Sergei Timofeevich Aksakov

« The Scarlet Flower»

A rich merchant is going on trade business to the distant kingdom, to the thirtieth state. Before leaving, he asks his three daughters what gifts to bring them. The eldest asked for a golden crown, the middle one for a crystal mirror, and the youngest - her favorite - a scarlet flower, the most beautiful of which is not in the whole wide world.

A merchant travels to overseas countries, buys and sells goods. I found gifts for my older daughters, but I can’t find them for my younger daughters. He sees many scarlet flowers, but no one can guarantee that there is no more beautiful flower in the whole world than this one.

A merchant is driving home, and robbers attack his caravan. The merchant abandoned his goods and ran into the dense forest. A merchant wanders through the forest and suddenly sees a palace filled with silver, gold, and semi-precious stones. He went inside, and there was royal decoration everywhere, but there was no one. As soon as the merchant thought about food, a table appeared in front of him, cleared away. The merchant wants to thank the owner for the bread and salt, but there is no one.

The merchant rested, got some sleep, and decided to take a walk in the garden. And in that garden beautiful flowers bloom, unprecedented birds fly and heavenly songs sing. Suddenly the merchant sees a scarlet flower of unprecedented beauty. The merchant picked a flower, at the same moment lightning flashed, thunder struck, and a beast not a beast, a man not a man, a terrible and furry monster appeared before the merchant. The monster roared at the merchant. How he thanked him for the hospitality, picked his scarlet flower, the only joy in his life! The merchant fell to his knees and began to ask for forgiveness, he did not want to be ungrateful, he wanted to bring a gift to his beloved daughter. He released the monster to the merchant, but on the condition that the merchant would send one of his daughters in his place. The girl will live in honor and freedom, but no one wants to, so let him return. The monster gave the merchant a ring: whoever puts it on his right little finger will in an instant find himself wherever he wants.

The merchant put on the ring and found himself at home, and caravans with goods were driving through the gates. The merchant told his daughters about the monster. The eldest daughters refused to help their father, only the youngest, beloved, agreed. She took a scarlet flower, put a ring on her little finger and found herself in the monster’s palace.

The girl walks through the palace chambers and the green garden, unable to marvel at the wonderful miracle. And fiery inscriptions appear on the walls - this is how the monster talks to the girl.

So the girl lives in the palace, every day she tries on new outfits, such that they have no price, every day there are excellent treats and different fun, and most often she talks with the owner. He writes fiery inscriptions on the wall.

The girl wanted to hear the owner’s voice. She began to beg him, asking him to talk to her. The monster did not agree, he was afraid to frighten the girl with his terrible voice, but the girl begged him. At first the girl was frightened by the terrible, loud voice, but she listened to his gentle words, his reasonable speech, and her heart became light. They talk like this all day long.

The girl wanted to see her master soon. For a long time the monster did not agree to show himself, he was still afraid that she would be afraid of his disgusting, ugly appearance. Still, the girl persuaded him. A forest animal appeared to her. When the beauty saw him, she screamed in fear in a heart-rending voice and fainted. But she mastered her fear, and they began to spend time together.

The girl dreamed that her father was unwell. She asked the monster for permission to visit her home. The forest beast sent her home, but warned her that if she did not return in three days and three nights, he would die of mortal anguish, since he loved her more than himself.

The girl swore that she would return in three days and three nights, put a gold ring on her little finger and found herself in her home. Her father was unwell and missed his beloved daughter. The girl told how she lived in the monster’s palace, the merchant was happy for his daughter, and her sisters became envious.

The time has come for the girl to return to the monster. Her sisters persuade her to stay, the girl does not give in to persuasion, she cannot betray the forest beast. Her father praised her for such speeches, and her sisters, out of envy, set all the clocks in the house back an hour.

The real hour has come, the girl’s heart aches, she looks at her watch, but it’s too early to return. She couldn’t stand it, put the ring on her little finger and found herself in the monster’s palace. The monster does not meet her. She walks around the palace, calling for the owner - there is no answer. And in the garden the birds don’t sing and the fountains don’t flow. And on the hill where the scarlet flower grows, a forest animal lies lifeless. A girl ran up to him, hugged his ugly, disgusting head and screamed in a heart-rending voice: “You get up, wake up, my dear friend, I love you like a desired groom!”

The earth shook, lightning flashed, thunder struck and the girl fainted. When she woke up, she saw herself in a white marble chamber on a throne, surrounded by a retinue on their knees and her father and sisters. And next to her the prince sits, a handsome man.

“You fell in love with me in the form of a monster, so now love me in human form. The evil witch was angry with my father, the mighty king, kidnapped me and turned me into a monster. She placed a curse that I would be a monster until a girl in a terrible form fell in love with me. You alone loved me, for my kind soul, so be my wife.”

The retinue bowed, and the merchant gave his daughter his blessing for a legal marriage. Retold Gisele Adam

Once upon a time, a rich merchant was going to the distant kingdom, the thirtieth kingdom, on trade matters. The eldest daughter asked him for a golden crown, the middle one for a crystal mirror, and the youngest, whom he loved very much, for a scarlet flower.

The merchant traveled for a long time different countries, bought all the gifts except a scarlet flower for my youngest beloved daughter. He is driving home and is attacked by robbers. The merchant abandoned all his goods and ran into the forest. He wandered through the forest for a long time until he saw a palace covered in gold and jewels. He went inside, and there was no one there, everything around was royal.

The merchant lay down to rest, and when he got some sleep, he decided to take a walk in the garden, where different flowers grow and unknown birds fly. Suddenly he sees a flower of unknown beauty, he came closer, and it was a scarlet flower. The merchant tore it off, and immediately everything began to thunder, and a monster appeared in front of him. The merchant fell to his knees in front of the beast and began to ask him to let him go, because he had picked a scarlet flower for his beloved daughter. The monster let him go home, but on the condition that he would definitely return, and if he couldn’t, then one of his daughters must come. The monster also gave him the treasured ring: whoever puts it on his finger will find himself in the right place.

Arriving home, the merchant told his daughters about his incident. No one wanted to help their own father; only his beloved daughter agreed to go to the monster. She put the ring on her finger and found herself in the monster’s palace. At first he didn’t show himself to her - he wrote on the walls, and then she persuaded him to show himself. Very soon she heard his voice. He was rough, but so gentle.

One day she asked the monster to go to her father and promised to return in three days. After visiting their father, it was time to return, and the sisters, out of envy, changed the clocks so that only the sister would not go anywhere.

The girl sensed something was wrong, put on the ring and found herself in the palace. She looked, and the monster was barely breathing, she ran up and said: “Get up, I love you like a desired groom!” The earth shook, and the monster turned into a handsome prince, and the palace turned into a white marble chamber.

The retinue bowed, and the father blessed his daughter for a legal marriage.

"The Scarlet Flower"- a fairy tale written down by him “from the words of the housekeeper Pelageya.” One of the many variations of the "Beauty and the Beast" plot.

“The Scarlet Flower” summary

A rich merchant goes to trade in overseas countries. Before leaving, he asks his daughters what to bring them. The eldest asks for a golden crown with gems, which will make the night as light as day. The middle daughter asks for a mirror, looking into which the girl does not age, but becomes more and more beautiful. The youngest daughter asks for a scarlet flower, the most beautiful one in this world. The merchant promises the two older daughters to get their gifts, and the younger daughter - just try to find such a flower.

Having sold the goods, but not finding a flower for his daughter, the merchant returns home with his servants and gifts for his older daughters. On the way, the merchant and his servants are attacked by robbers. Abandoning caravans and servants, the merchant runs away from the robbers into a dense forest.

In the forest he sees a luxurious palace. Entering the palace, he sits down at the table, on which beautiful dishes and wines appear of their own accord. After dinner, an overnight stay and breakfast, he decides to take a walk in the garden around the palace and sees a scarlet flower of unprecedented beauty. Realizing that in front of him is the very flower that his daughter asked for, the merchant plucks it. Then an angry monster appears - the owner of the palace. Because the merchant picked his favorite flower, the joy of his life, the monster sentences the merchant to death. The merchant talks about his daughter’s request, and then the monster agrees to let the merchant go with a flower, giving him a rich gift, with the condition that one of his daughters should voluntarily come to him and live next to him in honor and freedom. If within three days If none of the daughters wants to go to the palace, then the merchant must return himself, and then he will be executed. Having agreed, the merchant receives a gold ring: whoever puts it on his right little finger will be transported wherever he wishes.

The merchant puts on the ring and finds himself at home. His caravans with servants enter the gates, and they carry goods and treasury three times as much as before. The merchant gives gifts to his daughters. The older daughters rejoice, and the younger daughter cries. In the evening, guests arrive and the feast begins. During the feast, silver and gold dishes spontaneously appear with such dishes that they have never seen. The next day, the merchant tells his daughters about what happened and invites each of them to go to the monster. The eldest daughters flatly refuse to go, saying “let that daughter help out her father, for whom he got the scarlet flower.” The youngest daughter agrees, says goodbye to her father, puts on the ring and finds herself in the monster’s palace.

In the palace, the merchant's daughter lives in luxury, and all her wishes are immediately fulfilled. The invisible owner of the palace assures that he considers her his mistress, and the girl in response tells him sweet words. First, he communicates with her through fiery letters appearing on the wall, then with a voice heard in the gazebo. Gradually the girl gets used to his scary, wild voice. Yielding to the girl’s insistent requests, the monster shows himself to her (giving her the ring and allowing her to return if she wishes), and soon the girl gets used to his ugly appearance. The merchant's daughter and the monster are walking, having affectionate conversations. One day a girl dreams that her father is sick. The owner of the palace invites his beloved to return home, but warns that he cannot live without her, so if she does not return in three days, he will die.

Returning home, the girl tells her father and sisters about her wonderful life in the palace. The father is happy for his daughter, but the sisters are jealous and persuade her not to return, but she does not give in to persuasion. Then the sisters change the clocks, as a result, their younger sister is late for the palace and finds the monster dead. The girl hugs the monster’s head and shouts that she loves him as a desired groom. As soon as she utters these words, lightning begins to strike, thunder rumbles and the earth begins to shake. The merchant's daughter faints, and when she wakes up, she finds herself on the throne with the prince, a handsome man. The prince says that he was turned into an ugly monster by an evil sorceress. He had to be a monster until there was a red maiden, no matter what her family and rank, who would love him in the form of a monster and wish to be his legal wife. He lived in the form of a monster for thirty years, brought eleven red maidens into his palace, but not one of them fell in love with him for his affection, pleasing and kind soul. Only she, the twelfth, fell in love with the prince, and as a reward for this she will be the queen. The merchant gives his blessing, and his daughter and the prince get married.

The fairy tale “The Scarlet Flower” by Aksakov was written in 1858 as an appendix to the writer’s autobiography “The Childhood Years of Bagrov the Grandson.” This is a very touching and at the same time instructive story about real feelings.

Main characters

Beautiful maiden– the youngest daughter of a merchant, a gentle, loving and devoted girl with a big heart.

monster- an enchanted prince, caring, honest.

Other characters

Merchant- a wealthy merchant, father of three daughters, a man of his word.

Elder merchant daughters– narcissistic, selfish and envious girls.

One day, “a rich merchant, an eminent man” decided to go to distant lands on his trade affairs. More than anything in the world, he loved his three daughters, and before leaving he asked what to bring them from distant countries.

The eldest daughter asked to bring her a “golden crown of semi-precious stones”, the middle one - a large mirror “made of oriental crystal, solid, immaculate”, and the youngest daughter, the most beloved, asked the priest to give her “a scarlet flower, which would not be more beautiful in this world "

The merchant set off on a long journey. He successfully traded “in foreign countries overseas,” buying and exchanging various goods. He also found gifts for his eldest daughters, but for the youngest he could not find a beautiful flower. The merchant found “many scarlet flowers of such beauty that neither could be said in a fairy tale nor written with a pen,” but no one could promise him that there were no other flowers more beautiful than them in all white.

While on the way home, a merchant caravan was attacked by robbers. The merchant only miraculously managed to escape from the villains in the dense forest. He wandered around for a long time until he came out into a large, bright clearing, on which stood a palace “all in fire, in silver and gold and in semi-precious stones.”

The merchant entered the wide courtyard and admired the marble road, picturesque fountains, and “gilded railings.” He walked around almost the entire castle, but never met either its owners or servants.

The merchant was thinking that it would be nice to have some food, when a richly decorated table with the most luxurious dishes immediately appeared in front of him. Having satisfied his hunger, the merchant wanted to thank the owner for the treat, but he didn’t see anyone.

After a hearty lunch, the merchant wanted to lie down to rest, and at that very moment a “carved bed, made of pure gold, on crystal legs” appeared before his eyes. I saw my beloved daughters in a dream: the older daughters were happy and satisfied with life, and only the youngest suffered for her father.

Having rested well, the merchant decided to take a walk in the garden. He admired the trees with juicy fruits, strange birds and unusual flowers. Among them, he noticed a scarlet flower, “which is the most beautiful in this world.”

Without thinking twice, the merchant picked this flower, and at that same second “lightning flashed and thunder struck,” and “a monster, scary and shaggy” appeared. The owner of the garden was outraged that the guest was so ungrateful. That flower was a joy for the monster, and the merchant deprived him of the only joy in life.

The frightened merchant began to ask for forgiveness - it was not of his own free will that he picked the flower, but for the sake of his beloved youngest daughter. The monster became thoughtful and decided to have mercy on the merchant, but only in exchange for a promise to send to him “one of his good, handsome daughters.” He promised not to offend his guest, and to arrange for her the most luxurious, most free life.

The merchant cried bitterly when he heard these words, but there was nothing to do. The monster gave him three days and three nights to be with his daughters. Afterwards, one of them had to be here of her own free will.

The merchant received a magic ring from the monster - “whoever puts it on his right little finger will find himself wherever he wants in the blink of an eye.” He put it on his finger, and at the same moment he found himself at home, and his caravans with expensive goods appeared at the gate. The merchant told his daughters about his misfortune, but the elders refused to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the priest. And only the youngest, the most beloved, agreed to go to the monster to save her father from a cruel death. She put the magic ring on her finger, and immediately found herself in the palace.

The girl began to walk around the palace and the wonderful garden, admiring its overseas wonders. Suddenly, “words of fire” began to appear on the walls of the palace - this is how the monster began to communicate with her dear guest, so as not to inadvertently frighten her with her appearance.

The girl lived well in the palace - she tasted the most delicious, most exquisite treats, tried on the most expensive clothes, enjoyed wonderful music, and communicated with the hospitable host. After a while, completely trusting, the merchant’s daughter asked the monster to appear before her. At first she was afraid of his creepy appearance, but quickly overcame her fear and became friends with him.

One day the girl dreamed “that her father was lying unwell.” The monster allowed her to visit her father, but with one condition - to return in three days, otherwise it would die of terrible melancholy.

Seeing his beloved daughter alive and healthy, the merchant instantly cheered up. Having heard how she was living in the monster’s palace, her older sisters were jealous of her and did not want to let her go at the appointed hour. In secret from everyone, they moved the hands of the clock back.

A bad feeling began to torment the beautiful girl. Having barely waited for the allotted time, she put a magic ring on her finger and found herself in the palace. But everything changed in it - the fountains did not gurgle, the birds did not sing, and the music could not be heard. With difficulty, the merchant's daughter found the monster, which lay lifeless in the garden near the scarlet flower. She ran up to him and, crying, said: “You get up, wake up, my dear friend, I love you like a desired groom!” At that moment lightning struck and the girl lost consciousness.

She woke up in the palace, next to her father and sisters. Nearby stood “the young prince, a handsome man.” He said that an evil witch had placed a terrible curse on him, and only true love could destroy it. The merchant's daughter fell in love with him not for his beauty and wealth, but for his “kind soul,” and thereby destroyed the witchcraft spell.

The merchant happily blessed the newlyweds, and “without hesitation they began to have a merry feast and a wedding, and began to live and get along, and make good things.”

Conclusion

With his work, Sergei Aksakov wanted to show that there are no barriers to true love, and even the most terrible spell is powerless against an ardent loving heart.

After familiarizing yourself with a brief retelling“The Scarlet Flower” we recommend reading the fairy tale in its full version.

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Retelling rating

Average rating: 4.6. Total ratings received: 160.

December 24, house of medical adviser Stahlbaum. Everyone is preparing for Christmas, and the children - Fritz and Marie - are guessing what the inventor and artist godfather, senior court adviser Drosselmeyer, who often repaired the clock in the Stahlbaums' house, will give them as a gift this time. Marie dreamed of a garden and a lake with swans, and Fritz said that he preferred gifts from his parents that he could play with (the godfather’s toys were usually kept away from children so that they wouldn’t break them), but the godfather couldn’t make a whole garden.

In the evening, the children were allowed to see the beautiful Christmas tree, near and on which there were gifts: new dolls, dresses, hussars, etc. The godfather made a wonderful castle, but the dolls dancing in it performed the same movements, and it was impossible to get inside the castle, so The children quickly became tired of the miracle of technology - only the mother became interested in the complex mechanism. When all the gifts were sorted out, Marie saw the Nutcracker. The ugly-looking doll seemed very cute to the girl. Fritz quickly broke a couple of the Nutcracker's teeth, trying to crack the hard nuts, and Marie began to take care of the toy. At night, the children put their toys in a glass cabinet. Marie lingered at the closet, accommodating her charge with all the comforts, and became a participant in the battle between the seven-headed mouse king and the army of dolls led by the Nutcracker. The dolls surrendered under the pressure of the mice, and when the mouse king had already approached the Nutcracker, Marie threw her shoe at him... The girl woke up in bed with a cut elbow broken glass closet No one believed her story about the night's incident. The godfather brought the repaired Nutcracker and told the tale about the hard nut: the king and queen gave birth to the beautiful princess Pirlipat, but Queen Myshilda, avenging the relatives killed by the mousetraps of the court watchmaker Drosselmeyer (they ate the lard intended for the royal sausages), turned the beauty into a freak. Now only the cracking of nuts could calm her down. Drosselmeyer, under penalty of death, with the help of the court astrologer, calculated the princess's horoscope - the Krakatuk nut, split by the young man using a special method, will help her regain her beauty. The king sent Drosselmeyer and the astrologer in search of salvation; both the nut and the young man (the watchmaker's nephew) were found with Drosselmeyer's brother in his hometown. Many princes broke their teeth over Krakatuk, and when the king promised to marry his daughter to the savior, his nephew stepped forward. He cracked the nut and the princess, having eaten it, became a beauty, but the young man could not complete the whole ritual, because Myshilda threw herself at his feet... The mouse died, but the guy turned into the Nutcracker. The king expelled Drosselmeier, his nephew and astrologer. However, the latter predicted that the Nutcracker would be a prince and the ugliness would disappear if he defeated the mouse king and a beautiful girl fell in love with him. A week later, Marie recovered and began to reproach Drosselmeyer for not helping the Nutcracker. He replied that only she could help, because she ruled the kingdom of light. The Mouse King got into the habit of extorting Marie for her sweets in exchange for the safety of the Nutcracker. The parents were alarmed that there were mice. When he demanded her books and dresses, she took the Nutcracker in her arms and sobbed - she was ready to give everything, but when there was nothing left, the mouse king would want to kill her herself. The Nutcracker came to life and promised to take care of everything if he got the saber - Fritz, who had recently dismissed the colonel (and punished the hussars for cowardice during the battle), helped with this. At night, the Nutcracker came to Marie with a bloody saber, a candle and 7 golden crowns. I'll give the trophies to the girl, he took her to his kingdom - the Land of Fairy Tales, where they got through her father's fox fur coat. While helping the Nutcracker's sisters with housework, offering to crush caramel in a golden mortar, Marie suddenly woke up in her bed. Of course, none of the adults believed her story. About the crowns, Drosselmeyer said that this was his gift to Marie for her second birthday and refused to recognize the Nutcracker as his nephew (the toy stood in its place in the closet

Title of the work: The Scarlet Flower

Year of writing: 1858

Genre: fairy tale

Main characters: Nastenka- the youngest and beloved daughter of a merchant, her father, monster.

Plot

The merchant, leaving for distant countries, asked his daughters what they wanted to receive from him as a gift. Nastenka asked to bring a scarlet flower. Returning home, the merchant was caught in a terrible storm. desert island, where I discovered a wonderful flower. The merchant tore it off, but at that moment the Monster appeared and demanded a terrible payment: either the merchant himself must return to the island and die there, or his daughter must come and atone for her father’s guilt. Nastenka, having accidentally learned about her father’s agreement with the Beast, immediately went to the island. Here she made friends with the Owner, but was very homesick. After some time, the owner of the island let the girl go home to stay, but asked her to return exactly on time. Nastenka’s envious sisters, having learned how well she was living on the island, moved the hands of the clock, and when Nastenka returned a little late, she saw the Monster lying on the ground without signs of life. The girl tried to revive him and confessed her love for him. At that moment, the Beast turned into a young man, the evil spell cast on him dissipated, and the young people lived in happiness and contentment.

Conclusion (my opinion)

Aksakov's fairy tale, written down from the words of the serf peasant woman Pelageya, like everyone else folk tales, teaches that only by going through trials and difficulties can one achieve true happiness.