Themes

Once upon a time there lived, in the far-famed City of Novgorod, a wealthy merchant named Sadko. The had been when Sadko owned naught save a sweet-sounding gusla. He would take it with him to play at feasts and entertain the guests, and it was thus that he earned his livelihood. Now, a day came when Sadko received not summons to a feast, nor was he summoned the next day, nor the next. Sadko was woebegone. And he went in his grief to Lake Ilmen, and sate on a solitary white rock overhanging the smooth waters, and took up his sweet-sounding gusla and began to play. The lake heaved up, and towering waves fear. He left the lake and hied him to his home in the City of Novgorod. Once again Sadko received no summons to a feast. Sadko was woebegone. Once again he went in his grief to Lake Ilmen, and sate on the solitary white rock overhanging the smooth waters, and took up his sweet-sounding gusla, and began to play. The lake heaved up, and towering waves appeared. Sadko was seized with fear. He left the lake and hied him to his home in the City of Novgorod. Yet again Sadko received no summons to a feast. Sadko was woebegone. And he went in his grief to Lake Ilmen, and sate on the solitary white rock overhanging the smooth waters, and took up his sweet-sounding gusla, and began to play. The lake heaved up, and towering waves appeared, and the Sea King arose from the waters. He came out of the lake and spake thus: "Hail to thee, Sadko of Novgorod! I know not now to thank thee for thy sweet music, for the delight thou hast afforded me, and the joy. Wilt thou that I bestow upon thee wealth untold? Then hie thee to the City of Novgorod and lay a wager with the rich merchants that in Lake Ilmen there are fish with fins of gold. Thou mayst stake thy head thereon, and require of them that they forfeit their shops and merchandise should they lose. And when they take up thy wager, weave a silken net and hie thee hither to Lake Ilmen. I shall give thee three large fishes with fins of gold. Oh, then Sadko, thou shalt know happiness." Sadko departed from Lake Ilmen and returned to the City of Novgorod. There he was summoned to play at a feast. He took up his sweet- sounding gusla and began to play. The merchants brought him goblets of heady wine. Sadko quaffed the wine, and in his cups, he boasted thus: "Oh, ye merchants of Novgorod! I ken a wonder of wonders - in Lake Ilmen there are fish with fins of gold!" The merchant of Novgorod answered in these words: "Thou canst no such wonder, there can be no fish in Lake Ilmen with fins of gold." "Oh, ye merchants of Novgorod!" quoth Sadko in reply. "Let us lay a wager upon it. I shall stake your shops and your merchandise. He that wins shall pay." Three merchants took up the wager, and each one staked his shop, and merchandise. Thereupon they wove a silken net and betook themselves to Lake Ilmen that they might catch those wondrous fish. They cast the net into the waters of the lake, and drew in a fish with fins of gold; they cast the net a second time, and drew in a second fish with fins of gold; they cast the net yet a third time, and drew in a third fish with fins of gold. The Novgorod merchants now perceived that they had lost the wager. Each one ceded his shop and his merchandise to Sadko. Sadko began to trade, and soon acquired immense riches. He built himself a house no less resplendent than a palace, and gave orders that it be ornamented in the likeness of the heavenly vault: if there be a sun in the skies, there must likewise be a sun in his house; if there be a moon in the skies, there must likewise be a moon in his house. Then the wealthy merchant Sadko held a feast and bade thereto all the worthies of Novgorod together with the most distinguished of all, the nobles Phoma Nazaryev and Luka Zinovyev. The guests ate and drank and then began to boast to one another. One boasted of his great riches, another of his Herculean strength, and a third of his noble steed. They boasted of the glory of their native land, and of their deeds of daring-do. A wise man boasted of his old father, and a foolish man of his young wife. The worthies of Novgorod now spake thus: "All at this feast are replete with food and wine, and all have made proud boasts to one another, Sadko alone is silent and makes no boasts." Sadko, the wealthy merchant, made answer thus: "And what would ye have me, Sadko, make boast of? I have all: my gold is inexhaustible, I have raiment for a hundred years and more, my brave men-at-arms are true to me and faithful. So I shall make boast that with my countless riches I shall buy up all the merchandise in Novgorod both good and bad." No sooner had he uttered these words than the nobles of the City of Novgorod wagered thirty thousand pieces of gold should he purchase all the wares in Novgorod, both good and bad, in such a way that there should be no more wares for sale in Novgorod. The following day Sadko arose early in the morning, awakened his brave men-at-arms, and gave them all countless pieces of gold from his coffers, in order that they should walk along the streets with the traders' booths and purchase all their merchandise. And he him- self went straight to the merchants' arcade, and purchased all the Novgorod wares, both good and bad, with his countless pieces of gold. The following day likewise Sadko arose early in the morning awakened his brave men-at-arms, and gave them all countless pieces of gold from his coffers, in order that they should walk along the streets with the traders' booths and purchase all their wares. And he himself went straight to the merchants' arcade. But in the- se places thrice as many wares had been brought in, all the shops were thrice as full. The wares had been sent in haste from Muscovy to aid the far-famed City of Novgorod. At this the wealthy merchant, Sadko, stopped and took thought - he had not the wherewithal to purchase all the goods in the whole wide world. Thought he: "I might buy up all the Muscovy wares, but more would come from over the seas. It is evident that it is not I that am the wealthiest merchant in Novgorod - the far-famed City of Novgorod is yet wealthier than I." He must needs pay the worthies of Novgorod the thirty thousand pieces of gold of the wager. With the monies that remained to him Sadko built thirty ships, laded them with Novgorod merchandise and set out to do trade. He sailed down the river Volkhov to Lake Ladoga, and from Lake Ladoga to the river Neva, and from the river Neva out into the deep blue sea. And Sadko sailed the seas, and dropped anchor in the realm of the Golden Horde. He sold his Novgorod merchandise and gained immense sums thereby, and filled two barrels with his gains, one holding forty pailfuls of gold, and the other forty pailfuls of silver. Thus he sold his merchandise, and set sail for his home in the City of Novgorod. And now great waves arose on the sea, and storm began to rage; and the billows crashed against the ships, and the wind tore their sails and made breaches in their sides. The ships stood as if be- calmed, and could not move. Then Sadko, the wealthy merchant, spake thus to his brave men-at-arms: Oh, my brave men-at-arms! For many years have we sailed the seas, yet we have paid no tribute to the Sea King. And now it is evident that he is angered, he is calling for tribute, which must be cast into the deep sea. Roll out the barrel with the forty pailfuls of pure silver and cast it into the deep sea." His brave men-at-arms rolled out the barrel with pure silver and cast it into the ocean depths; yet the waters grew no calmer - the billows crashed against the ships, and the wind tore their sails and made breaches in their sides. The ships stood as if becalmed, and could not move. Then his brave men-at-arms rolled out the second barrel, that with the forty pailfuls of pure gold, and threw it into the ocean depths; yet the waters grew no calmer - the billows crashed against the ships, and the wind tore their sides. The vessels stood as if becalmed, ad could not move. Then Sadko, the wealthy merchant, spake thus to his brave men-at-arms: "It is evident that the Sea King desires that a living being descend into the ocean depths. Now we shall cast lots. Let each make him a counter, write his name upon it, and cast it into the sea. I, too, shall make me a counter and whosever counter doth sink to the bottom shall leap into the waters." Each made his own counter, and wrote his name thereon. Sadko likewise made a counter, one of pure gold. They all cast their counters into the sea together. The counters of the brave men-at- arms floated on the surface, bobbing up and down with the waves, but Sadko's counter sank to the bottom like a stone. Then quoth Sadko, the wealthy merchant: "Oh, my brethren, oh, my brave men-at-arms! These counters were not as they should be. Make ye new counters of pure gold, and I shall make me a plain one." All the men-at-arms made him a plain one. Each wrote his name upon his counter, and cast it into the sea. All the counters floated on the surface, bobbing up and down with the waves, but Sadko's counter sank to the bottom like a stone. Then quoth Sadko, the wealthy merchant: "Oh, my brethren, oh, my brave men-at-arms! It is evident that the Sea King desires that I myself descend into the ocean depths. Bring me hither a pot of ink, a swan's feather, and a sheet of his wealth to the church of God, another part to the needy and to the beggars, a third part to his young wife, and the remaining part Sadko bequeathed to his brave men-at-arms. The quoth Sadko, the wealthy merchant: "Oh, my brethren, oh, my brave men-at-arms! Bring to me my sweet- sounding gusla, for I wish to play it one last time. I little think that I may ever play it again. Or shall I take it with me when I descend into the ocean depths?" He took up his sweet-sounding gusla and spake these words: "Cast an oaken board into the blue sea, that I may stand upon it and perchance delay my death." They cast an oaken board into the deep blue sea, and Sadko leapt down upon it. And the sea grew calm at once, and the ships flew as the crow flies, straight to their homeland.