XXXIII.—THE LIME-TREE.
One evening Vanyusha (Johnny) was sitting with his grandfather,
and asked his grandfather: `Whence comes it that
bears' paws are like our hands and feet?' His grandfather
replied: `Listen, Johnny. I will tell you what I have
myself heard from ancient people. Ancient people said
bears were like human beings, like us orthodox Christians.
In a certain village there lived a poor cottager. His cottage
was wretched; he had no pony; a cow he never even
thought of; he had no firewood. Winter came, and it was
cold in his unwarmed room. The cottager took his axe,
and went with it into the wood. An enchanted tree—a
lime-tree—presented itself to his sight. He struck it with
his axe, and now to cut it down; but the lime-tree addressed
him in human speech: "I will give you all that you want.
If you have no riches, if you have no wife, I will give you
all." The peasant said: "Very good, mother, if you make
me richer than any of the peasants. But I have no pony,
no cow, and my cottage is wretched." The lime-tree said:
"Go home; all shall be yours." The peasant went. A new
house was his: fences of stout boards, horses that were
ready to fly, and store-rooms full of corn. The cottager was
not satisfied, because his wife was not handsomer. What
was to be done? "I'll go off quick to Mother Lime-tree."
He took his axe, and went off into the wood.
`He went into the wood to the lime-tree, and struck it
with his axe. "What do you want?" "Mother Lime-tree,
among mankind there are wives and wives, but mine is such
a disagreeable one. Do me a service: give me a handsome
wife." The lime-tree said: "Go home." The peasant went.
His wife came to meet him—such a beauty—blood and
milk, and store-rooms full of everything good. Well, the
cottager began to live comfortably with his young wife, and
thought: "It is a fine thing for us to live possessed of
riches, but we're under a superior authority. Is it impossible
for me to be the superior authority myself?" He
thought it over with his wife. He went again to the enchanted
lime-tree.
`He went into the wood, he struck it with his axe. "What
do you want, peasant?" "What, indeed, Mother Lime-tree!
It's a fine thing for us to live in possession of riches; but
we're under a superior authority. Is it impossible for me to
be head-borough myself?" "Very well: go home; all shall
be yours." No sooner had the cottager got home, when a
letter came for him—"The cottager was to be head-borough."
The cottager got used to living as head-borough, and
thought to himself: "It's a fine thing to be head-borough,
but all is under the control of the lord of the manor. Is it
impossible for me to be the lord myself?" He considered
the matter with his wife, they consulted together, and he
went off again to the lime-tree.
`He went up to it, and struck it with his axe. The tree
asked him: "What do you want?" "Thanks to you, mother,
for all; but how not to doff my cap before the lord, to
become the lord myself?" "What is to be done with you?
Go home; it shall all be yours." Scarcely had he got home,
when up drove the lord-lieutenant, and brought him a letter
from the king, that "he was to be a gentleman." It was
advantageous to be a gentleman. He began to give entertainments
and banquets. "It's a fine thing to be a gentleman,
but without an official position! Was it impossible for
him to become an official?" They thought and talked
it over. He went off to the lime-tree and struck it
with his axe. "What do you want, peasant?" "I thank
you, mother, for all; but is it impossible for me to be an
official?" "Well, then, go home!" No sooner had he got
home, when a royal letter arrived—he was invested with
orders. "It's a fine thing to be decorated, but all is under
the control of the lord-lieutenant. Is it impossible for me to be
lord-lieutenant myself?" He thought it over with his wife,
went off into the wood to the enchanted tree, the lime-tree.
`He came to the lime-tree and struck it with his axe. It
said: "What do you want, peasant? With what are you
discontented?" "I thank you, mother, for everything; but
is it impossible for me to be lord-lieutenant myself, and to
have a rich patrimony?" "It is difficult to effect this. But
what is to be done with you? Go home!" The cottager
had scarcely got home, when a letter arrived—the cottager
was to be lord-lieutenant, and was presented with an estate
of inheritance. The cottager became used to living as lord-lieutenant—indeed,
by descent, he was not a peasant. "It's
a fine thing for me to live as lord-lieutenant, but all is under
the control of the king." He considered; he went off into
the wood to the enchanted tree, the lime-tree.
`He came to it, and struck it with his axe. The tree
inquired: "What do you want?" "All is excellent; I
thank you for all; but is it impossible for me to be king
myself?' The lime-tree began to try to persuade him.
"Foolish man, for what are you asking? Consider what
you were, and what you have become. From a cottager you
have become a man of high rank and everything; but an
emperor[4]
is chosen by God." The lime-tree endeavoured
to persuade him with all manner of arguments that he had
better not make the request, but all in vain. The cottager
would not budge, but insisted that it should make him
emperor. The lime-tree said to him: "It is impossible to
effect this, and it will not be done; you will lose, too, what
you have already obtained!" But the cottager still insisted.
The lime-tree said: "Become a bear, and your wife a she-bear!"
And he became a bear, and she a she-bear. They
went off bears.'
The grandson inquired: `Grandfather, can this be a true
story?' `In reality 'tis a fable. Do not desire what is impossible;
be content with a little. If you desire much, you
will lose what you have obtained.'
