Several times he sent matchmakers to G’ozi-xo’ja’s house, but the reply was always ‘no’. The pretext was that Oyxon was betrothed to a relative, that their marriage was imminent, after which G’ozi-xo’ja gave a detailed account of his poverty and complained that he was being unjustly punished and that Umar’s actions contradicted the laws of Islam; but, if his Lordship wished to force a marriage, then that was in his power and on his conscience. G’ozi-xo’ja added that his wife hadn’t stopped weeping since the
matchmakers started pestering their household. Then he sent the matchmakers away. And yet…

Бир эмас икки дафъа Ғози-хожанинг уйига совчи юборди, иккала сафар ҳам йўқ жавобини эшитди. Бирида: “Бу мастурамизни қариндошлардан бирига унаштириб қўйганмиз, яқин орада тўй қилишга умунганмиз” - деган эса, иккинчи кез Ғози-хожа ўз аламини очиқроқ ифода этибди. “Мен ғурбатда юрган бир айбаки ғариб бўлсам. Амирул-мўминийннинг бу саъи-корлари на адолат юзасидан, на дину-диёнат жиҳатидан ақлга тўғри келади. Агар зўрлик билан олмоқчи бўлсалар, яна ўзлари биладилар!” - деб хотинларнинг йиғи-сиғисини қўшиб, совчиларни қайтарган экан. Лекин...

His father was right when he said that a man can be in thrall to devils, especially if he is a writer. You have only to set to work to be gripped by your plans and inventions, and everything else seems vanity, triviality, a distraction. Over the last month Abdulla had covered reams of paper, having told himself: If I can sit down on my own this winter, I will finish writing the novel. And now all those hopes had been dashed. The Tatar NKVD man had found the manuscript, stuffed it in the only suitcase in the house, and taken it
away with him. And he was hardly going to read it, was he? Could he even decipher the old Arabic script of Uzbek? Or would he hire some black-eyed locals to read it for him?

Чиндан ҳам отаси айтмиш, жин босар экан, ёзувчи одамни. Ишга киришдингми – зикру хаёлинг ана ўша тўқимада, қолгани - фақат алахсиш, фақат чалғишдек туюлар экан. Ўтган ой ичида анча-мунча қоғозларни қоралаб қўйди Абдулла, айтмовдими: “Шу қиш узлат қилиб ўтирсам, қиссани ёзиб битказаман” - деб. Афсус, ишнинг белига от тепди. Анави анди татар топган қўлёзмасини уйдаги биттаю битта жомадонга босиб, ўзи билан олиб келди. Ўқирмикан барини? Эскичага кўзи ўтармикан? Ё яна ўзининг қора кўзларидан ёллаб, уларга ўқитармикан?

It was now New Year. Happy New Year to you, Abdulla! You said that if you could sit down for one winter, you would finish your novel. Clearly, you didn’t say inshallah at the time. But you had sensed the danger. Writers as well-known as you had already been arrested – Fitrat and Cho’lpon, G’ozi Yunus and Anqaboy – hadn’t they? Were you really likely to be left alone? When you tell a horse to ‘Chuh’, you have given it a bit more rope. He can go on writing for a bit, they would have thought, we’ll squash him when the time is ripe.

Янги йил ҳам кирибди. Янги йилингиз муборакбод, Абдулла! Бир қиш ўтирсам қиссамни ёзиб битираман, - деган эдингиз. Худо хоҳласа демаган экансиз-да ўшанда. Кўнглингизда бор эдию бу хатар, ахир Фитрату Чўлпон, Вадуд Маҳмуду Ғози Юнус, Анқабою Элбекни олиб кетган жойда сизни тинч қўйишармиди?! “Чўҳ”- деса кетадиган от экансиз, арқонингизни узунроқ ташлаб қўйишган экан-да, “Қани ёзиб турсинчи, роса қизиғида босамиз”, - дейишган эканми.

G’ozi-xo’ja’s children grew fond of Qosim and lent a hand when he was working, or clung to his side and begged him to make them a clay toy. One of the girls – the youngest but one – insisted that she would be his wife when she grew up. Only Oyxon was reserved in her cousin’s presence, doing no more than what duty obliged of her: preparing tea, serving dinner, making up a spare bed on the floor.

Сайид Ғози-хожанинг болалари ҳам Сайид Қосимни хуш кўрар, бири унга лой отган, бошқаси хипчин олиб келиб, тойчоқ ясаб бер дея, хархаша қилган, учинчиси “Катта бўлсам, сизга тегаман” – деб ваъдалашган. Фақат Ойхон-пошша ўзини бу амакиваччаси билан сипо тутар, керагида чойига, керагида жойига қарарди.

‘Father, forgive your unhappy daughter. It’s my fault, I’ve haven’t looked after you well. I’ve been too busy all the time, embroidering, or cooking, or laundering. I’ll give you more of my attentionnow. I can see I didn’tlearn much from my mother…’

- Отажон! – деди, - дўхтари заифангизни афу этинг, мен гуноҳкор – сизга яхши қаролмадим. Бир каштага алахсидим, бир қозонга. Энди зинҳор ундай қилмайман, онажонимдан ўрнак олсам бўлмасмиди...

1. Qaf. By the Glorious Quran.

1Қоф. Улуғ Қуръон ила қасам.