Selected Poetry / Избранное (англ.)

Shortly after uncle Badri had me leave Kyrlai, he had to travel to Kazan on some business.

I didn’t spend the entire month of his absence doing nothing. Kamaletdin and I attended the school in our village which was like a madrassah. There was so much to learn that we even had to stay there overnight sometimes. The honorable teacher in this school had the habit of hammering knowledge in his students. In this short time I was often horrified as I watched how he beat the daylights out of some of his students, treating them like dogs.

I found the possibility that the whip of the esteemed teacher was going to hit my back someday very frightening. Besides, it wasn’t particularly pleasant to be herded to the morning prayer together with the rest of the students, so I thought to myself: «Let uncle Badri return soon, then I could go back to Yaik!»

Finally, uncle Badri came back. He brought me a new hat, new felt boots and a new quilted coat. I was very happy to put on my new clothes, but I pulled my old hat from the heap of old clothes and hid it in the attic, so that when I come back one day I would find it there.

After that we spent only a few days in Kushlavych. Then we packed our belongings and drove in the direction of Yaik.

After a day and a night on the road, we arrived in Kazan (most likely, from the side of the Hay Market) and finally stopped at some place.

Suddenly we saw a man running towards us with widespread arms: he had an almost entirely white beard but his eyes looked young.

«You’re still alive then?» he exclaimed, coming up to me. «Your mother saw you in her dreams just yesterday. Come on, I’ll take you home. You’ll have some tea and spend the night with us», – with these words he took me away.

We came home. Mom met me. She missed me, poor thing, and was also crying.

They prepared tea for me. Father brought some meat dumplings from the inn, and we had a good meal.

Nothing seemed to have changed in the lives of these parents of mine in the time we lived apart, except that my father’s beard turned gray, and that they moved from the New Quarter to the Old Quarter.

I spent that night at their place. In the morning, after tea, my mother washed me in the tub.