1.
Again, I pray for mercy
On Deghtzoun Jewgh Dzam [Golden Braids]—
A thousand mercies.
Again, I pray for mercy
On Kerry Toros—
A thousand mercies.
Again, I pray for mercy
On Tzenov Hovan—
A thousand mercies.
Again, I pray for mercy
On Medz Mher—
A thousand mercies.
Again, I pray for mercy
On Armaghan—
A thousand mercies.
Again, I pray for mercy
On Ismil Khatoun—
I will pray for mercy.
[113]
2.
After the death of Sanasar, Tzenov Hovan said to Vergo:
—As our elder brother
You are the heir to Sassoun now.
—Ya? said Vergo, I am not able to rule Sassoun;
I have been disabled for years.
One day as I lifted and hurled Sanasar's mace,
I suffered a rupture.
They sat in council and decided:
—As Sanasar's sons are still young,
We will have Karsoun Jewgh Deghtzoun Dzam rule
Until the boys come of age.
Coming out of her confinement,
Deghtzoun Jewgh Dzam mounted Kourkig Jelaly
And roamed the mountains.
One should have seen her and her horse—
A mother-of-pearl saddle on his back,
A steel bit in his mouth.
Wearing her armour of iron, and shoes of steel,
With Sanasar's staff in her hand,
She rode over the mountains.
In this manner Deghtzoun ruled Sassoun
For a number of years.
3.
In the domain of the Khalif of Baghdad
There was a man named Msrah Melik,
Who was the ruler of Msr [Great City].
Hearing of the death of Sanasar,
He marched on Sassoun
[114] And levied an annual tribute of
Forty sterile bulls,
Forty kodes [pails] of gold, and
Forty virgin maidens.
Thus, for a number of years,
Sassoun remained tributary to Melik.
4.
At seven years of age
Mher grew to be seven stories tall.
They sent him to friary school,
Where he studied and learned the proprieties.
One day Mher said to his mother:
—Mother, I have been kept at home long enough;
Give me leave to go to the highlands and mountains,
To hunt fowl and beast, and enter the ranks of men.
Deghtzoun Jewgh Dzam said:
—Mher, you are still young, wait a few more years.
—But, Mother, said Mher,
As we have no man in our household
The devs [foes] will fall upon us, will do us harm.
I should be prepared now to face the foe.
Deghtzoun Jewgh Dzam realized that
She could not hold the boy down;
She gave her consent.
Mher then went out to hunt.
He roamed the plains and mountains,
Hunting during the day, coming home to sleep at night.
He went on foot; he had no horse.
One day, while on the hunt,
He chased foxes all day without bagging any game.
Angry and tired, he returned home in the evening
And threw his staff on the floor.
Kerry Toros asked: —Why are you angry, lad?
[115] Mher said: —Kerry Toros,
Curse on this sort of game!
I ran after beasts all day, I chased them all day,
But they all escaped, I could not reach them.
I shot at them with my bow and arrow,
But could not hit them.
Now I am back home, empty-handed.
Ah, Kerry, [if you only knew] how tired I am!
Mher had become heavy, he could not run fast.
And when he ran, his feet sank in the ground.
His uncle said: —You, foolhardy of Sassoun—
Must all Sassounites be foolhardy?
How can a man run after game
And catch animals by hand?
—What should I do then, Kerry? asked Mher.
—Mher, my boy, said his mother,
Prince Korkig in Bitlis has many horses of fiery breed,
He is a kin of ours; go to him;
Don't waste yourself, get a horse,
Bring it home, so that you can ride when you go hunting.
—Mother, said Mher, put aside
One or two loaves of bread for me.
At daybreak I will start for Bitlis.
5.
Mher rose at daybreak,
Took two loaves of millet bread, put them in his belt,
Pulled up a tree and carrying it across his shoulders,
He took to the road:
—Plains of Bitlis, I am coming!
After a rest at the plain of Maranik,
He continued his journey to Bitlis
And entered the upper section of the city
Where young boys were playing.
The boys saw a man coming—
A big man carrying across his shoulders a large tree
[116] As big as a ceiling beam.
They wondered and said:
—Who can this man be,
Carrying a beam across his shoulders?
Mher asked the young boys:
—Where is the house of Prince Korkig?
The boys gathered around him and said:
—Come, we will take you to Prince Korkig's house.
They took him to the gate of the house.
Mher put down his staff [beam] and went in.
He saw Prince Korkig sitting in his chamber,
Holding council with his elders.
Mher saluted them.
Prince Korkig ignored his salutation.
Seeing him sitting at the head of the council,
Mher thought: —He must be Prince Korkig.
Mher went to him, seized his arm,
Lifted him and stood him on his feet—
Giving a mild twist to his arm.
Korkig felt as if his arm was broken at seven places.
—Where are you from, brave lad? asked Korkig.
—I am from Sassoun, replied Mher.
—Whose son are you, my boy?
—I am the son of Sanasar.
—You are welcome, my lad, a thousand times welcome.
Korkig feigned friendship.
Seeing Mher's strength, he wanted to placate him.
—Bring food for the lad, he said [to an attendant].
Mher sat down, rested a while, ate his food.
Korkig then asked him: —What is your name, my boy?
—My name is Mher.
—Mher, my boy, why have you come to me?
—Uncle, said Mher, I have become so heavy
That when I go to hunt in the mountains
I cannot run after wolves and beasts,
They run away and escape capture.
[117] I have come to ask you to give me a horse,
So that I can ride when I go hunting.
If you will give me one, give it to me now;
If you will not, I will leave immediately.
Korkig said: —Mher lad, I would die for you.
Is it one horse you want? I will give you ten.
There are forty horses in the stable.
Go and take the one you choose to ride.
6.
They went to sleep that night.
At daybreak they were served their morning meal;
Then Korkig called the stableboy
And said: —Take Mher to the stalls.
Give him the horse he chooses to ride.
Mher went to the stalls with the stableboy,
And what did he see?
Twenty horses in one row of stalls
And twenty horses in another row,
With mother-of-pearl saddles on their backs
And steel bits in their mouths.
—Mher lad, I would die for you, said the stableboy,
Take any horse you like.
Mher walked up and down the row of stalls.
He slapped the back of every horse; and [under the slap]
Every one of the horses dropped its belly to the ground.
After trying the forty horses, Mher said:
—There is not one horse [here] that can serve me,
What can I do with them if I take them?
I slapped every horse,
And every one's belly touched the ground.
How will they support me?
As he was coming out of the stable,
He saw a two-year-old,
[118] Plump, shaggy colt capering about.
Mher thought to himself:
—I found no horse there that would serve me.
Let me try this colt with one blow;
If he falls dead, I will leave.
People will know then how strong I am.
Saying this, he struck a blow
That only brushed the rump of the colt.
The colt jumped in frenzy,
Showing the strength of ten horses,
And struck the wall with his hoofs.
If he had hit Mher,
Mher would have landed in Sassoun.
The colt's kick hit the stone of the manure pit
And drew sparks. Mher then said:
The Cross be my witness! This is the colt
That will support me.
I know my strength well.
The blow I gave would have killed any other horse.
I will take this colt, if Prince Korkig gives it to me;
If he does not, I will leave and go.
7.
Mher returned to the chamber of the prince.
Korkig asked him:
—Mher, lad, which horse did you select?
—I do not wish to take one single horse
From your stable [Mher said].
Give me the shaggy colt if you will;
If you will not, I will leave for home.
—Mher, my boy, replied the uncle,
I am Prince Korkig, I would feel ashamed
To give you a colt.
People would say Sanasar's son came,
Prince Korkig refused to give him a thoroughbred horse.
—No, Uncle, no, said Mher,
[119] That colt is the only one I ask for;
If you give it to me, I will take it;
If you do not, I will go.
—As you wish, lad, said Prince Korkig.
I will not persuade you to make another choice;
If you want that colt, take it.
The stableboy put a halter on the colt's neck,
Brought him out of the stable
And handed the halter to Mher.
Mher tried to lead the colt,
The colt would not budge.
He asked for a rope. They brought it to him.
Mher tied the colt's four feet securely together,
Thrust a beam between its legs,
Lifted the colt to his shoulders and bade:
—Farewell, Uncle, Lord's bounty on your house!
Mher started for home, exclaiming:
—Sassoun, I am coming . . .
People of Bitlis, young and old, are inclined to deviltry.
Seeing Mher carrying a horse on his shoulder,
They gathered around him and
—Hoo, hoo, hooted him,
—Poo, poo, ridiculed him.
Mher paid no attention to their shouts.
He kept on his way . . . and reached Sassoun.
8.
Kerry Toros saw Mher coming,
With a colt slung over his shoulder.
He asked: —What a shaggy colt, lad,
Is that the best you could get,
Couldn't you get a thoroughbred from Korkig?
—You are right, Kerry, Mher replied,
Prince Korkig had forty horses in his stable;
Every one of the good-for-naughts that I slapped,
Dropped its belly to the ground.
[120] There was not one horse that could serve me;
But when I struck a blow that brushed
The rump of this colt,
He jumped in frenzy, showing the strength of ten horses;
With his hoofs he kicked the stone of the manure pit
And drew sparks from it.
—Then you have a fiery colt, said Kerry Toros;
Bring him in, I will take good care of him.
At the end of three months you will ride him.
Kerry Toros was a veterinarian, a good judge of horses.
He took the colt, trained him for three months,
And after breaking him in, gave him to Mher to ride.
Mher became a fine horseman,
Rode throughout the land of Sassoun.
Going to the chase on horseback,
He hunted the beasts of the countryside,
Brought the game to the city
And gave it to all the people of Sassoun.
In this way he fed Sassoun for seven years.
9.
There came a day when Sassoun
Suffered great scarcity of grain [for bread].
Mher was fifteen years old then.
People came and clamoured at his door for help:
—Mher, we will perish from famine,
For the sake of God, get some grain for us.
—I don't know what to do, said Mher.
I will ask Kerry Toros,
He will know the cause of this famine.
Mher went to Kerry Toros and said:
—Uncle, our people are suffering from famine,
Can you get some food?
[121] —Son, replied the uncle,
What can I do? There is no grain in the land.
If there is any grain,
It will be found in your father's granaries.
—What is the cause of this scarcity of grain?
Was it hail or wind or scorching heat
[That destroyed the harvest] ? asked Mher.
—No, none of those, replied Kerry Toros,
We raise little grain in our land,
We raise goats, cattle, and donkeys,
We get our grain from Damascus and Alep.
There is a lion roaming the countryside; he would devour
Anyone going to the hillside to plough the land.
The beast has blocked all the roads;
No one dares to travel from Damascus to Sassoun,
Or from Sassoun to Damascus.
That is why we have no grain,
That is why we have famine in our land.
Mher asked: —Kerry, what is a lion like?
What kind of a being is a lion?
—The lion is the king of beasts.
He devours men, replied Kerry Toros.
—Does he devour people from afar or
When they are near? asked Mher.
—When they are near, replied Kerry Toros.
—Then I will go and face him at daybreak, said Mher.
—No, lad, don't go, he will kill you, said Kerry.
Mher paid no attention. He went.
In the morning whoever could set his feet in a stirrup,
Whoever could mount a horse, joined Mher.
All rode out to track the lion.
The lion saw someone coming.
He left his lair and stalked;
Lashing his tail, he raised a mighty dust,
And facing Mher, awaited him.
Mher asked his followers:
—What is that, facing us?
[122] —That is the lion, they replied.
Mher said: —Anyone who attempts to kill the lion
With a sword, I will leave the lion,
Turn on that man and kill him myself.
The mother of that lion invoked God
When she gave birth to him.
My mother, too, invoked God when she gave birth to me.
I will lay aside my garments
And grapple with him barehanded.
His followers stood at a distance,
Mher went alone . . .
He and the lion came to grips.
Invoking —In the name of the Bread and Wine
And the Eternal Lord,
Mher grasped the lion's upper jaw with one hand,
And the lower jaw with his other hand,
Tore the lion apart—into two pieces,
Laid one piece on one side
And the other piece on the other side of the road.
His followers came, stood beside him,
While one of them ran to Sassoun with the news
To Mher's mother: —Light unto your eyes!
Mher killed the lion.
Until that day he was called Mher,
From that day on he was named Lion-like Mher.
Mher returned to Sassoun.
People of Sassoun then came to him and hailed him:
—You are our lord now, you will rule our land.
When people of Sassoun proclaimed Mher as their ruler,
His mother, Karsoun Jewgh Dzam Deghtzoun, gave him
The fiery horse, Kourkig Jelaly,
The Lightning Sword,
The armoured helmet,
[123] The girdle,
And the velvet cloak.
Mher mounted Kourkig Jelaly,
Held the Lightning Sword,
And rode around his father's lands.
All his enemies bowed their heads to him.
10.
And time passed.
One day Kerry Toros, the lords and elders,
Went to Deghtzoun Dzam's chamber and said to her:
—Why don't you have Sanasar's son married?
They held council;
At daybreak Kerry Toros, Hovan and many valourous men
Mounted their horses and set out on a journey.
They went to King Melkon.
King Melkon asked them: —Why have you come to me?
Kerry Toros said: —O King, we have come
To ask you to do something for us.
—What can I do for you? asked the king.
Kerry Toros replied:
—O King, find a good maiden for us—
A city-bred or country-bred maiden,
So that we can take her to Sassoun
And marry her to Mher.
King Melkon said: —Let us go to Manatzkert and ask for
Armaghan, the daughter of King Tevatoros [Winged Toros].
King Melkon, his vizier and ministers,
Kerry Toros and his valourous men,
Rode on to the fortress of Manatzkert
Where Tevatoros lived.
They stopped at the gate of the fortress
And asked: —Is Tevatoros at home?
[124] [The gate keeper] replied:
—Tevatoros is gone to Van.
They went to Van after breakfast.
At Van they asked: —Is Tevatoros here?
—No, [an attendant] replied,
He laid the foundation of the fort,
Had his meal and left for Arzroum.
They went to Arzroum at noon,
And asked: —Is Tevatoros here?
[An attendant] replied:
—He laid the foundation of the fort,
Had his noon-meal, and left for Kars.
They reached Kars and asked: —Is Tevatoros here?
[An attendant] replied:
—He laid the foundation of the fort,
Had his dinner, and left for the fortress of Manatzkert.
Word was sent to Tevatoros that:
—King Melkon, Kerry Toros,
Hovan, and their valourous men
Are on their way to be your guests.
King Tevatoros sent his men to meet them;
He greeted them;
Assigned separate quarters to the princes,
And separate quarters to their valourous men.
They sat down to have dinner;
After they had their dinner,
Tevatoros said to King Melkon:
—You are welcome, O King,
What has occasioned this visit [to me]?
—We have come to you
To establish a marital kinship.
—What sort of marital kinship? he asked.
—We are asking you to give your daughter, Armaghan,
To our Mher.
—Whose son is Mher? he asked.
—Mher is the son of Sanasar, they replied.
[125] Tevatoros said: —Melkon, Kerry Toros, Hovan,
Since you have come to me, I would readily
Give my daughter to you [if she were free];
But it is seven years since she has been a captive
In the hands of Sbidag Dev [White Dev] the Lord of Khlat.
Armaghan will be Mher's, if he can set her free.
Let them carry on their talk,
While we tell about Sbidag Dev.
11.
In those days Sbidag Dev was the King of Khlat.
He had heard of Mher's fame that was spreading
Throughout the world day by day.
He thought to himself:
—There will be a day, soon or late,
When Mher will destroy me and capture Khlat.
Sbidag Dev then wrote a letter,
Gave it to pahlevan Kamy [Wind]
Who took the letter to Sassoun.
On that day Mher was hunting in the mountains;
Pahlevan Kamy suddenly stood before him and said:
—Greetings to you, Mher,
Have you grown so big that you dare
To come to the mountains for hunting?
Be it known to you that Sbidag Dev
Is challenging you to a fight.
He handed the letter to Mher.
The letter read:
—Come, fight with me.
Mher took the letter and said:
[126] —So be it. Get ready. I am coming.
The dev who brought the message said:
—Mher, I have a request;
Do me a good turn; do what I beg you.
—My word is my bond, said Mher,
If you are devs,
We are the brave warriors of Sassoun.
We harbor no deceit. What is it you beg?
The dev said: —Be it known to you that
We do not like Sbidag Dev.
We want you to come and kill him
So that we can be freed from him.
—I will, said Mher.
Mher returned home, kissed his mother's hand,
And said: You should know that
Sbidag Dev has sent a letter to me
And challenged me to a fight.
Karsoun Jewgh Dzam Deghtzoun said:
—I would die for you [son], you are a young lad,
How can you fight him?
He is the most powerful among the kings;
No sword can strike him down.
Have a little more patience, Mher, [wait] until you grow,
Then go and fight with him.
—It is good to have patience, Mother, said Mher,
But I gave my word to the Dev. I am going.
—Very well, she said, you may go.
But you must heed my word:
Mount Kourkig Jelaly,
He is your father's horse, capable of any feat;
Put on Sanasar's armour,
His steel boots on your feet,
His iron helmet on your head;
[127] Carry his quiver, bow and arrows on your back,
Hold his mace in your hand,
Girdle yourself with the Lightning Sword and ride on.
Heeding his mother's word,
Mher took up his father's armour,
Mounted Kourkig Jelaly, and rode off.
Mher rode on, until he reached
Sbidag Dev's pasture land atop a high mountain.
It was springtime.
The mountain was decked
With myriads of flowers and sorrel.
Sbidag Dev and his imps had come to camp there.
12.
On his way to Sbidag Dev's camp Mher became thirsty.
He searched for water through the hills and valleys;
When he saw two giant devs standing watch at a spring
And filling a buffalo-hide bag with water,
Mher greeted them and asked:
—Will you let me take a drink of water?
—This spring belongs to Sbidag Dev [one of them said],
No one is allowed to drink water from it,
Except the Dev himself.
—Brother mine, said Mher, I beg you,
Give me some water so that I can drink it
And go on my way.
—No, they said, Sbidag Dev has sworn us
To keep watch at this spring
And send word to him when a stranger comes here.
Mher lost his patience,
Fought with the devs, killed one of them and
Wounded the other one who escaped.
Mher took a long drink of water,
Then, following the bloody track of the wounded dev,
[128] He reached an eerie cave at a wild, desolate spot.
Flames were shooting out of the cave.
At the entrance of the cave Mher saw
A fiery hour [fairy] maiden, tied to a tree,
Who was wiping the blood of the wounded dev.
Mher went there, caught the dev,
Tied his hands and feet, placed a rock over him,
And freed the maiden from her bonds.
The beautiful maiden stood up
And saw what a handsome and brave young man Mher was.
She was overwhelmed,
Her heart began to throb,
And she exclaimed: —O brave lad,
The bird on its wings, the snake on its belly
Cannot find their way to this cave,
How did you [find your way]?
Mher asked her: —How did it happen
That you came to these mountains?
The maiden gave a deep sigh:
—Ah, do not ask me that question.
For seven years I have been suffering
In the hands of Sbidag Dev.
That wicked creature, Sbidag Dev,
Attacked our land;
While I was strolling in our royal garden,
He suddenly came, seized me,
Carried me away in an instant,
And brought me here.
He tried to take me for his wife,
But by the grace of God,
I gathered strength to resist him.
He could not possess me.
To this day I still remain a virgin.
You should know, she said, I had a dream.
[129] In that dream I was told that
Most of my suffering is over,
That there will come a warrior, named Mher,
Who will kill Sbidag Dev and set me free.
—But where is Sbidag Dev? asked Mher.
—Nine days ago he went to Sev Sar [Black Mountain] on a pilgrimage,
He will return today, said Armaghan.
For his strength he is dependent on a black ox.
Riding the black ox,
Sbidag Dev roams around and devastates the land.
No one can withstand his might.
The man who slays the black ox
Will put an end to Sbidag Dev.
Mher said no more. He sprang on his horse
And rode on to Sev Sar.
Among the marshes at Sev Sar
Mher came upon the black ox.
He said his prayer, drew his Lightning Sword
And pierced the belly of the black ox.
The ox bellowed, rose on his hind legs,
Tottered and fell dead.
Mher turned his horse,
Returned to the cave and sat at the entrance.
13.
Sbidag Dev had feasted and amused himself
To his heart's content. He had become thirsty.
With his eyes pinned to the road,
He was watching eagerly for the devs
Who were to bring water to him. The devs did not come.
He said to himself:
[130] —They must have been held by a strong man.
He quickly mounted the Kamy [speedy, wind-like]-horse
And rode to the spring.
On his way he saw a man, the size of a huge rock,
Sitting at the entrance of the cave,
And a fiery horse, unbridled, grazing nearby.
—Hey, earth-born, roared Sbidag Dev,
The bird on its wings, the snake on its belly
Cannot make their way to this cave,
How did you dare to come here?
—You had challenged me to a fight. I am Mher;
I have come to fight. Come, let us fight.
Fight as hard as you can.
Hearing Mher's challenge, Sbidag Dev quailed,
Terror froze his hands and feet.
Feigning joy, he said:
—Ah, Mher, I welcome you,
Come, let us go to my tent,
Eat and drink until daybreak,
Then we will see on whose side God will be.
—No, said Mher, our grandfathers have advised us
To fight the enemy as soon as we face him.
Sbidag Dev and Medz Mher, on horseback,
Rushed at each other.
They fought for three days and three nights.
Mher kept striking Sbidag Dev.
His blows sank deep into his frame
As if his body were a batch of dough.
At the end of three days Mher slew Sbidag Dev.
He took Armaghan on his horse and quickly rode away.
[131]
14.
At sunset Mher reached Sassoun.
Kerry Toros and Tzenov Hovan had just returned home.
They sent word to Tevatoros
That Mher has set his daughter free.
Tevatoros and his ministers mounted their horses
And rode to Sassoun.
Houri Armaghan [the daughter of Tevatoros]
They wedded to Mher,
Held a wedding feast;
For seven days and seven nights
They ate, drank pomegranate wine and made merry.
At the end of seven days Tevatoros and his ministers
Returned to their city.
News reached Khlat that Mher had slain Sbidag Dev.
In great rejoicing the people of Khlat
Came to Medz Mher and took him to their city.
The devs of Khlat rose against Mher,
Fought him, and would not let him enter the city.
Mher drew his Lightning Sword,
Fell upon them and slew them all;
Then he returned to Sassoun.