Online reading of the book Worker Emelyan and the Empty Drum Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy. Worker Yemelyan and an empty drum

L.N. Tolstoy

EMELYAN WORKER AND EMPTY DRUM

Emelyan lived with the owner as a worker. Once Yemelyan is walking across the meadow to work, lo and behold, a frog is jumping in front of him; almost stepped on her. Emelyan stepped over her. Suddenly he hears: someone is calling him from behind. Emelyan looked around, saw - a beautiful girl was standing and said to him:

What are you, Emelyan, not getting married?

How can I get married, dear girl? I'm all here, I have nothing, no one will go for me.

And the girl says:

Marry me!

Emelyan fell in love with the girl.

I, - he says, - with joy, but where will we live?

There is, - says the girl, - something to think about! If only to work more and sleep less - otherwise we will be dressed and fed everywhere.

Well, - he says, - okay. We're getting married. Where shall we go?

Let's go to the city.

Emelyan went with the girl to the city. The girl brought him to a small house, on the edge. They got married and started living.

Once the king rode out of town. Passing by Emelyanov's yard, and Emelyanov's wife came out to see the tsar. The king saw her, was surprised: "Where was such a beauty born?" The king stopped the carriage, called Emelyan's wife, began to ask her:

Who, he says, are you?

The peasant Emelyan's wife, - she says.

Why are you, - she says, - such a beauty, went for a peasant? You should be a queen.

Thank you, - he says, - in a kind word. I'm fine with the man too.

The king spoke to her and went on. Returned to the palace. Emelyanov's wife does not go out of his head. He did not sleep all night, he kept thinking how he could take his wife away from Emelyan. Couldn't figure out how to do it. He called his servants, told them to come up with. And the king's servants said to the king:

Take you, - they say, - Emelyan to your palace as a worker. We will torture him with work, the wife will remain a widow, then it will be possible to take her.

The tsar did so, sent for Yemelyan to go to him in the royal palace, to be a janitors, and he lived in his yard with his wife.

The ambassadors came, they told Emelyan. The wife says to her husband:

Well, he says, go. Work during the day and come to me at night.

Emelyan went. Comes to the palace; the royal clerk and asks him:

Why did you come alone, without a wife?

What am I, - he says, - to drive her: she has a house.

They gave Yemelyan a job in the royal court that fit two. Emelyan set to work and did not expect to finish everything. Look, before the evening everything was over. The clerk saw that he had finished, asked him four times for tomorrow.

Emelyan came home. And at his house everything is swept, tidied up, the stove is heated, everything is baked, boiled. The wife is sitting at the camp, weaving, waiting for her husband. Met the husband's wife; gathered dinner, fed, watered; I started asking him about work.

Why, - he says, - it’s bad: lessons are beyond my strength, they torture me with work.

And you, - he says, - do not think about work and do not look back and do not look forward, how much you have done and how much is left. Just work. Everything will be on time.

Emelyan went to bed. The next morning he went again. I got to work and never looked back. Look - by the evening everything is ready, before dark he came home to spend the night.

They began to add more and more work to Emelyan, and Emelyan ends up on time, goes home to spend the night. A week has passed. The tsar's servants see that they cannot pester the peasant with dirty work; began to ask him tricky jobs. And they can't get it. And carpentry, and stone, and roofing work - no matter what they ask - Emelyan does everything by the deadline, he goes to spend the night with his wife. Another week has passed. The king called his servants and said:

Or am I feeding you free bread? It's been two weeks and I still don't see anything from you. You wanted to torture Emelyan with work, but I see from the window how he goes home every day, singing songs. Or are you laughing at me?

The royal servants began to make excuses.

We, - they say, - tried with all our might to torture him with menial work, but you can’t take him with anything. Every business sweeps like a broom, and there is no tiredness in it. We began to ask him tricky tasks, we thought he would not have enough mind; we can't get it either. Where does it come from! It reaches everything, does everything. It is not otherwise than either in himself or in his wife there is witchcraft. He bored us too. Now we want to set him such a task that it would be impossible for him to do it. We came up with the idea to tell him to build a cathedral in one day. Call on Yemelyan and sing to him in one day to build a cathedral against the palace. And if he doesn’t build, then you can cut off his head for disobedience.

The tsar sent for Yemelyan.

Well, - he says, - here's my order to you: you build me a new cathedral opposite the palace on the square, so that by tomorrow evening it will be ready. If you build it, I will reward you; if you don't build it, I will execute you.

Yemelyan listened to the royal speeches, turned around and went home. "Well, I think my end has come now." He came home to his wife and said:

Well, - he says, - get ready, wife: you have to run anywhere, otherwise we will disappear for nothing.

Well, - he says, - is he so shy that you want to run away?

How, - he says, - not to make money? The king ordered me to build a cathedral on the same day tomorrow. And if I don't, he threatens to cut off his head. One thing remains to run, while time.

The wife did not accept these speeches.

The king has many soldiers, they will catch him everywhere. You won't get away from him. As long as there is power, you must obey.

How can you listen when you can't?

And ... father! do not grieve, have dinner and go to bed: get up early in the morning, you will have time for everything.

Emelyan went to bed. His wife woke him up.

Go, - he says, - quickly complete the cathedral; here are nails and a hammer: there you have a day's work left.

Emelyan went to the city, he comes - for sure, the new cathedral is in the middle of the square. A little unfinished. Emelyan began to finish where necessary: ​​by the evening he fixed everything.

The king woke up, looked from the palace, he sees - the cathedral is standing. Yemelyan paces around, nailing carnations here and there. And the tsar is not happy with the cathedral, he is annoyed that there is nothing to execute Emelyan for, his wife cannot be taken away.

Again the king calls his servants:

Emelyan fulfilled this task as well, there is nothing to execute him for. Mala, - he says, and this is his task. You have to think of something smarter. Come up with it, otherwise I'll tell you before it.

And the servants came up with an idea for him to order Emelyan rock to make a river flow around the palace, and ships would sail along it. Tsar called Emelyan, ordered him a new business.

If you, - he says, - could build a cathedral in one night, then you can do this thing too. So that tomorrow everything will be ready according to my order. If it's not ready, I'll cut off my head.

Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy

Worker Yemelyan and an empty drum

Worker Yemelyan and an empty drum
Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy

Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy

Worker Yemelyan and an empty drum

Emelyan lived with the owner as a worker. Once Yemelyan is walking across the meadow to work, lo and behold, a frog is jumping in front of him; almost stepped on her. Emelyan stepped over her. Suddenly he hears: someone is calling him from behind. Yemelyan looked around, saw a beautiful girl standing and said to him:

- What are you, Emelyan, not getting married?

- How can I get married, dear girl? I'm all here, I have nothing, no one will go for me.

And the girl says:

- Marry me!

Emelyan fell in love with the girl.

- I, - he says, - with joy, but where will we live?

“Yes,” the girl says, “what to think about!” If only to work more and sleep less - otherwise we will be dressed and full everywhere.

“Well then,” he says, “okay. We're getting married. Where shall we go?

- Let's go to the city.

Emelyan went with the girl to the city. The girl brought him to a small house, on the edge. They got married and started living.

Once the king rode out of town. Passing by Emelyanov's yard, and Emelyanov's wife came out to see the tsar. The king saw her, was surprised: “Where was such a beauty born?” The king stopped the carriage, called Emelyan's wife, began to ask her:

Who, he says, are you?

“The peasant Emelyan’s wife,” she says.

- Why are you, - he says, - such a beauty, went for a peasant? You should be a queen.

“Thank you,” he says, “on an affectionate word. I'm fine with the man too.

The king spoke to her and went on. Returned to the palace. Emelyanov's wife does not go out of his head. He did not sleep all night, he kept thinking how he could take his wife away from Emelyan. Couldn't figure out how to do it. He called his servants, told them to come up with. And the king's servants said to the king:

- Take you, - they say, - Emelyan to your palace as a worker. We will torture him with work, the wife will remain a widow, then it will be possible to take her.

The tsar did so, sent for Yemelyan to go to him in the royal palace, to be a janitors, and he lived in his yard with his wife.

The ambassadors came, they told Emelyan. The wife says to her husband:

“Well,” he says, “go ahead.” Work during the day and come to me at night.

Emelyan went. Comes to the palace; the royal clerk and asks him:

- Why did you come alone, without a wife?

- Well, I, - he says, - should lead her: she has a house.

They gave Yemelyan a job in the royal court that fit two. Emelyan set to work and did not expect to finish everything. Look, before the evening everything was over. The clerk saw that he had finished, asked him four times for tomorrow.

Emelyan came home. And at his house everything is swept, tidied up, the stove is heated, everything is baked, boiled. The wife is sitting at the camp, weaving, waiting for her husband. Met the husband's wife; gathered dinner, fed, watered; I started asking him about work.

“Yes,” he says, “it’s bad: lessons are beyond my strength, they torture me with work.

- And you, - he says, - do not think about work and do not look back and do not look forward, how much you have done and how much is left. Just work. Everything will be on time.

Emelyan went to bed. The next morning he went again. I got to work and never looked back. Look - by the evening everything is ready, before dark he came home to spend the night.

Emelyan lived with the owner as a worker. Once Yemelyan is walking across the meadow to work, lo and behold, a frog is jumping in front of him; almost stepped on her. Emelyan stepped over her. Suddenly he hears someone calling him from behind. Yemelyan looked around, saw a beautiful girl standing and said to him:

- What are you, Emelyan, not getting married?

- How can I, dear girl, marry? I'm all here, I have nothing, no one will go for me.

And the girl says:

- Marry me!

Emelyan fell in love with the girl.

“I,” he says, “with joy, but where are we going to live?”

“Yes,” says the girl, “what to think about!” If only to work more and sleep less - otherwise we will be dressed and full everywhere.

“Well,” he says, “okay. We're getting married. Where shall we go?

- Let's go to the city.

Emelyan went with the girl to the city. The girl brought him to a small house, on the edge. They got married and started living.

Once the king rode out of town. Drives past Yemelyanov Dvor. and Yemelyanov's wife went out to see the king. The king saw her, was surprised: “Where was such a beauty born?”

The king stopped the carriage, called Emelyan's wife, began to ask her:

Who, he says, are you?

“The peasant Emelyan’s wife,” she says.

- Why are you, - he says, - such a beauty, went for a peasant? You should be a queen.

“Thank you,” he says, “in a kind word. I'm fine with the man too.

The king spoke to her and went on. Returned to the palace. Emelyanov's wife does not go out of his head. He did not sleep all night, he kept thinking how he could take his wife away from Emelyan. Couldn't figure out how to do it. He called his servants, told them to come up with. And the king's servants said to the king:

“Take you,” they say, “Emelyan to your palace as a worker. We will torture him with work, the wife will remain a widow, then it will be possible to take her.

The tsar did so, sent for Yemelyan to go to him in the royal palace, to be a janitors, and he lived in his yard with his wife.

The ambassadors came, they told Emelyan. The wife says to her husband:

“Well,” he says, “go ahead. Work during the day and come to me at night.

Emelyan went. Comes to the palace; the royal clerk and asks him:

- Why did you come alone, without a wife?

- Well, I, - he says, - should lead her: she has a house.

They gave Yemelyan a job in the royal court that fit two. Emelyan set to work and did not expect to finish everything. Look, before the evening everything was over. The clerk saw that he had finished, asked him four times for tomorrow.

Emelyan came home. And at his house everything is swept, tidied up, the stove is heated, everything is baked, boiled. The wife is sitting at the camp, counting (weaving. - Ed.), Waiting for her husband. Met the husband's wife; gathered dinner, fed, watered; I started asking him about work.

“Yes,” he says, “it’s bad: lessons are beyond my strength, they torture me with work.

- And you, - he says, - do not think about work and do not look back and do not look forward, how much you have done and how much is left. Just work. Everything will be on time.

Emelyan went to bed. The next morning he went again. I got to work and never looked back. Look - by the evening everything is ready, before dark he came home to spend the night.

They began to add more and more work to Emelyan, and Emelyan finishes everything on time, goes home to spend the night. A week has passed. The tsar's servants see that they cannot pester the peasant with dirty work; began to ask him tricky jobs. And they can't get it. And carpentry, and stone, and roofing work - no matter what they ask - Emelyan does everything by the deadline, he goes to spend the night with his wife. Another week has passed. The king called his servants and said:

“Or do I feed you free bread?” It's been two weeks and I still don't see anything from you. You wanted to torture Emelyan with work, but I see from the window how he goes home every day, singing songs. Or are you laughing at me?

The royal servants began to make excuses.

“We,” they say, “at first tried with all our might to torture him with dirty work, but you can’t take him with anything. Every business sweeps like a broom, and there is no tiredness in it. We began to ask him tricky tasks, we thought he would not have enough mind; we can't get it either. Where does it come from! It reaches everything, does everything. It is not otherwise than either in himself or in his wife there is witchcraft. He bored us too. Now we want to set him such a task that it would be impossible for him to do it. We came up with the idea to tell him to build a cathedral in one day. Call on Emelyan and tell him to build a cathedral against the palace in one day. And if he doesn’t build, then you can cut off his head for disobedience.

The tsar sent for Yemelyan.

“Well,” he says, “here is my order to you: build me a new cathedral opposite the palace on the square, so that by tomorrow evening it will be ready.” If you build it, I will reward you; if you don't build it, I will execute you.

Yemelyan listened to the royal speeches, turned around and went home. “Well,” he thinks, “now my end has come.” He came home to his wife and said:

“Well,” he says, “get ready, wife: you have to run anywhere, otherwise we’ll be lost for nothing.”

“Well,” he says, “he’s become so timid that you want to run away?”

- How, - he says, - not to make money? The king ordered me to build a cathedral on the same day tomorrow. And if I don't, he threatens to cut off his head. One thing remains - to run while the time is up.

The wife did not accept these speeches.

“The tsar has a lot of soldiers, they will be caught everywhere. You won't get away from him. As long as there is power, you must obey.

How can you obey when you can't?

- And ... father! do not grieve, have supper and lie down; Get up early in the morning, you can do everything.

Emelyan went to bed. His wife woke him up.

“Go,” he says, “finish the cathedral as soon as possible; here are nails and a hammer: there you have a day's work left.

Emelyan went to the city, he comes - for sure, the new cathedral stands in the middle of the square. A little unfinished. Emelyan began to finish where necessary: ​​by the evening he fixed everything.

The king woke up, looked out of the palace, he sees that the cathedral is standing. Yemelyan paces around, nailing carnations here and there. And the tsar is not happy with the cathedral, he is annoyed that there is nothing to execute Emelyan for, his wife cannot be taken away.

Again the king calls his servants:

- Emelyan also fulfilled this task, there is nothing to execute him for. Mala, - says, - and this is his task. You have to think of something smarter. Come up with it, otherwise I'll tell you before it.

And the servants came up with an idea for him to order a river for Yemelyan to make a river flow around the palace, and ships would sail along it. Tsar called Emelyan, ordered him a new business.

“If you,” he says, “could build a cathedral in one night, then you can do this thing too.” So that tomorrow everything will be ready according to my order. If it's not ready, I'll cut off my head.

Emelyan was even more saddened, he came to his wife gloomy.

- What, - says the wife, - are you sad, or something new that the king ordered?

Yemelyan told her.

“You have to run,” he says.

And the wife says:

- You can't run away from the soldiers, they'll catch you everywhere. We must obey.

- Yes, how to obey something?

- And ... - he says, - father, do not grieve about anything. Eat dinner and go to bed. And get up early, everything will be fine.

Emelyan went to bed. In the morning his wife woke him up.

“Go,” he says, “to the palace, everything is ready.” Only at the pier, opposite the palace, the hillock remained; take a spade, level it.

Emelyan went; comes to town; there is a river around the palace, ships float. Emelyan approached the pier opposite the palace, saw that it was an uneven place, and began to level it.

The king woke up, he sees - a river where there was none; ships float on the river, and Emelyan smoothes the hillock with a spade. The King was horrified; and he is not happy with the river and the ships, but he is annoyed that Yemelyan cannot be executed. He thinks to himself: “There is no such task that he would not do. How to be now?

He called his servants, began to think with them.

“Think up,” he says, “a task for me that Emelyan could not do. And whatever we invented, he did everything, and I can’t take his wife away from him.

Thought, thought the courtiers and came up with. They came to the king and said:

“We need to call Emelyan and say: go there - you don’t know where, and bring that one - you don’t know what. Here he can't get away. Wherever he goes, you will say that he went the wrong way; and whatever he brings, you will say that he did not bring what he needed. Then you can execute him and take his wife.

The king rejoiced:

“That,” he says, “is a clever idea you came up with.

The king sent for Yemelyan and said to him:

- Go there - don't know where, bring that - don't know what. If you don't, I'll cut off your head.

Emelyan came to his wife and said that the king had told him. The wife thought.

“Well,” he says, “they taught the king on his head. Now you have to be smart.

She sat, sat, the wife thought and began to say to her husband:

- You have to go far, to our grandmother to an old, peasant, soldier's mother, you need to ask her favor. And if you get a thing from her, go straight to the palace, and I'll be there. Now I can't get past their hands. They will take me by force, but only for a short time. If you do everything as your grandmother tells you, you will soon help me out.

The husband's wife gathered it, gave him a purse and gave him a spindle.

“This,” he says, “give it to her.” By this she will know that you are my husband.

His wife showed him the way. Emelyan went, went out of town, he sees that the soldiers are studying. Emelyan stood and looked. The soldiers learned and sat down to rest. Emelyan approached them and asked:

“Don’t you know, brothers, where to go there—don’t know where, and how to bring that—don’t know what?”

The soldiers heard this and were surprised.

- Who, - they say, - sent you to look for?

“King,” he says.

“We ourselves,” they say, “we’ve been going there since we were soldiers—don’t know where, but we can’t get there, and we’re looking for that—don’t know what, but we can’t find it.” We cannot help you.

Yemelyan sat with the soldiers and went on. Walked, walked, comes to the forest. Hut in the forest. In the hut an old old woman sits, a peasant, soldier's mother, spinning a bauble, she cries and her fingers are not in her mouth with saliva, but in her eyes wetting with tears. The old woman saw Yemelyan and shouted at him:

- Why did you come?

Yemelyan gave her a spindle and said that his wife had sent it. Now the old woman softened, began to ask. And Emelyan began to tell all his life how he married a girl, how he moved to the city to live, how they took him to the tsar as a janitors, how he served in the palace, how he built a cathedral and made a river with ships, and how now the tsar ordered him to go there - don't know where, bring that - don't know what.

The old woman listened and stopped crying. She began to mutter to herself:

“The time has come, apparently. Well, okay, - he says, - sit down, son, eat. Emelyan ate, and the old woman began to say to him:

“Here you are,” he says, “a ball. Roll him in front of you and follow him where he will roll. You will go far, to the sea. You will come to the sea, you will see a big city. Enter the city, ask to spend the night in the outer yard. Here you can find what you need.

- How can I, grandmother, recognize him?

- And when you see something that is better than a father, mothers listen, it is what it is. Grab it and bring it to the king. If you bring it to the king, he will tell you that you did not bring what you need. And then you say: “If it’s not right, then it’s necessary to break it,” and hit this thing on this one, and then take it to the river, break it and throw it into the water. Then you will return your wife and dry my tears.

I said goodbye to my grandmother, Emelyan went, rolled a ball. Rolled, rolled - brought his ball to the sea. The city is big by the sea. On the edge of a tall house. Emelyan asked to spend the night in the house. They let me in. Went to sleep. He woke up early in the morning, he heard - the father got up, wakes up his son, sends him to chop firewood. And the son does not obey.

“It’s still early,” he says, “I’ll make it in time.

He hears - the mother from the stove says:

“Go, son, your father’s bones hurt.” Should he go himself? It's time.

The son only smacked his lips and fell asleep again. Just fell asleep, suddenly thundered, crackled something in the street. The son jumped up, dressed and ran out into the street. Yemelyan also jumped up, ran after him to see what was thundering and why the son was better than his father, he obeyed his mother.

Yemelyan ran out, saw a man walking down the street, wearing a round thing on his belly, beating it with sticks. It is she who thunders; her son obeyed. Yemelyan ran up and began to look at the thing. He sees: round, like a tub, covered with skin on both sides. He began to ask what her name was.

“Drum,” they say.

- And what is it - empty?

“Empty,” they say.

Emelyan marveled and began to ask for this thing. They didn't give it to him. Emelyan stopped asking, began to follow the drummer. He walked all day and when the drummer went to bed, Emelyan grabbed the drum from him and ran away with it. He ran, he ran, he came home to his city. I thought to see my wife, but she was gone. The next day they took her to the king.

Emelyan went to the palace, ordered to report about himself: he came, they say, the one who went there - you don’t know where, he brought that - you don’t know what. The king was informed. The Tsar ordered Yemelyan to come tomorrow. He began to ask Emelyan to report again.

The king came out.

“Where,” he says, “have you been?”

He said.

“Not there,” he says. - What did you bring?

I wanted to show Emelyan, but the king did not look.

“Not that,” he says.

- But not that, - he says, - so you need to break it, and to hell with it.

Emelyan came out of the palace with a drum and struck it. As he struck, the entire royal army gathered to Yemelyan. They salute Emelyan, they are waiting for orders from him. The tsar began to shout at his army from the window so that they would not follow Yemelyan. They don’t listen to the tsar, everyone follows Yemelyan. The king saw this, ordered his wife to be brought to Yemelyan and began to ask him to give him the drum.

“I can’t,” says Emelyan. - I, - he says, - was ordered to smash it and throw the pieces into the river.

Emelyan approached the river with a drum, and all the soldiers came for him. Yemelyan struck a drum near the river, broke it into pieces, threw it into the river - and all the soldiers fled. And Emelyan took his wife and took him to his house.

And since then the king stopped disturbing him. And he began to live, to live, to make good, and to live badly.

Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy

Worker Yemelyan and an empty drum

Emelyan lived with the owner as a worker. Once Yemelyan is walking across the meadow to work, lo and behold, a frog is jumping in front of him; almost stepped on her. Emelyan stepped over her. Suddenly he hears: someone is calling him from behind. Yemelyan looked around, saw a beautiful girl standing and said to him:

- What are you, Emelyan, not getting married?

- How can I get married, dear girl? I'm all here, I have nothing, no one will go for me.

And the girl says:

- Marry me!

Emelyan fell in love with the girl.

- I, - he says, - with joy, but where will we live?

“Yes,” the girl says, “what to think about!” If only to work more and sleep less - otherwise we will be dressed and full everywhere.

“Well then,” he says, “okay. We're getting married. Where shall we go?

- Let's go to the city.

Emelyan went with the girl to the city. The girl brought him to a small house, on the edge. They got married and started living.

Once the king rode out of town. Passing by Emelyanov's yard, and Emelyanov's wife came out to see the tsar. The king saw her, was surprised: “Where was such a beauty born?” The king stopped the carriage, called Emelyan's wife, began to ask her:

Who, he says, are you?

“The peasant Emelyan’s wife,” she says.

- Why are you, - he says, - such a beauty, went for a peasant? You should be a queen.

“Thank you,” he says, “on an affectionate word. I'm fine with the man too.

The king spoke to her and went on. Returned to the palace. Emelyanov's wife does not go out of his head. He did not sleep all night, he kept thinking how he could take his wife away from Emelyan. Couldn't figure out how to do it. He called his servants, told them to come up with. And the king's servants said to the king:

- Take you, - they say, - Emelyan to your palace as a worker. We will torture him with work, the wife will remain a widow, then it will be possible to take her.

The tsar did so, sent for Yemelyan to go to him in the royal palace, to be a janitors, and he lived in his yard with his wife.

The ambassadors came, they told Emelyan. The wife says to her husband:

“Well,” he says, “go ahead.” Work during the day and come to me at night.

Emelyan went. Comes to the palace; the royal clerk and asks him:

- Why did you come alone, without a wife?

- Well, I, - he says, - should lead her: she has a house.

They gave Yemelyan a job in the royal court that fit two. Emelyan set to work and did not expect to finish everything. Look, before the evening everything was over. The clerk saw that he had finished, asked him four times for tomorrow.

Emelyan came home. And at his house everything is swept, tidied up, the stove is heated, everything is baked, boiled. The wife is sitting at the camp, weaving, waiting for her husband. Met the husband's wife; gathered dinner, fed, watered; I started asking him about work.

“Yes,” he says, “it’s bad: lessons are beyond my strength, they torture me with work.

- And you, - he says, - do not think about work and do not look back and do not look forward, how much you have done and how much is left. Just work. Everything will be on time.

Emelyan went to bed. The next morning he went again. I got to work and never looked back. Look - by the evening everything is ready, before dark he came home to spend the night.

They began to add more and more work to Emelyan, and Emelyan ends up on time, goes home to spend the night. A week has passed. The tsar's servants see that they cannot pester the peasant with dirty work; began to ask him tricky jobs. And they can't get it. And carpentry, and stone, and roofing work - no matter what they ask - Emelyan does everything by the deadline, he goes to spend the night with his wife. Another week has passed. The king called his servants and said:

“Or am I feeding you free bread?” It's been two weeks and I still don't see anything from you. You wanted to torture Emelyan with work, but I see from the window how he goes home every day, singing songs. Or are you laughing at me?

The royal servants began to make excuses.

“We,” they say, “at first tried with all our might to torture him with dirty work, but you can’t take him with anything. Every business sweeps like a broom, and there is no tiredness in it. We began to ask him tricky tasks, we thought he would not have enough mind; we can't get it either. Where does it come from! It reaches everything, does everything. It is not otherwise than either in himself or in his wife there is witchcraft. He bored us too. Now we want to set him such a task that it would be impossible for him to do it. We came up with the idea to tell him to build a cathedral in one day. Call on Yemelyan and sing to him in one day to build a cathedral against the palace. And if he doesn’t build, then you can cut off his head for disobedience.

The tsar sent for Yemelyan.

“Well,” he says, “here is my order to you: build me a new cathedral opposite the palace on the square, so that by tomorrow evening it will be ready.” If you build it, I'll reward you; if you don't build it, I'll execute you.

Yemelyan listened to the royal speeches, turned around and went home. "Well, I think my end has come now." He came home to his wife and said:

“Well,” he says, “get ready, wife: you have to run anywhere, otherwise we’ll be lost for nothing.”

“Well,” he says, “he’s become so timid that you want to run away?”

- How, - he says, - not to make money? The king ordered me to build a cathedral on the same day tomorrow. And if I don't, he threatens to cut off his head. One thing remains - to run while the time is up.

The wife did not accept these speeches.

- The king has a lot of soldiers, they will be caught everywhere. You won't get away from him. As long as there is power, you must obey.

How can you obey when you can't?

- And ... father! do not grieve, have dinner and go to bed: get up early in the morning, you will have time for everything.

Emelyan went to bed. His wife woke him up.

“Go,” he says, “finish the cathedral as soon as possible; here are nails and a hammer: there you have a day's work left.

Emelyan went to the city, he comes - for sure, the new cathedral is in the middle of the square. A little unfinished. Emelyan began to finish where necessary: ​​by the evening he fixed everything.

The king woke up, looked from the palace, he sees that the cathedral is standing. Yemelyan paces around, nailing carnations here and there. And the tsar is not happy with the cathedral, he is annoyed that there is nothing to execute Emelyan for, his wife cannot be taken away.

Again the king calls his servants:

- Emelyan also fulfilled this task, there is nothing to execute him for. Mala, - says, - and this is his task. You have to think of something smarter. Come up with it, otherwise I'll tell you before it.

And the servants came up with an idea for him to order Emelyan rock to make a river flow around the palace, and ships would sail along it. Tsar called Emelyan, ordered him a new business.

“If you,” he says, “could build a cathedral in one night, then you can do this thing too.” So that tomorrow everything will be ready according to my order. If it's not ready, I'll cut off my head.

Emelyan was even more saddened, he came to his wife gloomy.

- What, - says the wife, - are you sad, or something else that the king ordered?

Yemelyan told her.

“We must run,” she says.

And the wife says:

- You can't run away from the soldiers, they'll catch you everywhere. We must obey.

- How do you listen?

- And ... - he says, - father, do not grieve about anything. Eat dinner and go to bed. And get up early, everything will be fine.

Emelyan went to bed. In the morning his wife woke him up.

“Go,” he says, “to the palace, everything is ready.” Only at the pier, opposite the palace, the hillock remained; take a spade, level it.

Emelyan went; comes to town; there is a river around the palace, ships float. Emelyan approached the pier opposite the palace, saw that it was an uneven place, and began to level it.

The king woke up, he sees - a river where there was none; ships float on the river, and Emelyan smoothes the hillock with a spade. The king was horrified; and he is not happy with the river and the ships, but he is annoyed that Yemelyan cannot be executed. He thinks to himself: “There is no such task that he would not do. How to be now?

He called his servants, began to think with them.

“Think up,” he says, “a task for me that Emelyan could not do. And whatever we invented, he did everything, and I can’t take his wife away from him.

Thought, thought the courtiers and came up with. They came to the king and said:

- You need to call Emelyan and say: go there - you don’t know where, and bring that - you don’t know what. Here he can't get away. Wherever he goes, you will say that he went the wrong way; and whatever he brings, you will say that he did not bring what he needed. Then you can execute him and take his wife.

The king rejoiced.

- This, - he says, - you cleverly came up with.

The king sent for Yemelyan and said to him:

- Go there - don't know where, bring that - don't know what. If you don't, I'll cut off your head.

Emelyan came to his wife and said that the king had told him. The wife thought.

“Well,” he says, “they taught the king on his head. Now you have to be smart.

She sat, sat, the wife thought and began to say to her husband:

- You need to go far, to our grandmother to an old, peasant, soldier's mother, you need to ask her favor. And if you get a thing from her, go straight to the palace, and I'll be there. Now I can't get past their hands. They will take me by force, but only for a short time. If you do everything as your grandmother tells you, you will soon help me out.

The husband's wife gathered it, gave him a purse and gave him a spindle.

“This,” he says, “give it to her.” By this she will know that you are my husband.

Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy

Emelyan lived with the owner as a worker. Once Yemelyan is walking across the meadow to work, lo and behold, a frog is jumping in front of him; almost stepped on her. Emelyan stepped over her. Suddenly he hears: someone is calling him from behind. Yemelyan looked around, saw a beautiful girl standing and said to him:

- What are you, Emelyan, not getting married?

- How can I get married, dear girl? I'm all here, I have nothing, no one will go for me.

And the girl says:

- Marry me!

Emelyan fell in love with the girl.

- I, - he says, - with joy, but where will we live?

“Yes,” the girl says, “what to think about!” If only to work more and sleep less - otherwise we will be dressed and full everywhere.

“Well then,” he says, “okay. We're getting married. Where shall we go?

- Let's go to the city.

Emelyan went with the girl to the city. The girl brought him to a small house, on the edge. They got married and started living.

Once the king rode out of town. Passing by Emelyanov's yard, and Emelyanov's wife came out to see the tsar. The king saw her, was surprised: “Where was such a beauty born?” The king stopped the carriage, called Emelyan's wife, began to ask her:

Who, he says, are you?

“The peasant Emelyan’s wife,” she says.

- Why are you, - he says, - such a beauty, went for a peasant? You should be a queen.

“Thank you,” he says, “on an affectionate word. I'm fine with the man too.

The king spoke to her and went on. Returned to the palace. Emelyanov's wife does not go out of his head. He did not sleep all night, he kept thinking how he could take his wife away from Emelyan. Couldn't figure out how to do it. He called his servants, told them to come up with. And the king's servants said to the king:

- Take you, - they say, - Emelyan to your palace as a worker. We will torture him with work, the wife will remain a widow, then it will be possible to take her.

The tsar did so, sent for Yemelyan to go to him in the royal palace, to be a janitors, and he lived in his yard with his wife.

The ambassadors came, they told Emelyan. The wife says to her husband:

“Well,” he says, “go ahead.” Work during the day and come to me at night.

Emelyan went. Comes to the palace; the royal clerk and asks him:

- Why did you come alone, without a wife?

- Well, I, - he says, - should lead her: she has a house.

They gave Yemelyan a job in the royal court that fit two. Emelyan set to work and did not expect to finish everything. Look, before the evening everything was over. The clerk saw that he had finished, asked him four times for tomorrow.

Emelyan came home. And at his house everything is swept, tidied up, the stove is heated, everything is baked, boiled. The wife is sitting at the camp, weaving, waiting for her husband. Met the husband's wife; gathered dinner, fed, watered; I started asking him about work.