a single servant. Tomorrow, sir, I have a feast, but there is no one to serve at the table. Please, sir, father, give me that slave you bought from the shipbuilders."
And King Zenzevey Adarovich loved his daughter. “My daughter, beautiful princess Druzhnevna, be it according to your will.” And he ordered to call Bova. And Bova went to the royal chamber and bowed to his sovereign. And King Zenzevey Adarovich said: “Bova! Tomorrow, cook at Druzhnevna’s, and distribute the dishes, and stand at the table. And also, Bova, listen to my order, be always at Druzhnevna’s.” And Bova bowed and went to the stable. And Druzhnevna bowed to her father and went to the rear mansions.
And when the night passed and day came, the beautiful princess Druzhnevna sent the girl to the stable. The girl called Bova, he got dressed, went to the back mansion, and the beautiful princess Druzhnevna could not sit in front of Bova and stood up. And Bova said: “The Empress, the beautiful princess! You are doing something wrong, you are standing up against me, a slave.” And the princess was not offended by Bova.
And when the feast began, Bova brought a swan. And the beautiful princess was cutting up a swan, and dropped the knife under the table. And she herself says: “Bova, give me a knife!” And Bova rushed under the table. And the beautiful princess sank under the table and did not take the knife, but took Bova by the head and kissed him on the mouth, and on the eyes, and on the ears. And Bova broke free, and again stood at the table, and began to scold his mistress: “Beautiful princess Druzhnevna! It is not right for you, your servant, to kiss me on the mouth, and on the ears, and on the eyes.” - And when the feast was over, Bova said: “Let me go to the stables with my comrades.” And Bova went to the stable, and the beautiful princess Druzhnevna could not get enough of him.
And Bova, having arrived at the stable, went to bed and slept for 5 days and 5 nights. The grooms couldn’t wake him up, so they went to mow, and mowed for Bova.
Bova got up and went to the mowers, met them, took his share of the hay and selected from it different colors, wove a wreath and put it on his head. And he arrived at the stables. And the beautiful princess, seeing a wreath on Bova’s head, sent the girl to the stable. And the girl called Bova to Druzhnevna.
Bova came to the back mansions. And the beautiful princess could not sit still, stood up against Bova and said: “Bova, take off the wreath, put it on my head.” And Bova said: “Empress, beautiful princess Druzhnevna! It is unsuitable for a slave to put a wreath on your head with his own hands.” And Druzhnevna said: “And if you don’t do as I said, then I will slander you in front of the priest. And the priest will order you to be executed with an evil death.” Bova took the wreath and threw it against the brick wall. And the princess picked up the wreath, pressed it to her heart, and began to admire it as if it were gold or pearl. And Bova left the room, slammed the door, and a brick fell out of the wall, and injured Bova’s head. The beautiful princess treated him with her medicines. And Bova came to the stable, and went to bed, and slept for 9 days and 9 nights.
And King Markobrun came from the Trans-Don kingdom, and with him 40,000 troops. He pitched tents in the meadow and wrote a letter to King Zenzevei Adarovich: “Give your daughter for me out of love, and if you don’t give it, I’ll burn your kingdom with fire and shake your daughter with a firebrand, and I'll take it by force." And King Zenzevey Adarovich could not resist Markobrun, and met him at the city gates, and took him by the white hands, and kissed him on the sugar lips, and called him his beloved son-in-law. And they went to the royal chambers and began to feast in joy.
And Markobrunov’s servants amused themselves outside the city on good horses. And Bova stood up and heard a horse neighing. He went to the back mansions and said: “Empress, beautiful princess Druzhnevna! What is all the noise and neighing of horses behind our kingdom?” And the beautiful princess said: “Bova, you’ve been sleeping for a long time, you don’t know anything! King Markobrun came from the Zadonsk kingdom, and with him 40,000 troops, and besieged our kingdom. But my father could not defend himself, and met him at the city gates, and called him beloved son-in-law, and he is my husband." And Bova said: “Empress, beautiful princess Druzhnevna! There is nothing for me to ride out with Markobrunov’s servants to have fun with. Get me a good horse and a treasure sword, an iron club and strong armor, and a shield.” And the beautiful princess said: “You are still a small child, only seven years old, and you don’t know how to ride a good horse, or gallop at full speed, or swing an iron club.”
And Bova went to the stable, saddled the pacer, and went out of town to Markobrunov’s household to amuse himself. And he had neither a treasure sword nor a spear, he just took a broom with him. And Markobrunov’s servants laughed: “What kind of damn son went out alone to amuse himself? What honor is there for him?” And they began to attack Bova in groups of five or six. Bova began to jump and wave his broom, and Bova killed 15,000 people.
And the princess saw that Bova was galloping alone, and she felt sorry: they would kill him. And she put on a precious dress, and went to her father, and said: “My lord, father Zenzevey Adarovich! Tell Bova to calm down, what honor is it for him to amuse himself with Markobrun’s servants?” And Bova arrived at the stable, went to bed, and slept for 9 days and 9 nights.
And at that time, Tsar Saltan Saltanovich and his son Lukomor came from the Rokhlen kingdom to the Armenian kingdom. glorious hero. His head is like a beer kettle, and between his eyes there is a span, and between his ears a red-hot arrow will fall, and between his shoulders there is a measured fathom. And there is no such strong and glorious hero in the entire universe. And they laid siege to the Armenian kingdom and began to ask for the handing over of the beautiful princess Druzhnevna, the daughter of King Zenzevey.
And King Zenzevey Adarovich said to King Markobrun: “My beloved son-in-law, King Markobrun! You have 40,000 troops, and I will gather 40,000. And the two kings themselves, and we have 40,000 troops each. We will go against the strong hero Lukomor.” And King Zenzevey Adarovich ordered the horn to be blown, and gathered 40,000 troops, and Markobrun 40,000. And two kings with two armies set out against the strong hero Lukomor. And Lukomor pointed the spear at the two kings with the blunt end, and knocked them down, and beat two troops. And having tied up the kings, he sent them to the sea pier to his father, Tsar Saltan Saltanovich.
And Bova woke up, hearing a noise and a horse neighing outside the city. And Bova went to the back mansion to the beautiful princess Druzhnevna. And he entered the chamber and asked Bova: “Empress, beautiful princess Druzhnevna! What is all the noise and neighing of horses outside the city?” And the beautiful princess Druzhnevna said: “Sovereign Bova! You sleep for a long time, you know nothing. And Tsar Saltan Saltanovich and his son Lukomor, a glorious hero, came from the Rokhlen kingdom. There is no such hero in the universe: his head is like a beer cauldron, and between his eyes - a span, and between the ears a red-hot arrow will fall, and between the shoulders - a measured fathom. And he has no opponent in the whole sunflower. And he laid siege to our kingdom, and wrote to my father, King Zenzevei Adarovich, with great threats, and wooed me. And my father and King Markobrun captured him, he sent them to the sea pier to his father, Tsar Saltan Saltanovich."
And Bova said: “Empress, beautiful princess Druzhnevna! I have nothing to ride against the strong hero Lukomor. I have neither a good heroic horse, nor strong armor, nor a treasure sword, nor a sharp spear.” And the beautiful princess Druzhnevna said: “Sovereign Bova! You are still a small child and cannot sit on a good horse and gallop at full speed. And I can’t help my father! And you, Lord Bova, take me as your wife, you will be ours.” ruler of the kingdom and protector from all countries." And Bova said: “It happens that a master buys a good slave, and the slave wants to earn his freedom. But I have nothing to ride against the strong hero Lukomor: I have neither a good hero’s horse nor fighting harness.” And the beautiful princess Druzhnevna said: “My sovereign father has a good heroic horse: he stands on 12 chains, knee-deep in the ground, and behind 12 doors. And my father has in his treasury 30 armor of old heroes and a treasure sword.”
And Bova was delighted, and went to the stable, and the good heroic horse got loose from 12 chains and was already breaking through the last doors. And Druzhnevna ran after Bova to the stable and said: “Are there brave knights in the Armenian kingdom? Follow me to the stable!” And the good heroic horse hugged Bova with his front legs and began to kiss him on the mouth like a man. Bova began to stroke the good, heroic horse’s fur and soon calmed it down. And Druzhnevna sent to the treasury for heroic armor and a treasure sword: 12 people carried it on a stretcher. And Bova rejoiced, and wants to mount the good heroic horse and go to military and mortal work. And the beautiful princess Druzhnevna said: “My lord, Bova! You are going to do military and mortal work, either you will live or not, but you did not pray to God and did not say goodbye to me.” And Bova liked those words, and he went to Druzhnevna’s room and prayed to God. And he said goodbye to Druzhnevna and went off to do military and mortal work.
And Druzhnevna saw off Bova. And she girded Bova with a treasure sword with her own hands. And Bova sat on the good heroic horse, but could not get his foot into the stirrup. And the beautiful princess Druzhnevna took Bovina’s leg, and put it in the stirrup with her hands, and took Bovina’s head by the head, and kissed him on the mouth, and on the eyes, and on the ears. And the beautiful princess Druzhnevna said: “My lord, Bova! You are going to do military and mortal work, either you will live or not. And I don’t believe that you are of the sexton’s family. Tell me your true truth, whether you are of the royal family or of the royal family.” ?" And Bova said to the beautiful princess: “I am going to military and mortal work, either I will live or not. I will tell you the true truth. I am not a sexton, I am a royal family, the son of the glorious King Guidon, and my mother, the beautiful Queen Militrisa, daughter of the good and glorious King Kirbit." And Bova Druzhnevna sprinkled enough sand on her heart.
And that king Zenzevey Adarovich had a butler. And he began to dishonor his empress: “Empress, beautiful princess Druzhnevna! Is it fitting for you to gird your slave with a treasure sword with your own hands, and place your slave’s legs in stirrups with your hands, and kiss your slave on the mouth, eyes and ears, and see him off? for military and mortal affairs? And Bova hit the butler with a spear with the blunt end, and the butler fell dead to the ground, and lay there for three hours, barely getting up.
And Bova went to do military and mortal work. And Bova jumped straight over the city wall, and saw the glorious hero Lukomor, a brave knight jumping out of the Armenian kingdom through the city wall. And two strong heroes began to gather on the field. And Lukomor pointed the spear at Bova with the sharp end, and Bova pointed the spear at Lukomor with the sharp end. And two strong warriors struck each other with sharp spears, as if strong thunder had struck in front of a cloud. And Lukomor could not pierce Bova’s armor, but Bova pierced Lukomor’s armor on both sides, and Lukomor fell off his horse dead.
And Bova began to beat Lukomor’s army, and Bova fought for 5 days and 5 nights without a break. And he defeated 100,000 troops, only a few went to the sea pier to Tsar Saltan Saltanovich. And they said: “Sovereign, Tsar Saltan Saltanovich! A brave knight left the Armenian kingdom, and jumped on a horse right over the city wall, and killed your son Lukomor, and beat 100,000 troops. Soon he will be at the sea pier.” And Tsar Saltan Saltanovich did not have time to take down the royal tents, jumped onto the ship with a few people and fled to the Rokhlen kingdom.
And Bova arrived at the sea pier and went into a tent where two kings lay tied up under a bench, King Zenzevey Adarovich and King Markobrun. And Bova untied both kings and put them on horses. And we went to the Armenian kingdom, and rode to the Armenian kingdom for 3 days and 3 nights over human corpses, barely a good horse galloped in blood up to its knees.
And Bova said to his sovereign Zenzevei Adarovich and King Markobrun: “It happens that the sovereign will buy a good slave, and the slave will earn his freedom from his master.” And King Markobrun said to King Zenzevei Adarovich: “I heard among the old people, if the sovereign buys a good slave, and the slave from his sovereign serves his freedom, that slave is rewarded and released.” And King Zenzevey Adarovich said: “I heard from old people that such a slave should be rewarded and kept for himself.” And two kings arrived in the Armenian kingdom, and went to the royal chambers, began to feast and have fun. And Bova went to the stable, and went to bed, and slept for 9 days and 9 nights.
And at that time two kings, King Zenzevey Adarovich and King Markobrun, went falconry. Then the butler called 30 brave knights to him and said: “Go, kill Bova in the sleepy stable, and I will give you a lot of gold and silver.” Everyone wants self-interest. And 30 knights rushed to Bova’s stable, while Bova was fast asleep. And among those 30 there was one reasonable one. And he said: “But we can’t kill Bova without waking him up. And if Bova wakes up, what will happen to us? Bova is a brave knight, Bova killed the strong and glorious hero Lukomor and beat 100,000 troops. Let’s go to the butler! The butler looks like our sovereign king Zenzevey Adarovich, will write a letter on behalf of the king and send Bova to the Rokhlensk kingdom, Bova will be asleep and will not notice the catch.” The butler liked this idea. And the butler went to the royal chamber and wrote a letter on behalf of King Zenzevey to Tsar Saltan Saltanovich, so that Saltan Saltanovich “would not be offended at me, it was not I who killed Lukomor, your son, and beat 100,000 troops. His name is Bova, and I sent him to you with his head his own to death."
And the butler sealed the letter, lay down on the royal bed, covered himself with the royal blanket, and sent for Bova to the stable. And Bova came to the royal chamber and did not recognize the butler. And the butler said on behalf of the king: “Bova, serve me with faith and truth. Go to the Rokhlen kingdom, bring my greetings to Tsar Saltan Saltanovich.” And Bova accepted the letter, bowed and went to the stable. And he did not saddle the good heroic horse, he saddled Bova the pacer and rode to the Rokhlen kingdom.

And Bova travels for 9 days and 9 nights, and does not come across a river or stream on his way, but Bova is very thirsty. And he saw Bova: there was an oak tree about a mile away from the road, and under the oak tree stood a monk in a black cassock. Bova drove up to him and asked: “What is your name?” - “My name is Pilgrim.” And Bova said: “Give me what you drink yourself.” And the elder gave him something to drink and poured him a sleeping potion. And Bova drank, and fell from his horse to the ground, and slept for 9 days and 9 nights. And Elder Pilgrim took away Bova’s treasure sword and took away his pacer horse. And when Bova woke up, he no longer had either a pacer horse or a treasure sword. And Bova shed tears: “Lord! The elder offended me, took from me a good pacer horse and a treasure sword, and the sovereign sent me to death.” And Bova went wherever his eyes looked. And God the Lord directed the way.
And Bova came to the kingdom of Rokhlensk, and entered the royal chambers, and laid the letter on the table. And Tsar Saltan Saltanovich accepted the letter, printed it out and read it. And Tsar Saltan Saltanovich shouted: “Oh, villain Bova, you killed my son Lukomor and beat 100,000 troops. And now you yourself have come to my death, I can hang you! Do I have any young men, brave knights? Take Bova and lead to be hanged." And soon the gallows were set up, the cauldrons were prepared, and 60 young men stood up, took Bova 30 young men under his right arm, and the other 30 young men under his left arm, and led him to be hanged, and took him out into the field. And Bova saw the gallows and burst into tears: “Lord! Is it my fault, is it my untruth, why am I dying?” And God put it into Bova’s mind that Bova was a strong hero. And shook Bova right hand, and bruised 30 young men, and shook Bova with his left hand, and killed the other 30 young men. And Bova fled from the Rokhlen kingdom.
Tsar Saltan Saltanovich saw this and ordered the horn to be blown, and gathered his court and 5 thousand, and chased after Bova. And they caught up with him, caught him, and brought him to Tsar Saltan Saltanovich. And Tsar Saltan Saltanovich said as he blew a trumpet: “You, villain Bova, want to escape death. I can hang you!”
And that Tsar Saltan had a beautiful daughter, Princess Minchitria. And she put on precious dresses, and went to her father’s room, and said: “My lord, father, Tsar Saltan Saltanovich! You can’t raise your son and my brother, and you can’t raise 100,000 troops, but such a strong "You will bring out the hero. And you, sir, father, give him to me, I will convert him to my Latin faith and to our god Akhmet, and he will take me as his wife, and he will be the ruler of our kingdom and the protector of all countries." And Tsar Saltana loved his daughter, the beautiful princess Minchitria. And Tsar Saltan said: “My dear child, beautiful princess Minchitriya, be it according to your will.”
And Princess Minchitriya bowed to her father, took Bova to her mansion, fed and watered him and said: “Bova, forget your Orthodox Christian faith and believe in our god Akhmet, and take me as your wife, you will be the ruler of our kingdom and from all countries protector. If you don’t believe in our faith and don’t take me as your wife, my father can hang you or impale you.” And Bova said: “Even if I be hanged or impaled, I do not believe in your faith, and I cannot forget my true faith.” And Princess Minchitriya ordered Bova to be put in prison tightly, and covered with an iron board, and covered with sand, and did not allow Bova to drink or eat for 5 days and 5 nights.
And the beautiful princess Minchitriya put on a precious dress, and went to Bova in prison, and ordered the sand to be shoveled away and the iron board to be opened. And she went into Bova’s prison, and could not look at Bovina’s beauty for three hours, and said: “Bova! Is it better for you to die by starvation, or to be hanged, or to be impaled? Believe in our faith, and forget your Christian faith , and take me as your wife." - “I’m already approaching death from starvation. Even if I’m hanged or impaled, I don’t believe in your faith and I can’t forget the Orthodox Christian faith.”
And Princess Minchitriya did not give Bova anything to drink or eat, and went to her father’s room and said: “My lord, father, Tsar Saltan Saltanovich! I couldn’t seduce Bova. At least hang him, at least put him on a stake.” And Tsar Saltan Saltanovich said: “Do I have 30 young men? Go to the prison, and take Bova, and bring him to me, I can hang Bova.” And 30 young men stood up and went to Bova’s prison and began to break the roof. And Bova began to spin: “I don’t have a treasure sword, I have nothing to resist against 30 young men.” And Bova saw a treasure-sword in the corner of the dungeon, and took it, and rejoiced. And the young men began to descend to Bova in twos, and threes, and fives, and six. And Bova flogs them and puts down a ladder. And he whipped all 30 young men and put them down with a ladder. And Tsar Saltan got angry with those young men: “The damn children came in and talked to Bova.” And he sent 30 other young men and ordered Bova to be brought immediately. And 30 young men went and began to go down to Bova’s prison. And Bova flogs and lays down a ladder. And Bova came out of prison and fled from the Rokhlen kingdom. And Tsar Saltan Saltanovich ordered the horn to be blown, and gathered an army of 30,000 and chased after Bova.
And Bova ran to the sea pier, and saw Bova’s ship, and jumped onto the ship, and sailed away from the shore. And Tsar Saltan Saltanovich shouted in a loud voice: “Guest shipbuilders, hand over from the ship my traitor, who escaped from my prison, his name is Bova. And if you do not hand over my traitor, from now on you will not go past my kingdom on a ship, and do not trade in my kingdom." And the male shipbuilders want to take Bova off the ship. Bova pulled out a treasure sword from his bosom and beat the men and threw them into the sea. And those who remained on the ship said: “Sir, brave knight, you cannot destroy us, we, sir, will take you where you need to go.”

And they raised the sails, and sailed on the sea for a year and three months, and came to the Transdonian kingdom, and saw three golden-domed towers, and the storm carried them 100 miles away from the path. And Bova ordered the sails to be lowered and the anchors to be dropped. And Bova began to walk around the ship and look in all directions. And I saw a fisherman on the edge of the seashore. And Bova shouted in a loud voice: “Please, fisherman, don’t disobey, come to the ship!” And the fisherman did not disobey, he arrived, and Bova began to question the fisherman: “Please, fisherman, tell me, is the kingdom here or a horde, or does the king live?” And the fisherman said: “Sovereign shipbuilder, this is our kingdom of Zadonsk, and our sovereign King Markobrun lives here.” And he remembered Bova and said: “Isn’t this the same King Markobrun who wooed King Zenzevei Adarovich in the Armenian kingdom to the beautiful princess Druzhnevna?” And the fisherman said: “Sovereign shipbuilder, that one. And Princess Druzhnevna begged our sovereign King Markobrun for a year’s reprieve. She kept asking about the brave knight about Prince Bova. Our sovereign Markobrun will have a joyful wedding, he will marry the beautiful Princess Druzhnevna.” And the fisherman Beauvais sprinkled sand to his heart.
And Bova said to the fisherman: “Please, fisherman, sell the fish.” And the fisherman threw five sturgeons onto the ship: “Here, sir, you have fish without selling.” And Bova took the gold and silver, and covered it with silk and velvet, and threw it into the fisherman’s boat. And the fisherman said to Bova: “Sir, shipbuilder, you have given me a lot of goods that neither my children nor my grandchildren can drink or eat.” And Bova said: “Please, fisherman, take me to the shore.” And the fisherman did not disobey, he took Bova into the boat and brought him to the shore. And Bova punished the shipbuilders: “Take the whole ship with its goods. Divide it in half, and don’t scold or fight.”
And Bova went to the Zadonsk kingdom, and Bova walked for 5 days and 5 nights, and found the old man Pilgrim, who robbed him, and took from him a treasure sword and a good pacer horse. And Bova Pilgrim began to beat him. And the Pilgrim prayed: “Don’t kill me, brave knight Bova the prince! I’ll give you a good pacer horse and a treasure sword, and I’ll give you three potions: a sleeping potion, a white potion, and a black potion.” And Bova took three potions and a treasure sword, and off he went.
Bova goes for 6 days to the Zadonsk kingdom. And he saw Elder Bova collecting wood chips on the street. And Bova said to the elder: “Give me your black dress, and take my light one.” And the elder said: “Sir, brave knight, my dress will not be useful to you, and I don’t need yours: they won’t give you alms.” And Bova hit the old man on the ground, and took off the old man’s black dress, and threw away his own dress. And Bova put on a black dress, and went to the royal court, and came to the cookhouse, and the cooks were preparing food.
And Bova began to eat and ask: “Sirs, royal cooks, give water and food to the passing old man for the sake of Christ and for the sake of the brave knight Bova the prince.” And the cooks shouted: “Oh, villainous old man, why are you asking for alms for Bova? Our sovereign has commanded: whoever remembers Bova will be executed without the royal knowledge.” And the cook rushed, grabbed a brand from under the cauldron and hit the old man, but the old man did not move on the spot, but grabbed the same brand, hit the cook and bruised him to death.
And the cooks ran to the butler: “Butler, go to the cookhouse. The old man came to the cookhouse and killed the best cook.” And the butler came to the kitchen and began to ask the cooks: “What happened to the old man with the cook?” - “The old man came to the kitchen and asked for food for the sake of Christ and for the sake of the brave knight Bova the prince.” And the butler said: “Why, old man, do you remember Bova? Our sovereign has a strong commandment: whoever mentions Bova, he orders him to be killed without his knowledge.” And Bova said: “Sovereign butler, do not order me, the elder, to kill, I am a passer-by elder, and I have not heard your commandments.” And the butler said: “Go, old man, to the back yard, there Princess Druzhnevna gives gold to the poor. Tomorrow our sovereign will have joy: our sovereign King Markobrun will marry the beautiful Princess Druzhnevna.”
And the old man went into the backyard, and in the backyard there were a great many beggars. And the old man began to crowd among the beggars, and the beggars did not give the old man a way, and they began to beat the old man with sticks. And the old man began to push the beggars on both sides, and behind the old man many dead lay. And the beggars began to let the old man in. And the elder reached the beautiful princess Druzhnevna, and the elder shouted in a loud voice: “The beautiful princess Druzhnevna! Give me, the elder, alms for the sake of Christ and for the sake of the brave knight Bova the prince.” Druzhnevna’s cup of gold fell out of her hands. And the good heroic horse heard the rider of his brave knight Bova the prince, and began to neigh in the stable, and the city trembled from the neighing of the horse.
And Princess Druzhnevna said: “Come, nannies, and give the gold to the poor.” And she took the elder and went to the back mansions and began to ask: “Elder, why are you asking for alms for Bova? Where have you heard about my brave knight Prince Bova?” And the elder said: “The Empress Princess! I was sitting in the same dungeon with Bova in the Rokhlensky kingdom, Bova and I walked the same road. Bova went to the left, and I went to the right.” And the elder said: “The Empress Princess Druzhnevna, and if Bova comes today, what will you do with him?” And the beautiful princess Druzhnevna shed tears. “If,” he says, “I found out that Emperor Bova is in far away kingdom in the thirtieth land, I would go there to him too!”
And at that time King Markobrun came to the beautiful princess Druzhnevna, saw that the old man was sitting, and Druzhnevna was standing in front of the old man. And King Markobrun said: “Why are you, Druzhnevna, standing in front of the old man, and tears are dripping down your face?” And Princess Druzhnevna said: “My lord, King Markobrun, how can I not cry? This old man came from our Armenian kingdom and said: my father and mother have died. And I cry for them.” And King Markobrun said: “The beautiful Empress Princess Druzhnevna! You can no longer help your father and your mother. But you are only ruining your life. If it hits, there will be many dead in the city." And the old man said: “Sovereign King Markobrun! I will calm the good horse, so that a three-year-old baby can ride on it.” And King Markobrun said to the old man: “If you, old man, calm the horse, I will have mercy on you, I will give you a lot of gold.”
And the elder went to the stable, and Druzhnevna followed the elder. And the good heroic horse heard his rider, and broke through the last doors, and stood on his hind legs, and hugged the old man with his front legs, and began to kiss him on the mouth like a man. And King Markobrun saw this, went into the chamber and locked himself: if the horse broke through the last doors and crushed the old man, then there would be many victims in the city.”
And the beautiful princess Druzhnevna said: “How did you, old man, quickly calm him down?” And the elder said: “The beautiful princess Druzhnevna! And I myself am amazed that the good horse quickly recognized me, but you won’t recognize me for a long time. And I am the real Bova the prince himself.” And Druzhnevna said to the elder: “Why are you, elder, embarrassing me? Sovereign Bova was very handsome, Bova’s beauty would have lit up the whole stable.” And the old man took out a treasure sword from his bosom, and Druzhnevna pressed the sword to her heart: “Indeed, this is the sword of my sovereign Bova the prince! And you, old man, are black and stupid. You walked with Bova on the same road, and you stole from him sword. If my sovereign Bova the prince had this sword, he would have known how to handle it. And my sovereign Bova also had a wound on his head, the size of a finger. When he served in the Armenian kingdom with my sovereign father Zenzevei Adarovich, walked out of the room and slammed the doors, and a brick fell from above and hit his head. I treated Bova with my own hands and I know this wound." And the elder took off the cap from his head and showed the wound. And Druzhnevna examined the wound and kissed it: “This is a real wound of my sovereign Bova, and you are a bad old man and black.” And the elder said: “I am a real Bova the prince. And you, Druzhnevna, order me to bring water, I will wash myself with the white potion.”
And Druzhnevna ran across the water herself and brought water in a silver washstand. And Bova washed himself with a white potion and illuminated the entire stable. And Druzhnevna fell at the feet of Bova and said: “My lord, brave knight Bova the prince! Do not leave me, we are running away together from King Markobrun.” And Bova said: “And you, Druzhnevna, go to King Markobrun, give him a drink, and pour a sleeping potion into the goblet. He will sleep for 9 days and 9 nights, and in the meantime we will run away.” And Bova gave a sleeping potion, and Druzhnevna took the potion, and wrapped it by the sleeve, and went to her mansion, and put on a precious dress, and went to the royal chamber, and said: “My lord, King Markobrun! Tomorrow you and I "It will be a joy for you, sir, to take me as your wife. Come on, my sir, let's drink a cup of mead with you, so that I don't have to grieve for my father and mother."
And King Markobrun loved Druzhnevna. And he ordered to quickly bring strong honey, and the young men quickly brought it. And Druzhnevna secretly poured a sleeping potion from her sleeve and presented it to King Markobrun. And the king, out of his kindness, invited her to drink first. And Druzhnevna began to humiliate herself before him: “My lord, King Markobrun! It is not right for a slave girl to drink before you. Drink, sir, this cup, and I will send for another.” And King Markobrun drank a cup of mead and fell asleep. And Princess Druzhnevna ran to Bova’s stable and said: “My lord, brave knight Prince Bova, King Markobrun is fast asleep.”
And Bova saddled a good heroic horse for himself, and a pacer for Druzhnevna. And Druzhnevna took 2 camp tents from the treasury, and Bova attached them. And they left from the Zadonsk kingdom. And Bova and Druzhnevna traveled for 9 days and 9 nights. Bova set up white tents in the field and hobbled the horses. And he went with Druzhnevna into the tent and copulated with her. And King Markobrun woke up and saw that he no longer had either the beautiful princess Druzhnevna or the good heroic horse. And King Markobrun said: “It was not the old villain, but it was Prince Bova himself. The villain stole from me the beautiful princess Druzhnevna and the good heroic horse.” And he ordered the horn to be blown, and gathered 30,000 troops, and sent for Bova and Druzhnevna.
And Bova left the tent to cool off. And... when Bova heard the horse's tramp and people's rumors, he went into the tent and said: “Madame beautiful princess Druzhnevna! There are few people with us: to be chased by King Markobrun.” And the beautiful princess Druzhnevna said: “My gentle, brave knight Bova the prince! And if we are caught, we will die from King Markobrun.” And Bova said: “Madame beautiful princess Druzhnevna! Pray to God, God is with us.”
And Bova took the treasure sword, and sat on a good horse without a saddle, and rode towards the pursuit, and beat the pursuit of 30,000, only left three people, punished him, and released him to King Markobrun: “What King Markobrun sends for me, only loses the army "Does he know that I am a strong hero, the brave knight Bova the Prince? I killed the strong hero Lukomor and defeated 100,000 troops." And three people came to King Markobrun and said: “Sovereign King Markobrun! Bova beat the entire army, but he let the three of us go and did not order us to chase him.”
And King Markobrun ordered the horn to be blown, and gathered an army of 40,000, and sent for Bova and Druzhnevna. And those young men said: “Our lord, King Markobrun! Why should we go after Bova? We can’t take him, just lay down our heads. Yes, your lord is a strong hero, and his name is Polkan, dog’s legs from the waist up, and from the waist up a common person, and he gallops seven miles. He can catch up with Bova and catch him. And he sits in your dungeon behind 30 locks and 30 bolts." And King Markobrun ordered Polkan to be released from prison, and sent for Bova. And Polkan began to gallop seven miles.
And Bova came out of the tent. And Bova heard that Polkan the hero was galloping. And Bova took the sword, and sat on a good horse without a saddle, and rode towards the strong hero Polkan. And as two strong heroes came together, and Bova waved Polkan’s sword, Bova’s sword tore out of his hands and went halfway into the ground. And Polkan hit Bova with his club, and Bova fell from his horse to the ground, dead. And Polkan jumped on Bovin’s horse, and the good horse Bovin sensed Polkan, and bit the mouthpiece, and began to carry him through the forests and ravines, and through the bushes, and skinned his legs to the waist, and the meat to the bones.
And Bova lay unconscious for three hours, and got up as if nothing had happened, and came to Druzhnevna, and lay down on the bed. And the good horse tormented Polkan and rushed to the tent. And Polkan fell to the ground. Druzhnevna came out of the tent and said: “Brother Polkan, make peace with Bova, and you will not have an opponent in this world.” And Bova said: “I’m glad to make peace with Polkan, but if Polkan doesn’t make peace, I’ll kill him.” And Bova made peace with Polkan. Polkan Bovu took his white hands and kissed him on the mouth, and called him his elder brother.

And Bova sat on a good horse, and Druzhnevna on a pacer, and Polkan galloped after them. And they arrived in the city of Kostel, and in that city there was neither a king nor a king, only a townsman, and his name was Orel. And Bova the prince and Polkan stayed with him, and Bova and Druzhnevna went to bed. Meanwhile, King Markobrun came to the city of Kostel and 50,000 troops with him, and laid siege to Kostel-grad, and began writing letters to Orla, asking him to give him Bova and Polkan: “And if you don’t hand over my traitors from the city, I will burn your city of Kostel with fire.” and I’ll shake the firebrand!” And the townsman ordered the men to gather in the zemstvo hut. And the men gathered, and the mayor Orel came to the zemstvo hut and said to the men: “We will go against King Markobrun! And I myself will go, and I will take my two sons with me.” And the men gathered and went against King Markobrun. And King Markobrun took the peasant mayor and his children prisoner, released Orel, but left his sons hostage, and ordered Bova, Polkan, and the beautiful princess Druzhnevna to be extradited from the city.
And the man came to the city and ordered the men to gather in the zemstvo hut. And soon the men gathered in the zemstvo hut, the mayor stood in front of them and asked: “Should we extradite the people from the city or not?” And Orel’s wife came forward and said: “We can’t extradite people from the city, and we can’t help our children.” And the man Orel said: “Women have long hair, but short minds.” And the men decided to extradite Bova from the city.
And Polkan went to Bova: “Brother Bova, you’ve been sleeping for a long time, you don’t know anything: the men want to extradite us from the city.” And Bova said: “Villain men, what a bad idea! It will be bad for them too!” And Bova jumped off the bed and threw his fur coat over his shoulders. And he took the treasure sword under his bosom, and went to the zemstvo hut, and began to chop down the peasants from the door to the red corner. He chopped up the men and threw them out, and Orlov’s wife ran from the stove and said: “Sir, brave knight, you cannot destroy me, a bitter widow!” And Bova said: “Mother Empress, do not be afraid. Give me until the morning, I will free your children.” And Bova and Polkan rode out against King Markobrun, and Bova rode on the right, and Polkan on the left. And they began to beat Markobrunov’s army, as they drove away the cattle and freed the Orlov children.
And King Markobrun went to the Transdonian kingdom with a few people. And he took an oath to himself, they say, not to chase after Bova, neither his children, nor his grandchildren, nor his great-grandchildren. And Bova came to the city of Kostel to Orlov’s wife: “Here, Empress Mother, are your children.” And he began to kiss the men’s cross, and he left the city of the Church with the beautiful princess Druzhnevna, and Polkan galloped after them on foot.
And on the way, Druzhnevna said: “My lord, brave knight Prince Bova! The time is already coming for me when good wives give birth to children.” And Bova set up the tents, and Bova said to Polkan: “Brother Polkan, stay away. Druzhnevna is not feeling well.” And Polkan moved away and stood under an oak tree. And Druzhnevna gave birth to two sons, and Bova named them one Cymbalt and the other Richard. And Polkan woke up and heard the horse's tramp and people's rumors. And Polkan came to Bovin’s tent, and Polkan said: “Brother Bovin! A great army is coming, I don’t know whether it’s the king or the king. Will you go to reconnoiter yourself or will you send me?” And Bova said: “Go ahead, but I can’t do it now: Druzhnevna gave birth to two sons - Cymbalta and Richard.” And Polkan galloped off, and he grabbed a lot of people, tied them up in a bunch, and brought them to Bova.
And Bova began to ask tongues: “Tell me, good people, what kingdom is the army? Is the king coming or the king?" And tongues began to tell: "Sovereign brave knight! So, sir, the governors are coming from our sovereign King Dodon to the Armenian kingdom. They say that in the Armenian kingdom, King Zenzevei Adarovich serves as Prince Bova. And King Dodon ordered him, Bova, to take him and bring him to his kingdom." And Bova’s heroic heart flared up, and Bova could not bear it, and put them to death. And he saddled his good heroic horse, and took with him a treasure sword , and Bova began to punish his brother Polkan: “My brother, Polkan! Do not leave my Druzhnevna and my two children. And I will go to the Armenian kingdom for military work, and you, brother, do not go near the forest." And Bova said goodbye to Polkan, and to Druzhnevna, and with his children, and Bova went to military work.
And after that Polkan went to the forest to sleep, and then the lions came to sleepy Polkan, and they ate all of that hero Polkan, only leaving the soles of his feet. And when Druzhnevna came out of her tent and looked under the oak tree, and there only her feet lay. And Druzhnevna grieved for him very much, and took her children by the bosom, sat on the pacer, and rode wherever her eyes looked.
And Druzhnevna arrived under the Armenian kingdom, and took with her only one whip, and let her good pacer horse go into an open field and said: “Go, my good pacer horse, look for a gentle owner.” And Druzhnevna came to the river, and washed herself with a black potion, and became black as coal. And Druzhnevna came to the Rokhlen kingdom and settled with a widow. And in the Rokhlen kingdom - Princess Minchitriya. And Druzhnevna began to sew shirts for good wives, and that’s how she fed with her children.
And the prince Bova defeated the enemy’s force, and came to the tent, but neither the princess Druzhnevna nor his children were in the tent. And Bova looked under the oak tree, only Polkan’s feet lay there. And Bova began to grieve: “If the lions ate such a strong hero, then so did Druzhnevna and my children.” And Bova buried Polkanov’s feet, and he himself burst into tears bitterly: “Lord! You gave me a wife after my heart, and did not let me live with her from youth to old age.” And Bova went to the creek to hunt, and shot geese and swans, and Bova cooked food and was satisfied. And Bova went to the Armenian kingdom to kill the butler who had once sent him to his death.
And Bova arrived in the Armenian kingdom on Sunday, and King Zenzevey Adarovich stood in the church. And when the king left the church, Bova bowed to him. And King Zenzevey Adarovich asked: “What is your name, and what city are you from, and where are you going?” And Bova said: “My name is August, I’m looking for a kind sovereign to love me.” And the king said: “I need such people. Please, Augustus, serve me.” And Augustus bowed and went to the royal court and killed the butler.
And ambassadors from the Rokhlen kingdom arrived. And Augustus turned up to the ambassadors and began to ask: “Which state are the ambassadors and why did they come?” And the ambassadors said: “We, sir, came from the Rokhlen kingdom to check on the brave knight Bova the prince. Princess Minchitriya sent us, and she wants to marry Bova.” And Augustus said: “Go, ambassadors, to the Rokhlen kingdom, and Bova will be with you.” And Bova went to the Rokhlen kingdom.
And Bova arrived in the Rokhlen kingdom and entered the royal court without reporting. And the beautiful princess Minchitriya met Bova, and took Bova to the royal chambers, and they began to drink, eat and have fun. And the princess Minchitriya said: “Sovereign brave knight Bova the prince! Baptize me, sir, and take me as your wife, and be the ruler of our kingdom and protector from all countries.” And Bova Minchitriya baptized, and agreed to postpone the wedding until Sunday.
And Druzhnevna’s children have already grown up. Cymbalt plays the harp, and Richard plays the domra. And Druzhnevna began to send her children to the royal court: “Come, children, to the royal court, and they will take you to the royal chamber, and you play good tunes and sing the praises of the good knight Bova the prince in every song.” And Bovina's children went to the royal court and to the royal chambers, and sang praises to Bovina the prince. And Bova said: “Why are you singing so about Bova the prince? I have lived for many years, but I have not heard of Bova the prince.” And Bovina’s children said: “We are singing about our sovereign father Bove the Prince, but our empress, the beautiful princess Druzhnevna, told us.” And Bova ordered them to drink and feed, and gave them a lot of gold and silver, barely enough to carry, and he himself followed them, not taking his eyes off. And Bovina’s children came to the yard, and their mother greeted them: “Come, children!”, and took them by the white hands and kissed them on the mouth. Bova saw that a bad and black woman was greeting them, he spat and walked away: “B... we are children, they said that their mother is Druzhnevna, and this is a bad woman and black as coal.”
And when the night passed and day came, Druzhnevna again sent the children to the royal court. And Bovina's children came to the royal chambers and began to play good melodies and sang praises to Bova the prince. And Bova ordered them to drink and feed, and gave them a lot of gold, and even more silver, and went after them. And Princess Druzhnevna washed herself with a white potion and went out to meet her children. And Bova saw Druzhnevna and jumped into the yard. And he grabs Druzhnevna’s white hands and kisses her sugary lips. And Druzhnevna fell at his feet: “My lord, brave knight Prince Bova! Do not leave me and your children!”
And Bova took Druzhnevna and his children, and went to the stable, and chose good pacer horses for Druzhnevna and his children. And Princess Minchitria fell at Bova’s feet and said: “Sovereign brave knight Bova the prince! If you have not taken me for yourself, I will be your hostage.” And Bova said: “Well, if you have become my hostage, neither the king nor the king will offend you, hearing my threat, the brave knight Bova the prince.” And Bova went with Druzhnevna and their children to the city of Sumin to see uncle Cymbalt.

And uncle Cymbalt met the visiting man Augustus, and gave him court. And the next day Uncle Cymbalt arranged a feast in honor of the visiting man Augustus. And Augustus came to the feast, and Uncle Cymbalt ordered to give him a place. And when everyone rejoiced, Augustus said: “Sir, Uncle Cymbalt! Who lives next to you, and is there any offense?” And Uncle Cymbalt said: “Yes, sir! The villain King Dodon lives near me. He, the villain, killed my sovereign, the good and glorious King Guidon, and all the years he has been driving the cattle away from the city, I cannot stand against him.” And Augustus said: “I can take revenge for this insult. Gather an army as much as you can.” And uncle Cymbalt ordered the horn to be blown, and gathered 15,000 troops. And Augustus went as a commander, and took with him his uncle’s son named Dmitry. And Anton came near the city, drove away the cattle, and burned the plantings. And where King Guidon lies, and there is a pillar over the grave, Augustus went for three days to say goodbye, and he himself wept bitterly. And King Dodon saw that a few people came to the city and drove away the cattle, and burned the settlements. And he ordered the horn to be blown, and gathered 40,000 troops, and went out against Augustus.
And Augustus, like cattle, drove the army away from the city, and struck King Dodon with a spear and wounded him in the heart. And Augustus went to the city of Sumin, and Uncle Cymbalt ordered the bells to be rung for joy and prayers to be served, and he took Augustus to himself. And his uncle’s son Dmitry told his father that Augustus went to the grave for three days to say goodbye and cried bitterly: “Isn’t that our brave knight Bova the Prince?” And Uncle Cymbalt said: “Our sovereign Bova the prince was very handsome, and it was impossible to sit still because of his beauty.” And Bova heard those speeches, and went out onto the porch, and washed himself with a white potion, and entered the chamber. And he illuminated Bova’s entire chamber with his beauty. And uncle Cymbalt fell at his feet: “My lord, brave knight Prince Bova! Avenge the death of your father!”
And the ambassador from the city of Anton came to the city of Sumin to ask for a doctor. Bova washed himself with a black potion and called himself a doctor: “I can cure your king Dodon of a heart wound.” And Bova took his uncle’s son Dmitry with him, and went to the city of Anton to treat Dodon. And the ambassador came and informed King Dodon: “Sovereign King Dodon, I brought you a doctor from Sumin-grad.” And King Dodon ordered the doctor to go into the chamber where there were many princes and boyars. And the doctor said: “Sovereign King Dodon! This is a difficult matter; so that there is no one in the room!”
And King Dodon sent everyone out of the ward, and Bova locked the ward, and put his uncle’s son on the hook. And Bova took out his treasure-sword from his bosom and said to King Dodon: “For this reason I would not cut off your head, because you drove away my good and glorious king Guidon. But I will cut off your head for listening to a woman’s mind.” . And Bova cut off the head of King Dodon, and put it on a dish and covered it with a towel.
And Bova went to the back mansions to the beautiful princess Militrisa, and said: “Here, empress, are gifts from King Dodon. I cured your king Dodon of a heart wound.” And Princess Militrisa accepted the gifts and opened them, and there Dodonov’s head lay on a platter. And she shouted: “Oh, villainous doctor, what are you doing? I’ll order you to be executed with an evil death!” And Bova said: “Stop, don’t rush, madam, you are my mother!” And the beautiful princess Militrisa said: “Oh, villainous doctor! Bova the prince was very handsome, his beauty would have lit up the whole chamber, but you, doctor, are ugly and black as coal.”
And Bova went out onto the porch, and washed himself with a white potion, and entered the ward, and the whole ward was illuminated by Bova’s beauty. And the beautiful princess Militrisa fell at Bova’s feet. And Bova said: “My Empress, mother, do not humiliate yourself before me!” And Bova ordered a coffin to be made, put his living mother in the coffin and decorated the coffin with silk and velvet. Bova buried his mother alive and ordered everyone to remember her.
And Bova went to prison, where he himself had previously been imprisoned, and there the girl was sitting in prison in Bova’s place. And Bova broke the prison, and released the girl, and that girl’s hair grew to her toes. And the girl said: “My lord, brave knight Bova the prince! I have been sitting in prison since the time I released you, sir, from prison.” And Bova said to the girl: “Empress maiden, you have suffered misfortune, but now rejoice.” And he chose a prince, and gave the girl in marriage to the prince. And Bova went to the kingdom of Rokhlensk, and married his uncle’s son Dmitry to beautiful princess Minchitria.
And Bova went to his home, and began to live with Druzhnevna and with his children, and make good money. And the glory of Bove will never pass away.

A very common tale among the Russian people is about the valiant knight Bova Gvidonovich, who, having fled from home from his evil mother Militrisa Kirbityevna and stepfather King Dodon, ends up with King Zenziviy Andronovich and falls in love with his daughter Druzhevna. In her honor, he performs miracles of courage, defeating one entire army of contenders for Druzhevna’s hand - kings Markobrun and Lukoper Saltanovich. Thanks to the machinations of one envious courtier, B. finds himself in a number of dangerous adventures, and is saved only thanks to his courage, a treasure sword and a heroic horse, which no one except B. dares to mount. In his exploits, B. is not only a brave defender of Druzhevna, but also a champion of Christianity. Even when he is threatened with death, he does not want to give up Christianity and believe in the “Latin faith and God Akhmet.” Fate, however, favors B.; he manages to free Druzhevna from Markobrun and escape with her. He easily defeats the army sent against him by Markobrun, and with the hero Polkan (half-man, half-dog), armed against him, he enters into an alliance. But even after marrying Druzhevna B., trials await; he goes to take revenge on King Dodon for the murder of his father; At this time, Druzhevna is forced to hide as a seamstress for the daughter of King Saltan, Minchitrisa. B., having lost Druzhevna, wants to marry Minchitris, whom he converted to Christianity. But Druzhevna turns out to be alive, B. returns to her and to her two sons, and Minchitrisa marries the son of Licharda, B.’s faithful servant. The tale of B. the prince belongs to the least studied narrative works of ours. folk literature. Despite the purely Russian names, she is undoubtedly of foreign origin. The source of the tale is the famous chronicle poem Reali di Francia, dating back to the 14th century. The poem is divided into 6 books, of which the 4th is dedicated to Buovo de Antona, the prototype of B. the prince. This part was subjected to countless revisions, of which the most remarkable are the northern French and Italian poetic poem about Buovo, which appeared around 1480 in Bologna and was in use until the 17th century. about 25 publications. The Russian fairy tale is adjacent to the Italian version, but it is difficult to determine with accuracy whether it was borrowed from the poem Buovo d'Antona or from the 4th book of Reali di Francia. The facts are conveyed in the same way as in the Italian novel, the names are partly conveyed with Russian pronunciation, partly changed against the Italian ones. So, B. corresponds to Buova, Guidon - Duke Guido d'Antoni, B. Simbalda's uncle - Sinebaldo, Dodon - Duodo di Maganza, Druzhevna - Drusiniana; but, on the other hand, Licharda, Guidon’s servant, is an unnamed envoy in the Italian text, Guidon’s wife is not Militrisa, but Brandoria, etc.

It is difficult to determine in what ways the Italian novel penetrated into Russia. A. N. Pypin in his “Essay literary history ancient stories and Russian fairy tales" stands for a direct transition, due to the fact that in the content and appearance of the fairy tale there are no traces of extraneous processing noticeable in other stories and novels that came to us from the West. A significant change is noticeable only in style - it has been grafted onto the Russian fairy tale tone and details of the Russian fairy-tale epic. Based on Russian copies of the tale of B.-Korolich, one can judge its long-term circulation in Russia. The lists of the 17th century are especially complete, closer to the spirit of the Italian original (in “Monuments ancient writing"1873, issue I, printed the text of B. the prince, borrowed from the handwritten collection of Published Bibles of the late 17th century). They preserve the original meaning of the novel - the struggle of Christianity with Islam and clearly expressed in the person of B. the knightly ideal: courage , devotion to faith and to his lady. The characters are depicted with the same certainty and some immobility: B. - the embodiment of virtue, Militrisa - treachery, Druzhevna - love and devotion. In later copies and in popular prints, the original edition is distorted: religious character completely overlooked characters they speak in a pretentious and vulgar language that does not correspond to their position; the sharp features in their characters are smoothed out.

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