The Tale of the Clever Old Man

THE WISE OLD MAN

In ancient times, there lived a young khan. He observed his subjects and saw that everything was done by the young, while the old only ate what was prepared. And then the khan ordered:
— Behead those who are over forty years old, and soon there was not a single person—man or woman—who was over forty. Only one young man, feeling sorry for his father, hid him in a chest.

After the khan's order was carried out, he commanded to find and bring him black worms. Until his order was fulfilled, he imposed a heavy tax on the people.

The people suffered in search of black worms. And then the young man went to his father, hidden in the chest, and asked for advice.

— Dig up the grave of the deceased bay, — advised the old man.

Late at night, the young man went to the bay's grave, dug it up, collected black worms in a cup, and brought them to the khan in the morning, thus freeing his people from the heavy tax.

Two years passed. And again, the khan needed black worms for some reason, and once more he issued the strictest decree, now quadrupling the taxes. The people scattered in different directions in search of black worms, but it was in vain. And again, the young man came for advice to his father.

— Dig up the grave of the deceased old khan, — advised the old man this time as well.

More time passed. And one day, the khan wanted to migrate to a new place. The people traveled for a long time, but the khan could not choose a place that suited him. And when the people were completely exhausted, the young man asked his father what could be done to stop the khan.

— A black dog with its tongue hanging out follows our migration, and it drives the khan from place to place. As soon as you shoot it, the khan will stop immediately...

Listening to his father's advice, the young man grabbed a gun and rushed to find the black dog with its tongue hanging out. Upon seeing it, he immediately shot it.

The khan ordered the people to stop. But alas—the area turned out to be desolate, without water, and soon everyone began to suffer from thirst. Then the khan declared that whoever finds water in this area would be rewarded with anything they wished.

— Gather all the cows and drive them into the steppe, — advised the father to his son. — As soon as the cows stop and begin to stomp their hooves while mooing loudly, dig a well there.

So the young man did. The people rejoiced, and the khan called the young man to him and asked:
— How do you manage to do what no one else can? Do you come up with this yourself or does someone advise you?

The young man pondered. To tell the truth, the khan might kill his father. To lie— the khan would continue to kill everyone over forty. The young man thought for a long time and finally decided:
— You kill everyone who turns forty. But when you first issued such a command, I hid my old father and always consult with him in difficult times. It was he who advised me where to find black worms, how to stop the migration, and how to find water in our desolate area.

Then the khan ordered the guards to bring the young man's father and said to him:
— I made a great mistake by getting rid of the old people; it turns out you do not eat what the young earn for nothing. And now tell me, can you find the living water?

The old man agreed and told the khan to take two waterskins with him. They walked for a long time until they reached a rock from which water dripped. They filled the waterskins with water and stopped by a lonely tree to rest. The khan was surprised that the ground beneath his feet was neither hard nor soft and asked the old man why that was.

— This is not soil, — replied the old man, — this is a person who drank the living water and lay here for centuries until he turned into a green arča.

The khan was frightened that he might meet the same fate and asked the old man to quickly pour the living water somewhere. The old man poured it under the arča, which has since been green all twelve months of the year. The khan then said:
— The wisdom of the old people is the wealth of the nation!

Kyrgyz Tales