POETRY OF MONGOLIA - B. YAVUUKHULAN - THE LAST STOP OF THE IBEX

B. Yavuukhulan

THE LAST STOP OF THE IBEX – Tekhiin Zogsool

 

The winter of that year, was unforgettable!

And how high was the peak of the “Last stop of the Ibex”!

 

Deep in the brown mountains

There was a winter camp called “Khyysh”

It was distant and long to reach

It was a shelter for the winter...

A day of that warm autumn

My father decided to move to the mountain

And so, in the winter camp of the “Khyysh”

Decided to spend with two other families.

The peak of the mountains

They were all so high

Among these a “Stop of the Ibex”

Was much higher from where we were...

Arrived at the winter camp

My father often went for hunting

And our families started, for a while

Preparing for a winter.

It was beautiful and warm

The winter of that year

It was convenient to pass a winter

In those mountains, where the grass covered by snow...

 

...In the mountains of Gobi, as usually

Spring season comes

For all three families, it is a time to approach the river...

One morning, my father called me

While he was outside of the gher

Asking me to look at mountain peak

Putting in my hand his telescope.

What do you see on the “Stop of the Ibex”?

Have a look! said my father,

And in the next instant

He sighed deeply.

 

I see the peak

I see an eagle flying in the sky, looking toward his nest.

The peak of the mountains seemed so close

That I could almost touch,

The sky above us was without any clouds.

Look into the “Stop of the Ibex”! Said my father,

There is an animal, over the top, find it

Said my father.

I see the mountain peak

That I used to see through whole winter

There, over the top, I see a wild mountain goat

Leaning his big horns.

 

Seeing this beautiful animal of the mountain, which dominates the whole valley

I enjoyed so much.

“This is a black goat”!
I almost screamed with a joy.

 

My father back to the gher

Without saying any word and smoking his pipe,

At the news of the ibex

Other neighbors joined us.

 

My father was silent and thoughtful

Waiting to drink his tea,

With sadness in his throat

Said a story:

- I received many grace from the mountains with a silver peak

But I see for the first time, a wild mountain goat is standing on its last stop.

And that mountain goat, last year was thirsting in the “Water of the Goat”

 

And without any doubt, on his last stop.

Being born and then die

The law of the nature!

To leave his native land

It is not easy!

 

Then said, when the mountain goat gets old

It can no longer bear his horns

And becomes incapable to follow his herd.

 

Then said, the mountain goat goes back to the mountain

He lies to the place, where he was born

Where, long time ago his mother put him in life.

 

Then said, in his last days of life

He climbs to the peak of the mountain

In this world, we call it “The stop of the Ibex”.

 

Then said, for a days and days

He remains on this high peak,

He looks behind, all his past life.

 

Then said, he is happy to see

The pure water where he nourished,

And observes happily

The pasture where he has fed.

 

Then said, he looks for the last time his herd,

And he throws a last glance to his native land.

  

Then said, due to the weight of his horns

Will fall from the mountain top,

So will go away from this glittering world.

All listened in silence

The story told by my father,

On the creek of an elder woman

The tears flowed.

 

From that day my father

He looked worried

For some time decided not to leave the winter camp...

Turns soon the turn of the sheep guard

Within three families,

Just three days have passed

Back again our turn.

 

Every morning my father sitting outside of the gher

Looking at the mountain peak and 

recommending do not pasture the sheep up to mountain, do not disturb the ibex.

 

The Three families remaining

In winter camp of the “Khyysh”

The triangular peak at the sight

Attracting the human eyes.

The Ibex! Leaning his mighty horns in the blue sky

And the eagle wandering above him, all the day.

 

And so, for days a days

My father looked at this same picture,

And this image, kept us in the winter camp, for days a days.

 

One morning, my father after looking the mountain peak

Back to the ger

But, I saw him happy and smiling and drinking his tea.

As I suspected, the Ibex is gone away by law of the nature, said my father.

It is better in this way, the "unfortunate", sympathize my mother.

 

The next morning our three families

Started early to move

All together, the men, women, children and animals

Left the winter camp.

 

My father rolls his eyes towards to the “Stop of the Ibex”

And softly murmured

-My native place!

 

How long it lasted

The winter of that year,

And how high was

The peak of the “Stop of the Ibex”!

B. Yavuukhulan

Translated from Mongolian Language: Tulgaa Bayantuul