Armenian Literature Part 10

[8] Probably the King's brother.

Abamelik said: "May your life be long, O master! Believe me, we have given the castle no name. We have but built it and made it ready."

"Very well. It may be that you have given it no name, but as you have set up rows of stone pillars let us call it Sausun or Sa.s.sun."[9]

[9] "Sa.s.sun" signifies "pillar upon pillar." This explains the origin of the name of Sa.s.sun, a district of the old Armenian province Achznik, south of the city of Musch. The residents of this district up to the present day owe their independence to their inaccessible dwelling-place.

Here they remained several days. Uncle Toross was also married and stayed at Sa.s.sun, but the King returned home.

And Abamelik was strong and became a mighty man. From the environs of the Black Mountain and the Peak of Zetzinak, from Upper Musch as far as Sechanssar and the Plains of Tschapachtschur,[10] he reigned, and built a wall around his dominions. He made four gates. Often he shut his doors, mounted his horse, and captured whatever came in his way, both demons and beasts of prey. Once he penetrated into Mosr and ravaged it, and he went in to the wife of the Lord of Mosr and lay with her. She bore a son, and the King of Mosr knew that the boy was Abamelik's and named him Mosramelik. But afterward Abamelik slew the King and took his wife and became King of Mosr.[11]

[10] The names cited here exist to the present day. The places lie in the old districts of the Turuberan and Achznik in the present district Musch.

[11] The Armenians now call Egypt Mosr. This probably refers to Mossul.

Now Sana.s.sar dwelt at Sa.s.sun, but the G.o.ds of his fathers gave him no repose, so he travelled to Bagdad to the home of his father and mother.

His father, sitting at his window, saw his son Sana.s.sar come riding up, and recognized him, and the caliph said: "My life to thee, great G.o.d!

Thou hast brought back thy victim. Certainly in thy might thou wilt restore the second soon."

The mother--she was a Christian--began to weep and shed tears over her children. The father took a sharp sword and went out to meet his son, saying: "Come, my son, let us worship the great G.o.d in his temple. I must sacrifice to him."

The son said, "Dear father, your G.o.d is great and very wonderful. Truly in the night he permits us no rest. Certainly he will bring the second victim to you by force."

And they went into the temple of the G.o.d, and the son said: "Father dear, you know that we left your house when we were yet children, and we knew not the might of your G.o.d."

"Yes, yes, my son, but kneel before him and pray."

The son said: "What a wonderful G.o.d your G.o.d is! When you bowed before your G.o.d, there was a darkness before my eyes and I did not see how you did it. Bow once more before him, that I may learn to worship him."

When the father did the second time the son cried: "Bread and wine, the Lord liveth!" and seized his club and hurled the caliph full seven yards distant to the ground. And with his club he shattered all the images where they stood, put the silver in the skirts of his robe and carried it to his mother, saying: "Take this, mother, and wear it for ornament!"

His mother fell full length and bowed herself and said: "I thank thee, Creator of heaven and earth. It is well that thou hast rescued me from the hands of this cruel man."

They found Sana.s.sar a wife and placed him on the throne in his father's place, and he remained at Bagdad.[12]

[12] Here the story of Sana.s.sar breaks off and he is not mentioned again in the tale.

Now Abamelik, who reigned in Mosr, left his son Mosramelik to rule in his stead and went to Sa.s.sun. Many years pa.s.sed and children were born to him. To one he gave the name Tschentschchapokrik. The eldest son he named Zora-wegi, the second Zenow-Owan; while the third son was called Chor-Hussan,[13] and the youngest David.

[13] All these names are poetic and refer to certain characteristics of their bearers. "Zenow-Owan" means "melodiously-speaking John"; "Chor-Hussan" means "good singer"; "Tschentschchapokrik" means "sparrow"; and "Zoranwegi," "cowardly Wegi."

Of these, Tschentschchapokrik and Zoranwegi proved to be ne'er-do-weels.

Zenow-Owan had such a voice that he dried seven buffalo hides in the sun and wound them round his body so that it should not rend him. But the cleverest of all was David, and to his strength words cannot do justice.

Abamelik's life was long, but old age came upon him. Once he sat sunk in thought and said to himself: "Enemies are all about me. Who will care for my children after my death? Mosramelik alone can do this, for none beside him can cope with my enemies."

He set out to visit Mosramelik,[14] but he was very aged. "Mosramelik, my son," he said, "you are truly of my blood. If I die before you, I intrust my children to you. Take care of them. If you die first, confide yours to me and I will watch over them."

[14] To Mossul.

He returned and lived in his castle. His time came and he died. Then Mosramelik came and took the children to his house, for he had not forgotten his father's command. Sa.s.sun mourned the death of Abamelik for seven years. Then the peasants feasted and drank again with Uncle Toross, for they said: "Uncle Toross, our lads have grown old and our pretty girls are old women. If thou thinkest that by our seven years of weeping Abamelik will live again we would weep seven years longer."

Uncle Toross gave the peasants their way, and said: "Marry your lads and maidens. Weeping leads nowhere."

And they sat down and feasted and drank wine. Uncle Toross took a cup in his hand and paused: he was thinking about something, and he neither drank nor set the cup down. His son cries from the street: "Father, dear, there are the mad men of Sa.s.sun. Take care, they will be jeering at you. Let us go away."

Uncle Toross turned to his son and said: "Oh, you dog of a son! Shall I sit here and feast? Did not Mosramelik come and take our children away?

Abamelik's children in trouble, and I sitting at a banquet? Oh, what a shame it is! Bread and wine, G.o.d be praised! Truly, I will drink no wine till I have fetched the little ones." And Uncle Toross went out of Sa.s.sun and came to Mosr. He greeted Mosramelik, and they sat down together. Said Uncle Toross: "Now, we are come for G.o.d's judgment. It is true that you made an agreement with Abamelik, but if a man sells a captive he should first wait on the lord."[15]

[15] This means that if a captive is to be sold his kinsmen have a right before all others to redeem him.

They arose and went to the court,[16] and Uncle Toross was given the children.

[16] Schariat, the name of the Turkish court of justice, stands in the original.

But Mosramelik stood in fear of these children, and he said to Uncle Toross, "Let these children first pa.s.s under my sword, and then take them with you."

Uncle Toross told the lads of this, and Zoranwegi said, "Let us pa.s.s under his sword and escape hence"; and the other two said the same. But David said otherwise: "If he wishes us dead he will not kill us to-day, for the people will say he has murdered the children. Under his sword I will not go. He does this so that I shall not lift my sword against him when I am a man." Uncle Toross got the boys together, that they might pa.s.s under the sword of Mosramelik, for he was very anxious. David was rebellious; he stood still and went not under it. Uncle Toross seized his collar and pushed him, but David would not go. He ran past it at one side and kicked with his great toe upon a flint until the sparks flew.

And Mosramelik was frightened and said: "This child is still so young and yet is terrible. What will happen when he is a man! If any evil comes to me it will be through him."

Uncle Toross took the children and came to Sa.s.sun. Zoranwegi he established in the castle in his father's place, but David, who was the youngest, was sent out to herd the calves.

What a boy David was! If he struck out at the calves with his oaken stick, he would throw them all down, and forty others beside. Once he drove the calves to the top of the mountain. He found a herdsman there who was abusing his calves, and said: "You fellow! What are you up to?

Wait now, if I catch you, you will get something from my oaken stick that will make you cry Ow! ow!"

The fellow answered David: "I am ready to give my life for your head if I am not a shepherd from your father's village. These calves, here, belong to the peasants."

David said, "If that is so, watch my calves also. I know not what time I should drive them home. When the time comes tell me, that I may drive them in."

Then David drove in the calves on time that day, and Uncle Toross was pleased and said: "Always be punctual, my son; go out and come back every day at the right time."

"Uncle Toross, it was not my wisdom that did this. I have hired a comrade who will watch over my calves and see that I am ready with them."

Once his comrade tarried, and David was greatly vexed. It appeared that a religious festival was held in the village, and on this account the young man was detained. Finally he arrived, and David said to him, "To-day you get nothing from me."

The young man said: "David, I am willing to die for you. From fear of your anger, I waited not for the end of the service of G.o.d in the church, and not one spoonful of the holy soup[17] has pa.s.sed my lips. I drove out the calves and am here. Now you know why I tarried."

[17] Although me Armenians became Christians in the fourth century, they still retain many heathen customs which have lost all their original significance. They still sacrifice sheep and cows which have on the previous evening been given some salt consecrated by the priests. The meat is cooked in immense kettles and carried around to the houses. The shepherd speaks of soup of this kind.

David said: "Wait here; I will bring you your dinner."

He set off with his oaken stick over his shoulder. He came to the village, and found that all the people had brought corn to the priests, who blessed it. David stuck his oaken stick through the handle of the four-handled kettle, and, full as it was, lifted it to his shoulder and walked away. The priests and the peasants wondered at it, and one cried, "Truly, he has carried off a kettle!"

A priest cried out, "For G.o.d's sake, be silent! It is one of those mad men of Sa.s.sun. Take care or he will come back and break our ribs for us.

May he take the thing and fall down with it!"

And David took the kettle of grits to his comrade, whom he found weeping on the mountain.