# The Russian Fairy Book/The Bright-Hawk's Feather

He asked his daughters what he should buy them
THE BRIGHT-HAWK'S FEATHER
THE BRIGHT-HAWK'S FEATHER
NCE upon a time there lived an old man and his old wife, and they had three daughters. The oldest and the next oldest were gay girls, but the youngest was occupied only with the housework, and yet she was so beautiful that no tongue could describe or pen depict her. When she walked along the street every eye was fastened upon her; all the other girls were not to be compared with her.
One day the old man was getting ready to go to town to attend the fair, and he asked his daughters what he should buy for them.
The eldest said: "Buy me a coat."
And the next oldest said the same. "But what shall I get for you, my dear little daughter?" asked the old man of the youngest.
"Dear papa, buy me a ruby-red flower."
The old man began to laugh at his youngest daughter. "Well now, what do you want a ruby-red flower for, you stupid little girl? What good ​is there in that? I would rather buy you some nice piece of finery."
But in spite of all he said he could not change her mind.
"Buy me a ruby-red flower"—and that was the end of it.
The father bade them good-bye, got into his cart, and rode off to the city to the fair, where he bought his two older daughters what they asked him to get for them; but nowhere could he find the ruby-red flower, though he went through the whole fair from one end to the other; no such flower was to be found anywhere at all.
The old man drove home and he delighted the eldest daughter and the next older with their fine coats.
"Here, my dear daughters, are what you wanted me to get for you," said he; "but," turning to the youngest, "I couldn't find any ruby-red flower for you."
"Very well," said she; "perhaps next time you will have better luck in finding it."
The two older sisters cut and sewed their new coats, and they made fun of their youngest sister.
"Oh, you stupid girl! What did you expect? You should have asked for something else!" ​ But of course she endured their gibes without saying a word.
Another time the father prepared to go to town again for the fair, and he asked: "Well, my daughters, what shall I get for you?"
The eldest asked for a new dress, and so did the middle one, but the youngest again said: "Buy me a ruby-red flower, papa dear."
The father bade them good-bye, took his seat in his cart, and drove off to town. He bought two dresses, but no sign of a ruby-red flower could his eyes behold.
When he got home he said, "Alas, my dear daughter, again I have had no luck in finding your ruby-red flower."
"No matter, dear father, perhaps another time you will have better luck."
Well then, a third time the old man made ready to go to town to the fair, and he said: "Tell me, my dear daughters, what I shall get for you."
The two older ones said: "Buy us some earrings, father dear."
But again the youngest repeated her "Buy me the ruby-red flower, father."
The old man bade them good-bye, took his seat, and drove off. He bought some gold ear-rings; ​then he set to work to find the flower. He searched and searched, but nothing of the sort was to be found. He felt disappointed, and started to go home. He had hardly passed the city gate when he met by chance a very old, old man who carried in his hand a ruby-red flower.
"My dear little old man, sell me your ruby-red flower," he said.
"It is not for sale, it is a keepsake," replied the stranger; "but if you will let your youngest daughter marry my son, Finist the Bright-Hawk, then I will let you have the ruby-red flower for nothing."
The father thought the matter over in his mind.
"If I don't get the flower my dear little daughter will be bitterly disappointed, but if I take it I shall have to give her in marriage, and God knows who her husband will be."
He thought it over and he thought it over, but finally he decided to take the ruby-red flower.
"After all, what is the harm?" he asked himself. "Even after they are engaged, if it does not look well, we can break it off."
He drove home, gave his two oldest daughters their ear-rings, and to the youngest he handed the little flower, saying: "I do not like your little ​flower, my darling daughter, I do not like it at all." And he whispered softly in her ear: "You see, this little flower was a keepsake; I got it of a stranger, a little old man, on condition that I would let you marry his son Finist the Bright-Hawk."
"Do not be troubled, father dear," said his daughter in reply; "you see he is such a fine and courteous young man, and he flies like a bright hawk through the sky, but as soon as he touches the moist earth he becomes a fine young man again."
"So you know him, then?"
"I know him, yes, I know him, my dear father. Last Sunday he was at mass, and he kept gazing at me and I talked with him. You see he loves me, father dear."
The old man shook his head, looked at his daughter so pitifully, crossed himself, and said: "Go to your little room, my darling daughter. It is time to go to bed. Morning is wiser than Evening. We will think it over."
So the girl went to her room and put the ruby-red flower in water; then she opened the window and gazed out into the blue distance.
From somewhere or other there suddenly flew before her Finist the Bright-Hawk-of-the-gaudy-feathers, and he flew straight into the window, ​and as soon as he touched the floor he became a fine young man. The girl was startled, but as soon as he began to talk with her it is impossible to tell how gay and happy she felt in her heart.
They talked till dawn, no one knows about what, but as soon as it began to grow light Finist the Bright-Hawk kissed her and said: "Every night when you set the ruby-red flower in the window I will come flying to you, my darling. And here is a feather from my wing; if ever you want any fine things, take the feather and wave it to the right, and in a twinkling anything that your heart desires will be at your service."
He kissed her again, changed into a bright hawk, and flew off into the dark forest.
The young girl followed her betrothed with her gaze, then closed the window and went to bed.
From that time forth, every night she stood the ruby-red flower in the open window, and the fine young man, Finist the Bright-Hawk, always came to her.
Once it was a Sunday. The bells began to ring in church. The two older sisters prepared to go to mass. They dressed themselves in their smart new dresses, they put on new kerchiefs, they ​adorned their ears with their gold ear-rings, and they ridiculed their youngest sister.
"Oh, you stupid creature!" they said. "What are you going to wear? You have n't anything new to put on! Stay at home with your red flower!"
But she replied: "That is all right, my dear sisters; do not worry yourselves about me, I will say my prayers at home."
The two older sisters arrayed themselves like gay birds and went to mass, but the youngest one sat down at her little window, all soiled and bedraggled, in her wretched old coat, and she looked down on the orthodox people as they were wending their ways to God's church. They all were dressed in their fine clothes, the men in new kaftans, and the women in holiday sarafans and bright-colored variegated kerchiefs.
The young girl waited awhile, then she took the colored feather, looked at it, and waved it to the right. Instantly, from somewhere, appeared before her a glass coach, drawn by stallions, and servants in gold livery, while for herself were fine raiment and all sorts of adornments of the costliest and brightest colored precious stones.
In a twinkling the beautiful girl dressed herself, took her seat in the carriage, and was whirled ​away to church. The congregation gazed at her and marvelled at her beauty. "She must be some queen come from the ends of the earth," said the people one to another.
As soon as the choir began to sing the "Holy, holy" she left the church, took her seat in the coach, and was whisked away home. The orthodox people hurried out to see which way she went, but no matter where they looked not a sign of her was to be seen.
But our beauty hurried back to her feather, and she waved it to the left, and in a twinkling the servants took off her clothes and the coach vanished from sight.
There she was, sitting as before, as if nothing had happened, and was looking out of her little window as the orthodox congregation scattered to their homes. Her sisters also came home.
"Well, sister," said they, "there was such a beautiful woman at mass to-day; such an one was never seen before; no tongue could describe or pen depict her beauty. It must be some queen come from foreign shores, so splendidly was she dressed, so magnificently decked out."
The same thing happened the second Sunday and the third. You see, the beautiful girl
The congregation gazed at her and marvelled at her beauty
​mystified the orthodox people and her sisters and her father and her mother. But one last time she started to undress and she forgot to take out of her braided hair a diamond brooch.
The older sisters came from church and began to tell their young sister about the beautiful queen; but when they looked at her they saw the diamond glittering so brilliantly in her braided hair!
"Now, sister, what is that on you?" the girls exclaimed. "Why, just such a brooch the queen wore on her head this day! Where did you get it?"
The beautiful girl groaned in spirit and ran off to her little room. There was no end of questions and conjectures and whisperings, but the youngest sister said not a word, but only smiled a quiet smile.
So now the older sisters began to keep an eye on her; and at night they would listen at the door of her little room, and one time they overheard her talking with Finist the Bright-Hawk, and when dawn came they saw with their own eyes how he flew out of her window and hid behind the dark forest.
These girls, it seems, were wicked—the older sisters. They agreed together to put hidden ​knives in the window of their sister's little room so that the Bright-Hawk's gaudy wings might be clipped off on them. What they plotted they performed, and the youngest sister had not a suspicion of it. As usual, she set her ruby-red flower in the window, lay down on the bed, and fell sound asleep.
In the night the Bright-Hawk came flying up; he flapped his wings and flapped his wings, but he could not get into the chamber; all he did was to cut his wings. "Good-bye, lovely girl," he cried; "if you want to find me, then seek for me beyond the thrice-nine lands in the thirtieth kingdom. But before you find me you will wear out three pairs of iron shoes, you will break three iron staves, you will eat three iron wafers. Farewell, dear good girl!"
All this time the girl was asleep, but she seemed to hear through her dream the harsh words, and she tried to wake up but she could not.
In the morning she awoke and looked all around her. It was already bright day, but no sign of the fine young man! But when she looked at the window, there, criss-cross, stuck sharp knives, and from them, on the ruby-red flower, blood was dropping.
​ Long did the girl weep bitter tears, many sleepless nights did she sit by the window of her little room, again and again did she wave the gaudy feather, but all in vain—Finist the Bright-Hawk came no more flying to her, neither did any servants come.
At last, with tears in her eyes, she went to her father and asked him for his blessing.
"I am going," she said, "whither eyes look."
She ordered three pairs of iron shoes to be forged for her, three iron staves, and three iron wafers. With a pair of shoes on her feet and a staff in her hand, she started off in the direction from which the Bright-Hawk had come flying to her.
She entered the dim forest; she stumbled over stump and hump; already her iron shoes were wearing out, her staff broken, her wafer eaten, but still the beautiful girl kept walking on and on, and the forest grew ever darker, ever denser.
Suddenly she saw standing before her a little hut on hens' legs, and it kept turning round and round.
The girl cried out: "Little hut, little hut, stand with your back to the forest and your front to me."
​The hut turned round with its front to her. She went into the little hut, and there lay Baba Yago the Witch from corner to corner, her lips in a ridge, her nose in the ceiling. "Fu! fu! fu!" she cried. "Hitherto no eye ever saw or ear ever heard of Russian spirit, but to-day Russian spirit is marching through the free world and strikes you in the eye and throws itself into your face! Where are you going, my pretty maid? Do you arrive from a doughty deed, or do you strive for a doughty deed?"
"Grannie," she answered, "the Bright-Hawk used to be with me, but my sisters did me an injury. I am now in search of him."
"You will have to go far, little one! You will have to go even to the thrice-nine lands. The Bright-Hawk is living in the thrice-ninth kingdom, in the thirtieth realm, and he is already betrothed to the Tsar's daughter."
Then Baba Yaga gave food and drink to the beautiful girl whom God had sent, and put her to bed; and in the morning as soon as day began to dawn she woke her up, gave her a precious gift—a silver distaff and a golden spindle—and said: "Now go to my next older sister, and God be with you; she will give you some good advice.
Suddenly she saw standing before her a little hut on hen's legs
​And here is my gift to you,—a silver distaff and a golden spindle. You will begin to spin the flax, and it will make a golden thread. Follow it, and when you come to the thrice-ninth empire, to the thirtieth kingdom, to the edge of the blue sea, the Bright-Hawk's bride will come down to walk along the beach. Then you must begin to spin, and she will want to buy my gift to you. But, my pretty maid, you must not sell it to her; only ask to look at the Bright-Hawk."
Then Baba Yaga took a little ball, rolled it along the path, and bade the young girl follow it.
"Wherever the little ball rolls," said she, "there must you make your way."
The young girl thanked the old dame and went in the direction the ball was rolling. Again she walked through the dim forest, ever farther and farther, and the forest grew ever darker and thicker, and the tops of the trees struck the sky. A long, long time she walked, and her second pair of iron shoes were worn out, her second staff was broken, and she had devoured her second iron wafer; and at last the little ball rolled up to a small hut. This small hut stood, like the other, on hens' legs, and kept turning and turning.
​The beautiful girl cried: "Little hut, little hut, stand with your back to the forest and with your front toward me! I want to go in and get something to eat."
The hut obeyed her; it turned its back to the forest and its front to the girl.
She entered, and there in the hut on the stove on the thrice-ninth brick lay Baba Yaga the Bony-leg, with her lips in a ridge and her nose through the ceiling.
"Fu! fu! fu!" she cried. "Hitherto no eye ever saw or ear ever heard of Russian spirit, but to-day Russian spirit is marching through the free world and strikes you in the eye and throws itself into your face! Where are you going, my pretty maid? Do you arrive from a doughty deed, or do you strive for a doughty deed?"
The maiden replied: "Grannie, the Bright-Hawk used to be with me, but my sisters did me an injury. I am now in search of him."
"Alas! my girl, my girl, your Finist is going to be married. This very day the wedding takes place!" exclaimed the Baba Yaga. She gave the beautiful girl food and drink and put her to bed, and the next morning, ere the dear sun had risen, she woke her up and gave her a costly gift—a ​silver dish and a golden egg—and she said to her: "Now go to my oldest sister, and God be with you; she will give you some good advice. And here is my gift to you—a silver dish and a golden egg. When you reach the thrice-ninth empire, the thirtieth kingdom, on the shores of the blue sea you will find the Bright-Hawk's bride walking on the beach, and you must remember to roll the egg on the plate. She will want to buy my gift of you, but, my pretty maid, don't you accept anything; only ask to look at the Bright-Hawk-of-the-gaudy-feathers."
The girl thanked the old dame, sighed, and again started after the little ball; and again she walked through the dim forest, on and on, and the forest grew ever darker and denser, and the tree-tops leaned against the sky. A long, long time she walked, and her third pair of iron shoes began to wear out and her third staff was broken, and her last iron wafer devoured. But at last the little ball rolled up to a small hut which, like the others, stood on hens' legs and kept on turning and turning.
The girl said to the hut: "Little hut, little hut, turn your back to the forest and your front to me! I want to go in and get something to eat."
​The hut obeyed, and turned its back to the forest and its front to the beautiful girl.
In the hut was the Baba Yaga again, and she was the very oldest of the three.
"Fu! fu! fu!" she cried. "Hitherto no eye ever saw or ear ever heard of Russian spirit, but to-day Russian spirit is marching through the free world, and strikes you in the eye and throws itself into your face! Where are you going, my pretty maid? Do you arrive from a doughty deed, or do you strive for a doughty deed?"
The beautiful girl replied: "Grannie, the Bright-Hawk used to be with me, but my sisters did me an injury. He flew from me beyond the distant seas, beyond the lofty mountains, into the thrice-ninth empire, into the thirtieth kingdom; and now I am in search of him."
"Alas! my girl, my dear little girl! He is already married to the Tsar's daughter!" exclaimed Baba Yaga; and she gave her food and drink and put her to bed. In the morning, before the stars in the sky had put out their candles, she woke her up, gave her a costly gift—a gold embroidery-frame and needle—and said to her:
"Well, now go, my dear girl, and God with you and do not dally. Here is my gift to you—a gold
Yonder, far away, flamed golden towers
​embroidery-frame and needle. Only keep the needle and it will sew of itself. When you reach the thrice-ninth empire, the thirtieth kingdom, and come to the blue sea, the Tsar's daughter will come to you, and she will want to buy the embroidery-frame and the needle; but, my pretty one, accept nothing in return. Only ask to have a look at the Bright-Hawk."
The young girl thanked the old dame, wept bitterly, but started off after the little ball. And now the forest began to grow thinner and thinner. Presently the blue sea, wide and free, spread out before her; and yonder, far, far away, glittering like fire, flamed golden towers on lofty marble palaces.
"That must be Finist the Bright-Hawk's empire," said the maiden to herself, and she sat down on the damp sea-sand, took out her silver distaff and her golden spindle and began to spin, and the golden thread was formed.
Soon there came along the beach the Tsar's daughter with her maidens, and when she saw the beautiful girl she stopped short and wanted to buy the silver distaff and the golden spindle.
"Only let me look at the Bright-Hawk, princess dear, and I will let you have them for nothing," replied the girl.
​"Well, the Bright-Hawk is asleep now and has forbidden anyone to disturb him. However, give me your silver distaff and golden spindle and I will let you see him!"
The Tsar's daughter took the distaff and the golden spindle, hastened back to the palace, thrust into the Bright-Hawk's cloak an enchanted brooch, so that he might sleep more soundly and not wake from his sleep for a long, long time, and then she ordered the serving-women to bring the beautiful girl into the palace to see the Bright-Hawk, while she herself went out to walk.
Long the maiden beat her breast, long did she weep over her dear love.
"Awake, awake, my darling Finist, my Bright-Hawk!" she cried. "Your chosen maiden has come to you. I have broken three iron staves, I have worn out three pairs of iron shoes, I have devoured three iron wafers, and all this time I have been searching for you, my darling."
But Finist slept on and could not wake up.
The Tsar's daughter having walked as long as she wanted to, came home. She drove the girl away and took out the magic brooch.
Then the Bright-Hawk awoke.
"Uh! how long I have slept!" said he. ​"Someone was here and was weeping and lamenting over me; but I could not open my eyes, they were so heavy!"
"It was only a dream," replied the Tsar's daughter; "no one has been here."
The next day the beautiful girl again sat on the shore of the blue sea and rolled the golden egg on the silver plate.
The Tsar's daughter came out to take a walk, saw it, and said: "Sell it to me."
"Only let me look at the Bright-Hawk and I will let you have it for nothing."
The Tsar's daughter consented, and again stuck the magic brooch into the Bright-Hawk's cloak.
Again the beautiful girl wept bitterly over her dear love, but she could not waken him.
"Awake, awake, my bright Prince! It is I, your chosen maiden. I have come to you; I have broken three iron staves, I have worn out three pairs of iron shoes, I have eaten three iron cakes, and all this time I have been searching for you, my darling."
But the Bright-Hawk slept on and could not wake up.
The Tsar's daughter having walked as long as she wanted to, returned home, drove the girl away, and took out the magic brooch.
​"Uh! how long I have slept!" said the Bright-Hawk, awaking and yawning. "Someone has been here and has been weeping and lamenting over me: but I could not open my eyes, they were so heavy."
"It was all a dream," replied the Tsar's daughter; "no one has been here."
On the third day the beautiful girl was sitting on the shore of the blue sea, depressed and sad, and she held in her hands the gold embroidery-frame, and the golden needle was embroidering by itself.
The Tsar's daughter saw it and wanted to buy it. "Only let me look at the Bright-Hawk," replied the girl, "and I will give it to you."
The Tsar's daughter consented, hastened to the palace, and said: "Finist the Bright-Hawk, let me brush your hair."
She sat down to brush his hair, and she fastened into it the magic brooch.
Immediately he fell into a deep sleep. Then she sent her serving-women to get the beautiful girl.
She came and tried to wake her loved one; she threw her arms around him, she kissed him, and she wept all the time so bitterly. But no, he would not wake up. Then she began to smooth his hair and she loosened the magic brooch.
​Instantly the Bright-Hawk woke up and saw the beautiful girl. How glad he was!
She told him the whole story as it had happened: how her wicked sisters had spied on her, how she had taken the long journey, and how she had traded with the princess.
He fell more deeply in love with her than before, kissed her lips, and without delay commanded all his nobles and princes and all the ranks of the people to assemble.
And he began to ask them: "How would you decide? With which wife must I spend my life—with the one that sold me or with the one that bought me?"
All the nobles and all the princes and all the ranks of the people decided with one voice: "Take the one that bought you!"
And this was what Finist-the-Bright-Hawk-of-the-gaudy-feathers did. And so they were married and they banqueted for three days and three nights. I also was at that wedding, and I drank the mead; and if you don't believe it you may long for it, but you won't get a taste of it. They put a nightcap on me— Now what's the use of talking? I think I'll be off!