Cultural reformer and poet Abay Kunanbayev (b.10 Aug 1845 – 6 July 1904) from Kazakhstan renowned for his notable work “The Book of Words” there were two inspirational people in his life since his childhood, Mikhail Lermontov (Russian writer) and Alexander Pushkin (Russian Poet). His second name is Abai Qunanbaiuly.
His poetry represents Kazakh culture and folklore for his people and the country. He developed as a fine writer from Russian culture and literature.
His pen brought about socio-political and economic changes that resulted in over the educational and philosophical changes to the existing philosophers, whether it is from Asia, Western or Russia. From his magical writings native continued to adapt the moral of the stories from his writings.
His reading experiences were mostly from Russian and European literature that transformed his life. Abay worked hard for the liberty of people and bringing the education as well as making them free from poverty was his prolong motive. And drive the awareness of corruption in the country.
From the book “The Book of Words” these thoughts and wisdom are famous, read below.
“Sorrow darkens the soul, chills the body, numbs the will, and then bursts forth in words or tears. I have seen people praying; “Oh, Allah, make me as carefree as a babe!” They imagine themselves to be sufferers, oppressed by cares and misfortunes, as though they had more sense than infants. As to their cares and concern, these can be judged from the proverbs: “If you will live no longer than noon, make provision for the whole day”,
“Even his father becomes a stranger to a beggar”
“Cattle for the Kazakh is flesh of his flesh”
“A rich man has a countenance full of light, a poor man — as hard as stone”
“The dzighit and the wolf will find their food along the way”
“The herds of exalted men are left to the care of others, except when such men have nothing better to do”
“The hand that takes also gives”
“He who has managed to get rich is always in the right”
“If you can't rely on the bey, don't count on God either”
“If you are famished, gallop to the place of a funeral feast”
“Beware of a lake with no shallows and of a people that knows no mercy”
Such proverbs are legion.”
“Life is the source of well-being...” What kind of life is meant here? Just existing to keep body and soul together? But even a dog is endowed with such an existence. He who treasures such a life, who is plagued by the fear of death, becomes an enemy to life everlasting.”
[...] Fleeing for his life from the foe, he will be known as a coward; shirking work, he will pass for a ne'er-do-well, he will become an enemy of the good. [...] No, what the proverb refers to is another kind of life. One that keeps the soul alive and the mind clear. If your body is alive but your soul is dead, words of reason will not reach you, and you will be incapable of earning your living by honest work.”
A loafer and a sycophant,
A hanger-on and an impudent fellow,
Valiant in his looks but craven in his heart,
Has no sense of shame […]”If you are like that, do not imagine yourself to be alive. A righteous death will then be better than such an existence.
Abai Qunanbaiuly
Abay said that an infant only required two things in this life and those become essential needs. First is food, drink and sleep. And the other is having intense desire and unending crave for knowledge.
What is that?
What’s that for?
Why is he doing that?
— Abay,
“This is the natural desire of the soul, the wish to see everything, hear everything and learn everything.”
A Poem by Abai Qunanbaiuly (The Book of Words)
When dying,
I will not lament:
Alas, I have not tasted
This or that joy!..
Not torturing me with
regrets about earthly things,
I shall find solace
In the life to come.
A good child is a joy,
but a bad one is a burden.
Who knows what kind of child,
God will bestow on you?
Or haven't had enough
of the humiliation you have
Had to swallow all your life?
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