“THE TALE OF ISSYK-KUL”
The name of the greatest representative of the Zamanist movement in Kyrgyz literature of the 19th century, Kaligula Bai uulu (1785-1855), was ostracized until recently and classified among the ranks of reactionary poet-philosophers. In our time, his great-grandson Turdakun Usubaliev erected a monument and a dome in his honor in the village of Kara-Oy using his personal savings.
He was a great akyn and a legend in his lifetime. The talent and wisdom bestowed upon him by nature manifested in his early youth. Since Kaligul was born into a wealthy noble family of a nomadic feudal lord and never experienced need or hunger, he did not have to travel to weddings and funerals in search of meals like others; he rarely performed in front of large crowds. Therefore, his creativity was heard by only a small number of people close to him or guests who visited his aiyl.
The akyn was illiterate, so his aphorisms and sayings have reached our days in the form of parables recited by other akyns. Currently, the works of Zamanist poets are being reinterpreted. The role of these works in the history and culture of Kyrgyzstan is yet to be determined by a new generation of researchers of the region. The power of the Wise Words of the ancestors has always served as a manifesto of morality.
From the mountains of Kungei, many rivers,
From the mountains of Terskey, many rivers
Rush to Issyk-Kul in their flow.
From it — not a single river.
And the mountains around are high.
Abundant rivers flow for a reason:
Issyk-Kul — this is the gate to paradise.
There is no cold here in winter,
And no heat here in summer.
You can ride on a horse,
But there is no land
That can compare in beauty.
Is it possible to leave places
Where such beauty is everywhere?
Issyk-Kul — this is the gate to paradise.
(Translation from Kyrgyz by Prof. M. A. Rudov.)
Myths and Legends
