The story follows a king who, while hunting, gets lost in a forest and encounters a sorceress who offers to help him find his way out in exchange for marrying her daughter. The king agrees and eventually has eight children with his first queens. However, the new queen turns his seven sons into swans out of jealousy.

The king's daughter escapes and discovers her brothers in a palace, where they warn her to avoid laughter or speech while they transform back into human princes. She weaves shirts for them but faces difficulties when the king's mother falsely accuses her of witchcraft after hiding her baby and smearing blood on her.

Just as the princess is about to be executed, her brothers arrive, transformed back into princes thanks to the shirts she made. This revelation clears her name, and they all reunite, leading to happiness for the family and reconciliation with the king's mother.

एक ठो राजा हलै। ओकरा सिकार खेले के बड़ा सौख हलै । एक दिन सिकार खेलते-खेलते ऊ जंगल में रस्तवे भुला गेलै । रस्तावा खोजते - खोजते एगो झोपड़ी मिललै । ओकरा में एक ठो बुढ़िया बैठल हलै । ऊ जादूगरनी हलै । रजवा ओकरा से रस्ता पूछलकै । तब बुढ़िया बोललकै, हाँ, हम तोरा रस्तावा बता देबो बाकि एक ठो बात पर। जब तूं हम्मर बतिया नऽ मनबऽ तो तूं जंगल में भूखे-पिआसे तड़प-तड़प के मर जयबऽ ।

रजवा बतिया पूछलकै- कउन बात बुढ़िया! बुढ़िया कहलकै कि हमरा एगो बेटी हकौ । जब तूं ओकरा अप्पन रानी बनयबऽ तब तोरा जंगल से बाहर जाय के रास्ता बता देबो ।

रजवा बेचारा की करते हल ? बुढ़िया के बात मान लेलकै। तब बुढ़िया रजवा के रस्ता बता देलक। रजवा बुढ़िया के बेटिया के लेके अप्पन गाँव पहुचलै । उहाँ ऊ दूनो में सादी हो गेलै ।

रजवा के पहिलकी रनियाँ के आठ गो बुतरुन हलै सेकरा में सात बेटा आउ एक बेटी हलै । रजवा ओकरा बहुत चाहऽ हलै । रजवा सोचलकै कि ई सतेली माय है, भले नै बुतरुअन के तकलीफ देवे। येहे सोच के ओहनी ला जंगलवे में एक ठो महल बनवा देलकै । बुतरुअन उहाँ रहे लगलै आउ राजा दू-चार दिना पर देख जा हलै । नयकी रनिया ई सब के बारे में जान गेलै।

एक दिन रजवा सिकार खेले गेलै, तब ई रनिया चुपे-चाप ऊ महलवा में पहुँचलै । दूरिये से बुतरुअन देखैलकै कि हम्मर बाबू जी आ रहले हे। से हे से दउड़ के ओहनी ओकर नगीचे में अयलै । जइसहीं ओजा अयलै ओइसहीं ऊ जादू के जोर से सातहुन के हंस बनाके उड़ा देलकै, आउ हँसते-हँसते अप्पन महल पहुँच गेलै ।

रजवा के बेटिया एगो खिड़की पर बैठके सब देख रहले हल से ऊ रजकुमरिया सोचलकै कि अब इहाँ पर नऽ रहबै । ई सोच के ऊ तखनीये चल गेलै । जयते -जयते बहुत थक गेलै । ऊ वैसन जगह पहुँचले जहाँ एक ठो बहुत बड़ा महल बनल हलै । ऊ महलवा के भीतरे चल गेलै । उहाँ देखलकै कि एक जगुन भीतरे में सात ठो पलंग बिछल हलै । ऊ एक ठो पलंगवा पर जाके पड़ रहलै ।

ऊ अभी सुतलै भी नै हल कि सात ठो हँस खिड़किया पर फड़फड़यते-फड़फड़यते आके गिर गेलै । तब ओहनी सुन्दर राजकुमार बन गेलै । राजकुमरिया अप्पन भइवन के देख के चीन्ह गेलै । ऊ सब सातो भयवन बहिनी के देखके चीन्ह गेलै आउ खुस भेलै । आउ ऊ सब बहिनी से बोलकै कि जेतना जल्दी तूं इहाँ से भाग सकऽ हे, भाग जो । यहाँ पर सात ठो राक्षस रहऽ है । ऊ सब आवै होतवऽ । ऊ सब तोरा बचे नैऽ देतौ । हमनी थोड़े देर तक आदमी बनऽ हिअव आउ फिन हँस बन जा हियौ । तब रजकुमरिया पूछलकै कि तोहनी तब फिन अदमी बन सकऽ ही? तब भइवन सब बोललकै कि तूं इहाँ से सीधे जइहें, तोरा एक ठो झोपड़ी मिलतौ, ओकरा में एक ठो बुढ़िया बैठ के चरखा चलावऽ होतौ । तूं ओकरा से थोड़े से कतलाहा सुतवा माँग लिहें, आउ सात साल तक बिना हँसते-बोलले कपड़ा बीन के कमीज बनइहें। तब फिन हमनी ओकरा पेन्ह के अदमी बन जयबो । जदि तूं एकरा बीच में हँसमी चाहे बोलमीं तब एकर कुछो फल न होयतो। एतना कहके फिनो सब हँस बन गेलै, आउ जहाँ से अयले हल वहीं उड़ गेलै।

तखनहीं ऊ रजकुमरिया उहवाँ से झोपड़ी के खोज में चल पड़लै । खोजते-खोजते झोपड़िया भिरू पहुँच गेलै । ऊ बुढ़िया से सब हाल कह देलकै । एकर बतिया सुन के बुढ़िया अप्पन कतलाहा सुतवा दे देलकै । रजकुमरिया एगो पेड़ के नीचे बइठ के कपड़ा बुन के कमीज बनावे लगलै । ऊ नै केकरो से बोलऽ हलै नऽ केकरो से हँसऽ हलै । कुछ दिना के बाद ऊ नगर के राज सिकार खेले ला अयलै । आउ देख के ऊ रजकुमरिया से पूछलकै कि तूं कउन हीं? तूं इहाँ की करहीं? रजकुमरिया कुछ नै जबाव देलकै । रजकुमरिया बड़ी सुन्नर हलै । ऊ रजवा ओकरा अप्पन रानी बनावे ला सोचलकै, से ओकरा महल में लयलकै आउ बड़ी धूम-धाम से सादी करलकै ।

रजवा के मइया बड़ी खच्चड़ हलै । ऊ रजकुमरिया के देख के मने-मने जर हलै । आउ कहलकै कि ई केकर बेटी हकै, नऽ बोलऽ हकै, नऽ हँसऽ हकै । ई रानी होवे लायक नै हे।

कुछ दिन के बाद रजकुमरिया के एगो सुन्नर बेटा होलै । एक रात सूतल हलै, तो राजवा के मइया चुपके से बेटवा के नुका देलकै, आग राजकुमरिया के मुँहां में खून लगा देलकै। आउ मारे हो-हल्ला मचलकै आउ रजवा से कहलकै कि रनिया डायन हवऽ। ऊ अप्‍पन बुतरुआ के मार के खा गेलऊ हे।

रजवा ओकर मुंहां में खून लगल देखके गुस्सा में आ गेलै। रजवा जल्लाद के बोला के राजकुमारिया के मार देवे ला आज्ञा देलकै। ई दिन सातवाँ साल के अन्तिम दिन हलै । सातो कमिजिया तैयार हो गेलै हल। जइसहीं जल्लादवा खतम करे गेलै, ओइसहीं सातो हँसा उड़ते-उड़ते आ गेलै, आउ रजकुमरियाई सातो कमिज‍िया फेंक देलकै। सातो हंसवा पेन्ह के सुन्दर राजकुमार बन गेले। ऊ सब अप्‍पन बहिन के गला से लगा लेलकै। देख के जल्लदवा के बड़ी तज्‍जुब लगलै, आउ रजवा के बोला भेजलकै। ई सब बेतिया रनिया रजवा से कह देलक। ई सुनके रजवा बड़ी खुसी हो गेलै। रजवा के मइया के भी खुशी के ठेकाना नऽ रहलै । ऊ ओकर बुतरुआ के लाके दे देलकै, आउ अपन करनी पर माफी मंगलकै । रजवा, रनिया आउ ओकर सातो भइवन सुख से रहे लगलै।

See translation

Once there was a king who had a great passion for hunting. One day, while hunting, he lost his way in the forest. While searching for a path, he came across a hut where an old woman was sitting. She was a sorceress. The king asked her for directions. The old woman replied, "Yes, I will tell you the way, but on one condition. If you do not agree to my condition, you will die hungry and thirsty in the forest."

The king asked, "What is the condition, old woman?" She said, "I have a daughter. When you take her as your queen, I will tell you the way out of the forest."

What could the poor king do? He accepted the old woman's words. Then, the old woman told him the way, and the king took her daughter back to his village. There, they got married.

The king had eight children with his first queens — seven sons and one daughter, whom he loved very much. The king thought that this stepmother would not harm his children. Thinking this, he built a palace in the forest for his children. They began to live there, and the king visited them every few days. The new queen learned all about this.

One day, while the king was out hunting, the queen quietly went to the palace. From afar, the children saw their father coming and ran towards him. As soon as they reached him, she cast a spell and turned all seven of them into swans, and they flew away laughing back to their palace.

The king's daughter was watching from a window, and she thought to herself that she could no longer stay there. Thinking this, she ran away. She became very tired while fleeing and reached a place where a large palace stood. She entered the palace and saw that there were seven beds arranged inside. She went to one of the beds and lay down.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, the seven swans fluttered and fell onto the windowsill. Then, they turned into beautiful princes. The princess recognized her brothers as soon as she saw them. They also recognized their sister and were happy to see her. They told her, "As quickly as you can, get away from here. There are seven monsters living here. They will come for you, and they won't spare you. We will turn into humans for a little while and then back into swans. If you laugh or speak during that time, it will have dire consequences." After saying this, they turned back into swans and flew away from where they had come.

Then the princess set out to find the hut. After searching, she finally reached the hut. She explained everything to the old woman, who then gave her some thread. The princess sat under a tree and began to weave clothes to make a shirt. She did not speak or laugh at all. After a few days, the king came to hunt in the town and saw the princess. He asked her, "Who are you? What are you doing here?" The princess did not reply. She was very beautiful. The king thought of making her his queen, so he took her to his palace and married her with great fanfare.

The king's mother was very suspicious. Seeing the princess, she secretly became angry and wondered aloud who the daughter belonged to, as she neither spoke nor laughed. She thought the princess was unworthy of being a queen.

A few days later, the princess had a beautiful son. One night, while she was sleeping, the king's mother quietly hid the baby, smeared blood on the princess's mouth, and shouted, claiming that the queen was a witch and had eaten her own child.

When the king saw blood on the princess's mouth, he became angry. He ordered the executioner to kill the princess. This was the last day of the seventh year. The seven shirts were ready. As soon as the executioner was about to finish, the seven swans flew in and the daughter cast away the seven shirts. Wearing the swan's feathers, they transformed back into handsome princes. They embraced their sister. The executioner was astonished and reported everything to the king. The princes told the king what had happened. Hearing this, the king was overjoyed. The king’s mother was also very happy. She admitted to her mistake and asked for forgiveness. The king, the queen, and her seven brothers lived happily ever after.