Crane and Stork
A crane lived alone for a long time in a large swamp. Life became very boring. He started to think that he should take a wife. But who to take? Maybe he should court the stork? The stork has beautiful feathers and red stockings. The crane went seven versts through the marsh to the field where the stork lived.
“Hello, girl!”
“Hello, hello! Why did I come? I came to be your suitor! I want to marry you."
The stork started looking at the crane. He sees that the stork has long, bare legs, and the clothes are very short and torn. The stork says to the crane:
“Ew, dear suitor, I'm not going to marry you! Your clothes are very short and torn; even your shins are bare!'' The crane turned around and sadly went back to the swamp.
The next day, the stork looks appraisingly at herself. She thinks: "Oh damn, I made a mistake. I should have married him. I am no better than he is. I also have short clothes and long red legs. All right, I'll marry him in the morning."
The stork traveled seven versts across the swamp and said to the crane: "Look, dear suitor, you courted me yesterday. I didn't want to marry you, but today I changed my mind. Now I have come to marry you."
The crane says to the stork: "When I came to court you, you didn't want to marry me. Now I won't marry you anymore!”
The stork became very sad. Went sobbing back across the swamp.
The crane gave her the last look, began to think, and felt sorry for her: "I'll go tomorrow and marry her!" So he went to the stork: "I'll marry you!"
The stork turned her beak just a little and said over its shoulder to the crane: "You came to court me, I didn't want to marry you, then I went to offer myself to you, you didn't accept. Now you came for me, but now I won't marry you!"
The crane went back to the swamp again, dejected, and they continue to live apart to this day.
Sookurg elas üksi pikka aega suures soos. Elu muutus väga igavaks. Hakkas mõtlema, et oleks vaja naist võtma hakata. Aga keda võtta? Tuleks õige toonekurele kosja minna. Tal on ilusad suled ja punased sukad jalas. Sookurg läks seitse versta läbi soo põllu äärde, kus toonekurg elas.
„Tere, tütarlaps!“
„Tere, tere! Mis asja mul oli? Ma tulin kosja! Tahan sind endale naiseks võtta.“
Toonekurg hakkas sookurge vaatama. Vaatab, et sookurel on pikad paljad jalakesed, riided on väga lühikesed ja katkised. Toonekurg ütleb sookurele:
„Võeh, kulla kosilane, ma ei tule sulle! Su riided on väga lühi-kesed ja katkised, jalasääredki paljad!“
Sookurg pööras ümber, läks kurvana rabasoosse tagasi.
Teisel päeval vaatab toonekurg ennast hindavalt. Mõtleb: „Vaat, kurivaim, halvasti tegin. Oleksin pidanud talle minema. Ega ma temast parem ei ole. Mul on ka lühikesed riided ja pikad punased sääred. Oot, ma lähen hommikul talle naiseks.“
Läkski toonekurg seitse versta üle soo, seletab sookurele: „Vaat, kulla kosilane, sa käisid mul eile kosjas. Ma ei tahtnud sulle tulla, aga täna ma mõtlesin ringi. Nüüd ma tulin sulle naiseks.“
Sookurg ütleb toonekurele: „Kui ma sinu pool kosjas olin, siis sa ei tulnud mulle. Nüüd ma sind enam ei võta!“
Toonekurg muutus väga kurvaks. Läks nuuksudes tagasi üle soo.
Sookurg vaatas talle järele, hakkas mõtlema ja tal hakkas temast kahju: „Ma lähen homme, võtan ta ära!“ Läkski toonekure poole: „Ma võtan su ära!“
Toonekurg pööras vaid pisut nokka ja ütles üle õla sookurele: „Sa olid mul kosjas, ma ei läinud sulle, pärast läksin sulle ennast pakkuma, sa ei võtnud. Nüüd tulid sa mulle järele, aga nüüd ei tule mina sulle!“
Sookurg läks jälle tagasi sohu, nina norgus, ja elavad tänase päevani lahus.
The stork is a holy bird. It must not be shot and its nest must not be damaged, because an accident will happen to the killer or reiver.
Toonekurg on püha lind. Teda ei tohi lasta ega tema pesa lõhkuda, sest siis juhtub tapjale või rüüstajale õnnetus.
When storks fly close to a dwelling house, a baby can be expected soon.
Toonekured elumaja ligi lendavad, olla varssi noort sugu oodata.
A long time ago, a mother and father had two children. One was the daughter, she was the eldest, and the son was the younger child. One day, the mother and father went to work, but the children stayed at home. The mother and father said to the older child: "Don't leave him to play with the other children in the village, play with your brother!"
And the mother made the son sit on the green grass in the yard and gave him a golden egg.
The children started playing outside. Father and mother went to work. The children played as long as they played, but the older child still went to visit the other children to play. She left her little brother alone outside with a golden egg in his hand.
In the meantime, some cranes flew by and took the little boy with the golden egg away from the yard. The little girl ran home and saw her brother was no longer outside. She watched the cranes fly away, holding her little brother. The girl started running in the direction where the cranes were flying.
She ran and ran, and happened upon an apple tree. "Dear apple tree, show me which way the cranes flew!"
The tree answered: "Run on!"
The girl again ran and ran, and came across a maple tree. "Honey maple tree, tell me which way the cranes flew!"
"Run on!"
She started running again, running and running, and happened upon a stream. She asked the stream: "Dear brook, show me which way the cranes flew!"
The stream answered her: "Run on!"
Again the girl ran on and reached a house. She looked and saw her little brother playing with the golden egg in the window. The girl wondered: “Who lives in this house?” She didn't see anyone but one little granny, whose sons had gone wandering. Then the girl broke the window, grabbed her little brother and started running towards home.
She ran as far as she could run and the cranes flew and started beating at her. They wanted to take the child away.
She reached the stream and began to beg: "Dear brook, hide me! The cranes really want to kill me."
The brook said: "Taste my banks, and I will hide you!"
The girl tasted the brook's water, and the brook hid the girl in its banks. The cranes were flying and flying over the stream, but the girl and the child were nowhere to be seen, so they flew away. The cranes had flown away and the girl came out of the banks and started running towards home again.
She ran and ran but the cranes flew again and started beating at the girl. She came to the maple, saying: “Honey maple tree, hide me! The cranes really want to kill me."
The tree answered: "Shake off the leaves down from me, and I'll hide you!"
The little girl shook the leaves from the maple, and the maple hid her under its big leaves. The cranes were flying, flying over the maple, but the girl and the child were nowhere to be seen, and so they flew away. When they had flown away, the girl came out from amongst the leaves and fled home.
She ran and ran but the cranes flew again and started beating at the girl. She came up to the apple tree. “Honey apple tree, hide me! The cranes will really kill me."
"If you shake off my apples, I'll hide you!"
The girl shook the apples from the tree, and the tree hid the girl inside the apples. The cranes were flying and flying over the apple tree, but the girl was nowhere to be seen. And so the cranes flew away again. When they had flown away, the girl and her brother came out of the apples and set off towards home.
But the cranes flew again and started beating the girl. She got home with great difficulty from the cranes and put her brother into the room through the window, but she herself escaped into the room through the door. The cranes were flying, flying around the house, and went on their way. Just then, the mother and father came home and the daughter told them all about her troubles. The mother was pleased with her daughter and gave her a head-sized golden egg as a gift for saving her son from the cranes.
Ennemuiste oli ühel isal emaga kaks last. Üks oli tütar, see oli vanem, aga poeg oli noorem laps. Ühel päeval läksid isa emaga tööle, aga lapsed jäid koju. Isa emaga ütlesid vanemale lapsele: „Ära sa mine lapse juurest kuhugi küla peale teiste laste juurde mängima, mängi oma lapse juures!“
Ja ema pani poja õuele halja heina peale istuma ja andis pojale kuldse muna kätte. Hakkasid lapsed õue peal mängima. Isa emaga läksid tööle. Lapsed mängisid kui kaua mängisid, ja vanem laps läks ikkagi ära külla teiste laste juurde mängima. Jättiski oma vennakese üksinda õuele, kuldne muna käes.
Vahepeal lendasid kured ja viisid pojakese kõige kuldmunaga õuelt ära. Jooksis tüdrukuke koju ja vaatab: ei olegi enam vennakest õue peal. Vaatab, et kured lendavad ja tema vennakene on kurgede käes. Tüdruk hakkas kurgedele järgi jooksma, sinnapoole, kuhu kured lendasid.
Jooksis, jooksis, juhtus õunapuu vastu. „Kulla õunapuukene, juhata mulle, kummale poole kurekesed lendasid!“
„Jookse aga edasi!“
Tüdruk jälle jooksis, jooksis, juhtus vaher vastu. „Kulla vahtrakene, juhata, kummale poole kured lendasid!“
„Jookse aga edasi!“
Jälle hakkas tüdruk jooksma. Jookseb, jookseb ja juhtub oja vastu. Küsib oja käest: „Kulla ojakene, juhata mulle, kummale poole kurekesed lendasid!“
„Jookse aga edasi!“
Jälle jooksis tüdruk edasi ja sai ühe maja juurde. Vaatab: akna peal tema oma vennakene muudkui mängib kuldmunaga. Tüdruk vaatab: kes selles majas elab? Ei näinud muud kedagi kui ühte eidekest. Aga pojad olid ära läinud jällegi rändama. Lõi siis tüdruk akna katki, haaras akna pealt oma vennakese sülle ja hakkas kodu poole jooksma.
Sai ta kui kaua sai joosta ja lendasid kured ning hakkasid teda peksma. Tahtsid last käest ära võtta. Jõudis ojakese juurde ja hakkas paluma: „Kulla ojakene, peida mind ära! Kured tahavad mind päris ära tappa.“
Ojakene ütles: „Maitse mu kaldaid, siis peidan sind ära!“
Tüdruk maitses oja pervi ja ojakene peitis tüdruku ära oma kallaste sisse. Kured lendlevad, lendlevad oja kohal, aga tüdrukut lapsega ei näe kuskil. Ja lendasidki ära. Kured olid ära lennanud ning tüdruk tuli perve seest välja ja hakkas jälle kodu poole jooksma.
Jooksis, jooksis ja lendasid jälle kured ja hakkasid jälle tüdrukut peksma. Tuli vaher vastu. „Kulla vahtrakene, peida mind ära! Kured tahavad mind päris ära tappa.“
„Raputa mul lehed maha, siis ma peidan su ära!“
Tüdrukuke raputas siis vahtral lehekesed maha ja vaher peitiski ta ära oma suurte lehtede alla. Kured lendlevad, lendlevad vahtra kohal, aga tüdrukut lapsega ei näe kuskil. Ja lendasidki ära. Olid kured ära lennanud, tuli tüdruk lehtede seest välja ja pani kodu poole pakku.
Jooksis, jooksis ja lendasid jälle kured ja hakkasid tüdrukut peksma. Tuli õunapuu vastu. „Kulla õunapuuke, peida mind ära! Kured tapavad mu päris ära.“
„Kui raputad mu õunakesed maha, siis ma peidan su ära!“
Tüdruk raputas õunapuult õunakesed maha ja õunapuu peitis tüdruku õunte sisse ära. Kured lendlevad, lendlevad õunapuu kohal, aga kuskil ei näinud tüdrukut. Ja lendasid kured jälle ära. Kui kured olid ära lennanud, siis tuli tüdruk oma vennakesega õunte seest välja ja panid kodu poole pakku.
Lendasid jälle kured ja hakkasid tüdrukut peksma. Sai suure hädaga kurgede käest koju ja pani venna läbi akna tuppa, aga ise põgenes uksest tuppa. Kured lendasid, lendasid ümber maja ja läksid oma teed. Sealsamas tulid isa emaga koju ja tütar jutustas neile oma häda ära. Siis oli emal tütre üle hea meel ja andis talle peasuuruse kuldse muna kingituseks, et see poja kurgede käest ära päästis.