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This song is a somewhat unusual inclusion here as my focus is Alevi deyiş while this is an anonymous türkü (folksong) from Erzincan. Not withstanding the fact that türkü is sometimes used as an all embracing term that includes deyiş, structurally they are different. This türkü has a metre of seven syllables while deyiş commonly have eleven or eight syllables. There is the refrain (bağlantı) which is more common in türkü and the absence of a mahlas. That said, the personal quality of this lyric suggests that a mahlas would not be out of place should an additional verse turn up. It is interesting that this is the opening song on the first of the renowned and influential Muhabbet series of recordings instigated in the mid-1980s by Arif Sağ, who also sings this song on that recording. On the evidence of his recordings Sağ has a particular fondness for songs from the Erzincan region, especially those from the Çayırlı (Erzincan) aşık Davut Sulari – and indeed he has said himself that even at the age of six he exerted himself to see Sulari (Değirmenin Bendine p. 40). This is perhaps not surprising given that Sağ is from Aşkale on the Erzincan side of Erzurum. By opening the Muhabbet series with this song Sağ declares his roots and the sound, mood and performance style of these recordings. This is one of the most bleak and beautiful Turkish folksongs, certainly as performed by Sağ. The source of the song, Erzincanlı Şerif (Tanındı) – although Bekir Karadeniz published a version with Sulari given as the source (Ela Gözlüm Türküler, p. 229) – performs it with a bit more swagger and with and instrumental colour (clarinet, violin, percussion etc). But it is in Sağ’s version that the stark and haunting qualities of the song are truly revealed.
This video shows Arif Sağ and Belkıs Akkale performing the song (sort of) in 1983.
Küstürdüm barışamam (dert bende)
Translation: Paul Koerbin
I caused offence and cannot be reconciled
I have parted and cannot meet again
I opened my eye and I saw you
I cannot speak among strangers
I am suffering, I am unfortunate
I am suffering, I am unfortunate
Nothing can be done for the pain within
Like the birds without a nest
I’ve become scattered and confused
I pursued her to this mountain’s end
I awoke to the voice of my love
She is a partridge and I a hunter
And so I followed after her
I am suffering, I am unfortunate
I am suffering, I am unfortunate
Nothing can be done for the pain within
Like the birds without a nest
I became scattered and confused
I am estranged, my mate is estranged
My mate my fellow traveller is estranged
I do not grieve for my dying
My stone on the grave is abandoned
I am suffering, I am unfortunate
I am suffering, I am unfortunate
Nothing can be done for the pain within
Like the birds without a nest
I became scattered and confused
———————————————————————————-
Küstürdüm barışamam
Ayrıldım kavuşamam
Göz açtım seni gördüm
Yad ilen konuşamam
Dert bende kara bende
Dert bende kara bende
Eylenmez yare bende
Yuvasız kuşlar gibi
Olmuşum perâkende
Bu dağın ensesine
Uyandım yar sesine
Yar kekliktir ben avcı
Düşmüşüm ensesine
Dert bende kara bende
Dert bende kara bende
Eylenmez yare bende
Yuvasız kuşlar gibi
Olmuşum perâkende
Ben garip eşim garip
Eşim yoldaşım garip
Öldüğüme gam yemem
Mezarda taşım garip
Dert bende kara bende
Dert bende kara bende
Eylenmez yare bende
Yuvasız kuşlar gibi
Olmuşum perâkende
Hello, Paul!
I asked my Turkish friends about some lines form the turku.
1) “Eylenmez yare bende”. They say: “ey olmaz yare bende” is better here. “Ey olmaz” means “iyi olmaz” “iyileşmez”, “yare” means “yar” (wound), “bende” means I have. It follows that “dert bende kara bende” should be translated in a different way.
2) ensesine düşmek = peşine düşmek.
Best regards
Olga
Olga, many thanks again for alerting me to my errors. When I can get some basic things so wrong I really do start to question why I’m doing this and should I be doing these translations. I will revise the translation of Dert Bende and ponder the point of this blog.
Dear Paul! Errare humanum est!:)
I’m confident that your blog and your efforts are very important. I hope that in spite of difficulties and disappointments, inevitable in any work, you will proceed with translations and keeping the blog.
I will be happy to help you when I can.
My current disinclination towards the blog has not been helped by learning that I also got the translation of ‘yad’ wrong. Sent a message off to an expert friend in Ankara who told me that ‘yad’ in this song means ‘yabancı‘or ‘el’ rather than my original translation as ‘recollection’. I’ve amended the translation now. To err is human but it may also reveal incompetence for the task.
Thanks a lot you for all of the guide