home Children Fairy swan. Wild swan

Fairy swan. Wild swan

Fairy tale Wild swans read:

Far, far away, in the country where the swallows fly away from us for the winter, there lived a king. He had eleven sons and one daughter, Eliza.

Eleven brothers-princes already went to school; each had a star on his chest, and a saber rattled on his side; they wrote on gold boards with diamond stylus and knew how to read perfectly, even from a book, even by heart - it doesn't matter. It was immediately heard that real princes were reading! Their sister, Eliza, sat on a bench of plate glass and looked at a picture book for which half a kingdom had been paid.

Yes, the children lived well, but not for long!

Their father, the king of that country, married an evil queen who disliked poor children. They had to experience it on the very first day: there was fun in the palace, and the children started a game to visit, but the stepmother, instead of various cakes and baked apples, which they always got in plenty, gave them a teacup of sand and said that they could imagine like it's a meal.

A week later, she gave her sister Eliza to be raised in the village by some peasants, and a little more time passed, and she managed to tell the king so much about the poor princes that he didn’t want to see them anymore.

Fly-ka pick-me-greet on all four sides! said the evil queen. - Fly like big birds without a voice and take care of yourself!

But she could not do as much harm to them as she would like - they turned into eleven beautiful wild swans, flew out of the palace windows with a cry and rushed over the parks and forests.

It was early morning when they flew past the hut, where their sister Eliza was still fast asleep. They began to fly over the roof, stretching out their flexible necks and flapping their wings, but no one heard or saw them; so they had to fly away with nothing. They soared high, high to the very clouds and flew into a large dark forest that stretched to the sea.

Poor Eliza stood in the peasant's hut and played with a green leaf - she had no other toys; she pierced a hole in the leaf, looked through it at the sun, and it seemed to her that she saw the clear eyes of her brothers; when the warm rays of the sun glided down her cheek, she remembered their tender kisses.

Day after day, one like the other. Did the wind sway the rose bushes that grew near the house and whisper to the roses: “Is there anyone more beautiful than you?” - roses shook their heads and said: "Eliza is more beautiful." Did some old woman sit at the door of her house on Sunday, reading a psalter, and the wind turned the sheets, saying to the book: “Is there anyone more pious than you?” the book answered: “Eliza is more pious!” Both the roses and the psalter spoke the absolute truth.

But now Elise was fifteen years old, and she was sent home. Seeing how pretty she was, the queen became angry and hated her stepdaughter. She would have gladly turned her into a wild swan, but it could not be done now, because the king wanted to see his daughter.

And early in the morning the queen went to the marble bath, all decorated with wonderful carpets and soft pillows, took three toads, kissed each and said to the first:

Sit on Elise's head when she enters the pool; let her become as stupid and lazy as you! And you sit on her forehead! she said to another. - Let Eliza be as ugly as you, and her father does not recognize her! You lay down on her heart! whispered the queen to the third toad. - Let her become malevolent and tormented by this!

If the toads had not been poisoned by the witch's kiss, they would have turned, lying on Eliza's head and heart, into red roses; the girl was so pious and innocent that witchcraft could not affect her in any way.

Seeing this, the evil queen rubbed Eliza with walnut juice so that she turned completely brown, smeared her face with a stinking ointment and messed up her wonderful hair. Now it was impossible to recognize the pretty Eliza. Even her father was frightened and said that this was not his daughter. No one recognized her, except for a chain dog and swallows, but who would listen to the poor creatures!

Eliza wept and thought of her expelled brothers, secretly left the palace and wandered all day through the fields and marshes, making her way to the forest. Eliza herself didn’t really know where she should go, but she yearned so much for her brothers, who were also expelled from their home, that she decided to look for them everywhere until she found them.

She did not stay long in the forest, when night already fell, and Eliza completely lost her way; then she lay down on the soft moss, read a prayer for the coming sleep, and bowed her head on a stump. There was silence in the forest, the air was so warm, hundreds of fireflies flickered in the grass like green lights, and when Eliza touched a bush with her hand, they fell into the grass like a shower of stars.

All night Eliza dreamed of her brothers: they were all children again, playing together, writing with slates on golden boards, and examining a wonderful picture book that cost half a kingdom. But they did not write dashes and zeros on the boards, as they used to, - no, they described everything that they had seen and experienced. All the pictures in the book were alive: the birds were singing, and the people came down from the pages and talked to Eliza and her brothers; but as soon as she wanted to turn over the sheet, they jumped back in, otherwise the pictures would have been confused.

When Eliza awoke, the sun was already high; she could not even see it well behind the dense foliage of the trees, but its individual rays made their way between the branches and ran like golden bunnies over the grass; a wonderful smell came from the greenery, and the birds almost landed on Elise's shoulders. The murmur of a spring was heard not far off; it turned out that several large streams ran here, flowing into a pond with a wonderful sandy bottom. The pond was surrounded by a hedge, but at one point the wild deer had cut a wide passage for themselves, and Eliza could go down to the very water. The water in the pond was clean and clear; the wind did not move the branches of trees and bushes, one would think that the trees and bushes were painted at the bottom, so clearly they were reflected in the mirror of the waters.

Seeing her face in the water, Eliza was completely frightened, it was so black and ugly; and now she scooped up a handful of water, rubbed her eyes and forehead, and again her white delicate skin shone. Then Eliza undressed completely and entered the cool water. It was such a pretty princess to look for in the wide world!

Having dressed and braiding her long hair, she went to a babbling spring, drank water straight from a handful and then went further through the forest, she did not know where. She thought about her brothers and hoped that God would not leave her: it was he who ordered wild forest apples to grow to feed the hungry with them; he also showed her one of these apple trees, the branches of which were bent from the weight of the fruit. Satisfying her hunger, Eliza propped up the branches with chopsticks and went deeper into the thicket of the forest. There was such silence that Eliza heard her own steps, heard the rustle of every dry leaf that came under her feet. Not a single bird flew into this wilderness, not a single ray of sunlight slipped through a continuous thicket of branches. The tall trunks stood in dense rows, like log walls; Elise had never felt so alone before.

The night got even darker; not a single firefly shone in the moss. Eliza lay down sadly on the grass, and suddenly it seemed to her that the branches above her parted, and the Lord God himself looked at her with good eyes; little angels peeped out from behind his head and from under his arms.

Waking up in the morning, she herself did not know whether it was in a dream or in reality.

No, - said the old woman, - but yesterday I saw eleven swans in golden crowns here on the river.

And the old woman led Eliza to a cliff under which a river flowed. Trees grew along both banks, stretching their long, densely leafy branches towards each other. Those of the trees that could not intertwine their branches with those of their brothers on the opposite bank stretched out over the water so that their roots crawled out of the ground, and they still got their way.

Eliza said goodbye to the old woman and went to the mouth of the river, which flowed into the open sea.

And now a wonderful boundless sea opened up in front of the young girl, but in all its expanse not a single sail was visible, there was not a single boat on which she could set off on a further journey. Eliza looked at the countless boulders washed ashore by the sea - the water had polished them so that they became completely smooth and round. All other objects thrown out by the sea - glass, iron and stones - also bore traces of this polishing, but meanwhile the water was softer than Eliza's gentle hands, and the girl thought: “The waves roll tirelessly one after another and finally polish the hardest objects. I will also work tirelessly! Thank you for the science, light fast waves! My heart tells me that someday you will take me to my dear brothers!”

Eleven white swan feathers lay on dry algae thrown up by the sea; Eliza gathered and tied them into a bun; drops still glittered on the feathers - dew or tears, who knows? It was deserted on the shore, but Eliza did not feel it: the sea represented an eternal variety; in a few hours one could see more than in a whole year somewhere on the shores of fresh inland lakes. If a big black cloud was approaching the sky and the wind was stronger, the sea seemed to say: “I can turn black too!” - began to seethe, worry and covered with white lambs. If the clouds were pinkish, and the wind subsided, the sea looked like a rose petal; sometimes it became green, sometimes white; but no matter how calm there was in the air and no matter how calm the sea itself was, there was always a slight excitement near the shore - the water heaved quietly, like the chest of a sleeping child.

When the sun was close to sunset, Eliza saw a string of wild swans in golden crowns flying towards the shore; there were eleven swans in all, and they flew one after another, stretching out in a long white ribbon, Eliza climbed up and hid behind a bush. The swans descended not far from her and flapped their large white wings.

At that very moment, as the sun sank under the water, the plumage from the swans suddenly fell off, and eleven handsome princes, Eliza's brothers, appeared on the earth! Eliza cried out loudly; she recognized them at once, despite the fact that they had changed so much; her heart told her it was them! She threw herself into their arms, called them all by their names, and they were somehow delighted to see and recognize their sister, who had grown so much and prettier. Eliza and her brothers laughed and cried, and soon learned from each other how badly their stepmother had treated them.

We, brothers, - said the eldest, - fly in the form of wild swans all day, from sunrise to sunset; when the sun sets, we again assume the human form. Therefore, at the time of sunset, we must always have solid ground under our feet: if we happened to turn into people during our flight under the clouds, we would immediately fall from such a terrible height. We don't live here; far, far beyond the sea lies a country as wonderful as this, but the road to get there is long, we have to fly over the whole sea, and along the way there is not a single island where we could spend the night. Only in the very middle of the sea a small lonely cliff sticks out, on which we can somehow rest, clinging tightly to each other. If the sea is raging, splashes of water even fly over our heads, but we thank God for such a haven: if it were not for him, we would not have been able to visit our dear homeland at all - and now for this flight we have to choose the two longest days in year. Only once a year are we allowed to fly home; we can stay here for eleven days and fly over this great forest, from where we can see the palace where we were born and where our father lives, and the bell tower of the church where our mother is buried. Here even bushes and trees seem familiar to us; the wild horses we saw in our childhood days still run across the plains, and the coal miners still sing the songs we used to dance to as children. Here is our homeland, here it draws us with all our heart, and here we found you, dear, dear sister! We can still stay here for two more days, and then we must fly overseas to a foreign country! How can we take you with us? We don't have a ship or a boat!

How can I free you from the spell? the sister asked the brothers.

So they talked almost all night and dozed off only for a few hours.

They spent the whole day together, and in the evening the rest flew in, and when the sun went down, everyone again took on a human form.

Tomorrow we must fly away from here and will not be able to return until next year, but we will not leave you here! - said the younger brother. - Do you have the courage to fly with us? My arms are strong enough to carry you through the forest - can't we all carry you on wings across the sea?

Yes, take me with you! Eliza said.

They spent the whole night weaving a net of flexible vines and reeds; the mesh came out large and durable; Eliza was placed in it. Turning into swans at sunrise, the brothers grabbed the net with their beaks and soared with their sweet, fast asleep sister to the clouds. The rays of the sun shone directly on her face, so one of the swans flew over her head, protecting her from the sun with his wide wings.

They were already far from the earth when Eliza woke up, and it seemed to her that she was dreaming while awake, it was so strange for her to fly through the air. Near it lay a branch with wonderful ripe berries and a bunch of tasty roots; the youngest of the brothers picked them up and laid them on her, and she smiled gratefully at him - she guessed that it was he who was flying over her and protecting her from the sun with his wings.

They flew high, high, so that the first ship they saw in the sea seemed to them like a seagull floating on the water. There was a big cloud in the sky behind them - a real mountain! - and on it Eliza saw the gigantic shadows of eleven swans moving and her own. Here was the picture! She had never seen anything like it! But as the sun rose higher and the cloud remained farther and farther behind, the shadows of the air gradually disappeared.

The whole day the swans flew like an arrow shot from a bow, but still slower than usual; now they were carrying their sister. The day began to decline towards evening, bad weather arose; Eliza watched in fear as the sun went down, the lone sea cliff still out of sight. It seemed to her that the swans somehow strenuously flap their wings. Ah, it was her fault that they could not fly faster! The sun will set, they will become people, fall into the sea and drown! And she began to pray to God with all her heart, but the cliff still did not appear. A black cloud was approaching, strong gusts of wind foreshadowed a storm, the clouds gathered into a continuous menacing leaden wave rolling across the sky; lightning flashed after lightning.

The sun was fading fast; now it seemed only a small shining star; but then the swans set foot on solid ground, and the sun went out like the last spark of burnt paper. Eliza saw the brothers around her, standing hand in hand; they all barely fit on the tiny cliff. The sea beat furiously against him and doused them with a whole rain of spray; the sky was ablaze with lightning, and every minute thunder rumbled, but the sister and brothers held hands and sang a psalm that poured comfort and courage into their hearts.

At dawn the storm subsided, it became clear and quiet again; as the sun rose, the swans flew on with Eliza. The sea was still agitated, and they saw from a height how white foam floated on the dark green water, like countless flocks of swans.

When the sun rose higher, Eliza saw before her, as it were, a mountainous country floating in the air, with masses of shining ice on the rocks; a huge castle towered between the rocks, entwined with some kind of bold air galleries of columns; below him swayed palm forests and magnificent flowers, the size of mill wheels. Eliza asked if this was the country they were flying to, but the swans shook their heads: she saw in front of her a wonderful, ever-changing cloud castle of Fata Morgana; there they dared not bring a single human soul. Eliza again fixed her eyes on the castle, and now the mountains, forests and castle moved together, and twenty identical majestic churches with bell towers and lancet windows were formed from them. It even seemed to her that she heard the sounds of an organ, but it was the sound of the sea. Now the churches were very close, but suddenly turned into a whole flotilla of ships; Eliza looked more closely and saw that it was just sea mist rising from the water. Yes, before her eyes there were ever-changing aerial images and pictures! But then, finally, the real land appeared, where they flew. Wonderful mountains, cedar forests, cities and castles rose there.

Long before sunset, Eliza sat on a rock in front of a large cave, as if hung with embroidered green carpets - so she was overgrown with soft green creepers.

Let's see what you dream about here at night! - said the youngest of the brothers and showed his sister her bedroom.

Ah, if I dreamed how to free you from the spell! she said, and the thought never left her mind.

Eliza began to pray fervently to God and continued her prayer even in her sleep. And then she dreamed that she was flying high, high in the air to the castle of Fata Morgana and that the fairy herself came out to meet her, so bright and beautiful, but at the same time surprisingly similar to the old woman who gave Elise berries in the forest and told about swans in golden crowns.

Your brothers can be saved, she said. But do you have the courage and fortitude? The water is softer than your tender hands and still grinds the stones, but it does not feel the pain that your fingers will feel; water does not have a heart that would begin to languish with fear and torment, like yours. See, I have nettles in my hands? Such a nettle grows here near the cave, and only it, and even the nettle that grows in cemeteries, can be useful to you; notice her! You will pick this nettle, although your hands will be covered with blisters from burns; then you will knead it with your feet, spin long threads from the resulting fiber, then weave eleven shell-shirts with long sleeves from them and throw them over the swans; then witchcraft will disappear. But remember that from the moment you begin your work until you finish it, even if it lasts for years, you must not speak a word. The very first word that comes out of your mouth will pierce the hearts of your brothers like a dagger. Their life and death will be in your hands! Remember all this!

And the fairy touched her hand with a burning nettle; Eliza felt pain, as from a burn, and woke up. It was already a bright day, and next to her lay a bunch of nettles, exactly the same as the one she had just seen in her dream. Then she fell on her knees, thanked God, and left the cave to immediately set to work.

With her tender hands she tore the evil, stinging nettles, and her hands were covered with large blisters, but she endured the pain with joy: if only she could save her dear brothers! Then she kneaded the nettle with her bare feet and began to spin the green fiber.

At sunset, the brothers came and were very frightened, seeing that she had become mute. They thought it was their evil stepmother's new sorcery, but looking at her hands, they realized that she had become mute for their salvation. The youngest of the brothers wept; his tears fell on her hands, and where the tear fell, the burning blisters disappeared, the pain subsided.

Eliza spent the night at her work; rest was out of her mind; she thought only of how to free her dear brothers as soon as possible. All the next day, while the swans were flying, she was left alone, but never before had time run so fast for her. One shell-shirt was ready, and the girl set to work on the next one.

Suddenly the sounds of hunting horns were heard in the mountains; Eliza was frightened; the sounds got closer, then there was the barking of dogs. The girl hid in a cave, tied all the nettles she had collected into a bundle and sat on it.

At the same moment a large dog jumped out from behind the bushes, followed by another and a third; they barked loudly and ran to and fro. A few minutes later all the hunters gathered at the cave; the most beautiful of them was the king of that country; he went up to Eliza - he had never met such a beauty!

How did you get here, pretty child? he asked, but Eliza just shook her head; she did not dare to speak: the life and salvation of her brothers depended on her silence. Eliza hid her hands under her apron so that the king would not see how she was suffering.

Come with me! - he said. - You can't stay here! If you are as kind as you are good, I will dress you in silk and velvet, put a golden crown on your head, and you will live in my magnificent palace! - And he put her on the saddle in front of him; Eliza wept and wringed her hands, but the king said: “I only want your happiness. Someday you yourself will thank me!

And he took her through the mountains, and the hunters galloped after.

By evening, the magnificent capital of the king appeared, with churches and domes, and the king brought Eliza to his palace, where fountains murmured in high marble chambers, and walls and ceilings were decorated with paintings. But Eliza did not look at anything, wept and yearned; she gave herself indifferently to the servants, and they put royal clothes on her, weaved pearl threads into her hair and pulled thin gloves over her burnt fingers.

Rich dresses suited her so, she was so dazzlingly beautiful in them that the whole court bowed before her, and the king proclaimed her his bride, although the archbishop shook his head, whispering to the king that the forest beauty must be a witch, that she took her away them all eyes and bewitched the heart of the king.

The king, however, did not listen to him, signaled to the musicians, ordered the most beautiful dancers to be called and expensive dishes to be served on the table, and he himself led Eliza through fragrant gardens to magnificent chambers, but she remained sad and sad as before. But then the king opened the door to a small room, located just next to her bedroom. The whole room was hung with green carpets and resembled the forest cave where Eliza was found; on the floor lay a bundle of nettle fiber, and on the ceiling hung a shirt-shell woven by Eliza; all this, as a curiosity, was taken from the forest by one of the hunters.

Here you can remember your former home! - said the king. - Here is your work; perhaps you will sometimes wish to amuse yourself among all the pomp surrounding you with memories of the past!

Seeing the work dear to her heart, Eliza smiled and blushed; she thought about saving her brothers and kissed the king's hand, and he pressed it to his heart and ordered the bells to ring on the occasion of his wedding. Silent forest beauty became queen.

The archbishop continued to whisper evil words to the king, but they did not reach the heart of the king, and the wedding took place. The archbishop himself had to put the crown on the bride; out of vexation, he pushed a narrow golden hoop so tightly over her forehead that it would have hurt anyone, but she did not even pay attention to this: what did bodily pain mean to her if her heart was languishing with longing and pity for her dear brothers! Her lips were still compressed, not a single word escaped them - she knew that the life of her brothers depended on her silence - but her eyes shone with ardent love for the kind, handsome king who did everything to please her. Every day she became attached to him more and more. O! If only she could trust him, tell him her suffering, but alas! She had to be silent until she had finished her work. At night, she quietly left the royal bedroom to her secret room, similar to a cave, and weaved one shell-shirt after another there, but when she started on the seventh, all the fiber came out of her.

She knew that she could find such nettles in the cemetery, but she had to tear them herself; How to be?

“Oh, what does bodily pain mean in comparison with the sadness that torments my heart! Eliza thought. - I must decide! The Lord will not leave me!”

Her heart sank with fear, as if she were going to a bad deed when she made her way to the garden on a moonlit night, and from there along the long alleys and deserted streets to the cemetery.

Abominable witches sat on wide gravestones; they threw off their rags, as if they were going to bathe, tore up fresh graves with their bony fingers, dragged out the bodies and devoured them. Eliza had to go past them, and they just stared at her with their evil eyes - but she said a prayer, gathered nettles and returned home.

Only one person did not sleep that night and saw her - the archbishop; now he was convinced that he was right in suspecting the queen, so she was a witch and therefore managed to bewitch the king and all the people.

When the king came to him in the confessional, the archbishop told him what he saw and what he suspected; wicked words tumbled from his lips, and the carvings of the saints shook their heads as if to say, “It’s not true, Eliza is innocent!” But the archbishop interpreted this in his own way, saying that the saints testify against her, shaking their heads disapprovingly. Two large tears rolled down the king's cheeks, doubt and despair seized his heart. At night, he only pretended to be asleep, but in fact, sleep fled from him. And then he saw that Eliza got up and disappeared from the bedroom; the next night the same thing happened; he watched her and saw her disappear into her secret little room.

The king's brow grew darker and darker; Eliza noticed this, but did not understand the reason; her heart ached with fear and pity for her brothers; bitter tears rolled down on the royal purple, shining like diamonds, and people who saw her rich attire wished to be in the place of the queen! But soon, soon the end of her work; only one shirt was missing, and here again Elise did not have enough fiber. Once again, for the last time, I had to go to the cemetery and pick a few bunches of nettles. She thought with horror of the deserted cemetery and the terrible witches; but her determination to save her brothers was unshakable, as was her faith in God.

Eliza set off, but the king and the archbishop followed her and saw her disappear behind the cemetery fence; coming closer, they saw witches sitting on tombstones, and the king turned back; among these witches there was, after all, the one whose head had just rested on his chest!

Let the people judge! - he said.

And the people awarded - to burn the queen at the stake.

From the splendid royal quarters, Eliza was taken to a gloomy, damp dungeon with iron bars on the windows, through which the wind rushed in with a whistle. Instead of velvet and silk, they gave the poor thing a bunch of nettles she had collected from the cemetery; this burning bundle was to serve as a headboard for Eliza, and the hard shell-shirts woven by her were to be a bed and carpets; but they could not give her anything more precious than all this, and with a prayer on her lips she again set to her work. From the street Eliza could hear the insulting songs of the street boys mocking her; not a single living soul turned to her with words of consolation and sympathy.

In the evening, the noise of swan wings was heard at the grate - the youngest of the brothers found her sister, and she sobbed loudly with joy, although she knew that she had only one night to live; but her work was coming to an end, and the brothers were here!

The archbishop came to spend her last hours with her, - so he promised the king, - but she shook her head and eyes and asked him to leave with signs; that night she had to finish her work, otherwise all her suffering, and tears, and sleepless nights would have been wasted! The archbishop went off swearing at her, but poor Eliza knew she was innocent and continued to work.

In order to help her at least a little, the mice darting across the floor began to collect and bring the scattered stalks of nettles to her feet, and the thrush, sitting behind the lattice window, consoled her with his cheerful song.

At dawn, shortly before sunrise, Eliza's eleven brothers appeared at the palace gates and demanded to be admitted to the king. They were told that this was absolutely impossible: the king was still sleeping and no one dared to disturb him. They continued to beg, then they began to threaten; the guards came, and then the king himself came out to find out what was the matter. But at that moment the sun rose, and there were no more brothers - eleven wild swans soared over the palace.

People poured out of town to see how the witch would be burned. A pitiful horse was pulling a cart in which Eliza was sitting; a cloak of coarse burlap was thrown over her; her wonderful long hair was loose over her shoulders, there was not a blood in her face, her lips moved quietly, whispering prayers, and her fingers wove green yarn. Even on the way to the place of execution, she did not let go of the work she had begun; ten shell-shirts lay ready at her feet, she wove the eleventh. The crowd sneered at her.

Look at the witch! Ouch, muttering! Probably not a prayer book in her hands - no, everything is fiddling with their witchy things! Let's rip them out of her and tear them to shreds.

And they crowded around her, intending to snatch the work out of her hands, when suddenly eleven white swans flew in, sat on the edges of the cart and noisily flapped their mighty wings. The frightened crowd retreated.

This is a sign from heaven! She is innocent, many whispered, but did not dare to say it aloud.

The executioner grabbed Eliza by the hand, but she hastily threw eleven shirts on the swans, and ... eleven handsome princes stood in front of her, only the youngest one was missing one hand, instead of it there was a swan wing: Eliza did not have time to finish the last shirt, and it lacked one sleeve.

Now I can speak! - she said. - I'm innocent!

And the people, who saw everything that happened, bowed before her as before a saint, but she fell unconscious into the arms of her brothers - this is how the tireless exertion of strength, fear and pain affected her.

Yes, she is innocent! - said the oldest brother and told everything as it was; and as he spoke, a fragrance spread in the air, as if from many roses, - it was each log in the fire that took root and sprouts, and a tall fragrant bush was formed, covered with red roses. At the very top of the bush shone like a star, a dazzling white flower. The king tore it off, put it on Eliza's chest, and she came to her senses to joy and happiness!

All the church bells rang of their own accord, the birds flocked in whole flocks, and such a wedding procession stretched to the palace, which no king has ever seen!

Far, far away, in the country where the swallows fly away from us for the winter, there lived a king. He had eleven sons and one daughter, Eliza.

Eleven brothers-princes already went to school; each had a star on his chest, and a saber rattled on his side; they wrote on gold boards with diamond slates and knew how to read perfectly well, whether from a book or by heart, it doesn't matter. It was immediately heard that real princes were reading! Their sister, Eliza, sat on a bench of plate glass and looked at a picture book for which half a kingdom had been paid.

Yes, the children lived well, but not for long!

Their father, the king of that country, married an evil queen who disliked poor children. They had to experience it on the very first day: there was fun in the palace, and the children started a game to visit, but the stepmother, instead of various cakes and baked apples, which they always got plenty of, gave them a teacup of sand and said that they could imagine like it's a meal.

Fly-ka pick-me-greet on all four sides! said the evil queen. - Fly like big birds without a voice and take care of yourself!

But she could not do as much harm to them as she would like - they turned into eleven beautiful wild swans, flew out of the palace windows with a cry and rushed over the parks and forests.

It was early morning when they flew past the hut, where their sister Eliza was still fast asleep. They began to fly over the roof, stretching out their flexible necks and flapping their wings, but no one heard or saw them; so they had to fly away with nothing. They soared high, high up to the very clouds and flew into a large dark forest that stretched to the sea.

Poor Eliza stood in the peasant's hut and played with a green leaf - she had no other toys; she pierced a hole in the leaf, looked through it at the sun, and it seemed to her that she saw the clear eyes of her brothers; when the warm rays of the sun glided over her cheek, she remembered their tender kisses.

Day after day, one like the other. Did the wind sway the rose bushes that grew near the house and whisper to the roses: "Is there anyone more beautiful than you?" - roses shook their heads and said: "Eliza is more beautiful." Did some old woman sit at the door of her house on Sunday, reading a psalter, and the wind turned the sheets, saying to the book: "Is there anyone more pious than you?" the book answered: "Eliza is more pious!" Both the roses and the psalter spoke the absolute truth.

And early in the morning the queen went into the marble bath, all decorated with wonderful carpets and soft pillows, took three toads, kissed each and said to the first:

Sit on Elise's head when she enters the pool; let her become as stupid and lazy as you! And you sit on her forehead! she said to another. “May Eliza be as ugly as you, and her father not recognize her!” You lay down on her heart! whispered the queen to the third toad. - Let her become malevolent and suffer from it!

Then she released the toads into the clear water, and the water immediately turned all green. Calling Eliza, the queen undressed her and ordered her to enter the water. Eliza obeyed, and one toad sat on her crown, another on her forehead, and a third on her chest; but Eliza did not even notice this, and as soon as she got out of the water, three red poppies floated on the water. If the toads had not been poisoned by the witch's kiss, they would have turned, lying on Eliza's head and heart, into red roses; the girl was so pious and innocent that witchcraft could not affect her in any way.

Seeing this, the evil queen rubbed Eliza with walnut juice so that she turned completely brown, smeared her face with a stinking ointment, and tangled her wonderful hair. Now it was impossible to recognize the pretty Eliza. Even her father was frightened and said that this was not his daughter. No one recognized her, except for a chain dog and swallows, but who would listen to the poor creatures!

Eliza wept and thought of her expelled brothers, secretly left the palace and wandered all day through the fields and marshes, making her way to the forest. Eliza herself did not quite know where she should go, but she yearned so much for her brothers, who were also expelled from their home, that she decided to look for them everywhere until she found them.

All night Eliza dreamed of her brothers: they were all children again, playing together, writing with slates on golden boards, and examining a wonderful picture book that cost half a kingdom. But they did not write dashes and zeroes on the boards, as they used to do before - no, they described everything that they had seen and experienced. All the pictures in the book were alive: the birds were singing, and the people came down from the pages and talked to Eliza and her brothers; but as soon as she wanted to turn over the sheet, they jumped back in, otherwise the pictures would have been confused.

When Eliza awoke, the sun was already high; she could not even see it well behind the dense foliage of the trees, but its individual rays made their way between the branches and ran like golden bunnies over the grass; there was a wonderful smell from the greenery, and the birds almost landed on Elise's shoulders. The murmur of a spring was heard not far off; it turned out that several large streams ran here, flowing into a pond with a wonderful sandy bottom. The pond was surrounded by a hedge, but at one point the wild deer had cut a wide passage for themselves, and Eliza could go down to the water's edge. The water in the pond was clean and clear; the wind did not move the branches of trees and bushes, one would think that the trees and bushes were painted at the bottom, so clearly they were reflected in the mirror of the waters.

Seeing her face in the water, Eliza was completely frightened, it was so black and ugly; and so she scooped up a handful of water, rubbed her eyes and forehead, and again her white delicate skin shone. Then Eliza undressed completely and entered the cool water. It was such a pretty princess to look for in the wide world!

Having dressed and braiding her long hair, she went to a babbling spring, drank water straight from a handful and then went further through the forest, she did not know where. She thought of her brothers and hoped that God would not leave her: it was he who ordered wild forest apples to grow to feed the hungry with them; he also showed her one of these apple trees, the branches of which were bent from the weight of the fruit. Satisfying her hunger, Eliza propped up the branches with chopsticks and went deep into the thicket of the forest. There was such silence that Eliza heard her own steps, heard the rustle of every dry leaf that came under her feet. Not a single bird flew into this wilderness, not a single ray of sunlight slipped through a continuous thicket of branches. The tall trunks stood in dense rows, like log walls; never before had Eliza felt so alone.

Waking up in the morning, she herself did not know whether it was in a dream or in reality. Moving on, Eliza met an old woman with a basket of berries; the old woman gave the girl a handful of berries, and Eliza asked her if eleven princes had passed through the forest.

No, - said the old woman, - but yesterday I saw eleven swans in golden crowns here on the river.

Eliza said goodbye to the old woman and went to the mouth of the river, which flowed into the open sea.

And now a wonderful boundless sea opened up before the young girl, but in all its expanse not a single sail was visible, there was not a single boat on which she could set off on a further journey. Eliza looked at the countless boulders washed ashore by the sea - the water had polished them so that they became completely smooth and round. All other objects thrown out by the sea - glass, iron and stones - also bore traces of this polishing, but meanwhile the water was softer than Eliza's gentle hands, and the girl thought: “The waves roll tirelessly one after another and finally polish the hardest objects. to work tirelessly! Thank you for your science, bright swift waves! My heart tells me that someday you will take me to my dear brothers!"

Eleven white swan feathers lay on dry algae thrown up by the sea; Eliza gathered and tied them into a bun; there were still drops on the feathers - dew or tears, who knows? It was deserted on the shore, but Eliza did not feel it: the sea represented an eternal variety; in a few hours one could see more than in a whole year somewhere on the shores of fresh inland lakes. If a big black cloud was approaching the sky and the wind was strong, the sea seemed to say: "I can turn black too!" - began to seethe, worry and covered with white lambs. If the clouds were pinkish, and the wind subsided, the sea looked like a rose petal; sometimes it turned green, sometimes white; but no matter how calm there was in the air and no matter how calm the sea itself was, there was always a slight excitement near the shore - the water heaved softly, like the chest of a sleeping child.

We, brothers, - said the eldest, - fly in the form of wild swans all day, from sunrise to sunset; when the sun sets, we again assume the human form. Therefore, at the time of sunset, we must always have solid ground under our feet: if we happened to turn into people during our flight under the clouds, we would immediately fall from such a terrible height. We don't live here; far, far beyond the sea lies a country as wonderful as this, but the road to get there is long, we have to fly over the whole sea, and along the way there is not a single island where we could spend the night. Only in the very middle of the sea sticks out a small lonely cliff, on which we can somehow rest, clinging tightly to each other. If the sea is raging, splashes of water even fly over our heads, but we also thank God for such a haven: if it were not for him, we would not have been able to visit our dear homeland at all - and now for this flight we have to choose the two longest days in year. Only once a year are we allowed to fly home; we can stay here for eleven days and fly over this great forest, from where we can see the palace where we were born and where our father lives, and the bell tower of the church where our mother is buried. Here even bushes and trees seem familiar to us; the wild horses we saw in our childhood days still run across the plains, and the coal miners still sing the songs we used to dance to as children. Here is our homeland, here it draws us with all our heart, and here we found you, dear, dear sister! We can still stay here for two more days, and then we must fly overseas to a foreign country! How can we take you with us? We don't have a ship or a boat!

How can I free you from the spell? the sister asked the brothers.

So they talked almost all night and dozed off only for a few hours.

Eliza was awakened by the sound of swan wings. The brothers again became birds and flew in the air in large circles, and then completely disappeared from sight. Only the youngest of the brothers remained with Eliza; the swan laid his head on her knees, and she stroked and fingered his feathers. They spent the whole day together, and in the evening the rest flew in, and when the sun went down, they all again took on a human form.

Yes, take me with you! Eliza said.

They were already far from the earth when Eliza woke up, and it seemed to her that she was dreaming while awake, it was so strange for her to fly through the air. Near it lay a branch with wonderful ripe berries and a bunch of tasty roots; the youngest of the brothers picked them up and placed them beside her, and she smiled at him gratefully, - she guessed that he was flying over her and protecting her from the sun with his wings.

They flew high, high, so that the first ship they saw in the sea seemed to them like a seagull floating on the water. There was a big cloud in the sky behind them - a real mountain! - and on it Eliza saw the gigantic shadows of eleven swans moving and her own. Here was the picture! She had never seen such! But as the sun rose higher and the cloud remained farther and farther behind, the shadows of the air gradually disappeared.

All day long swans flew like an arrow shot from a bow, but still slower than usual; now they were carrying their sister. The day began to decline towards evening, bad weather arose; Eliza watched in fear as the sun went down, the lone sea cliff still out of sight. It seemed to her that the swans somehow strenuously flap their wings. Ah, it was her fault that they could not fly faster! When the sun sets, they will become human beings, fall into the sea and drown! And she began to pray to God with all her heart, but the cliff did not show itself. A black cloud was approaching, strong gusts of wind foreshadowed a storm, the clouds gathered into a continuous menacing leaden wave rolling across the sky; lightning flashed after lightning.

With one edge the sun almost touched the water; Eliza's heart fluttered; the swans suddenly flew down with incredible speed, and the girl already thought that they were all falling; but no, they continued to fly again. The sun was half hidden under the water, and only then did Eliza see a cliff below her, no bigger than a seal sticking its head out of the water. The sun was fading fast; now it seemed only a small shining star; but then the swans set foot on solid ground, and the sun went out like the last spark of burnt paper. Eliza saw the brothers around her, standing hand in hand; they all barely fit on the tiny cliff. The sea beat furiously against him and doused them with a whole rain of spray; the sky was ablaze with lightning, and every minute thunder rumbled, but the sister and brothers held hands and sang a psalm that poured comfort and courage into their hearts.

At dawn the storm subsided, it became clear and quiet again; as the sun rose, the swans flew on with Eliza. The sea was still rough, and they saw from above how white foam floated on the dark green water, like innumerable flocks of swans.

When the sun rose higher, Eliza saw before her, as it were, a mountainous country floating in the air, with masses of shining ice on the rocks; a huge castle towered between the rocks, entwined with some kind of bold air galleries of columns; below him swayed palm forests and magnificent flowers, the size of mill wheels. Eliza asked if this was the country they were flying to, but the swans shook their heads: she saw before her the wonderful, ever-changing cloud castle of Fata Morgana; there they dared not bring a single human soul. Eliza again fixed her eyes on the castle, and now the mountains, forests and castle moved together, and twenty identical majestic churches with bell towers and lancet windows were formed from them. It even seemed to her that she heard the sounds of an organ, but it was the sound of the sea. Now the churches were very close, but suddenly turned into a whole flotilla of ships; Eliza looked more closely and saw that it was just sea mist rising from the water. Yes, before her eyes there were ever-changing aerial images and pictures! But then, finally, the real land appeared, where they flew. Wonderful mountains, cedar forests, cities and castles rose there.

Long before sunset, Eliza sat on a rock in front of a large cave, as if hung with embroidered green carpets - so it was overgrown with soft green creepers.

Let's see what you dream about here at night! - said the youngest of the brothers and showed his sister her bedroom.

Ah, if I dreamed how to free you from the spell! she said, and the thought never left her mind.

Your brothers can be saved, she said. But do you have the courage and fortitude? The water is softer than your tender hands, and yet it grinds the stones, but it does not feel the pain that your fingers will feel; water does not have a heart that would begin to languish with fear and torment, like yours. See, I have nettles in my hands? Such a nettle grows here near the cave, and only this, and even the nettle that grows in cemeteries, can be useful to you; notice her! You will pick this nettle even though your hands will be covered with blisters from burns; then you will knead it with your feet, spin long threads from the resulting fiber, then weave eleven shell shirts with long sleeves from them and throw them over the swans; then witchcraft will disappear. But remember that from the moment you begin your work until you finish it, even if it lasts for years, you must not say a word. The very first word that comes out of your mouth will pierce the hearts of your brothers like a dagger. Their life and death will be in your hands! Remember all this!

And the fairy touched her hand with a stinging nettle; Eliza felt pain, as from a burn, and woke up. It was already a bright day, and next to her lay a bunch of nettles, exactly the same as the one she had just seen in her dream. Then she fell on her knees, thanked God, and left the cave to immediately set to work.

At sunset, the brothers came and were very frightened, seeing that she had become mute. They thought it was their evil stepmother's new sorcery, but. Looking at her hands, they realized that she became dumb for their salvation. The youngest of the brothers wept; his tears fell on her hands, and where the tear fell, the burning blisters disappeared, the pain subsided.

Eliza spent the night at her work; rest did not enter her mind; she thought only of how to free her dear brothers as soon as possible. All the next day, while the swans were flying, she remained alone, but never before had time run so fast for her. One shell-shirt was ready, and the girl set to work on the next one.

Suddenly the sounds of hunting horns were heard in the mountains; Eliza was frightened; the sounds were getting closer, then there was the barking of dogs. The girl hid in a cave, tied all the nettles she had collected into a bundle and sat on it.

Come with me! - he said. - You can't stay here! If you are as good as you are good, I will dress you in silk and velvet, put a golden crown on your head, and you will live in my magnificent palace! - And he put her on the saddle in front of him; Eliza wept and wringed her hands, but the king said: “I only want your happiness. Someday you yourself will thank me!

And he took her through the mountains, and the hunters galloped after.

Towards evening the magnificent capital of the king, with churches and domes, appeared, and the king led Eliza to his palace, where fountains murmured in high marble chambers, and walls and ceilings were decorated with paintings. But Eliza did not look at anything, wept and yearned; she gave herself indifferently to the servants, and they put on her royal clothes, wove pearl threads into her hair and pulled thin gloves over her burnt fingers.

Rich dresses suited her so, she was so dazzlingly beautiful in them that the whole court bowed before her, and the king proclaimed her his bride, although the archbishop shook his head, whispering to the king that the forest beauty must be a witch, that she took away them all eyes and bewitched the heart of the king.

The king, however, did not listen to him, signaled to the musicians, ordered the most beautiful dancers to be called in and expensive dishes to be served on the table, and he himself led Eliza through fragrant gardens to magnificent chambers, but she remained sad and sad as before. But then the king opened the door to a small room, located just next to her bedroom. The whole room was hung with green carpets and resembled the forest cave where Eliza was found; on the floor lay a bundle of nettle fiber, and on the ceiling hung a shirt-shell woven by Eliza; all this, as a curiosity, was taken from the forest by one of the hunters.

Here you can remember your former home! - said the king.

Here is your work; perhaps you will sometimes wish to amuse yourself among all the pomp surrounding you with memories of the past!

Seeing the work dear to her heart, Eliza smiled and blushed; she thought of saving her brothers and kissed the king's hand, and he pressed it to his heart and ordered the bells to ring on the occasion of his wedding. Silent forest beauty became queen.

The archbishop continued to whisper evil speeches to the king, but they did not reach the heart of the king, and the wedding took place. The archbishop himself had to put the crown on the bride; out of vexation, he pushed a narrow golden hoop so tightly over her forehead that it would have hurt anyone, but she did not even pay attention to this: what did bodily pain mean to her if her heart was languishing with longing and pity for her dear brothers! Her lips were still compressed, not a single word escaped them - she knew that the life of her brothers depended on her silence - but her eyes shone with ardent love for the kind, handsome king who did everything to please her. Every day she became attached to him more and more. O! If only she could trust him, tell him her suffering, but alas! She had to be silent until she had finished her work. At night, she quietly left the royal bedroom to her secret room, similar to a cave, and weaved there one shell-shirt after another, but when she started on the seventh, all the fiber came out of her.

She knew that she could find such nettles in the cemetery, but she had to tear them herself; How to be?

"Oh, what does bodily pain mean in comparison with the sadness that torments my heart!" thought Eliza. "I must make up my mind! The Lord will not leave me!"

Her heart sank with fear, as if she were going to a bad deed when she made her way to the garden on a moonlit night, and from there along the long avenues and deserted streets to the cemetery. Abominable witches sat on wide gravestones; they threw off their rags, as if they were going to bathe, tore up fresh graves with their bony fingers, dragged out the bodies and devoured them. Eliza had to go past them, and they just stared at her with their evil eyes - but she said a prayer, gathered nettles and returned home.

When the king came to his confessional, the archbishop told him what he saw and what he suspected; evil words tumbled from his lips, and the carvings of the saints shook their heads as if to say, "It's not true, Eliza is innocent!" But the archbishop interpreted this in his own way, saying that the saints also testified against her, shaking their heads disapprovingly. Two large tears rolled down the king's cheeks, doubt and despair seized his heart. At night, he only pretended to be asleep, but in fact, sleep fled from him. And then he saw that Eliza got up and disappeared from the bedroom; the next night the same thing happened; he watched her and saw her disappear into her secret little room.

The king's brow grew darker and darker; Eliza noticed this, but did not understand the reason; her heart ached with fear and pity for her brothers; bitter tears rolled down on the royal purple, shining like diamonds, and people who saw her rich attire wished to be in the place of the queen! But soon, soon the end of her work; only one shirt was missing, and with a look and signs she asked him to leave; that night she had to finish her work, otherwise all her suffering, and tears, and sleepless nights would have been wasted! The Archbishop went off swearing at her, but poor Eliza knew she was innocent and went on with her work.

In order to help her at least a little, the mice that darted across the floor began to collect and bring scattered stalks of nettles to her feet, and a thrush, sitting behind a lattice window, consoled her with his merry song.

At dawn, shortly before sunrise, Eliza's eleven brothers appeared at the palace gates and demanded to be admitted to the king. They were told that this was absolutely impossible: the king was still asleep and no one dared to disturb him. They continued to beg, then they began to threaten; the guards came, and then the king himself came out to find out what was the matter. But at that moment the sun rose, and there were no more brothers - eleven wild swans soared over the palace.

Look at the witch! Ouch, muttering! Probably not a prayer book in her hands - no, everyone is fiddling with their witchy things! Let's rip them out of her and tear them to shreds.

And they crowded around her, intending to snatch the work out of her hands, when suddenly eleven white swans flew in, sat on the sides of the cart and noisily flapped their mighty wings. The frightened crowd retreated.

This is a sign from heaven! She is innocent, many whispered, but did not dare to say it aloud.

Now I can speak! - she said. - I'm innocent!

And the people, who saw everything that happened, bowed before her as before a saint, but she fell unconscious into the arms of her brothers - this was how the tireless exertion of strength, fear and pain affected her.