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 looking
With the eyes of little gray hares.
— You, khans from six clans,
Did you think us fools?
I could strictly punish you
For conspiring behind my back
To deal with me swiftly.
I am not your enemy! The enemy is another —
He is behind the Great Wall of China!
And our enemy is Konurbai, Zholoy,
Those who in the valley of Karkyra
Finished the honorable memorial
With bloody slaughter!
To destroy the Kyrgyz kin,
They are preparing a campaign against us!
And to defeat the enemy,
We must outpace him!
We, as a united khanate,
Must gather all our strength into a fist,
March as one horde
On a great campaign to China,
To save our native land!
And whoever does not go on the campaign,
Will return home without a head!
The khans fell silent and were quiet,
Like a flock of frightened hares.
If you go forward — there is mortal combat.
If you go back — you will pay with your head.
And if you dare to argue —
Your head will fly off immediately!
And all, fearing for their lives,
Silently looked at the leader,
Like a frog looks at a snake.
Then the khans, having regained their composure,
Spoke in unison:
— Manas, understand us and forgive!
— We are ready to go with you
For our homeland, for our people!
— Lead us, great khan, forward!
They set the seal — moor,
And sealed the agreement with an oath.
Satisfied with the khans, Manas
Gave a speech before the people:
— My brave native people!
You have suffered many times from enemies.
You were expelled from your native land.
And by the strength of your sons
We have returned to our homeland!
But again, my native people,
Trouble circles over you:
They want to kill and destroy us
Neskara and Konurbai!
And to outpace the enemy,
We will go on a campaign to China!
We will respond to enmity with enmity!
And I await your response!
A murmur, noise, and clamor rose,
People prayed to the heavens:
— Koke-Tengir, our Almighty!
We ask you to save us, to help,
Night has descended upon us again!
We have lived peacefully by our labor
In our native land.
The khans call us to war again,
Where death, wounds, and blood await us!
They want to lead us to China —
To an unknown, distant land.
No! We will not go to war!
Let everyone be executed here,
But we will die in our homeland!
We came here to protect
The leader from the six khans —
It turns out, it was a deception.
We fell into a cunning trap
And threw ourselves into a dungeon! —
The people roared like the sea.
And Almanbet took the floor:
— I know China well.
And who is this Konurbai?
A boastful coward and scoundrel!
And the Chinese themselves,
Living in enmity among themselves.
There is much gold, wealth there,
There is tea and various silks.
Only Konurbai and Neskara
Have their own personal armies.
The men there, believe me,
Cannot sit still on a horse.
Seeing the mounted horde,
They will all surrender to us without a fight,
And we will return home
With battle spoils!
The people fell silent and were quiet:
No one supported Alman.
None of the six khans
Said a word in response.
When in the troops going to battle,
The order and mutual peace are lost,
There will be cowards and deserters.
And so Manas decided
To test the strength of his forces,
To test the loyalty of his warriors,
While it is not too late.
And out of naive kindness
He said: — Those who want to crush the enemy,
Let them come with me!
Those who fear the victorious battle —
Let them return home!
And in an instant, joyful news
Rushed through all the troops,
And the shout of the jubilant warriors
Reached the blue skies.
— May your China be cursed!
We do not need its wealth!
— Let’s go home, brothers!
— Our good leader, batyr Manas,
Sets us free!
— And may he live forever!
— Tengir will bless him!
And immediately the troops began,
Leaving their ranks, to leave.
— Wait! I do not understand you!
When you followed me to war
For the land and the native people,
You marched forward without flinching!
When Manas called to China —
It’s as if you were replaced!
Fleeing in shame to your homes,
You will become victims of enemies!
And again oppression! And slavery again!
A cruel fate awaits us!
The Kyrgyz were renowned for their
Fearless fighting spirit,
And that is why our glorious kin
Lives on the earth for centuries!
Have you really forgotten
What a massacre
Konurbai and Neskara arranged for us
There, at the memorial in Karkyra?!
For the honor and homeland of yours
We will go against the enemy in a campaign!
We will conquer him in his den!
For the humiliations, we will take revenge!
Everyone will return to their native home
With great spoils and alive!
I command each of you
To additionally receive two horses.
The strong armor will protect you
From wounds and death in battles!
For the land of our ancestors, for the people
We will go on a campaign to China!
Glorious victory awaits us! —
Said the khan Manas to the batyrs.
From such a fiery speech
The warrior spirit embraced the Kyrgyz:
Their native father and faithful friend
Called them to mortal combat!
Ready to go on a campaign,
The warriors shouted “Ur! A-a!”,
Which meant “Beat the enemy!”
— Manas! Manas! Lead us to battle!
We are loyal to you! Always with you!
Manas was pleased with himself,
He looked at the army with love
And was confident that they
Would defeat any enemy.
But then he raised his hand again —
Silence fell instantly.
— The road will be long and difficult,
And a fierce battle awaits!
Let the glorious aksakal Bakay
Lead the troops himself!
He has always been a shield
For the people with his wise counsel and mind
In peaceful life and in battle.
Is the people in agreement with me? —
Manas asked the warriors.
And everyone agreed with him.
— To the Chinese city of Chet-Beijing
Only one knows the way —
My faithful choro, Almanbet,
There is no equal to him on the road.
He knows every corner of China
Like the palm of his hand.
And let him lead the Kyrgyz troops
Into the unfamiliar land!
Manas was right. No one could
Argue with him at all.
Epic "Manas". The Arrival of the Envoys to Manas