Ayaz Bi

(Kazakh Folk Fairytale)

In the ancient times, there had been a khan named Madan. After all, when he became a khan, he would have the forty viziers. One day, when the khan was the table mate with his viziers:

– My viziers! You were very wise and smart in your forties. I will assign a task, for you and you should find the worst sides of the human, grass and bird in the world. I will give you the eleven months. If you do not carry out the task within eleven months, then you will be punished! – he said. There is no way, after the khan`s command! The viziers have consulted with each other and started to search. After so much searching and suffering, they found a grass called “Shengel”. As they said, “It is a thorn. If it walks among them, it tears his clothes and does not eat cattle. This is the worst kind of grass”. Then they found a bird, called “Qyrgauyl”, saying, “This bird has no feathers on it, you don't agree with it, it's considered as a bad bird” and they shot “Qyrgauyl”. Now, when the forty viziers are coming, they can't find the bad ones, because at the foot of the mountain, on the top of which there is a torn coat, on the head there is a leather cap, a man is tending five or ten sheep. When the viziers said, “This is probably the worst side of the human”, the other man said,

– “Oh, good luck, gentlemen! – he said. Then the viziers talked about how the khan assigned the work for them, and how they could not find the bad grass, birds and the worst sides of the human. A bad man expressed his opinion standing:

– That's clear! If a person needs something bad, I will be there.

– Well, then, – he said, riding the Evil Man and heading to the khan. On his way to Khan, the Bad One said:

– “You have found the worst sides of the human, but you could not have found the worst sides of the grass and birds. The worst side of the grass was the sedge, and the worst side of the birds was the magpie”, – he said. The viziers would like to ask the meaning:

– “I will tell this in front of the khan” – the Evil Man said. When the viziers arrived, they looked at the man brought by the khan and said:

– “The people you brought are fine. Now take it to the cook, let him give you soup and bread. We will have a great time tomorrow”, - he said and sent the Evil Man to the kitchen.

– “But”, – says the khan, – “You could not find the bad bird and grass”. The worst side of the bird was “Qyrgauyl”, and the worst side of the grass was “Shengel”. Seeing this, why did you bring them? – said the khan, hardening his temper. Then the viziers said:

– Your Majesty! You are right! We took “Shengel” as the worst side of the grass and “Qyrgauyl” as the worst side of the bird. But the Evil Man replied on his way that “The worst side of the grass is the sedge, and the worst side of the bird is the magpie”, and he threw them at us and took the sedge and magpie. Then the khan paused:

– Well, what does the Bad one know? How does he know that “The worst side of the grass is the sedge, and the worst side of the bird is the magpie?” Bring it! Let's ask, – he commands. He brings the Evil Man to the khan. Khan looking at the Bad One's face:

I thought that the worst side of the bird was “Qyrgauyl”, and the worst side of the grass was “Shengel”, and you left them to the viziers. How do you know that “The worst side of the grass is the sedge, and the worst side of the bird is the magpie?” – he says.

– Your Majesty! Reaching the age of fifty, I was not bad, I was worse than ever. My life was spent praying at the door, carrying firewood and water. At that time, if I brought a sledgehammer and lit it, the fire that I lit in the evening would burn like a saxaul until the next day. At that time, I thought, “It will be a useful fuel for tearing the clothes and not eating animals”. And now, if I took a blackberry and put it in the fire, it would not burn, and if I smoked, the flame and the fire would go out together, and the ashes would be blown out of the house. When I took it and put in the fire, all the animals would sniff and not eat. Then I thought, “The serge is not even a useful herb”. That's how I learned about the worst side of the serge”, – said the Evil Man.

– How do you know about the bad side of the magpie? – says the khan.

– Qyrgauyl was a useful bird, even though it had wings and no feathers. It is natural for someone to have no urine. The only fault of Qyrgauyl is his lack of urine. And just as a cold person gets wool, he also gets it, but there is no unity. It was a bird that did not fly together, did not land together, and did not benefit the humans. That's why I call that the magpie as the worst bird.

– You have known about the worst sides of magpie and serge. How have you known your bad side? – says the khan.

– Your Majesty! I am fifty years old. The people equal to my age have already married and had the children; They are even having the daughters-in-law and enjoying their lives. Wherever I am, I am still riding behind everyone and praying for someone else. Am I good now, not bad? – the Evil Man looks at the khan. The khan shook his head:

– Well, it would be enough, if this one will be bad, – he thought:

– You have proved the worst sides of the bird, grass and yourself. Alright. Now I have a horse, can you test it? – he says.

– Well, let me try to test, – the Evil Man said, bringing the horse, looking back at its but-and-ben:

– I could not find the fault from the character of your horse. Now I would like to ride, – he asked the khan for the permission, got on a horse, crossed the river in front of the door and came back: – Your Majesty! I couldn't find anything rather than your house. Your horse is provided only for cows.

– Oh, how did you know about it? That's right. I had a brother-in-law named Aksha Khan. I wanted a mare in order to find a horse. When the mare's day came and it could not give birth to a foal and died, then I said, “If the mare dies, let the foal die too”, and I tore open the foal and took the foal. This was the slave, and I fed it with cow's milk until it was completely exhausted. Now how have you known that it is related to cow? – says the khan surprising. As your horse crossed the water, he dipped his mouth in the water and shook his hind legs. Even if you watered a cow forty times a day, it would not pass without watering her mouth and shaking her hind legs. That's how I found out that the horse was a cow. The people looked at each other in amazement. The khan thought for a while:

– Now I have a diamond carriage. It is like the ring of Suleimen, like the staff of Musa, like the basket of Dawit. You have to find out the properties of that transport, – he said, taking the stone from the treasure. He took a bad stone, weighed it and looked at it:

– Your stone is truly a sacred stone. But its property will expire after two years. There are two white worms inside the stone. The thickness of the outer surface of the blade of your stone is normal. The worm burrows two years later; then your punctured stone will not be profitable. Not knowing what to say, most of the people said, “If it doesn't work out in two years, it's a stone's throw”. Some of them said, “Let's not lose the stone believing to the word of the Bad One”. Finally, he tries to break the stone. When he looked at the rock, he saw two white worms crawling inside and he was about to pierce it.

– How did you know that there were worms inside the stone? – says the khan.

– The stone must have the same weight as the property. The stone was lightened. That's when I found out that there were worms, – he answers.

– Don't worry, you're not bad! Instead, don't be a genius! And now it is your turn to test me. ? How long have I been a khan? – says the khan. The Evil Man:

– Good! – he said, standing in front of the khan sitting on the throne, coming to him and looking straight at the khan's face:

– Your Majesty, Khan! You are no less intelligent than anyone, but the khanate is in your head, you were born from a black khan, your grandfather has no khanate. Without finishing the bad word, the khan interrupted:

– No, you are wrong! I have been a queen since my seven grandfathers. Where will you send my six grandfathers when I leave? – she scolds. It doesn't hurt.

– “No, Your Majesty!” There is no khanate in your family except for your black head. You are the son of a real baker. Not knowing what to say, the khan looked at the people:

– Oh, what does the Evil Man say! My people, I used to say that I am a prince, call my mother! – he says.

– Let him go to the other world with the blood of someone and not have a black face in front of his body, or tell the truth. Otherwise I will cut off the head of this Evil Man in anger! – he says. When his mother came, the khan told the words of the Evil Man to his mother. His mother sighed deeply and began to speak:

– Well, when I'm eighty, what do I do with someone's blood? There had been a secret, the God himself knew it, I knew it. That's what the Evil Man also knew, I' will tell you now. Your grandfather was Zarli khan. Before me, he married the nineteen women and killed them all for finding a naughty girl. That is why the people called him “Zarli Khan”. She took me as the twentieth woman. When I was on the second floor, I was afraid of being alone, so I turned to the pilgrims and said, “There is a girl among you”. “If I find a girl, she will kill me too!” – so I was sad. In those days, the baker's wife had two floors. I looked at his roots and said, “The boy in it”. There was an idea for my only soul. He called her alone, told her all my sorrows, gave her a plate of gold and said: “Let's be friends in the hereafter, if you find a son, give me your son, take my daughter. But let no one know the secret!” I begged. She took a plate of gold, took pity on me and promised to go there. When we were born, Zarli Khan was in the wild, we had a miscarriage in one day, one hour, so that no one would know the secret, we cut the umbilical cord of one of our children, gave my daughter with my left hand and took the candle with my right hand! Now that day this Evil Man knew it. What is the point of writing a revelation?! - she cried, and was unable to finish. Khan said:

– There is nothing wrong with finding a word! In that case, I do not deserve the throne, you deserve to know this story, – said the khan, abdicating and handing over the throne to the Evil Man. An Evil Man:

– “No, Your Majesty!” Yesterday I said, “I need a bad man”, and I was a bad horseman, and today I will not sit on the throne. I should walk in your shadow. You can't say, “Get on your throne”. The khan ascended the throne:

– Oh, how did you know that I was a baker's son? – he says. Then the Evil Man:

– Although I was good or bad, I was a guest at your house. The khan's food was bread and soup, and you sent me to the cook as soon as I arrived. You are drawn to your tradition. That's when I realized that you are not a noble khan, – he says. The people are amazed. Meanwhile, the khan reigned again. At this case, the Evil Man was a good mentor to him. He liked the Evil Man for his intelligence and ingenuity. The fourty guards were left out.

One day, when the Evil Man comes out, there is a six-winged white yurt in the center of the city; The crowd is waiting in line in order to enter the house. An Evil Man went back into the house and asked the Khan:

– What is this gathering? – he asks. The khan said:

– “Even though he is black in the city, his wealth is with me, and there is a rich man named Ualibai. Ualibai's daughter, Mendi, chose a fifteen-year-old husband and said: previously, no one was able to get a salary and marry her. Everyone goes and can't answer the girl and leaves. It is a gathering of rich gentlemen who want to win the girl, – says the Evil Man: “Will I come back?” – he thought, and in the evening, when everyone was seated, he slowly went to the girl's house. There was a knock on the door, and a beautiful woman came out:

– What are you doing here? – she asks.

– My job is not with you, but with the girl. Go and tell the girl! – she says. A lady smiled and went to the girl:

– Miss, you have humiliated people by choosing a husband! “A bad person got something for you” – she says. I know he tasted it too! – she jokes. The girl smiled and said:

– “How do you know what kind of person he is, even though he is bad? Take this!” – she said, handing her a diamond, knife, plate and a sharp stone. After his cousin took the things, the Evil Man took them in his hands and looked at them:

– “Go and get the tools”, – he said.

– “Oh! That the Evil Man says, “Bring its tool”, and the cousin goes back to the girl. And the girl:

– “All right”, – he said, giving her a hammer and breast. After taking a bad hammer and a breastplate, he puts a sharp knife on its chest, cuts it in half with a hammer, smashes a plate, breaks a knife in half, and smashes a diamond.

– “Take it to the miss!” – he hands it to the lady. When she saw the broken things, she flew away and said:

– That person is not the devil, if he is a person, he is the one I meet. Call here! – she says. A daughter-in-law doesn`t know what to say, and she has been calling for the Evil Man. The girl greets him with respect ...

Many rich children and khan's children used to come. The girl gives all the things to everyone. Everyone said, “Do I have a knife in my house, or do I have a diamond in my treasure, or can't I find a sharpener?” – they said angrily and left. That same day, the girl's brothers consulted, “How did this happen? This girl is thirty-five. A husband chose and has not touched anyone yet. Maybe she has another lover? If there is such a person, let's arrest him”, – the guard said. In the morning, when the Evil Man was leaving the girl`s house, the guards caught him and took him to the rich man's children. The rich man's children shouted at him and took him to the khan:

– We caught this vizier. It happened when we didn't come! – they say. Khan takes the Evil Man and asks him.

– Have you visited the girl's house?

– No!

– They say they caught you from that place.

– They lied and covered me up, they caught me in the field.

– I respected your wisdom and gave you the food below. Since you did not take the throne yourself, I was your closest servant. Uali is not that important for me. Tell the truth. I will take the girl, – said the khan, the Evil Man could not even tell the truth. The khan became angry and ordered the guards to hang the Evil Man. When the khan commanded, they took the Evil Man to the gallows, put a trap around his neck, pulled the strings of the gallows and lifted him up. As he was about to die, a man in a white horse, dressed in a white robe, with a veil over his face, came and cut the string of the tree with his sword. When he regained consciousness, the beggars begged him to take him to the khan. When the guards returned, the khan said:

– Why haven't you killed yet? Have you declined my task?! – he shouts. The guards stood up, telling the story, said that they are ready to eat or hang themselves. Now the Khan told to the Evil Man:

– Why did you tell me to go? Or have you come to tell the truth? – he says.

– “Well, Your Majesty, I came here to tell you the truth”.

– Was it true that you visited the house of Ualibay's daughter?

– It was true.

– Have you promised that you take her?

– I promised.

– “Then why didn't you tell me that just now?”

– Your Majesty! This is the reason of why I did not tell it now. When I went and called Ualibay's daughter from the outside, she gave me a plate, grindstone, knife and diamond. Then he said, “He is the one who does not speak until he is crushed like a sharp knife, plate, grindstone, until his head is cut off, will break me like a diamond”. He said, “I won't tell you until I'm cut off like a knife!” – he said, breaking the knife in half and shouting “Until it is crushed!” He smashed all the stuffs and said, “I will break you like a diamond and take you!” – I promised to split the diamond. That's why, I didn't tell the truth. The girl felt sorry for me, rode a white horse, covered her face with a veil, cut the string and threw a sword across my chest: “Don't die for me without the guilt, I saw your heroism. It was said that a sword should not be sharpened, so take back your oath”.

I'm telling the truth with his permission, – the Evil Man concluded his speech.

Understanding and revealing the truth of the Evil Man`s words, the khan gathered the people, held a party for the thirty days and a feast for fourty days, and took the girl for the Evil Man. He liked the khan for his ingenuity and they became friends. One day, the forty officers were consulted and said, “This is the evil that we brought on horseback when we were looking for a bad person. In those days the khan made him as a good friend; The girl took and ignored us. You can't hide it! Let's argue between the two. Let's praise the wife of the wicked and take her home as a guest. So let's make a fire between them”, they said. As promised, they praise the Evil Man `s wife for the Khan.

– “Your majesty, she really is the woman you deserve!” – tempts the khan.

The Khan visited the Evil Man`s house and saw the woman and his upbringing with his own eyes. He thought, “She really is a woman worthy of me” and returned home and consulted with forty viziers.

– You were the ones who thought it out of nowhere. Now what can you do for me in order to get a wife? – he says. The viziers consulting:

– “All right, Your Majesty!” Invite the Evil Man! Let's assign a job for him. Then he will die, and you can easily get a widow after he dies! – they say. The khan sends a young man in order to invite the Evil Man. When the young man went there and looked around the house, he saw how the Evil Man was lying on the bed. His wife looks in the mirror at the ball, marvels at her beauty and speaks to the Evil Man:

– I admire the work of this God. He could have added everyone to his ranks. I say that the power of God is so great that it connects people from the Heaven to the Earth. When I look at myself, I look like a fourteen-month-old moon, and when I look at you, you look like a bucket full of water and black oil. An Evil Man raised his head:

– No, it's not! As our father was being driven out of Paradise, God said, “Oh Human, the Paradise was created for you. You will be tempted by Damn. Now take whatever you want out of Paradise”. Then, Human said, “Lord! What do you value the most?

What can I know about your precious thing?” Then he said, “I have three things that are good for the humankind, one is wandering, another one is happiness, and the last one is intelligence, take one of these three things. Then Human became wise. “We can't live without mind”, he said. In the same way, you were the red gold in the treasure, and I was the mind. You weren't interested in my darkness, yes, my old age, you touched my mind, – he laughs. His wife was laughing at the Evil Man`s words, he looked behind him and saw that the curtain was furious. The guy told about his work, and when he arrived, the khan said:

– “It has been a long time since you left, where did you go after spinning people here?” After telling the story, the young man who was falling in love with the woman from the first time, and then falled in love with her again. After the guy left, the Evil Man:

– Shall I visit the Khan? – he is asking for the advice from his wife. And his wife:

– Yes, I have felt that you will be sent to “Barsakelmes” for a long time. Be content, but don't run fast, don't ride a horse, ride the fattest horse. The fourty viziers will take you to a place of space. When they are gone, go back. Go to the forest, kill your horse, bring the meat, we will feed it and it will lie down. When the Evil Man comes to the khan, the khan will begin to speak:

– I will take you on a long journey, and when I do, I will not hope for your heroism, I will hope for your wisdom. If you go, I will tell you.

– “All right, I will go” – he said, expressing his gratitude.

– There is a sheep called “Pearl Sheep” in the place called “Barsakelmes”. One hair is gold, another hair is silver, slaughter, and the skin is a coat for one person. I want to wear her skin. “There is a duck called ‘Pearl Duck', the wings are silver and the rest is gold”. I want to wear it as a crown. “David has a pearly black horse that can ride a hundred miles in one fell swoop”. I want to ride it. Here you go to this work, – the Khan sends the Evil Man to the wrong thing. An Evil Man chooses a fat horse from the khan's horse and sets off. The fourty viziers took him to a place where he was jealous for three days. After the viziers, the Evil Man returned and took him to the forest called Karatogai, slaughtered his horse, brought a car from home, transported the meat and salted it. He digs a hole in the ground under his bed and stays with his wife during the day and at night. The months and years pass. One day the khan came to express his condolences to the Evil Man`s house. After having the dinner, the khan began his speech:

– When I told the people to bring the worst sides of people, grass and birds, my viziers brought me the Evil Man. Even though he was a bad, I was happy with his wisdom and gave him my throne. Thanks to his wisdom, he could have taken you too. I had hoped for that money and spent it on a job, but the time to come was over. I wonder if it was God's command ... I will not leave you alone, I will take you in my arms, saying, “If your brother dies, you will inherit”. And the woman said:

– Well, what if it's God's will? Before he came, you had a precious stone in your hand, and you broke it with his tongue, but when it exploded, it did not work. In the same way, everything had a useful time. It doesn't matter if I was a girl yesterday, now I'm like that cracked stone. I can't serve you, don't worry, – she says. The khan lost to the woman and returned home. When the khan left, a woman summoned the rich man and said:

– Yes, now give the khan's answer yourself, – he says. The khan goes and sits on the throne, and the Evil Man greets him and enters. The khan smelled:

– Oh, when did you come? Now tell your story! – he says.

An Evil Man standing:

– A conversation is not long. When the guards let me out, I was followed by a hungry lion. I said, “I will go to Barsakelmes and take care of this enemy until I take care of him!” I drew my sword and drove away. I took him to my village, imprisoned him, and he left. I wonder if this is your horde. The khan doesn't know what to say, he blushes, glimmers and seems to have fallen to the ground, and finally:

– One of the reasons of following is that I feel myself guilty, I made a mistake and I followed the temptation of the devil. They will be a threat to you and me, you will raise your foundation and move to another country. An Evil Man will move happily. The khan made a few camels, increased the number of valuables and moved the Evil Man to Aksha khan's country. The Evil Man is still a respected person in Aksha khan's country. One day, the Evil Man`s words kept ringing in Khan`s head, he was looking at the shanyrak from the hill and thinking, and then the fourty viziers came in. The khan raised his head and said:

– When an enemy attacked and the country was destroyed, there was a catastrophe. Think of it! Otherwise, I will punish, – he says. When the viziers asked for the advices and could not find him, they went in search of the Evil Man and told him what the khan had said to them. After honoring the fourty viziers, the Evil Man:

– Well, let me answer. The khan must have been thinking of me and upset, he may have remembered somewhere, and you might be angry. In the process, one of the ridiculers of the khan's horde came out. He told you, “If it's bad, I will say something about it, I will try it”. If you go and put the head of the comedian, the khan's job will be over, – he advises. The viziers came to the khan:

– Your Majesty! One of your clowns has lost his head, let's put it in, – he asks for the permission. With the khan's permission, he puts the head of the comedian. Then the khan smiled:

– Who taught you that? – he asks. The viziers tell the truth to the Khan's viziers:

– Although he was bad, smart and intelligent, he was still able to maneuver in times of distress. It would benefit everyone. You broke up with me every day. If he did not understand you, you would die. There is a saying, “Don't dig for someone, you will fall”. The khan was not satisfied, even though the fourty viziers were trying to please the khan and entertain him every day. He misses the bad. Not everything can be bad. One day the khan melted down and went hunting with his viziers. While looking for the prey, he came across a meadow where sheep were grazing and greeted:

– Oh, Dad, how many years have passed since this mountain was destroyed? – he asked.

– “It has probably been the twenty years” – says the old man.

– How many years have passed since the foothills were frozen?

– It has been fifteen years.

– How old was the spring snow from the top of this mountain?

– He was probably ten years old. The khan thought and asked again:

– Granddad, how many are you? – he said.

– Oh my gosh, I am two when I am lying down and four when I'm standing up.

– Grandpa, I have fourty foster children, is there anyone who pulls out the fur, cooks it without burning and kills it without bleeding? – the khan asked. Then the the old man:

– “If you meet a man, he will do more than you say”, he said. Khan has satisfied with the word of the old man, the khan turned his head and returned home. When the khan came to his house, he told his viziers:

– What did I say, what did the old man say? You must differentiate it; I will give you exactly one month to carry out my task. If you do not make my task, the fourty of you will die. When the viziers could not find out his task, they all went to the Evil Man and told him everything what the khan had said. Then, the Evil Man:

– This is not an easy task. Your head is tied to the death. Well, no more, I will find out and figure another way. Leave one horse and kill the other horses, burn your clothes and cook the meat of one horse, and I will ride the rest of the horses and lead you naked to the khan. If you do not commit adultery, I will save you in front of the khan.

The khan forgets the viezers. He organized the thirty days of play, fourty days of feasting and was lying. One day, he said among of his viziers, “This khan was lying on his own. I know he forgot what he said last night”. Hearing this, he summoned the viziers and said in front of the crowd:

– I have forgiven the sins of my viziers. He has set the fire to us for so many times and caused us to move. He was angry and said, “Let them be completely defeated and admit their guilt!’ – I would say. My wish came true. And people, I was a bit of a khan and it was interesting. Now I will give my kingdom to this friend. Don't be shy anymore, it is time for you to ascend the throne, I will serve you for the rest of my life and see your interest in becoming a khan, – he took the Evil Man in his arms and put him on the throne. The people have celebrated for the thirty and forty days, put the Evil Man on the white felt and raised him as a khan. The Evil Man takes over the Aksha khan's house in the country. “After ascending the evil throne, he united the settlements of the five khanates without any war and established friendship between the countries”, – he said. If the people of each khan did not find justice in their country, they came and joined it. From then on, for the sake of justice, the country of the five khans named the Evil Man as the “Ayaz Bi” and said that the name remained until his death. Ayaz Bi was fair. He ruled over the wicked times. He nailed his torn cloak and put hat to the head of his horde. Sometimes he was upset with the khanate and tried to get out of the way, but he looked at his nails and cap and said: “Oh, Ayaz Bi, don't call me rich, don't call me a khan! Know your frost, know your way to the ants!” – and finally, at the end he also said that he was disappointed.