Vasilisa the Beautiful

                                 the Fair

                                             the Brave

The woman gave her daughter a last kiss and died. (Don’t be afraid)

Father was a good man, was a handsome man, 

was a good handsome man who many young girls would be glad to marry.

(Many young girls)

He chose a widow

Thought she would be a good housekeeper, a good mother, 

A good housekeeper mother widow wife whom he liked most of all

(He was wrong)

He gave his daughter a cruel stepmother.

 

Vasilisa the most Beautiful girl in the village

                                                                the most Beautiful

           (Many young girls) 

Her stepmother and her stepsisters were very envious of her. (Cruel)

They tormented the girl, the most Beautiful girl,

tormented the most beautiful girl to grow thin and ugly in the wind and sun.

(More and more Beautiful every day)

Many young men wanted to marry her 

Nobody wanted to look at her stepsisters.

Nobody wanted to look at the cruel envious stepsisters of the most Beautiful girl

(Many young men and Many young girls)

The stepmother decided to kill the girl.

 

They shoved Vasilia out of the house into the dense forest late at night 

                                  Vasilia the most Beautiful

                                                              Vasilia the most Afraid

                                                                                            (Don’t be afraid)

They shoved Vasilia into the thick forest into the dark. (They needed light)

Vasilia the most Beautiful the most Afraid walked all night, walked all day 

Walked all night and all day beautiful and afraid until she came to Baba Yaga’s hut.

(Malicious witch!)

(Ate people just like chicken) 

(Consumed)/(Devoured)/(Nothing but bones)

Baba Yaga’s hut with a fence made of human bones 

Baba Yaga’s hut with a fence crowned with human skulls

Baba Yaga’s hut with no gate but the bones of men's arms with no lock but a set of sharp teeth. 

(Don’t be afraid)

Soon the girl heard a horrible noise.

 

Vasilia the Beautiful heard the trees creak

Heard the dead leaves crunch

Heard the earth tremble

There was Baba-Yaga riding in a mortar. (Malicious witch!)

Baba Yaga the malicious witch who ate people just like chicken

Who devoured who consumed who left nothing but bones flew up to the gate 

(Bones of men’s arms)

Baba Yaga sniffed the air

Baba Yaga cried

Baba Yaga devoured consumed left nothing but bones flew sniffed cried

(Malicious witch) 

“I smell human beings! Who is there?”

 

 Vasilisa the most Beautiful 

                                           the most Afraid

                                                                  the Human being

Vasilisa trembled with fear and answered. (Don’t be afraid)

“I don’t dare to speak, but if you don’t mind I’d like to ask you some questions.”

Like to don’t dare to don’t mind don’t speak don’t mind like to ask some questions

(Keep her mouth shut)

Baba Yaga the malicious witch smoked

Baba Yaga the malicious witch shouted

Baba Yaga the malicious witch said “You may ask me if you want, but remember that not every question has a good answer.”

(The more one knows, the sooner one grows old.)

Vasilisa decided to keep her mouth shut.

 

The old woman kicked Vasilisa out of the hut with the fence made of human bones with the fence crowned with human skulls

The old woman pushed Vasilisa out through the gate through the bones of men’s arms 

The old woman gave Vasilisa a skull with blazing eyes a skull from the fence on a stick 

"Here's light for your stepmother and her daughters. That's what you came here for, isn't it?"

(Nothing but bones)

The girl the most Beautiful girl carried the skull with blazing eyes through the thick dense forest through the dark night to her cruel stepmother and envious stepsisters.

The girl carried the skull in and it fixed its eyes on the stepmother and her two daughters and burnt them like fire.

They tried to hide, but the eyes followed them and never let them out of their sight. By the morning these three turned into three heaps of ash on the floor. 

(They needed light)

Vasilisa remained unharmed. 

 

 

Vasilisa the Beautiful

                                 the Fair

                                             the Brave

 

Vasilisa went to the palace to meet the Tsar. (Many young men)

The Tsar saw Vasilia the Beautiful, the most Beautiful

The Tsar saw the most Beautiful most Afraid young girl and fell in love.

(Many young girls)

He asked her to be his wife 

Thought she would be a good Tsarina, a good mother, 

A good Tsarina mother widow wife whom he liked most of all

(Don’t be afraid)

They married the next day. 

The girls are young and Beautiful and afraid

The women are old and envious and cruel 

(Malicious witch!)

The girls become the wives and mothers and housekeepers and widows of the many young men

The women get burned like fire into heaps of ash on the floor

Heaps of ash to be swept by younger, more Beautiful, more afraid housekeeper mother widow wives

The more one knows, the sooner one grows old.

(Nothing but bones)