The princess arises and in time, she eats.  In an instant she becomes sleepy.  An unseen force raises her in the air and carefully lowers her on her bed.  The door opens.  What terror!  A long row of Moors advances in pairs, carefully carrying a gray beard on pillows.  Attached to it is a hunchbacked dwarf whose shaven head is covered with a tall hat.  He approaches.  The princess jumps from the bed, grabs the dwarf by the hat, and screams.  The little man squirms and attempts to run away but, entangled in his beard, he falls.  The Moors shout, push, run, grab the sorcerer in their arms, and carry him out, leaving the hat with Ludmila.

But what of the knights?  They fight fiercely, their hearts hardened with anger.  Their swords are already broken, and their chain mail is covered with blood.  Finally Ruslan tears his enemy from the saddle and throws him into the Dnieper’s waters.  Rogdai, that seeker of bloody battles, finds his end at the bottom of the river.

The third song

Chernomor yawns irritably on his bed.  Silent slaves throng around his lengthy beard, combing it.  Out of the blue, a winged dragon flies in the window and turns into Naina.  “A secret fate unites us with a common enemy,” she says.  “A cloud hangs over you, and insulted honor calls me to vengeance.”

Ruslan carrying the sleeping Ludmila.

The dwarf replies, “Wonderful Naina!  As long as a hostile sword does not cut this blessed beard in two, no valiant knight will ruin my plans.  Ludmila will be mine forever.  Ruslan is doomed to the grave!”  In agreement, Naina hisses three times, stamps her foot, and flies away as a black dragon.

The sorcerer rejoices and decides to visit the princess again.  But she has disappeared without a trace!

Where has the beauty gone?  An idea came to her to try on Chernomor’s hat.  She put it on straight, tilted, and backward.  And what?  O, miracle of olden days!  Ludmila disappeared.  When she turned it around, Ludmila stood as she had before.  The princess, blushing from happiness, put the old wizard’s hat on backward.