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Summer Evening, Prairie Night, Land of Golden Wheat The Outside World in Kazakh Literature First Edition EDITED BY Rafis Abazov TRANSLATED BY Sergey Levchin Bassim Hamadeh, CEO and Publisher Michael Simpson, Vice President of Acquisitions Jamie Giganti, Senior Managing Editor Jess Busch, Senior Graphic Designer John Remington, Acquisitions Editor Brian Fahey, Licensing Specialist Sean Adams, Production Editor Copyright © 2016 by Cognella, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted, or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information retrieval system without the written permission of Cognella, Inc. First published in the United States of America in 2016 by Cognella, Inc. Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Cover image copyright© by Depositphotos / parfta. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 978-1-63189-400-8 (pbk) / 978-1-63189-401-5 (br) Contents Acknowledgments xi Foreword xv By Kairat Umarov Foreword: Nature and the Transformation of the Spirit xix By Ualikhan Kalizhanov Introduction 1 I. Poetry 14 Abay Kunanbayev (1845–1904) Autumn 15 “A horseman with a berkut rides through the early snow” 16 Ybyray Altynsarin (1841–1889) River 17 Spring 18 Zhambyl Zhabayev (1846–1945) Alatau 20 Song of Summer 21 Shakarim Kudayberdiev (1858–1931) “No more black clouds in the sky” 23 Comes Summer 24 Sultanmakhmut Toraygyrov (1893–1920) Rain over Sary-Arka 25 Confusion in a Storm 26 Magzhan Zhumabayev (1893–1938) Sasykkol, My Native Land 27 Winter Road 28 Saken Seyfullin (1894–1939) Kokshetau (excerpt from an epic poem) 29 In Our Land 30 Ilyas Zhansugurov (1894–1937) Steppe (excerpt from the poem “Dedication”) 32 Dawn 33 Abu Sarsenbayev (1905–1995) “Calm and imperious flows the Ishim” 34 Nature Museum 35 Mariam Khakimzhanova (1906–1993) Tobol, O My Tobol! 35 Zhaylau 37 Abilda Tazhibayev (1909–1998) Syr Darya 38 In the Mountains 39 Kasym Amanzholov (1911–1955) “Bluest of blue, my Aral” 41 I Laugh and I Cry 42 Zhumagali Sain (1912–1961) Kokshetau 43 I Remember You, River Aydar 44 Khalimzhan Bekkhozhin (1913–1990) A Legend of the Steppes 45 Wind 46 Zhuban Moldagaliev (1920–1988) Recollections of My Native Land 47 Prairie Night 49 Tursynkhan Abdrakhmanova (1921–2003) Summer Evening 51 It is Spring Again 51 Syrbay Maulenov (1922–1993) My Land 52 Seven Rivers 53 Mukagali Makatayev (1931–1976) Desert Mountain 54 “A mountain river seethes with spring waters” 55 Kadyr Myrzaliev (1935–2001) A Walk through the Temple Called Steppe 56 “Never mind your graying hair” 57 Tumanbay Moldagaliev (1935–2001) My Alatau 57 The Snows of Alatau 59 Zhumeken Nazhimedenov (1935–1983) Red Hill 60 The Elm 60 Olzhas Suleymenov (b. 1936) Song over the Sands 61 In the Grass 62 Marfuga Aytkhozhina (b. 1936) One on One with Nature 63 Markakol 65 Fariza Ongarsynova (1939–2014) “It is bitter cold in the snowless steppe” 66 Camelthorn 67 Mukhtar Shakhanov (b. 1942) Rivers 67 Meditation beside the River Zhayyk 68 Akushtap Baktygereyeva (b. 1944) I Like Poppies 69 My Auyl 69 Shomishbay Sariev (b. 1946) Voices of the Seasons 70 Spring 70 Summer 71 Fall 72 Winter 73 Kulyash Akhmetova (b. 1946) Inscription on the Mausoleum Aysha-Bibi 74 At the River’s Edge 76 Amantay Akhetov (b. 1947) My Native Land 76 Heaven on Earth, Burabay 77 Bakhytzhan Kanapyanov (b. 1951) “Riding up the river” 79 Mountain Road Lost in the Fog 79 Gafu Kairbekov (1928–1994) Steppe 81 II. Prose 84 Mukhtar Auezov (1897–1961) Grey-Fierce 85 Sabit Mukanov (1900–1973) Land of Gold 103 Gabit Musrepov (1902–1985) The Night of the Blizzard 115 Gabiden Mustafin (1902–1985) After the Storm (fragment of a novel) 127 Taken Alimkulov (1918–1987) The Blind 137 Takhaui Akhtanov (1923–1994) Blizzard (fragment of a novel) 147 Anuar Alimzhanov (1930–1993) The Bridge of Karasunkara (fragment of a novella) 153 Sayyn Muratbekov (1936–2007) Kamen-Toghay 159 Sharbanu Kumarova (b. 1936) Golden Wheat 165 Satimzhan Sanbayev (1939–2013) White Aruana 173 Dulat Isabekov (b. 1942) Kablan 183 Rymgali Nurgali (1940–2010) Three-Legged Foal 191 Ualikhan Kalizhanov (b. 1948) The Cradle 197 Ualikhan Kalizhanov (b. 1948) Flop-Ears 203 Altynash Dzhaganova (b. 1943) Amina, Wolves and the End of the World 207 Roza Mukanova (b. 1980) Leyla’s Prayer 215 Glossary 220 Acknowledgments his book is the third in a series of publications on “Kazakhstan: Literary Heritage T on the Great Silk Road.” For many years I have explored, studied and taught about various cultural aspects of development, public diplomacy and globalization. I have always recommended that in order to understand the modern developing world, and countries like Kazakhstan, it is important to read primary materials and have access to primary sources. Among such sources, the literature of a nation not only reflects its past culture, history and social changes, but also helps us to understand and explain the present and imagine the future. In the modern context, we often talk about the merging of boundaries between states and even continents. Yet, many scholars have recently started to argue that the foundation and essence of this rapidly globalizing world lies in the very diversity of its parts—different perceptions and reflections of global relations, global culture and the relations not only between people, but also between people and nature. Seen this way, the world is not one: its richness, diversity and plurality consists in the cultural heritage accumulated throughout the long history of every nation and every society. What better window into this diverse cultural wealth than the creative literature of a people? Over the past few years, I have had many discussions with intellectuals, journalists and scholars from Kazakhstan about how they see the world, and their perceptions on the chal- lenges we face in the 21st century. After much discourse we have arrived at a consensus that modern Kazakh culture, including its literature, reflects a quite different path in human history than is delivered through traditionally Eurocentric interpretations: the world as perceived and interpreted by the nomads of the great Eurasian Steppe. The second book in our series—The Stories from the Great Steppe—was especially designed to celebrate this path. After much deliberation about The Stories we arrived at a conception of the next step in the project: to bring forward the views of nomads on their very special relations with the Acknowledgments | xi natural world they inhabit, and to examine how this stance is reflected in the Kazakh lit- erature of today. We set out therefore to publish a concise anthology of 20th century Kazakh literature, which would introduce the cultural perception of nature and at the same time would contribute to global discourse in search of a new paradigm of sustainable relations between people and the natural world around us for “The Future We Want.”1 This volume entitled Summer Evening, Prairie Night, Land of Golden Wheat: The Outside World in Kazakh Literature has thus emerged from several years of intensive consultations and research on cultural and social development in Kazakhstan; it also tracks Kazakhstan’s contribution to the global debate on sustainable development, including RIO+20 and other global discourses about climate change. Some initial materials were collected while I was working on The Green Desert (the first volume in the series) and The Stories of the Great Steppe. I have made a habit of asking my American colleagues and students what they want to learn about Kazakhstan; and I have also regularly asked my Kazakh colleagues what is the most concise way of presenting the essence of Kazakh culture and world views. Communicating with readers during a series of presentations on The Green Desert and The Stories of the Great Steppe, both in the USA and in Kazakhstan, has strengthened my be- lief that this third volume will also find its audience and its followers. I was delighted that the Cognella Publishing House (formerly University Readers Publishing House) and especially Melissa Barcomb and John Remington, Senior Field Acquisitions Editors, enthusiastically supported the project and provided all necessary support to make this publication happen. My deep gratitude also goes to Jamie Giganti, Managing Editor for Cognella, Inc. who has worked on this project with me from the beginning. Summer Evening, Prairie Night, Land of Golden Wheat: The Outside World in Kazakh Literature was prepared as an introduction to the 20th century literature of Kazakhstan for the American audience. All works—both prose and poetry—are brought together under a single thematic umbrella: a reflection of the relations between people and nature. We are excited about the contribution that this book makes to the growing body of literature about nature.2 During the last few years, several works of contemporary Kazakh writers have been translated into English and other European languages, and this is an immensely valuable thing. Still, I have felt it very important to prepare this overview of modern Kazakh literature along the theme “Kazakhs and nature.” Of course I am fully aware that the thirty works gathered here represent just the tip of the iceberg of the contemporary literature of Kazakhstan, and I hope that many more translations will continue to become available. The realization of this book has been made possible only through the invaluable con- tributions of those around me. My Kazakh colleagues from a variety of institutions and backgrounds discussed with me many aspects of Kazakh literary heritage, tracking the 1 “The Future We Want” is the title of the UN-led consultations about sustainable development in the 21st century, launched in 2013.