She enclosed her picture in the letter,
Sent for two serving maids,
Attached the letter [and the jugs] to their arms,
And said: —Take these to Sassoun;
Through the chimney
Drop them in Sanasar's bedchamber,
At the head of his bed,
So that he can see them
When he wakes up in the morning.
If he is a man of courage,
Let him come and take me for himself.
Do not let me hear that you have dropped them
Over Baghdasar through the chimney.
These two maids were sorcerers;
They took on the plumage of birds
[67] And transformed themselves into two white doves.
They winged their way to Sassoun,
Lighted on the roof of the [mansion of] House of Sassoun.
Going to the chimney on the right, they looked down
And saw a young man asleep on a bed laid on the floor.
He was perspired. His face, glowing red,
Seemed to say to the sun:
—Step aside, let me go forth [and shine].
Two candlesticks were burning over his head,
Two candlesticks were burning at his feet.
One of the messengers said:
—Sister, let us look down
The other chimney, too;
The young man we saw may not be Sanasar.
They looked down the other chimney
And saw a young man asleep in his clothes.
They looked at him; he was perspired, too,
And ten times as handsome as the other one.
One of them said: —Sister, this young man is Sanasar;
Let us drop the letter [and jugs] down this chimney.
The other maiden said: —By God, sister,
That other young man is very handsome, too.
I cannot tell which one is Sanasar,
This one or the other one.
Unable to determine which one was Sanasar,
They dropped the letter down the chimney on the right,
Over foolhardy Baghdasar.
3.
In the morning Baghdasar arose,
Put on his clothes, looked around, and saw
A note on his bed.
Unfolding it, he read it and learned
That it came from the daughter of the King of Katcher.
In the letter she had written:
—Many greetings to Sanasar,
[68] Many greetings to Baghdasar and Sanasar.
He wondered: —What does this mean,
Greetings to Sanasar twice and to me once?
I can understand, Sanasar being the elder brother,
She has mentioned him first;
But why does she mention him twice?
He read the note and learned that
The daughter of the King of Katcher
Had written to Sanasar:
—Come, marry me; come, take me away.
Baghdasar had a touch of foolhardiness.
In resentment he said: —My brother wants a wife;
He is getting married without my knowledge;
He is ignoring me.
Then he thought to himself: —By God, we are brothers,
When did he pledge himself to her
Without saying a word to me?
Sanasar is doing something in secret.
Angered, he sat on his bed
And did not come out of the room.
Seeing the picture in the letter,
He completely lost his mind,
Blood gushed out of his nostrils.
He said: —It is my brother's life or mine.
He folded the letter, put it in his chest pocket.
His heart was smitten with pain;
He would not talk to Sanasar
And would not answer his questions.
When they arose in the morning
And sat at the spread for breakfast,
They did not find the lad Baghdasar there.
Sulking, he had stayed in his room and had not come out.
—Ah, he said, what an ingrate my brother is;
[69] He does things without me.
If this is so, I will not join them at the spread,
Nor will I eat their bread.
I will mount my horse,
Go to other lands, get out of sight,
And see what God has in store for me.
His mother asked: —What is wrong,
Why didn't Baghdasar come [to breakfast]?
She arose, went to the room,
Opened the door and asked:
—Baghdasar, why didn't you come to breakfast,
What has happened, are you ill?
Baghdasar replied:
—Mother, if another person
Opened that door and walked in,
I would have cut that person to pieces.
—Why, what has happened to you? she asked.
He took the letter out, handed it to her and said:
—Mother, take this letter, read it
And see why I did not come to breakfast.
How could I join you at the spread [when]
My brother is taking a wife without my knowledge?
Why? Do I not mean anything to him?
He could have told me, and then got married.
Go, tell Sanasar, it will be his life or mine.
Dzovinar took the letter, read it, and said:
—Son, I know nothing about this,
I am disturbed more than you are.
She took the note, came to Sanasar, gave it to him,
And said: —Take your letter.
Sanasar took it and read it:
—From Deghtzoun Dzam,
The daughter of the King of Katcher,
Many greetings to Sanasar,
Many greetings to Sanasar and Baghdasar:
[70] Sanasar lad,
I am the daughter of the King of Bghntzeh Kaghak,
My heart is pure and unpossessed like this empty jug,
My mind is full [of knowledge]
Like this jug filled with water.
I am blessed with heavenly graces;
Many have come to ask for me—
Forty men from forty lands have come to woo me—
But to none of them am I committed.
I have seen you in my dream. Come, marry me.
You are pleasing to me,
Sanasar lad,
It is to you I am writing this letter:
How long am I to wait for you?
If you have lathered your head, don't shave it [there],
Come, take me as your wife.
Sanasar read the letter, then said:
—Mother, I swear before your God
That I know nothing about this.
The mother said: —Your brother is angry with you.
Sanasar said: —What can I do?
That maiden is a sorceress, an enchantress,
She has heard of us and written this letter.
What can I do if my brother is angered?
He is a bit foolhardy.
Go, tell him this gently;
If his anger subsides, well,
If not, let him come and give me one or two blows
To slake his anger, calm himself down.
The mother went, pleaded gently with Baghdasar,
But Baghdasar's anger did not subside.
When Sanasar returned home that evening,
He greeted his brother,
But Baghdasar did not return his greeting.
He asked: —Brother, why are you angry?
Baghdasar replied:
[71] —It is you or I; one of us shall die.
—Why, what is the reason? asked Sanasar.
—Why should the daughter of the King of Katcher
Greet you twice in her letter and greet me once?
Sanasar said: —What could I do?
It is she who has written [the letter].
—No, you and I will fight this out [said Baghdasar].
—Why should we fight over a trifle greeting?
Baghdasar said: —You are doing something in secret,
You have sent a note to that maiden
And have not said a word to me.
Sanasar said: —Brother, God be my witness,
I have not written a note to her.
Baghdasar persisted:
—No, you and I shall fight this out.
Sanasar said: —Brother, I will not hit you,
You may hit me, you may kill me.
In vain Sanasar pleaded with his brother,
For Baghdasar was stubborn,
Had a touch of foolhardiness,
He was called Foolhardy Baghdasar.
Sanasar thought to himself later on:
—Let me take my brother to the fields and meadows,
Wrestle with him and race the horses.
He may relent then.
He took his brother out.
When they reached a field, among the meadows,
They dismounted, grabbed each other, and wrestled;
They held one another's neck,
And trampled each other till noon.
Dzovinar wondered:
—What happened? They did not return.
As she went out,
She heard their voices resounding among the rocks.
[72] The earth was rumbling under their feet.
She went out and saw their plight.
She beat her knees; her legs tottered,
She sat and watched.
Neither one subdued the other.
Neither one downed the other.
While Sanasar was feigning,
Baghdasar was striking in earnest.
Dzovinar saw that Baghdasar weakened,
His strength failed; he gave way.
Seeing this, she lamented:
[Chanting:]
—O mountains, rocks, and trees,
Take my plea to the uncle
To come to his pahlevans.
She watched for another hour;
Seeing that Baghdasar was about to fall,
She lamented:
[Chanting:]
—O seas, O breakers,
Take my plea to the uncle
To come to his nephews.
They showered blows at each other till evening;
Neither one downed the other.
In the evening they halted their fight, started for home.
On their way, Baghdasar said to his brother:
—We will come and fight tomorrow, too.
They reached home, slept till morning.
In the morning, they arose, had their breakfast,
Took out their horses,
Took their maces,
Put on their shields,
[73] Sallied forth on their steeds to resume their fight.
Their mother also went along with them.
Sitting helplessly to one side, she wept
And cursed the maiden sorceress:
—May she never fare well for causing this [heartache].
Since early morn my two sons
Have been at each other's throat,
Hitting, tearing each other.
The twin brothers, maces in hand, raced their horses,
And hurled maces at each other.
Sanasar stood on top of a rock [as the target],
Baghdasar hurled his mace,
Hurled it in earnest to kill Sanasar,
But the mace passed over his head.
Sanasar caught the mace,
Hurled it back, [but] not far enough to hit his brother.
Baghdasar took the mace, hurled it again;
Sanasar caught it once more, hurled it back again.
Sanasar, naive and pure at heart,
Did not aim in earnest at Baghdasar.
He did not wish to hurt his brother,
He was only holding his shield
To protect himself against his brother's blows.
Baghdasar was hitting Sanasar
With all his strength;
He aimed to unseat him from his horse
And then and there kill him with one blow,
While Sanasar was aiming his mace over Baghdasar's head.
Sanasar thought to himself:
—He may stop.
But Baghdasar did not stop, he kept on striking.
Sanasar then thought to himself: —He will not stop.
And they battled, till noon,
And from noon till evening.
Sanasar then said to himself:
[74] —His anger has not subsided yet.
Heavens! I believe he is hitting me in earnest.
Let me see if my brother has the strength that I possess.
While he is aiming to kill me,
I am dodging his blows lest they hit me;
Let me aim at him, strike him a blow,
And see if he can dodge it, resist or withstand it.
Sanasar gently hit Baghdasar
With a light blow [of his mace].
Baghdasar held up his shield,
But could not dodge the blow
That hit him and unseated him from his horse.
Sanasar cried aloud:
—Ah, what did I do? I did not realize
My strength and the force of my blow;
I hit and killed my brother.
He dismounted his horse,
Went to his brother's side
While his mother came to the other side.
Together they wept, fell over him,
But found him still alive.
The mace had hit his foot.
Stunned [from the blow], he had fallen down.
Sanasar put his brother on his back, carried him home,
Massaged his heart, rubbed his navel;
He saw the maiden's picture in his pocket.
Sitting beside him, he wept all night.
At daybreak Baghdasar regained consciousness.
When he sat up, Sanasar asked him:
—Brother, what happened to you?
He said: —I felt pain in my foot and lost consciousness.
Sanasar then asked:
—Brother, is it because of this picture and this letter
That you are angry with me, not speaking to me?
[75] I would die for you,
She is nothing to me. Go, fetch her for yourself.
Baghdasar said to Sanasar:
—Brother, I did not know that
You were stronger than I.
Let us make peace; you are braver than I.
Never again shall I raise my hand against you.
I am your young brother, you are my elder brother;
I will always listen to whatever you say,
You have my consent;
Go for the maiden, fetch her for yourself.
Sanasar said: —No, I don't want to go;
You go, bring her for yourself.
Baghdasar said: —Linger no more,
Get ready, mount your horse,
Invoke God, and start.
Sanasar said again: —I don't want to go and fetch her,
She is a sorceress, an enchantress.
Baghdasar said: —I am insisting, go and fetch her.
She has learned that we are great men,
She has heard of our fame and has sent a letter to us.
If you fail to go and fetch that maiden,
We will be belittled in people's esteem.
They will say that the twins did not dare
To go and fetch a maiden on their own.
It is unthinkable for you not to go.
Start now, go and fetch that maiden.
Sanasar went to his mother, Dzovinar Khanum,
And said: —Mother, pack up my things,
I am going to the land of Katcher.
That note was meant for me.
His mother said: —Don't go, my son,
[76] We barely escaped from Baghdad.
The son said: —No, I am going Even if I forfeit my head.
Dzovinar had everything packed, ready [for him].
Before leaving,
Sanasar kissed his mother's hand, bade her farewell,
Mounted his horse,
Started on his way, stopped and called:
—Baghdasar, I would die for you,
Come out, let me see you;
Brother, you stay at home
While I am gone after that maiden.
I will return within three days.
If I do not return, you will know that I am in distress;
You will then come to my assistance.
They begged each other's pardon,
Forgave one another, exchanged their rings;
Sanasar then bade farewell and departed.
The distance of forty days he covered within one day,
And came to a crossroad. There he saw
A venerable old man sitting by the wayside.
—Greetings to you, fatherly sire, said Sanasar.
—Lord's bounty to you, Sanasar, said the elderly man,
Will you dismount, I have something to tell you.
—Babig, who are you to know that I am Sanasar?
He replied: —I am the angel of God;
Sitting here, I point the way to wayfarers.
Where are you going, Sanasar?
—I am going to the Land of Katcher, said Sanasar,
Show me the way—a good road.
The elderly man said:
—If you take this road, you will become a king;
If you take the other road, you will become a merchant;
But if you go to the Land of Katcher,
You will suffer much harm there.
[77] Sanasar said: —I am going to that land of Katcher
Even if I know that
My head will be chopped off with three strokes.
If you can advise me on other things, tell me.
The elderly man said: —Son, when you travel,
Whatever you meet,
Rock, bush, animal or beast,
Offer them all your greetings.
Don't pass them by without a greeting.
If you pass them by without a greeting,
That Land of Katcher, being a land under magic spell,
Will inflict much harm upon you.
Sanasar said: —Farewell!
He mounted his horse
And rode away to the land of Katcher.
He kept on riding, how far, God only knows,
Until he reached the land of the King of Katcher.
He saw a shepherd tending a flock of sheep;
Believe it! He was truly the king's shepherd,
One of his pahlevans.
He asked Sanasar:
—Where are you going, brave stripling?
—To the city of the King of Katcher, replied Sanasar.
—Dismount, rest a little, said the shepherd,
I will give you some milk; drink it, then ride on.
—No, I am in a hurry, I must go, said Sanasar.
The shepherd said: —No one can pass by this road
Unless he drinks some milk.
He forced Sanasar to sit.
The shepherd had a big trough
In which four men could swim.
He filled that trough with milk
And put it before Sanasar with some bread.
What was in the shepherd's mind?
He wanted to put people to a test
To learn how strong they were.
[78] By making the passers-by drink the milk,
He would know how strong they were.
Whoever would travel on that road,
The shepherd would put him to the same test,
Then he would let him go to Deghtzoun Dzam.
The pahlevans would kill him there."
The shepherd filled the trough,
Placed it before Sanasar to drink,
And went to make his round of the sheep.
Hardly had he made a round, when Sanasar shouted:
—Shepherd, come take away your trough;
I thank you; fare you well; I am on my way.
The shepherd returned. When he saw that
Sanasar had drunk the milk, overturned the trough,
He shuddered and said:
—Sanasar, I bid you well, have no fear.
Wherever you go, no one will be able to harm you.
Sanasar rode on, reached Bghntzeh Kaghak.
He looked around; what did he see?
Beneath the city wall he saw forty men
Standing still; standing so long
That their beards had grown and turned yellow.
Sanasar said: —Greetings to you, elderly sires,
White-bearded, red-bearded,
And brown-bearded pahlevans.
The men said: —Lord's bounty to you, young man;
By noon tomorrow you will be reduced to our condition.
One of the elders added:
—Alas, alas! Brave stripling,
You, too, fell into the hands of this infidel?
Sanasar asked: —What did you say, Appo jan [my dear brother]
Why shall I be reduced to your condition?
[79] He replied: —We, too, were bold and brave like you
When we came for that maiden;
Before we knew, we were reduced to this condition.
Sanasar asked:
—Tell me, brothers, what happened to you?
How were you reduced to that condition?
They replied:
—She casts a magic spell, she is a sorceress.
Wait a little while;
That infidel has a strange bird;
When it comes, alights on the wall and screeches,
You will be transformed into a man of our image.
Sanasar was prudent. He did not enter the city.
Turning his horse, he rode away a short distance,
And waited till nightfall.
6.
Darkness fell. He turned back, came close to the city;
Drawing the reins of Kourkig Jelaly,
He picked a clearing [space] for a dash,
Invoked God; spurred his horse,
And all at once flew over the copper wall,
Entered the city and dismounted—
The city had no open gates. He had to hurdle the walls.
He strolled in the city for a long while,
But could not find a lodging place he would like.
He came to the edge of the city where he found an inn
Owned by an Armenian. There he lodged.
The innkeeper was a white-bearded, elderly man.
—What is the daily rate of this inn, Appo jan? asked Sanasar.
—Son, replied the innkeeper,
One piece of silver for the horse,
Half a piece of silver for the man.
—Appo, I will give you two pieces of silver for my horse
And three pieces of silver for myself—
[80] He valued himself higher than the horse—
You will take good care of my horse.
Leaving the horse [tied] in the stall,
He went for a stroll in the city,
Bought a loaf of bread from [an open] brick oven,
Returned to the inn
And sat beside the elderly innkeeper.
Night had fallen. He ate his meal, then he said:
—Halvor [term of respect], tell me a story. I would like to hear one.
The elderly man said: —I don't know any tale.
—Appo jan, I would ask you a question.
—What is your question, son?
Sanasar said: —What is the name of this city?
The old innkeeper said: —Son,
The name of this city is Bghntzeh Kaghak.
—Then, this is Bghntzeh Kaghak?
—Yes, this is Bghntzeh Kaghak.
Sanasar asked then:
—The king of this city has a daughter;
What kind of a maiden is she?
The elderly man replied:
—Why should that concern you, son?
She is what she is.
—I was wondering, babig.
The elderly innkeeper said: —Son,
The daughter of our King is a sorceress
Casting magic spells.
Many, many sons of royalty came to marry her.
She cast magic spells over them, then cast them aside,
One here, one there,
It could not be that you have come to marry her!
If you have come with that intent,
You are a boy to be pitied.
Turn back! Go back, spare yourself!
[81] Keep your hands off such ventures,
Many have come, and all have failed.
Sanasar said: —No, babig, I have not come for her.
What have I to do with her?
But her magic spell should not remain unbroken!
Babig, Lord's mercy on your father, tell me exactly
What is the secret of her magic spell?
He replied: —Her spell lies in the sea.
There is a precious gem
In the mouth of a dragon in the sea.
Only a fiery-man could plunge into the sea,
Snatch the gem from the dragon's mouth,
[Break the spell]
Then rise in the morning
And see the maiden nude in her chamber.
That will break her magic spell;
No magic spell will ever take effect on him,
He can capture the maiden and marry her.
Sanasar then said: —Babig, I want to see her pavilion;
Please show it to me.
—Why are you concerned with these things?
—Appo jan, begged Sanasar,
I have come from a strange land; for Lord's sake,
Please show it to me, so that I can see it,
And on my return to our land
Tell what I have seen of this city.
The elder man took Sanasar
To the roof and pointed it to him:
—Do you see those mansions and windows in black?
That is where the pavilion of the king's daughter is.
Black curtains cover the windows,
So that the maiden will not see the world outside.
Sanasar asked:
—Babig, what is that object burning like fire?
—Son, that is a golden apple,
Placed on the rooftop of her palace.
[82] There is also a mace on top of that tower.
Whoever brings down that golden apple,
Puts it in his chest pocket,
And, mounted on his horse,
Flies high and puts it back in its place;
Whoever has the might to snatch the mace
From the top of the tower;
The precious gem from the mouth of the dragon;
Whoever challenges and fights the king like a warrior;
He will carry away the maiden.
Sanasar said then: —Oh Appo, who am I
To go into such ventures?
It was only a question I asked you.
When I go to other lands, [I will tell people]
Bghntzeh Kaghak is such and such a city.
Come, let us go down, I am sleepy.
They went down to the inn,
Spread their beds and went to sleep.
The older man fell asleep. Sanasar did not.
He thought to himself: —By the Cross! If all I heard is true,
I will start my venture tonight.
Seeing that the old one had fallen asleep,
He waited awhile until fewer people were on the streets;
He got up, turned to the east,
Knelt down three times before God,
Then went out, mounted his horse, and left the inn.
It was a moonlit night, bright as day.
Sanasar invoked God,
Called on the Battle Cross.
He paced the square back and forth, warmed up the horse,
Dug the spurs into his sides, excited him,
And with one leap reached the pinnacle,
Snatched the golden apple, put it in his chest pocket;
At top speed he rode the distance of one hour,
Turned, rode back to the square.
Once more with one leap he reached the top of the tower,
[83] He invoked God, called on the Battle Cross,
Grabbed the mace, twisted it, pulled it out, and hurled it.
The mace flew a distance of half an hour, hit the ground
And sank into the parched earth one kaz deep.
Then he rode the horse into the sea, reached the bottom,
Saw the dragon raising its head.
He descended on it
And with his mace dealt a blow to the dragon's head.
The dragon shook itself,
The gem flew out of its mouth, landed in the field.
The dragon shook itself [again]. The sea rose, and,
Like pouring rain, flooded the city.
A hurricane ["dragon wind"] turned the city
Into a raging dragon-sea.
Sanasar returned to the inn,
Crouched [in a corner] and slept till dawn.
At daybreak, in early morn, people saw
The windows of Deghtzoun Dzam's palace wide open;
The light from the palace had flooded the city.
Awaking from his sleep at dawn
Sanasar went to the roof and looked around.
A maiden could be seen
Through the windows of the palace;
He saw the maiden in her chamber.
The magic spell was broken.
Turning to the old one, Sanasar said:
—Babig, a dragon-wind from Sassoun
Blew during the night,
And brought a dark cloud
That poured rain and drenched the city.
7.
The king summoned his town crier and said:
—I want the man who has snatched the gem
[84] From the mouth of the dragon.
Search the town. I want the man who has come
And carried away the golden apple of my daughter.
Seize him, bring him to me; I will have him beheaded.
The town criers searched the town
For two hours, but found no one.
They went to the old man's inn and asked:
—Halvor, have you any strangers in the inn?
The innkeeper said: —No, no one came
To the inn, except that boy
Who came a little while ago. He is sleeping now.
Thinking nothing of the young man,
The innkeeper said: —I have no stranger here.
The young man stood up and said: —Brother,
Why do you say you have no stranger? I am a stranger.
The elderly man was annoyed: —Keep quiet,
They will seize you and kill you, he said.
—Why should they kill me? said Sanasar.
He called after the town criers:
—Brothers, I am a stranger, what do you want to ask?
The town criers saw that
He was youthful and naive;
Their hearts went out to him.
They said: —Ey, lad, let us hide you,
We pity you. Don't appear before our king.
Sanasar asked: —What is wrong about the king?
Why shouldn't I appear before him?
They replied: —Son,
Last night someone snatched and carried away
The golden apple belonging to the king's daughter.
The king has ordered that
The man on whom the golden apple is found
[Should be given a chance to fight].
If he can win, his life will be spared;
If he cannot win, his head will be chopped off.
[85] Sanasar took the golden apple
Out of his chest pocket, showed it to them and said:
—Town criers, go tell the king that you have seen
The man who snatched the golden apple.
They went to the king and said to him:
—We have seen the man who snatched your golden apple.
The king ordered: —Go, tell him to appear before me,
He is a prisoner of the king.
They came and said to Sanasar:
—You are a prisoner of the king.
Come with us and surrender to the king.
Sanasar said: —King, which king?
Yes, oh, yes, I want to battle with your king.
God will be either on my side or on his side.
Why should I surrender to the king?
I am looking for a fight—so that I can fight . . .
Hearing this, the king said:
—Very well, whoever did this, he did it for my daughter.
Let him come forth and tell me how he did it;
I will grant my daughter to him.
Sanasar came forth and said: —I am the one.
The king asked: —Did you do this?
He replied: —Yes, I did.
The king said: —If you really did this,
If you snatched the golden apple off the pinnacle,
Put it back again.
If you do that, I will grant my daughter to you;
If you do not, I will behead you.
Sanasar mounted his horse, came to the square,
Paced back and forth, excited the horse,
With one leap reached the pinnacle,
And placed the golden apple on its peak.
In full speed he dashed away for one hour,
Then he turned back, came to the king,
[86] Who said to him: That is done!
But it was your horse that did it, not you.
And he added: —As you snatched that mace off
The top of the tower and hurled it down,
I want you to take it up again
And put it back in its place.
If you do it, I will grant my daughter to you;
If you do not, I will have you beheaded.
Sanasar went out [to the field], dug up the mace,
Whirled it around and flung it back
To its place atop the tower.
Through the force of the blow the tower collapsed.
The king said: —I see that
You are a brave and powerful lad.
You have met three tests, added the king,
I have sixty pahlevans, imprisoned in chains;
I will release them to fight you;
If you down them all,
You will have my daughter.
Sanasar thought to himself: —I have set three days
For my stay in this city;
Is the king going to have me fight
These pahlevans one by one, or all together?
He asked: —O King,
Are you setting your pahlevans against me
One by one, or all together?
The king replied: —Sanasar,
If I set them against you all at once,
They will shred you to pieces.
Let me set them against you one by one.
If you overpower them, you will have my daughter;
If you do not, you will be slain by them.
—Long may you live, O King, he replied,
I will not stay here to fight for sixty days.
Release the sixty altogether;