Chapter XVI

When in the morning the bright sun
Rose up with only its half
And the other did not show itself yet
[Geser] got up quickly,
With a whole barrel of water

He washed
His face and hands.
And after he had washed himself
They put meals in front of him
On the silver decorated table.

They put tea and other drinks
On  the shining silver table.
They laid the table, had meals and talked.
They had been sitting thus for pretty long
And then  [Geser] said:

“And now I with no delay
Will go round my  lands.
You, Oshor Bogdo-sonny,
Saddle the horse for me.”
[Geser] said the right word.

His son Oshor Bogdo
Stood up from the table,
Went to saddle the horse.
He put [on the horse]
The sweat cloth with a silver edging,

Upon it he put
The saddle  with a silver pommel and a silver cantle.
He tightened the crupper
That was silver-decorated.
He tightened the girth made up of twenty belts

So that the horse drew himself up,
He tightened the girth made up of ten belts
So that the horse braced himself up,
He tied up the horse with a long rein
That was silver-shining

To the uppermost clamp
Of the tethering post which was in silver patterns
And promptly ran
Into his  house.
Abai Geser the Mighty

Began to put on
His clothes.
And when he was putting on the clothes,
How could you help saying: ”Ah!”
All his weapons

He hang on himself.
All his armor
He put on himself.
Turning right and left he scrutinized himself
In the mirror that was as big as a door.

He scrutinized himself in the mirror
That was as big as a sweat cloth.
“I’m dressed quite well, aren’t I?” [He said].
[He] impregnated his lips with
The fat of the spider

Not to be hungry for twenty years;
[He] impregnated his mouth with
The fat of the worms
Not to be hungry for ten years.
He put on his head

A sable fluffy hat
As big as a haycock,
With a tassel like a tussock
And  went to the exit.
His son Oshor Bogdo

Ran ahead of him
To the grey horse
And having untied
The silver-shining long rein
Led [the horse to the father]

And helped
His father
Mounted the horse.
Mounting the horse
[Geser] said the right word:

“I am very glad that my son is so good!
This is what I want to say, my sonny:
Until I go round to see
All my lands and come back
Do not go anywhere!

I must
Go round four times and see
The great four-year-old Earth,
I must go round three times and see
The great  three-year-old Earth.

I haven’t gone round
The north-western land
With  its rivers and all.
That land which is far off
I will go round and come.

My son Oshor Bogdo,
Look after and properly instruct
Your younger  brothers.”
Having said the right word
The father shook his right hand

Parting,
Kissed him on the right cheek
And  added:
“Well, I, your father, hope, that
I will achieve my goal

Quite successfully and happily
And hope to come back
To my own land  with luck and happiness.”
[Geser] jerked to the right
The harness of his good racer -