The Adventures of Ivan the Stable Lad
In a faraway kingdom,
Over the great green sea,
A King had an orchard
And the orchard had a tree.
The tree it bore apples
And golden apples were they!
So, the King was furious
When the fruits got stolen one day.
Ivan, the stable lad,
Was called in by the King,
“Guard my orchard and to me
The thief you must bring.”
The thief ’twas a Firebird
As Ivan saw one night,
He could only get at its plumes
As it swiftly took toflight.
The King he sent poor Ivan
In search of the thief bird,
On his way Ivan met a wolf
He had never seen or heard.
The great grey wolf, he advised,
“Mix bread and cheese with beer,
Then you’ll catch with much ease
The magic bird so dear.”
The Firebird was soon
Caught in Ivan’s sack.
The wolf, he ran to the king
With Ivan on his back.
The King, he had heard
Of a princess very fair.
So, to seek the fair maiden,
Was our Ivan’s new dare.
Beyond the seas, inside a castle,
He found the lovely amid,
Did I forget to tell you that
The wolf had come to aid?
The princess, she was beautiful!
Her love, Ivan had won,
On hearing this, the wolf, he said,
“I know what should be done!”
The wolf, he played a nasty trick,
Into maiden did he turn!
With him was the King to wed
So Ivan’s heart wouldn’t burn.
The King was glad to see his bride,
He said, “This is my Queen,
Watch me wed the one with
Whom I shall now reign.”
The King, he placed his royal kiss
And thought it was very bold-
But when the bride became a wolf
The royal heart, it grew cold.
On kissing a wolf and not his bride
The King turned stiff as a rock.
And I think you’ll be glad to know
The King, he died of shock.
Ivan, now the king himself
Set the Firebird free,
Who flew away and never he came
Near the golden apple tree.
I sit alone and sigh aloud,
“Of the great wolf, what became?”
As Ivan weds his love, I say,
“I forgot to ask his name!”
NOTE: This poem is based on a legend from the mythologies of Central and Eastern Europe about the magical Firebird. The princess mentioned here is called Yelelna the Fair. I have given the tale a new feel by putting it in verses.
Date: 22nd Sept, 2006.
