ABSTRACT
In a certain tsardom, in a certain land, there lived and dwelt a tsar with his tsaritsa. He had three sons and all were young, unmarried, such stout lads as you can’t describe in a tale or paint with a pen. The youngest was called Ivan Tsarevich. The tsar made this speech to them, “Dear children, each of you take an arrow, pull back your taut bow string, and let the arrows go in various directions. On whomever’s court your arrow falls, you will go courting.” The oldest brother let fly his arrow and it fell on a boyar’s court, right opposite the maidens’ quarters. The middle brother let go his and it flew to a merchant’s court and stopped next to a beautiful porch, and on that porch stood a beautiful maiden, the merchant’s daughter. Then the youngest brother let his arrow go and it fell into a filthy swamp where a croaker frog picked it up.
