About the manuscript and the study of the “Geser” epic

The manuscrpipt “Abai Geser khubun” (Abai Geser the Mighty) is kept in Ulan-Ude in the archives of the Buryat folklore pieces (Inventory number 1) in the collections of now beautiful, very big and spacious building of the Center of Manuscripts and Xylographs attached to the Buryat Scientific Center which is a part of the Siberian Department (the city of Novosibirsk) of the Russian Academy of sciences (Moscow). It is known all over the world among orientalists, and its prestige among scholars is ever growing. It is one of the richest repositories preserving a tremendously rich oriental heritage which attracts lots of experts from various countries. It has scientific ties with the scientific organizations and workers throughout the world. There are a lot of foreign guests visiting or working in its richest archives. It is of innovational nature and well equipped. The workers of the Centre also keep close ties with the scholars from many countries. They go on expeditions and business trips across the world and complete joint projects for prestigious grants. Very many international scientific conferences take place in its assembly halls. It has got international recognition and is making a good contribution to the further development of oriental science.
In 1776 P. S. Pallas gave the first information in Russia concerning the epos “Geser” [1776: 121-123]. B. Bergmann rendered the contents of two chapters from the Kalmyck version of the tale of Geser [1804: 233-284]. J. I. Schmidt re-edited in the Old-Mongolian script the so-called Peking version of 1716 consisting of seven chapters [1836], and in three-four years he published its translation in German [1939]. S. A. Kozin published the translation of “Geser” to Russian [1935-36]. A. M. Pozdneev in 1896 published a rendering of a Kalmyck version with the translation in Russian [1896]. G. N. Potanin gave the rendering of a Buryat version [1981, 1883]. He then published in proze the Tibetan and Buryat versions of “Geser” [1893]. M. N. Khangalov wrote down from epos-tellers the variants of the Buryat version and published their renderings in Russian in the so called “Balagan collection” [1903, 1959].
One should take note of the fact that in 1909 an English traveler J. Curtin published three variants of “Geser” making use of his notes [1909]. One can find among them the abridged tale of Geser written down from rhapsode M. Imegenov. This curtailed variant has some alternative passages which differ it from the full record made from the same rhapsode by Ts. Zhamtsarano in 1906. One should bear in mind that the texts in J. Kurtin’s book present the result of double translation. At first the text was translated from Buryat to Russian by V. Mikhailov on the request of J. Kurtin. Then it was translated from Russian to English, therefore they present in fact a prosaic rendering of some motives of the epos but certainly they cannot be taken as the precise recording of the epos performed by the story-teller.
Curtin (left) with H. Sienkiewicz
On the contrary, the records made by Ts. Zhamtsarano are of great academic interest. In the first and second issues of the second volume of “The patterns of folklore of Mongolian tribes” one can find the tales “Abai Geser khubun”, “Oshor Bogdo” and “Khurin Altai” written down from a story-teller M. Imegenov [1930, 1931]. Ts. Zhamtsarano accompanied his records with commentaries, characteristics of the eposes, the peculiarities of their performing, the information on the rhapsode’s performing art. Ts. Zhamtsarano accompanied his records with commentaries, characteristics of the eposes, the peculiarities of their performing, the information on the rhapsode’s performing art. The story-teller M. Imegenov was born in 1849 into a poor peasant’s family in the village of Kukunut. He had a special gift for story-telling. Ts. Zhamtsarano wrote: “When the rhapsode tells the uliger, he puts pure water near him beforehand to have it time from time, he takes a reclined position, half closes his eyes and gets absorbed in the atmosphere of his epical poem and begins to sing in a drawn-out, melodious manner being carried away while as if drawing one picture after another with surprising calmness and impassivity despite his being inspired and taken away. The listeners echo him whenever necessary” [Obraztsy 1930]. - [Transl. by E. Hundaeva].
Folklore experts S. P. Baldaev, A. K. Bogdanov, G. D. Sanjeev, K. A. Khadakhane, K. B. Baginov, A. I. Shadaev, I. N. Madason, D. D. Khiltukhin, N. G. Baldano, R. F. Tugutov, D. A. Alexeev, N. O. Sharakshinova and others wrote down tales in all districts of Buryatia. They wrote down the eposes from celebrated story-tellers of the 20-30-es of the 20 century.
At present in the Center of Oriental Manuscipts and Block-prints (xylographs), at the Institute for Mongol, Buddhist and Tibetan studies of the Siberian Depatment, the Russian Academy of sciences, the collection of eposes (uliger) contains over one hundred authentic works among which presented most richly is the epic of Geser. There are about ten variants of “Geser”. The records were made in different years in such districts (rayion) of the Irkutsk province (oblast’) as Ekhirit-Bulagat, Bokhan, Osinsk, Nukut. The rhapsodes were M. Imegenov, A. Vasiliyev, P. Petrov, P. Dmitriyev, P. Tushemilov, N. Ivanov, P. Stepanov, A. Baldakshinov, B. Zhetukhaev, A. Toroyev. Some of their tales are published.
The academic studies and texts of eposes are published abroad beginning with the 1950-s. One can mention a fundamental study completed by Mongol scholar Ts. Damdinsuren [1957]. He made a comparative study of the Mongol, Buryat and Tibetan versions of the epic. The French scholar R. - A. Stein completed a study of various aspects of Geseriade [1959]. The Hungarian scholar L. Lorincz studied the Mongol and Buryat epos, particularly “Geser”, and wrote a detailed article [1978-79]. The issues of the epical heritage of Mongols and Buryats were studied by scholars in such countries as Japan (K. Tanaka), France (R.-A. Stein, R. Hamayon), Germany (W. Heissig, K. Sagaster).
Presented in this work is the English translation of the Ekhirit-Bulagat variant of the Buryat version of “Geser” written down by Ts. Zhamtsarano in 1906 from Manshud Imegenov. It was published in Buryat in academic transcription in St.Petersburg in 1930. In 1961 its second publication with the translation to Russian was completed by M. P. Khomonov. Then in 1969 it was again published with a new translation to the Russian language by N. O. Sharakshinova.
Since that time thirty years passed. During those years great progress was made in the study of the heroic epos of Buryats. The academic level of the preparation of texts for publishing improved as well as translating techniques. The book “Abai Geser khubun” (1995) was prepared taking into account the new requirements. The Buryat authentic text, translation to Russian, commentaries and academic articles are in essence a new academic interpretation of the epical monument in its unique and artistic originality from the position of modern epos study. But it hasn’t been translated to English although it might be the prerequisite of its becoming known to a wider public. The present English translation of the epos of Geser is made on the basis of the manuscript (Inv. No 1) of the collection of Buryat folklore which is entitled “Abai Geser khubun” and consulting its published variant (Abai Geser khubun, 1995).