Nader Shah. Historical novel. Yunus Oghuz
was divided into forty plaits, which could reach even to her ankle. It was the habit of the stock of Qajar: If a girl wasn’t married she divided her hair into forty parts; after marriage she would go to her husband’s house with forty plaits. If they were “appearing” after the wedding, then she used to divide her hair into two parts. In itself it was like a sign or a riddle. If she had two plaints it meant that she was married and it was forbidden to look at her with love or strange looks. Till the time that they were married the girls never plucked their eyebrows. If she had forty plaits and her eyebrows had not been plucked it meant that she was not married or she was betrothed. The stocks of Qajar were a group of related people. Like other Turkish stocks the girls and women didn’t use a yashmak very much. Those who lived in the big cities used to tie yashmaks round their heads while going outside. The women of the hami ets tied different silk kerchief in summer, but in winter they used a woolen shawl.
Qelemnaz stood at the gate of the neighboring yard and called her friend Susen:
– Hi, Susen, where are you? Why don’t you come?
Immediately Susen’s voice was heard:
– Wait for me! I am coming!
No sooner had a moment passed than Susen was seen at the gate:
– What has happened, my dear? Maybe you have again turned on your pillow in a dream, you hasten to spring?
The two girls who were coming down from the upper part of the hamlet heard the words of Susen:
– No, she didn’t turn on her piliow last night but she dreamed her sweetheart. That is why she is in a hurry to spring.
The ringing laughter of the girls spread all around.
Susen:
– Qelemnaz, please, answer, did you dream him? What were you doing in your dream? – She asked pretentiously.
Qelemnaz blushed with shame. – Aren’t you ashamed? What are you speaking shamelessly?
The other girl said:
– Well, hi, Qelemnaz, maybe the lovers do nothing? Do they stand quietly and look at the faces of each other with great surprise?
– No, girls, Susen and her darling even don’t look at the faces of each other, – Susen hinted to the other girls.
Qelemnaz again blushed with shame:
– If only you lost your mind and married soon, the people of our hamlet would be pleased, or you speak whatever you think.
In this way, laughing and hinting at one another the girls reached the spring. After filling their guyums with water, each of them sat on one stone. It appeared that all the jokes were aimed at Qelemnaz. Suddenly from the upper side of the spring a song was heard. The boy singing a song was Murad. He had so mournful voice that those who heard his song were saddened. The girls stopped their jokes and began to listen to him. Murad was singing a song like gerayli12:
Even the flowers settled down
Seeing my darling coming to spring.
The darkness of regret is left behind
Seeing my darling come to spring.
She has black eyebrows, her cheeks are red
A shawl looks better on her yellow hair.
The birthmark shows coyness on her face
Seeing my darling come to spring.
Spring will pass, summer will come,
Count the days and the months.
Murad shouts loudly
Seeing his darling come to spring.
When the song was over, Murad kept silent. The girls didn’t let Qelemnaz remain silent. Susen again made a joke:
– A lover must be like him! He loves and sets all the bells a ringing. I wonder why he is worried. His lover is here. The girls again laughed. Susen said:
– Hi, Qelemnaz, what are you waiting for, go nearer towards him. But don’t be late…
As if Qelemnaz was waiting for those words, she took her silk kerchief and began to go near Murad.
Though Murad was young he was stronger than most of the boys in hamlet. No one among the young boys could beat him in riding a horse, fencing, or wrestling. He was both a brave boy and a man of his word. If he promised, he would keep his promise without fail. He loved Qelemnaz very much. Qelemnaz also loved him. All the people in the hamlet knew that this young boy and girl loved each other. Qelemnaz’s father Jafar kishi was against their love on various pretexts; he said that Murad was poor, he could hardly earn living for himself and his mother. How would he keep his wife?
Once the respected adults of the hamlet went like watch-makers to Jafar kishi’s home, but they came back in distress. Jafar kishi persisted in his words and said only “no” to any who asked him to let her daughter marry Murad. Murad didn’t know any way out how to join his sweetheart. He couldn’t sleep at night. He could neither sleep nor eat anything. Murad was thinking all day long and was looking for a way out. Won’t there be any way out of his sorrow? Still his thoughts were as if on path but not on the right way. At times he wanted to run and to go to Tabriz and to join the fighting beys of Qajar, but when thinking about his mother and Qelemnaz he gave up his purpose. He began to tell his grief to saz.13 Murad devoted all the words of the song and the melody to Qelemnaz. All the people in the hamlet were aware of that. The news about their love was spread not only to other hamlets even to Tabriz. Those who went to neighboring hamlets or to the city to buy something would be asked about their love. The answer was still the same, it didn’t change. Though all the people waited for the wedding of Murad and Qelemnaz, Jafar kishi didn’t relent. Qelemnaz had three elder brothers. Jafar kishi wanted to put an end to all the gossiping with the help of his sons. So, he sent his sons to have a talk with Murad, to make him give up that love. At first, their discussion was good, but when Murad told them that he loved Qelemnaz and couldn’t live without her, the brothers became stubborn. They intended to beat Murad. But before the eyes of other people Murad distigured them. The adults who became aware of their fightting could hardly make them stop fightt ng. After the fighting of his sons with Murad, Jafar kishi became even more stubborn. He used to say: “I want to see even my enemy, but not only Murad”. He didn’t let Qelemnaz go out of the home for about one month. Only Susen visited her. She told Murad’s words to her and her words to Murad. After a month Qelemnaz was so thin and so weak that those who saw her didn’t recognize her. She even wanted to hang herself in a stable, but her mother had suddenly entered the stable and rescued her daughter. Only after that accident Jafar kishi let his daughi er go outside, visit relaiives or neighbors. Jafar kishi was in distress because of his daughter’s love which was spoken all around. If it was anyone except Murad, and someone sent a watch-maker he would agree. If only the talking and gossiping were over and the reproach of the people was finished. Who could dare to send a watch-maker for Qelemnaz? No one wanted to part those lovers. All were afraid of God’s curse except Jafar kishi. At last, Jafar kishi had luck; he had one chance, but…
Qelemnaz stopped when she came nearer the place where Murad was standing. The boy sitting under the tree stood up as soon as he saw the girl. When they didn’t see each other they wanted to say a lot words to each other; when they saw each other as if all the words flew to the air. For some time mute silence stood between them like a wall. At last, Qelemnaz took herself in hand:
– Why don’t you greet me? When did you write that gerayli? I liked it very much.
Murad cleared his throat:
– Really?
Qelemnaz answered coyly:
– Of course! I wonder to which beautiful girl you have composed that
A kind of a poem.
An Azerbaijani folk musical instrument