Six-Month Journey.
Part 2. Chapter 1.
Chilten is troubled, dejected,
Dark in visage, gloomy, unsociable.
The jigit has no happiness, even though he
Scattered the Army of Peri like smoke.
Let glory spread about him,
Let rumors fly far and wide —
These eyes will not shine with fire,
The head bows sadly.
And the seal of sorrow is on his forehead,
Though days of joy have come to the free land,
He is forever gloomy,
His face darkens with sorrowful thoughts.
And Chilten's father asked him:
“You are sad, but tell me why?
Grief has consumed you completely,
But I cannot understand your sorrow,
I know no reasons for despair,
I have never seen such sadness.
You gathered the people together,
And now they will save you,
Pour out your sadness, cast it away,
Do not bury it in your chest!”
And to these words, the jigit,
Whose eyes had slightly moistened,
Hastens to respond with a pure heart,
Wants to open and unfold his soul:
“I was then in my twelfth year,
I remember: the white cherry blossoms!
I remember, I remember: we walk in the gardens
With Aikokul, with Lunolika, together.
We catch butterflies, their beauty
Captivates us, changing colors...
For a long time, returning in dreams,
This girl appears to me.
But as soon as I approach her,
The image fades, I am but a word in delirium.
As I reach out my hand to her —
Tears flow — time to end the dream...
Whatever will be, father,
But will I,
Be able to push away the oaths of youth?!
And to seek Aikokul
I resolved to set out on the journey.
I do not know where her tribe is,
Where the new homeland of her kin is,
Only my heart senses,
That today they are in trouble.
Bless me for the long journey!
Know that the light of love leads me,
Without my beloved, my fate is empty.
I will race through the dust of the roads
To hear the tale of my relatives
From their own lips...”
The wise men of the native land,
Interpreting the batyr's dream,
Immediately remembered those who had left
For foreign lands, whose wild nature
Was similar to that of this brave man.
And their hearts ached...
But the bravest of the brave
Gathered at Chilten's call.
And blessed by the people,
He mounted his horse and rode off Chilten.
Chapter 2
The Mystery of the Fire-Breathing Gorge
They rode for sixty days,
And the horses' hooves grew weary.
But the road is still far,
And the road, oh, is not easy,
Places grow more desolate, darker...
And against them, the wind grows fiercer.
Now they are at the very mountains,
Touching the clouds.
The steppe's expanse quickly shrank,
And the valley became narrow.
Suddenly, the batyrs were engulfed in fire,
It became bright at night as in the day.
And a rock soared to the sky,
An explosion sounded and ash flew,
Embers scatter... Each from the cliff.
The darkness retreated far away.
The waves roared — wide —
The fiery river splashes.
Here, leaving the bare steep slope,
Suddenly rolled down
A glowing Sphere...
Now it approached the newcomers.
Immediately, the heat became unbearable.
The smell of burning from the horses' manes,
In fear, the steeds back away,
The riders' faces are scorched.
Burning and staining the valley,
From the Sphere shot a ray,
In the twilight haze, in the thick of clouds,
As if a second sun had risen.
The Fire Sphere solemnly declared:
“If you have come, man,
To plot evil against me,
Then in boiling lava right now,
Without mercy, I will drown you all.
If you are lost among the mountains,
I will show you the way, I will help.
But if you are a villain and a thief,
I will burn your eyes with steam.
If you are a fire thief,
You will be my slave for life,
And in revenge for past robbery
The flame will spread, grieving,
The shadow left behind by you...
Even your shadow will become a slave!
So speak and tell the truth,
I do not like tricks and lies.
I can guess the lie,
And then you will find no mercy.”
When Chilten heard this,
He spoke everything, hiding nothing.
And the truth resonated in his heart,
And he spoke to the prince of the flame:
“I remember the wicked Peri, oh yes!
She has been at war with me since ancient times,
Fighting in distant days.
And enemies came here,
And poured water on me,
So that there would be no fire in the world...
But those who came to me with war
I destroyed, driving them with fire.
How glad I am to see you today!
Know, Chilten, you are my friend and brother,
You avenged my enemy,
I cannot be your foe!
Is it not your tribe that in a crowd
Went in confusion, not knowing the way...
I led them by the mountain path,
I advised them — to follow the sun.
I gifted them a fiery sword,
Armoring them with scorching flame...
It is very difficult to preserve freedom
For a man, as long as he lives!
So accept my friendly gift,
And wear this ring on your finger,
In this ring is contained fire.
You can burn a city with it, like a stump.
But if you use the flame for evil —
You will burn yourself, like a log of firewood.
If you want to be lucky forever
Fight in the name of good!..” —
Thus spoke the master of the gorge,
Said farewell and moved on.
Like blocks of glowing rocks,
Sparks soared, and the night ended.
Above the peaks of the mountain ranges
A sea of fire spreads...
And the brave detachment of Chilten
Continued their path at the edge of day.
To be continued...
Beginning:The Tale of Brave Chilten. Chapters 3-5