16.
David went out [for a walk],
Stopped at the door of Melik's armoury.
Seeing the door open,
He walked down the steps, went into the armour room
Where he saw Melik's big mace.
David said to himself: —What a fine plaything!
He lifted the mace and threw it down on the floor;
It made a thunderous noise, aroused the city,
And frightened men, women, and children.
The thunderous noise, Msrah Melik heard, quaked the city.
He surmised and said: —That was the thunder of my mace.
Go, see who did it, what happened to the city?
The vizier knew that it was David.
He ran to the armoury and stood at the door.
[David threw down the mace again;]
It made another thunderous noise.
The vizier shouted:
—David, David, doom to you,
What are you doing there? Come up, quick!
David came up and closed the door.
The vizier said: —David, hurry, go to Ismil Khatoun.
If you do not go, Msrah Melik will come
And cut your head off.
David went away.
[176] Msrah Melik came in great haste,
Stood at the door and shouted: —Who is there?
The vizier said: —I do not know, I found the door open.
The vizier lied. He did not tell who it was [he saw there].
—It could not be anyone but David, said Melik,
No one but David could lift my mace.
Msrah Melik looked for David throughout the city,
But could not find him.
He went home and found David asleep at the Koursy [brazier].
Msrah Melik took the cord off his bow
And started to strangle David.
Just then his mother walked in, held his hand
And asked: —What are you doing, Melik?
—I am going to strangle David, he said,
He has been trifling with my mace
And causing a commotion in the city.
His mother uncovered her breast,
Stood before Melik and said: —If you kill David,
May the milk of this breast be haram [forbidden] to you.
Melik said: —Mother, David is a snake-brat,
Any harm that comes to me, will come from him.
17.
Melik and his mother then quarreled over David.
The vizier took David by the hand
And went to Ismil Khatoun.
He said: —My Queen,
Why don't you send David to his own people?
Why don't you send him to Sassoun?
Someday Melik will kill the boy.
[177] Give him food [and the things he needs],
And send him back to Sassoun.
He has stayed in our land long enough.
Ismil Khatoun asked: —David, my son,
Will you go to your uncles in Sassoun, if I send you?
—Do I have uncles? asked David. Why should I not go?
Where do my uncles live, Mother?
—They live in Sassoun, she replied.
—What are their names?
—Their names? . . . She said:
One is Tzenov Hovan,
The other one, Vergo.
—O strike you blind! Mother,
Why didn't you tell this sooner?
Hurry then, he said, pack ten pairs of socks,
Ten pairs of sandals, and food for ten days;
I will start for Sassoun.
Ismil Khatoun packed ten pairs of socks,
Ten pairs of sandals, and food for ten days,
Gave her blessing to David, and said
—Go, my son, go to Sassoun, to your uncles.
God be with you.
Msrah Melik then raised his sword and said:
—David must pass beneath my sword
Before I let him go to his land.
David said:
—Is he doing this, so that when I grow
I shall not draw my sword against him, [and]
Not strike him back when he strikes me with his sword?
If a thousand Meliks like him would die,
Their death to me would mean the loss of a lachag [head-covering].
[178] I would pass beneath a lachag,
But I would not pass beneath his sword.
Let him do whatever he can.
The vizier held David by the arm
To force him to pass beneath Melik's sword.
David stiffened, stood stock-still;
He would not move, he would not pass beneath the sword.
The vizier then grabbed and twisted David's upper arm,
Dragging him to pass beneath the sword.
David did not pass beneath the sword,
He sidled the sword.
[And as he sidled], his little finger brushed a stone
And crushed it. Sparks flew from the stone.
Msrah Melik became alarmed
When he saw this. He said:
—If David is like this when he is young,
What will he be like when he grows up?
18.
Melik summoned two pahlevans,
Bougha of Batman and Charbahar Kamy,
And said to them:
—Take David beyond seven mountains,
To Batman Bridge and kill him.
David was wearing a vest.
Melik said to the pahlevans:
—Kill David, dip his vest
In his blood and bring it to me.
Bring to me also a jug-full of his blood;
I will drink it to soothe my heart.
The pahlevans prepared to leave.
Ismil Khatoun knew that
They were going to take David to Sassoun.
She packed for him food for ten days,
[179] David's fight against Msrah Melik
Ten pairs of socks and ten pairs of sandals.
David kissed Ismil's hand,
Bade her farewell and left with the pahlevans—
While they are on their way,
Let us tell about Kerry Toros.
19.
After the death of Mher,
Sassoun went into mourning for seven years.
At the end of seven years
The dignitaries, priests, and people
Gathered and came to Kerry Toros.
The Sassounites said:
—Ay, Kerry Toros, our sons have aged,
Our daughters are grown old.
If you know that seven more years of mourning
Will bring Mher back to life,
We will mourn him for seven more years.
Kerry Toros said to his people:
—Marry off your sons and daughters,
Nothing will come out of mourning.
They brought wine, set it up to drink;
They brought food, set it up to eat.
Kerry Toros asked the priest:
—Father, say a prayer for Mher's soul.
The priest said a prayer.
They filled the goblets with wine
And gave one to Kerry Toros—to drink.
Kerry Toros held the goblet in his hand;
He stood lost in thought.
He would not drink, nor would he hand the goblet back.
Khor Manoug then said: —Kerry Toros,
If you are going to drink, drink; if you are not,
Allow these people to leave.
A son of Kerry Toros, too, said to his father:
[180] —Abbo, these Sassounites are foolhardy,
They will rail at you;
Either drink or put the goblet down, so that they may go.
Toros rebuked his son:
—Hey, you son of a dog, shall I sit and feast here
While Msrah Melik holds David in bondage?
Ah, shame on us!
By the Bread and Wine and the Eternal Lord,
I will not put this wine to my lips
Until I have that orphan boy back.
He dismissed the men. They left.
20.
A few Sassounite families, living in Msr,
Heard rumors that
David of Sassoun was to be killed.
They came together,
Wrote a letter to Kerry Toros.
The letter read:
—Kerry Toros,
Lather your head, shave it here;
Before they inflict harm upon David,
You may save him
And take him back to Sassoun.
They gave the letter to a young lad and told him:
—Mount your horse, ride to Sassoun,
Give this letter to Kerry Toros.
If you reach there in the evening,
Tell him to start out the same evening.
If you reach there in the morning,
Tell him to start out the same morning.
The lad took the short way and dashed to Sassoun.
[181]
21.
The lad, sent by the weavers,
Reached Sassoun that night.
He asked: —Where is Kerry Toros?
They took him to Kerry Toros;
The boy greeted him;
Kerry Toros returned the greeting;
The lad took out the letter from his vest pocket.
[Gave it to him]
Kerry Toros read the letter.
—My wife, he called, bring out six-footed Lazky [a mythical horse]
Look after the lad until I return.
Kerry Toros mounted his horse the same night,
Left Sassoun, and reached Msr at daybreak.
Msrah Melik was sitting at the door.
—Ah, greetings, Kerry Toros, he said.
—The grace of God [to you], Msrah Melik, he responded.
—You have come in such haste,
Is it for a good purpose, Kerry Toros? asked Melik.
—Thank God, said Kerry Toros,
It is for a good purpose. Nothing [of concern].
They sat down after the greetings. Kerry Toros said:
—In God's name, let us come to an agreement.
A hostage can be released to his people for a price.
I am asking you to release David.
I want to take him home.
Melik said: —David died three days ago.
Tears streamed down Kerry Toros' beard.
David could not be found.
Kerry Toros mounted six-footed Lazky.
[182] He left Msr in the morning
And reached Sassoun in the evening.
He gave the sad news to the people of Sassoun.
22.
Meanwhile David travelled
A distance of five-six days
With the two pahlevans.
Bougha of Batman and Charbahar Kamy
Wanted to kill David,
But could not find the right moment.
David did not walk with them;
He went one way, then the other.
He did not talk to them; he kept going, on and on.
The pahlevans, too, kept going.
David at times went ahead, at times fell behind,
At times went off the road.
He kept apart from them,
Played with stones and twigs, and chased
Wild animals and birds through the hills and valleys.
The pahlevans sat by the roadside,
Ate the food and did not give any to David.
What was David doing?
He was eating leaves that he gathered,
Roots that he dug up in the fields, and
Mushrooms that he picked from the hillside.
Whenever he saw a quail, he shot it;
Whenever he saw a rabbit, he caught and killed it.
He paid no attention to the pahlevans.
When they reached the Bridge of Batman, Bougha said:
—Charbahar, let us catch David now
[183] And throw him into the river.
David was out of their reach.
The two pahlevans sat down to eat their food.
They called out:
—David, David, come here; hurry.
David went to them and said:
—It is five or six days we have been travelling,
And you have not asked me once,
'David, are you hungry, thirsty?'
Why are you calling me now while you are on the bridge?
They said: —David,
Until now we were in Melik's land,
Now we are in your father's land;
That is why we are calling you.
Come, eat with us.
David said: —Ismil Khatoun gave us food for seven days,
You ate it all and did not give me a morsel;
Now that I am in my father's land,
I will have none of your food.
David looked around.
He saw that the two pahlevans walked
To the end of the bridge and stopped.
David went to them and asked:
—Why did you stop?
They replied: —We are waiting for you.
Melik told us,
'Look after David while crossing the bridge,
So that he will not be frightened and fall into the river.'
You are young, you will be frightened.
David said: —From the time we left Msr to this day
You did not say, 'David is a boy, he will be frightened'—
Why do you say it now? You go on,
Cross the bridge. I will follow you.
David did not hear
When the pahlevans said to each other:
—Let one of us walk before him,
[184] And one of us walk behind him;
At the middle of the bridge we will turn on him—
One from the front, one from behind—
Kill him and throw him into the river.
Then they said: —No, David, one of us will walk before you
And one behind you, so that you will not be frightened.
David said: —We will do as you say.
But he thought to himself:
—All this time they were walking before me,
Now one is walking ahead, one is walking behind. Why?
No, they must have something in their mind.
23.
When they reached the middle of the bridge,
The pahlevan in front turned around
As the one behind came forward.
—What are you going to do? asked David,
Do you want to throw me into the river?
He grabbed them both by their necks,
Knocked their heads against each other again and again,
Hung one on each side of the bridge, and said:
—You don't know how to throw a man into the river;
I will show you how.
The pahlevans said to him: —For God's sake,
Don't throw us into the river.
David pulled them up and threw both on the ground,
Put his knee on their chest and said:
—Unless you tell me the truth,
I will kill you and throw you both into the river.
—David, they begged, we will bring you luck;
Let us up; we will tell you the truth.
David released them. They sat up.
For an hour they could not gather their thoughts;
David had pounded them so thoroughly.
He prodded: —Come, talk!
[185] After a while they began to breathe easily.
Their heads cleared. Charbahar Kamy then spoke:
—David, if we conceal it from you,
How can we conceal it from God?
That infidel, wicked Melik,
Forced us to come with you and kill you.
Msrah Melik told us:
'Take David to the Bridge of Batman and kill him,
Fill a jug with his blood,
Throw his body into the river, and
Bring his blood so that I can drink and soothe my heart.'
Now, I beg you, don't kill me.
David did not kill Arab Bougha of Batman,
He took pity on him, stood him up
On the bridge and said: —Go.
Bougha of Batman said: —Melik will kill us
If we do not have your vest
To dip it in blood and take it to him.
David saw a rabbit running.
He chased it, caught it, slit its throat,
Filled a jug with its blood,
Dipped his vest in it and said:
—Take this to Melik, tell him you killed David.
Satisfied with this, Bougha started for Msr.
Charbahar Kamy then said:
—David, I have been raised at your father's spread.
I did not know that
You possessed such great strength and skill.
When your father died, Melik took us prisoner.
I will share your fate. No longer will I serve Melik.
Because you are a man of such great strength and skill,
I will serve you as long as you live,
I will serve you for your father's sake.
David said: —Come, let us go.
[186] They kissed each other on the forehead,
Started their journey, reached the boundary of Sassoun.
24.
That night Tzenov Hovan dreamt of David.
He said: —God only knows whether David is alive or not.
Probably our lad has entered our land
And will be home before long.
Tzenov Hovan said to his wife:
—Saryeh, Saryeh, wake up! Saryeh grumbled:
—Why don't you let me sleep, old one?
Tzenov Hovan said: —Saryeh,
You are an outsider, your heart never aches;
Wake up, get up, open my heart and see.
[I dreamt that] Our city walls were standing [firm].
Our new vineyard was in bloom,
The torches on our city walls were blazing,
The bulbul in our vineyard was singing;
It must be that our orphan David has entered our land.
[187]
1.
On his way to Sassoun, to satisfy his hunger,
David had eaten grass and anything he had found.
Because of this he had become a bit foolhardy.
His mind was in a daze.
David and Charbahar kept going for a few more days
Until they reached the outskirts of Sassoun.
Calfherds and herdsmen, shepherds and lambherds
Left their sheep and flocks, came to see David.
They recognized from his garb that he belonged
To the ruling House of Sassoun.
A villager, to whom David had said
That he was going to Sassoun,
'Sassoun is my homeland,'
Took the news to Tzenov Hovan:
—Hear me, Tzenov Hovan,
Someone is coming—your son, David.
Give me my reward.
Tzenov Hovan was overjoyed;
He took the news to Kerry Toros.
They left their big house, came to the townsmen
And villagers, and said to them:
—God granted our son back to us.
Come, let us all go and meet David.
People from the towns and villages came,
[188] And, with Tzenov Hovan, went to meet David,
To see what kind of a lad he was,
Whether he was stronger than his father.
—Hi, hi, which one is David?
—Hi, hi, which one is David? they kept shouting.
Tzenov Hovan looked down the road.
He saw a pahlevan and behind him a boy
Straggling and wandering among the fields of origanum.
Tzenov Hovan said: —Kerry Toros,
That lad you see wandering around is our foolhardy David.
The light of Sassoun is rekindled.
By the time David reached Sassoun,
His sandals were worn out,
His socks were in tatters,
He was hungry and weary.
When he saw the big crowd of people,
He did not know where he was;
He was bewildered. He said:
—I am hungry, thirsty; how can I go to Sassoun?
The villagers gave their hands to David.
He did not respond, paid no attention,
Kept walking in a daze,
And did not know that they were Sassounites
Who had come to welcome him.
And Sassounites did not know of his condition,
How weary, how hungry he was.
Tzenov Hovan stepped forward, looked at David,
Came to him and asked:
—Where are you from, lad?
—I am from the City of Sassoun, he replied.
Tzenov Hovan said: —I have not seen you in Sassoun.
This is the City of Sassoun,
Have you any kin in Sassoun?
David said: —My mother told me I have two uncles.
—What are their names? Tzenov Hovan asked.
[189] —My elder uncle's name is Vergo,
The other uncle's name is Tzenov Hovan.
[Hearing this,] Tzenov Hovan hugged David,
And, with tearful eyes, kissed him on the forehead.
He said: —Are you really David?
I am your uncle Hovan.
Kissing David again, Hovan,
With great rejoicing, took him home.
On the way home Hovan called: —Ey, brothers,
Come out, light unto your eyes;
Come out, light unto your eyes;
Our David is home.
David's uncles came, hugged and kissed him.
All the people of Sassoun were rejoicing.
Tzenov Hovan said: —Praise the Lord,
A son of ours is back with us. Our dove is home.
We thought he was an intelligent lad;
Alas, he is in a daze. Still I offer thanks to God.
Hovan, his kinsmen, and the townspeople
Sat down to a feast and made merry.
They talked for a long time
And one by one left for their homes.
Tzenov Hovan and David were left alone.
David asked: —Uncle, how are you faring?
Hovan said: —Thanks to the Lord, son,
By the grace of God and by the grave
Of your father, we are faring well.
—If that is so, it is well, said David.
2.
The following morning Tzenov Hovan rose,
He touched the ground three times
And gave thanks to God;
[190] He said: —I offer my thanks to Thee, O Lord,
For my dream that came true by your grace.
The House of Sassoun has a green grove now.
I and my brother need fear no more.
He dressed David with new, handsome garments,
He bulged his pockets with knuckle bones and raisins,
Kissed him on the forehead and said:
—David, go and play with the boys.
David went to play.
The boys cheated him and took all his knuckle bones.
David slapped these [cheating] sons of the grandees
And broke the neck of one of the boys.
In the evening the boy's mother came
To Tzenov Hovan and complained.
Tzenov Hovan said: —That is nothing, no harm is done,
I will caution him not to fight again.
Tzenov Hovan went to David and said:
—Your uncle would die for you, David,
Don't fight with people again.
In the morning David went out again
And played with the boys.
The boys again gathered in force
And fell upon David.
David fought back, broke the necks of three boys.
Then the elders of the town assembled
And talked among themselves:
—That orphan brat has maimed our lads;
We will kill him [David].
Why did he break the necks of our boys?
They came to Tzenov Hovan and said:
—Where is David? Ask him to come in.
—Why shall I call him in? he asked.
They said: —Is that foolhardy David
An enemy of our sons?
[191] Why did he break their necks?
Hovan was alarmed. He went to David and said:
—God's wrath on you, David,
Why did you maim those boys?
—Hell to them, said David,
They fought with me; I fought back.
—The elders of the town are at our doors, said Hovan,
Go face them, answer them.
David came out and saw a big crowd
Of people gathered at the door.
Many of them, who had not seen David,
Had come only to take a look at him,
And many others had come to kill him.
When David came out and people saw him,
They trembled with fear and whispered to each other:
—Let us not touch David.
If he suspects [any move], he will kill us, too.
They all turned and walked away.
3.
The next day the elders of Sassoun
Went to Hovan. They said:
—Hovan, do you know why we have come to you?
Yesterday we were terrified
When we came to your door and saw David.
Put him to work;
If you do not put him to work,
He will bring havoc to the city. Hovan asked:
—What shall I do, what kind of work shall I put him to?
They said: —Let us make a shepherd of him.
He should not stay in the town.
Tzenov Hovan went home that night. He said:
[192] —David, I would die for you, would you like to herd sheep?
We are impoverished;
You will earn a measure or two of millet for our food.
David said: —Why wouldn't I, uncle?
I don't want to stay idle.
You are a man of high standing.
Our people have high regard for you,
Put me to work in farming.
Hovan said: —David,
Our people want you to herd their sheep.
They will give us a peck of millet
And a peck of wheat for every sheep you herd.
Can you herd sheep?
David said: —I will tend them like flowers.
Tzenov Hovan then told the townspeople:
My nephew will herd your sheep this season.
Bring your sheep to the city gate every morning.
I will send David, he will round them up
And take them away.
Neighbors of Tzenov Hovan said to him:
—Hovan, have a pair of sandals made for David—
Sandals that will last him.
While herding the sheep,
He will roam the mountains of Sassoun.
Hovan said: —I will go now and have them made.
Hovan went to the blacksmith
And had a pair of sandals
And a shepherd's crook made of steel.
He gave them to David in the morning.
David was pleased with his sandals.
[193] Tzenov Hovan said:
—Son, take the sheep to pasture beyond Mount Sassoun.
Gather them at the fountain for their nooning—
I will bring your food there at midday.
4.
David put on his steel sandals, took his steel crook,
Went to the town square and called out:
—Neighbors, bring your sheep, bring your kids,
I will take them to graze at the mountains of Sassoun.
The neighbors brought their sheep and kids
To the city gate.
When people saw David rounding up the sheep
To take them to the mountains, they said:
—Hovan, David will kill the animals.
—David, said Hovan, these people are our neighbors;
See that you do not kill their animals.
Take them away safely,
Bring them back safely in the evening.
—Uncle, said David, am I a fool?
I will take very good care of them.
David drove the sheep to a high mountain
Where the sheep grazed to their fill.
Then he drove them to a cave, left them unguarded,
Lay down and fell asleep.
He could not keep his eyes on the herd.
The sheep came out of the cave
And scattered all around to graze.
When he woke up, he found no sheep, no kids,
They all were gone astray—lost.
He went to the entrance of the cave—not a single sheep.
He looked here—no sheep,
He looked there—no sheep.
He called and called in a loud voice and searched for them
Among the mountains and valleys.
[194] The clatter of his sandals,
The echo of his loud call,
Brought out the foxes and hares;
They left their holes and ran, and ran, and ran.
Seeing a hare in flight, David said,
—Oh how that kid can run!
He chased it—a young spotted hare.
Then a marten, a fox ran by.
David said: —Oh how these kids can run!
He kept on chasing them
Until exhausted, their tongues hanging out, they stopped.
He caught all the foxes, martens, and hares,
And herded them in his flock of lambs and kids.
His steel sandals were already worn out.
5.
At midday Hovan took food to David.
[He saw what David had done.] He had run around
So hard that his steel sandals had fallen to pieces,
And his steel crook was worn out.
Hovan said: —David, how are you faring?
I would die for you, lad;
If I have to get a pair of sandals
And a crook for you every day,
Your earnings will not pay for them.
What will be our gain?
David said: —Oh Uncle, tomorrow I will not take
Those kids to pasture any more.
I ran after them so hard today
That I wore out my sandals.
Hovan asked: —Why, David lad,
Isn't sheep-herding a pleasant thing?
—Yes, by the Cross, it is a pleasant thing, he said,
[195] Those black kids are docile.
I can get along with those red kids, black kids,
But those kids with sparkling eyes, those white kids,
And those kids with long ears, they never stand still.
They tantalize me, always run away.
Today they took my life without a warrant [ankrogh].
So much those animals tormented me.
—My lad, said Hovan,
We don't have tan kids, white kids.
David said: —No, Uncle,
We do have tan kids, white kids.
If you don't separate them from the sheep in the morning,
I will not take the herd out.
—Come, said Hovan,
Take the sheep out of the cave,
I want to see those tan kids.
They went to the cave, opened the gate.
David said: —Uncle, you go in,
Drive the herd out; I will hold back those kids—
You cannot hold them.
—No, lad, said the uncle, you go in and drive them out.
Let me hold them; you are too young.
David went inside the cave,
With a stick he hit the rocks here and there;
The martens, foxes, and hares all rushed out.
Seeing those foxes and hares,
Hovan realized that David was taking them for kids.
They all ran away.
David came out of the cave and asked:
—Uncle, why did you let my kids run away?
—My lad, they are wild animals, not kids, said Hovan,
Let those tan kids go.
[196] David said: —You let my kids run away,
What shall I do? The owners will ask for their kids;
I have no kids to give to them,
What am I going to say to them?
David said this and started for the mountains
To round up the foxes and hares.
His uncle roared after him:
—God's wrath on you, David,
They are wild animals; let them go.
David paid no attention. He kept chasing the animals.
Uncle Hovan returned home. He said:
—Janum! What was this soot we put on our face!
Our foolhardy David has packed
With the sheep every animal he has found.
He cannot distinguish kids from hares.
Neighbors, townsmen, for God's sake,
Don't let David take your sheep to pasture in the morning.
6.
David kept on chasing the foxes and martens.
The animals ran before him—
Their tongues hanging;
The sheep were panting and crowding
Each other like blown-up skin bags.
David chased the animals up and down the hills,
Caught them and packed them with the herd,
Saying: —May these animals and their owners perish!
They don't let me rest,
They don't keep still so that I can have my meal.
Out of fear of David the wild animals
Did not run away again.
At sunset, he drove the sheep and animals back to town.
[197] David's sandals were so worn out
That he took them off, hung them on his crook,
And walked barefoot.
He brought his flock to town and called:
—Neighbors, come, take your sheep and kids away.
I don't know who owns the kids with long ears;
Come, take them, they will run away; I can't hold them.
I don't know who owns the kids with long tails.
They always run away.
I had to beat them to keep them among the sheep.
The townspeople, hearing this, said:
—David has rounded up all the foxes and hares
And packed them with our sheep.
They picked their own lambs and kids.
[With their animals] they took home
Foxes, hares, and martens.
They killed the hares and ate them with the kids.
From the skins of foxes and martens
They made coats and wore them.
Ever since then
People have been killing hares to eat their meat,
And killing foxes and martens to wear their skins.
That night the elders went to Tzenov Hovan and said:
—You have made a shepherd of that foolhardy David.
He cannot distinguish lambs from wild animals.
He has brought down all the game from the mountains
And left none for hunting.
We don't want David to herd our sheep.