The first poem. Song of Bugach Khan, the son of Dirsa Khan

According to the tradition established long ago among the Oghuz, Bayındır Khan made a feast for the Beks. At the same time, he ordered the installation of white tents for those who have sons, red for those who have no sons, but have a daughter, and black tents for childless beks. To further humiliate the latter, he ordered them to be served food from black sheep meat and put them on black felt.

This was done to a prominent beck, Dirce Khan, who arrived with his team at the ceremony. He angrily left the Bayyndir Khan headquarters. At home, on the advice of his wife, Dirce Khan made a feast, fed the hungry, distributed generous alms, thus begging for a son from God. He had a son, whom they began to bring up as was customary among the nobility. At the age of fifteen, playing with his peers, he suddenly saw a fierce Khan bull, which was led to the square. His comrades quit the game and hid. But a brave youth with a fist pushed the angry bull rushing at him, and then cut off his head. With the wild enthusiasm of the Oghuz Beks, Korkut called his name Bugach (Bull). According to the Oguz tradition, the father allocated an inheritance to his son and gave him beking. However, the warriors of Dirce Khan, envious of the courage of the young man and the power he achieved, began to weave intrigues around him. The result was that Dirce Khan mortally wounded his Bugach on a hunt. Mother tremblingly awaited the return of her son from the first hunting trip; even getting ready, according to the Oguz custom, to have a feast on this occasion. Having met only her husband, she rushed to him with questions and reproaches. Having not received an answer, she took her forty warrior girls and went off to look for her son,

The young man lay in blood, barely driving away the vultures from himself. Khizyr appeared and warned him that the medicine for the wounds might be the juice of mountain flowers mixed with mother’s milk, and then disappeared. The mother arrived, took her son away, cured, but she kept all this secret from her husband. The young man finally recovered. Meanwhile, forty of Dirce's warriors decided to put an end to the khan himself: they conspired to bind him and transfer him into the hands of enemies. Having learned about this, the khan's wife turned to her son, told him what had happened and asked her to help her father out. Bugach went alone to meet the attackers and overtook them in the parking lot. Dirce Khan did not recognize his son, asked the traitors for permission to engage in battle with the young man, so that in case of victory they would release him. They agreed. But the young man joined the battle with forty traitors, killed some of them, captured some, and freed his father. Bugach-khan received beqi from Baiyndir-khan, and Korkut composed an ozuzname poem about him.

The third poem. Song of Bamsa-Beyrek, the son of Kam-Bura

Seeing the sons of the Beks who were serving at the reception at the Bayyndir Khan, Kam-Bura-bek was very sad: he did not have a son. Those present at the feast prayed to God that he would send him a son. Then another beck said about his desire to have a daughter. Becks also prayed for him. At the same time, both beks agreed to marry their unborn children. And so, a son was born at Kam-Bura, who was named Bamsa-Beirek.

The boy grew up quickly and husbands. At fifteen, he became a hero, Once with his peers, he went hunting. He was approached by merchants complaining of robbers. The young man defeated the detachment of robbers and returned the goods to the merchants.

It is noteworthy in this episode that the young man, having shown heroism, gained the right to initiate according to the ancient Oguz custom.

Hunting another time, Bamsa-Beirek noticed tents in the steppe that belonged to a peer engaged to him. Dede Korkut was sent as a matchmaker. They played a wedding, but on the first wedding night, the ruler of the fortress Bayburd attacked the headquarters of the young man and took him prisoner. Bamsa-Beirek spent seventeen years in prison. Meanwhile, a rumor was spread about his death, and his wife was forced to agree to a marriage with another young beck. Having agreed, however, she sent the merchants in search of her husband. The latter were able to inform Bamsa-Beirek about what had happened. Bamsa-Beyrek managed to escape. Not far from the dungeon, he discovered his horse and set off on his journey. On the way, I met a singer who was going to the wedding, exchanging his horse for a musical instrument, he came to the wedding, pretending to be a holy fool. Beyrek began to amuse people with his antics, and then took part in competitions in archery and came out victorious. Kazan liked his tricks. The latter appointed Beirek the wedding backing. Taking advantage of this, Beirek went to the female half and demanded that the bride dance for him. Seeing his ring on her finger, he opened his wife. The wedding was upset. In the final, Beyrek attacks the Bayburd fortress and frees thirty-nine of his associates.

The fifth poem. Song of the daring Dumrul, the son of Spirit-Koji

A certain Delu Dumrul, the son of the Spirit of the koji, built a bridge over the anhydrous riverbed and charged thirty-three money from those who crossed the bridge, and forty - from those who did not. He boasted that there was no and there was no person equal in strength to him. Once, a nomad stopped at the bridge. And among the aliens there was a sick dzhigit, who soon died. Weeping rose over him. He rode over to the nomadic Del Dumrul and asked who the jigit killer was. Upon learning that the “red-winged Azrael” had taken his life, he asked about him and demanded that God send Azrael to him to measure his strength. He wanted to punish him so that he no longer dared to take the lives of young people.

God did not like the daring of Del Dumrul, and he ordered Azrael to take his life from Del. Once, Delu Dumrul sat with his forty horsemen and drank wine. Suddenly Azrael appeared. Beside himself with rage, the beck shouted at him, asking how he, so ugly, appeared to him without warning. Upon learning that Azrael was in front of him, Del Dumrul ordered the doors to be locked and rushed at him with a sword. Azrael, turning into a dove, fluttered out of the window. This inflamed Dela Dumrul even more. He took his eagle and rode after Azrael. Killing a couple of pigeons, he returned home. And here Azrael again appeared before him. Frightened horse knocked over his rider. Immediately, Azrael sat on Delu's chest and was ready to take his life. To the plea of ​​Del Dumrul to spare him, Azrael replied that he was only the messenger of the almighty God, only God would grant and take away life. And this was a revelation to Del Dumrul. He asked God to save his life for submitting. God told Azrael to keep him alive, but instead demanded the life of someone else. Delu Dumrul went to his elderly parents with a request that one of them sacrifice himself for him. Parents did not agree. Then Del Dumrul asked Azrael to fulfill his last wish: to go with him to his wife to give orders before his death. Saying goodbye to his wife, Del Dumrul ordered her to marry so that the children would not grow up without a father. My wife was ready to give her life for him. God, however, did not accept her soul, but ordered Azrael to take the life of his parents Del Dumrul, while he promised the faithful spouses one hundred and forty years of life.

Sixth poem. Song of Kan-Turali, the son of Kangly-koji

In the Oghuz age there lived a wise husband named Kangly-koja. He planned to marry his son Kan-Turala, and he made unusual demands on the bride: she must get out of bed earlier than her husband, saddle her horse and sit on him earlier than her husband, and before her husband attacks the gyaura, she must attack them and bring their heads. Kangly-koja suggested that the son himself look for a bride. The young man traveled all over the Oguz world, but in vain: he did not find the bride to his liking. Then his father went in search of the elders, and also to no avail. And so the old people decided to go to Trebizond, whose ruler had a beautiful daughter of heroic build, capable of pulling a double bow. The girl’s father announced that he would give his daughter away for someone who can defeat three animals: a lion, a black bull and a black camel.

Having heard about such terrible conditions, Kangly-koja decided to tell his son all this. “If he finds enough courage in himself, then let him lay claim to the girl’s hand, if not, then let him be satisfied with the Oghuz girl,” he thought.

Kan-Turals were not afraid of these conditions. Accompanied by forty companions, he went to Trebizond and was received with honors. The young man defeated the animals. They played a wedding, but the groom decided to immediately return home and get married according to his own customs and only then connect with his beloved.

On the way home, Kan-Turali decided to relax. Choose a suitable place. The young man fell asleep. Seljan-khatun, the bride of Kan-Turala, fearing treachery from her father, put on her armor and began to watch the road while the groom was sleeping. Her fears came true. The ruler of Trebizond decided to return his daughter back and sent a large detachment after Kan-Turaly. Seljan-Khatun quickly woke up the groom, and they entered the battle, during which she lost sight of Kan-Turala. The girl found him walking and wounded in the eye. Clotted blood blinded him. Together they rushed to the giaurs and exterminated everyone. At the end of the battle, Seljan-khatun mounted a wounded groom on a horse and set off on a further journey. On the way to Kan-Turali, fearing to disgrace himself by having been saved thanks to the help of a woman, he decided to deal with Seljan-Khatun. She, offended by the attack of the groom, took the fight and almost killed him. Then reconciliation took place. Kan-Turali realized that he had found the girl he wanted. We got married again.

The eighth poem. A song about how Basat killed Depegez

Once the enemy attacked the Oguzes. The camp has migrated. In the confusion, the baby of Aruz-koji was dropped. He was picked up by a lioness and fed. After some time, the Oguzes returned to their parking lot. The herdman reported that every day a creature appears from the reed thicket, which walks like a person, strikes horses and sucks blood. Aruz recognized him as his missing son, took him home, but he kept going into the lion’s den. Finally, Dede-Korkut inspired him that he was a man and he should be with people, ride horses, and gave him the name Basat.

Another time, when the Oghuz migrated to the summer, the shepherd Aruza met several peri at the source, caught one of them, met her, after which the peri flew away, telling the shepherd to come and take her "pledge" from her a year later. A year later, when the Oguzes again migrated to the summer flight, the shepherd discovered a bright shiny pile at that spring. Peri flew in, called the shepherd, gave him his “pledge” and added: “You brought death to the Oghuz.”

The shepherd began to throw stones in a heap. But with every blow she grew. Oguz beks appeared at the source, led by Bayindir Khan. Dzhigits began to hit the heap. But she was growing. Finally, Aruz-koja touched her spurs, she burst, and a boy came out of her with one eye on his head. Aruz took this boy, brought to his home. They invited several nurses, but he ruined everyone: “Once he pulled his chest, took all the milk, to the drop; another time pulled, took all the blood from her; pulled the third time, took her soul. " Then they began to feed him with sheep's milk. He grew quickly and began to attack children. No matter how Aruz punished him, nothing helped. Finally, Degegez was kicked out of the house.

A mother peri appeared, put a ring on his finger. Degegez went beyond the Oguz camp, climbed a high mountain and became a robber. He attacked herds, people, and devoured everyone. No one could compare with him. All prominent Oguz beks, including the omnipotent Kazan, were defeated by him. Then they decided to send Dede Korkut to him for negotiations. Depegez demanded sixty people a day to eat. They agreed that the Oghuzs would give him two people and five hundred rams a day and put two cooks to him who would cook him food. Oguzes selected people in turn from each family. One old woman had two sons. One was taken away, when the turn reached the second, she prayed. They advised her to turn to Basat, the son of Aruz-koji, who was famous as a hero. Basat agreed to engage in combat with the cannibal, but at the first attempt to fight him he was captured, imprisoned in a cave and transferred to the hands of the cooks. When the cannibal was asleep, the cooks pointed to his only vulnerable spot - the eye. Basat heated the skewer and blinded them Degegez. An enraged cannibal, to catch and punish the enemy, stood at the entrance of the cave; releasing rams, he checked each of them, but Basat managed to get out of the cave in the skin of a ram. Degegez tried three times to defeat the enemy (using the magic ring, the enchanted dome in which he placed Basat, and the magic sword), but in vain. Finally, Basat killed the cannibal with his magic sword.