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Сказка о царе Салтане
Сказочно-эпического произведение Александра Сергеевича Пушкина, сказка, написанная им на основе славянских легенд и преданий.
64 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1831
56 people are currently reading
3934 people want to read
About the author
Alexander Pushkin
3,084 books3,444 followersWorks of Russian writer Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin include the verse novel
Eugene Onegin
(1831), the play
Boris Godunov
(1831), and many narrative and lyrical poems and short stories.
See also:
Russian: Александр Сергеевич Пушкин
French: Alexandre Pouchkine
Norwegian: Aleksander Pusjkin
Spanish:Aleksandr Pushkin
People consider this author the greatest poet and the founder of modern literature. Pushkin pioneered the use of vernacular speech in his poems, creating a style of storytelling—mixing drama, romance, and satire—associated ever with greatly influential later literature.
Pushkin published his first poem at the age of 15 years in 1814, and the literary establishment widely recognized him before the time of his graduation from the imperial lyceum in Tsarskoe Selo. Social reform gradually committed Pushkin, who emerged as a spokesman for literary radicals and in the early 1820s clashed with the government, which sent him into exile in southern Russia. Under the strict surveillance of government censors and unable to travel or publish at will, he wrote his most famous drama but ably published it not until years later. People published his verse serially from 1825 to 1832.
Pushkin and his wife Natalya Goncharova, whom he married in 1831, later became regulars of court society. In 1837, while falling into ever greater debt amidst rumors that his wife started conducting a scandalous affair, Pushkin challenged her alleged lover, Georges d'Anthès, to a duel. Pushkin was mortally wounded and died two days later.
Because of his liberal political views and influence on generations of Russian rebels, Pushkin was portrayed by Bolsheviks as an opponent to bourgeois literature and culture and a predecessor of Soviet literature and poetry. Tsarskoe Selo was renamed after him.
See also:
Russian: Александр Сергеевич Пушкин
French: Alexandre Pouchkine
Norwegian: Aleksander Pusjkin
Spanish:Aleksandr Pushkin
People consider this author the greatest poet and the founder of modern literature. Pushkin pioneered the use of vernacular speech in his poems, creating a style of storytelling—mixing drama, romance, and satire—associated ever with greatly influential later literature.
Pushkin published his first poem at the age of 15 years in 1814, and the literary establishment widely recognized him before the time of his graduation from the imperial lyceum in Tsarskoe Selo. Social reform gradually committed Pushkin, who emerged as a spokesman for literary radicals and in the early 1820s clashed with the government, which sent him into exile in southern Russia. Under the strict surveillance of government censors and unable to travel or publish at will, he wrote his most famous drama but ably published it not until years later. People published his verse serially from 1825 to 1832.
Pushkin and his wife Natalya Goncharova, whom he married in 1831, later became regulars of court society. In 1837, while falling into ever greater debt amidst rumors that his wife started conducting a scandalous affair, Pushkin challenged her alleged lover, Georges d'Anthès, to a duel. Pushkin was mortally wounded and died two days later.
Because of his liberal political views and influence on generations of Russian rebels, Pushkin was portrayed by Bolsheviks as an opponent to bourgeois literature and culture and a predecessor of Soviet literature and poetry. Tsarskoe Selo was renamed after him.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
January 26, 2018
Bitterly, the weaver sighed,
And the cook in passion cried,
Full of jealousy and hate
Of their sister's happy fate.
- Alexander Pushkin
Human beings are complex creatures. We can love and hate with the same energy. When we meet a cruel person, we call him “inhuman”. Because being “human” entails love, solidarity, generosity. However, after getting to know so many people that are everything but nice, one starts to wonder about the true nature of humans. What is to be human? Are we capable of being happy for other people's happiness or we practice what we preach just once in a while?
I added this book the other day and found it and read it today. My first choice was a Spanish translation. For the love of Alexandria, what a horrible thing to read. The entire essence of the tale was lost in the way. So I exchanged it for one in English that actually kept the original form. It's a fairy tale in verse. But even fairy tales can be thought provoking.
This is a poem full of imagination, adventure and beautiful verses with some humorous images. What I still love about Pushkin's style are the words he chose to describe every image, every thought. A rich, exquisite language that leaves me spellbound with a silly, dreamy smile out of admiration. Even while writing about the simplest things. Not in vane he's considered the greatest Russian poet.
This is the story of three sisters that dreamed of marrying the Tsar. Eventually, he chose the youngest sister and the others went to work for them at the palace. The envy and jealousy of those sisters and the mother (sly deceiver!) because of the girl's good fortune caused undesirable consequences. That people can't be happy because of their own relatives' bliss is something I'll never understand. But it happens.
Anyway, a nice read.
March 15, 14
* Also on my blog.
March 9, 2018
Merrily the breeze is singing,
O'er the waves a ship is winging
Past the Island of Buyan
To the realm of Tsar Saltan.
Now his longed-for land so dear
Stands out in the distance, clear,
Now the ship at anchor rests
And the merchants, honored guests,
Palacewards their footsteps make
With our gallant in their wake.
There, in regal raiment, sate
Tsar Saltan in royal state.
On his head–his jeweled crown;
On his face–a pensive frown,
While the royal cook, and weaver,
And their mother, sly deceiver,
Sitting on his left and right,
Stared at him with all their might.
Tsar Saltan, with royal grace,
Gave the merchants each his place,
Then he said: "Now, masters mine,
Sailed you far across the brine?
Are things well where you have been?
What strange wonders have you seen?"
Quoth the merchants: "If you please,
We have sailed the seven seas;
Peace reigns overseas, serene.
There, we saw this wondrous scene:
There's an island in the sea,
Shores as steep as steep can be;
Cheerless once, deserted, bare–
Nothing but an oak grew there.
Now it has a new-built city,
Stately mansions, gardens pretty,
Churches tall with domes of go
Fair and wondrous to behold.
Prince Guidon reigns there, and
Sends his compliments to thee.'
Here the tsar said, in amaze:
"If but God prolong my days,
I shall visit this strange isle,
Guest with this Guidon a while."
But the royal cook, and weaver,
With their mother, sly deceiver,
Did not wish to let their tsar
See this wondrous isle so far.
O'er the waves a ship is winging
Past the Island of Buyan
To the realm of Tsar Saltan.
Now his longed-for land so dear
Stands out in the distance, clear,
Now the ship at anchor rests
And the merchants, honored guests,
Palacewards their footsteps make
With our gallant in their wake.
There, in regal raiment, sate
Tsar Saltan in royal state.
On his head–his jeweled crown;
On his face–a pensive frown,
While the royal cook, and weaver,
And their mother, sly deceiver,
Sitting on his left and right,
Stared at him with all their might.
Tsar Saltan, with royal grace,
Gave the merchants each his place,
Then he said: "Now, masters mine,
Sailed you far across the brine?
Are things well where you have been?
What strange wonders have you seen?"
Quoth the merchants: "If you please,
We have sailed the seven seas;
Peace reigns overseas, serene.
There, we saw this wondrous scene:
There's an island in the sea,
Shores as steep as steep can be;
Cheerless once, deserted, bare–
Nothing but an oak grew there.
Now it has a new-built city,
Stately mansions, gardens pretty,
Churches tall with domes of go
Fair and wondrous to behold.
Prince Guidon reigns there, and
Sends his compliments to thee.'
Here the tsar said, in amaze:
"If but God prolong my days,
I shall visit this strange isle,
Guest with this Guidon a while."
But the royal cook, and weaver,
With their mother, sly deceiver,
Did not wish to let their tsar
See this wondrous isle so far.
November 4, 2017
Φεύγει σαν νερό. Διαβάστε το εσεις , χαρίστε το στους φίλους σας , διαβαστερό στα μωρά σας σαν παραμύθι και νανούρισμα , δώστε το στα μεγαλύτερα παιδια σας . Ειναι υπέροχο .
April 5, 2018
4 αστέρια...
December 31, 2010
I have read many Russian folktales in my time, but never have I read a Russian folktale that had truly gorgeous illustrations and a heartwarming story! “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” is a Russian folktale by Alexander Pushkin along with illustrations by Gennady Spirin and it is about how a young prince named Prince Guidon is separated from his father Tsar Saltan, after a terrible plot was formed by his mother’s jealous sisters and the Tsar’s cruel cousin. “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” is definitely a book worthy to check out for fans of different types of folklore!
Once there lived three sisters who each talked about marrying the Tsar. While the first sister wanted to cook for everyone and the second sister wanted to spin the best linen for everyone when they married the Tsar, the youngest sister said that when she marries the Tsar, she wants to have a son who is brave and strong. When Tsar Saltan heard what the youngest sister said, he decided to marry the youngest sister, much to the jealousy of the two other sisters. One day however after the tsarina gave birth to a baby boy, a war broke out and Tsar Saltan had to go to war. While the Tsar was gone, the tsarina’s two sisters and the Tsar’s evil cousin decided to plot against the young tsarina.
Oh my goodness! When I have seen so many good ratings on this book, I just had to check this book out and see what was so great about this book. Now I know why this book was so well received! Alexander Pushkin had done an excellent job at writing this lovable Russian folktale as the story is heartwarming and interesting at the same time. I loved the way that Alexander Pushkin portrayed each character in this book, especially Tsar Saltan as he is shown as a kind and lovable father who was a victim in the two sisters’ and his evil cousin’s scheming against the tsarina and I actually felt sorry for him that the lost his son and his wife and he never really knew what became of his son and wife, even though the audience knows what happened to his family. Many parents and children will also feel sympathy for Tsar Saltan, especially if any parent knows what it is like to lose a child and it is indeed a heartbreaking situation for anyone to be in. I was extremely interested in knowing that this story has similar elements to two stories from the Brothers Grimm collection which are “The Three Little Birds” and “The Maiden without Hands” as they both involved the main characters losing their child to jealousy and evil. Gennady Spirin’s illustrations are the true highlights of this book as they are simply beautiful and memorable. Gennady Spirin’s illustrations are reminiscent of the paintings from the Renaissance Era as the drawings are elegant and characters look realistic that they make the story truly beautiful. I also loved the images of the Russian clothing that the characters wear as they are extremely colorful and gorgeous and they truly bring out the Russian influence of the story. What I really loved about this book was the way that the book had two pages full of only text and then the next two pages are full of only illustrations of the story, which is quite a creative way to express this story.
All in all, “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” is truly a brilliant and amazing book about the power of love for your family and anyone who is a huge fan of Russian folktales will definitely enjoy this book easily! I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the length of this book might be a bit too long for smaller children.
Once there lived three sisters who each talked about marrying the Tsar. While the first sister wanted to cook for everyone and the second sister wanted to spin the best linen for everyone when they married the Tsar, the youngest sister said that when she marries the Tsar, she wants to have a son who is brave and strong. When Tsar Saltan heard what the youngest sister said, he decided to marry the youngest sister, much to the jealousy of the two other sisters. One day however after the tsarina gave birth to a baby boy, a war broke out and Tsar Saltan had to go to war. While the Tsar was gone, the tsarina’s two sisters and the Tsar’s evil cousin decided to plot against the young tsarina.
Oh my goodness! When I have seen so many good ratings on this book, I just had to check this book out and see what was so great about this book. Now I know why this book was so well received! Alexander Pushkin had done an excellent job at writing this lovable Russian folktale as the story is heartwarming and interesting at the same time. I loved the way that Alexander Pushkin portrayed each character in this book, especially Tsar Saltan as he is shown as a kind and lovable father who was a victim in the two sisters’ and his evil cousin’s scheming against the tsarina and I actually felt sorry for him that the lost his son and his wife and he never really knew what became of his son and wife, even though the audience knows what happened to his family. Many parents and children will also feel sympathy for Tsar Saltan, especially if any parent knows what it is like to lose a child and it is indeed a heartbreaking situation for anyone to be in. I was extremely interested in knowing that this story has similar elements to two stories from the Brothers Grimm collection which are “The Three Little Birds” and “The Maiden without Hands” as they both involved the main characters losing their child to jealousy and evil. Gennady Spirin’s illustrations are the true highlights of this book as they are simply beautiful and memorable. Gennady Spirin’s illustrations are reminiscent of the paintings from the Renaissance Era as the drawings are elegant and characters look realistic that they make the story truly beautiful. I also loved the images of the Russian clothing that the characters wear as they are extremely colorful and gorgeous and they truly bring out the Russian influence of the story. What I really loved about this book was the way that the book had two pages full of only text and then the next two pages are full of only illustrations of the story, which is quite a creative way to express this story.
All in all, “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” is truly a brilliant and amazing book about the power of love for your family and anyone who is a huge fan of Russian folktales will definitely enjoy this book easily! I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the length of this book might be a bit too long for smaller children.
December 6, 2019
Σαν γάργαρο νερό, φορτωμένο μαγικά απ´τα χρόνια τα παλιά.
Διαβάζεται φωναχτά.
Διαβάζεται φωναχτά.
November 20, 2023
A very touching, a gentle and eerie story. I perceived it as an ars poetica fairytale – a farfetched concept have I come up with! – because of some fantasticaly-ironical creative principle it has, as part of the plot: 3 ugly and envious hags are making up stories, trying to prevent the tsar in reuniting with his exiled wife and son. These two have been banished by the tsar due to the wicked machinations of the hags: first, they send him a letter containing a false message, a fantastically made up rumour. The tsars newborn son is said to be ‘Neither a boy, neither a girl,/ Neither a mouse, neither a frog,/ but some little, 'unknown' beast’. I underline 'unknown', because the Russian word would literary translate as 'unseen', which adds to the flavour of the lie – for the good reader – because, by this word, the lie somehow denounces itself. The monster is 'made up'. The monster is only metaphorical, the ugly creation of a fantastical delusion. I would like to expand on this later.
In fact, the boy is a splendid fairytale-like newborn, a 'bogath’r' (resounding Russian word for a folklore hero) already messuring one 'ar’sheen' (about three quarters of a meter). Together with his beautiful and meek mother, he is thrown in the wide blue sea, sealed up in a barrel. This ridiculously cruel banishment was also accomplished by the treachery of the tree hags, who falsify the actual order of the tsar (he is away somewhere on a battlefield, which is why he doesn’t see his newborn son, in the first place). Alone in the barrel, the innocent mother whimpers and the fabulous boy grows not by the day, but by the hour. He is already a brave little chap who simply and almost casually asks the waves not to carry them endlessly, unto death, but to kindly deport them on some dry land, alive and sound. And that’s what the waves do, as if they were tamed by him.
It is a barren little island ('ostrov') the mother and son are now stranded to, with a lonely oak growing on the coast. Un-fatigued by the sea journey that begins his live and already brings him to light as a well-built and handsome teenager, he proceeds at once to provide for his mother and his own self. Out of an oak’s branch he confections a bow and arrow and goes on a hunt, for what the island might have to offer in terms of wild and delicious pray. Please notice what a truly praiseworthy mama’s boy the 'bogath’r' is, how fresh and independent he 'came out' already, how brave and ingenious! But, instead of finding some prosaic young deer to aim at, he becomes witness of an unnatural battle between a swan and a falcon, that happens on the sea. With his only arrow, he slaughters the feathery beast and saves from it’s ghastly claws the snow-white beauty. She thanks him (in fluent, poetical Russian), saying that the falcon was in fact a bad wizard in disguise (another embodying metaphor of the bad and ugly). And as a token of her gratitude, she woes to help him in the future however she’ll can, since she herself is actually not a swan but some sort of an enchantress, with (good, of course) magical powers of her own. Just for tonight, though – which is to say, 'the very near future' – he would have to go to sleep (with his mom :P) on an empty belly – as long as he had the nobility of saving her, instead of providing for her mother, as it were... No magic for the belly. But during the hungry sleep of the two castaways, the swan really works wonders. Upon walking, the two discover that on the yesterday’s barren land, grew over night, like some sort of magic mushrooms, a white towered, golden cupoled city in the best taste of Andrey Rublev’s times. It is already populated by gleeful and meek, paradisiacal Russians that instantly proclaim the two queen and prince of the land.
After a while, some seamen float by in their ship and are amazed to see that on what they knew to be – not long ago – a naked cliff in the middle of the Ocean, now stands, as a crown, a splendid Novgorod-like city. They are welcomed by the prince very hospitably and he finds out that they are the vassals of his father in a merchant trip around the world and now on their way back home. Without revealing his identity, the prince sends his regards to his old, unknown papa, after which he suddenly feels a tender longing. Turned towards the sea as the guests float away, the prince confesses to the swan that he would very much like to see his father. She kindly turns him into a mosquito. Metamorphosed as such, he snugly hides himself in one of the ship’s cracks, thus travelling clandestine and incognito with the crew. In the fatherly palace, tsar Saltan melancholy sits on his throne. By him, as his only companions, are the three wicked hags. He listens and is charmed by the story of the new golden city and says he would very much like to visit it one day and meet the unknown, mysteriously reverent to him young ruler. But the three hags sneer in faked disbelief, guessing in their wickedness, who that prince is. One of them complains that the story is just some excess of the imagination, a fancy of drunken sailors. There are some, she says even more fanciful (liars) who believe they have seen a squirrel that munches only on golden shelled nuts. She spits the golden shells. And the core of these nuts are emeralds. But the squirrels doesn’t eat these either, she just throws them. Which is as if to say that all the good precious things are litter, while the noble squirrel is only munching away...
The mosquito, who was hovering all this time above their heads stings the the hag’s right eye, as if to show that she sees only with the left, bad one. In a flurry, the bad counsellors try to crush the minuscule, buzzing, intruding brute, but it evades and flies away, across the sea, to it’s golden city. On the shore, the melancholy prince tells the swan how much he would like to have such and such a squirrel. She dutifully finds it somewhere and brings it to him. Now all his court and subjects wonder at the little miraculous and nimble creature that soon litters the kingdom with golden shells and emeralds, making everybody rich. After a while, some other ship floats by, the guests are received with great hospitality, just like the previous ones. Then, upon their leaving, the prince has himself turned by the swan into a fly. Again he travels in the same clandestine manner to his father and attends in his hovering above the throne to a new travel tale told by the new guests to the good old king. Now the second hag criticizes the story of the magic squirrel as nonsense fiction and says that others have fancied even better, about some under-the-sea elite army consisting of some 32 well built lads in golden scales, equally tall and beautiful, that are sometimes seen coming out of the sea in pairs, on some shore, just to patrol it a little, all being led by their daddy-captain Ch-er’no’more (resounding masculine name meaning, in fact, `The-black-sea`). By this new fancy-story told by the second hag, the king is disenchanted again and delayed in his desire to visit the fabulous kingdom. To revenge again, the fly stings the hag’s eye (I don’t remember which one, maybe the only one...) and evades just like before.
Again on the shore, the prince asks the swan how in the world would it be possible to acquire such an elite army (that even Putin wouldn’t dream of having). She answers, `Why, it’s quite simple, they are my under-the-sea daddy and brothers, I’ll just ask them to pay you a visit soon`. By evening, they come indeed. A very impressive troop. The air above the sea doesn’t do them any good, though. But anyway, they woe to serve the prince as some sort of ornamental army and patrol each evening on the walls of his kingdom. In come, after a while, some new ship-guests. They are well-comed and then they leave. Prince is transformed this time into a bumblebee, I think. The same way of travelling light. Another sneering critique from the third hag. She says that some have fancied better still, to see some beautiful maiden so overwhelming (my use of English adjectives lacks here) that she lights the night, `she blinds you from seeing the day, she is like a star under the moon`... The king is disenchanted and delayed again. A sting on the nose, this time. Exits bumblebee.
The unbearably beautiful maiden is, of course, the swan. Upon prince’s desire to have her she reveals herself to him, in human form, and they wed very quickly. Now the prince has become a man, the happy husband of the maiden of maidens. Everything is fantastically good around him and he practically owns all that and rules over it. He only misses his father.
Very interesting to notice here is the fact that the sceptic and trickery stories told by the hags turn into prince’s strongest wishes and they actually 'accomplish him' – the wishes themselves being accomplished 'for' him.
Another visit from another pack of sailors. The king hears about the great marriage event, about the actual existence of that great beauty which came out of the swan. He finally emancipates himself from his ugly nannies, telling them something like: Leave me alone, you counselling frogs, I am a king in my own rights and I’ll go right now to visit the golden city and the prince. By this gesture, the king himself also becomes mature, not only his son! The coming of age part of the story is now complete.
The king arrives on the island, recognizes his banished wife. A great reunion. The noble and beautiful family is now miraculously complete. Feeling rather merciful due to the sheer grace of the moment, the king simply sends away the hags, unpunished. Of course, they were also journeying with him. As the poetics goes, there’s no more need for them anymore. The end.
The poetical triumph and the charm of this story lays in it’s ironical depictions. Motivated by envy and greed, self-interested, grotesque lies are turned true and beautiful by the power of fantasy. And this is done for good purposes – the coming of age, a happy marriage (two, in fact), a touching and lasting family reunion. These turns in storytelling form altogether a meditation on creation:
The lying-fantasy is grotesque, but when the fantasy comes true, it’s sublime! Truth and beauty are connected like two sides of a circle, which is to say, they are on the same continuous line, they are one.
Although I still read in Russian like a native schoolboy from there yonder might (it is a foreign language for me, which I assiduously learn for almost 4 years, mostly through literature) I am humbly proud – if I may say so! – because I truly feel humbled 'and' proud - to finally be deLighted and enLighted by Pushkin in his own flawless Logos. Even this work, an effortlessly composed story, which might be considered to be an ‘unserious’ and ‘minor’ piece in the body of his work, nevertheless deeply conquers one emotionally, purifies one aesthetically, cleans the consciousness. The genius of Pushkin reflects here also, in all the lines of this folk-like story – as clear and undeniable, as infinite and unique as all the shades of blue that travel on the surface and lay on the depths of the Black Sea.
In fact, the boy is a splendid fairytale-like newborn, a 'bogath’r' (resounding Russian word for a folklore hero) already messuring one 'ar’sheen' (about three quarters of a meter). Together with his beautiful and meek mother, he is thrown in the wide blue sea, sealed up in a barrel. This ridiculously cruel banishment was also accomplished by the treachery of the tree hags, who falsify the actual order of the tsar (he is away somewhere on a battlefield, which is why he doesn’t see his newborn son, in the first place). Alone in the barrel, the innocent mother whimpers and the fabulous boy grows not by the day, but by the hour. He is already a brave little chap who simply and almost casually asks the waves not to carry them endlessly, unto death, but to kindly deport them on some dry land, alive and sound. And that’s what the waves do, as if they were tamed by him.
It is a barren little island ('ostrov') the mother and son are now stranded to, with a lonely oak growing on the coast. Un-fatigued by the sea journey that begins his live and already brings him to light as a well-built and handsome teenager, he proceeds at once to provide for his mother and his own self. Out of an oak’s branch he confections a bow and arrow and goes on a hunt, for what the island might have to offer in terms of wild and delicious pray. Please notice what a truly praiseworthy mama’s boy the 'bogath’r' is, how fresh and independent he 'came out' already, how brave and ingenious! But, instead of finding some prosaic young deer to aim at, he becomes witness of an unnatural battle between a swan and a falcon, that happens on the sea. With his only arrow, he slaughters the feathery beast and saves from it’s ghastly claws the snow-white beauty. She thanks him (in fluent, poetical Russian), saying that the falcon was in fact a bad wizard in disguise (another embodying metaphor of the bad and ugly). And as a token of her gratitude, she woes to help him in the future however she’ll can, since she herself is actually not a swan but some sort of an enchantress, with (good, of course) magical powers of her own. Just for tonight, though – which is to say, 'the very near future' – he would have to go to sleep (with his mom :P) on an empty belly – as long as he had the nobility of saving her, instead of providing for her mother, as it were... No magic for the belly. But during the hungry sleep of the two castaways, the swan really works wonders. Upon walking, the two discover that on the yesterday’s barren land, grew over night, like some sort of magic mushrooms, a white towered, golden cupoled city in the best taste of Andrey Rublev’s times. It is already populated by gleeful and meek, paradisiacal Russians that instantly proclaim the two queen and prince of the land.
After a while, some seamen float by in their ship and are amazed to see that on what they knew to be – not long ago – a naked cliff in the middle of the Ocean, now stands, as a crown, a splendid Novgorod-like city. They are welcomed by the prince very hospitably and he finds out that they are the vassals of his father in a merchant trip around the world and now on their way back home. Without revealing his identity, the prince sends his regards to his old, unknown papa, after which he suddenly feels a tender longing. Turned towards the sea as the guests float away, the prince confesses to the swan that he would very much like to see his father. She kindly turns him into a mosquito. Metamorphosed as such, he snugly hides himself in one of the ship’s cracks, thus travelling clandestine and incognito with the crew. In the fatherly palace, tsar Saltan melancholy sits on his throne. By him, as his only companions, are the three wicked hags. He listens and is charmed by the story of the new golden city and says he would very much like to visit it one day and meet the unknown, mysteriously reverent to him young ruler. But the three hags sneer in faked disbelief, guessing in their wickedness, who that prince is. One of them complains that the story is just some excess of the imagination, a fancy of drunken sailors. There are some, she says even more fanciful (liars) who believe they have seen a squirrel that munches only on golden shelled nuts. She spits the golden shells. And the core of these nuts are emeralds. But the squirrels doesn’t eat these either, she just throws them. Which is as if to say that all the good precious things are litter, while the noble squirrel is only munching away...
The mosquito, who was hovering all this time above their heads stings the the hag’s right eye, as if to show that she sees only with the left, bad one. In a flurry, the bad counsellors try to crush the minuscule, buzzing, intruding brute, but it evades and flies away, across the sea, to it’s golden city. On the shore, the melancholy prince tells the swan how much he would like to have such and such a squirrel. She dutifully finds it somewhere and brings it to him. Now all his court and subjects wonder at the little miraculous and nimble creature that soon litters the kingdom with golden shells and emeralds, making everybody rich. After a while, some other ship floats by, the guests are received with great hospitality, just like the previous ones. Then, upon their leaving, the prince has himself turned by the swan into a fly. Again he travels in the same clandestine manner to his father and attends in his hovering above the throne to a new travel tale told by the new guests to the good old king. Now the second hag criticizes the story of the magic squirrel as nonsense fiction and says that others have fancied even better, about some under-the-sea elite army consisting of some 32 well built lads in golden scales, equally tall and beautiful, that are sometimes seen coming out of the sea in pairs, on some shore, just to patrol it a little, all being led by their daddy-captain Ch-er’no’more (resounding masculine name meaning, in fact, `The-black-sea`). By this new fancy-story told by the second hag, the king is disenchanted again and delayed in his desire to visit the fabulous kingdom. To revenge again, the fly stings the hag’s eye (I don’t remember which one, maybe the only one...) and evades just like before.
Again on the shore, the prince asks the swan how in the world would it be possible to acquire such an elite army (that even Putin wouldn’t dream of having). She answers, `Why, it’s quite simple, they are my under-the-sea daddy and brothers, I’ll just ask them to pay you a visit soon`. By evening, they come indeed. A very impressive troop. The air above the sea doesn’t do them any good, though. But anyway, they woe to serve the prince as some sort of ornamental army and patrol each evening on the walls of his kingdom. In come, after a while, some new ship-guests. They are well-comed and then they leave. Prince is transformed this time into a bumblebee, I think. The same way of travelling light. Another sneering critique from the third hag. She says that some have fancied better still, to see some beautiful maiden so overwhelming (my use of English adjectives lacks here) that she lights the night, `she blinds you from seeing the day, she is like a star under the moon`... The king is disenchanted and delayed again. A sting on the nose, this time. Exits bumblebee.
The unbearably beautiful maiden is, of course, the swan. Upon prince’s desire to have her she reveals herself to him, in human form, and they wed very quickly. Now the prince has become a man, the happy husband of the maiden of maidens. Everything is fantastically good around him and he practically owns all that and rules over it. He only misses his father.
Very interesting to notice here is the fact that the sceptic and trickery stories told by the hags turn into prince’s strongest wishes and they actually 'accomplish him' – the wishes themselves being accomplished 'for' him.
Another visit from another pack of sailors. The king hears about the great marriage event, about the actual existence of that great beauty which came out of the swan. He finally emancipates himself from his ugly nannies, telling them something like: Leave me alone, you counselling frogs, I am a king in my own rights and I’ll go right now to visit the golden city and the prince. By this gesture, the king himself also becomes mature, not only his son! The coming of age part of the story is now complete.
The king arrives on the island, recognizes his banished wife. A great reunion. The noble and beautiful family is now miraculously complete. Feeling rather merciful due to the sheer grace of the moment, the king simply sends away the hags, unpunished. Of course, they were also journeying with him. As the poetics goes, there’s no more need for them anymore. The end.
The poetical triumph and the charm of this story lays in it’s ironical depictions. Motivated by envy and greed, self-interested, grotesque lies are turned true and beautiful by the power of fantasy. And this is done for good purposes – the coming of age, a happy marriage (two, in fact), a touching and lasting family reunion. These turns in storytelling form altogether a meditation on creation:
The lying-fantasy is grotesque, but when the fantasy comes true, it’s sublime! Truth and beauty are connected like two sides of a circle, which is to say, they are on the same continuous line, they are one.
Although I still read in Russian like a native schoolboy from there yonder might (it is a foreign language for me, which I assiduously learn for almost 4 years, mostly through literature) I am humbly proud – if I may say so! – because I truly feel humbled 'and' proud - to finally be deLighted and enLighted by Pushkin in his own flawless Logos. Even this work, an effortlessly composed story, which might be considered to be an ‘unserious’ and ‘minor’ piece in the body of his work, nevertheless deeply conquers one emotionally, purifies one aesthetically, cleans the consciousness. The genius of Pushkin reflects here also, in all the lines of this folk-like story – as clear and undeniable, as infinite and unique as all the shades of blue that travel on the surface and lay on the depths of the Black Sea.
September 29, 2024
Jälle vürst on merekaldal,
igatsus ta meeli valdab,
kuni lainetavas vees
märkab luike enda ees.
“Tere, vürst! Kas asjad halvad?
Üksipäini rannas valvad…
Miks sa ohkad sügavalt?”
luigekene küsib talt.
Aga kuhu jäid siis vürsti silmad, sumedad kui sompus ilmad? Tuleb välja, et laps ikkagi ei lugenud, vaid istus teleka ees. Ja küllap istus rohkem kui korra, sest kuidas muidu värsid otsapidi pähe said jääda. Nii et tasub ka uustõlkeid teha, võib parem saada.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siaA4...
igatsus ta meeli valdab,
kuni lainetavas vees
märkab luike enda ees.
“Tere, vürst! Kas asjad halvad?
Üksipäini rannas valvad…
Miks sa ohkad sügavalt?”
luigekene küsib talt.
Aga kuhu jäid siis vürsti silmad, sumedad kui sompus ilmad? Tuleb välja, et laps ikkagi ei lugenud, vaid istus teleka ees. Ja küllap istus rohkem kui korra, sest kuidas muidu värsid otsapidi pähe said jääda. Nii et tasub ka uustõlkeid teha, võib parem saada.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siaA4...
October 20, 2010
I've read a lot of fairy tales in my life, and I love them, so it's fun when I discover a new one. When my husband traveled to Russia earlier this year, someone gave him a beautifully illustrated edition of Alexander Pushkin's tales—in Russian. Unfortunately I don't read Russian, but fortunately we were able to find out what the stories in the book are and obtain English editions of them.
The Tale of Tsar Saltan is about three sisters who talk about what they would do if they married the Tsar. The Tsar overhears them and picks the youngest for his bride. He also invites the other sisters to live at his palace with them. Unfortunately, the sisters are bitter and try to ruin the lives of the Tsar and the youngest sister. Luckily for the youngest sister and her son, they have a magic swan to help them out.
The illustrations here are breathtaking! This is definitely an edition to check out, and the storytelling is very nice as well.
The Tale of Tsar Saltan is about three sisters who talk about what they would do if they married the Tsar. The Tsar overhears them and picks the youngest for his bride. He also invites the other sisters to live at his palace with them. Unfortunately, the sisters are bitter and try to ruin the lives of the Tsar and the youngest sister. Luckily for the youngest sister and her son, they have a magic swan to help them out.
The illustrations here are breathtaking! This is definitely an edition to check out, and the storytelling is very nice as well.
March 12, 2010
I do not think it is possible for me to describe the effect this story had on me as a child. It was not only amazing, but it was so eloquent and well written that every single reading was a special experience. Even now, whener I read this, I am filled with wonder and excitement.
Три девицы под окном
Пряли поздно вечерком.
"Кабы я была царица,-
Говорит одна девица,-
То на весь крещеный мир
Приготовила б я пир".
- "Кабы я была царица,-
Говорит ее сестрица,-
То на весь бы мир одна
Наткала я полотна".
- "Кабы я была царица,-
Третья молвила сестрица,-
Я б для батюшки-царя
Родила богатыря".
Три девицы под окном
Пряли поздно вечерком.
"Кабы я была царица,-
Говорит одна девица,-
То на весь крещеный мир
Приготовила б я пир".
- "Кабы я была царица,-
Говорит ее сестрица,-
То на весь бы мир одна
Наткала я полотна".
- "Кабы я была царица,-
Третья молвила сестрица,-
Я б для батюшки-царя
Родила богатыря".
December 30, 2019
I read it at the first link while listening to it at the second one. Deliciously sleep-inducing rhyme and repetition in a gorgeous tale filled with wonder and intrigue.
I would love to own the picture book one day—the drawings are exquisite.
https://www.marxists.org/subject/art/...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxdbX...
Title in Spanish: El cuento del zar Saltán o el príncipe y la princesa-cisne
I would love to own the picture book one day—the drawings are exquisite.
https://www.marxists.org/subject/art/...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxdbX...
Title in Spanish: El cuento del zar Saltán o el príncipe y la princesa-cisne
August 12, 2017
c'è l'adattamento da puškin, ci sono le tavole del 1905 a illustrarlo (e che tavole: alcune grafiche e sintetiche come silhouettes, altre lavorate di fino come un arazzo), c'è in definitiva che rosellina archinto con la emme edizioni pubblicava veri capolavori.
December 4, 2022
A charming poetic folk/fairy tale.
February 19, 2025
## Puntuación 5/5
Es una maravilla. Aunque encontré fue una versión infantil del cuento, me dio más curiosidad por la obra del autor. Ojalá pueda encontrar una versión mejor.
El folclore ruso es muy rico en cuentos y leyendas, es una cultura tan fascinante que cuando me enteré de que había una versión del lago de los cisnes o de la princesa cisne. No pude evitar crearme esta hiper-fijación.
Por lo que pude entender tiene una reflexión sobre el mal que hace la envidia para la gente que la profesa. Así se envidie las circunstancias o el camino del otro, solo se vuelve un obstáculo para el envidioso. Además un deseo hay que formularlo bien.
Se presenta a tres hermanas que comparten el deseo de casarse con el zar, pero la fórmula del deseo es distinta en cada caso.
- La primera desea convertirse en la Zarina para cocinarle al zar.
- La segunda desea ser la Zarina para tejerle al zar.
- La tercera, es la más chistosa. Deseo casarse con el zar para darle un hijo fuerte y guapo.
Obviamente fue la tercera hermana la elegida por el Zar. Esto hace que las otras dos armen un complot para deshacerse de su hermana y del hijo que lleva en su vientre.
Lo demás no voy a comentarlo, pero es increíble.
Será verdad o será mentira, más no nos parece algo digno de admirar.
Es una maravilla. Aunque encontré fue una versión infantil del cuento, me dio más curiosidad por la obra del autor. Ojalá pueda encontrar una versión mejor.
El folclore ruso es muy rico en cuentos y leyendas, es una cultura tan fascinante que cuando me enteré de que había una versión del lago de los cisnes o de la princesa cisne. No pude evitar crearme esta hiper-fijación.
Por lo que pude entender tiene una reflexión sobre el mal que hace la envidia para la gente que la profesa. Así se envidie las circunstancias o el camino del otro, solo se vuelve un obstáculo para el envidioso. Además un deseo hay que formularlo bien.
Se presenta a tres hermanas que comparten el deseo de casarse con el zar, pero la fórmula del deseo es distinta en cada caso.
- La primera desea convertirse en la Zarina para cocinarle al zar.
- La segunda desea ser la Zarina para tejerle al zar.
- La tercera, es la más chistosa. Deseo casarse con el zar para darle un hijo fuerte y guapo.
Obviamente fue la tercera hermana la elegida por el Zar. Esto hace que las otras dos armen un complot para deshacerse de su hermana y del hijo que lleva en su vientre.
Lo demás no voy a comentarlo, pero es increíble.
Será verdad o será mentira, más no nos parece algo digno de admirar.
March 14, 2023
Great illustrations
December 12, 2025
Pushkin’s The Tale of Tsar Saltan is often introduced as a children’s fairy tale, but its elegance, narrative finesse, and poetic resonance make it far more complex than its simple storyline suggests.
Written in verse, the tale demands a sensitivity to rhythm, cadence, and Pushkin’s linguistic artistry. The narrative follows the trials of a queen wrongfully cast out, her son Prince Gvidon, and the magical events that lead to their vindication.
What makes this work difficult is not its plot—which is linear and archetypal—but the density of its poetic form. Pushkin’s mastery of meter and internal rhyme creates a musicality that is easy to appreciate yet hard to fully absorb, especially in translation.
The rich allegorical structure beneath the story hints at moral, spiritual, and political interpretations. Themes of innocence wronged, justice delayed, and destiny fulfilled evoke a timeless philosophical depth.
Pushkin cleverly blends mythic motifs with a wry humour that undercuts solemnity. His tone oscillates between the playful and the profound, requiring the reader to stay attuned to his shifting registers.
The fantastical elements—the Swan Princess, the magical island, the heroic transformations—are not merely decorative; they reveal Pushkin’s belief in the harmony between imagination and moral truth.
In the end, what lingers is the shimmering beauty of Pushkin’s language. Even in translation, one feels the heartbeat of Russian poetic tradition.
The tale is deceptively simple yet endlessly rereadable, a work whose difficulty lies in its subtle perfection.
Recommended.
Written in verse, the tale demands a sensitivity to rhythm, cadence, and Pushkin’s linguistic artistry. The narrative follows the trials of a queen wrongfully cast out, her son Prince Gvidon, and the magical events that lead to their vindication.
What makes this work difficult is not its plot—which is linear and archetypal—but the density of its poetic form. Pushkin’s mastery of meter and internal rhyme creates a musicality that is easy to appreciate yet hard to fully absorb, especially in translation.
The rich allegorical structure beneath the story hints at moral, spiritual, and political interpretations. Themes of innocence wronged, justice delayed, and destiny fulfilled evoke a timeless philosophical depth.
Pushkin cleverly blends mythic motifs with a wry humour that undercuts solemnity. His tone oscillates between the playful and the profound, requiring the reader to stay attuned to his shifting registers.
The fantastical elements—the Swan Princess, the magical island, the heroic transformations—are not merely decorative; they reveal Pushkin’s belief in the harmony between imagination and moral truth.
In the end, what lingers is the shimmering beauty of Pushkin’s language. Even in translation, one feels the heartbeat of Russian poetic tradition.
The tale is deceptively simple yet endlessly rereadable, a work whose difficulty lies in its subtle perfection.
Recommended.
January 6, 2018
This is one of the fairy tales I grew up with. But now that I'm older, I keep wondering about the politics in Saltan's court. Was he married before? Why did he pick that particular young woman to marry? She said she'd bare him a mighty warrior for a son, but presumably she was also of good birth and had a good dowry, or was at the very least very beautiful. Was it a Henry VIII situation, where he was so desperate for a male hair that he was ready to risk marrying the first lady who promised to deliver him? And afterwards, when he came back only to see his direct orders ignored, the queen and child gone, and a court full of confused subjects showing him the fake letter and telling him that the child was a healthy boy -- how did Saltan's react? Was there an inquiry? Obviously someone had committed high treason! Or were the sisters already in charge, telling him the baby had been deformed and getting rid of their political opponents?
And how did the queen feel? And who was the Swan? Obviously she's a powerful sorceress, but is she a swan by choice? Or does she need someone to want to marry her in order to become human again?
There is a whole novel's worth of background information I'd liove to know about. Someone should write it, or if it already exists, point me to it.
And how did the queen feel? And who was the Swan? Obviously she's a powerful sorceress, but is she a swan by choice? Or does she need someone to want to marry her in order to become human again?
There is a whole novel's worth of background information I'd liove to know about. Someone should write it, or if it already exists, point me to it.
September 9, 2011
Great and beautiful story!
While reading it recently, I actually realized I already knew the story - details and scenes came to my mind, and I remembered that Mom used to read me lots of Russian children`s stories and tales, this must be one of them.
I have read it in three different languages, but somehow anything other than Russian seemed wrong, as I knew by heart first lines of the tale. Although the translations are mostly well done and professional, the tale in every other language sounds like a completely different story. The language is exquisite, again - beautiful and splendid, and easy to read, because it is rhythmic and it feels like every word falls into place!
Pushkin (as always) is a master of creating a wonderful world.
While reading it recently, I actually realized I already knew the story - details and scenes came to my mind, and I remembered that Mom used to read me lots of Russian children`s stories and tales, this must be one of them.
I have read it in three different languages, but somehow anything other than Russian seemed wrong, as I knew by heart first lines of the tale. Although the translations are mostly well done and professional, the tale in every other language sounds like a completely different story. The language is exquisite, again - beautiful and splendid, and easy to read, because it is rhythmic and it feels like every word falls into place!
Pushkin (as always) is a master of creating a wonderful world.
January 28, 2013
I received this book as a birthday present when I was seven, and for a boy of seven it contained all the fantasy one needs. The book was printed in large landscape pages with the poetry on one page and a beautiful pictorial illustration on the other. The story deals with a royal mother and her child who were enclosed in a box and thrown into the sea as result of a conspiracy from her sisters who were jealous of her. They reached a strange island where the child grew to be a king. The latter part of the tale deals with the boy punishing her aunts and his reunion with his father. Although the story is meant for children, but if you havn't read it already you'll enjoy it.
September 14, 2016
Without the stunning artwork by Gennady Spirin, I don't think I would have enjoyed this as much. The design of the clothing of the characters is simply out of this world: a winter wonderland of folds and layers and textures, of jewels and beadwork, of golds and reds and creams, of detailed lace and stunning embroidery. The title page itself, the tsar in his stupendous robes, is so complex one must study the functions of his apparel. So, three stars for the story, and another star for the illustrations alone.
November 5, 2018
This is a wonderful Russian folktale with terrific illustrations by Gennady Spirin. The story is a classic tale from the 1800s by Alexander Pushkin and the pictures complement it nicely. They are so intricate and appear to be as old as the story itself. We really enjoyed reading this story together.
April 29, 2010
Pushkin is the most famous poet in Russia, our pride. Many generations of Russian people grew up reading his fairy-tales. And The Tale of Tsar Saltan is the best among them. I know it by heart since the days of my childhood.)))
April 9, 2012
This is a "must tale" to read to your kids. I am not sure how well it is translated into English, but in Russian it is beautiful. Pushkin has a uniquely flowing and beautiful language. He has many tales written for kids and I would highly recommend all of them.
September 18, 2009
I absolutely love Russian fairy tales. The tale of Tsar Saltan is one of those which I know the best, cause the movie was made from it and I watched it in Polish TV.
October 30, 2009
I still remember verses of this book although I am not a child anymore! !
«Родила царица в ночь
Не то сына, не то дочь;
Не мышонка, не лягушку,
А неведому зверюшку»
«Родила царица в ночь
Не то сына, не то дочь;
Не мышонка, не лягушку,
А неведому зверюшку»
November 9, 2009
Read it in Russian and since it's poetry I don't know how well it translates but it is a childhood favorite that many Russian-speakers know (at least in part) by heart.
March 30, 2016
Ya que me encuentro un poco saturada, he decidido leer más cuentos y poesías. La verdad que esta historia, en sus pocas páginas, ha logrado sorprenderme.
July 25, 2017
Read Harder Challenge
December 5, 2020
A poem by Alexander Pushkin, which then became an opera. The story is dark, humorous at times, and captivating.
May 22, 2021
Dans ce petit volume, on trouve des versions en prose de cinq poèmes de Pouchkine basés sur des contes de fées russes. Les qualités littéraires n'ont pas survécu à la traduction mais le recueil est de l'intérêt pour tous ceux de qui s'intéressent au folklore de l'Europe centrale. Mon favori est "Le coq d'or" qui a été l'inspiration de l'opéra du même nom de Rimski-Korsakov. On trouve aussi une variante russe très intrigante de Blanche Neige "La conte de la princesse morte et les sept chevaliers."
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