“This Lord has vanquished our tyrant and cleansed our glorious city of Chérnigov,” and he spoke to his princes and nobles and said:
“Go ye and call in this goodly hero to eat bread and salt with me.”
And the princes and nobles came forth to greet Ilyá of Múrom and said:
“Come now, thou stalwart and goodly hero, and tell us by what honoured name thou art called, and what is thy renowned father’s name?”
“They call me by the name of Ilyá, but I am honoured as the son of Iván,” said Ilyá.
“Come, Ilyá of Múrom,” said the princes and nobles, “come to our Governor, he sends us to invite thee to eat bread and salt with him.”
But Ilyá wished to be on the way to Kiev and answered with little ceremony:
“I will not come to your Governor; I wish not to eat bread and salt with him. Show me the straight road to glorious, royal Kiev town.” [[33]]
So they had to let him go on his way, and they showed him the straight road to Kiev across the open plain.
Farther, farther upon on the open plain waves the feather grass in the breeze, and there upon the open plain, among old folk, mothers and men, rode the Old Cossack, Ilyá of Múrom, and the horse he rode was like a fierce wild beast and he himself like a bright falcon.