Russian Fairy Tales Children's Fairy Tales
The Cock and the Bean
A cock was scratching one day in the earth under the wall of a cottage when he found a bean. |
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He
tried to swallow it, and choked himself. He choked himself and
stretched himself out, and there he lay, and couldn't even breathe. |
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And his mistress saw him,
ran up to him, and asked: “Mr. Cock, what makes you lie there
like that, so that you can't breathe?”
“I've choked myself with a bean,” he answered. “Go and ask the cow for some butter.”
And his mistress came to the cow and said: “Mrs. Cow, give me
some butter! My cock is lying there and can't even breathe, he has
choked himself with a bean.”
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And the cow answered: “Go and ask the hay-makers for some hay.” |
And
she came to the hay-makers and said: “Hay-makers, give me some
hay! The hay's for the cow who will give me some butter, and the
butter's for my cock who is lying there and can't breathe, he's choked
himself with a bean.” And the hay-makers answered: “Go and
ask the oven to give you some loaves.”
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And she came to the oven
and said: “Oven, oven, give me some loaves! The loaves are for
the hay-makers, who will give me some hay, the hay's for the cow, who
will give me some butter, and the butter's for my cock who is lying
there and can't breathe, he's choked himself with a bean.”
And the oven answered: “Go and ask the wood-cutters for some wood.” |
And she came to the wood
cutters and said: “Give me some wood! The wood's for the oven,
who will give me some loaves, the loaves are for the hay-cutters, who
will give me some hay, the hay's for the cow, who will give me some
butter, the butter's for my cock who is lying there and can't breathe,
he's choked himself with a bean.”
And they answered: “Go and ask the smith for an axe, we've nothing to cut the wood with.” |
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So she came to the smith
and said: “Smith, smith, give me an axe! The axe is for the
wood-cutters, who will give me some wood, the wood's for the oven, who
will give me some loaves, the loaves are for the hay-makers, who will
give me some hay, the hay's for the cow, who will give me some butter,
and the butter's for my cock who is lying there and can't breathe, he's
choked himself with a bean.” And he answered: “Go into the
forest and burn me some charcoal.” |
So
she went into the forest, gathered a bundle of sticks, and burned some
charcoal. Then she took the charcoal to the smith, and he gave her an
axe. She went with the axe to the wood-cutters, and the wood-cutters
gave her some wood. The wood she took to the oven, and the oven gave
her some loaves. |
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She took the loaves to the hay-makers, and the hay-makers gave her some
hay. The hay she took to the cow, who gave her some butter. She brought
the butter to the cock, and the cock gulped it down and swallowed the
bean.
Then he jumped up merrily and started singing “Cock-a-doodle-doo!
I was sitting under the wall, plaiting shoes, when I lost my awl, but I
found a little coin, and I bought a little scarf, and gave it to a
pretty girl.”
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