Stories from Tolstoy's Reading Primer
- Written
- Written 1871–72; published November 1872
- Place
- Yasnaya Polyana
- Language
- Russian (pre-reform spelling)
- Kind of source
- literature
- Reading time
- 4 minutes
- Difficulty
- Accessible
- Intensity
- Low: nothing graphic; a hunter’s net, and a bird pecked and driven away
Schools and teachingFables and proverbsWriting and scriptsWords and namesFood, farming and hunger
A thirsty ant climbs down to a stream and is nearly washed away. A dove drops a twig into the water, and the ant climbs onto it. Nine pieces like this one, none longer than a short paragraph, come from the second part of the first book of Leo Tolstoy's reading primer.
Tolstoy (1828–1910) wrote the Azbuka (“ABC”) in 1871–72, and it was published in November 1872, in four books (accounts differ on the day). The first book, the Azbuka proper, teaches the letters, then syllables, then reading, and fills the pages with proverbs, riddles and short tales. The copy used here is catalogued as the St. Petersburg printing of 1872. In early 1872 Tolstoy took up lessons for peasant children again, and the article we follow says he used the children's retellings to correct the stories' content and language.
Tolstoy wrote for children who were learning to read, most of them peasants, and the sentences show it: they are short, the vocabulary is everyday (hens, horses, wheat, milk, the sea), and the stories stop as soon as the point is made. The book does not say whether he composed each tale, retold it from an older one, or adapted it, and this page does not trace sources.
The Azbuka was not an easy success. The same article reports that critics at first found its language marked by dialect and some proverbs too hard for children, and that the Ministry of Public Education did not recommend it as a textbook. In 1875 Tolstoy issued a shorter New Azbuka. What you read here is the text of these pieces as the catalogued 1872 printing gives them.
Watch for the spelling. The book is printed in the old Russian spelling, with the letter ѣ (a vowel that later spelling replaced), a hard sign ъ after most final consonants, and і in endings such as тонкія. Watch also for the endings: several stories close without comment, and one, “The Milk Cow,” turns on a word (перегорѣло) whose exact sense is uncertain.
The edited translation, in simplified modern English. Bracketed words were added for clarity; [...] marks a cut. Tap a note number to read the note. Point at or tap a phrase to see the original behind it. Phrase links checked in a separate review.
The Ant and the Dove
An ant went down to a stream: he wanted a drink. A wave washed over him and almost drowned him. A dove was carrying a twig; she saw the ant sinking and dropped the twig into the stream for him. The ant sat down on the twig and was saved. Later a hunter spread a net for the dove and wanted to snap it shut. The ant crept up to the hunter and bit him on the leg; the hunter groaned and dropped the net. The dove fluttered up and flew away.
Thin Thread
A man asked a spinner for thin thread. The spinner spun thin thread, but the man said the thread was no good and that he needed the very thinnest. The spinner said, “If these are not thin enough for you, then here are others for you”; and she pointed at an empty spot. He said he could not see it. The spinner said, “That is why you cannot see them, because they are very thin; even I cannot see them.” The fool was delighted, and ordered himself more of that kind of thread, and paid money for those.
The Jackdaw and the Pigeons
A jackdaw saw that the pigeons were fed well, so she whitened herself and flew into the pigeon house. The pigeons thought at first that she was a pigeon like them, and let her in. But the jackdaw forgot and cried out like a jackdaw. Then the pigeons began to peck at her and drove her away. The jackdaw flew back to her own kind, but the jackdaws were frightened because she was white, and they drove her away too.
The Woman and the Hen
One hen laid one egg every day. The mistress of the house thought that if the hen were fed more, it would lay twice as much. So she did it. The hen grew fat and stopped laying.
The Horse and the Stable Hand
A stable hand stole the horse's oats and sold them, while he groomed the horse every day. The horse said, “If you truly want me to look good, do not sell my oats.”
The Monkey and the Peas
A monkey was carrying two full handfuls of peas. Out jumped one pea; the monkey wanted to pick it up and spilled twenty peas. She rushed to pick them up and spilled them all. Then she got angry, scattered all the peas, and ran away.
The Milk Cow
A man had a cow; she gave a pot of milk every day. The man invited guests. To collect more milk, for ten days he did not milk the cow. He thought that on the tenth day the cow would give him ten jugs of milk. But the milk in the cow dried up, and she gave less milk than before.
The Dragonfly and the Ants
In the fall the ants' wheat got wet; they were drying it. A hungry dragonfly asked them for food. The ants said, “So why, in the summer, did you not gather food?” She said, “I had no time: I was singing songs.” They laughed and said, “If you played in the summer, dance in the winter.”
The Sea
The sea is wide and deep; the end of the sea cannot be seen. In the sea the sun rises, and in the sea it sets. No one has reached the bottom of the sea, and no one knows it. When there is no wind, the sea is blue and smooth; when the wind blows, the sea heaves and grows rough. Waves rise over the sea; one wave catches up with another; they meet, they crash together, and from them sprays white foam. Then the waves toss the ships like chips of wood. Whoever has not been to sea, he has never prayed to God.
Муравей спустился къ ручью: захотѣлъ напиться. Волна захлеснула его и чуть не потопила. Голубка несла вѣтку; она увидала—муравей тонетъ, и бросила ему вѣтку въ ручей. Муравей сѣлъ на вѣтку и спасся. Потомъ охотникъ разставилъ сѣть на голубку и хотѣлъ захлопнуть. Муравей подползъ къ охотнику и укусилъ его за ногу; охотникъ охнулъ и уронилъ сѣть. Голубка вспорхнула и улетѣла.
The ant went down to the stream: [he] wanted to drink. A wave splashed over him and all but drowned [him]. A dove was carrying a twig; she saw—the ant is drowning, and threw him the twig into the stream. The ant sat down on the twig and was saved. Then a hunter set a net for the dove and wanted to slam [it] shut. The ant crept up to the hunter and bit him on the leg; the hunter groaned and dropped the net. The dove fluttered up and flew away.
An ant went down to a stream: he wanted a drink. A wave washed over him and almost drowned him. A dove was carrying a twig; she saw the ant sinking and dropped the twig into the stream for him. The ant sat down on the twig and was saved. Later a hunter spread a net for the dove and wanted to snap it shut. The ant crept up to the hunter and bit him on the leg; the hunter groaned and dropped the net. The dove fluttered up and flew away.
Одинъ человѣкъ заказалъ пряхѣ тонкія нитки. Пряха спряла тонкія нитки, но человѣкъ сказалъ, что нитки не хороши и что ему нужны нитки самыя тонкія. Пряха сказала: „если тебѣ эти не тонки, такъ вотъ тебѣ другія“; и она показала на пустое мѣсто. Онъ сказалъ, что не видитъ. Пряха сказала: „оттого и не видишь, что онѣ очень тонки; я и сама не вижу“. Дуракъ обрадовался и заказалъ себѣ ещё такихъ нитокъ, а за эти заплатилъ деньги.
One man ordered of a spinner thin threads. The spinner spun thin threads, but the man said that the threads are not good and that he needs threads of the very thinnest. The spinner said: “if for you these are not thin, then here for you [are] others”; and she showed to an empty place. He said that [he] does not see. The spinner said: “that is why you do not see, that they are very thin; I myself do not see.” The fool rejoiced and ordered himself still such threads, and for these paid money.
A man asked a spinner for thin thread. The spinner spun thin thread, but the man said the thread was no good and that he needed the very thinnest. The spinner said, “If these are not thin enough for you, then here are others for you”; and she pointed at an empty spot. He said he could not see it. The spinner said, “That is why you cannot see them, because they are very thin; even I cannot see them.” The fool was delighted, and ordered himself more of that kind of thread, and paid money for those.
Галка увидала, что голубей хорошо кормятъ,—выбѣлилась и влетѣла въ голубятню. Голуби подумали сперва, что она такой-же голубь, и пустили её. Но галка забыла и закричала по галчьи. Тогда её голуби стали клевать и прогнали. Галка полетѣла назадъ къ своимъ, но галки испугались, что она бѣлая и тоже прогнали.
The jackdaw saw that the pigeons are fed well,—whitened herself and flew into the pigeon-house. The pigeons thought at first that she is just such a pigeon, and let her in. But the jackdaw forgot [herself] and cried out in the jackdaw way. Then the pigeons began to peck her and drove [her] away. The jackdaw flew back to her own, but the jackdaws were frightened that she is white and also drove [her] away.
A jackdaw saw that the pigeons were fed well, so she whitened herself and flew into the pigeon house. The pigeons thought at first that she was a pigeon like them, and let her in. But the jackdaw forgot and cried out like a jackdaw. Then the pigeons began to peck at her and drove her away. The jackdaw flew back to her own kind, but the jackdaws were frightened because she was white, and they drove her away too.
Одна курица несла каждый день по яичку. Хозяйка подумала, что если больше давать корму, она вдвое будетъ нестись. Такъ и сдѣлала. Курица зажирѣла и перестала нестись.
One hen laid every day an egg each. The mistress thought that if more to give feed, she will lay twice. So and did. The hen grew fat and stopped laying.
One hen laid one egg every day. The mistress of the house thought that if the hen were fed more, it would lay twice as much. So she did it. The hen grew fat and stopped laying.
Конюхъ кралъ у лошади овёсъ и продавалъ, а лошадь каждый день чистилъ. Лошадь и говоритъ: „если вправду хочешь, чтобъ я была хороша,—овёсъ мой не продавай“.
The groom stole from the horse oats and sold [it], and the horse every day cleaned. The horse says: “if truly [you] want that I be good,—my oats do not sell.”
A stable hand stole the horse's oats and sold them, while he groomed the horse every day. The horse said, “If you truly want me to look good, do not sell my oats.”
Обезьяна несла двѣ полныя горсти гороху. Выскочила одна горошинка; обезьяна хотѣла поднять и просыпала двадцать горошинокъ. Она бросилась поднимать и просыпала всѣ. Тогда она разсердилась, разметала весь горохъ и убѣжала.
The monkey was carrying two full handfuls of peas. Jumped out one pealet; the monkey wanted to pick up and spilled twenty pealets. She rushed to pick up and spilled all. Then she grew angry, scattered all the peas and ran away.
A monkey was carrying two full handfuls of peas. Out jumped one pea; the monkey wanted to pick it up and spilled twenty peas. She rushed to pick them up and spilled them all. Then she got angry, scattered all the peas, and ran away.
У одного человѣка была корова; она давала каждый день горшокъ молока. Человѣкъ позвалъ гостей. Чтобы набрать больше молока, онъ десять дней не доилъ коровы. Онъ думалъ, что на десятый день корова дастъ ему десять кувшиновъ молока. Но въ коровѣ перегорѣло молоко, и она дала меньше молока, чѣмъ прежде.
At one man there was a cow; she gave every day a pot of milk. The man called guests. In order to collect more milk, he for ten days did not milk the cow. He thought that on the tenth day the cow will give him ten jugs of milk. But in the cow the milk burned through [spoiled? dried up?], and she gave less milk than before.
A man had a cow; she gave a pot of milk every day. The man invited guests. To collect more milk, for ten days he did not milk the cow. He thought that on the tenth day the cow would give him ten jugs of milk. But the milk in the cow dried up, and she gave less milk than before.
Осенью у муравьёвъ подмокла пшеница; они её сушили. Голодная стрекоза попросила у нихъ корму. Муравьи сказали: „чтожъ-ты лѣтомъ не собрала корму?“ Она сказала: „недосугъ было: пѣсни пѣла“. Они засмѣялись и говорятъ: „если лѣтомъ играла, зимой пляши“.
In autumn at the ants' got damp the wheat; they it dried. A hungry dragonfly asked of them food. The ants said: “why then you in summer did not collect food?” She said: “[there was] no leisure: songs sang.” They laughed and say: “if in summer [you] played, in winter dance.”
In the fall the ants' wheat got wet; they were drying it. A hungry dragonfly asked them for food. The ants said, “So why, in the summer, did you not gather food?” She said, “I had no time: I was singing songs.” They laughed and said, “If you played in the summer, dance in the winter.”
Море широко и глубоко; конца морю не видно. Въ морѣ солнце встаётъ и въ морѣ садится. Дна моря никто не досталъ и не знаетъ. Когда вѣтра нѣтъ, море сине и гладко; когда подуетъ вѣтеръ, море всколыхается и станетъ неровно. Подымутся по морю волны; одна волна догоняетъ другую; онѣ сходятся, сталкиваются и съ нихъ брызжетъ бѣлая пѣна. Тогда корабли волнами кидаетъ, какъ щепки. Кто на морѣ не бывалъ, тотъ Богу не маливался.
The sea [is] wide and deep; the end to the sea is not visible. In the sea the sun rises and in the sea sets. The bottom of the sea no one has reached and [no one] knows. When wind there is not, the sea [is] blue and smooth; when blows the wind, the sea stirs and becomes uneven. Rise up over the sea waves; one wave catches up [with] another; they come together, collide, and from them sprays white foam. Then ships by waves [it] tosses, like chips. Who at sea has not been, he to God has not prayed.
The sea is wide and deep; the end of the sea cannot be seen. In the sea the sun rises, and in the sea it sets. No one has reached the bottom of the sea, and no one knows it. When there is no wind, the sea is blue and smooth; when the wind blows, the sea heaves and grows rough. Waves rise over the sea; one wave catches up with another; they meet, they crash together, and from them sprays white foam. Then the waves toss the ships like chips of wood. Whoever has not been to sea, he has never prayed to God.
Who and what this source names, in the original. Each name links to every source in the library that mentions it. Not yet checked.
People
Page images of the original object or of the printed edition, from the libraries and archives that hold them. The pages shown are copied here where the holder marks them public domain; titles link to the holder's own viewer. Click a page to see it full size.
Л. Н. Толстой, Азбука, кн. 1–4 (1872)
Internet Archive (copy of the Belgorod State Universal Scientific Library). pp. 60, 62, 65, 67–68, 72 of book 1. Public domain (published 1872 per the catalogue; no rights statement on the record).
The copy our text follows.
Difficulty: Accessible, very short sentences and everyday words; each story is a single paragraph.
Key terms
- spinner
- a person who spins fiber, such as wool or flax, into thread
- jackdaw
- a small black-and-gray bird of the crow family
- mistress of the house
- the woman in charge of a household
- stable hand
- a worker who looks after horses in a stable
- groomed
- brushed and cleaned (a horse)
- oats
- a grain grown as food for people and horses
- dragonfly
- an insect with long, clear wings; in fables like this one the Russian word can also mean a grasshopper or a cicada
Questions
- Comprehension
In “The Woman and the Hen” and “The Milk Cow,” what did each owner want, what did each one do, and what happened?
- Analysis
Several of these stories end without stating a lesson. Choose two. What lesson do you think each one teaches, and what in the story tells you? Why might Tolstoy have left the lesson unsaid?
- Analysis (reliability)
Tolstoy wrote these stories for children learning to read, most of them peasants, and the book does not say whether he made up each tale or retold an older one. What can these stories tell us as evidence about Tolstoy and his teaching, and what can they not tell us?
- Connection
Read Sayings on learning, friends and family (the Analects) in Everyday Classics. Confucius says, “A person who does not plan far ahead will have trouble close at hand.” Compare this saying with “The Dragonfly and the Ants.” How does a one-line saying teach a lesson differently from a short story, and which would work better for a child just learning to read?
Activity
One student reads a story aloud, and others retell it from memory in their own words, as Tolstoy’s pupils retold his stories. The class compares the retellings with the text: what was kept, what was dropped, and what changed. Then they discuss which words or sentences Tolstoy might have changed after hearing retellings like theirs.
A printable worksheet for this source · More on Hearth Learning
New translation from the Russian text of Tolstoy's Azbuka, book 1, Part Two (Internet Archive item azbuka86, catalogued as the St. Petersburg printing of 1872), read from the page images in the old spelling as printed.
Nine whole pieces, about 420 words of Russian, from pages 60–72 of the book's own numbering. Other pieces in the same part are not included.
The English keeps the Russian word order wherever English allows, so that each phrase of the original lines up with its English. Стрекоза is translated “dragonfly”, its usual sense today; in fables of this kind the word can also stand for a grasshopper or cicada, and we chose to keep the dictionary sense. Хозяйка is “mistress of the house” and конюх “stable hand”. In “The Milk Cow”, перегорѣло (literally “burned through”) is translated “dried up”; “went bad” is also possible. No other translation was consulted.
- Original
- Text as printed in the named edition or on the object, read from page images. Edition: Л. Н. Толстой, Азбука, кн. 1 (С.-Петербургъ: тип. Замысловскаго, 1872), Part Two, pages 60–72 by the head page numbers. Page images and OCR: Internet Archive azbuka86 (a copy of the Belgorod State Universal Scientific Library, catalogued as defective: book 1 lacks pp. 1–6 and 73–84). The OCR does not render ѣ, so the text was read from the page images; the old spelling is kept as printed. The pages carry two numbers: a head number in the book's own style (used here) and a smaller foot number ten higher. Sheets carry the signature line “Л. Н. Толстой, т. 22” (seen on the page headed 71), which suggests a later printing within a collected edition; the catalogue gives 1872.
- Transliterated
- Not yet available: no transliteration policy agreed for this language
- Close English
- Close translation drafted by Claude (Anthropic), kept as a working draft
- Simplified English
- Drafted by Claude (Anthropic) from the original and checked unit by unit against the original in a separate review, then compared with earlier translations and tested for borrowed wording.
- Editor’s review
- Not yet.
- Specialist review
- Not yet. Readings a specialist should confirm are listed for later review.
- Rights
- Original: public domain. Edition: being checked. Our translations and notes: CC BY-SA 4.0; credit “Hearth Library, hearthinteractive.com” with a link.
Sources for the notes
- Толстой, Л. Н. Азбука, книга 1. С.-Петербургъ: тип. Замысловскаго, 1872 (as catalogued). Internet Archive, azbuka86: catalogue record read; pages 60, 62, 65, 67, 68 and 72 of Part Two read as page images.
- Сэлинджер, А. Г. «Как создавалась «Азбука» Л. Н. Толстого». Время науки, 2019, № 3, с. 31–38. Read online. On the writing and publication of the Azbuka (1871–72), its four books, the peasant lessons, the critics' response, the Ministry, and the New Azbuka of 1875.