Folk Tale

Snegurushka and the Fox

Translated From

Снегурушка и лиса

AuthorАлександр Афанасьев
Book TitleНародные Русские Сказки
Publication Date1855
LanguageRussian
TitleSnegurushka and the Fox
Original TitleСнегурушка и лиса
Original AuthorАлександр Афанасьев
Original IDtrans-2958.xml
Language codeeng

There once was an old man and an old women who had a granddaughter named Segurushka. One summer’s day Segurushka went into the forest with her friends to pick berries. They walked from tree to tree, shrub to shrub gathering up the berries. After some time Segurushka fell behind and her friends called halloo, halloo but Segurushka didn’t hear them so she got lost. It became dark and her friends unable to find her returned home. Realizing that she was along Segurushka climbed a tree and began to cry as she sang:

“Ay, Ay, Segurushka, Ay, Ay my dear Grandfather and grandmother had a daughter Segurushka. With her friends she went into the woods and was left.

After some time a bear came and asked her why she was crying. “Oh father medvedushka, I was lured into the woods by my friends who have left,” Segurushka told the bear. “Come down and I’ll take you home,” the bear offered. “No I’m afraid you’ll eat me!’ So the bear left and once more Segurushka began to cry.

Ay, Ay, Segurushka, Ay, Ay, Dear one.

A wolf came along and asked her why she was crying. “Oh gray wolf my friends have left me in the woods,” Segurushka told the wolf. “Come down and I’ll take you home,” the wolf offered. “No, you’ll eat me!” Segurushka cried. So the wolf left and once more Segurushka began to cry:

Ay, ay, Segurushka, Ay, ay, my dear.

Along came a fox and asked her why she was crying. “Oh fox olisava, I was left in the woods by my friends,” Segurushka told the fox. “Come down and I’ll take you home,” the fox offered. So Segurushka climbed down and sat on the foxes back who ran with her to her house where he used his tail to knock on the gate. “Who’s their?” Segurushka’s granddaughter asked. “Ibrought your granddaughter Segurushka,” the fox Lisa answered. “Oh our dear, dear, Lisa-olisava,” Segurushka’s grandparents cried in gratitude to the fox. “Come in come in, how can we ever repay you.” So happy were they that they brought the fox milk, eggs, cottage cheese and gave her a hen as she left.


Text view