Whether it was, whether it was not, whether it was full, whether it was hungry, when the wolf was the vizier, the fox was the guard, the raven was the healer, and the sparrow was the sneaker, there lived a man respected by all.
He didn't have a son. Day and night he grieved: he drank poorly, ate poorly, and slept even worse.
Many years passed and, finally, his wife bore him a son, and such a handsome man that only a clear month could compare with him. To celebrate, the happy father threw a big feast. At that feast the people had fun for two nights and two days. At the request of the clan elders, the newborn was named Bozbala.
But the fun soon turned dark. On the seventh day, Bozbala's mother died.
They began to feed the newborn with goat's milk.
When Bozbala was two years old, his father took himself a second wife. The stepmother was not very welcoming to her stepson. And when her son was born, she did not fall in love with Bozbala at all. She put me to bed somewhere in a dark corner on an old torn felt, and even reproached me with a piece of bread.
The time came, Bozbala entered school. When he returned from school, his father sat him on his lap, made him read aloud, and talked to him tenderly.
The stepmother didn't like this very much. She immediately sat her son’s husband on her lap, and shamed Bozbala:
- Go away! You're a big guy, and it's not a shame to sit on your father's lap! You see, your brother wants to sit!
The goat that fed Bozbala milk as a child brought forth a kid of unprecedented beauty. Bozbala called the kid his own, marked its ears with his teeth and looked after it himself. The mother goat came three times a day to feed her cub and went back to the steppe, and the kid stayed at home and played with Bozbala. The boy even taught his pet to speak humanly.
When his stepmother offended Bozbala, the boy went with the goat to the steppe and told him about his sorrows.
The stepmother sees that no matter how much she offends her stepson, he never cries. She began to think of ways to pester him even more.
The stepmother had an old mother - with a wrinkled face, a toothless mouth, and a great expert in all sorts of tricks and tricks. The old woman said:
“Your husband will be leaving soon on trade business.” Whenever your stepson asks for food, give him a burnt flatbread, and give your son a rich one. Bozbala will be offended and leave the house. And if he complains to his father, you shout more and blame him. The husband is angry and will send his son somewhere. This is how you get rid of him.
The stepmother did so, as the old woman advised. Bozbala was tanning. He went out into the garden and sat there, hanging his head low.
- Bozbala, what are you grieving about? - asked the little goat.
“Oh,” the boy answered, “if only you could help!”
“Tell me, maybe I’ll come up with something.”
Bozbala cried and told everything. The little goat replied:
- Don't cry, Bozbala. Give me the burnt flatbread, and I’ll get you some delicious food.
Bozbala crumbled the flatbread. The little goat ate it, raised its muzzle and bleated. Bozbala is looking, and in front of him is a dish of pilaf.
So every day Bozbala gave a burnt flatbread to the kid, and in return received pilaf.
One day, the stepmother spied Bozbala eating pilaf. She ran to her mother. The old woman thought and said:
“When your husband returns, pretend to be sick and ask: kill your little son’s kid, then I’ll get better.”
The bai's wife did just that. When her husband arrived, she pretended to be sick and began, with tears, to ask him to slaughter the kid. Bai immediately sent for the butcher. They made a meal out of the meat, and buried the head.
Bozbala comes from school, but there is no kid. He asked his brother, and he said:
“The father arrived and ordered the kid to be slaughtered to arrange a feast.
“Now this place has become hateful to me,” said Bozbala, and left the house.
The father ran out into the street and began to call his son:
Bozbala, Bozbala,
My tulip Bozbala!
Even a small lamb
Take it with you, Bozbal.
Bozbala, Bozbala,
My tulip Bozbala!
Swift horse
Saddle up, Bozbala.
Bozbala, Bozbala,
My tulip Bozbala!
The best robe
Put it on yourself, Bozbala.
Bozbala, Bozbala,
My tulip Bozbala!
Silver wallet
Take it for yourself, Bozbala.
But Bozbala didn’t even turn around.
Bozbala is walking along a village street, and two of his heartfelt friends, young horsemen, meet him.
- Bon voyage? Where are you going? - they ask. Bozbala spoke about his grief.
- Now goodbye. I won't stay in these places.
“Wait,” the horsemen tell him, “we will also go with you.”
They walked together, like three brothers.
They walked for a long time and walked a lot.
Friends approached the bank of a large river and looked at a beautiful palace. They sat down under one tree and had a snack. Two went to bed, the third remained on guard.
A girl came out of the palace with a golden jug, went to the river and began to take water. She saw her friends, looked at them and dropped the jug into the river.
A girl came up and asked:
-Who are you, where are you coming from? Dzhigit told everything as it happened.
-Who are you? - he asked the girl.
“I am a servant of Ayparchi, the daughter of the local khan.” Khan is planning to marry off his daughter. I went to bring water to wash my mistress’s hair, but I looked at you and let the jug fall into the water. “What will I say now?” said the girl and went into the palace.
Ayparcha asked the servant why she had not come for so long. The girl told about three young men.
Ayparcha went to the gate, looked out, saw Bozbala sleeping, and her heart was struck by love. She gasped and fell unconscious. The slave sprinkled her with rose water and brought her to her senses.
Ayparcha ordered to bring two red apples. Taking aim, she threw one at Bozbala.
Bozbala jumped up and looked at an open rose smiling at him at the gate.
“What a girl! Isn’t this a dream!” - thought Bozbala, rubbing his eyes.
And the girl threw him a second apple.
Bozbala was in love at first sight. He approached the gate and greeted the girl.
Khan's daughter says:
“My father is passing me off as someone I don’t love.” Shall we run away?
“I,” Bozbala answers her, “have two Friends.” What are we going to do with them?
“They will come with us,” answered the khan’s daughter. - At night, when everyone is asleep, come here to the gate. I will be waiting for you with two horses.
“Okay,” said Bozbala and, returning to his friends, told them everything.
At night Bozbala came to the palace, and the girl was already waiting for him. Ayparcha said goodbye to the palace and her homeland, and they set off on their journey.
They drove for a long time and covered a lot. When five nights and five days had passed, they arrived at an abandoned castle.
They went inside and looked - the rooms were richly decorated, the floors were covered with carpets and rugs, but there were no people.
“What will happen will happen,” they decided and began to live here.
When ten days had passed, Bozbala’s friends came up. They also began to live in this castle. Every day one went hunting, and that’s what they fed on.
Thus Bozbala achieved the fulfillment of his desires.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru