We all love fairy tales. They always have a good ending and are sure to teach something. Especially good are those legends that the Russian classics described beautifully and clearly, taking folklore works as a basis. In this article, the Literaguru team summarizes the plot and conveys the main events from the Ashik-Kerib tale.
(478 words) One wealthy Turk from Tiflis had a very beautiful daughter, Magul-Megeri. A poor musician, Ashik-Kerib, fell in love with a girl - he met the heroine at one of the celebrations, where he played saaz and sang. The feeling of the young was mutual. But Ashik was not rich, and did not hope to get permission to marry a beautiful woman. The hero decided to travel the world for 7 years until he gets rich or dies on the way. The girl promised to wait, but warned that if Ashik was late, she would become the wife of Kursud-bek.
Saying goodbye to relatives, the hero left. The challenger on the arm of Magul-Megeri caught up with Ashik and asked for companions to him. I had to go together. Soon they reached the river. Kursud-bek let the balalaika go forward, promising to swim after him; however, a cunning beck stole his dress and, having jumped to the poor mother of Ashik, informed her that his son had drowned. The woman believed the deceiver and, grieving, went to his chosen one. However, the girl remained true to her principle, and said that she would still wait for the groom until 7 years had passed.
Traveling through the cities, the hero sang and played a musical instrument, everywhere his art was received with enthusiasm. Once he arrived in Khalaf, where he went into a coffee house, asked for a balalaika and sang. The servants of the pasha really liked his voice, and they forcibly took Ashik to the lord. He ordered the young man to sing, and the hero started a song about his beloved Magul-Megeri. Pasha liked the way he sings, and in the end the balalaika took root with him. Little by little, the musician began to grow rich and forgot about his beauty. An alarmed girl sent one of the merchants with a golden dish, ordering him to find his master. The merchant wandered for a long time, but no one wanted to recognize this rare product as his own. Once in Khalaf, he met Ashik-Kerib, the true owner of the dish. He could not believe it - only three days remained before the deadline! The hero grabbed a bag of gold, mounted his horse and rushed home. His stallion fell on Arzingan Mountain, from where it was two months to Tiflis. In desperation, the hero wanted to throw himself down a cliff, but Saint George came to the rescue. He allowed the traveler to reach Arzerum, then Kars, and then Tiflis with the speed of thought. As proof of such a wonderful journey, the saint gave him a lump of earth from under the hoof of his horse and ordered him to wipe the eyes of a blind woman who lost her sight 7 years ago. Ashik-Kerib remembered everything and went to his house. It turned out that his mother did not see it since she began to mourn her son. The woman did not even recognize the traveler. Then he begged her for her saaz and went to the wedding of his chosen one.
The poor girl was already preparing to commit suicide, so as not to become the wife of the unloved, when she suddenly heard wonderful singing. It was the voice of Ashik-Kerib, who, appearing at the festival, presented himself with a false name. In the song, he described his rich life in Khalaf and glorified God, who sent him an assistant - St. George, who helped the hero return home, and from there to the wedding of his beloved. Everything ended happily. Magul-Megeri was happy to see her lover again. Ashik-Kerib with all his eyes returned to his mother and advised Kursud-bek to marry his sister.
