University of Virginia Library

Churilo Plenkovich, the Fop

IN royal Kief town, courteous Prince Vladimir
held a great feast. The day declined, the
feast waxed merry, and Prince Vladimir
solaced himself greatly. Then strange people
thrust themselves into his presence,—one hundred
young men, and a second hundred and yet a third
of bold youths. All were beaten and wounded,
their turbulent heads all bruised with cudgels and
bound about with their girdles. They touched
their foreheads to the earth, and made complaint:

"Our light, our lord, Prince Vladimir! As we
rode upon the plain, beside Soroga river, across the
royal fens, we found no living thing: neither fierce
roving beast nor flying bird. We found but three
hundred youths; their steeds were Latinsky,[1] their
kaftans of damask, their surcoats of scarlet, their
caps had golden crowns. They set snares of silk
in thy pine forests for the black sables and the
martens, drove the foxes and the white foreign
hares from their burrows: they shot the aurochs
and stag, and us they beat and wounded. And
thou, lord, hast no booty and we no guerdon,
and our wives and children are deprived of their
protectors;—for we must wander through the
world, for lack of food."

Vladimir, prince of royal Kief town, ate, drank,
and made merry, and heeded not their petition.
And this host had not departed from the court
when another host arrived, three hundred youths,
five hundred youths, all fishermen, all beaten and
wounded sore, their tempestuous heads bound with
girdles, for the cudgel blows. They also did lowly
reverence to bright Prince Vladimir, and made
complaint, in like fashion to the first. They had
traversed the lakes and rivers and royal ponds,
and had taken nothing, but had espied five hundred
youths catching white-fish, pikes, carps, and lesser
fishes, so that the Prince could get nothing. They,
receiving therefore no payment save a cudgelling
from those bold youths, would be forced to roam
the world for a livelihood.

To this complaint Vladimir paid no more heed
than to the first, but continued to eat, drink, and
make merry. This company had not quitted the
courtyard when two more appeared, the royal
falconers and hawkers, with their turbulent heads
all broken and bound up. These made complaint
that in all the open plains, royal fens and pleasure
isles, they could espy neither hawk nor falcon, nor
aught but a thousand men, who rode hither and
thither, catching bright sparrow-hawks and white
noble falcons. And these men, who had assaulted
and wounded the royal falconers, were called
Churilo's[2] body-guard.

While the falconers still stood in the royal
presence, came merchants and gardeners, and told
how Churilo's wild guards had plucked up all their
garlic and onions, broken all their white cabbages,
and insulted all the young damsels and the young
men of Kief.

This word touched Prince Vladimir, and he

inquired of them: "Who is this Churilo?" Old
Bermyag Vasilievich stepped forth.

"Lord, I have known Churilo this long while;
he dwelleth not in Kief, but in Little Kief.[3] His
palace covereth seven versts; about it standeth an
iron fence; upon each paling thereof is a knob,
and that knob is a pure, round pearl. In the
midst of the courtyard stand halls, chambers of
white oak, hung with gray beaver skins; and the
ceilings thereof are hung with black sables, and
the centre beam is covered with leather. The
floor of his own bower, the space about the oven,
is of pure silver, the hooks and hasps of damascened
steel. His first gates are of carven oak, the second
all crystal, the third of tin. All his thresholds are
of precious fishes' teeth, and all his ovens of tiles."

When Vladimir heard that, he arrayed himself
in haste, and commanded a journey. With him
he took his Princess, his nobles and mighty heroes,
Dobrynya Nikitich, and old Bermyag Vasilievich,
summoned five hundred men, and set out for
Churilo Plenkovich's court.

Old Plenko came to meet them. For the Prince
and Princess he opened his gates of carved work,
for the princes and nobles those of crystal, for the
common folk the tin. Then old Plenko the silk-merchant
led Vladimir and the Princess Apraxia
to a richly patterned chamber, to another of
crystal, and a third of lattice work, and so to the
golden-domed tower where all was heavenly with
sun and moon, stars innumerable and white dawns.

In the fair hall he seated them at tables richly
decked, and assigned fitting places to the princes
and nobles. Then the cunning cooks fetched
sweet viands and mead, and all sorts of liquors

from beyond the sea, to give mirth to the princes.
Joyful was their converse, and cheerful the
day.

Prince Vladimir pulled aside the little lattice
window by which he sat with his Princess; and as
they gazed forth upon the open plain, they saw a
hundred good youths come riding from afar, from
mother Soroga river.

The youths' good steeds were all of one matched
colour, their bits alike of bronze, their kaftans all
of scarlet cloth with streaming girdles. The shoes
upon their feet were of green morocco, the tips
awl-like, the heels sharp; under the heels small
sparrows might hop and flutter, over the insteps,
an egg might roll.

Then Prince Vladimir inquired of Plenko
whether it were his son thus riding, and the old
silk-merchant made answer, smiling:

"Nay, these be Churilo's cooks, who make his
green wine."

When that throng had entered the court,
another of five hundred came riding from the
plain, all mounted alike and apparelled.

Again Vladimir inquired of Plenko whether this
might be Churilo and his guard; and old Plenko
made answer that these were but Churilo's stewards
who served his table. When this troop had
entered, a third a thousand strong came from afar,
and in their midst a goodly youth, fairer than they
all. His locks were like a field of gold with silvery
sheen, his neck like the white snows; his cheeks
outdid the poppy in hue; like the clear falcon's
gleamed his eyes, his brows were like black sables,
his little feet were wondrous small:—their traces
on fresh fallen snow could not be told from those
of the white ermine or the hare. Beneath his
mantle of rich sables, he was clad in green samite,

with carven buttons of red gold, in fashion like to
apples of Siberia.

Lightly rode that host; beneath them the soft
grass bent not, the azure flowerets broke not.

From horse to horse sprang that fair youth,
from the third horse and past the fourth, hurling
high his spear to heaven, as it had been a swan's
feather, and catching it hand over hand: as he
leaped also, he snatched the good youths' caps
from their heads, and placed them upon others.

"A misfortune hath come upon me for my
sins!" cried Prince Vladimir. "Lo! I am far
from home, and there rideth hither to me a King
from the horde, or some threatening ambassador,
to sue for my fair niece Beauty.[4]

But old Plenko poured him a cup of wine, saying:
"Fear not, Prince Vladimir! 'Tis but my
son Churilo with his guard. When he shall stand
before thee, lord, this feast will be but half a
feast, this banquet will seem but poor."

Then all began again to eat and drink and
make merry, sitting without thought or care. In
the court the white day had drawn to even, the
fair red sun was sunk in the west, ere Churilo
arrived. Yet before him was borne a canopy, that
the sun might not scorch his white face.

Old Plenko went forth upon the railed balcony
behind the hall, and cried: "Aï, Churilo Plenkovich!
thou hast here in they hall a much-loved
guest, Fair Sun Vladimir of royal Kief. What
wilt thou now set before him, what gifts bestow
upon him?"

Now Churilo was quick-witted and crafty. He
took his golden keys, went to his iron-bound coffers,
and drew thence great treasure of black sables,
and a mantle of precious sables, soft and feathery

beneath rich samite from beyond the sea, for Prince
Vladimir, fine white damask, in value a hundred
thousand roubles, for the Princess Apraxia. To
each noble he gave little foxes of the cavern, to
every merchant, marten skins, and to the common
folk, much gold.

Vladimir accepted these gifts, and said:

"Though the complaints against Churilo were
many, yet are his offerings still greater. And now
I will not give judgment against him."

And to Churilo he said: "Young Churilo
Plenkovich, it is not fitting that thou shouldst
dwell in the country. Wilt thou not come to
Kief, and serve me as a seneschal and cupbearer?"

Though some buy off misfortune, Churilo purchased
ill-luck at great cost. Yet he rebelled not,
but ordered them to saddle his steed in haste, and
all rode back to Kief, so that all maids and wives
gazed and marvelled as they passed through the
streets.

Then that bright lord, Prince Vladimir, made a
great feast for his new steward. Churilo laid the
oaken tables, and as he shook back his golden
curls, they fell apart as fair round pearls do that roll
asunder; and as young Princess Apraxia was
carving the swan, she cut her right hand, and
said:

"Marvel not at this, ye gentlewomen, for I gaze
upon Churilo's beauty, upon his yellow curls, his
golden ring, and my clear eyes are troubled! Fair
my lord, Prince Vladimir, make Churilo thy groom
of the chambers. Let him spread the downy
feather-bed, place the high cushion, and sit by
thy pillow to play upon his gusly of maple-wood,
and solace thee."

Then Vladimir told Churilo that thus it must
be; for some buy off misfortune, but Churilo

purchased his. So he performed the varied service
of groom of the chambers, to the great solace of
Prince Vladimir and his Princess, young Apraxia.

When Vladimir made a feast, he sent young
Churilo to bid the princes and nobles, and from
each guest he commanded him to take ten roubles
for himself. And as the goodly youth passed
through the streets upon his errand, shaking back
his yellow curls like fair round pearls, nuns turned
in their cells to gaze upon his beauty, young maids
tore off their kokoshniks[5] in admiration.

Then the Princess Apraxia spoke to courteous
Prince Vladimir: "Fair lord, this service befitteth
Churilo not."

Vladimir perceived that misfortune was come
upon him, and spoke this word then to Churilo:

"Dwell thou in a cell, Churilo Plenkovich, or
depart now to thine own house, for in my palace
I have no longer need of thee."

Then Churilo bowed low in reverence, and went
forth from the palace, from Kief town, and came
to the Puchai river, where he began again to dwell
in mirth and pleasure.