9.
One morning, just before sunrise,
They saw that all the enemies of Khantout's father
Had laid siege to his city and pitched tents
As numerous as the stars in heaven.
Bab of Franks had camped his army
In the land of Khantout's father,
To capture and carry away Khantout Khanum.
King Shabouh of Ajem had camped his army
In the land of Khantout's father,
To capture and carry away Khantout Khanum.
[315] The king of China had camped his army
In the land of Khantout's father,
To capture and carry away Khantout Khanum.
The Black King had camped his army
In the land of Khantout's father,
To capture and carry away Khantout Khanum.
Oghan-Doghan had camped their armies
In the land of Khantout's father,
To capture and carry away Khantout Khanum.
The king of Aleppo had camped his army
In the land of Khantout's father,
To capture and carry away Khantout Khanum.
King Landband had camped his army
In the land of Khantout's father.
To capture and carry away Khantout Khanum.
The forty pahlevans said to each other:
—We will not get into this fight;
We have waited for seven years
And have not seen Khantout's face;
David came only yesterday,
He has already seen her and feasted with her.
Let him go and fight.
Next morning Khantout asked them:
—Which one of you will go to fight?
The forty pahlevans replied:
—Which one of us is going to fight?
The one to whom you gave the apple—
[316] He should go to fight.
But if you want us to fight, ask us; we will fight.
David heard what they said.
—This fight is my fight, he said.
I am going to [this] fight [alone].
He took leave of Khan tout and said:
—I am going to battle . . .
If I return after three days, I have won;
If I do not return, I must have been killed.
Come, look for me among the dead,
Take my body and bury it.
You will know me through my mark—
The Battle Cross on my right arm.
When David went to get Kourkig Jelaly out,
Khantout said:
—Oh, I forgot to get the horse out.
She ran after David and said:
—Wait, David! wait!
Let me go and get the horse out for you.
David stood aside,
Khantout went inside the stable
Where she saw the forty horses
Huddled in the far corner, not daring to move;
While David's horse stood like a rock in the stable.
Khantout reached out to Kourkig's neck
To lead him out. The horse looked,
Did not recognize her, would not let her touch him.
He jerked his head so quickly that
She fell on the ground.
—Ah, David, she cried, your horse is killing me.
David ran in, took Khantout in his arms,
And scolded the horse:
—Hey, Kourkig, God's wrath on you!
Does anyone strike a woman?
Did you not see that she is a woman?
[317] —Khantout, take him out now, David said.
—Do you intend to have your horse kill me?
—No, said David, he will not mind it now, take him out;
He thought you were a stranger.
She went, reached out to him to lead him out.
The horse yielded. Khantout put the saddle on,
David fastened the saddle girths,
Mounted Kourkig Jelaly,
Shouted, "Hi!"; flew over the wall,
Reached the battlefield.
10.
Standing on a high rock,
David looked down and saw a multitude of men,
As numerous as trees in a forest.
They had pitched so many tents on the plain.
David said: —I will alert them and attack them.
He shouted:
[Chanting:]
—Ey, all ye who are asleep, awake,
Ah, awake;
All ye who are awake, saddle your horses,
Ah, saddle your horses;
All ye who have saddled your horses, mount them,
Ah, mount them;
Say not, 'David stole in like a thief, stole away like a thief.'
He spurred on Kourkig Jelaly,
Straightened himself on the saddle and invoked:
—O High Madonna of Marout,
O Battle Cross on my right arm,
Help me to strike right, to strike left,
And cut down the enemy.
And he fell on the tents, began to strike.
As hailstones fall
[318] On a field of ripened grain, and destroy,
So fell David on the soldiers and mowed them down.
When King Shabouh saw David,
He fell into a rage, howled like a wolf,
And ordered his men:
—Up, get ready to fight, man your positions!
His soldiers started to fight.
David turned on Shabouh and
With his Lightning Sword cut off his head.
The soldiers, seized by terror, could not move.
Then he fell on the others,
Captured the Kings Oghan-Doghan,
Cut off their heads one by one,
And left them there.
That evening he returned to Khantout.
Early next morning he went to fight again;
But no one dared to face him.
11.
The enemies held council.
They sent the King of Aleppo
To Tzenov Hovan in Sassoun. The king said to Hovan:
—We have heard that
There are brave pahlevans in Sassoun,
We are fighting a very powerful man;
Send one of your pahlevans to fight and kill him.
We will give you seven cities.
Tz'rran Vergo had a son
Whose name was Baron Asdghig [Little Star].
Baron Asdghig mounted his horse,
Dashed through the sky and reached the battleground.
David recognized him.
[319] That night he said:
—Khantout, I am not going to fight tomorrow.
Khantout said to him:
—If you are not ashamed, I will go to fight.
David said: —Swear to me that,
When I go to fight, you will not go out,
You will not open the door,
You will not open the window;
Then I will go to fight [if you swear to that].
Khantout said:
—I will not go out,
I will lock my door,
Stay in my room,
And do my needlework.
At daybreak David went to fight.
He fought Baron Asdghig until midday.
Clashing swords sent flashes of light
Through the windows.
Khantout Khanum suddenly saw
A flash of light in her room,
—What is this? she said. I do not know.
No clouds in the sky; it isn't raining,
It isn't night time. There is no lightning.
She became impatient,
Opened the window and looked around.
She saw a man on a fiery horse
Moving around David,
Brandishing a Havlouny sword,
And showering fire on his head.
Khantout Khanum was well versed in the occult.
She looked in her book and learned that
[320] The man whom David was fighting was his uncle's son.
Each time Baron Asdghig brandished his sword,
Sparks flew over David's head and fell into an abyss;
David was not returning the blows.
Khantout Khanum then cried out:
[Chanting:]
—Uncle, welcome, thousand welcomes to you.
You showered fire over our David's head,
You showered fire over our David's head,
And brought ill-fortune to Khantout.
David heard her voice and said:
—Ah, doom to you, woman!
I knew you would not stay in.
In great anger, David aimed his arrow
At the belly of Baron Asdghig's horse;
The arrow pierced the horse's belly
And came out through Asdghig's head.
Baron Asdghig fell to the ground and moaned:
—Alas, it was a kinsman's arrow that felled me.
He had not recognized David.
David said: —I should be blinded!
It is our custom that when a man is dying,
His head should rest on a kinsman's knee
Until his soul passes unto God.
David put Baron Asdghig's head on his knee
And held him until his soul departed.
Overcome by grief over Baron Asdghig's death,
David fainted away.
His enemies closed in, tried to seize him.
Kourkig Jelaly, standing by his master,
Did not let them come near him.
He stood watch until David regained consciousness,
Stood up, mounted his horse,
And fell upon the enemy soldiers,
Who began to run away.
David called after them:
—Don't run away,
[321] Tell me where your king is.
The soldiers stopped their flight.
One of them said to David:
—Bab of Franks is our king,
He has escaped to his city.
David turned his horse,
Rode to the city of Bab of Franks,
Sent a messenger to tell him:
—Come out, I want to see you.
The king came out.
When he saw David,
He became terrified and tried to run away.
David chased after him,
Caught him and cut his head off.
He set up a new king
Over the people who were left in the city.
He killed the high officials
And replaced them with people of lesser rank,
Saying to them:
—Do not start any wars while you are in power.
When you are in trouble,
Send for me. I will come to your aid.
The entire city pledged then:
—David, we will obey you until our death.
David then returned to the men on the battlefield
And said to them: —Go back to your cities,
I have killed your king.
12.
David did not return to Khantout in the morning.
She thought David may have been killed.
Her heart was filled with anguish.
In the morning she put on a man's garment,
Took her lance, mounted her horse,
[And rode away,] saying:
—I am going to find David's body,
[322] Bring it back and bury it.
She went and began her search among the dead.
Whenever she saw a corpse larger than the others,
She lifted it with her lance,
Held it against the sun and
Looked for the sign of the Cross on the [right] arm.
Suddenly she saw among the corpses
Someone moving toward her.
It was David who had finished
The slaughter of the enemy and was coming [toward her].
He saw Khantout Khanum
Lifting the bodies with her lance
And looking at their arms.
David called out: —Ey, what are you looking for?
Whom are you after?
It is three days since I have killed these men;
If you are looking for a man, I am a man.
Khantout looked and looked. She thought to herself:
—The horse is David's, but who is the man?
He does not resemble David.
Khantout said: —Stop your blabbing,
It is beyond your strength to kill the man I am looking for.
I would sacrifice twenty like you and ten like me
For his fingernail.
If I find his corpse,
To me [the dead body] will be worth more
Than you [alive].
David said:
—If that is what you think, we will fight.
They started to fight.
Clouds of dust hung over the field,
The ground was furrowed by the hoofs of the horses;
They fought long, but could not down one another.
David fought halfheartedly—
[323] But Khantout [in earnest] was hitting to kill.
Suddenly she raised her mace
To strike a blow at David.
David held up his shield [against her blow].
Khantout started to run away,
David spurred Kourkig Jelaly,
Straightened himself on the saddle, invoked:
—By the Bread and Wine and the Eternal Lord,
And swung his mace to strike,
When Khantout loosened her hair [beneath the helmet],
Jumped from her horse and fell to the ground.
David dashed after Khantout [overtook her],
Lifted her up, threw her to the ground,
Held her down with his knees on her breast,
When she cried:
—Oh, warrior, don't kill me, I am a woman.
David said: —I know you are a woman,
This is to pay you back for that day . . .
Do you remember how you struck me with your fist
And how blood streamed from my mouth?
Khantout asked: —David, is this really you?
—Yes, Khantout, it is I, replied David.
—If you really are David,
Release me then, said Khantout.
You saw that I chose none of the forty pahlevans
Who had been waiting for me for seven years.
I chose you the day you came to my home.
David, let me up!
I will be your wife, you will be my husband.
David released her.
Together they went home.
On the way Khantout said:
—David, let me tell you a story.
Two or three years ago
They took me to a prince, the son of a king.
They put me in a room,
[324] The prince came in,
We wrestled playfully,
I grabbed his arm, the arm came off.
I thought to myself, 'He is the son of a king,
He does not have to go to plough or sow,
An armless prince will do for me, too.'
Then I reached for the other arm,
That arm came off, too; his back was broken,
He gasped and died.
Then I realized how strong I was.
The king then said, 'This bride is a murderess.'
They sent me back to my home.
When I returned to my father's home, I made a vow that
I would [only] marry the man who could down me.
Today we fought; you threw me down.
From now on I am your wife, you are my husband,
Take me wherever you wish.
13.
When they reached home Khantout called the servants,
Who came and took Kourkig Jelaly [to the stable]
And washed David's blood-stained clothes.
David and Khantout sat down,
Ate and drank, then went to sleep . . .
After three days,
David and Khantout took their horses,
Mounted them and together rode on toward Sassoun.
When they reached Khlat,
They had to pass by the window of Ch'm'shkig Sultan.
Ch'm'shkig Sultan saw David,
Came to him, and said:
—Lisping David, you vowed to marry me.
We exchanged rings,
But you left me and took Khantout instead;
[325] Why? Was I not beautiful?
You rejected me,
Went and took Khantout.
Now you and I must fight.
If I kill you, Khantout and I will both be widowed,
If you kill me, then you can go to Khantout's bed.
David said:
—Ch'm'shkig Sultan, I have a lady with me,
I beg you to let me go home now.
At the end of seven days,
I will come back and we will fight.
Ch'm'shkig Sultan said:
—Then, swear by the High Madonna of Marout
And the Battle Cross on your right arm
That at the end of seven days
You will come to fight with me.
David said: —In the name of the High Madonna of Marout
And the Battle Cross on my right arm,
I will come to fight with you
At the end of seven days.
He then took Khantout Khanum and rode on to Sassoun.
When they reached Sassoun,
They brought seven troupes of minstrels
And held a wedding feast for seven days and seven nights.
David and Khantout were married.
[All Sassoun,] Old and young ate, drank, and made merry.
When David shared Khantout Khanum's bed,
He forgot the vow
That he had taken on the Battle Cross.
[326]
1.
One day David said:
—Khantout, since the day I brought you with me,
My conscience has been heavy with a sense of guilt
For taking you away from those forty pahlevans.
I have heard that
There are many beautiful maidens in Gurjistan [Georgia].
I am going to find those forty pahlevans
And marry them to forty virgin maidens
Of their choice.
Then I will come back to Sassoun.
Khantout Khanum said:
—David, you are bound to me.
You took me away from my father and mother
And brought me to this city.
Are you leaving me and going away now?
What am I to do when I bear you a child?
David said: —Khantout Khanum,
If the child is a boy, name him Mher;
My father's name shall not be forgotten.
He gave her a golden armband
Encrusted with precious gems,
And said: —If the child is a boy,
Tie this armband around his right arm;
If it is a girl, give it to her for her dowry.
[327] And if I am away too long, send Mher after me;
I will know him when I see the armband.
David mounted Kourkig Jelaly and rode away.
One by one he found the forty pahlevans
In forty countries
And took them all to Gurjistan.
They arrived at the [main] city of Gurjistan
Where he found a maiden for every pahlevan.
David then went to Aderbejan.
There he saw a maiden more beautiful
Than any maiden he had seen.
He said: —I will take her to Khantout as a serving-maid.
He took her with him.
Then David said:
—Each man to his own god,
And each man to his own country.
I will go to [my own land] Sassoun.
The pahlevans took their maidens,
Bowed to David and said:
—We thank you, David,
For giving us our hearts' desire.
They bade farewell and rode away.
David, too, took the maiden,
Put her on the croup of his horse and rode to Sassoun.
Now let us relate about Khantout Khanum.
2.
When David went to Gurjistan,
Vacho sent for Khantout and
Had her brought to Gaboudgogh.
Khantout was pregnant.
When her time was fulfilled, she gave birth to a son.
[328] Vacho said to Khantout:
—If this child is David's son,
He will prove it through his strength.
They swaddled the child, tied him
With plough chains instead of strips of cloth.
As he cried and tossed about in the cradle,
He broke the chains to pieces.
—Eh, a child of David and Khantout
Could not be a weakling!
They realized that he was an Aznantzordy.
But when they bathed the child,
They saw that one hand was tightly locked.
They tried to open it by every means;
The boy's hand would not open.
People of the whole city tried; could not open it.
Vacho was alarmed.
He wrote to David's uncle:
—Light unto your eyes, Toros,
A son is born to David,
But one hand of the child is locked.
On reading this letter,
Toros mounted his horse, the six-footed Lazky,
And went to Gaboudgogh.
He went to Vacho's house and said:
—Let me have the swaddled child,
I want to see what kind of a boy he is.
He took the child,
Massaged his hand, the fingers opened.
Toros saw a drop of blood in the palm of the hand.
—Hi, hi, he said, only a rock will contain him,
The earth will not be able to hold him.
He has reduced the world to a drop of blood
And is holding it in his hand.
If this child lives, he will do wonderful things.
After two or three days,
Khantout had the child baptized
And named him Mher,
[329] In a day Mher grew as much as
Other children grew in a year;
In an hour he grew as much as others grew in a month.
After staying [at Gaboudgogh] for a length of time,
Kerry Toros took Mher, Khantout Khanum,
And went [back] to Sassoun.
At the end of a year
Mher took a stroll in the city;
A mighty river was flowing outside of Sassoun.
Mher built a six-arched bridge across the river.
When people would walk across the bridge,
Mher would go and beat them, saying:
—Sons of dogs, I am the one who built this bridge.
Did I build it for you?
Why are you crossing my bridge?
People then would turn back and ford the river.
Mher then would go and beat them, saying:
—Sons of dogs, I built a bridge,
And I built it for you.
Why are you fording the river?
If you are drowned, I will get the blame.34
People complained to Kerry Toros;
And Kerry Toros reasoned with Mher
[Not to taunt the townspeople].
3.
Seven years went by. David did not return.
Mher [one day] asked his mother:
—Mother, where is my father?
Children say to me,
"You have no father, you are a bastard."
—Have I no father? Where is he gone?
[330] I want to go after him.
Khantout said: —David is your father,
He is gone to Gurjistan
To marry off forty pahlevans. [He will return.]
He gave me a golden armband so that
When I gave birth to a son I would put it on his arm
And send him to meet his father.
Mher said: —I will go and find my father.
Khantout then put the armband on Mher's arm
And pointed out the road to Gurjistan.
Mher went to the stable, took a horse,
Armed himself, mounted and rode away.
When he reached the plain, he saw a brown-bearded man
On horseback with a maiden seated on the croup.
The horseman was coming toward him.
Mher called out: — Ey, Old One,
Is it becoming to a bearded man like you
To have such a young maiden?
You must give that maiden to me.
David said: —Boy, you are an underling,
If it is becoming to you, why not to me?
Mher said: —It is becoming to me,
Because I am unmarried, she is unmarried.
David tried to pass him by;
Mher reached out and said:
—I will not let you have her.
I will take her away from you.
David was angered, he said:
—Hi, ho, hi-ho, see [what's happening to me]!
[Chanting:]
I have been through many a sea
Without wetting my horse's hoofs,
Now I have come to a little rill
That will not let me pass;
I have roamed over many hills and mountains,
[331] No one has dared to block my path;
Here I face a tiny stripling
Who is challenging me.
When David finished, Mher said:
—Am I the little rill?
Am I the tiny stripling?
Get down, you and I will fight.
David dismounted and said:
—Wait, I will take this maiden out of the way,
Then you and I will fight.
—Take her away, said Mher.
David took the maiden to a hilltop and came back.
He and Mher came to grips.
They fought so hard
That the dust rose and clouded the sky,
Their sweat, pouring down,
Turned the ground into mud and mire.
The blows of their maces raised a breeze
[So strong] That it blew David's handkerchief
Right to Khantout's door.
Khantout Khanum came out, looked around
And saw that dust had engulfed the earth.
She saw a handkerchief,
Picked it up, recognized its scent, and said:
—Ah, this is David's handkerchief.
She heard rumblings in the plain,
Mounted her horse, rode down,
And saw a cloud of dust rising to the sky.
Like two mountains coming to a clash,
David and Mher were battering each other;
They were drenched in blood,
No one could go near to them.
Khantout Khanum then called out:
[Chanting:]
—David, do not strike, David, do not strike
Our young and only child.
[332] David was not striking hard,
He was only holding his own
And striking Mher halfheartedly.
Mher said to Khantout:
—Have no fear, mother,
His blows are like the breeze of Dzovasar
Brushing my hair.
Again Khantout Khanum called out:
[Chanting:]
—Mher, do not strike, Mher, do not strike,
Our brown-bearded David.
But Mher did not hear her.
Khantout Khanum called out again:
[Chanting:]
—O hills, come to my aid,
O valleys, come to my aid.
And separate father from son.
Do hills and valleys come to one's aid?
Hills and valleys never come to one's aid.
Khantout cried out again:
[Chanting:]
—O blessed, merciful God,
Thou who dost command,
Send down angel Gabriel
To separate father from son.
By God's command the angel Gabriel came down,
Intervened and set father and son apart
As someone separates two fighting cocks.
David then said:
—Lad, if you had killed me,
How would you be able to escape my avenging son?
Mher asked: —Who is your brave son?
David said: —My son is the one
[333] Who wears a golden armband on his arm.
Mher looked at his arm
And saw the golden armband.
He wept, took David's hand, kissed it, and said:
—Are you my father? I have sinned against you.
David said:
—Mher, you disgraced me by fighting with me;
I invoke God the merciful,
May you have no death, no offspring!
Hearing David's curse,
Mher became angry, went to Gaboudgogh,
Gathered forty young men,
Forty young women,
And drank with them seven-year-old pomegranate wine.
4.
David took Khantout Khanum and
The maiden home to Sassoun.
Being blood-stained from the fight with Mher,
David said: —Khantout, bring some water,
I want to wash myself.
When he took off his garments,
Khantout saw that the Battle Cross upon his arm
Had turned as black as coal.
She was frightened, began to weep.
David asked: —Wife, why are you frightened?
Why are you weeping?
Khantout said: —The Battle Cross on your right arm
Has turned black like a lump of burnt bread.
David said: —Khantout Khanum,
Mher's blows did not hit me,
It was the Battle Cross that struck me.
Wife, I am going to Ch'm'shkig Sultan.
My vow for seven days
Has not been fulfilled for seven years.
[334] I am forsworn, I am going.
Saying this, David girded his Lightning Sword,
Mounted Kourkig Jelaly, and rode away.
He reached the palace of Ch'm'shkig Sultan.
Seeing David at her gate, Ch'm'shkig Sultan said:
—David, you took an oath to come back in seven days,
Seven days became seven years.
I stayed unmarried and waited for you.
David said: —Prepare yourself and come out;
We will fight.
Ch'm'shkig Sultan said:
—Give me an hour
To put on my armour and take my weapons.
David tied Kourkig Jelaly
At Ch'm'shkig Sultan's gate, and said:
—Let my horse stay here;
While you are dressing,
I will go to the river for a swim.
David took off his clothes,
Went into the river to swim.
The river bank was thick with reeds.
While Ch'm'shkig Sultan was getting ready,
Her daughter took a bow and arrow,
Came and hid herself among the reeds.
While David was swimming,
The maiden stealthily shot at David
With a poisoned arrow.
The arrow pierced his ribs
And came out through his heart.
From the pain David screamed
Like the bellow of seven buffalos.
His voice was heard in Sassoun.
Kerry Toros, hearing David's voice,
Called out: —Hurry, boys, David has been shot.
Kerry Toros, Tzenov Hovan, Junjghaporig,
Khor Manoug, Khor Kousan came at his call.
[335] Tzenov Hovan called out from Sassoun:
—David, we are coining . . .
They went to his aid.
When they reached the river bank,
Kerry Toros asked David:
—Who shot you, lad?
—I do not know, said David,
It was someone hiding among the reeds.
They searched and found among the reeds
A maiden with glassy [frozen] eyes—
She had died of fright when David had screamed.
The maiden was the daughter of Ch'm'shkig Sultan.
Hearing this, David said:
That worm who destroyed me came out of me;
It was my offspring who killed me.
Saying this, David died—
May his sun be granted to your sons.
Upon David's death, Kourkig Jelaly went wild,
Broke his rein tied to the tree, ran amuck,
Trampled to death every man,
Animal, and horse on his path,
Until he reached Khantout Khanum's door;
There he stopped.
Khantout came out and saw the horse without his master.
She knew that something had happened to David.
5.
Kerry Toros said:
—Boys, bring David's body,
Let us set it upright on a horse,
And ride home at a gallop;
[336] Khantout then will not know that David is dead.
But Khantout had gone up
To the roof of the house
That was built on a high rock.
She was looking around to see
If David was coming back alive or dead.
She saw men, on horseback, riding at a gallop
With David, motionless, on another horse.
She knew then that David was dead.
Khantout Khanum [cried then and] lamented:
[Chanting:]
—The worthy came,
The unworthy came,
But my valiant David did not come.
Tzurran Vergo, the cad, was on the roof, too;
He came to Khantout and said:
—David died without a fight.
He is dead. Take me for your delight.
You will be without valiant David,
But you will not be without a husband.
Khantout turned and said:
—The light of the day shall be denied to me from now on;
I will not stay on this earth without David.
Khantout then climbed to the top of the turret
And threw herself down on the rocks.
Her head hit the rock, made a deep dent;
People of Sassoun use this hollow as a mortar
To pound seven measures of millet.
Two fountains now gush where her breasts hit the rock.
Seven pillars stand there now,
Replacing her seven braids;
And to this day
The mortar stands in front of the fortress.
[337] They came and found Khantout Khanum dead.
Their grief was twofold.
Kerry Toros asked:
—Who told her [about David]?
—That cad, Vergo, they said.
—You dog, said Toros,
Why didn't you wait until we came?
David and Khantout were wrapped in shrouds,
Bound together and put in a single coffin.
With forty vardapets, forty priests, forty deacons,
And with all the people of Sassoun lamenting,
They took David and Khantout to Dzovasar,
Held solemn mass, and
Buried them in the Monastery of Marout,
And remained in mourning for seven days.
They died. May the Lord have mercy on their souls;
And you, dear listeners, long may you live.