Long ages ago there reigned a young Khan whose father had died early
and left him in possession of the kingdom. He was a youth comely to
look upon, and dazzling in the glory of his might. To him had been
given for his chief wife the daughter of a Khan of the South. But the
young Khan loved not this wife. At a mile's distance from his palace
there lived in her father's house a well-grown, beautiful maiden, of
whom he had made his second wife; as she was not a Khan's daughter
he feared to take her home to his palace, lest he should displease
his mother, but he came often to visit her, and as they loved each
other very much, she asked no more.
One night, when the moon was brightly shining, some one knocked at
the window, the maiden knew it was the Khan's manner of knocking,
so she opened to him,--but with trembling, for he had never been wont
to come at that hour; yet by the light of the moonbeam she saw that
it was indeed himself, only instead of his usual garments, he was
habited in shining apparel, which she could hardly look upon for its
brightness, and he, himself, too, looked more exceeding beautiful
than usual. When he had partaken of her rice-brandy and cakes,
he rose and stood upon the doorstep, saying, "Come, sweet wife,
come out together with me;" and when she had gone a little way with
him, he said, "Come, sweet wife, come a little farther with me." And
when she had gone a little farther with him, he said again, "Come,
sweet wife, come yet a little farther." So she went yet a little
farther till they had reached nearly to the gates of the palace, and
from within the courts of the palace there came a noise of shouting
and playing on instruments. Then inquired she, "To what end is this
shouting and this music?" And he replied, "It is the noise of the
sacrifice for the rites of the burial of the Khan (1)." "And why
do they celebrate the rites of the burial of the Khan?" she asked,
now beginning to fear in earnest. "Because I am dead, sweet wife, and
am even now on my way to the deva's kingdom. But thou listen to me,
and do according to my word, and all shall be well for thee and for
our son. Behold, even now, within the palace, my mother and my chief
wife strive together concerning a jewel which is lost. But I have
purposely hid the jewel under a god's image in the apartment. Thou,
therefore, pass the night in this elephant-stable of the palace
hard by, and there shall our son be born; and in the morning, the
elephant-tamers finding thee shall bring thee to my mother and my
chief wife. But thou, take the jewel and give it to the chief wife
and send her away to her own people. Then shall my mother have joy
in thee alone and in the child, and you two together shall direct
the Government till he be come to man's estate." Thus spoke the Khan.
While he spoke these words, the wife was so stricken with fear and
grief that she fell to the ground senseless, nor knew that he bore
her into the elephant-stable, and went up to the deva's kingdom.
In the night their son was born; and in the morning, the
elephant-tamers coming in, said, "Here is a woman and a babe lying
in the elephant-stable; this must not be, who knows but that it
might bring evil to the elephants (2)?" so they raised her up,
with her infant, and took her to the Khan's mother. Then she told
the Khan's mother all that had befallen her, and as the jewel was
found in the place the Khan had told her, it was taken for proof
of her truth. Accordingly, the jewel was given to the chief wife,
and she was dismissed to her own people; and as the Khan had left no
other child, the boy born in the elephant-stable was declared heir,
and his mother and the Khan's mother directed the Government together
till he should come to man's estate.
Thus the lowly maiden was established in the palace as the Khan
had promised. Moreover, every month, on the fifteenth of the month,
the Khan came in the night to visit her, disappearing again with the
morning light. When she told this to the Khan's mother, she would not
believe her, because he was invisible to all eyes but hers. And when
she protested that she spoke only words of truth, the Khan's mother
said, "If it be very truth, then obtain of him that his mother may
see him also."
On the fifteenth of the month, when he came again, she said therefore
to him, "That thou shouldst come thus to see me every month, on the
fifteenth of the month, is good; but that thou shouldst go away and
leave me all alone again, this is sad, very sad. Why canst thou not
come back and stay with us altogether, without going away any more?"
And he made answer: "Of a truth there would be one way, but it is
difficult and terrible, and it is not given to woman to endure so
much fear and pain."
But she replied, "If there were but any means to have thee back,
always by my side, I would find strength to endure any terror or pain,
even to the tearing out of the bones from the midst of my flesh."
"This is the means that must be taken then," said the Khan: "Next
month, on the fifteenth of the month, thou must rise when the moon's
light is at the full, and go forth abroad a mile's distance towards
the regions of the South. There shalt thou meet with an ancient man of
iron, standing on the watch, who, when he shall have drank much molten
metal, shall yet cry, 'Yet am I thirsty.' To him give rice-brandy and
pass on. Farther on thou shalt find two he-goats fighting together
mightily, to them give barm-cakes to eat and pass on. Farther along
thou shalt find a band of armed men who shall bar thy way; to them
distribute meat and pass on. Farther on thou shalt come to a frightful
massive black building round which runs a moat filled with human
blood, and from its portal waves a man's skin for a banner. At its
door stand on guard two terrible erliks (3), servants of Erlik Khan
(4); to each, offer an offering of blood and pass within the building.
"In the very midst of the building thou shalt find a Mandala (5)
formed by eight awful sorcerers, and at the feet of each will lie
a heart which will cry to thee, 'Take me! take me!' In the midst of
all will be a ninth heart which must cry 'Take me not!'
"If thou fortified by thy love shall be neither rendered afraid by
the aspect of the place, nor terrified by the might of the sorcerers,
nor confounded by the wailing of the voices, but shalt take up and
bear away that ninth heart, neither looking backwards nor tarrying
by the way, then shall it be granted us to live for evermore on
earth together."
Thus he spoke; and the morning light breaking, she saw him no
more. The wife, however, laid up all his words in her heart; and on
the fifteenth of the next month, when the moon shone, she went forth
all alone without seeking help or counsel from any one, content to
rely on her husband's words. Nor letting her heart be cast down by
fear or pain, she distributed to each of those she met by the way
the portion he had appointed. At last she reached the Mandala of
sorcerers, and, regardless of the conflicting cries by which she
was assailed, boldly carried off the ninth heart, though it said,
"Take me not!" No sooner had she turned back with her prize than the
eight sorcerers ran calling after her, "A thief has been in here,
and has stolen the heart! Guards! Up, and seize her!" But the Erliks
before the door answered, "Us she propitiated with a blood-offering;
we arrest her not. See you to it." So the word was passed on to the
company of armed men who had barred her passage; but they answered,
"Us hath she propitiated with a meat-offering; we arrest her not. See
you to it." Then the word was passed on to the two he-goats. But the
he-goats answered, "Us hath she propitiated with a barm-cake-offering;
we arrest her not. See you to it." Finally, the word was passed on
to the ancient man of iron; but he answered, "Me hath she propitiated
with a brandy-offering; I arrest her not."
Thus with fearless tread she continued all the way to the palace. On
opening the door of his apartment, the Khan himself came forward to
meet her in his beauty and might, and in tenfold glory, never to go
away from her again any more, and they fell into each other's arms
in a loving embrace.
"Scarcely could a man have held out as bravely as did this
woman!" exclaimed the Khan.
And as he uttered these words, the Siddhî-kür replied, "Forgetting his
health, the Well-and-wise-walking Khan hath opened his lips." And with
the cry "To escape out of this world is good!" he sped him through
the air, swift, out of sight.
Of the Adventures of the Well-and-wise-walking Khan the first chapter,
concerning the Woman who brought back her Husband from the palace
of Erlik-Khan.