The Epic "Manas". A Review of the Horses

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 those who take the lead,
A rich prize was designated:
Five thousand best horses,
One thousand five hundred camels,
Fifty thousand goats and sheep.
And those who kept track of the livestock
Were worn out trying to count.
And exactly ninety yurts
Were set up along the river,
For the elders to sit,
And in each yurt, girls and young men,
To serve tea and kumys.
— Let the horses go! — the shout rang out.
Kyrgyz, Persians, and Manju,
Greeting their horses,
Instantly deafened the valley.

To the Kanagay maiden Orongu
Honor was given everywhere,
Her mare Kulabey
Was the first to appear on the track.
Following her with a light trot
Was Manas's steed Ak-Kula,
In excellent racing form,
Like a sleek, agile horse,
Ready to dash anywhere.
Behind him confidently followed
The broad-chested and large
Steed Zholoya Achbudan.
And everyone noticed around:
The two horses were a match,
Similar, like twins,
To two playing hares.
Proudly prancing behind them
Was the horse Bokmuruna Baytoru.
And following them along the river
Came other steeds:
The horse Muradyla Kylzheyren,
The horse Muzburchak Telkuron,
The friend of Er-Toshtyuk Chal-Kuyruk,
Two black steeds Urbyu,
From Kokchohana — Kokal,
And the horse Koshoya Chonsarat.
And further, two or three hundred
Sleek Tulpars passed by.
All of them were a match for each other,
Ready at any moment
To gallop to the ends of the earth.
And more than a thousand horses,
Each one more elegant than the last,
Set off for the alaman-bayge,
To return exactly in eight days
To the finish line,
Where thousands of guests
Will be waiting for all the arriving horses.
And the cunning Konurbai
Did not let his horse named Algara
Join the race —
He replaced it with a similar horse.
He decided to use the fresh Algara
In the tournament of er-sayish with a spear
To unseat Manas from his saddle
(Ak-Kula will come tired!)
And to take as a prize
His beloved horse.
Sending off the steeds
With guards from all tribes,
They returned to the river expanse,
Spreading their carpets by the mountains,
Setting a lavish dastorkhan,
They served a memorial feast.
When the mullah read the Quran,
Buddhist, Christian, Muslim —
All together, repeating "Ameen!",
Raised their hands to the heavens —
And from the sky, the spirit of Koketey
Gave a blessing to the guests.

Epic "Manas". The Arrival of Manas in Karkyru