They say there is a wedding in Khushalka,
They say the wedding is great.
White-bearded Takhtaman
Is celebrating his wedding.
Handsome fellow Takhtaman
Has married a girl from Silbi.
He has made a good match.
And is having a sumptuous feast.
Young fellows are dancing
To celebrate the wedding.
Singing many wedding songs
They finally get tired.
Yesterday from Silbi
The wedding party came home.
Today the son-in-law is feasting
And waiting for his bride’s wedding party.
Today, when evening falls,
They will close the doors.
And in the early morning he will rise,
A wife will become the bride.

* * *

Great village Khushalka
Is between two hills.
Takhtaman is sitting
At his wedding table.
The table made of lime wood
Sagging under the weight of food.
The son-in-law feels giddy,
Being rather drunk.
The sun is shining outside,
Midday will be soon.
The son-in-law growing drunk
Is hanging his head on the table.
On the steppe a quail
Is singing now and then.
The son-in-law is waiting for
The bride’s wedding party.
Tails of the son-in-law’s
White shirt are swaying.
Waiting for the wedding to come
The old man feels anxious.

* * *

The bells are heard
Singing on the road.
The bridal party is coming
Along the streets of the village.
Ten women in khushpu
Are seen in a tarantass,
Forty-three more carts
Are coming after the tarantass.
At seven houses along the street
Were stopped the wedding people.
And everywhere they were met
With beer by Khushalka dwellers.
They are singing and entering
The respectable son-in-law’s gate.
They are drinking and eating
After having travelled long.
It’s only midday now,
There is much time before evening.
Before evening we have enough time
To celebrate wedding.

* * *

When the feast began,
Till the sunset they danced.
And soon Narspi and Takhtaman
Were shut together in the room.
The respectable men
Locked the door with a key,
Smiling at each other
Went all of them away.
A fellow, one fellow
Is hovering around.
He is looking for a place
To see or hear something.
Four or five children
Are hovering around, too.
Oh, shameless children,
What is here for them to do?
Look, they are listening,
Perhaps, they hear something.
The madcaps are standing silent,
The girl is saying something.

* * *

Inside Narspi has told
Something to Takhtaman.
Having whispered in low voice,
Nobody heard the words.
“You dare, Narspi,
Now you are in my hands!”
Said Takhtaman loudly,
He was angry, could not control himself.
“Let me see your wedding party off,
I shall teach you!
You don’t know your future,
You will see what you deserve!”
Nothing more was heard,
No more word was said.
Those who were listening
Couldn’t hear a thing.

* * *

The children, all at once
Ran away to home.
And soon the whole village
Knew what they’d heard.
A young fellow who was there
Went to the forest.
The words he heard
Were hidden deep at heart.
His eyes, full of anger
Were burning like a flame.
The village people
Didn’t look at him.
Only an oak in the woods
Told to his neighbour tree.
The young man in the forest
Was our friend Setner.

* * *

In the house on the table
There is hot porridge.
Son-in-law Takhtaman
Is seeing his guests home.
Respectable son-in-law Takhtaman
Is treating them to wedding porridge.
And is thanking his guests,
Saying the following words:
“Don’t judge, my dear guests,
My food is not so sumptuous.
Eat and drink your heart’s desire,
Let us live in peace for ever.”
The match-makers being drunk,
Are noisy and roaring.
Though being rather drunk,
They do know what to say:
“Son-in-law Takhtaman,
We are pleased with you.
Take care of our girl,
And live in peace for ever.”

* * *

In the yard the horses
Are waiting, are dancing.
The guests are going home
And are singing a song:
“Let us go our way
With a cup full of honey...”
The carriages are leaving,
And the dust is rolling.
You hear the bell ringing,
It is hurrying to Silbi.
The horse is running,
The drunken master is driving on.
The wedding’s over, the guests are leaving.
They are going along the beaten track.
When being met by an old man,
They hear him cry “Good bye!”
Narspi is standing there,
She sees the wedding leave.
Somewhere in the distance
The dust is settling down.