The Tale of Manas. Almanbet in the Camp of Manas
THE HERO ALMANBET IN THE CAMP OF MANAS
In the camp of Karaborka with iron gates, having spread several layers of blankets under himself, placing a few down pillows under his head, stretching out his arms and legs, the hero Manas sweetly slept – and dreamed a dream.
He dreamed that while riding along a foothill path, he found a sword in a sheath with a golden tip, and that sword was three to four arshins long, with a copper handle and a smooth grip, with a curved blade and the sharpest edge. He decided to test the sword, swung it with all his might, and cleaved a huge black stone, lying on the roadside, so that the blade sank into the ground. Manas rejoiced at the find, belted the sword, and moved on. Along the way, his sword turned into a tiger and followed him as a companion. When the tiger roared, everything around trembled, the animals encountered on the way quaked with fear and could not find a place for themselves, their legs buckled, and they bowed their heads before him. Then a white hawk with silver wings transformed into a capercaillie and soared high. Its call echoed strangely – so that all the birds in the sky lost their heads, could no longer flap their wings, and fell noisily at the feet of the brave Manas, crawling before him, begging for mercy.
The hawk, shining white from head to feather tips, with down as pure as that of a swan, with a fierce appearance like that of a giant bird, with a call distinct from other birds and instilling terror, landed on Manas's hand.
Manas awoke from his dream, pondered over what he had seen, and with good thoughts rose from his bed. He understood that this was not an ordinary dream, but a prophetic one, and he informed the entire Kyrgyz people about what he had seen, asking them to interpret the dream.
He sent out sixty messengers to all corners of the earth to gather guests in forty days. The messengers did their best, notified everyone who needed to be informed, and the guests began to gather, agreeing with joyful spirits to come to Manas.
But the people were surprised: "Why is there a feast all of a sudden? It seems his wife has not yet given birth to a son..." For forty days preparations for the feast went on: they prepared horses for racing, gathered the youth in bright clothes, kumys was brewed in furs, and goods were sent to the summer pastures.
The time for the feast came, and rulers and princes began to arrive from all corners of the earth, wielding maces, strongmen came, leaders of various peoples came, and all neighboring tribes came.
The feast began, accompanied by various performances. All the horses in the competition raced towards Kokand to win a prize of three hundred horses and a thousand sheep. Bagysh's horse Surkiyik was an outstanding racer, and he came forward, won the victory, but the owner of the horse, Bagysh, returned the prize, saying: "After all, we are our own, let the guests receive the prizes." The Kyrgyz, Kazakhs, and Kipchaks together treated the guests, offering honey and sugar, feeding them horse sausage and back fat, offering various kinds of oil, and generously pouring black tea.
When the guests departed, in the white yurt of Karaborka, the hosts gathered, with Kygyl and Bakay at the head, sitting at a table with various dishes, eating belly fat with intestines, drinking kumys with honey, and conversing. When they finished discussing, Manas began his speech:
– Dear wise men, seers, and clairvoyants, I recently had a dream; please interpret it for me. I was riding in my dream on my horse Akkula, dressed in Akube, moving slowly. On the foothill path, I found a golden sword, decided to test it, swung it, and cleaved a huge stone. I rejoiced at the find and continued on my way. Suddenly, I felt something on my shoulder; I looked – my sword had lengthened and was hanging down to the ground. Suddenly, the tip of the sword turned into a tiger, became my friend, and followed me. Then I climbed a hill on my way. The tiger looked to the east, looked to the west, and roared. Then all the animals gathered and bowed to us. I let them all go kindly, then my tiger turned into a white hawk. Then all the birds flew to us and also bowed to us. Filled with joy, I woke up in the morning; please interpret for me what all this means, my dear friends.
The wise men thought for a long time, unsure how to interpret it. After a while, the sage Azhybay attempted to say something:
– Hero Manas, I seem to have understood the essence, but if I tell it, please do not take offense. Your affairs will go well: you will defeat all enemies. A son was born to the Chinese people long ago, his great-grandfather was Chylaba, his grandfather was Solobo, and his father was Aziz-khan. The young man himself is named Almanbet; the Khan Kokcho expelled him in disgrace, but we know that it was slander. That young man is brave and courageous, wise and honest, just and kind-hearted. Thus, your sword in the dream – this is Almanbet who will come to you, and all the birds in the sky and animals on the earth – these are the peoples who have submitted to you. This means that soon you will have a friend, Almanbet, and you should welcome him well.
And after these words, Azhybay blessed Manas, and the rest of the people greeted the hero with loud shouts of joy. Delighted, Manas expressed his gratitude:
– My dear sage, you have always been the best advisor for me. Accept these gifts from me and remain my advisor.
And he draped a fine robe over Azhybay's shoulders; this was loudly approved by the bay Jakyp, and all the people rejoiced.
The only son of Aziz-khan, Almanbet, humiliated and insulted, lost in sorrowful thoughts, trudged through the desolate steppe.
Various thoughts tormented him, tortured him, and did not give him peace: he had already asked for death and even considered ending his own life.
He was all alone in the whole wide world: no relatives to defend him, no friends to consult with, no beloved to comfort him.
His soul ached and suffered, and he headed south. He trudged along the bank of a clear river, where countless birds lived: storks, herons, and lapwings; there was also a chirping snipe, the mistress of the marshy places. And the already tormented soul of Almanbet could not withstand the chirping, and the hero irritably addressed the snipe with the words:
– Why are you singing, foolish bird? Have you also decided to annoy me? Or will you also reproach me for being without kin like everyone else? Yes, I am alone, like a finger, in the wide world, and there is no one to even bury me. Yes, I am lonely, and there are no relatives, and no one to lay me in the dark earth. Do not chirp, little bird, do not poison my soul, do not reproach me like the son of Aydarkan Kokcho, or else – here, take this arrow.
Angry and irritated, Almanbet took out his bow, drew the string, and shot at the bird, which fell right at his feet. Almanbet picked up the half-dead bird in his hands, saw its sad eyes, and took pity on it.
– I told you not to poison my soul. Better fly to your chicks and hide in the woods, – and he took out black grease, smeared its wings, tied them with a red ribbon, and set it free.
Engrossed in this task, Almanbet did not even notice that not far away, Manas himself was watching him. He watched every movement of him and wondered: "What a strange man, I have never seen such a one in my life!"
Everything about him was strange: his clothes, his sash, every measured step, his strange appearance, and languid gaze; everything was strange in succession. Could it be Almanbet, as my dream foretold today?
And Manas hurried to his friends to inform them about the guest himself:
– Listen, friends, joyful news! I ask you to bring me the wanderer who is walking along the shore; tell him that I have been waiting for him for a long time. First, pretend to be robbers, ambush him, tie him up, let’s see if he gets scared. Then apologize, ask for forgiveness, cheer up his soul, which I see is sad, and bring him to me.
Five heroes, having received the order from Manas, did everything as he instructed. When they approached the blue tent with four peaks, they were met by all: both old and young, and with them was Manas himself. The first words of greeting were spoken by Azhybay, who preempted the proud actions of Almanbet, who was trying to greet Manas while sitting on his horse:
– Our esteemed guest, welcome to us! We know you are of noble lineage, and we will bow to you. But our Manas is the ruler here, so it is not wise to go to him in haste. Dismount from your horse, as is fitting before a king, bow in respect before him, as a wise man, present yourself, and be a welcome guest, feel at home!
Hearing these words from Azhybay, Almanbet understood that he was no longer a king. He entered the blue tent, greeted everyone, and sat not just anywhere, but right between Manas and Bakay.
Manas immediately noticed the frowning face of Almanbet and ordered refreshments to be served. Malik poured kumys with honey and handed it to the guest, who took the cup with both hands and presented it to Bakay:
– Enjoy, esteemed one!
Bakay only tasted the kumys from Almanbet's hands and returned it to the guest.
– Thank you, I have already tasted it.
Almanbet drank from the cup slowly, in small sips. When he was already full, Manas, according to custom, began to ask him:
– May your journey be glorious, hero. From your clothing, I see you are from China. Who are you? And why are you so sad?
Almanbet told everything honestly and wept, recalling his homeless life. Sensing Almanbet's mood, Manas turned to his own:
– Listen, my dear relatives! The high mountain Ala-Too – who has not crossed it? This time, the Chinese prince himself has come to me, which is a great honor and respect for us. God himself has sent us such a guest. Present him with the finest robe, gift him the best horse, hand him my best rifle Akkelte, my best spear Syrnayza, and my best sword Akalbars. This is my sign of respect to the Chinese people in the person of Prince Almanbet.
The relatives did just that: they welcomed Almanbet according to all the rules of hospitality. People were surprised why Manas was so generously rewarding the foreigner. So much gold and silver, so many swift horses, so many fine robes of brocade and silk, the lion-like Manas had never given to anyone before. A whisper passed through the crowds – people were amazed at their ruler's generosity.
Finally, the polite and courteous, eloquent yet just Serek stood up and said:
– You have bestowed wealth, my lord, but what about our ceremonies? Or shall we leave the arrival of such a hero as Almanbet without attention?
– You are right, my Serek! – Manas laughed joyfully. – You too sometimes prove useful with your wisdom. Indeed, how can we not mark such an event with races in honor of such a glorious hero as Almanbet?
On the same day, races were organized in honor of the guest. Almanbet kept Akkula for himself, while he allowed Sarala to participate in the competition. By evening, the horses returned to the finish line, and Sarala was ahead. People rejoiced at such a conclusion and loudly called out Almanbet's name. Seven warriors served him, sometimes helping him onto the horse, sometimes helping him down. In honor of the brave Almanbet, the knights feasted for two days and two nights, and on the third day, Manas said:
– Dear hero Almanbet! You are our long-awaited guest and brother; all our people are glad for you. We are ready to take you in, but if you wish to leave, we do not oppose you. Decide whether to stay or not; the whole wide world is before you: if you leave, take all the gifts with you, and if you stay with us, we will be with you forever. Speak the truth honestly and tell us this: should we treat you as a desired guest or honor you as a named brother?
Upon learning that Almanbet intended to stay among the Kyrgyz, the people rejoiced and sent messengers to Manas's father in the summer pasture Bel-Saz near Samarkand to inform him about his son's named brother.
Overjoyed by the news, Jakyp prepared to go to his son to share in his joy. From the arrival of his named son, tears rolled down Jakyp's cheeks, and his wife Chiyyrdy's breasts filled with milk, as if she had just given birth to another son.
Manas himself, in honor of their brotherhood, gifted Almanbet five hundred heads of large cattle and a thousand heads of small cattle, eighty mares, slaughtered many sheep, and held a feast again.
Then Almanbet returned Akkula to Manas with the words:
– My dear brother Manas! I have seen your immeasurable generosity, and here I return your horse. I have enough of the others you have given me, and you should keep your battle horse; it has surely served you well, and you have been together in battle and in fire. I do not want to part you from your horse; do not take offense and allow me to return Akkula to you, my glorious brother, while my battle horse remains with me.
The people were once again convinced of Almanbet's wisdom; they blessed the two brothers, the two friends, and left the yurt.
The horses from Samarkand soon arrived, the winners received gifts, and all the guests, satisfied, went home.
The Tale of Manas. Almanbet Comes to Kokcho. Part 2
