Intellect, science and happiness

a bij -a judge in Kazakh

O ne day Intellect, Science and Happiness argued who was the best and the strongest. They couldn’t solve the dispute and went to the great Bijs.

The Bijs replied to Happiness: “You are so changeable. You appear where you needn’t be. At first you make a man happy but then nervous. You make him suffer and then you leave. Meet Intellect and you will live a long life.”

“You, Science, are very powerful. You can make a black stone melt and sparkle. You sometimes do something from nothing. You can turn a lot of things into nothing. You can create and destroy. Meet Intellect and everybody will respect you.”- the Bijs said.

The Bijs told Intellect: “There’s no better man’s friend than you. But when a man is furious you appear and disappear making the way for the evil. You come back when the evil has done its work. You try to do your best to correct its mistakes however you don’t always succeed. If you hadn’t left a man, the evil would not have come.”

At last the Bijs advised all of them:”Intellect will be a man, Science will be a horse and Happiness will be a whip. If you join, everything will be all right.”

• Say if it’s “true” or “false”. Correct the false ones:

Happiness makes people suffer.

Intellect can create and destroy.

Intellect always succeeds in correcting the Evil’s mistakes.

The Evil comes when Happiness disappears.

The Bijs could solve the dispute.

• Find equivalents in the text and make up sentences of your own with the words and the word combinations below:

Быть в ярости

Страдать

Превращать

Возвращаться

Разрешить спор

Создавать и разрушать

• What did the Bijs say? Change the sentences into the reported speech:

1. You are so changeable.

2. Meet Intellect and everybody will respect you.

3. You come back when the Evil has done its work.

4. You can create and destroy.

5. There’s no better man’s friend than you.

• Ask and answer the questions. (Work in pairs.)

1. What do you think of the story? Do you like it? Why?

2. What is “Happiness” (Intellect, Science) for you?

3. How do they help a man?

4. How do you understand the sentence “Intellect will be a man, Science will be a horse and Happiness will be a whip.”?

5. Are you a happy person? What do people need to be happy?

USH KYZ – “THREE GIRLS”

Once upon a time there were seven suns shining in the Altay. The rays of these suns, like milk, gave life to everything and everyone alive. Grass and trees became stronger and thicker; people lived happier and wealthier because there were seven suns in the Altay.

The time passed but all seven suns were still shining in the sky and the Kazakh people lived happily. But one day an old shaitan came to this old mountain valley. When he saw how happily these people lived he swore to knock all the seven suns down.

This shaitan was the spirit of an old centenary owl; he loved darkness and was afraid of light. He became thinking how to make darkness in the earth and made a cunning plan. Some time passed and he transformed himself with the help of magic into a hundred flying iron people with eagle beaks. They flew to the top of the Altay, and started shooting the iron arrows into the suns. One sun fell down, the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth…..People saw the death of the suns, they started to pray every day but……couldn’t do anything.

At last the seventh sun fell down and it became dark in the Altay Mountains. Grass and trees lost their life strength, cows and sheep died in the fields, wheat and cereals dried out. The Kazakh were expected to be hungry and cold. They prayed all the time but the more they prayed the less hope they had in their hearts.

One day three girls came. They bowed and said proudly: “Dear mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, grandfathers and grandmothers! Order us to find the suns and return them back. We’ll find them or die in strange countries.” So these three girls went to darkness, they climbed different mountains, went through deep forests and crossed many valleys. Their clothes were torn, their hair whitened but they went straight forward. They didn’t know where the suns were and how to find them, and they went forward without hope.

And one day the thunder was rumbling and there were flashes of lightning and at this moment they saw an old man with long white hair. His eyes were shining with gold. He said softly: “Brave girls! Your decision is stronger than the tops of the Altay! Your hearts are purer than snow! If you want to find the suns, don’t go forward any more, stay here and wait! When a war-horse rushes by, the suns will rise. Remember my words!” The thunder and lightning stopped and the old man disappeared. And in complete silence the three girls laughed with gladness. From that time the three girls, like three pines, stood without movements waiting for that war-horse and the suns which could rise and warm everything in the world.

Many years passed. These three girls died long ago, and at the place where they stood, three tops appeared. They are called Ush Kyz meaning “three girls”. These mountains are situated in the north of the Tian-Shan, in the steppe near the Beytashan Mountains.

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Shaitan – in Asian culture means “Satan” or “devil”.

• Give Russian equivalents to the following:

Everything alive Climbed the mountains

Mountain valley To be hungry

An old centenary owl Said proudly

A cunning plan Cross the valleys

A hundred iron people Hopelessness

With eagle beaks Purer than snow

Started shooting A war horse

Flashes of lightning Complete silence

Shining with gold Like three pines

• True, false or don’t know:

1. There were eight suns in the sky.

2. People lived happily because there were grass and trees in the fields.

3. The shaitan made darkness and destroyed the suns.

4. The three girls wanted to help people.

5. An old man helped the girls to find the right decision.

6. The three girls found the suns and gave them back.

7. The war-horse passed by and the girls saw the suns.

8. Ush Kyz means “three girls”.

• Answer the questions:

1. How many suns were there in the sky?

2. Who came one day?

3. Why did the shaitan dislike the life of these people?

4. Who was the shaitan?

5. What did people do to save the situation?

6. Who came to the people to help them?

7. What did they say to people?

8. Whom did they meet on stormy night?

9. What did this man tell the girls?

10. What did the girls do after the meeting?

11. What does Ush Kyz mean?

12. Where are these mountains situated?

• Divide the text into parts and prepare the retelling.

PART XVI: POEMS ABOUT KAZAKHSTAN