Nibbly-Quibbly the Goat (Ukrainian Folk Tale)

Once upon a time there lived an Old Man and an Old Woman.

One day the Old Man went to a fair and he bought a Goat. He took the Goat home and early the next morning told his eldest son to take it out to graze. The youth grazed the Goat till evening and then drove it home. He drove it straight to the gate, and the Old Man stood there in his red boots and said:

"Tell me, Little Goat, tell me, Nibbly-Quibbly, have you had enough to eat and to drink?"

"No, Grandpa, I have not drunk or eaten," the Goat replied.

"As I ran by a tree with a hop and a skip,

I whisked off a leaf and nibbled the tip.

As I ran by a brook with a skip and a hop,

I scooped up some water and had a drop!

And that was all that I ate and all that I drank."

The Old Man was very angry with his son for not having looked after the Goat properly and turned him out of the house.

On the next day he told his younger son to take the Goat out to graze.

The youth grazed the Goat till evening and then drove it home. He drove the Goat straight to the gate, and the Old Man stood there in his red boots and said:

"Tell me, Little Goat, tell me, Nibbly-Quibbly, have you had enough to eat and to drink?"

"No, Grandpa, I have not drunk or eaten," the Goat replied.

"As I ran by a tree with a hop and a skip,

I whisked off a leaf and nibbled the tip.

As I ran by a brook with a skip and a hop,

I scooped up some water and had a drop!

And that was all that I ate and all that I drank."

So the Old Man turned his younger son out of the house, too.

On the third day he sent the Old Woman to graze the Goat.

The Old Woman grazed the Goat all day, and when evening came she drove it home.

And the Old Man stood there by the gate in his red boots and said:

"Tell me, Little Goat, tell me, Nibbly-Quibbly, have you had enough to eat and to drink?"

"No, Grandpa, I have not drunk or eaten," the Goat replied.

"As I ran by a tree with a hop and a skip,

I whisked off a leaf and nibbled the tip.

As I ran by a brook with a skip and a hop,

I scooped up some water and had a drop!

And that was all that I ate and all that I drank!"

So the Old Man turned the Old Woman out of the house, too.

On the fourth day he himself went to graze the Goat.

He grazed it all day long, and when evening came he drove it out onto the road and himself ran on ahead and stood by the gate of his house in his red boots.

Said the Old Man:

"Tell me, Little Goat, tell me, Nibbly-Quibbly, have you had enough to eat and to drink?"

"No, Grandpa, I have not drunk or eaten," the Goat replied.

"As I ran by a tree with a hop and a skip,

I whisked off a leaf and nibbled the tip.

As I ran by a brook with a skip and a hop,

I scooped up some water and had a drop!

And that was all that I ate and all that I drank!"

The Old Man was very angry with the Goat.

He went to a blacksmith's and had his knife sharpened, and he was about to kill the Goat, but the Goat tore itself loose and ran off to the forest.

It saw a Rabbit's hut there, came inside and hid on the stove.

By and by the Rabbit ran in and he saw that there was someone in his hut.

"Who is there in my hut?" he called.

And the Goat called back:

"I am Nibbly-Quibbly the Goat With a torn skin and coat.

To the fair I was brought And for three kopecks bought.

I will frighten you off with a bleat,

I will stamp-stamp on you with my feet,

With my horns I will pierce you and crush you,

With my tail away I will brush you,

And that will be the end of you!"

The Rabbit was very frightened. He ran out of the hut, sat down under an oak tree and began to cry.

By and by a Bear came lumbering up.

"Why are you crying, Runny-Bunny?" he asked.

"How can I help it, Grumbly-Rumbly! A terrible beast is sitting in my hut."

"I am going to drive him out!" said the Bear, and off he made for the hut.

"Who is sitting in this hut?" he called.

And the Goat called back:

"I am Nibbly-Quibbly the Goat With a torn skin and coat.

To the fair I was brought And for three kopecks bought.

I will frighten you off with a bleat,

I will stamp-stamp on you with my feet,

With my horns I will pierce you and crush you,

With my tail away I will brush you,

And that will be the end of you!"

The Bear was very frightened, and out he ran from the hut!

"I'm afraid I cannot help you, Runny-Bunny," he said.

So the Rabbit sat down under the oak tree again and he cried and cried.

By and by a Wolf came lolloping up.

"Why are you crying, Runny-Bunny?" he asked.

"How can I help it, Howly-Prowly! A terrible beast is sitting in my hut."

"I am going to drive him out!" said the Wolf.

"I don"t believe it. The Bear tried, and he couldn't, so how can you?"

"Well, just see if I don't!"

And off the Wolf made for the hut.

"Who is sitting in this hut?" he called.

And the Goat called back:

"I am Nibbly-Quibbly the Goat With a torn skin and coat.

To the fair I was brought And for three kopecks bought.

I will frighten you off with a bleat,

I will stamp-stamp on you with my feet,

With my horns I will pierce you and crush you,

With my tail away I will brush you,

And that will be the end of you!"

The Wolf was very frightened and out he ran.

"I'm afraid I cannot help you, Runny-Bunny!" he said.

And Runny-Bunny went and sat under the oak tree again and he cried and cried.

By and by a Fox came scampering up.

"Why are you crying, Runny-Bunny?" she asked.

"How can I help it, Smily-Wily! A terrible beast is sitting in my hut."

"I am going to drive him out!- said the Fox.

"I don"t believe it, Smily-Wily. The Bear tried and he couldn't, and the Wolf tried and he couldn't, so how can you?"

"Well, just see if I don't!"

And off the Fox made for the hut.

"Who is sitting in this hut?" she called.

And the Goat called back:

"I am Nibbly-Quibbly the Goat With a torn skin and coat.

To the fair I was brought And for three kopecks bought.

I will frighten you off with a bleat,

I will stamp-stamp on you with my feet,

With my horns I will pierce you and crush you,

With my tail away I will brush you,

And that will be the end of you!"

The Fox was very frightened, and out she ran.

"I'm afraid I cannot help you, Runny-Bunny!" she said - and Runny-Bunny sat down under the oak tree again and he cried and cried.

By and by a Crayfish came crawling up.

"Why are you crying, Runny-Bunny?" he asked.

"How can I help it! A terrible beast is sitting in my hut."

"I am going to drive him out!"

"I don't believe it! The Bear tried and he couldn"t, the Wolf tried and he couldn't, the Fox tried and she couldn't, so how can you?"

"Well, just see if I don't!"

And with that the Crayfish crawled into the Rabbit's hut.

"Who is sitting in this hut?" he called.

And the Goat called back:

"I am Nibbly-Quibbly the Goat With a torn skin and coat.

To the fair I was brought And for three kopecks bought.

I will frighten you off with a bleat,

I will stamp-stamp on you with my feet,

With my horns I will pierce you and crush you,

With my tail away I will brush you,

And that will be the end of you!"

But this did not stop the Crayfish. On and on he crawled, and he crawled up onto the stove and said:

"By all feared am I,

And you'll soon know why.

I snap – and you leap,

I nip – and you weep!"

And he nipped the Goat hard with his claws.

The Goat gave a bleat, down it jumped from the stove, and away it ran as fast as its legs could carry it!

And Runny-Bunny was overjoyed. He came into the hut and thanked the Crayfish over and over again. And he lives in his hut to this day as snug as you please.