Epic "Manas". The Great Campaign to China. Part - 2

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 mudflow,
The Kyrgyz moved into the campaign.
Jokes and loud laughter rang out,
As if they had come out for fun.
But then they noticed Choro:
Manas was grim, unsociable,
No one could communicate with him.
— What’s wrong with you, valiant bayke?
You seem sad, there’s sorrow in your eyes.
Maybe we should visit Kanykey-jene —
To say goodbye, huh? —
Almanbet asked playfully.
And then loud laughter erupted,
And even Manas laughed:
Apparently, he was waiting for such a question.
With a sly glance at Alma,
He ran his hand over his mustache,
Indicated the road with his whip.
— Our great womanizer is our hero! —
They joked among themselves, Choro,
To the khanume for a farewell feast,
Having received permission from the khan.
Meeting them from the ak-orgo
Kanykey stepped out gracefully
And forty girls behind her:
Like a flock of white swans,
In colorful silks,
With a secret smile on their lips.
Seeing the languid, tender gaze,
The constellation of fairy eyes,
Manas's battle squad
Fell from their horses!
— The girls with their beauty
Have slain the lads dead.
And who will I go to battle with now? —
The fierce aksakal laughed.
— Welcome, my khan!
We are glad to meet you, to treat you,
To send the heroes off to the campaign,—
Chirped the lovely voice of Kanykey,
Like a gentle stream.
She took Tulpura by the bridle
(Ak-Kul was submissive to her)
And opened the door to her white yurt
For the khan.
When the retinue and Manas
Had eaten their fill and to their heart's content,
In the blood of the heroes played
Drunken arak from kumys,
Kanykey said to the guests:
— Our dear ones, you are now
Going on a campaign to China,
To a distant and dangerous land.
In China, they say,
People swarm like in an anthill.
We will pray to God,
That from the bloody campaigns
You return victorious and alive.
We have sewn beshmets with armor,
So that everyone would be invulnerable.
The clothing is of the same color,
So that the warrior Choro
Would not be confused with another.
As a symbol of our snowy mountains,
We have sewn a white headdress
For each of you,
To protect from heat and wind.
And forty girls in a row,
Handing over the battle attire —
Invaluable goods in battles,
Moved the Choro to tears.
With her anxious thoughts
Kanykey shared her tears:
— Listen, our brother Almanbet,
Here is my farewell testament.
You are going to a mortal battle —
God knows who will return alive!
To the bloody campaign to China
I begged him not to go.
There, Neskara and Konurbai
Can defeat Manas.
But my husband was unyielding,
You can do nothing with him,
When a man is obsessed.
I fear, our brother Almanbet,
That he will not return alive.
Behind him is a dear blood relative —
There is no heir in the world.
I have not pressed the dear cheek of the baby
To my breast,
And I have not heard the cries of my child
In the mornings.
If he does not return alive,
I fear that to the eternal world
I will go childless as a widow!
His two elder wives —
Both Akylai and Karabork —
Did not bear an heir.
We live as a united family
And are bound by one fate.
In sorrow, I waited for my turn,
When Manas would come to me,
To be with me until morning.
But I could not wait
And cried alone in the yurt.
Funerals, that struggle for power,
Then another campaign or war —
I have not drunk from love.
Far away is my homeland,
You know, I am a Persian,
My father is an emir in Bukhara.
When I leave this world,
Even if it’s at the edge of the earth,
I will bequeath to my relatives,
To bring my ashes here,
To bury me in the Kyrgyz mountains.
Thus I have loved with my soul
My native Kyrgyz people!
I beg you, my Almanbet,
Protect him from treacherous arrows and swords,
My beloved!
For our khan is very lonely,
He can be cruel in anger.
And so that he does not make
Fatal mistakes in haste,
I implore you, protect him!
He is trusting and naive,
And intoxicated by khan’s power,
He is sure that all the people
Are submissive and in love with him.
The valiant hero does not know
That those who are close to power
Are often infected with revenge,
And secretly wait for their starry hour,
When the khan loses power.
You know, valiant Alma,
Where there is power, there is meanness and deceit,
And therefore I implore you
To protect him here!
From secret treachery and evil
Protect Manas, my friend!
I entrust you with his life —
Return my husband alive to me!
I will be happy at that moment,
When, pressed against his chest,
I hear how it beats!
I will dedicate my life to Manas,
So that our Kyrgyz people
Can preserve their unity.
And God will bless me! —
Kanykey wept bitterly,
And from her shining eyes
Tears rolled down her dark, trembling cheeks
Like a stream.
And Almanbet replied to her:
— Manas has become like a brother to me.
I swear, khanuma, by my honor,
I will not allow any harm to the khan!
I will protect my friend Manas
With my chest.
But he, jene, is not alone —
The entire Kyrgyz people are behind him,
Though from another mother
There are brothers Abike and Kobesh.
Manas has consolation:
Hope, a wise friend, and honor,
The goddess of fairy nights,
The brightness of happy days,
The companion of life — Kanykey!
Saying that Manas is alone,
You reminded me now,
Of the fact that I am alone here,
Living in the world like an outcast.
The Kyrgyz people have become my own,
I came with a pure soul,
But still, I am a stranger here!
And I feel behind my back
The breath of envy, I am wicked!
I am a traitor there, a fugitive here.
And if suddenly the end comes,
I fear I will not be buried
Neither there, in my homeland, nor here.
My brother will not bury me,
No one will weep for me,
Neither my daughter nor my son
Will throw a handful of native soil
On my grave.
And there is only one in the world
My consolation, my joy here,
Who will wait for me in sorrow,—
Your sister Aruuke.
We are going on a campaign, sister!
You think in vain,
That we are going to China for nothing!
With victory, we will strengthen power,
Let everyone know that Khan Manas
Is mighty, strong, invincible!
So that the people are always united,
They must be ruled by one khan!
— May the Almighty God
Preserve Manas until the days of victory! —
Blessed Kanykey.
By her feminine kindness,
Kanykey did not guess
That the cunning Almanbet,
Planned revenge on Konurbai,
Led the Kyrgyz troops
To his homeland, China,
To restore his dishonored honor by force.
In his soul, he cherished the dream:
To return his possessions
And, like a wife, embrace
The daughter of Esenkhan, Burulchu.
Manas gave the command "On the way!"
And then the bugle sounded.
The retinue set out on the way,
On the Great Campaign to China.
For a long time, children,
Wives, and old people stood along the river,
In tears, they prayed to the heavens,
To protect their loved ones in battles
From death, the Almighty God himself.

Epic "Manas". The Great Campaign to China. Part - 1