The Sparrow And The Bush

: Cossack Fairy Tales And Folk Tales

A sparrow once flew down upon a bush and said, "Little bush, give good

little sparrow a swing."--"I won't!" said the little bush. Then the

sparrow was angry, and went to the goat and said, "Goat, goat, nibble

bush, bush won't give good little sparrow a swing."--"I won't!" said

the goat.--Then the sparrow went to the wolf and said, "Wolf, wolf,

eat goat, goat won't nibble bush, bush won't give good little sparrow

a swin
."--"I won't!" said the wolf.--Then the sparrow went to the

people and said, "Good people, kill wolf, wolf won't eat goat, goat

won't nibble bush, bush won't give good little sparrow a swing."--"We

won't!" said the people.--Then the sparrow went to the Tartars and

said, "Tartars, Tartars, slay people, people won't kill wolf, wolf

won't eat goat, goat won't nibble bush, bush won't give good little

sparrow a swing."--But the Tartars said, "We won't slay the people!"

and the people said, "We won't kill the wolf!" and the wolf said, "I

won't eat the goat!" and the goat said, "I won't nibble the bush!" and

the bush said, "I won't give the good little sparrow a swing."--"Go!"

said the bush, "to the fire, for the Tartars won't slay the people,

and the people won't kill the wolf, and the wolf won't eat the goat,

and the goat won't nibble the bush, and the bush won't give the dear

little sparrow a swing."--But the fire also said, "I won't!" (they

were all alike)--"go to the water," said he.--So the sparrow went to

the water and said, "Come water, quench fire, fire won't burn Tartars,

Tartars won't slay people, people won't kill wolf, wolf won't eat

goat, goat won't nibble bush, bush won't give good little sparrow a

swing."--But the water also said, "I won't!" So the sparrow went to

the ox and said, "Ox, ox, drink water, water won't quench fire, fire

won't burn Tartars, Tartars won't slay people, people won't kill wolf,

wolf won't eat goat, goat won't nibble bush, bush won't give little

sparrow a swing."--"I won't!" said the ox.--Then the sparrow went to

the pole-axe and said, "Pole-axe, pole-axe, strike ox, ox won't drink

water, water won't quench fire, fire won't burn Tartars, Tartars won't

slay people, people won't kill wolf, wolf won't eat goat, goat won't

nibble bush, bush won't give little sparrow a swing."--"I won't!" said

the pole-axe.--So the sparrow went to the worms and said, "Worms,

worms, gnaw pole-axe, pole-axe won't strike ox, ox won't drink water,

water won't quench fire, fire won't burn Tartars, Tartars won't slay

people, people won't kill wolf, wolf won't eat goat, goat won't nibble

bush, bush won't give little sparrow a swing."--"We won't!" said the

worms.--Then the sparrow went to the hen and said, "Hen, hen, peck

worms, worms won't gnaw pole-axe, pole-axe won't strike ox, ox won't

drink water, water won't quench fire, fire won't burn Tartars, Tartars

won't slay people, people won't kill wolf, wolf won't eat goat, goat

won't nibble bush, bush won't give little sparrow a swing."--"I

won't!" said the hen, "but go to the sparrow-hawk, he ought to give

the first push, or why is he called the Pusher!"[14]--So the sparrow

went to the sparrow-hawk and said, "Come, pusher, seize hen, hen

won't peck worms, worms won't gnaw pole-axe, pole-axe won't strike

ox, ox won't drink water, water won't quench fire, fire won't burn

Tartars, Tartars won't slay people, people won't kill wolf, wolf won't

eat goat, goat won't nibble bush, bush won't give little sparrow a

swing."



[14] Shulyak means both sparrow-hawk and push.



Then the sparrow-hawk began to seize the hen, the hen began to peck

the worms, the worms began to gnaw the pole-axe, the pole-axe began to

hit the ox, the ox began to drink the water, the water began to quench

the fire, the fire began to burn the Tartars, the Tartars began to

slay the people, the people began to kill the wolf, the wolf began to

eat the goat, the goat began to nibble the bush, and the bush cried

out:



"Swing away, swing away, swi-i-i-i-ing!

Little daddy sparrow, have your fli-i-i-ing!"



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