Grassland Fire Mother

Author: Yeskizhe Huルmambek / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: In the late 1980s, I read a book titled "A Brief History of the Kazakh People." The book recorded a story about the origin of the Kazakh name, telling a tale of Kazakhs and swans, saying that the name "Kazakh" means "swan." In other words: The Kazakh people are the tribe of swans. The entire inspiration for the story came from a beautiful woman who transformed into a swan. The story goes that in ancient times, a war broke out on the earth, and a brave warrior named Kalsa-Kuder lay dying on the battlefield after the smoke had cleared. Around him were the dead warhorses and the corpses of the warriors, with spears and swords stained with black blood. The sky was overcast with dark clouds, and the surroundings were in complete silence. The warrior lay in a pool of blood, thinking of his elderly mother, his heart aching like a knife! How would his poor mother live without him in the future! So, he tried to stand up. But he couldn’t, the pain from his injuries made stars flicker before his eyes, and he could only cast his despairing gaze to the sky. Just as the last light of the world was about to disappear, the warrior faintly heard a long cry that pierced the sky, as if something were calling to him. Then, he widened his eyes and saw a large white bird appearing in the sky. The white light of the bird illuminated the dark clouds. The clouds scattered, revealing the blue sky, and a thick beam of light shot down from the high heavens. The white bird circled around the beam of light, flying down in circles. The warrior made out clearly— it was a swan. The swan came to his side, emitting the scent of the sky, cool and fresh. Kalsa-Kuder felt a sense of relief. He took a deep breath, then another, and his weak pulse began to beat rhythmically. Blood started to flow through his body. P72-73