Bazhov Pavel Petrovich was born in 1879, on January 27. This Russian writer, famous storyteller, prose writer, interpreter of legends, traditions, and Ural tales died in 1950, December 3.
Origin
Bazhov Pavel Petrovich, whose biography is presented in our article, was born in the Urals, near Yekaterinburg, in the family of Augusta Stefanovna and Pyotr Vasilyevich Bazhev (this surname was spelled that way back then). His father was a hereditary foreman at the Sysert plant.
The writer's surname comes from the word "bazhit", which means "to foretell", "to bewitch". Even Bazhov’s street boy nickname was Koldunkov. Later, when he began to publish, he also signed with this pseudonym.
Formation of the future writer's talent
Bazhev Petr Vasilyevich worked as a foreman at the Sysert plant, in the puddling and welding shop. The future writer's mother was a good lacemaker. This was a help for the family, especially when the husband was temporarily unemployed.
The future writer lived among the miners of the Urals. His childhood experiences turned out to be the most vivid and important for him.
Bazhov loved to listen to the stories of experienced people. Sysert old men - Korob Ivan Petrovich and Klyukva Alexey Efimovich were good storytellers. But the future writer, Khmelinin Vasily Alekseevich, a Polevsky miner, was superior to everyone whom the future writer knew.
Childhood and adolescence
The future writer spent this period of his life at the Polevsky plant and in the town of Sysert. His family moved often, as Pavel’s father worked first at one factory, then at another. This allowed young Bazhov to get to know well the life of the mountain district, which he subsequently reflected in his work.
The future writer had the opportunity to learn thanks to his abilities and chance. At first he attended a three-year men's zemstvo school, where a talented literature teacher worked who knew how to captivate children with literature. Pavel Petrovich Bazhov also loved to listen to him. The writer’s biography developed largely under the influence of this talented person.
Everyone assured the Bazhev family that it was necessary to continue the education of their gifted son, but poverty did not allow them to dream of a real school or gymnasium. As a result, the choice fell on the Yekaterinburg Theological School, since its tuition fees were the lowest and there was no need to buy a uniform. This institution was intended mainly for the children of nobles, and only the assistance of a family friend made it possible to place Pavel Petrovich in it.
At the age of 14, after graduating from college, Pavel Petrovich Bazhov entered the Perm Theological Seminary, where he studied various fields of knowledge for 6 years. Here he became acquainted with modern and classical literature.
Working as a teacher
In 1899 the training was completed. After that, Pavel Petrovich Bazhov worked as a teacher in an elementary school in an area populated by Old Believers. He began his career in a remote village near Nevyansk, after which he continued his activities in Kamyshlov and Yekaterinburg. The future writer taught Russian. He traveled a lot around the Urals, was interested in local history, folklore, ethnography, and journalism.
For 15 years, during school holidays, every year Pavel Bazhov traveled on foot around his native land, talked with workers, looked closely at the life around him, recorded stories, conversations, collected folklore, learned about the work of stone cutters, lapidaries, foundries, steelworkers, gunsmiths and other craftsmen Ural. This later helped him in his career as a journalist, and then in his writing, which Pavel Bazhov began later (his photo is presented below).
When, after some time, a vacancy opened up at the Yekaterinburg Theological School, Bazhov returned to his native walls of this institution as a teacher.
Family of Pavel Petrovich Bazhov
In 1907, the future writer began working at the diocesan school, where he taught Russian language lessons until 1914. Here he met his future wife, Valentina Ivanitskaya. She was a student at this educational institution at that time. In 1911, Valentina Ivanitskaya and Pavel Bazhov got married. They often went to the theater and read a lot. Seven children were born into the writer’s family.
During the outbreak of the First World War, two daughters were already growing up - the children of Bazhov Pavel Petrovich. Due to financial difficulties, the family was forced to move to Kamyshlov, where Valentina’s relatives lived. Pavel Bazhov began working at the Kamyshlovsky Theological School.
Creating tales
In 1918-1921, Bazhov took part in the Civil War in Siberia, the Urals, and Altai. In 1923-1929 he lived in Sverdlovsk, where he worked at the Peasant Newspaper. At this time, the writer created more than forty tales dedicated to factory Ural folklore. In 1930, work began at the book publishing house in Sverdlovsk. The writer was expelled from the party in 1937 (reinstated a year later). Having lost his job in the publishing house because of this incident, he decided to devote his free time to tales, which, like Ural gems, “flickered” in his “Malachite Box”. In 1939, this most famous work of the author, which is a collection of fairy tales, was published. For "The Malachite Box" the writer was awarded the USSR State Prize. Bazhov subsequently added new tales to this book.
Bazhov's writing path
This author's writing career began relatively late. His first book, “The Ural Were,” appeared in 1924. The most significant stories of Pavel Bazhov were published only in 1939. This is the above-mentioned collection of tales, as well as “The Green Filly” - an autobiographical story about his childhood years.
The “Malachite Box” later included new works: “Tales of the Germans” (year of writing - 1943), “Key-Stone”, created in 1942, “Tales of Gunsmiths”, as well as other creations of Bazhov. The author's later works can be called "tales" not only because of the formal features of the genre (the presence in the narrative of a fictional narrator with an individual characteristic of speech), but also because they go back to the secret tales of the Urals - the oral traditions of prospectors and miners, which differ a combination of fairy-tale and real-life elements.
Features of Bazhov's tales
The writer considered the creation of fairy tales to be the main work of his life. In addition, he edited almanacs and books, including those devoted to Ural local history.
Initially, the tales processed by Bazhov are folklore. He heard “Secret Tales” as a boy from Khmelinin. This man became the prototype of Slyshko’s grandfather, the narrator of the work “The Malachite Box.” Bazhov later had to declare officially that this was just a technique, and he did not simply record other people’s stories, but created his own based on them.
The term "skaz" later entered the folklore of the Soviet era to define the prose of workers. However, after some time it was established that this concept does not denote a new phenomenon in folklore: tales in fact turned out to be memories, legends, traditions, fairy tales, that is, genres that had existed for a long time.
Naming his works with this term, Pavel Petrovich Bazhov, whose fairy tales were associated with the folklore tradition, took into account not only the tradition of this genre, which implies the obligatory presence of a storyteller, but also the existence of ancient oral traditions of the Ural miners. From these folklore works he adopted the main feature of his creations - the mixing of fairy-tale images in the narrative.
Fantastic heroes of fairy tales
The main theme of Bazhov's tales is the simple man, his skill, talent and work. Communication with the secret foundations of our life, with nature, is carried out with the help of powerful representatives of the mountain magical world. Perhaps the most striking among characters of this kind is the Mistress of the Copper Mountain, whom Stepan, the hero of “The Malachite Box,” met. She helps Danila - a character in a tale called "The Stone Flower" - to discover his talent. And after he refuses to make the Stone Flower himself, he becomes disappointed in it.
In addition to this character, the Great Snake, who is responsible for the gold, is interesting. His image was created by the writer on the basis of the ancient superstitions of the Khanty and Mansi, as well as Ural legends, signs of ore miners and miners.
Grandma Sinyushka, another heroine of Bazhov’s tales, is a character related to the famous Baba Yaga.
The connection between gold and fire is represented by the Jumping Fire Girl, who dances over a gold deposit.
So, we met such an original writer as Pavel Bazhov. The article presented only the main milestones of his biography and the most famous works. If you are interested in the personality and work of this author, you can continue to get acquainted with him by reading the memoirs of Pavel Petrovich’s daughter, Ariadna Pavlovna.
If you open a large chest of Soviet literature, then the precious stones of a book of beautiful Ural legends immediately catch your eye. The author of these immortal fairy tales, which forever entered the treasury of Russian and Soviet prose - Pavel Petrovich Bazhov.
What is known about this brilliant writer? A truly popular folklorist, publicist, active participant in the revolutionary movement, he went through a difficult path from the son of a simple worker to a Stalin Prize laureate. Bibliographers write that Pavel Petrovich considered himself an absolutely happy person, because he fulfilled his earthly mission and planted the seed of goodness in the soul of every Soviet child who read his fairy tales
Interesting facts from the biography of P.P. Bazhov
The most famous Russian folklorist was born in January 1879. The guy’s parents were from different social classes: his father was a master (golden hands!) at the Sysert factory, and his mother Augusta Stefanovna was a hereditary lacemaker from a noble Polish family.
Interesting fact #1. The original surname of the family is Bazhevy, which is consonant with the word “bazhit”, “bewitch”. From school, Pavel Petrovich had the original nickname Koldunkov, which over time he used as a sonorous pseudonym.
Young Bazhov was educated at a 3-year boys' school, then, thanks to the help of his beloved teacher, he entered the Ekaterinburg Theological School, and at the age of 14 he entered the Perm Theological Seminary.
Interesting fact #2. One day, young Pavel took a volume of Pushkin’s fairy tales from the library. The librarian jokingly ordered the boy to learn all the poems by heart. Bazhov Jr. took the task seriously and in a few days memorized the entire thick book.
Poverty did not allow Pavel Petrovich to continue his education and the young man took up teaching. The future brilliant writer enthusiastically conveyed the beauty of the Russian language to the students of the girls' gymnasium.
Interesting fact #3. In the educational institution where Bazhov worked, there was a rule - to tie beautiful ribbons on the jackets of your favorite teachers. Pavel Petrovich had no room left on the lapels of his coat for badges from grateful students. And one of the most devoted admirers later became the wife of the Soviet writer P.P. Bazhov.
Creativity of the Ural folklorist
The future famous writer in his youth became seriously interested in the revolutionary movement. Joining the RCP(b) helped the young man make a career in publishing and in the field of Soviet journalism. For 15 years, when Pavel Petrovich had the opportunity to travel, he returned to his native land and communicated closely with the local working population.
In the period from 1923-1929, Bazhov wrote more than 40 famous fairy tales. The writer’s first book, “The Ural Were,” did not become widely known. But the second collection of Ural tales, entitled “The Malachite Box” (1939), brought the author all-Union fame and recognition from the party and government.
Note to readers! In the troubled 30s of the 20th century, Pavel Bazhov miraculously escaped repression. His colleagues in the publishing industry were subject to articles, and the aspiring writer got away with expulsion from the party.
Despite all the hardships of life, the brilliant folklorist continued to create. He gave Soviet citizens and the entire world community a whole galaxy of unique heroes. Every schoolchild in the great country of the USSR knew the original characters of Bazhov, who had real Ural prototypes:
— The fairy tale “The Stone Flower” is one of the most famous fairy tales of the publicist. The story tells about Danilo the master, who was captured by the Mistress of the Copper Mountain. Such a hero really existed in reality, and his name was Danila Zverev. He became famous throughout the Urals, and then throughout Russia, as a mining master with true artistic talent.
— Grandfather Slyshko (Ural worker Vasily Khmelinin) is the narrator from the Malachite Box. The writer fell in love with the colorful character in his early youth, and the author wrote down many interesting stories from the words of this wise, soulful old man.
— In the legend “Ermakov’s Swans,” the Cossack chieftain Ermak appears. This hero is one of the most revered people in the Urals. He expanded the territories of Russia to the east, conquered Siberia and forever went down in history as the collector of Russian lands.
In his author's tales, Bazhov often mentions ordinary people, for whom hard work in harsh natural conditions is a native and familiar reality. Despite all the difficulties that befall the heroes of fairy tales, they remain kind, bright people who love their work. They never stop believing and hoping for happiness, and nature generously gifts the Ural craftsmen with gold and precious gems.
All Bazhov's fairy tales on one page
With the light hand of a talented writer, a genre appeared in Soviet literature - the Ural tale. It is an oral narrative immortalized by the author in a children's book. The tales contain the kind voice of a skilled storyteller who speaks in an original folk dialect. And the retelling is full of colorful local expressions, folk proverbs and sayings.
For those who are not yet familiar with the work of the famous folklorist Pavel Petrovich Bazhov, a sparkling scattering of his Ural legends is presented. Children and adults are recommended to read these wonderful stories:
Mistress of Copper Mountain- a tale about a mystical character who appeared as a mining worker in the form of a beautiful maiden or a large lizard wearing a golden crown. Masters studying the incomprehensible beauty of the stone fell under the influence of the Copper Beauty and got lost in the deep caves of the old Ural mines.
Sinyushkin well is a fairy tale about Grandma Sinyushka, Baba Yaga’s cousin. Where she settled, full wells of precious stones were found.
Silver hoof- a heartfelt tale about a young goat who knocked out multi-colored stones with his hoof. Meeting with the elusive spirit of the forest brought people wealth and simple human happiness.
Blue snake- a story about a magical snake pointing to deposits of native gold. Anyone who is lucky enough to see a wriggling snake in the forest will certainly find a secret gold mine.
Jumping Firefly- a wonderful tale about the Golden Woman. She appears near new mining developments and starts a merry dance in rich gold mines.
Cat's ears- a fascinating story about an earthen cat. This mystical animal appears in the form of dangerous sulfur gas over the mountain deposits of the Urals.
Great Snake- a tale about a spirit guarding gold reserves. The writer took the colorful image from the folk superstitions of local residents, ancient families of the Khanty and Mansi. The image of the guardian of gold mines is still found today in Ural legends, in the signs of working miners and miners of precious ore.
Bazhov's most popular fairy tales are included in the golden fund of educational children's literature. The stories, written in large print and with bright illustrations, are easily understood by children of any age. Parents are recommended to read children's books to their children at night, and it is useful for teachers of schools and kindergartens to include Bazhov's fairy tales in the extracurricular reading program.
Fairy tales for children 3 years old, 4 years old, 5 years old, 6 years old, 7 years old, 8 years old, 9 years old, 10 years old... for kindergarten children of all ages, school students and their parents, teachers and educators. Happy reading!
The matter began with nothing - with a gunpowder match. It's not so long ago that it was invented. Will a hundred years be gained with a small child? At first, when the powder flask began to be used, there was a lot of trickery about it. Which is completely in vain. Who, say, came up with the idea of making turned straws, who again began to lubricate matches with such a composition so that they would burn with different lights: crimson, green, and whatnot. There was also a lot of weirdness with the capping. To put it bluntly, the powder match was all the rage.
I’m not going to say it about people, I’m going to say it about myself. In those years when people began to join collective farms in droves, I was no longer young. Instead of light brown curls, he grew a bald spot all over his head. And my old woman did not look young. Previously, I used to call it a singing machine, but now it looks like a sharpening machine. It wears me down and wears me down: this is missing, this is missing.
Among people, men take care of everything, but with us, as soon as it drags along and evaporates in the bathhouse, it’s on the side. And he has no thoughts about anything!
In these places, before, there would have been no way for a common man to survive: the beast would have eaten him or the vile would have overcome him. At first these places were inhabited by heroes. They, of course, looked like people, only very large and made of stone. It’s easier for this one, of course: the beast won’t bite him to death, the gadfly is completely at ease, he can’t be bothered by the heat and cold, and there’s no need for houses.
One of these stone heroes stood in for the eldest, named Denezhkin. You see, he answered with a glass with small money from all sorts of local stones and ore. That hero’s nickname was based on these ore and stone money.
The glass, of course, is heroic - taller than a man, much larger than a forty-bucket barrel. That glass is made from the finest golden topaz and is so finely and cleanly carved that it couldn’t be further from it. Ore and stone money are visible right through, and the power of this money is such that it shows the place.
By the way, we are not very rich here. All we have are mountains and spoons, spoons and mountains. You can't go around them, you can't go around them. Mountain, of course, grief is different. Nobody even takes the other one into account, but not only in their own district, but even distant people know the other: she is well-known, famous.
There was one such mountain right next to our plant. At first, for a mile, or even more, there is such a pull that even a strong horse walks lightly, and it is covered in soap, and then you still have to overcome the vultures, like the most difficult scallop to climb. What can I say, a remarkable hill. Once you pass or pass, you will remember it for a long time and will tell others.
We have one logo across the pond that has been famous for a long time. Such a fun place. The spoon is wide. In the spring it gets a little wet here, but the grass grows curlier and there are more flowers. All around, of course, there are forests of all kinds. It's nice to have a look. And it’s handy to pester from the pond to that logo: the shore is not steep and not flat, but, so to speak, as if it had been settled on purpose, and the bottom is sand with hazel grouse. The bottom is completely strong, and it doesn’t hurt your leg. In a word, everything is as imagined. You could say that this place itself is inviting: it’s nice to sit here on the bank, smoke a pipe or two, light a fire, and let us take a look at our factory—wouldn’t our little creature seem better?
The local people have been accustomed to this spoon since time immemorial. Even under the Mosolovs, fashion started.
They - these Mosolov brothers, under whom our factory began its construction, came from the carpenter's rank. In modern terms, apparently there were contractors. Yes, you got very rich and let’s set up your own factory. This means they swam out into deep water. They became heavy with wealth, of course. All three brothers forgot to walk along the rafters with a spirit level and a plumb line. They say in one word:
Two boys grew up in our factory, in close proximity: Lanko Puzhanko and Leiko Shapochka.
I can’t say who came up with such nicknames for them and why. These guys lived amicably among themselves. They matched it. The same intelligence, the same strength, the same height and years. And there was no big difference in life. Lank's father was a miner, Lake's was grieving on the golden sands, and mothers, as you know, toiled around the house. The guys had nothing to be proud of in front of each other.
Katya - Danilova's fiancée - remained unmarried. Two or three years have passed since Danilo got lost, and she has completely left the bride’s time. In twenty years, in our opinion, in the factory way, it is considered too old. Guys like this rarely match, widowers do it more often. Well, this Katya, apparently, was pretty, all the suitors are approaching her, but all she has to say is:
Danilo made a promise.
There have been many famous miners in our area. It also happened that truly learned people, academicians, called them professors and were seriously amazed at how they knew the mountains so subtly, even though they were illiterate.
The matter, of course, is not simple - not picking a berry from a bush. It’s not for nothing that one of these was nicknamed the Heavy Knapsack. He carried a lot of stones on his back. And how much was similar, how much rock was reshaped and turned over - it’s impossible to count.
Our Field, they say, was installed by the treasury (with state funds. - Ed.) There were no factories in these places at that time. They fought. Well, the treasury is known. The soldiers were sent. The village of Mountain Shield was built on purpose so that the road would be safe. On Gumeshki, you see, at that time visible wealth lay on top - and they approached it. We got there, of course. They brought in people, they installed a plant, they brought in some Germans, but things didn’t work out. It didn't work and it didn't work. Either the Germans didn’t want to show it, or they didn’t know themselves - I can’t explain, but the Gumeshki turned out to be unattended to them. They took it from another mine, but it wasn’t worth the work at all. A completely useless little mine, skinny. You can’t build a good factory like this. That’s when our Polevaya ended up in Turchaninov’s hands.
Ural tales of Bazhov
Tales of Bazhov absorbed plot motifs, unusual images, colors, the language of national legends and folk wisdom. Pavel Petrovich Bazhov managed to give unusual characters (the Mistress of the Copper Mountain, the Great Snake, the Jumping Ognevushka) a bewitching poetry. The magical world into which the old ones introduce us Ural tales of Bazhov They immersed ordinary Russian people, and with their real, earthly strength they defeated the conventions of fairy-tale magic. On our website you can see online list of Bazhov's fairy tales, and absolutely enjoy reading them for free.
Danila and Katya, who rescued her fiancé from the Mistress of the Mountain, had a lot of children. Eight, listen, people, and all boys. Mother was more than once jealous of at least one girl for a glance. Read...
This happened shortly after the fifth year. Before the war with the Germans began. Read...
Our Field, they say, was installed by the treasury. There were no factories in these places at that time. They fought. Well, the treasury is known. The soldiers were sent. The village of Mountain Shield was built on purpose so that the road would be safe. On Gumeshki, you see, at that time visible wealth lay on top, and they approached it. We got there, of course. They brought in people, they installed a plant, they brought in some Germans, but things didn’t work out. It didn't work and it didn't work. Read...
There was a Field Clerk - Severyan Kondratyich. Oh, and fierce, oh, and fierce! The way the factories stand has never happened before. Of dogs, a dog. Beast. Read...
After Stepanova’s death, who obtained the malachite pillars, many people flocked to Krasnogorka. There was a desire to get hold of those pebbles that were seen in Stepan’s dead hand. It was autumn, just before the snow. You'll have to try a lot here. And when the winter passed, they ran into that place again. Read...
This did not happen at our plant, but in the Sysert half. And not at all in ancient years. My old people were already running around in the factory in their undercarriages. Some on the ball, some on the bedding, and then in the mechanic shop, or in the forge. Well, you never know where the youngsters were driven into at the fortress. Read...
There was also such a case at the mine. In one face there was ore with a thin section. They'll take a piece, and you'll see there's some corner of it. Like a mirror it shines, anyone can look into it. Read...
In those years, there were no traces of Verkhny and Ilyinsky factories. Only our Polevaya and Sysert. Well, in the North they also rattled iron. Yes, just a little. Sysert lived the brightest of all. You see, she came across the Cossack side on the road. People walked and passed here and there. We ourselves went to the pier near Revda with iron. You never know who you meet on the road, or what you hear. And there are many villages around. Read...
There was a man living in the factory alone. His name was Levontem. Such a diligent man, unrequited. From a young age he was kept in grief, in Gumeshki, that is. I mined copper. So he spent all his young years underground. Like a worm digging in the ground. I couldn’t see the light, I turned green all over. Well, it’s a well-known thing - the mountain. Dampness, darkness, heavy spirit. Read...
Those guys, the Levontievs, to whom Poloz showed his wealth, began to improve their lives. Even though their father died soon after, they live better and better every year. They built a hut for themselves. It’s not that the house is fancy, but it’s a decent little hut. They bought a little cow, got a horse, and started letting sheep up to three years old in the winter. My mother couldn’t be happier that she saw the light at least in her old age. Read...
Two of our factory workers went to look at the grass. And their mowing was far away. Somewhere behind Severushka. Read...
Nastasya, Stepanova’s widow, still has a malachite box. With every feminine device. There are rings, earrings and other things according to women's rites. Read...
The marble workers were not the only ones who were famous for their stone work. In our factories, too, they say, they had this skill. The only difference is that ours were more fond of malachite, as there was enough of it, and the grade is no higher. Read...
Katya, Danilov’s fiancée, remained unmarried. Two or three years have passed since Danilo got lost, and she has completely left the bride’s time. In twenty years, in our factory way, it is considered too old. Read...
In Diagon Brod, where the school stands, there was a vacant lot. The wasteland is large, in full view of everyone, but they are not too coveted. Highlands, you see. It’s a hassle to grow a vegetable garden here—there’s a lot of sweat, but it’s of little use.
Two of our factory workers went to look at the grass. And their mowing was far away. Somewhere behind Severushka.
It was a holiday day, and it was hot - passion. Parun is clean. And both of them were timid in grief, at Gumeshki that is. Malachite ore was mined, as well as blue tit. Well, when a kinglet with a coil came in, there was a thread that would fit.
There was one young guy, unmarried, and his eyes began to look green. The other one is older. This one is completely ruined. There is green in the eyes, and the cheeks seem to have turned green. And the man kept coughing.
It's good in the forest. The birds sing and rejoice, the earth soars, the spirit is light. Listen, they were exhausted. We reached the Krasnogorsk mine. Iron ore was mined there back then. So our guys lay down on the grass under the rowan tree and immediately fell asleep. Only suddenly the young man, just as someone pushed him in the side, woke up. He looks, and in front of him, on a pile of ore near a large stone, a woman is sitting. Her back is to the guy, and you can see from her braid that she’s a girl. The braid is gray-black and doesn’t dangle like our girls’, but sticks straight to the back. At the end of the tape are either red or green. They shine through and ring subtly, like sheet copper. The guy marvels at the scythe, and then he notices further. The girl is small in stature, good-looking and such a cool wheel - she won’t sit still. He will lean forward, look exactly under his feet, then lean back again, bend to one side, to the other. He jumps to his feet, waves his arms, then bends down again. In a word, artut girl. You can hear him babbling something, but in what way he speaks it is unknown, and with whom he speaks is not visible. Just a laugh. Apparently she's having fun.
The guy was about to say a word, when suddenly he was hit on the back of the head.
My mother, but this is the Mistress herself! Her clothes are something. How did I not notice it right away? She averted her eyes with her oblique.
And the clothes are truly such that you won’t find anything else in the world. Made of silk, hear me, malachite dress. There is such a variety. It’s a stone, but it’s like silk to the eye, even if you stroke it with your hand. “Here,” the guy thinks, “trouble! As soon as I could get away with it before I noticed.” From the old people, you see, he heard that this Mistress - a malachite woman - loves to play tricks on people. Just when she thought something like that, she looked back. He looks at the guy cheerfully, bares his teeth and says jokingly:
What, Stepan Petrovich, are you staring at the girl’s beauty for nothing? After all, they take money for a look. Come closer. Let's talk a little. The guy was scared, of course, but he didn’t show it. Attached. Even though she is a secret force, she is still a girl. Well, he’s a guy, which means he’s ashamed to be shy in front of a girl.
“I have no time,” he says, “to talk.” Without that we slept and went to look at the grass.
She chuckles and then says:
He will play a tune for you. Go, I say, there’s something to do.
Well, the guy sees that there is nothing to do. I went to her, and she loomed with her hand, go around the ore on the other side. He walked around and saw that there were countless lizards here. And everyone, listen, is different. Some, for example, are green, others are blue, which fade into blue, or like clay or sand with gold specks. Some, like glass or mica, shine, while others, like faded grass, and some are again decorated with patterns. The girl laughs.
“Don’t part,” he says, “my army, Stepan Petrovich.” You are so big and heavy, but they are small for me. - And she clapped her palms, the lizards ran away, they gave way.
So the guy came closer, stopped, and she clapped her hands again and said, all laughing:
Now you have nowhere to step. If you crush my servant, there will be trouble. He looked at his feet, and there wasn’t much ground there. All the lizards huddled together in one place, and the floor became patterned under their feet. Stepan looks - fathers, this is copper ore! All sorts and well polished. And there is mica, and blende, and all sorts of glitter that resemble malachite.
Well, now you recognize me, Stepanushka? - asks the malachite girl, and she bursts into laughter. Then, a little later, he says:
Don't be scared. I won't do anything bad to you.
The guy felt miserable that the girl was mocking him and even saying such words. He became very angry and even shouted:
Who should I be afraid of, if I am timid in grief!
“Okay,” the malachite girl answers. “That’s exactly what I need, someone who’s not afraid of anyone.” Tomorrow, as you descend the mountain, your factory clerk will be here, you tell him yes, look, don’t forget the words: “The owner of Copper Mountain ordered you, a stuffy goat, to get out of the Krasnogorsk mine. If you still break this iron cap of mine, I’ll dump all the copper in Gumeshki there for you, so there’s no way to get it.”
She said this and squinted:
Do you understand, Stepanushko? In grief, you say, you are timid, you are not afraid of anyone? So tell the clerk as I told you, and now go and don’t say anything to the one who is with you. He is a frightened man, why bother him and involve him in this matter. And so she told the blue tit to help him a little.
And she clapped her hands again, and all the lizards ran away. She also jumped to her feet, grabbed a stone with her hand, jumped up and, like a lizard, also ran along the stone. Instead of arms and legs, its paws were green, its tail stuck out, there was a black stripe halfway down its spine, and its head was human. She ran to the top, looked back and said:
Don’t forget, Stepanushko, as I said. She allegedly told you, the stuffy goat, to get out of Krasnogorka. If you do it my way, I’ll marry you!
The guy even spat in the heat of the moment:
Ugh, what a piece of trash! So that I marry a lizard.
And she sees him spitting and laughs.
Okay,” he shouts, “we’ll talk later.” Maybe you'll think about it?
And immediately over the hill, only a green tail flashed.
The guy was left alone. The mine is quiet. You can only hear someone else snoring behind a pile of ore. Woke him up. They went to their mowing, looked at the grass, returned home in the evening, and Stepan had one thing on his mind: what should he do? To say such words to the clerk is no small matter, but he was also, and it’s true, stuffy - there was some kind of rot in his gut, they say. Not to say, it’s also scary. She is the Mistress. What kind of ore can he throw into the blende? Then do your homework. And worse than that, it’s a shame to show yourself off as a braggart in front of a girl.
I thought and thought and laughed:
I was not, I will do as she ordered.
The next morning, as people gathered around the trigger drum, the factory clerk came up. Everyone, of course, took off their hats, remained silent, and Stepan came up and said:
I saw the Mistress of the Copper Mountain last night, and she ordered me to tell you. She tells you, the stuffy goat, to get out of Krasnogorka. If you spoil this iron cap for her, she will dump all the copper on Gumeshki there, so that no one can get it.
The clerk even began to shake his mustache.
What are you? Drunk or crazy? What kind of mistress? Who are you saying these words to? Yes, I will rot you in grief!
“Your will,” says Stepan, “and this is the only way I was told.”
“Flog him,” the clerk shouts, “and take him down the mountain and chain him in the face!” And so as not to die, give him dog oatmeal and ask for lessons without any concessions. Just a little - tear mercilessly!
Well, of course, they flogged the guy and went up the hill. The mine overseer, also not the last dog, took him to the slaughter - it couldn’t be worse. It’s wet here, and there’s no good ore, I should have given up long ago. Here they chained Stepan to a long chain, so that he could work. It is known what time it was - the fortress. They did all sorts of shit on the person. The warden also says:
Cool off here for a bit. And the lesson will cost you so much pure malachite, - and assigned it completely incongruously.
Nothing to do. As soon as the warden left, Stepan began waving his stick, but the guy was still agile. He looks, it’s okay. This is how malachite falls, no matter who throws it with their hands. And the water left somewhere from the face. It became dry.
“Here,” he thinks, “that’s good. Apparently the Mistress remembered me.”