Абай институтының хабаршысы

Абай институтының хабаршысы.  №6 (12), 2011

52

June 23

rd

 1904 was the time when famous 

Kazakh akyn

1

 and Chingiztau foothills inhabitants’ 

representative named Abay Kunanbayuli (or Abay 

Qunanbayuli) passed away. His real name is Ibrahim. 

However, according to Kazakh custom name 

«Abay» given by his mother is used for identifi cation 

nowadays.

 Abay’s father called Kunanbay was a famous biy

2

 

and Tobykty family hereditary ruler. Abay’s great-

grandmother (Qunanbay’s great-grandfather) was 

born approximately in 1750 in the river Irgiz. He was 

batyr

3

 and biy of Tobykty family. He became at the 

head of Tobykty family. Sometime later after another 

tribe called argyns led a nomadic life from side of 

Turkestan, one of the south towns in Kazakhstan, 

Kunanbay came to lands between Chingiz Mountains 

and determined them as the most suitable land in 

order to grant his people with pastures of this land.

Oskenbay, Irgizbay’s son was reputed as a 

justful biy in his tribe and was in need as a judge for 

neighboring families and tribes. There people from 

the distant families were coming to him, counting on 

his mind and shrewdness. They were hoping for the 

right resolution of their arguments. Being pacifi ed by 

his powerful will and mind, they return home, then.

Kunanbay, Abay’s father was not only authoritative 

and tough but also intelligent and clever man, who 

taking people’s opinion into account. Besides Tobykty, 

he was heading other families. In times of Chingizid 

representatives’ government, he stepped in fi ght with 

hereditary sultans. He won the fi ght and became the 1

st

 

sultan from Black Bone

4

 Kazakhs. Earlier only Kazakh 

aristocrats were in power.

1

Akyns or aqyns (Kazakh: ақын, [ɑqə́n]) are improvising 

poets and singers in the Kazakh and Kyrgyz cultures. Akyns 

differs from the so-called zhiraus, who are epic story tellers 

and song performers. 

2

  Biy is the judge, who investigates issues on Kazakh 

common or customary law.

3

 Batyr is a historical Turco-Mongol honorifi c title[1], in 

origin a term for “hero” or “valiant warrior”.

4

 Black Bone is the middle caste of people from poor 

strata of Kazakh society.

К. Искаков 

ЖИЗНЬ АБАЯ (ИБРАГИМА) КУНАНБАЕВА

Аннотация. Вопросы, рассматриваемые в статье. Родители Абая. Обучение. Первые песни Абая. 

Поэзия – властитель языка. Русская и западная литература. Переводы Абая. Абай и Абдрахман.

Ключевые слова: Абай, жизнь, поэзия, перевод, литература, наука, народ.

 There was a time, when Kazakhs superfi cially 

considered themselves as Muslims and could not 

even imagine other religions. Thus, they did not 

discern any customs and rituals. But Kunanbay 

accustomed people to Sharia law (Islamic law) in a 

way to avoid any confusion with other religions. If 

somebody committed particularly serious crimes, 

Kunanbay implemented the severest measures 

of punishment, provided Sharia law. In time of 

Kunanbay’s government there were mullahs

5

, who 

were orientating people toward theology science. In 

this way he tried to form a model of righteous man 

for people.

 In the times, when majority of Kazakhs were 

protecting their own children from Russians’ infl uence, 

Kunanbay strived for providing own children’s with 

Russian education. One of his sons, Haliola graduated 

Omsk offi cer training corps and Paul’s cavalry school 

in Moscow. He had always got exclusively top marks in 

every educational institution. Carrying out cornet’s duties, 

Haliola became ill of consumption and passed away.

 When old Kazakhs did not know about hajj

6

 

in their lifetime, but there was its time, in old age 

Kunanbay pilgrimaged to Mecca. After that he was 

not engaged in temporal matters any more, but 

devoted himself only to public worship and led an 

isolated life until his death.

 Abay’s mother called Ulzhan was descendant 

of Bertys biy from Karakesek and Boshan families, 

inhabited Koo, Edirey and Myrzhyk lands, ownership 

of Karkaraly County. Her father called Turpan and her 

kinsmen were Kantai and Tontai, popularly known 

for their eloquence and a penchant for humor. 

 Tontai was fairly wealthy man. It was that when 

he was sick a couple of times, mullahs and hodzha

7

 

were coming to him to inquire about his health and to 

express respect. When it came time to die and he was 

5

  Mullah is a Muslim man, educated in Islamic theology 

and sacred law

6

  Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

7

 Hodzha is the representative of ecclesiastics, being 

aristocrats.

Абай институтының хабаршысы. №6 (12), 2011

53

laying on his deathbed, mullahs visited him again. 

And then he said: «It has already been awkward to 

recover after so many diseases and so many clerics’ 

visits. Now I can no longer die».

 As to Abay, he was born in 1845 in the year of 

the Snake. And in 1904, in the year of Snail he died 

at the age of 60.

 From 10 to 12 years having receiving primary 

education in a Muslim school in aul, about the age of 

13 Abay studied at the Semipalatinsk madrassas in 

mullah called Ahmed-Riza. Being in the madrasah

8

, 

he also studied at the Russian parochial school. 

Finally, after 4 years at a Muslim school he completed 

his education at the age 14. Leaving matters, which 

were not typical for adult life, he overtook with adults 

in possession of knowledge and even surpassed them 

in that case. Having drawn people’s attention, he 

rendered a great assistance to his father in his own 

successful battle with former representatives of 

Tore

9

. Notable people from the same families as he 

was, apprehended him seriously and have unwittingly 

infl uenced by it. In those days, whatever the nominees 

of the people did, it was said that a bi would be nice. 

They just didn’t know that time these biys have 

already expired. 

 At the age 20 Abay has become a recognized 

sheshen-speaker

10

 in the nation. He was well informed 

about the decisions of the old traditional formation 

biys with regard to particularly diffi cult  legal 

situations, in which there were the common people. 

Being superior to other biys in mind, he had a sharp 

mind and memory. Moreover, he took great number 

of age-old memorates, sayings, stories, and tales of 

wise men in the nation that became parables and 

popular expressions. It was clear that if everything 

were back to the old times. Abay would be one of the 

greatest biys, not inferior to bi of past generations.

 Although he had little time, Abay managed to 

read plenty of theological literature in accordance 

with the spirit of the age, when Islam and science 

were coming into force. He was reading books in 

Arabic, Persian and Turkish. Therefore he became 

more educated in the matters of religion and science. 

A rare tenacity he had. Moreover, no one could 

8

 Madrasah is the Arabic word for any type of educational 

institution, whether secular or religious (of any religion). 

9

 Tore is a man of khan (aristocratic) origin.

10

  Sheshen-speaker is the speaker, who addresses a meeting.

compete with him in the knowledge of Persian and 

Arabic language. Uneducated and ignorant mullahs 

avoided him in every way, because they were afraid of 

revealing their hypocrisy and lie in Abai’s presence. 

Hypocrisy and lie were their means, by which simple 

folk was subordinated to mullahs. So thereby they 

were escaping a shame of ignorance exposure.

 By no means, Abay aimed at show of himself as 

devout man in public worship. At the usual time he 

was not zealous in Mohammedan prayer, i.e. Namaz

11

. 

But when time of Ramadan

12

 came, he was keeping 

Oraza

13

 and sticking to rules of Namaz. Observing 

others’ haste in reading Mohammedan prayer, he 

tried to read prayer unhurried and measured, as 

it were, teaching people by saying: «Hurrying in 

reading Namaz, Mohammed prayer destroys your 

own spiritual mood».

 But particularly strict Abay was in the diligence. 

Whatever Abay did and whatever consoled advices, 

he always said: «There are two different matters 

in the world. The fi rst one is pleasing to God and 

the second one is humane». With the phrase «The 

main thing in public worship is purity of soul and 

treating the man with compassion» Abay expressed 

his negative attitude to hojjas and pharisees

14

, who 

were posing as religionist and too pious people. He 

also added: «People like these pretend to be sincere 

servants of God for the homely people. But actually 

they do such things for glory and honor. They are not 

candid with the simple folk. The man, who sincerely 

worships God, does not show it to others. The word 

«God» has great, indeed. God knows that words must 

match deeds. To have benevolent heart and pure soul 

is the irreplaceable way to the truth».

 At the age of 30 Abay’s fame was spread across 

the steppes. Elders of other families were aspiring to 

friendship with Abay, even to become related with 

him in order to avoid quarrels and confl icts.  Being 

friend with Abay, they together ruled thieves and 

violators with a rod of iron. To be more concrete, 

criminals were forced not hurt anybody. Soon any 

thief did not dare to cross the territory of neighboring 

11

 Namaz is the statutory prayer, made by Muslims for 5 

times in a day.

12

  Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, 

when Muslims around the world spend the daylight hours in a 

complete fast every day during this month,.

13

  Oraza is the Muslims’ fast, lasting 1 month.

14

 Pharisee is the priest, pretending to have his faith in God.

Абай институтының хабаршысы.  №6 (12), 2011

54

auls

15

. However, in spite of successful struggle with 

theft phenomenon, the custom of barymta

16

 remained. 

Furthermore, there were formed some parties of 

people, not obeying the new rules made Abay and 

other elders’ life created many problems.

 Abay was a person of natural gifts in his time. 

However on account of mass ignorance of people, 

he couldn’t display his gift and power of words. 

Therefore, most of his fl ourishing life he spent to 

fi ght with the groups of his noisy and troublesome 

enemies. It is said in one of Abay’s poems:

What can you explain

to this foolish profane?

But their nature is not peaceful, an itch gnaws at them.

They understood only lies.

No evil scares them,

they are gripped by raging passions

No able to leave the home land,

not able to get rid of trouble-makers,

we sit without a twinge of conscience,

not funding any other refuge.

God decreed me to be unhappy from birth,

he condemned me to a futile battle with a dishonest   

                                                                            people

He locked me up in bitter isolation,

and that’s how I learned to be humble to my fate.

Extract from the poem «We’ve lived a lot…» 

1890

Translated by Richard McKane

At the age of 14, Abay had already been written 

poems and it aroused surprise among adolescents 

of the same age. In his poems he was ridiculing or 

joking on someone. Adolescents of the same age used 

his verses in aityses

17

, by learning them by heart but 

did not consider him as a poet. Poets were not held 

in respect at that time by reason of poor peasants’ 

learning of poems by heart to praise some buy in 

the hope that comes his way. The rich knew poets’ 

intentions and this fact was fl attering  them.  They 

15

  Aul is a type of village in the Caucasus and Central Asia.

16

  Barymta is one of the ways of family arguments solution, 

characterized by unauthorized seizure or stealing livestock, 

especially, herd of horses from offender as compensation for 

damage.

17

 Aitys is the genre of oral literature and the song contest 

among akyns in improvisation or among bis or speakers in 

logomachies.

 18

 Baksy is the witch doctor and medicine man, who cures 

people by using rituals in accordance with heathen culture of 

ancestors.

 19

 Ayat is the same as hadis: prayer in the Koran. 

20

 Beita – a meter much used in Oriental poetry.

said, there were never any baksy

18

 or akyns in poor 

peasants’ family.

Finally, realizing the power of his own gift, Abay 

began to create his works systematically. Mainly for 

the reason that being ignorant, the former and akyns 

were writing poems in order not to make people 

aim at self-education but to achieve their low and 

mercenary purposes. Pointing to the fact that poetry 

has lost its meaning and value among the Kazakhs 

because of akyns’ ignorance, Abay emphasized that 

he was writing poems not to derive benefi t for himself 

but to call clearly for science and education and to 

open Kazakh people’s eyes to the state of affairs by 

saying parables and reading lectures:

Poetic speech, the Queen of literature, implies

The fi nest words put well together by the wisest bards.

Words that a person easily can memorise,

Words that will smoothly fl ow and touch the heart.

Lines cluttered with unnecessary words

Speak of the poet’s helplessness and lack of culture.

Alas, there are so many ignorants among the poets,

So many readers who’re not competent to judge.

At fi rst, we know there was the ayat

19

 and the hadis,

And in composing them the beitas

20

, too were used.

Why would the Prophet choose this form of writing

If it had neither harmony, nor melody, nor rhythm?

A learned mullah in his evening prayers,

A seer in his predictions and his omens

Will rhyme his speech and chose his words with care

To give them a harmonious and fl owing sound.

It’s true that everybody wants to be a poet,

But genuine poets only few of us become.

Who of us, Kazakhs, can compose a poem, whose form

Would be a thing of silver, and the words pure gold?

Let’s take my predecessors, for example:

The biys, who had a well-known predilection

For garnishing their speech with proverbs. The akyns – 

Those wingless poets who could neither read or write,

Who spun their crudely rhymed and worded tales

And, fi ngering the strings of their kobyz or dombra,

Cried out their lofty-sounding dedications,

And then passed round the hat, collecting coppers.

A shame that they should thus discredit poetry.

By fawning on the rich, by tricks and the fl attery,

They managed to get gifts of cattle and of sheep.

Абай институтының хабаршысы. №6 (12), 2011

55

While living on the charity of other clans

They boasted of the fabulous riches of their own.

They did not fl atter everybody – just the purse-proud

                                                                             bais.

But still they did not make a fortune for their pains.

And, judging by their like the Kazakhs had the notion

That poets windbags were and poetry was nonsense.

I shall not speak in proverbs like a clever biy,

Nor shall I beg for coppers like an old akyn.

I shall keep to the point, because the moment’s ripe

To speak of you, my reader, and improve your mind.

Extract from the poem «Poetic speech, the 

Queen of literature, implies»

1887

Translated by Olga Shartse

While embodying his skill Abay would have 

remained unknown, if not for acquaintance with an 

educated person named Eugene Michaelis, exiled to 

Kazakh land in 1870. There was one more Abay’s 

Polish-born acquaintance, named Severin Gross, 

while intending to supplement book «Ancient Kazakh 

traditions and customs», published under Michaelis’s 

and Makovetsky’s authorship. Both of Abay’s 

aquiantances and friends, then, Gross, majoring 

in law, and Michaelis, majoring in exact sciences, 

participated in St. Petersburg demonstrations for the 

abolition of serfdom and authoritarian tsar’s regime 

and for capitalism development in the middle of the 

19

th 

century. Therefore, Gross and Michaelis were 

exiled from St. (Saint) Petersburg to Kazakhstan and 

while frequent visiting Abay, both of them were main 

people, who affected Abay’s decision to study more 

for self-education.

 Thanks to above-mentioned political fi gures 

Abay familiarized with books of famous Russian 

writers such as Pushkin, Lermontov, Nekrasov, 

Tolstoy, Turgenev, Saltykov – Shchedrin, Dostoevsky, 

Belinski, Dobrolubov and Pisarev. So Abay learnt 

much about foreign fi ction and was indebted to his 

friends, Gross and Michalis, especially to the second 

one. Till his dying day, Abay said again and again: 

«We can say, I value Michaelis more than my father, 

because he opened my eyes to the world».

In the last years of his life, Abay was keen 

on reading of the following books: Spencer’s 

«Experiments», Lewis’s «Positive arbitration». 

He was also reading Chernyshevsky’s articles and 

his biography and European scientist, Draper’s 

researches. In particular, Abay was pleased to read 

Lermontov’s works and translated many of them 

as Kazakh song in the form of poem. Sometime 

later, he took a great on translated the well-known 

Lermontov’s poems such as «The thought», «The 

dagger», «The sail» and «The prayer».

 Abay made easily understood translation of 

Krylov’s fables from Russian into Kazakh language. 

He also translated Pushkin’s poem «Onegin». This 

version was widespread in Kazakh land. Kazakh have 

already known Tatjana’s letter to Onegin, extract from 

poem «Onegin» in Abay’s version.

 Abay was considered as follower of Russian 

writers, Tolstoy and Saltykov-Shedrin. His poems 

contain criticism of Kazakh pupils’ extended intention 

to be just lawyers or police rank in order to regulate 

their life well. Kazakh poet from was calling them to 

read his two preceptors’ works and to follow them as 

well as Abay did earlier. Being grieved for his tardy 

all modern sciences learning, Abay says about his 

unrealized dream in the following verse:

When I was young I didn’t give much thought to  

                                                                    knowledge,

I saw the use, but didn’t test it out.

When I grew up, I didn’t know how to latch onto it.

I stretched out my hand to it very late.

Extract from the poem «When I was young I 

didn’t give much thought to knowledge»

1885

Translated by Richard McKane

 Deploring his neglected opportunities, Abay 

was striving for providing his children with Russian 

secondary and higher education, afterwards. He did 

not want to be like those Kazakh, who sent their 

children to study at school in order to be worthy of 

people’s great praise. In fact, such Kazakhs derived 

benefi t, afterwards, for example to used his children, 

who were policemen or lawyers by profession, in 

order to go unpunished while their criminal business, 

for example, corruption or plunder. So unlike such 

kind of people, Abay set himself education and 

science as an object. This emotion state was refl ected 

in his following verse:

Children are one of the joys of life.

I’m not against teaching children.

I put my son in the madrasah, so that he could acquire 

                                                                      knowledge

And not so that he could gain favour and status.

Extract from the poem «When I was young I 

didn’t give much thought to knowledge»

1885

Абай институтының хабаршысы.  №6 (12), 2011

56

Translated by Richard McKane

 As soon as Abay’s second son graduated town 

school, Abay took his tuition fee and sent him to 

study in Tyumen real school, where pupils learn 

mainly mathematics and subjects of natural sciences. 

In those days hardly anyone from the Kazakhs sent 

their children to study in Russian cities and spent for 

it a hundred rubles per year.

When Abdrakhman graduated from the university, 

he was entering technological university of St. 

Peterburg and met a certain Losev, former uyezd chief, 

who advised him to join St. Michael’s artillery school. 

Abdrakhman followed Losev’s advice. He always 

considered service to the people as his duty. Moreover, 

he was giving hope after graduation, but unfortunately 

for his parents he fall ill with bone tuberculosis and died 

in 1895. But he was studying further and preparing to 

enter the military artillery Academy.

 Study of the scientifi c works in Russian awoke 

Abay’s soul, soul of poet. Having realized, that he may 

be Kazakh poet in need, Abay tried to avoid secular 

bustle and idle talks in which the idlers were drawn. He 

decided to devote himself to creative work. Although, 

people were not leaving him along, he took every 

opportunity to state on paper his thoughts, racking the 

mind, till ignorant people interrupt his work. Young 

people, who admired Abay, recopied his works and 

quickly spread them across the steppe. Abay’s works, in 

which he criticized of Kazakh people’s shortcomings, 

were just so spread all over Kazakhstan.

 Realizing himself as a deeply and hard thinking 

poet, Abay wrote verses about his concern on forgetful 

people, who superfi cially apprehended poetry. There 

were people, incapable to estimate true essential 

creative work:

I shall not speak in proverbs like a clever biy,

Nor shall I beg for coppers like an old akyn.

I shall keep to the point, because the moment’s ripe

To speak of you, my reader, and improve your mind.

If I were to describe the batyrs’ plunderous raids,

Or write in racy verse of love and pretty girls,

You’d hang upon my words, you’d never have enough,

Because you’re used to hearing idle gossip,

Which dulls your mind and takes it off more serious things.

«But such is life», you stubbornly persist.

All round your money takes the place of human values,

So you’ll forgive me if I sound too indiscreet.

Extract from the poem «Poetic speech, the 

Queen of literature, implies»

1887

Translated by Olga Shartse

 Abay’s poems were permeated with his feeling 

of bitterness that one can understand. You see, it often 

happens that having gathered at Abay’s house instead of 

heeding his words and scrutinizing poet’s admonitions, 

some of his relatives senselessly apprehended them 

and even misinterpret their sense. Ironically, Abay’s 

relatives’ consideration of his admonitions in poems as 

deceitful gave a rise to creation of new work.

Save me – how can I preserve

my heart from evil people – 

their wicked snake-in-the grass talk

Tears it into forty pieces.

Those I loved are no longer.

My friend has turned into my enemy – 

light darkens with evil.

I cannot fi nd support from anyone.

Extract from the poem «Save me – how can I 

preserve»

1886

Translated by Richard McKane

 Finally, Abay got tired with particularism and 

clannishness, which was tearing simple people apart. 

He understood that people are wide of the sense of 

human nature improvement, and as a result, his soul 

was dark. He wrote the following verse about his 

wish to seclude himself from people at home:

I proudly scorned ignoramuses

and arrogantly called them fools,

and strove to change my age,

considering myself to have a giant’s brain.

But didn’t fi nd support

in the struggle with the dark host of fools

Set in their way

they didn’t hear my exhortations.

There’s terror in how they look,

they are seized with madness.

Not one of them stood their ground.

They stubbornly moved back

 

Extract from the poem «I proudly scorned 

ignoramuses»

1891

Translated by Richard McKane

On the 14

th

 May, 1904 the beloved son of Abay, 

Magavya (Magish) passed away. After Magavya’s 

Абай институтының хабаршысы. №6 (12), 2011

57

health has become much worse, Abay took away him 

to the village.

 When Magavya died, the world seems to collapse 

for Abay. His appearance strangely changed much. 

He grew thin and hunched. He was avoiding people, 

who were going to present their condolence to him in 

order to distract his mind from his sorrows. However, 

it did not yield any good result. Abay more often was 

aspiring to isolate him from the world. Feeling that 

his strength was falling, he did not meddling in other 

villagers’ business and died in40 days after Magavya’s 

death. Abay quoted his favorite Russian poet Mikhail 

Lermontov’s verse, written in 1896, which refl ected 

his state of those times:

Should, deep into your soul, dark melancholy creep,

Should fi erce and stormy passion claim it,

Far from men’s sumptuous feasts, their noisy revels keep

Your mate – your frenzied Muse and tameless,

Do not demean yourself; trade not in anguish or

In ire, and, pray the never-healing

Wounds that erode your sole do not display before

A heartless rabble and unfeeling.

What is’t tous, in truth, if suffered you or not?

Why need we share your fears and yearnings,

The foolish hopes of years long gone and long forgot,

Remorseful reason’s qualms and stirrings?

Look yonder! Look, I beg! – Along a well-trod way

The common herd untroubled hastens;

How smug, how pleased they look, how little care 

display!

See? – No tears mar their placid fears.

Yet there’s not one among them who has not by dark

And threatful fate been cruelly punished,

And his brow lined by grief, approached life’s half-way 

mark

‘Thout crime or tragic loss and anguish!...

They scoff at your abuse and at your tearful plaint,

More studied than it is impassioned.

You’re a tragedian who daubs his face with paint

And waves a sword of cardboard fashioned.

Extract from the poem «Trust not yourself»

1839

Translated by Irina Zheleznova

  It was mentioned above that Abay was growing 

and developing at that time, when respectable Kazakh 

dzhigits

21

 were completely setting hopes upon a 

chance to be a full member of clan or united group 

of Kazakhs. Such kind of union ensures reliable 

21

 Dzhigit (djigit or jigit) is the skillful and brave horseman 

in the Central Asia.

protection from enemies and fi nancial aid. At that 

time young Abay did not show great enthusiasm 

to the activity of writer. Therefore it was minor 

thing for Abay, until he met Eugene Michaelis and 

Severin Gross and read Russian writers’ books. At a 

mature age he was frequently expressing regret for 

tardy entry of the path to science. It was explained 

by constant meaningless bustle of his life for many 

years, aroused because of examinations of discord 

between Kazakhs, all of whom wanted to have more 

land with pastures. Also it pained him to understand 

that poems, written in those years, turn out to be poor 

and superfi cial. His every work of those days was 

not an example for people and lacked motives for 

doing better things in the world. He was saying that 

if his poetry turned out to be incomprehensible and 

unnecessary and even if he was enraged because of 

failing to infl uence upon people’s mind, you should 

not judge him too much but understand that Abay 

spent most of his life among ignorant people, who 

did not serve as model for imitation. Again and again 

with a heavy heart he wrote about all negative things 

of Kazakh people’s life in the following verse:

Is not the cold damp earth to enclose my clay when it 

 dies?

Will not my fearless tongue become like a timid maid?

Will not my heart be frozen, turned into lifeless ice,

My heart, that fought against vice and the buddings of

 love obeyed?

Will not the fi nal hour arrive for me just the same

As it must for all other people, with certainty, soon or 

 late?

Will not my stern descendants notice them and condemn

The countless mistakes and errors that I so rashly made?

Yet I will not, alas, be able to make reply.

Though you are free to condemn, bear, I beg you, in

 mind

That I was harassed enough during my earthly life.

To punish me twice for the same offence would be

 indeed unkind.

Make an effort to understand; to your sympathy I

 appeal.

It wasn’t really so simple, my torn and suffering soul.

My way through this arduous life was diffi cult, strewn

 with thorns.

I fought with the darkest of darkness, take account,

Абай институтының хабаршысы.  №6 (12), 2011

58

 I beg, of it all.

Hot-tempered was I and one time a little bit feather-

 brained.

I used to practice deceit and was given to envy and spite.

Though later I grew more wise, yet to this day remain

Imperfect in many ways, barred by my faults from

 the light.

I wasn’t entirely free to seek the road to perfection,

Condemned to err by my foes – by those who had borne

 me hate.

They pestered and harassed me more than I should

 like to mention.

May the Almighty God relieve you from such a fate!

To be buried leaving so much unfi nished and 

unaccomplished,

All I intended – undone; could ever a fate be worse?

But let me not to give away all of my sorrowful secrets – 

Nothing is so indiscreet, so apt to betray as verse.

The Poem «Is not the cold damp earth could 

enclose my clay when it dies?»

1898

Translated by Dorian Rottenberg

 Besides creativity, Abay enjoyed with the talks 

with some very few relatives and friends, who could 

partially understand the sense of his works. While 

engaging in talking, Abay’s interest in life and thirsty 

of knowledge appeared. Having missed out all themes 

concerning money, he was telling inquisitive and 

purposeful dzhigits more about things he understood 

himself and felt deeply. If we go into details, he was 

telling about what deeds and features of character 

could match the notion of humanity, what way of 

science cognition is necessary, what way of life 

building is considered to be right, what scientists were 

in the past and what their viewpoints on the universe 

were wrong. In that way, Abay spared no time and 

no effort in such parties in order to make talks more 

productive for young people and to make the model of 

humanism for imitation. Furthermore, Abay enjoyed 

that work. He was tirelessly setting young people on 

the right path. However, he was losing his temper and 

was being downright angry, if someone just expressed 

his claim on current business and house-keeping 

and goods prices conditions. Whatever people were 

ignorant, soon dzhigits resembled pupils of madrasah, 

who had attended the course pretty much. They had 

already been understood many things and phenomena 

and could discriminate between good and evil. They 

had become educated. Abay played the role of teacher 

for inquisitive young people, not caring whether 

someone could understand his intentions or not. So 

this period of life Abay described as the best one in 

the following verse:

Don’t rush after chance in a headlong chase,

But let talent’s call forever be heeded

You are a stone from the world’s very base,

So take up your place where most you are needed.

Extract from the poem « Don’t rush after 

chance in a headlong chase»

1891

Translated by Tom Batting

 Sincerity and friendship were the clearest and 

noticeable things Abay liked in his life. Having found 

friends but not like-minded persons, he considered 

that the greatest thing in the human world is living in 

love and in harmony with the closest relatives: with 

wife and with sons had not passed away yet at that 

time:

He who would live ‘thout love is less than man,

To envy him no beggar righty can.

He who is loved and loves, though poor he be,

Will never know the depths of misery.

Love is the bright, the ever glowing light

That banishes the fears and dark of night.

‘Thout love, as dust is all your wealth and fame,

And you, O bard, have nothing to your name!

Extract from the poem «O heart, you pray for 

agony and bliss…»

1890

Translated by Irina Zheleznova 

Text was translated by Shamenov Akhan, 

master of Abai institute 

Абай институтының хабаршысы. №6 (12), 2011

59

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