ZAR AND MEER
Once upon a time, it is said, there lived a king. This king lost his vizier, and he appointed his favorite servant, a dashing young man, in his place. One day, the king went falcon hunting with his new vizier.
The king said to the vizier:
— If I have a son and you have a daughter, you will marry her to my son. If you have a son and I have a daughter, I will marry my daughter to your son. And if we both have sons or daughters, let them be friends for life.
The vizier agreed, and both swore to uphold the agreement.
Soon the king's wife gave birth to a daughter, and the vizier's wife gave birth to a son. Meanwhile, the king and the vizier were hunting in the mountains. Couriers rushed to the mountains with joyful news.
The king and the vizier were delighted and rode back to the palace. On the way, the vizier's horse stumbled, throwing its rider from the saddle and killing him instantly.
The king buried his vizier with honors. Then he celebrated the birth of the children in grand style. He named the girl Meer and the boy Zar.
Zar and Meer were always together. They grew up together until they turned sixteen. By this time, Meer had become such a beauty that all the neighboring khans fell in love with her, and each wanted to marry her.
To all the suitors, the king gave the same answer:
— My daughter already has a betrothed — Zar.
When the courtiers learned of the king's decision, they began to grumble.
— Our king intends to marry his only daughter to an orphan, the son of his former servant,— they said to each other.
The king heard these conversations. He pondered and forbade Meer from even speaking to Zar.
The king built a palace for his daughter with a secret window, locked Meer inside, and appointed a wicked old woman to guard her.
Zar learned of this and wept bitterly. His mother comforted him and said:
— My son Zar, don’t cry, lift your head. Go to the palace that the king built and peek through the secret window. There, Meer will whisper a word to you.
Zar was delighted with his mother’s advice, rushed to the palace, and saw that Meer had opened the window, showed him a mirror — she turned the mirror with the face side towards herself and the back side towards her suitor — and stepped back from the window.
Upset, Zar returned to his mother.
— My beloved fiancée does not even want to see me! She turned the mirror with the face side towards herself and the back side towards me and stepped back from the window. She must despise me — the son of a servant. I cannot bear such sorrow; I will die,— said Zar and cried again.
— By turning the mirror, Meer meant to tell you to come at night, not during the day,— his mother replied.
Zar was overjoyed, jumped up, and ran back to the cherished window. He stood under the window for a long time, but the day was not yet leaning towards evening. Finally, when night fell, Meer called Zar and said: My beloved friend, stand by the bush under the window and do not move away from it for a moment. As soon as everyone settles down, I will bring out two horses from my palace — a white one and a gray one. And you be ready.
The wicked old woman overheard their conversation. "I will interfere with them," she decided.
Meanwhile, Zar lay down by the bush and waited for Meer. He waited a long time and did not notice when he fell asleep. The wicked old woman approached, saw that Zar was sound asleep. She stood by the bush — Meer was waiting.
At that moment, Meer brought out the horses — the white one and the gray one — approached the bush, and whispered:
— Get on the white horse, Zar!
The old woman jumped on the white horse, and they galloped away from the palace. Meer galloped ahead, and the old woman followed.
They rode like this almost until noon. Meer looked back and saw that it was not Zar, but the wicked old woman who was galloping after her. Meer was surprised but did not show it.
— Enike,— she addressed the old woman,— you are older and more experienced — you should ride ahead.
The wicked old woman agreed, urged her horse, and rode ahead.
The old woman galloped on, while Meer fell behind and turned her horse back. Then she stopped and dismounted.
— Whatever happens, Zar is a wise young man: he will follow the horse's tracks and find me,— Meer decided.
For three days, Meer waited for her betrothed.
Meanwhile, Zar woke up, saw that there was no one around. He looked around, noticed deep hoof prints on the ground.
"Meer must have put me to sleep and disappeared," thought Zar. "I will follow these tracks, find the unfaithful one, and reproach her for our friendship."
Zar walked and walked until he met Meer. The girl told him about the wicked old woman.
— So it was she who put me to sleep! — Zar realized.
They both got on the gray horse and rode on. They rode for a long time — the gray horse grew tired and soon fell.
Then Zar and Meer went on foot. Soon a wide and deep river blocked their way, and it was difficult to cross it. On the bank grew a dense and tall forest. Zar and Meer sat under the trees to rest for a while. Suddenly, an old boatman appeared before them, crooked in one eye.
— Dear grandfather, take us across to the other side,— Meer sweetly asked the old man.
— My boat is small and old; it cannot carry both of you at once. If you wish, I can take you separately,— said the old man.
Meer discerned the old man's ill intentions and quietly said to Zar:
— The old man is up to no good. Well, I will go with him first, and you stay here and don’t be afraid if the old man tries to drown me in the middle of the river. I will handle him and return in the boat for you.
Having said this, Meer got into the boat. Everything happened as she predicted. As soon as the boat reached the middle of the river, the old man tried to push Meer into the water. The girl pushed him into the water herself and steered the boat to the shore. Meer got off on the shore, looked around — there was no Zar!
The girl searched for her betrothed for a long time, grew very tired, and then lay down under a poplar and fell asleep.
At that time, a fearsome king, Taymas, was hunting in those parts. His falcon landed on the poplar under which Meer was sleeping. The king rode up to the poplar, saw Meer, and was astonished by her beauty. He decided to take the girl to his palace immediately and celebrate a grand wedding. He already had nine wives. And Meer would become his tenth wife.
Seeing that it would be difficult for her to escape this time, she said to the fearsome king:
— I am also a king's daughter. It seems it is destined for me to become your wife. But allow me to wander a little in your lands before the wedding. Let all your nine wives go with me. Order them to saddle identical horses and dress us in identical clothes.
Taymas agreed and did everything as Meer wished.
Meer left accompanied by nine wives. On the bank of the river, she saw that very boat and said to her companions:
— Let’s cross to the other side and have fun there!
The women dismounted and happily got into the boat. The current caught the boat and carried it away.
At the place where the waters of this river flowed into the lake, ten robbers lay in wait. Seeing the boat, the robbers rejoiced: here, it seems, the prey is swimming right into their hands. They pulled the boat to the shore and, seeing the women in it, decided to take them as wives. Meer demanded that the robbers hold a grand wedding. While the robbers were busy with the feast, Meer whispered to the women:
— I will put sleeping herbs in their tea.
~ The women served the robbers this tea, and they fell asleep. Then the women changed into the robbers' clothes, hid their braids under hats, took the weapons, mounted their horses, and galloped away.
The women reached the first city. It turned out that not long before that, the khan of the place had died. He had no children, and his courtiers did not know whom to choose as the new khan. Finally, they decided to release the hunting falcon of the late khan: whoever the bird lands on, that person will become the khan.
People gathered around the palace.
The disguised women also approached the palace. And just at that moment, the hunting bird was released. The bird flew up and landed on Meer's head. The people looked at their chosen one. They saw a beautiful young man with rich weapons surrounded by nine young men.
— The true khan! — the people decided and raised Meer to the throne.
Thus, Meer became the khan.
One day, she summoned the best craftsmen from all over her khanate and ordered them:
— Carve my statue out of wood!
For two days, the best craftsmen worked, carved the statue, and brought it to the khan. Meer ordered the statue to be displayed on the street in front of her palace.
— Let everyone see my likeness; let everyone know what skilled craftsmen live in this khanate! — she declared.
And to her courtiers, Meer gave a secret order: to detain anyone who, looking at the statue, uttered the name Meer. People walked down the street, and every passerby looked at the statue.
The very next day at noon, a man stopped in front of the statue and exclaimed:
— If she were not made of wood, I would call her Meer.
Meer's servants seized this man and locked him in an empty house.
The next day, in the evening, a young man walked down the street, saw the statue, rushed to it, embraced it, and exclaimed:
— Oh, is it really you, Meer?
This young man was also seized and locked in a separate house.
The next morning, Meer, accompanied by nine disguised wives of Taymas, came to the man and asked:
— What is your relationship to Meer?
The man, who was none other than Taymas, replied:
— She is no relation to me. I found her on the riverbank, decided to marry her, but she went for a walk with my nine wives before the wedding, and since then I have not seen her! Now I just want to find my wives! — exclaimed Taymas, not suspecting that the young men accompanying the khan were his wives.
Then Meer entered the house where the young man was imprisoned. And she recognized Zar in this young man. And Zar told Meer how he had gotten lost in the thicket by the riverbank.
After that, Meer called Taymas to the palace and returned his wives to him, treated them all, and equipped them for the journey. Then Meer dressed Zar in khan's clothes and seated him on the khan's throne. From then on, Zar became the khan, and Meer became the khan's wife.
Kyrgyz Tales