Ivana Brlić Mažuranić
Stribor's forest
One day a young man went to Stribor's* forest to chop some logs, but he didn't know that forest was enchanted. Suddenly a snake appears from a stump. The snake turned into a beautiful girl and she stunned the young man with her beauty. They went home where the man lived with his mother. She immediately noticed that her daughter in low has a snake tongue.
*Stribor [ stribor ]
The daughter in low was mean to the old lady. On the first day she sent the old lady to get some water from the mountain so she can wash her face. On the second day she sent the old lady to the frozen lake to bring a carp. When she came there a seagull flew above and a carp fell to her arms straight from seagull’s mouth. On the third day while the old lady was sewing her son’s shirt a poor girl who was selling matches came to her. The old lady had no money, but she sewed the girl’s sleeve and for return she gave her matches.
She ignited a fire with the matches and from the fire Domaći*, a little house ghosts, started coming out. One of them was Malik Tintilinić*. Domaći danced with the old lady and had fun. The old lady told them about her problem and Malik Tintilinić suggested to the old lady to put magpie’s eggs under her chickens so the villagers can see that her daughter in low is a snake. *Domaći [domaʧi] *Malik Tintilinić [malik tintiliniʧ]
When the magpies hatched, her daughter in low showed her tongue in front of the whole village. But her son got mad and threw the old lady from the house. The old lady ignited a fire and Domaći reappeared. They took the old lady to Stribor, a forest elder.
The old lady and Domaći came to the Stribor, her daughter in law and son were hiding behind a tree. Stribor talked to the old lady and asked her if she wants to be young again and forget she has a son. She said: “I want to stay in my trouble, knowing I have a son.” When she said that, all the magic left Stribor’s forest, Stribor and Domaći disappeared, and daughter in low turned back into the snake. The son married a poor girl and all three of them lived happily ever after.
THE END
Drowings and text prepared by class 4.b
Translation in English - Filip Lalić, class 8.b
OŠ Okučani, Croatia