The king's widow and the clever servant

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A certain king died and his wife was left a widow. She forbade all bad language in the kingdom. And she sought a servant who would serve her and would not use any bad language at all. There were three brothers. They were very poor, as their father had died. One of them, the oldest, said:

"Mama, I shall go to the queen to serve her"

However, the queen let it be known: "If anyone comes to me and uses foul language, he shall be shot immediately."

The mother said to her son:

"Dear son, don't go. The queen has made such a statement. If you're tricked into saying something, she will shoot you."

"I won't, mother, I won’t say anything. I am going."

He couldn't stand the poverty and so he left. However, the queen put him in a carriage and took him for a ride to show him the work. Along the road they met a mare and a stallion. And the stallion had mounted the mare.

"What is that?"

"A mare."

"And what is that?"

"A stallion."

"What are they doing?"

He told her: "They're making it." And they continued. There was a sow in the road and a boar was riding her. Again, the queen asked him:

"What is that?"

"A sow."

"And what is that?"

"A boar."

"What are they doing?"

Again, he told her what they were doing. So, again they continued. They met a cow and a bull. "What is that?" asked the queen.

"A cow."

"And what is that?"

"A bull."

"What are they doing?"

"They're making it."

And she brought him back and shot him, killed him with a gun. He had used bad language. However, now the middle brother said:

"You went, my brother, they killed you, but now I shall go. Mama, they won't fool me. He goes to the queen. And she does the same with him. She puts him in a coach and they go along and when they come upon some thing on the road, and she asks him about it, and she brings him back, and she shoots him. And the third - the youngest says:

"And I shall go, too, but they won’t shoot me."

And so he goes. And when he gets there she puts him in a wagon and they met with the same sights. In front of them are the mare and stallion. The queen says:

"What is that?"

"A mare."

"And that?"

"A shepherd. He is guarding the mare so she may graze so that she doesn't do any damage." Then they met with the sow and boar.

"What is that?"

"A sow."

"And that?"

"A swineherd. He is guarding here so that no harm comes in these fields. The swineherd is letting her graze."

They go on and there is the cow and the bull.

"What is that?"

"A cow."

"That?"

"An ox herd."

Again he said nothing shameful. She turned to him and said:

"You're for me. This is the bath. I sleep in this room. Go get undressed, naked as the day you were born, bathe, and come to me in this room." Now he wondered what he had gotten himself into, what would happen to him, since she's making him go to her naked. And he has to, a royal command – she’s the queen. He bathed and went there, he went a little and then stopped, he was very much afraid. The queen calls out:

"Come in, come in!"

He entered and there she was naked - in the bed. "Come over here," says the queen.

He goes and she takes his hand, places it on her face.

What's this?"

"God's face."

"And here, a little lower?"

"Heavenly fruits."

But then the queen places his hand a little lower:

"What is this?"

"A meadow."

"And in the meadow, what's this?"

"A spring."

And he didn't dare say anything shameful. Again the queen questions him. And she puts a hand on him.

"What is this?"

"Oh, it's God's face."

"This?"

"Heavenly fruits."

"This?"

"A horse."

"And this under the horse?"

"Saddle bags."

"But say, what do you feed this horse?"

"Mostly I pasture him in fields, but I also give him a little hay."

"But would he like to graze in my meadow?"

"How would I know? If he likes the grass!"

"Well, let him!"

He lets it graze in the meadow. But it won’t graze, it only slips around.

"Well, and why won’t it graze?" says the queen.

"Perhaps it wants to drink some water."

"Let it go into the spring to drink some water."

And he let it into the spring to drink some water and she embraced him.

"You will be the one for me. Let everyone do the work that he knows how to do."

From then on, everything in the world was liberated; all the people were made free.