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The legend of the lame kulan.

Ancient legends of Kazakhstan.

“Since then, a hole has appeared on its flat side...
Did father’s ban stop
green spring hunter young?
The son of Jochi Khan with a group of peers"

Legends of Ulytau.

The son of the Great Khan of the Golden Horde, Zhosha (Jochi), hunting wild kulans, was so carried away by archery that the group of associates accompanying him was far behind. The prince aptly smashed sharp running arrows of kulans, and there was no mercy for the poor animals from him.
The leader of the herd of wild kulans, known as Lame Kulan, strong and brave, not even afraid of wolves (it was in a fight with gray predators that his leg was once damaged), suddenly turned and attacked the hunter. The attack of Lame Kulan was so impudent and furious that Zhosha flew off his horse, injured his neck and died immediately...
A herd of kulans, freed from pursuit, freely escaped into the steppe, and the leader Lame Kroman still ran ahead of all. None of the close and servants dared to tell the Great Khan of the Golden Horde about the death of his son.
For the fact that a person brought bad news, according to an ancient custom, death was supposed. And then the Great singer - Uly zhyrshy - the wise old man of Ketbug cut a dombra from a birch, pulled strings on it and, coming to the palace of the Great Khan, fell to his knees in front of his throne.
Vladyka, foreseeing that a wise old man had come to him not kindly, gloomily asked him:
- “What do you want, Great singer?”
But Ketbug said nothing. He began to play the sad melody kui on his birch dombra. In this cue, magical sounds conveyed how the young prince Zhosha, son of the Great Khan, went hunting, how he met a herd of kulans grazing on spring grasses, and how the prince hunted them
Until now, the leader of the Kulans skillfully led his offspring from the pursuit, but this time the danger was great. The prince overtook with his arrows kulans, mares and juvenile foals. The killer archery had already begun, people on horses were catching wild animals.
And at that moment, the lame leader, not of his own life, turned around and rushed at the prince pursuing him and threw him to the ground. So the khan’s son died...
Uly zhyrshy finished playing the dombra without uttering a word, but the Great Khan and everyone else understood everything from the sound of the music: the dombra conveyed the stomp of galloping horses, the anxiety of kulans for young and weak foals, and the strength and wisdom of the leader of the Lame Kulan, taking care of your jamb.
She sang especially tragically when Lame Kulan attacked the prince...
The khan was silent for a long time, and his entourage did not dare to utter a sound. Finally, the Great Khan said:
- “You brought me hard news about the death of my son. I understood everything, listening to your dombra. You are worthy of death for your black news, but since you yourself did not say a word, let your dombra be punished. Pour her throat with lead!”
So thanks to the sage Ketbug - Ula zhyrshy - the terrible lord of the Golden Horde of the Mongols, the death of the young prince was reported, but, contrary to a terrible custom, none of the people was injured. But the birch dombra for bringing black news about the death of the prince was flooded with hot lead.
Since then, a hole has appeared on its flat side ...
Did father’s ban stop
green spring hunter young?
The son of Jochi Khan with a group of peers
Rushing to hunt down a herd of kulans.
Did father’s ban stop
green spring hunter young?
The son of Jochi Khan with a group of peers
Rushing to hunt down a herd of kulans.
Young men are afraid to return to the bid.
What awaits the comrades of the fallen son?
Full of evil forebodings
Jochi Khan is looking for his beloved son.
People are approaching the khan are afraid
they hide their eyes and go far away.

If the news is bad -
Tin messenger will pour into the ear!
When expectation has lost its meaning
akyn comes with a dombra to the khan,
Sits silently and touches the strings -
gloomy and gloomy melody pours.
he strings sang in a completely different way
filled everything with a gentle flutter,
like a beating young heart
not yet tasted the joys of life.
Khan froze answer expected hearing.
The dombra wept like a widow inconsolably.
And accepting my loss
the khan cried, losing hope.

Tin poured into the dombra and she
shut up forever. And the song is alive.
And there is no village in the Kazakh steppe
where it would not sound to people.

Authority:
O. Zhanaydarov “Legends of Ancient Kazakhstan. Children's Encyclopedia of Kazakhstan. ” - Almaty: Aruna, 2007

Photos
Alexander Petrov.