Poetry
Беш каман
Not translated into English
Toktogul Satylganov · 1895
Synopsis
A sung satire against five brothers, notables of the country, whom the singer calls the five wild boars: he reproaches them with imposing fine upon fine, plundering the possessions of households and leaving people nothing to live on.
Context
The song belongs, according to the biographies, among the earliest pieces of its author, with Alymkan, Tchakyrbay the moneylender and Echen-kalpa, all earlier than his penal servitude of 1898; a Kyrgyz anthology reports that it targets the notable whose appointed singer had been beaten in a contest by the young akyn, and of whom another poet in the catalogue has, on the contrary, left a flattering portrait. The title is translated in Russian as the five wild boars.
Who it is for
In Kyrgyz, never translated. It is better to know that the word in the title denotes a wild boar, an unclean beast, and that an accusation made in song could land its author in prison.
Prizes and reception
A celebrated song, according to an anthology of Kyrgyz poetry. Its author gave his name to the district where he was born and to the republic's State literary prize.