The Epic "Manas". The Tale of How the Afghan Khan-Shoruk Suffered Defeat from the Kyrgyz

The Defeat of Afghan Khan Shooruk by the Kyrgyz

Hey!
In the south, where Alay lies,
And nearby is Afghanistan
(Where the Pashtuns live),
The ruler of the maiymunduk tribe,
The self-satisfied Khan Shooruk,
Decided to subdue the Kyrgyz,
To drive away all their livestock and herds,
To push them far into the mountains.
Shooruk had a family, children:
Three sons, two daughters.
And the eldest daughter Akylai
Was gentle, slender in form
And distinguished from others
By her intelligence and bright beauty.
And in stature, the maiden Akylai
Was graceful, like a dagger,
And her voice was soft,
Like a mountain stream, it murmured.
And her skin was white,
Like a porcelain bowl.

One morning, Akylai
Told her father her dream:
— From the direction of the eastern stars
A flood rushed into our camp.
And I got caught in that stream,
No one could save me.
I barely held on with my hand
To the branch of a golden chinar.
And suddenly I see, that stream
Carries you away
With snow, mud, and water.
I reached out my hand to you —
And we, father, were saved together.
And people and livestock floated by
In an avalanche of mud and stones.
I think that in this dream
There is a riddle of my fate.
And give your word, daughter,
That you will not go to Alay,
Where the buhurt returned.
I fear, father, your troops
Will scatter and be defeated there —
And you will lose your throne!
Such a dream I saw.
Shooruk listened to Akylai
And gave his interpretation of the dream:
— The rushing stream, the mountain flood
With stones, snow, and earth —
My enemy is coming against us!
And if I took hold with my hand,
To the branch of a golden chinar —
Then the throne of Manas will be mine!
Oh daughter, my prophet,
I am in awe of you! —
Exclaimed Shooruk joyfully
And went to war in Alay.
He immediately ravaged the Noyguts,
Defeated the troops of Oshpur.
He drove away a herd of seven thousand horses
To himself, the villain Shooruk.
As soon as Manas learned
That Khan Shooruk had gone to that land,
He immediately gave orders to his troops
To march and save Alay.
They caught up with Khan Shooruk there,
And caused a rout for his troops.
Shooruk barely escaped to his camp,
Almost perished in that battle himself.
He realized that the buhurt was united,
It was useless to compete with him.
And he found only one way out.
He called Akylai to him,
And said to her: — Daughter, save us!
I misinterpreted the dream.
Like a flood, Manas is coming against us,
In anger, he is merciless,
He will cruelly slaughter our kin.
To save everyone from doom,
My daughter must go to Manas
As a wife without complaint.
And then Akylai said:
— I have never seen your Manas
With my own eyes!
But if I go for him
And thus avert the disaster,
I am ready to sacrifice myself!
To strengthen friendship and kinship,
Let my sisters go with me
And find families there!
Shooruk gathered in his tribe
Slender, young beauties,
Dressed them in silks and beads,
Sewn ichigi for their feet,
Beautifully styled their hair, washed them,
Taught them refined manners.
And to make them fragrant
With the aroma of fragrant flowers,
They rubbed their bodies with herbs,
So much so that the girls sometimes
Cried: “It hurts! Oh! Oh! Oh!”
On the snow-white dastarkhan
They placed both bread and salt.
To Manas, the girls he led,
Risking his life, Khan Shooruk.
He threw his belt around his neck,
Put a crown on his head,
And, crossing his arms on his chest,
Shooruk appeared in the palace:
— Forgive me, Manas, my son,
I was foolish and cruel!
For those who were killed in battles,
For all, I will pay with my own daughter,
And I brought thirty girls —
One more beautiful than the other!
Let them bear us
Sons and daughters.
We will forever seal our union
With our children and our blood.
Accept my gift, hero Manas!
Here is bread and salt, and here is my sword!
And if you do not forgive my sin,
Order me to have my head cut off!
Such beauties together, all at once
Manas had never seen before…
He shone like copper
Polished with sand under the moon.
Not knowing how to act here,
Manas shuffled like a bear.
— Decide, Bakai, my oldest friend!
I am your ruler in battles,
You know that in such matters
I am a big fool and a dunce, —
The valiant Manas admitted.
Bakai said: — Stand up, Shooruk!
He embraced him, like a matchmaker, by the shoulder.
Like a father-in-law to the young Kyrgyz,
They began to treat Shooruk.
Only one thing remained to choose,
Who would be the Khan’s personal son-in-law.
— Well, my beauties,
Do not hide your eyes!
The young men are watching, waiting from you,
Who will set their sights on whom.
The young Kyrgyz want
To have a beautiful wife,
To create a healthy family,
To bear many sons,
To defend their country!
Your Khan, I give you the freedom
To decide your own fate! —
Said Khan Shooruk to the maidens.
Everyone around was in delight.
No one, it seems, expected
Such a turn of events suddenly.
All the bachelors rushed in,
Stroking their beards, mustaches.
Tilting slightly to the side
Their round, flat hats,
Each one waited for their fate.
With a light gait, like a doe,
With a proud and straight posture,
Akylai came out to meet them.
Indeed a goddess. Pray to her!
Approaching Manas closely,
With a smile, her languid eyes
The beauty lowered down.
And then the hero Manas realized,
That the gentle gaze of the young maiden
Was an expression of love.
And then all the girls followed her
To the young men.
And thirty young men all at once,
And with them, Manas himself
Acquired families and wives.
And thirty weddings in one day
The rejoicing Alay celebrated.
And thus became the second wife,
Destined for Manas,
Daughter of Khan Shooruk, Akylai.

The Epic of "Manas". A tale of how Khan Alooke, upon seeing Manas, fled from Fergana