The Foundling Prince
A free B1-level English story for language learners, readable online in 7 languages, with an option to listen via the free Storyteller app.
A Tsar's long-lost son is found after fifteen years — but to prove he is truly the prince, the boy must arrive at the palace neither naked nor dressed, neither on foot nor on horseback, by an impossible riddle of his own devising.
Once upon a time there was a Tsar and Tsarítsa who had only one son. The Tsar one day had to leave home, and in his absence a disaster befell them; the Tsarévich disappeared. They searched and searched for the Tsarévich, dragging the ponds. Not a breath nor a sound could be heard of him. So fifteen years went by, until at last the Tsar received news that in a certain village a peasant had found a child who was a wonder for his beauty and his cleverness.
Pada zaman dahulu ada seorang Tsar dan Tsaritsa yang hanya memiliki satu anak. Suatu hari sang Tsar harus meninggalkan rumah, dan selagi ia pergi sebuah bencana menimpa mereka; sang Tsarevich menghilang. Mereka mencari dan mencari sang Tsarevich, bahkan mengeruk kolam-kolam. Tak ada napas maupun suara yang bisa terdengar darinya. Maka lima belas tahun berlalu, hingga akhirnya sang Tsar menerima kabar bahwa di sebuah desa tertentu seorang petani telah menemukan seorang anak yang menakjubkan karena kecantikan dan kecerdasannya.
So the Tsar ordered the peasant to be brought to him as soon as possible: he was brought, and the Tsar began asking him where he had found the boy. The peasant explained that he had found him fifteen years ago in a corn-kiln, with strange and rich clothing on him; and by every sign he was the Tsar’s own son.
Maka sang Tsar memerintahkan agar petani itu dibawa kepadanya secepat mungkin: ia pun dibawa, dan sang Tsar mulai bertanya di mana ia menemukan anak itu. Petani itu menjelaskan bahwa ia menemukannya lima belas tahun lalu di sebuah tempat pengeringan jagung, dengan pakaian yang aneh dan mewah; dan dari segala tanda, anak itu adalah putra sang Tsar sendiri.
So the Tsar told the peasant, “Tell your foundling that he is to come to me neither naked nor dressed, nor on foot nor on horseback, neither by day nor by night, neither in the courtyard nor in the street.”
Maka sang Tsar berkata kepada petani itu, "Katakan kepada anak temuanmu bahwa ia harus datang kepadaku tidak telanjang maupun berpakaian, tidak berjalan kaki maupun menunggang kuda, tidak pada siang hari maupun malam hari, tidak di halaman maupun di jalan."
So the peasant went back home, wept and told the boy. How on earth was it to be done!
Maka petani itu pun pulang ke rumah, menangis, dan menyampaikannya kepada anak itu. Bagaimana mungkin hal itu bisa dilakukan!
But the boy replied, “That is easy enough: I can guess this riddle.”
Namun anak itu menjawab, "Itu mudah saja: aku bisa menebak teka-teki ini."
So he took and undressed himself from head to foot, put a net on himself, came on a goat, came up to the Tsar at twilight, and mounted the goat at the gate, leaving the fore-feet of the goat on the courtyard and the hind feet in the street.
Maka ia pun melepas seluruh pakaiannya dari kepala hingga kaki, mengenakan sebuah jaring pada dirinya, datang menunggangi seekor kambing, tiba di hadapan sang Tsar saat senja, dan naik ke atas kambing itu di gerbang, membiarkan kaki depan kambing itu berada di halaman dan kaki belakangnya di jalan.
When the Tsar saw this, he became convinced and said, “This must be my son!”
Ketika sang Tsar melihat hal ini, ia pun yakin dan berkata, "Ini pasti putraku!"
