Here he is horseback riding on the jagged mountains, soaring in the winged clouds, here, descending to the ground, in the dark, ancient thicket, he is crushing trees with the chest of his horse. Karaptsa became a faithful friend of Batarazu, The good horse immediately fell in love with the Nart... The glorious Kharama was left behind, They rode straight to the river bank. The banks of the Indyl are green, silent, The waves splash violently in the early silence... A brave knight rides into the water on a horse and crosses the splashing Indyl. Coming out of Indyl, he hobbled his horse and lay down near the foot of the ancient hill. And from there the evil Tlebitsa looks from the tower: “What kind of bird is this on my land?” From the nostrils of Tlebitsa steam-fog swirls, the greedy Shorty is angry and angry. “Hey,” he shouts to the servant: “Go to Indyl, bring the impudent stranger to me, If he doesn’t want to go, you’ll cut off his head, Otherwise you’ll ruin your head!”
At that time, Bataraz is resting, dozing, but through his sleep he listens to the clatter of a horse, and sees a rider galloping. Bataraz is alarmed, He quickly draws a sharp sword from its sheath; The battle begins to boil, and Tlebitsa’s messenger lies like grass under his sword.
And everything around was open to Tlebitsa’s eyes. Having overturned the tower, Shorty jumped off. The angry ruler was surrounded by servants, and Korotysh said angrily to the servants: “What kind of dog is there in the Tlebitsa meadow? Who dared to drink from my river?”
Bataraz, having driven off, heard the chase, - Fierce horses are galloping behind, Fiery horses are burning the steppe grasses... The knight majestically reined in his horse; To meet the horsemen, across the road, a stern rider stood up, not afraid of battle. There is nowhere to escape from the sled's blows: He valiantly killed twenty people. Like a third sea in the edge of the intermarium, Thick enemy blood flowed. Even Tlebitsa himself runs away cowardly, But Bataraz gallops impatiently, Overtakes his dashing enemy in the field, The duel-fight begins to boil again. From strong blows the steel of swords becomes dull, the horses become ferocious and rear up. Both the knight and Tlebitsa dismounted... A fierce hand-to-hand battle began. And the earth became covered with potholes and ditches, and the field began to hum under their feet. Tlebitsa is covered in blood; Bataraz is wounded, But he knocks the sword out of Tlebitsa’s hands, He tears off the torn chain mail from the enemy’s shoulders, He throws the daring enemy into the nearby ditch, He already raised the patterned sword above his head, But the villain humbly says to him:
“Listen, great Nart, I ask for mercy, I pray: don’t kill me. I will spread the word everywhere that you are the Nart of Narts, Whatever you ask, I will give you. If you want, you will be a guest at a rich feast, You can take the best horse from me...”
Bataraz sternly listens to prayers, A sharp sword lies on his knee. And Korotysh-Tlebitsa trembles with fear, And Tlebitsa says the word to Bataraz:
“Do you see the Mountain of Happiness, do you see Oshkhomakho? Don’t tremble with fear, I swear by the mountain: I will never call you friend, You have sowed grief and misfortune everywhere, Throw away your cunning, fox hypocrisy, I don’t believe you, I can’t believe you. Get up and go home immediately And don’t get caught again. If you still commit a crime, Then no Hope I won’t spare you.”
...Tlebitsa sat on his horse, covered in shame, and he galloped home at full speed.
Bataraz rushes back like a hurricane, Raised his horse on his hind legs in front of the mound, Dzhigituya boldly rode to the top, Looked around the valley, saw in the distance: Like stormy clouds, a formidable mass - Enemy troops are moving towards him. Then Maruko convened an army for a campaign, the Narts of the evil kind moved after him. The horse Karaptsa is eager to gallop, he bites the bit and beats with his hoof, the sword hanging on the left climbs out of its sheath: “It’s impossible to wait any longer,” he says...
Bataraz destroys the evil force in battle, He cuts down his enemies by the hundreds, And no one knows what kind of knight he is... “Be angry, don’t be angry, since they attacked, he hits.”
The old soothsayers began to cast their spells here: Who defeated Maruko’s servants in the battle? Only one sorceress, and even then not immediately, recognized Narta Bataraza in him.
“It’s as if a rider was forged from iron, Good posture and a good blow, I recognize him as the son of the brave Khimishch, He’s just like his father, but stronger than him. You won’t have to overcome someone like that with force, I see there’s only one way left.”
“What should we do?” Maruko’s servants say to her, “Do you know that nothing can penetrate his chain mail?” The hunchback moved her narrow shoulders, The bald witch answered like this:
“The first detachment needs to go out into battle, put the children in the second row, let the mothers raise their babies; When Bataraz bursts into the thick of the army, you will all quickly scatter to the sides, When the knight sees women and children - Compassionate at heart, he will not beat the weak - Therefore, our army will escape trouble.”
So saying, the old witch disappeared. Those who were braver stood in front, and behind them were the elders, women and children. Like a wild wind, Bataraz rushes, giving Karaptsa free rein, and flew at the army. Instantly the first row of the army parted, “Women and children in front of Bataraz.” His mother shouted to him at once: “You are not a stranger to us, you are of the Nart family, Let your day last longer than a year, We wish you good health, Don’t pay with blood for your father’s blood. It’s better that you set us any price, We will give you everything in return for your father!” “Okay!” the young man answered them clearly, “Give me a hundred heads of barn lambs, pure gray wool, and also add eight hundred light-gray lambs. I want the doors to be made of boxwood, the axle of the cart to be upholstered in gold, the ladder to reach the sky. Give me a bowl with mosquito lard, and bring me cold water in a sieve, and also burn silk on the mound. put ashes in your father’s shoes, This is what I wish from you today.”
The riders of Maruko are overcome with horror: This is the retribution for Maruko’s sin. But the knight thought: “These are too young, It was not they who killed my father...” And he rode further along the hills and slopes, Through green meadows and steep mountains. So he found himself in a field that has been called Barsov for centuries. In the field, Bataraz met Maruko; He is unknown to him, Calls the young sled of the enemy grandfather.
“Grandfather, where are you coming from?” - he asks modestly. “I’m coming from Tlepsh’s forge, well done, I once struck Himish-Nart, Since then my steel sword has become chipped, Tlepsh sharpened it for me again perfectly, My sword will always serve me.”
Bataraz’s heart began to beat faster: “Show me the shiny sword quickly.” He handed Maruko the tip of the weapon, - The smart horse recoiled to the side and neighed. Maruko wrapped his sword in the hilt, - With a quick, deft grip, the knight took away the sword. “I am taking away your sword from you, no matter how old you are, I am the offended son of Himisha-Nart, a just avenger for my father’s death; If you are brave, try to take away your sword, If you are brave, try to fight with me!” — Young Bataraz exclaims angrily.
He drove his enemy Maruko across the field, along river meanders, through fields, meadows. Maruko the sled raced across the wormwood steppe, but grew tired on the white-clay hill. It barely moves in a large expanse; Wide as the sea, before him lies the Dead Desert under the hot sun; The sword flashed in the sun - Bataraz was close.
Without a sword, Maruko fights with a lance, The whole earth shakes: Bataraz is like thunder. The knight knocked the pike out of the villain’s hand, but the villain galloped away faster than the wind. Maruko galloped to the end of the desert: This is where he will now meet, treacherous, death. He was thrown to the ground by a furious blow; It was not for nothing that Bataraz harbored anger in his heart. He took revenge on the murderer for the death of Khimish, and the rage in his heart subsided.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru