Kalbak-Tash X (A-30)

Description

This inscription is situated in the upper part of plane I; it is vertical line 21,6cm long, it consists of 15 signs, their height is 1,3–3cm. The inscription was first published by V.M. Nadeljaev in 1980. V.M. Nadeljaev writes that the fifrst three (two?) signs and the last sign cannot be read; he gives his interpretation of the subsequent 10 signs of this inscription giving also a conjucture of the first three (two?) signs.

Reading of V.M. Nadeljaev

Transliteration: (…) l¹ j² g n² . b² n² t² d² m

Transcription:  (Saŋa), Al Jäqin, bän tidim.

Translation: (You), I, Al Egin, said.

(Nadeljaev 1984: 102)

Reading of I. L. Kyzlasov

Transliteration:

s² ü(ö) l² n² j² g n² ä : b² n² t² d² m ä

Transcription:

sül(ä)n j(e)g(ä)n b(e)n t(e)d(i)m

Translation: I, Sülän Yägän, said.

(Kyzlasov 2002: 88)

Reading of L.N.Tybykova, I.A. Nevskaya and M. Erdal

Runic transliteration:

Transliteration:

s² č/Ü l² n² y² g² n² A : b² n² t² d² m A

Transcription:

sül(ä)n y(e)g(ä)n – a: b(ä)n (e)td(i)m – a / t(e)d(i)m или sül(ä)n y(e)g(i)n – a: b(ä)n (e)td(i)m – a / t(e)d(i)m

Translation: I, Sülän Yägän, said/did. Or: I, Sülän Yägän, did it in a good way.’ Or: ‘Fight for yourself!’, I, Yägän, said.

Comments

1. The inscription allows various interpretations.

2. The sequence of signs y² g² n² A (here with a rare form for g²) appears also in Kalbak-Tash I,3 and should be apparently read as y(e)g(ä)n/y(ä)g(ä)n, found also in other fragments on this plane as well as in other sources as a proper name; this word means also ‘nephew’. This sequence of signs can be read as y(e)g(i)n, where y(e)g – ‘good, goodness’, and -in – is an Intrumental case suffix.

3. s² č/Ü l² n² can be interpreted as a proper name Sülän. There is also a verb sülä-n ‘to fight for yourself’, which is a reflexive formation of the base sülä- ‘to fight’. Another meaning of this derived verb is ‘to create an army for yourself’. The name Sülän could be also derived of this verb. In Old Turkic, there are many names formed from imperatives of verbs.

4. The signs t² d² m can be read as t(e)d(i)m ‘I said’, or (e)td(i)m ‘I did’.