The Tale of Brave Chilten. Part 2. Chapters 4-5

What the Stone Mirror Revealed

Part 2. Chapters 4-5

Beyond the sands— the blooming grasses...
The edge of meadows and cool oak groves.
Here the heroes set up camp,
Resting, unsaddling their horses.
And they run to bathe on the shore.
...They have lived here many days.
And Chilten, as before, was gloomy,
Gazing at the deep blue.
Sometimes he spoke with the cuckoo,
Sometimes he stroked the grass by the shore.
Enthralled by the beauty
Of the noble brave man,
To the light
With a song, rose the golden
Fairy of the pure little lake.
Strings—feelings instantly touched,
The melody of eternal youth flows...
The procession of days stretches on forever,
But all the suitors are not for her,
Her beauty has long
Caused war and discord.
To rid herself of this bitterness and fear,
She began to live in the blue ripples,
Here she chose one of the lakes...
A tender voice conjures, swirling,
Enchanting, casting spells.
Chilten's face was fresh and rosy,
But now his cheeks are yellow.
He is suddenly overcome with longing,
He has not seen such beauty.

He does not hide—
The soul is captivated,
And carries the dream to the heavens
Kyunkokul— the beauty of the sun-faced,
The wave of songs has touched the heart,
This heart is in the hand of Kyunkokul...
So. But in the distance waits Aykokul,
True to the vow of youth...
Sadly listening to the hero,
Of her bitter sorrow
Saying nothing to him,
Thus the queen of fairies sang:
“A long journey lies ahead of you,
So accept this as a gift, brave one,
This mirror...
May the bright jade
Protect you on your way.
And wherever you go,
Direct it in that direction,
And magic will show the way,
This power is not a dream, but reality.
And misfortune will catch you on the road
Amid dangers and sorrows,
You must grab this mirror
And quickly break it against a stone!..”
The blue expanse splashes and foams,
And the reeds and cow parsnip rage,
And the hero bids farewell.
Gathering all his will,
He left in this land
Half of his heart forever.
He experienced a surge of passions,
A stirring arose within him,
In the blue water body
A certain mystery...
Darkness. A night’s rest.
And Chilten resolved:
“I will break these bonds as soon as it gets light!”
Here is yet another seed of love
That has sprouted in the wounded heart?...
Silently, Chilten's detachment rushes on,
Stars shine above him in the sky.

Chapter 5

Day after day, and since the beginning of the journey
Half a year has already passed
And the hero looks at the crossroads,
As the world rushes by in the mirror...
The shore of the wonderful lake has emerged,
Coming through the soot and gloom,
And some kind of aail
Is clearly visible on the shore.
He sees: yurts set in a row,
Green grass and the peaks of the fortifications...
On the tents proudly shine
Family emblems and coats of arms.
And quickly—under the felt cover—
He longed to reach those shores,
For on the largest of the tents—
The emblem of the Chilten clan gleams.
Faces, familiar to him, arise, as if in smoke.
He moves the mirror around...
Where is his beloved? Here or there?
He forgot that the journey is not over,
But he already wants to rest
Among his kin and friends...
His people are close, close,
But there is still one crossing to go,
No matter how much he looks in the mirror
The end of the journey is far away!
Here on the yurts he sees again
The heraldic swans and roe deer,
But he sees nowhere
The gentle face of Aykokul.
But faith in his heart grows stronger,
That fortune awaits ahead...
The horses fly like a whirlwind—
And in the road’s dusty haze,
His detachment rushes again,
To those kinfolk who are far away.

To be continued...
Beginning: The Tale of Brave Chilten. Part 2. Chapter 3