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 to the ground —
Is it possible that Syrgaka is not alive?
And Manas's throne suddenly fell,
All its legs buckled at once —
Surely, Ak-Kula has perished beneath it.
And if our glorious father
Has fallen into the hands of enemies without a horse —
A cruel end awaits him:
He will not return to us alive!
This dream was deciphered
By Kanykey with her wisdom.
And if Manas and the loyal choro
Do not return from battle,
Misfortune will come again to the people.
And, as always, here will flare up again
The struggle for power among the clans.
If there is no worthy leader,
Personal enmity will begin.
The heir has just been born,
He will not mature soon.
And the brothers Abike and Kobesh
Wait for the heroes' demise,
To divide Manas's power
And to plunge their hands
Into the khan's treasury up to their elbows.
The united people and stronghold,
Created by Manas in battles,
Will perish, turn to dust.
And again into exile, scattered
The plundered people will go,
Once more the native land will become desolate.
— Hurry, uncle Bakay!
Here is a letter, here is a horse for him —
A steed named Tayburul,
In battles, he is a true duldul.
Let our father, my beloved,
Return alive to us from the land of destruction!
His son is waiting for him!
Go, uncle, quickly!
And the best battle horses
Kanykey sent to China.
Gathering his battle detachment,
Through dense forests,
Deserts, mountains, and meadows
Back, to mysterious China
Rushed the valiant Bakay.
Driving the horses to a sweat,
He galloped for thirty days and nights.
And he arrived at the Yellow River,
Which in Chinese is Huanghe.
And he saw in the darkness:
In the valley of the mountains, at a height
Myriads of stars shine,
Around, the dense forest darkens,
Covering the sky with shadow.
Approaching, he saw:
Manas is surrounded by enemies.
These are not stars, but campfires,
And the forest — Chinese troops,
Waiting for dawn to surround
The Kyrgyz more tightly
And to slaughter them all.
But the cunning khan Bakay,
By an unknown path
Came to Manas unharmed
And appeared before him.
He brought battle horses,
Handed over a letter from Kanykey.
Reading what his son is waiting for,
Manas could not contain himself,
He almost wept with joy,
And, like a beloved child,
He pressed the letter to his chest.
And with Ak-Kula's equipment
He saddled Tayburul.
— Now, cursed Konurbai,
Do not expect mercy from me!
For the life of Chubak and Alma
We will not grant you mercy!
We have been given the chance for victory:
A dark night, thick fog.
And Zulpuqor — his fearsome sword
Manas raised above his head,
Led the troops into mortal combat.
Like a whirlwind, like a night hurricane,
To the enemies, gripped by a deep sleep,
He inflicted a cruel devastation.
Since the will of the heavens
Under the sun, the earth warms,
No one has known until these days
Of such a battle among people.
And the goal of all was the same:
Not life! Not the sun! Only death!
And how many fell in that battle,
No one will be able to count!
And Konurbai, saving his life,
Fled to his stone Beijin,
And there hid all who could,
Locking the gates tight.
Manas's troops on horses
Could not take the city,
And against the iron gates
They struck the axe in vain.
Then the hero Manas decided
To surround Beijin once more,
And thus, without food and water,
To starve the besieged city.
And suddenly as if from the heavens
The Creator himself spoke to him:
— China is great, invincible.
When the whole world was engulfed by a flood,
It remained whole and unharmed.
And even the fearsome Iskander
Could not find a way here.
So leave, Manas, quickly! —
Said the voice of reason, it seems.
Manas could not ignore him —
And gave the command to retreat.
Without the brave khan Kokche
The Kazakh troops
Left for their native steppes of Sar-Arka.
The brave archers of the Tajiks,
Saying goodbye early in the morning,
Departed to their native Bukhara.
Their leader Muzburchak
Is buried in the valley of death —
He will not return to his beloved.
And the fierce detachment of brave men,
Led by Bokmurun,
Having buried their slain comrades,
Mourning for the fallen khan,
Departed to the Tashkent lands.
Having buried all the dead,
Lowering their victorious banner,
Not wiping the tears from their eyes,
The Kyrgyz moved towards Talas.
Epic "Manas". The Death of the Heroes