The Qangars

[A Yorks]

‡—‡—‡—‡—‡—‡
‡—‡—‡—‡—‡—‡—INTRODUCTION—‡—‡—‡—‡—‡—‡
‡—‡—‡—‡—‡—‡​

​

We know of the tales of the Qangar Khans,​

Crafty Commanders of Countless Campaigns;​

Born of the wild fields of Ancient Turan,​

Nourished by Turkestan's verdant treasures,​

In the Eyes of All-Observing Tengri.​

​

​

From Turan's fields they rode into the West,​

Boldly Bearing forth from Balasagun,​

Leaving the valleys of Tian Shan behind,​

To cross the breadth of the Great Turkic Steppe,​

And Enter an Epoch of Providence.​

​

​

Where the hooves of their horses dared to tread,​

Masses and Multitudes Melded as one,​

And their tribe grew strong, and their tribesmen fierce,​

And those who would oppose the mighty Khan,​

Would Seek to Save Themselves on Second Thought.​

​

​

Yula was the ancestor of us all.​

He bested the hero of the Qarluqs​

In a swimming race in the Yenisei,​

Which our very grandmothers once told us​

In their evening stories about the deep past.​

​

​

For his triumph he was given justly,​

The right to carry a Qarluq banner,​

And a horse, which could best the very wind,​

Whose fiery courage impressed his lord.​

The steed was named Qabuqsin for its coat.​

​

​

​

Qabuqsin-Yula his clan would be known,​

First bannermen to lesser Qarluq Khans,​

Then for the Oghuz Celestial Khans,​

Who would grant a son of the Qabuqsin​

Righteous dominion over his subjects.​

​

​

The Qabuqsin-Yula would be given​

Suzerainty over the Pechenegs,​

A troublesome ally of the Khaghan,​

Procured from the natives of Sogdia,​

Who share our blood with that of ancient Kings.​

​

​

Qang was the first of the Qabuqsin khans,​

Progenitor of the Qangar rulers,​

The Great Clan with the Bark Coloured Horses,​

Descended from the Hill-Riders of old,​

The Boldest and Bravest of all the Turks.​

​

​

Then begat Qang his only son, Kügel,​

To whom he gave the burden of his crown,​

Kügel continued westward as before,​

Upholding the Dream of the Great Khan Qang,​

And begetting a son he named Bayça.​

​

​

Bayça was born under auspicious stars,​

And ruled in a manner that pleased Tengri.​

His righteousness was marked by modesty,​

For he was a humble and earnest man,​

Content to work for goodness, not greatness.​

​

​

Qorqutay would then follow after him,​

But uninspired and slow in his advance,​

His lack of progress in Qabuqsin's dream​

Angered the members of his very clan.​

A younger son of Qorqutay struck out.​

​

​

Taking the name Qabuqsin for himself,​

He carried the Severians' banner,​

Serving Svetozar and then Tatimir,​

And gained the favour of his Employers.​

Tatimir's own daughter he made his wife.​

​

​

Qabuqsin returned to the Pechenegs,​

And went to his Father, Qorqutay Khan,​

Requesting the right to raise a new horde.​

For-hundred-seventy warriors strong​

Would join him on the journey to Esen.​

​

​

Crossing the Don, they took to the Grazelands,​

With family, property, and their holds;​

Two-thousand-seventy adults they were.​

About a ride of one day westward lay​

The market town of Kursk, in Severia.​

​

​

There, between the Don and the Seym rivers,​

Qabuqsin proclaimed the Younger Qangar,​

With his five-hundred Pecheneg warriors.​

There, between the Don and the Seym rivers,​

The Younger Line of Yula would Arise.

‡—‡—‡—‡—‡—‡
‡—‡—‡—‡—‡—‡—CONTENTS—‡—‡—‡—‡—‡—‡
‡—‡—‡—‡—‡—‡​

• Introduction — This Post
• Book One — Qabuqsin
  • Qabuqsin and the Thirty Ewes

 

[Nikolai]

Poetic as always. Good start!

 

[stnylan]

Long time since I've seen a poem-AAR

 

[A Yorks]

‡—‡—‡—‡—‡—‡
‡—‡—‡—QABUQSIN—‡—‡—‡
AND THE THIRTY EWES
‡—‡—‡—‡—‡—‡​

​

And Qabuqsin and Kügel went eastward,
Through the pastures of the Suru-Külbey,
Crossing the great frozen Volga river,
And entering the camp of his father.
The journey lasted five wintery days.


"I am Qabuqsin, one of Yula's kin.
My Father is the master of this camp.
My entry is just; I raise no weapons;
I bring but these Twenty Ewes to market."
Righteously he entered the encampment.


With Kügel he sent his ewes to market,
For the purchase of a worthy warhorse.
He could entrust Kügel with this errand.
Qabuqsin met with his father's council,
And announced his intentions to them all.


"Great Khan Qorqutay, my very Father,"
Proclaimed Qabuqsin to the mighty Khan,
A warrior of Glory and Honour,
And a follower of the Eagle's Path.
"The meadows of Sarkel belong to me."


"The Khazars graze those lands illegally."
Qabuqsin alleged this in great firmness.
The Mighty Khan answered him swiftly thus:
"What justification do you give me?
I cannot simply make an unjust war."


"The Younger Qangar rule right of the Don,
As per our agreement, when we made peace,
And restored the bond of fraternity,
Between the sons and daughters of Yula."
In this respect, Qabuqsin was correct.


But the meadows of Sarkel lie lower,
Beyond the portage of the two Rivers,
In the lands of the Khazar Khaganate.
The Jabdertim grazed their flocks there,
Under the protection of Manasseh.


"The Bulanid Khan is no petty threat,"
Said the Great Khan, wisely acknowledging
The fortitude of his Southern Neighbour.
"I can not and will not support this war."
The council adjourned with this judgement firm.


Qabuqsin sought Kügel at the market,
Finding him in conversation with the
Horse merchant from the East of Turkestan.
"Heroic One," said Kügel pleadingly,
"I must beseech you, O Heroic One,"


"Tell this merchant the deeds of Yula's kin.
I have offered him twenty ewes, my Lord,
For this Bark-Coloured Warhorse to be yours.
He claims its value is far too high, Lord,
For its breed is of the land of the Qang."


"I have told him, Lord, of Yula the Brave,
Your very Ancestor whom you honour,
And how he wrested the Qarluq hero,
Bulaq, from his horse on the River's bank,
There on the Yenisei of ancient times."


"He is aware of the Race between them,
When Bulaq challenged Yula to best him,
And dove into the river's dusky depths,
Swimming strongly to reach the other shore.
Yula, of course, was the victor thereof."


"And I have told him of your own exploits,
And how you led the Five Hundred Horsemen
Of the younger Banner of the Qangar.
He is insistant that the twenty ewes
Of this Pecheneg hero will not do."


The Merchant, a wise man, eyed Qabuqsin.
"This man tells me of the deeds of your line.
You, truly are Qabuqsin-Elteber?"
Qabuqsin assured the Merchant of this.
"The truth is as he has told you it is."


The Merchant, a wise man, said this to him:
"I can not argue the word of a Lord,
Nor should I have haggled a Hero's horse.
Have him, for he wholeheartedly does so
Resemble your Ancestor's mighty steed."


"Twenty ewes will suffice as a payment."
Qabuqsin was quite pleased with the warhorse,
Which he would name Dragon for its valour.
To the merchant he passed a message on,
That he might tell it on his distant fares:


"Qabuqsin rules right of the River Don,
With Five Hundred Pecheneg cavalry,
And their various properties and herds.
Experienced commanders seeking fame:
Present yourselves to the Lord east of Kursk."


"In addition to fame, which you will earn,
He offers without exception ten ewes,
Upon the swearing of an oath in blood."
The Merchant, a wise man, agreed to this,
And Qabuqsin and Kügel carried on.


They journeyed back to the camp at Esen.
Crossing the Volga and the icy Don,
And arriving at the Qangar campsite.
The journey took them five wintery days.
There, Qabuqsin became introspective.


The land in Esen was poor grazing land;
It had no suitable winter pasture,
In which to graze the flocks that gave them life.
The Elteber would have to act quickly
To secure his camp a greener pasture.


The Khazars had no right to Sarkel, but
They would not give it up so easily.
A Sov'reign City of Stone Stands there,
Built by those Khazars who roamed no further,
And settled into a new, urban life.


The Khazar Khan built the city of Stone,
Bringing in engineers from distant Rome,
And fortifying his hold on the land.
In return, the Romans were ceded a
Portion of their Ancient Hold in Qyrym.


It would be a fool's errand to attack,
Let alone besiege the City's limits.
He would need a highly skilled commander,
Who would appear to him on the eighth day
After he spoke to the eastern Merchant.


Hemming was brilliant in tactics and wit,
A talented horseman, and dutiful.
His formidable might preceded him,
As whispers of his reputation swelled,
And with them the nature of his exploits.


"From whence do you come, O Foreign Soldier?"
Asked Qabuqsin, cautious in intention.
By your fair hair and your boreal eyes,
I am led to assume you are Rus."
Hemming chuckled and gave his formal boast.


"I am no Rus, O Lord of Pechenegs,
But a man of the northern Swedish land,
Come to the East to make his fortunes here.
The Romans know us as Varangians;
We know ourselves as People of the North."


"I have heard of your offer of ten ewes,
And I have come to give my service to you."
Qabuqsin, in his wisdom, hired Hemming,
And bestowed him the title of Ishad.
The Youngest of Yula's line would arise.

​

 

[Nikolai]

And arise I am sure he will.