A girl sat down alone
Beneath a guelder rose bush.
And she pondered to herself,
How to live from now on:
— I won't go to nursery school —
It's become terribly dull.
I won't listen to grown-ups —
I'm tired of them.
I don't want to learn poems,
I won't braid my hair,
But I want to play, go for walks,
And ride on roller skates.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps,
The girl rose up
And, coming from afar,
She spotted her friend.
She came and sat beside her,
Bowing her head.
And quietly, almost crying,
She spoke thus:
— They say one must put
Everything in its place.
Put clothes away in the wardrobe…
— But there's no room for them!
— They say one must wash
One's own dishes.
— I won't do it.
I don't want to! I won't!
What are these difficulties,
Explain, my friend,
I'd rather go to sleep.
Where is my pillow?
But she didn't get to sleep.
A branch bent down,
And with a wreath upon her head
The third of the sisters appeared.
I too, girls,
Want to have a word.
To discuss my dreams
And wishes with you.
I very much want to be
A fairy-tale character,
Not with a wreath on my head,
But with a golden crown.
And I always want to walk
In a beautiful, bustling square,
And to get there
By helicopter.
Suddenly, out of nowhere,
A fairy appeared.
The sisters quickly stood up,
Not believing their eyes.
The fairy smiled sweetly,
Sang a little song,
And asked the girls,
What would they like?!
The first sister spoke:
— I want to go to the sea,
To laze about on the sand,
To frolic in the open.
— And I want lots of treats:
Cakes, Swiss rolls,
Chocolate, marmalade
And a bucket of sweets,—
The second girl said all this,
And from her future happiness
She laughed loudly.
— Well, I want, — said
The third of the sisters, —
For music to play,
To listen to the birds sing,
To visit theatres, balls,
Exhibitions, shows,
Let them write stories about me
As if I were a princess.
— Very well, — said the fairy, —
Everything can be granted,
But you can change your mind,
While there's still time.
— No, no, no, — said the sisters, —
We need all of this.
We'll be very pleased
To have our wishes granted!
A swift wind suddenly blew,
The birds fell silent.
Magic was fulfilled
For each of the sisters.
A month passes,… a third month,
The first — on the beach
Suffers from the heat,
Applying cream to her body.
The second has a rash
From eating too many sweets,
And she can no longer
Even look at confectionery.
The third has also grown tired
Of singing and making merry.
The three sisters wanted
To return home.
Fairy! Fairy! — they cried out, —
Bring us back quickly!
We'll do all the housework,
We'll become kinder.
We'll help our mother,
Study well,
Tidy up after ourselves,
And won't be lazy at all.
The fairy quickly flew over
And looked at them reproachfully.
— Fed up? Not to your liking?
You wanted this so much!?
You can't turn back time,
The days have flown away!
Well, enough of this sorrow.
Here's what I'll tell you:
Before you wish for something —
Think it through carefully!
