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Dobrynya and the Adventure of the
Pavilion
AS young Dobrynya Nikitich roamed the open
plain on a day, he came to a damp oak,
whereon sat a black raven. Dobrynya
drew his bow from its case, fitted to the cord a
flaming arrow, and made ready to shoot the raven.
But the bird addressed him in human language:
"Now aï, Dobrynya Nikitich! Slay me not,
and I will reveal all things to thee. The children
in the streets have a proverb: `In killing a graybeard
there is no salvation, and none shall receive
profit from shooting a raven.' With the blue
plumes of a raven may no man solace himself,
and my flesh thou canst not eat."
Half the raven's wings were white; and he said:
"Aï, Dobrynya Nikitich! Go thou to the lofty
mountain; for there be three wondrous marvels,
three marvellous damsels. The first is a wonder
of white whiteness, the second is redly beautiful,
the third a black marvel of darkness."
Dobrynya reflected then in haste, and replied
to the raven: "What thou hast said of the old
man and the raven is true." Then he put aside
his dart, and thought: "Better is it that I should
go to the lofty mountain, to yon steep hill, and
view those three wondrous marvels, those three
marvellous damsels."
So he turned his good steed in haste, quickly,
quickly, very, very quickly, and with speed, and
rode to that lofty mountain. And as he gazed
about him, lo! there stood a pavilion of white
linen. On the pavilion was a lock of damascened
steel, and upon the lock this writing: "Whoso
entereth this pavilion, shall not issue thence
alive."
Dobrynya's heroic heart burned within him
when he read that, and he smote the lock with
his fist, so that the lock fell upon the damp earth.
Within the pavilion, he beheld tables set and
viands thereon, and he entered. Much as the
youth ate and drank, even more did he fling upon
the ground, pour out and trample under foot.
Then the youth lay down to sleep, and as he
slept and took his ease, he wist not of the peril
hanging over him.
From afar in the open plain came Alyosha
Popovich riding, and gazed upon that sight. More
had been cast down, poured out and trampled
under foot, than had been eaten. Then was
Alyosha very wroth, and his heroic heart burned
within him. He grasped his sharp-pointed spear,
and would have pierced Dobrynya's white breast;
but he reflected:
"No honour shall I win, nor youthful praise, if
I slay a sleeping man, who is no better than a
dead one. Rather will I mount Dobrynya's good
steed, and fight and contend with this Dobrynya
on his own good steed."
So Alyosha mounted, and smote Dobrynya with
the butt end of his spear. Thereupon the hero
awakened from his sleep, and sprang quickly forth
in his fine white shirt without a girdle, and without
his shoes, grasped his heroic mace, and they two
began to fight. Dobrynya leaped about on foot,
they contended eating nothing, all day they fought
drinking nothing. Two more days and nights they
fought.
Then came a clap of thunder, and mother earth
began to quiver. When Ilya of Murom the Old
Kazák heard that, he pondered: "'Tis Russian
heroes in battle. Where contend they now, and
fight?"
In haste he saddled his good steed, Cloudfall,
with girth upon girth, saddlecloth on saddlecloth,
felt on felt, and over all his little Cherkessian
saddle, with its girth of silk, saying to himself:
"Not for dainty beauty is this, brothers, but for
heroic strength."—They saw the good youth as he
mounted, as he rode they saw him not nor knew
whither his course was directed.
When Ilya came to the lofty mountain, he
beheld young Dobrynya and bold Alyosha in
combat. Then he seized Dobrynya in his right
hand, bold Alyosha in his left, and shouted at the
top of his voice: "Why contend ye, mighty
Russian heroes?"
Alyosha answered: "Ah, thou Old Kazák,
Ilya of Murom! How could I refrain from fighting?
The tables were all laid in my pavilion, and
viands set thereon; and this Dobrynya Nikitich
cast to the earth and trampled under foot as much
as he ate and drank, so that I was ashamed for
the youth."
"I thank thee, Alyosha," spoke Ilya, "for
defending thine own." And to Dobrynya he said:
"And thou, Dobrynya Nikitich, my cross-brother
in arms, why contendest thou?"
"Ilya of Murom, my brother in arms, Old
Kazák! How was it possible not to fight? For
this dog and robber had a lying inscription written:
thence alive,' and I desired to remain alive."
"I thank thee, Dobrynya," quoth the Old
Kazák, "for that thou hast entered boldly into
the dwelling of a stranger."
And yet more said little Ilya:
"Calm now your heroic hearts, and call each
other brother in arms, and swear brotherhood, with
exchanging of crosses." Then he flattered and persuaded
them, and they began not again to fight
and contend, but swore brotherhood on the cross:
Dobrynya called himself the elder brother, and
Alyosha called himself the younger. And so they
parted and came to Kief town.
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