- Kyrgyz folk epic, named after the main character.
The time of creation, as well as the genesis of the epic, have not been precisely established. One of the initiators of the study Manas, the Kazakh writer M. Auezov (1897–1961), based on the central episode dedicated to the campaign against the Uyghurs, put forward a hypothesis according to which the epic was created no earlier than 840. It reflected the events of the 9th and 10th centuries, that is, the period of “Kyrgyz great power” when the Kirghiz were a numerous and powerful people (some historical sources state that at that time they had from 80 thousand to 400 thousand soldiers (Genghis Khan, who created an invincible state, had 125 thousand soldiers).
Episode Chon-kazat (long march) tells about the struggle with the strong eastern state(Mongol-Chinese or Mongol-Turkic), within which the city of Beijin was located, separated from the Kyrgyz state by forty or - in another version - ninety days of travel.
Based on the fact that in 840 the Kirghiz conquered the Uighur kingdom and took its central city of Bei-Tin, M. Auezov suggested that the conqueror of this city, who died in 847, is Manas. The first songs of the poem about Manas, whoever he was by origin, were created in the year of the death of this historical hero, as custom required. The reservation is important, because from that era not a single proper name of commanders or azho (then the name of the Kirghiz khans) has survived. Therefore, perhaps the name of the hero was different and only a later nickname remained for posterity (the name of a deity from the shamanic pantheon or from Manichaeism, which was then widespread in Central Asia).
Just as the vigilante poet from Words about Igor's regiment sang another historical campaign, the warriors of Manas sang the events in which they took part. Chief among them is Yrymandyn-yrchi-uul (or Jaisan-yrchi, that is, the prince-poet), an associate of Manas. He is a fighter-hero, and therefore the obligatory dream that storytellers see before performing the epic can be interpreted symbolically - they participate in a feast, etc., as if they were also ranked among the choros, companions of Manas. Thus, "Chon-kazat" was created either during the years of the campaign itself, or immediately after it.
The main core of the epic, which is characterized by many historical layers, was formed in the 15th-18th centuries.
Auezov M. . - In the book: Auezov M. Thoughts different years
. Alma-Ata, 1959
Kyrgyz heroic epic"Manas". M., 1961
Kerimzhanova B. Semetey and Seitek. Frunze, 1961
Zhirmunsky V.M. Folk heroic epic. M. - L., 1962
Kydyrbaeva R.Z. Genesis of the epic "Manas". Frunze, Ilim, 1980
Bernshtam A.N. The era of the emergence of the Kyrgyz epic "Manas" // Encyclopedic phenomenon of the epic "Manas", Bishkek, 1995
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The epic "Manas" is a heroic narrative based on the legends of the Kyrgyz people, which were passed down from generation to generation.
Brief description of the epic
The main storyline of the epic is the struggle of the Kyrgyz for independence from external invaders. Manas describes semi-real events that took place in the history of the Kyrgyz people.
The epic "Manas" has become a harmonious symbiosis historical facts and mythological beliefs of the inhabitants of Kyrgyzstan. Thanks to this monumental folklore work, we have an idea about the life, way of life, traditions and customs of the Kyrgyz in ancient times.
For example, Manas describes very vividly that in a moment of acute danger from the invaders, women abandoned their household chores and, along with men, heroically defended their homeland.
The history of the epic
For many centuries, the epic was passed from mouth to mouth by storytellers, people who bit by bit collected and supplemented it. It should be noted that due to the colossal volumes, the epic was transmitted only in certain blocks.
This led to the fact that in our time the epic exists in more than 35 variations, each of which has differences. The central hero, in whose honor the epic was named, is the hero Manas, in whose image all the ideas of the people about heroism and courage are combined.
The epic begins with a story about the birth of the life of the hero Manas. Even in his youth, Manas, together with his father, participated in a heroic confrontation with the Chinese and Kalmyks, for which he received the respect and love of his people.
After the holy Khyzr appeared to the hero, he decided to convert to Islam, and together with his family moved to live in the expanses of Central Asia. The second part of the epic describes the events that happened to the Kyrgyz people during the time when Manas lived in other lands.
The cruel Chinese invaded their lands and placed in the dungeons the friends of the protagonist, the same courageous heroes and warriors. Manas learns about the events taking place in his homeland and returns to protect his people. After a heroic war with the Chinese, and then with the Afghan Khan, Manas leaves with a hermit who helps him learn the highest wisdom of life.
This part describes the marriage of Manas, the birth of his children. In the third part, Manas dies, the reader will learn the details of his funeral: the Kyrgyz people, in gratitude, built a tomb for Manas, decorated with precious stones and metals.
However, along with the death of the hero, his heroism is reflected in the courageous deeds of his children and grandchildren, who became worthy successors of Manas.
As the most voluminous epic in the world.
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In addition, researchers recognize the most significant records of the part about Manas made from the storytellers Togolok Moldo (1860-1942), Moldobasan Musulmankulov (1884-1961), Shapak Rysmendeev (1863-1956), Bagysh Sazanov (1878-1958), Ibraim Abdyrakhmanov ( 1888-1960), Mambet Chokmorov (1896-1973)
The most famous Xinjiang storyteller Jyusyup Mamai (Kyrgyz.) Russian(Jusup Mamai) - his version of the 8 parts of the epic occupies about 200 thousand lines and was published in 18 volumes in Urumqi (1984-1995).
For a comparative assessment of the volume of epics, it is important to keep in mind poetic size: basically "Manas" is composed of 7- and 8-complex syllabic verses, however, in Sagymbay Orozbakov's version there are 4-, 5- and 6-complex verses close to rhymed prose, and in Sayakbay Karalaev's version there are more lines from 9-complex up to 12-complex.
The history of the epic
Tradition traces the emergence of the epic to the legendary era, calling the first performer the comrade-in-arms of Manas himself - Yrchi-uul, the son of Yraman, who sang the hero's exploits at his funeral; the songs-lamentations that existed separately among the people were united into one epic by the legendary singer Toktogul (the Kyrgyz of the first half of the 20th century believed that he lived 500 years ago). Other storytellers are also known in tradition, as well as the names of many manaschi of the 19th century, whose work has not been recorded.
Modern scientists have not come to a consensus about the time of the epic. Hypotheses were put forward that its basis is connected with the events of the history of the Kirghiz of the 9th century. V. M. Zhirmunsky believed that the historical background of the work as a whole corresponds to the conditions of the 15th-18th centuries, although it contains more ancient ideas.
The first mention of the epic dates back to the 16th century. They are contained in the semi-fantastic work Majmu at-Tawarikh, where Manas is shown as a historical person acting together with the real-life Tokhtamysh, Khorezmshah Muhammad, etc.
The English historian Arthur Thomas Hatto believes that Manas was
After the death of the Kyrgyz Khan Nogoi, the old enemies of the Kyrgyz, the Chinese, taking advantage of the indecision of his successors, seized the lands of the Kyrgyz and forced them out of Ala-Too. The descendants of Nogoi are expelled to distant lands. The rest fall under the cruel oppression of the invaders. The younger son of Nogoy Zhakyp is expelled to the Altai, and for many years he is forced to serve the Altai Kalmaks. Being engaged in arable farming and working in gold mines, he was able to get rich. In adulthood, Zhakyp becomes the owner of an incalculable number of cattle, but his soul is gnawing at the fact that fate did not give a single heir. He is sad and prays to the Almighty for mercy, visits holy places and makes sacrifices. Finally, after a wonderful dream, his elder wife conceived a child, nine months later she gave birth to a boy. On the same day, a foal is born in Zhakyp's herd, which he destines for his newborn son.
Zhakyp arranges a big feast to celebrate and calls the boy Manas. From childhood, unusual qualities appear in him, he differs from all his peers in extraordinary physical strength, mischief and generosity. The fame of him spreads far beyond Altai. The Kalmaks living in Altai are in a hurry to tell the Chinese Khan Esenkan the news that the recalcitrant Kirghiz have a batyr, who, while he has not yet matured, should be captured and destroyed. Esenkan sends his scouts disguised as merchants to the Kirghiz and gives him the task of capturing Manas. They find the young hero while playing ordo and try to capture him. Manas, together with his peers, captures scouts, distributes all the goods of the caravan to ordinary people.
Thousands of troops of the Kalmak hero Neskara are sent against the Kirghiz. Having united all the neighboring peoples and tribes, Manas opposes Neskara, and wins a brilliant victory over his army. Having appreciated the merits of the young hero, seeing him as their intercessor, many Kyrgyz clans, as well as neighboring tribes of the Manchus and Kalmaks, decide to unite under his command. Manas is elected khan.
Manas enters into an unequal battle with the Uyghurs and wins. In this battle, Batyr Koshoy, the khan of the Kirghiz tribe of Katagans, renders invaluable help to him. One of the defeated Uighur rulers, Kaiypdan, gives Manas his daughter Karaberyk, who herself expresses her desire to become the wife of a batyr.
At the suggestion of Koshoy, Manas decides to return to the people the native lands of Ala-Too, captured by the opponents of the Kirghiz. Having gathered an army, he enters the battle and wins. The Kyrgyz decide to migrate from Altai to their ancestral lands. Manas with his clan is located near the sacred black mountains of Aziret.
The old enemy of the Kirghiz - the Chinese Khan Alooke, decides to stop the expansion of the Kirghiz and begins to prepare for the campaign. Upon learning of this, Manas urgently goes on a campaign with his forty warriors. He easily disperses the army of enemies and captures the headquarters of Khan Alooke. Seeing the determination and courage of the hero Manas, Alooke decides to make peace with the Kirghiz and, in recognition of his humility, gives Manas his son Booke.
At this time, on the southern borders, the confrontation between the Kyrgyz clans and the Afghan Khan Shoruk intensified. Gathering an army, Manas enters the battle. The defeated Afghan ruler enters into a diplomatic marriage alliance with the Kirghiz, giving his daughter Akylai to Manas and sending her forty servants along with her.
A separate plot branch of the epic tells the story of the hero Almambet. It covers events from the moment of his birth to his coming to Manas. Almambet's father Sooronduk was one of the major Chinese commanders. For a long time he was childless, and, having reached adulthood, he finally acquires a son. Almambet comprehends science from childhood, masters the art of magic and witchcraft, studies at the school "Teaching about the Dragon" (in the Kyrgyz language "Azhydaardyn okuusu"), children from noble families study with him, but it turns out to be the best among them in learning, and later grows up into a brave warrior. Reasonableness, honesty, courage make him famous. At a young age, Almambet becomes the successor of his father, leading all the troops of the Chinese army. One day, while hunting, he meets Khan Kekcho, who calls him to the light and leave witchcraft. Returning home, Almambet calls on his relatives to convert to a new faith. Neither parents nor relatives even want to listen to Almambet. Sooronduk orders the arrest of his son, who renounced the "faith of his ancestors." Having escaped from the Chinese, Almambet takes refuge at Kekcho. The generosity, reasonableness and justice of Almambet contribute to strengthening his fame. But the horsemen of Khan Kokcho are jealous of the new close associate of their ruler. They start up a false rumor about the proximity of Almambet and the wife of Khan Kekche Akerchek. Unable to bear the slander, Almambet leaves Kokcho.
And so the hero accidentally meets Manas, who went hunting with his forty horsemen. Manas has long heard about Almambet and therefore meets him with honors, arranges a feast in his honor. Manas and Almambet become brothers.
And since Manas married Akylai and Karaberyk in order to make peace, the hero asks his father Zhakyp to find a wife for him. After a long search, Zhakyp arrives at Khan Atemir in Bukhara, where he liked the daughter of Khan Sanirabig. Zhakyp wooed her, paid a rich ransom-kalym, and Manas, according to all the rules, took Sanirabigu as his wife. The Kirghiz call the wife of Manas the name Kanykey, which means "married to the khan." Forty zhigits of Manas marry forty girls who came with Kanykey. Almambet marries the daughter of the patron saint of wild mountain animals, Aruuke.
Having learned about Manas, relatives who were in exile far to the north decide to return to him. These are the children of Zhakyp's older brother - Usen, who lived long years among a foreign people, who took wives from the Kalmaks and forgot the customs and customs of their ancestors. Among the Kalmaks they were called Kezkamans.
At this time, Manas is forced to go to the aid of the batyr Koshoy. The Afghan Khan Tulkyu, taking advantage of the absence of Koshoy, raids the Katagan tribe and kills the son of the Kirghiz hero. But Tulkyu's younger brother, Akun, decides to avoid bloodshed and settles the feud between the Kyrgyz and the Afghans. Tulkyu pleads guilty, pays a ransom for the murder of his son Koshoy and cedes his throne to Akun. Manas and Akun conclude a friendship agreement and agree that their children, if they have a boy and a girl, will be engaged. In addition, the son of the Kirghiz Khan Kyokotey (who settled in Tashkent after the expulsion of Panus), Bokmurun expresses a desire to marry the daughter of Tulkyu named Kanyshay. On the advice of Manas, Bakai goes with the matchmaking to Tulkyu and performs all the prescribed rites.
During the absence of Manas, the Kyozkamans arrive. Kanykei gladly greets her husband's relatives, presents them, as usual, with everything necessary for housekeeping. Returning from the campaign, Manas arranges a feast in honor of his relatives. He gives them land, cattle and various utensils. Despite such a warm welcome, the envious Kezkamans conspire against Manas. They decide to poison the batyr, take the throne and take possession of all the property of Manas. The Kyozkamans find a convenient time to lure the batyr and his retinue to visit. Returning after the next campaign, Manas gladly accepted the invitation. Poison is mixed into the food of the batyr and his warriors. The surviving Manas soldered all his combatants and returned to headquarters. Kezkamans are looking for those responsible for the failure, a quarrel breaks out between them, they all use knives and die.
The glorious Kirghiz Khan Kyokotey, having reached old age, leaves the white world. Leaving his son Bokmurun a will with instructions on how to perform a burial and how to arrange all the posthumous rites, he also bequeathed to seek advice from Manas. After burying Kyokotey, Bokmurun has been preparing for three years to arrange a feast. Manas takes over the entire management of the feast of Kyokotey. Numerous guests from the most distant countries. Bokmurun puts up rich prizes for the winners of various competitions. A number of Kyrgyz elders and khans of individual clans express dissatisfaction with the fact that Manas single-handedly manages the feast. They gather a council and decide to openly state their demands. But the conspirators are pacified by the elder Koshoi. He persuades them not to start quarrels in front of numerous guests, among whom there are old enemies of the Kirghiz, and promises the conspirators to pacify Manas after the feast.
A year later, the conspirators demand from Koshoy that he lead their embassy to Manas and help them remove the wayward ruler. Koshoy, citing his age, refuses to be led by the conspirators. Then they decide to send messengers to Manas to notify that all the noble heads of the Kirghiz clans are going to visit him as guests. Their plan was to, having come to Manas in a large group, to force him to make some mistake in the ritual of hospitality, start a quarrel and then put forward demands to renounce the title of khan. Manas agrees to receive noble guests with all their numerous retinue. Arriving guests are greeted by forty warriors and all the arrivals are accommodated in their yurt and villages. Seeing such a unity of the combatants and making sure of the steadfastness of the power of Manas, the Kyrgyz khans understand that they are in an awkward situation. When asked by Manas about the purpose of their arrival, no one dares to answer anything intelligible. Then Manas informs them that the news of a campaign being prepared against the Kirghiz has reached him. The Chinese khan Konurbai, holding a grudge for previous defeats, gathers an army of many thousands in order to subjugate the Kirghiz again. Manas calls on the Kirghiz khans to preempt the enemy and go on a campaign themselves, with the combined forces to defeat the enemy on his territory and stop all attempts to conquer the Kirghiz. The khans are forced to accept Manas' proposal. Bakai is elected Khan of all the Kirghiz for the period of the great campaign, and Almambet becomes the chief commander of the Kirghiz army. He leads them to the capital of the Chinese, Beijing.
After a long and difficult journey, the Kyrgyz army reaches the borders of the Chinese state. Leaving the army on a halt, Almambet, Syrgak, Chubak and Manas set off for reconnaissance. Having penetrated deep into the territory of the enemy, they steal numerous herds. Chinese detachments rush in pursuit of the hijackers. A battle ensues, the Kirghiz manage to smash and disperse the many thousands of enemy troops. According to the epic, Manas with his army (Tyumen) captures Beijing (“Beezhin” is translated from the Kyrgyz language as “bad mare”) and rules for six months. The Chinese pay tribute to them and declare their desire to make peace. Manas generously decides to spare Konurbay and the rest of the Chinese nobles. But Konurbay could not accept defeat and one by one kills the best Kyrgyz batyrs. Almambet, Chubak and Syrgak perish. Having secretly penetrated into the battle headquarters of Manas, Konurbai inflicts a mortal wound on the hero, hitting him in the back with a spear, when the unarmed batyr committed morning prayer Bagimdat prayer. Returning to his homeland, Manas cannot recover from his wound and dies. Kanykei buries the hero in a kumbez. The tragic ending of the first part of the trilogy achieves realistic authenticity. Manas' dying testament speaks of tribal strife, the weakening of the power of the Kyrgyz people united by Manas. The birth of the son of Manas - Semetey already predetermines the revenge for the defeat of his father in the future. Thus arose the second poem, ideologically and plotly connected with the first part, dedicated to the biography and exploits of the son of Manas Semetey and his associates, who repeat the heroism of their fathers and achieve victory over foreign invaders.
Less than forty days after the death of Manas, Zhakyp begins to demand that Kanykey be given as a wife to one of Manas' half-brothers. Manas is replaced by his half-brother Kobesh, who oppresses Kanykei and seeks to destroy the baby Semetey. Kanykei is forced to flee with the baby to her relatives. Semetey grows, not knowing about his origin. Having reached the age of sixteen, he learns that he is the son of Manas and expresses a desire to return to his people. He returns to Talas, where his father's headquarters was located. The enemies of Manas, among whom were the half-brothers Abyke and Kobesh, as well as the warriors who betrayed him, die at the hands of Semetey. Batyr marries Aichurek, with whom he was engaged before birth, according to the promise of Manas. He raids Chinese territory and kills Konurbai in single combat, avenging him for the death of his father. Semetey is betrayed by Kanchoro, who has entered into an agreement with the enemy Kyyas. Having received a mortal wound from Kyyas, Semetey suddenly disappears. His devoted comrade-in-arms Kyulchoro is captured, and Aichurek becomes the prey of enemies. The traitor Kanchoro becomes Khan. Aichurek is expecting Semetey's child, but no one knows about it.
The heroic poem "Semetey" is the most frequently performed cycle of the trilogy. The courageous heroes of the poem also become victims of injustice, but the perpetrators of their death are not foreign invaders, but internal enemies.
The third part of "Manas" - "Seytek" is devoted to the epic story about the struggle against internal enemies. It tells about the bogatyr Seitek, the grandson of Manas, and is a logical continuation of the previous parts. In this part, there is the same ideological basis associated with the desire to preserve the unity of the people, get rid of external and internal enemies and achieve a peaceful life. The plot basis of the Seitek epic is the following events: the upbringing of Seitek in the camp of the enemies of his father, who does not know about his origin, the maturation of Seitek and the disclosure of the secret of his origin, the expulsion of enemies and the return of Semetey to his people, the unification of the people and the onset of peaceful life. The images of Semetey and Seitek reflect the desire of the people to preserve the legends about Manas in the heroic life of his descendants.
Manasology
1000th anniversary of the epic
In 1994, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on the worldwide celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Manas epic. The celebration took place in 1995. The main celebrations were held in Talas. On the occasion of the anniversary, a commemorative gold order "Manas-1000 " and a memorable gold medal were established.
Influence
In philately
One day, one of the classics of Kyrgyz literature said that: “ Manas" - it golden treasury of folk thought, reflecting thousands of years of experiencehistory and spiritual life of the Kyrgyz people". And it is impossible not to agree with this. Indeed, by nature epic "Manas" refers to the best samples oral art, and in terms of genre content, to heroic epics. However, in terms of the coverage of events in the narrative, it goes far beyond the traditional genre and becomes a kind of chronicle of the life of many generations.
The main theme in the legend, its central idea, is devoted to the main events in the life of the nation, the formation Kyrgyz people. The epic tells about the struggle of the Kyrgyz for independence, sings of the heroes' valor in the fight against treacherous enemies, idealizes the great heroes who do not spare their lives in the struggle for the idea of national unity.
« Manas”consists of 500 thousand poetic lines and surpasses all known world epics in volume. He is 20 times bigger Odyssey" and " illiad", 5 times more" Shahname"and 2.5 times longer than the Indian" Mahabharat».
Grandiosity and scale Manas» is one of distinctive features epic Kyrgyz creativity and is explained by the originality of the historical past of the nation.
Kyrgyz- one of ancient peoples in Central Asia, throughout its history, was constantly attacked by powerful conquerors who destroyed centuries-old states and exterminated numerous peoples. Only perseverance in the struggle, incredible resistance, strength and heroism helped the Kyrgyz to avoid complete annihilation. Each battle was plentifully watered with blood and fanned with the glory of the heroic sons and daughters of the long-suffering people. Courage and heroism became objects of worship, deification and chanting.
But, " Manas"- it is also a chronicle of completely everyday, life events, because it is impossible to imagine any side life of the Kyrgyz people, which would not be reflected in the legend. There is an opinion that a person who has never even visited Kyrgyzstan, is able to know the mentality and life position of the people, simply by familiarizing themselves with " Manas».
In the narrative, various artistic genres folk art, such as: testaments (kereez), lamentations (koshok), edifications (sanaat-nasiyat), songs-complaints (arman), as well as legends, myths, tales and legends. But this does not mean at all that Manas"is their mechanical collection, there is a very definite storyline in the epic, and artistic additions, just a beautiful canvas, for the main compositional structure.
The central figure of the epic - hero Manas - great and wise warrior. It is difficult to say whether he was a collective image, or whether there really was such a historical character, however, the events described in the legend really took place and covered a vast territory from Yenisei before Central Asia, across Altai and Khangai.
Most likely, at first there was only one episode in the epic - “ long march”, dedicated to the life and exploits of the protagonist, and at the end of the story all the positive characters, including Manas, were dying. However, the people did not want to put up with the loss of loved ones. actors and they were replaced, first the son Manas- Semetey and then Seitek. This is how three parts of the epic turned out, each of which is dedicated to one hero.
All parts of the trilogy are connected storyline, however, unlike the first part, the biography Manas, the history of "Semetey" not only heroic - epic, it has a love-romantic frame and is more vital, for which it has gained immense popularity among the people.
Historical events on this segment of the epic take place in Central Asia XVI-XVII centuries and the perpetrators of the death of the main characters are not bloody
Life itself demanded the continuation of the heroic tale in order to finally overcome the forces of evil. Thus was born the third part of the epic - "Seitek". It ended the centuries-old struggle of the people for freedom and justice. The stubborn struggle of many generations brought the long-awaited victory over internal and external enemies. Kyrgyz people.
It is to this lofty and noble goal - to protect the native land from foreign invaders and the liberation of the people from self-proclaimed tyrants and usurpers, that trilogy "Manas", this bright idea is imbued with the whole story.
"Manas", undoubtedly a historical document and carries a real storehouse of knowledge about various stages development of the nation. Therefore, on the example of the heroes of the epic work, not a single generation of Kyrgyz was brought up.
Special merit in the preservation of this cultural monument belongs folk storytellers of the epic - « manaschi", nicknamed by the people" jomokchu". Initially, they constituted a very specific group of folk storytellers, strikingly different from others. Their work combined absolute traditionalism with artistic improvisation of the presentation of poetic texts. Depending on the degree of skill, storytellers received folk nicknames: a student (“ uyryonchuk""), beginner (" chala manaschy"") and a skilled storyteller (" chynygy manaschy"). True storytellers with their creativity not only conveyed the epic to the listeners, but also enriched and decorated it in their own way. Until now, in the memory of grateful descendants, the names of talented and famous " manaschi" of the past.
« Manas» - work of oral folk art and has no canonical text. However, today science knows 34 versions of the recorded epic, which differ significantly from each other.
However, despite the many options, Manas"- a single work, united by a storyline, a common theme and unity of images.
Today at modern folklore Kyrgyzstan a there was a special direction in the study of your favorite epic - “ knowledge of mana”, which even has its own specializations:
Collection and recording of texts,
Scientific edition of existing variants,
The study of the poetics of the work through creativity " manaschi».
And this is really very important, because Manas”, as a living organism, exists and develops, as long as there are people interested in preserving it as a historical document about the heroic history of the nation which has come down to us in such a beautiful literary form.
The duty bequeathed by God has been fulfilled...
A. S. Pushkin "Boris Godunov"
A century and a half has passed since the Russian scientists Chokan Valikhanov and V.V. Radlov informed the world that the “wild stone” Kyrgyz, roaming the foothills of the Tien Shan, have the greatest oral-poetic masterpiece - the heroic epic Manas. The episodes of the Kyrgyz legend were recorded, published, translated into Russian and German.
A lot has been written about the trilogy "Manas", "Semetey", "Seytek" scientific papers, scientific conferences were held, in 1993 the 1000th anniversary of the epic was celebrated at the world level.
Years passed, but our valiant batyr never reached the broad masses of the people, few people know the content of the epic itself, not only abroad, but also in the homeland of Manas. And the reason, apparently, is that the text of "Manas" is very voluminous, multi-variant. It is unbearable to translate it into verses, and in the prose arrangement "Manas" loses half of its artistic merits. Imagine a ruby without a cut! It is one thing to “zhanbashtap zhatyp sonunda”, i.e., lying on your side and admiring nature, listening to the storyteller-manaschi, another thing is to read about all this yourself. But main reason, perhaps, in the fact that until now, whether in prose or poetry, it was not the artistic content of the epic that was translated, but its performance in the interpretation of one or another storyteller. It's the same as translating not a drama by V. Shakespeare, but his stage performance, or, let's say, not a novel by A. S. Pushkin, but an opera by P. I. Tchaikovsky "Eugene Onegin".
So I, like the storytellers of "Manas", dreamed ...
I went to check on my Manas and I see: he came out of a felt yurt and in all his fighting glory prancing on his white horse around a vicious circle of a paddock. People are standing around, admiring the greatness of the Kyrgyz hero. And the guide enthusiastically talks about his glory and past exploits. And Manas himself is already gray-haired, and Ak-Kula has dark stains around his eyes. I tried to open the gates of the corral, but, alas, my strength was not enough. And I, as always, called for help my faithful and powerful friend - Great Russian language and sat down for the translation, or rather for the poetic translation of "Manas".
Historians proved that the events of the story took place in the Middle Ages of our era, so they had to abandon fantasy and fabulous hyperbole, from religious and other layers of pan-Turkism and pan-Islamism, introduced by storytellers after the tragic events of 1916, when the Kyrgyz people, finding themselves between two great powers: Russia and China, subjected to brutal genocide.
In 1856, Ch. Valikhanov called the epic "Manas" the steppe "Iliad". I consider the Manas epic to be the Bible of the mountains and steppes, and therefore I tried to preserve the biblical motifs, to clarify and generalize the parable thoughts of the Great Legend. To the best of his ability, he sought to preserve the canonical plot of the epic, build the logic of the characters' behavior and the development of events, convey the figurative flavor of the Kyrgyz language.
The first, one might say, trial edition of my “Tale of Manas” was published in 2009 in a small edition and immediately went to the people. The Ministry of Science and Education recommended the book as an additional textbook on the Manas epic. In the Russian Academic Theater. Ch. Aitmatov staged a literary and dramatic production of the same name performed by Kyrgyz actors in Russian.
The second edition of the Tale is supplemented with a retrospective foreword by academician B. Yu. Yunusaliev, at the end of the book there is a scientific summary by Professor G. N. Khlypenko. Undoubtedly, the works of famous Kyrgyz scientists will complement the knowledge of readers about the outstanding masterpiece of the Kyrgyz people.
I hope that the Russian text of the "Tale of Manas" will become the basis for the translation of the Kyrgyz epic into other languages and our legendary batyr will rush along the equator of the globe.
Good luck to you, my valiant Manas!
Mar Bayjiev.
Academician B. M. Yunusaliev
(1913–1970)
KYRGYZ HEROIC EPOS "MANAS"
The Kyrgyz people have the right to be proud of the richness and diversity of oral poetic creativity, the peak of which is the epic Manas. Unlike the epics of many other nations, "Manas" is composed from beginning to end in verse, which once again testifies to the special respect of the Kyrgyz for the art of versification.
The epic consists of half a million poetic lines and exceeds in volume all the known world epics: twenty times the Iliad and the Odyssey, five times the Shahnameh, more than two times the Mahabharata.
The grandiosity of the epic "Manas" is one of the distinguishing features of the epic creativity of the Kyrgyz. It is explained by a number of significant circumstances, and, above all, by the uniqueness of the history of the people. The Kyrgyz, being one of the most ancient peoples of Central Asia, throughout their centuries-old history were attacked by the powerful conquerors of Asia: the Khitan (Kara-Kitai) at the end of the 10th century, the Mongols in the 13th century, the Dzungars (Kalmyks) in the 16th-18th centuries. Under their blows, many state associations and tribal unions fell, they exterminated entire peoples, their names disappeared from the pages of history. Only the strength of resistance, perseverance and heroism could save the Kyrgyz from complete annihilation. Each battle abounded with feats. Courage and heroism became the subject of worship, the theme of chanting. Hence the heroic character of the Kyrgyz epic poems and the Manas epic.
As one of the oldest Kyrgyz epics, "Manas" is the most complete and broadest artistic representation of the centuries-old struggle of the Kyrgyz people for their independence, for justice and a happy life.
In the absence of recorded history and written literature, the epic reflected the life of the Kyrgyz people, their ethnic composition, economy, life, customs, mores, aesthetic tastes, ethical norms, his judgments about human virtues and vices, ideas about nature, religious prejudices, language.
To the epic as to the most popular work, independent fairy tales, legends, epics, and poems similar in ideological content were gradually attracted. There is reason to assume that such episodes of the epic as "Commemoration for Koketey", "The Story of Almambet" and others once existed as independent works.
Many Central Asian peoples have common epics: Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Karakalpaks - "Alpamysh", Kazakhs, Turkmens, Uzbeks, Tajiks - "Ker-Ogly", etc. "Manas" exists only among the Kyrgyz. Since the presence or absence of common epics is associated with the commonality or absence of cultural, historical and geographical conditions during the period of the emergence and existence of epics, we can conclude that the formation of the epic among the Kyrgyz took place in other geographical and historical conditions than in Central Asia. Events about ancient periods the history of the Kyrgyz people confirm this. So, in the epic there are some specific traits an ancient social formation - military democracy (equality of the members of the squad in the distribution of military trophies, the election of commanders-khans, etc.).
The names of localities, the names of peoples and tribes, are of an archaic nature. proper names people. The structure of the epic verse is also archaic. By the way, the antiquity of the epic is confirmed by the historical information contained in "Majmu at-Tawarikh" - a written monument early XVI century, where the story of the heroic deeds of young Manas is considered in connection with the events of the second half of the XIV century.