Childhood and Youth of Semetey. The Escape of Kanakei to Bukhara Brother of Kyobesh, Abyke, and Adzhibai Went to Afghanistan and Hindustan, at that time To bring reason to this land To settle the endless quarrel of the khans Evil was plotted against Kanakei by Jakyp He called the children to him and said: - Six thousand dzhambas, a thousand beaver skins Ormonbek, son of Tekechi, has bribed Bakai!
CONTINUATION OF THE EPIC: "SEMETEY" The death of the beloved hero, the sorrowful end of the poem, did not satisfy the listeners. The tale was supposed to have a continuation, especially since there was a reason left - the main rival of Manas, the treacherous instigator of all bloody confrontations, Konurbai, escaped in the "Great Campaign." The beginning of the poem "Semetey" is tragic. Power is usurped by the envious relatives of Abike and Kebesh, who destroy
Religion in the Epic "Manas" Comparing variants recorded from the words of different narrators, it is easy to notice not only thematic and plot coincidences but also certain similarities. They sometimes concern the composition of the epic; for example, the campaigns of Manas to the North and West are only mentioned by the narrator Sagymbay Orozbakov, while the pilgrimage of Chubak to Mecca is noted by Sayakbay Karalaev. Sometimes the well-known motif of the unification of Kyrgyz
The Death of Manas At night, secretly Kanykey Gathered the loyal warriors, Far along the mountain paths She led them to the gorge in the morning. At the cliffs on the stone wall She made them break through a passage And there, for eternal rest, She built a grotto for Manas. When Kanykey returned: — Is everything ready? — asked Manas. — Now call my relatives here, My friends and warriors, I want to see them one last time… And people came from all sides To pay their last respects. When all the
Manas's Testament Embracing Kanike by the shoulders, He said to his beloved: — Be brave, my faithful, It seems my time has come. Take care of yourself for our son! When you bury me, Run to Bukhara, to your father — Let our Semetey grow there! Here, in his homeland, He will not see bright days. And the brothers Abike, Kobesh Will not let you live here, And if you resist, They will find a reason and kill. And they will turn our son Into a mankurta right away, Forcing him to herd cattle.
Return from the Great Campaign. Part - 2 When they passed the Great Wall of China, They settled down for a rest, Suddenly someone in the distance saw, That behind them a horse was coming, The rider lay, embracing the horse, The helmet and armor shone in the sun — And everyone recognized: it was The horse of Almanbet — Sarala. — My Almanbet! You are alive, dear! Has God truly forgiven me, If you have returned alive? — Manas cried out with joy And, despite the wounds and pain, Ran to meet his
Return from the Great Campaign. Part - 1 On one of the gloomy nights Kanykey woke up in tears, Taking the infant in her arms from the swaddling, Sobbing, she gave him her breast. And, recalling the terrible dream, She could not hold back her tears. By the river, a little gray bull Suddenly began to bellow like a child — Almanbet has probably perished. And the white falcon in flight Broke its mighty wings — It seems Chubak has fallen into trouble! The chinar tree, standing tall, Suddenly fell
The Death of the Heroes A rumor swept through China That Khan Manas was wounded. The spirit of the Kangai people rose. For Konurbai and Neskara Their long-awaited hour had come. Surrounding Beijinge in three circles, To ensure that not a single one Of the buruts left China alive, And to drive out the Muslims, They incited the townspeople to revolt. And behold, a hundred thousand troops Marched towards the city of Chet-Beijing, To capture and destroy the Kyrgyz forces. Raising Manas' red
Prayer of Manas Almighty God! My Creator! I am on my knees before you. You gave us the sun above, You illuminate the earthly world, Dimming the light at night, You leave us with darkness. Holy prophets, wise men You give us, Creator, yourself. You send us brainless, foolish fools To the earth. So that we live in wars and struggles, You send us enemies. Giving the heart flame and love, You create heroes yourself. Creator of heaven and earth, Only you can judge us! I led your sons into battle,
The Beginning of the Battle. Part - 2 Hearing the joyful news, Kanykey was not pleased: — Taking Beijing, the Chinese throne, He has doomed himself to death. Let him return quickly — Here a son has been born, Semetey! And if suddenly he perishes there His father, my beloved, Our only child Will become an orphan from swaddling clothes, — Kanykey wept bitterly. Shuutu rushed to Beijing, Brought news to Manas, That a son had been born to him, That they named him Semetey, And that Kanykey asked To
The Beginning of the Battle. Part - 1 From morning till night, the slaughter went on, And from night again until morning They fought, sparing no lives. A mountain of corpses rose high. And the blood from the fateful battle Flowed like a red river. And everywhere there were groans, curses, screams, You could not distinguish strangers from your own. Zholoya er-Chubak caught up, Pierced him through with a spear, But then the Chinese khan Ushan Drove a spear into Chubak's side. And the
The Beginning of the Battle Karagul rushed to the khan And informed Konurbai That the cunning Almanbet Had stolen the entire herd of Kyrgyz. — I will pierce the traitor and fugitive Through and through with my spear Or I will capture him alive! Binding him, I will bring him to the square, And publicly cut off his head! — Roared Konurbai in anger. In the narrow gorge on both sides Almanbet and Syrgak lay in wait, To set up an ambush there, To wipe out the troops from above, And to capture
The Death of Manas. In Talas that night, Kanikei woke up in fear from a terrible dream. The heavy-horned gray bull Roars by the riverbank. Is my sultan Alma really lost? The white falcon Akshumkar, who chased the raven, Suddenly lost his wings. Has Chubak, my sultan's friend, Met with terrible misfortune? Has my priceless Syrgak really died? The tall chinar Helplessly bent towards Kybla, By the golden throne, on which my sultan sat, When he was the khan of eighteen nations, One leg broke.
In reconnaissance They came to the valley of Teshik-Tash, Where fragrant flowers Bloom on the meadows, Fruit gardens are in bloom And tea bushes grow in the fields. Here Almanbet dismounted from his horse. He fell face down into the grass And, like a child, began to cry: — Forgive me, my land! Syrgak, this is my homeland! My mother gave birth to me here, And from the umbilical cord, The native land accepted my blood. Here along the riverbank I ran barefoot in my childhood. Over there, under
The Great Campaign. The Wounding of Manas and the Return of the Kyrgyz to Talas. Part-3 When Almambet was in battle, Konurbai sent the eloquent Changtiybes as an envoy to Manas and asked to suspend the battle for seven days. Manas agreed and announced a seven-day truce. Hearing this, Almambet was very upset and said to Manas:
The Quarrel of Chubak and Almanbet The head of the warriors, Kyrgyl, At forty, he still sinned. A well-known adulterer, He did no good for the people, He was known as a gossip in the folk. And once he spread a rumor That at night Chubak Met secretly with Kanikei. Learning that Almanbet and Syrgak Had gone on reconnaissance to Beijin, He said to Chubak in front of the warriors: — Son of Khan Akbalta, Chubak! Didn’t know you were such a fool. Though you are a Noygut hero, You are lower than a
The Great Campaign. The Wounding of Manas and the Return of the Kyrgyz to Talas. Part-2 Meanwhile, Konurbay was plotting something sinister. He was relentlessly thinking of a plan to kill Manas. He could not sleep at night, nor find peace during the day because of this thought. Manas' palace was guarded by forty choro and Kyrgyl. They drove away anyone who approached him with words, if someone understood their language, or with the point of spears and the edge of swords, if someone did
Appointment of Almanbet as Commander-in-Chief In the valley of the Sary-Tal river The warriors on the march Set up a large camp. They stuck their spears in the soft ground, Threw their swords into the bushes, And let the horses graze. Some, escaping the heat, Bathed naked in the river, Others slept under the tent. Having trampled the grass in a circle, They organized a game of ordo. Appointing a large baiga, They played toguz-korgol here. As if a thousand troops Had set off on a great campaign
The Great Campaign. The Wounding of Manas and the Return of the Kyrgyz to Talas. Manas imposed a heavy tribute on Beidzhin. Meanwhile, Konurbai fled to the farthest Beidzhin to Karakhan and told him about the defeat that Manas inflicted on them. - This spawn, the villain Manas, will not leave us alive, - he concluded his story and wept.
The Great Campaign to China. Part - 2 As dawn broke in the skies, On the helmets of fierce warriors, On sharp peaks it played A reflected glimmer from the sun. Like a sign of war it fluttered The red banner with a green spear, So that the enemy could see and tremble. From the warriors marching to battle, The earth trembled beneath their feet. And ahead on Ak-Kul, With an impenetrable shield, With a merciless sword, Ach-albars, In all his glory Under the red flag stood Khan Manas. Like a fierce
The Great Campaign. Victory over Konurbai. Part - 2 Manas inflicted a bloody massacre on the Chinese, driving many into the turbulent waves of the Sarysu. Konurbai could not stop his fleeing army, became confused, and, without engaging in battle with Manas, fled as well. Half of the Chinese troops, fleeing from the slaughter, perished, drowning in the river. Konurbai sent a messenger to Beijing, and a new numerous army arrived from there, led by Madykan-doo. But Almambet, before their arrival,
The Great Campaign to China On the forty-first day in the morning On the argamak Ak-Kula Manas rode out to the square. And twenty warriors-choro Galloped to his left, And as many fierce fighters Galloped to his right — His loyal guard. The restless dobulbas Thundered like thunder across all Talas. With anger unhidden, Our enraged lion looked at the khans. — Bring everyone to me here! — He ordered his choro. The khans appeared at once. And now they stand before him, Shaking hands timidly and
The Great Campaign. Victory over Konurbay. Almambet and Syrgak, having left Beidzhin, crossed the Sary-Suu River and encountered numerous herds of horses on their way. Seeing them, they sent their spare horse Kartkyureng to lead all the herds towards Manas's troops. Almambet and Syrgak beat the drums, fired several shots from their rifles, and began to drive the herds. (58). Noticing this, the Chinese herder Janibay, leading forty herders on his red stallion, attacked Almambet and Syrgak.
The Arrival of the Envoys to Manas Six envoys rushed From six noble clans On a long journey to the Talas River, Where Khan Manas set his throne. And there they saw: Gates with a stone wall Shining under golden paint. A ravine filled with water, So that the enemy could not approach, And a powerful guard around. The envoys, not knowing what to do, Stood for a long time at the gates, Not knowing how or where to start: Knock on the door or shout, Until Zhoronchu-Kazakh Appeared before their eyes.
The Great Campaign. The Story of Alambet. Er Manas, how could it be, That I do not know the location of Beidzhin? How could I not know The ancient Beidzhin that you see in the distance? This is the place where I ran in my youth in an open dress, This is the place where my mother gave birth to me, This is the place where my umbilical cord was cut, This is the place where I grew from small to big. Day by day I had successes. In that great Beidzhin visible in the distance, There it is, standing
The Conspiracy of the Kyrgyz Khans Hey! In the mountains, where the sunny Alay — The blessed land of the Kyrgyz, On that spring day gathered Six khans from six clans: The esteemed, glorious Muzburchak, From Andijan Sanzybek, Son of Elaman er-Toshtyuk, From Sar-Arka the Kazakh Kokche, And from Kemina the old khan Urby, And from the eshteks Jamgyrchy. Arriving at this invited feast, The khans whispered among themselves: — Inviting to the koketeev ash, Manas took all power for himself, He mocked
Comparison of the two full versions of Sagymbay and Sayakbay For better clarity, we will first list the events that make up the scheme of both versions. The version of the epic "Manas" by Sagymbay Orozbakov contains events presented in the following chronological order: • I. The birth and childhood of Manas. The section begins with the genealogy of Manas, followed by the story of the grief of childless Jakyp and his dreams. Then the birth of Manas is described, his childhood years,
The Great Campaign. Reconnaissance. Meanwhile, Alma and Syrgak arrived at the pass where the white argali - the guardian of Konur - was located, and at the lake where the cunning duck - the messenger of Konur - lived. The argali and the duck, sensing Alma's approach, fled. Hearing the sound of the argali's bell, the two hundred thousand people who were camping at the pass of Mount Angushtu packed up and also fled, fearing an invasion by foreigners. The scouts found no one at the
The Conclusion of the Mourning for Koketey On the eighth day, Bakai gathered The comrades and told them, That good news had arrived: — The Tulpaar of Manas, Ak-Kula, Has outpaced all the horses on the way. Following Ak-Kula is the steed Of Jolo's Ach-Budan. And so many prize victories The enemies will not forgive the Kyrgyz. And they might ambush Ak-Kula, Firing shot from their guns. The Tulpaar of the Chinese, Ach-Budan, Looks like Ak-Kula, like a brother. I ask you, my brave Almanbet,
"Manas" as performed by Sagymbay and Sayakbay "Manas" as performed by Sagymbay and Sayakbay is recorded in full. This is the distinguishing feature of both from other storytellers, as all other known and living storytellers currently perform only excerpts of "Manas," primarily serving as performers of the second and third parts of the trilogy "Semetey" and "Seitek." Such are Togolok Moldo, Akmat, Shapak, Janibai, Moldobasan. Among contemporary
The Great Campaign. The Quarrel of Almambet with Chubak. After Almambet's departure, forty choro of Manas began to play in ordo, splitting into two parts. The leaders of the game were Kyrgyl, Chubak's comrade, and Azhybay, from Almambet's squad. Four mares were designated as the prize. The side of Kyrgyl lost. As the game neared its end, Jaynak from Kyrgyl's party struck the khan with a tompo, knocking him down, who was lying close to the boundary. - You threw without
The Duel of Manas with Konurbai The son of Koketey Bokmurun The latter announced the tournament. — While the horses gallop From the distant alaman-baygi, Let the contest of er-sayish End the memorial feast. For the prize of two thousand horses Will be awarded to the one who wins. The loser must give up His horse as well! — He shouted at sunset. In the morning, all the people gathered. Here the sun rose to its zenith, But for the tournament of er-sayish No one stepped forward: In a tournament
"MANAS": LANGUAGE AND STYLE OF THE EPIC The text is taken from B. M. Yunusaliev's article "The Kyrgyz Heroic Epic 'Manas'" The Kyrgyz people have every right to be proud of the richness and diversity of oral poetic creativity, the pinnacle of which is the epic "Manas." Unlike the epics of many other nations, "Manas" is composed entirely in verse, which further attests to the special respect the Kyrgyz have for the art of versification. The
The Great Campaign. Almambet takes command of the army. Manas, riding at the head of the army, arrived at the plain of Chemuyuch, by the banks of the Chu, set up tents, and sat down to play chess. When Almambet, who was at the very end of the army, arrived and saw that everyone had unsaddled their horses, that many had undressed, made themselves shade from the sun with their capes, and carelessly collapsed to sleep, he was filled with anger. He approached Manas and said: - My Tere! What is
The Struggle of Koshoy with Zholoy In the morning, the banner of Koketeya Trembled again in the valley. The son of Yraman, Yrchiy-uul, Summoned all the guests to the square. — Hurry to the balban-kuresh! And whoever wins the struggle, Will be glad of their fate: They will receive a thousand horses. So promised Bokmurun himself! — Shouted the boisterous Yrchiy-uul. Then a dispute arose among the guests: They discussed the strongmen, Who could in a strength contest Glorify the family honor. But
MYTHOLOGY AND FANTASY Alongside battle episodes and social-domestic events, the motifs of mythology and fantasy occupy a prominent place in "Manas," which undoubtedly represent the most ancient elements in the epic. We consider it necessary to dwell on them for a while, although a more detailed analysis of this issue should be dedicated to a special work. In both versions of Manas, many battle episodes and descriptions of social-domestic events intertwine with myths and fairy tales.
The Great Campaign. Setting Out on the Campaign. In the morning, Manas distributed to all the arriving warriors from his herds a pair of spirited steeds: one stallion for breeding the herds, and one mare for slaughter. All the warriors were led in a line past the counters, and it turned out there were three million of them. When the army set out, Manas and his forty choro saddled their horses and rode out from the Akylay palace. Manas rode with a frown, troubled. Alma understood the reason for
Shooting at the Golden Jamba The return of the galloping horses, Will take seven or eight days. And it was necessary to entertain The guests with games and spectacles. They hung on two pines With thin silk strings A jamba made of gold ingot. A diamond inserted in a circle Shines and tempts the eye. And if you break the silk strings With a bullet or an arrow — The golden ingot with the diamond Will be yours for accuracy! The guests shot hundreds of times, Squinting their keen eyes, But no one
The Great Campaign. The Start of the Campaign. At the appointed time set by Manas, after forty days, an army began to gather from all sides: from Altyshaar came Jamgyrchy with a seven-hundred-thousand strong army, from Khotan - Tyoshtyuk with a hundred-thousand strong army, from Kemina - Urby with a two-hundred-thousand strong army, from Sarnarka - Kökche with a million-strong army, from Samarkand - Synchibek with a nine-hundred-thousand strong army, from Bukhara - Muzburchak with a
The Idea of the Unity of Deities The storytellers of "Manas," like shamans and mullahs, also performed the functions of a healer. This is known from the biographical data of the storytellers Keldibek and Sagymbay. Can we conclude from all this that the storytellers of "Manas" inherited these customs from shamans or imitated mullahs? In our opinion, the reason lies deeper. Here, the same idea of selection is at play, which was wonderfully analyzed by the famous ethnographer,
Horse Race Early in the morning, at dawn, As the green flag of Koketey Fluttered in the rays of light, All the guests mounted their horses And rushed to the banks of Kegen, To watch and evaluate The horses heading to the start. On both sides of the river Forty, fifty rows Of riders crowded tightly, Leaving a strip in the center About a hundred large steps wide. A larger crowd gathered here Than black ants, As if it were not a race, But a grand and joyful feast. At the alaman-bayge races, For
The Great Campaign. The Conspiracy of Six Khans. When preparations were being made for the memorial for Kökötöy, Manas ordered forty Kyrgyz clans to slaughter countless livestock, and forced all the oldest and noblest Kyrgyz and Kazakhs to listen to his command. For anyone who did not obey his orders, Manas shouted, and often lashed the disobedient with a whip across their backs. Then the noblemen despaired of maintaining their power and dignity, and the wealthy did not hope to keep their
Explanation of storytellers about their gift As mentioned above, almost all storytellers associate the beginning of their creative activity with a dream vision and inspiration. They like to mention that before the inspiration, they did not know the content of the epic, did not have the gift of a storyteller, and that both came to them only after the dream vision, in which Manas, Semetey, or someone from their companions supposedly instructed them to sing of them. They recount that this
Mourning for Kököktöy. Part - 5 After that, sixteen young men began to rub his lower back. At that moment, a messenger from the Chinese arrived. He looked at Koshoy and said: - But the fighter is already too old! Joloy will defeat him in his sleep.
The Arrival of Manas in Karkyra And exactly on the fourth day To the green shores of Kegen Came er-Manas with his Warrior entourage. And with cries of "Manas! Manas!" The Kyrgyz rushed to meet The valiant army of Manas. With an old man's stingy tear Khan Koshoy embraced Manas. — At last, the people have waited For their support and stronghold! Here are Konurbay and Neskara, The gluttonous fat man Zholoy Caused a ruckus yesterday. Having come to visit us at the feast, They
Two Groups of Storytellers: Performers of "Manas" and Performers of "Semetei" The storytellers were divided into two groups: manaschi (performers of "Manas") and semetei (performers of "Semetei"), with the former being those who performed all three parts of the trilogy, while the latter performed only "Semetei" and "Seitek," and from "Manas" only separate episodes. Whether this division existed from ancient times or was a
Invitation to the Memorial for Koketey Here in the vastness of Karkyra, Setting up yurts with a hearth, They let the cattle roam on the slopes of the mountains. In cauldrons, in bags — the kumys Poured out with milk. The son of Koketey, Bokmurun, Called the young Aidar, To saddle the stallion Maanikер, He ordered to prepare for the journey. — You inform the whole region, That in late autumn, when The cattle will gain weight, When the forage of the summer pastures Will burst the camel's
Memorial for Kёkёktёy. Part - 4 Six hundred logs of larch were tied together, and a rope was woven from forty-two cords. At the top of the larch, they tied the targets - this was arranged for shooting practice. Everyone who considered themselves a marksman prepared to try their luck. They shot from early morning until the scorching noon, expending all their arrows, but no tricks or techniques could knock the targets off the pole.
