Chapter XIV

Abai Geser the Mighty

Went out of the dwelling
And came to
His  father-in-law.
“Father-in-law,
You’ve been feasting at the party for six days,

You’ve made this rich party too long:
The colt of a young mare
Misses his native meadow,
The son of the mother and father
Misses his own valley!

You’ve been entertaining yourself for already six days,
Let me go!”
“Having waited for six days,
Why not
Wait for three days more?

Or else, what will be
With  my name and honor?
There will be rumors
That Galta Ulan-heaven seems not able
To make the feast for nine days,

After five days of the feast
On the sixth day the marriage-party was over, wasn’t it?
I can’t let you go! You’ll wait
Until  nine days pass. After that you’ll leave!”
Kept  persuading  Galta Ulan-heaven.

“Father-in-law, this is what I’ll say.
Three more days of waiting
Will seem to be
Three years to me!”
[Geser] said the right word.

Both day and night
There was meat,
Both day and night
There was arkhi
During the feast, they say.

In the houses there was meat,
In the yard there was meat
During the feast, they say.
A magpie flew in from the south
And  took  the meat with her to eat that night.

“May the fair marriage-party
Be like this
For ever and ever
To [my] everlasting happiness!
May there be

Meat like this,
May my folks and the alien dependent people
Enjoy and feast,
Drink arkhi and smoke tobacco
For  ever and ever

To [my] everlasting happiness!”
Having thus wished it flew away.
They had been feasting for eight nights,
They had been having fun for nine nights
At that great feast!

“Father-in-law,
The guest is to leave.
Let the wedding procession start!”
[Geser] said the right word.
“It’s time to start indeed”, having said

[The father] told to help Gagurai Nogon-beauty
To put on clothes and pack up.
Having put on the clothes
She asked:
“Father, and what will you give me?”

He gave her a bridled and saddled
Yellow lean horse
Four hundred eighty feet in length,
With  the ears forty eight feet long.
“Mother, and what will you give me?”

She asked.
When she asked
[The mother] gave her
The golden-silver scissors
With which they cut and make

Different things.
“My elder brother, and what will you give me?”
She asked.
He gave her
A silk white scarf

With which one can
Raise a dead man,
With which one can
Make rich those who became poor.
“My sister-in-law,

And what will you give me?”
She asked.
The one gave her
A silver-white scoop
With which they call

Earthly comforts.
And then
They mounted their horses.
Abai Geser the Mighty
Said the right word:

“My folks, who came for the marriage-party!
You should ride
Where I draw a line,
You should stop for overnight rest
Where I draw a circle!”

And our
Abai Geser the Mighty
Rode at a trot dragging behind him
A big branchy larch
Tied up to the tail of his horse