Pir Sultan Abdal ‘Sultan Suyu gibi çağlayıp akma’

03 Monday Jan 2011

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Çukurova, Cahit Öztelli, Pertev Naili Boratav, Ruhi Su, Sadık Gürbüz, Yaşar Kemal

Çaltı Suyu near Divriği

This text first appears in Cahit Öztelli’s collection, Pir Sultan Abdal Bütün Şiirleri published in 1971. Öztelli gives the source as being collected by Pertav Naili Boratav in the Çukurova region – a region wonderfully and magically evoked in the novels of Yaşar Kemal, but not particularly associated with Pir Sultan. This also makes the location of the Sultan Stream seem uncertain. The most identifiable Sultan Suyu is in the Malatya region, but a small stream of this name could be a local feature of any place. The mention of a wintery mountain peak does rather suggest central Anatolian location, though the location of the stream is hardly of great importance. Sadık Gürbüz included the song on his 1977 recording of Pir Sultan Abdal deyişler with the same melody as sung by Ruhi Su among the private recordings from the period 1970-72 later released on CD in 1990 as Sultan Suyu Pir Sultan Abdal’dan Deyişler (number 20 in the complete recordings of Ruhi Su). Gürbüz and Su both omit the third, and distinctly Alevi, verse in their recordings.

Pir Sultan Abdal: Sultan suyu gibi çağlayıp akma

Translation: Paul Koerbin

Don’t gush on burbling like the Sultan Stream

It will become calm, don’t worry foolish heart

Man’s mind is in mist as a wintery mountain peak

It will be reached, don’t worry foolish heart

A greeting from us to the one going to the friend

Damn the liar and damn the ignorant

How many enemies there are to ambush us

They will tire, don’t worry foolish heart

Worthy Ali is before us as leader

Do you think the work of God could collapse?

One’s short span in the world has ups and downs

Vigour will return, don’t worry foolish heart

I am Pir Sultan Abdal for the secret way

What has befallen us, let it remain here

That towards which we strive is hope

It will be reached, don’t worry foolish heart

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Original text from Cahit Öztelli, Pir Sultan Abdal Bütün Şiirleri (1971)

Sultan Suyu gibi çağlayıp akma

Durulur, gam yeme divane gönül

Er başında duman, dağ başında kış

Erilir, gam yeme divane gönül

Bizden selâm söylen dosta gidene

Yuf yalancıya da, lânet nâdene

Bunca düşman ardımızdan yeltene

Yorulur, gam yeme divane gönül

Şah-ı Merdan önümüzde kılavuz

Yıkılır mı Hakk’ın yaptığı havuz

Üç günlük dünyada her yahşı, yavuz

Dirilir, gam yeme divane gönül

Pir Sultan Abdal’ım sırdan sırada

Bu iş böyle oldu, kalsın burada

Cümlemizim yeltendiği murada

Erilir, gam yeme divane gönül

Pir Sultan Abdal ‘Gel seninle ahd ü peyman edelim’ (‘Ne sen beni unut ne de ben seni’)

14 Thursday Oct 2010

Posted by koerbin in Translations

≈ 1 Comment

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Arif Sağ, Cahit Öztelli, mahlas, Tacim Dede, İbrahim Aslanoğlu

The text here is from Cahit Öztelli’s 1971 collection which, to the best of my knowledge, is its first publication. Some of the language suggests its been around for some time so it is curious that it slipped through the efforts of Ergun, Atalay and Gölpınarlı and Boratav. Part of its attraction is surely in the wonderful refrain. My translation of this line remains very clumsy compared with the Turkish – needs some inspiration.

Arif Sağ recorded a version of this deyiş collected from the great Sinemilli (Maraş) dede and deyiş source Tacim Dede (sometimes Tacım) on Sağ’s most eccentric recording Biz İnsanlar / Kerbela from 1990. The album includes odd programmed ‘casio’ like rhythms and synthesised instrument colours and sounds. It remains the Arif Sağ recording that I listen to most perhaps. The arrangement of this song in particular is peculiar in that the last verse changes melody, rhythm and tempo to that of the song that follows it, another Pir Sultan song İnsan olan nura çevrilir collected from İsmail Özden. While this is clearly one of the more striking arrangements on a strange album, Zafer Gündoğdu does a redux of the arrangement for his recording of the song on his 2002 recording Bahçe biziz gül bizdedi. The main differences in the Tacim Dede version are in verse 4 (very different) and verse 3 (somewhat different) with some other changes in the other verses that present a slightly simpler lyric but not a change in the substance of meaning. For example ‘iman’ instead of ‘peyman’ in the opening line and ‘İrfan meclisine vardığın zaman ‘ as the third line of the second verse. There are a number of other variations. As with many Pir Sultan deyiş from this region the mahlas form is Abdal Pir Sultan’ım which is just one of the pieces of evidence that raises questions about İbrahim Aslanoğlu’s conclusions in regards to the six putative Pir Sultan Abdallar.

Pir Sultan Abdal: Gel seninle ahd ü peyman edelim

Translation: Paul Koerbin

Come and let us make a pledge with you

Neither you forget me, nor I forget you

Let the two of us cherish a vow

Neither you forget me, nor I forget you

For mercy, how her eyebrows are finely wrought

We pursued pleasure, we did so without end

When I was among the cultured crowd

Neither you forget me, nor I forget you

I am inclined towards the saz and conversation

I am inclined towards you and prosperity

By your love I fell out upon the foreign land

Neither you forget me, nor I forget you

My beloved’s beauty like the moon and sun

Does your lover not draw forth his moan?

Bring forth and let us imbibe the word of God

Neither you forget me, nor I forget you

They drew Abdal Pir Sultan to the gallows place

I fell down for your love and suffer for you

Behold there erenler that one going to the beloved

Neither you forget me, nor I forget you

——————————————————————————————–

Original text from: Cahit Öztelli Pir Sultan Abdal : Bütün Şiirleri, 1971

Gel seninle ahd-ü peyman edelim

Ne sen beni unut, ne de ben seni

İkimiz de bir ikrarı güdelim

Ne sen beni unut, ne de ben seni

Aman kaşı keman elinde aman

Sürdük safasını, etmedik tamam

Ehl-i irfan içre olduğum zaman

Ne sen beni unut, ne de ben seni

Hem saza mailem hem de sohbete

Hem sana mailem hem de devlete

Aşkın ile düştüm diyar gurbete

Ne sen beni unut, ne de ben seni

Yârimin cemâli güneşle mâhı

Sana âşık olan çekmez mi âhı

Getir and içelim Kelâmullahı

Ne sen beni unut, ne de ben seni

Abdal Pir Sultan’ı çektiler dâra

Düşmüşüm aşkına yanarım nâra

Bakın hey erenler şu giden yâra

Ne sen beni unut, ne de ben seni

Kul Himmet ‘Allah bir Muhammed Ali diyerek’ (Düaz-ı imam)

23 Sunday May 2010

Posted by koerbin in Translations

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Arif Sağ, Cahit Öztelli, Düaz-ı imam, Kul Himmet, Shahrbanu, Tolga Sağ, Translation, Şehriban

While working on a chapter of my PhD devoted to identity issues concerning Kul Himmet and Kul Himmet Üstadım for the thesis it seemed a good time to introduce Kul Himmet to the blog. Kul Himmet ranks with Şah Hatayi and Pir Sultan as the third in the triumvirate of great lyric and didactic Alevi poets. Even less about Kul Himmet is known than of Pir Sultan and certainly Hatayi (Shah Ismail). We do generally understand from the internal evidence of the deyişler that Kul Himmet was the murid (disciple) of Pir Sultan and provides the connection to another great aşık of Alevi ritual culture, Kul Hüseyin; also that he was educated. I will leave the issue of Kul Himmet Üstadım for another day.

This düaz-ı imam is another favourite of Alevi expressive culture. In performance it is sung to a powerful and deeply mysterious melody, somewhat unusually for Alevi music using a garip tetrachord for the lower part of the melody; although this modulates to the hüseyni ayağı for the third, sixth and ninth verses. The tune can be heard in the opening of the unbearably tragic film Journey of Hope.

The main difficulties in translation arise from names and some specific Alevi concepts that are reluctantly translated. For example, what to do with ‘erenler‘? My instinct is to leave as Erens, but I try a translation of ‘enlightened‘. A good translation for ‘vird‘ continues to elude. I have succombed to ‘prayer’ but not happily. This düaz goes beyond the twelve imams and brings in other identities such as Kanber, Salman and Fatma and the especially interesting Bibi Shahrbanu (Şehriban). Will perhaps add some explanation later.

Interestingly the earliest printed version of this text in Besim Atalay’s Bektaşilik ve Edebiyat (1924; republished in modern Turkish translation by Vedat Atila in 1991) does not take the form of a düaz-ı imam and does not include reference to the twelve imams though it does retain the references to Fatma, Şehriban and İmam Hüseyin. The text translated here is from Cahit Öztelli’s Pir Sultan’ın Dostları (2nd ed 1996) with one change to the order of the verses. The verse beginning “İmam Zeynel paralandı, bölündü” appears in Öztelli as the second last verse. Following the recordings by Arif and Tolga Sağ I have moved this to the fifth verse where it makes more sense logically and chronologically in respect to the invocation of the imams.

Kul Himmet ‘Ali bir Muhammed Ali diyerek’ (Düaz-ı imam)

Translation: Paul Koerbin

Every morning the birds sound together

Saying Allah is one, Muhammad, Ali

The nightingale begins a lament for the rose

Saying Allah is one, Muhammad, Ali

Our fate shall turn upon the direction we face

Veysel Karani went to the land of Yemen

We are bees and we fly off for almighty manna

Saying Allah is one, Muhammad, Ali

Let us endure mourning for the Imams

Hear the true voice of the enlightened

Imam Hasan drank the poisoned challice

Saying Allah is one, Muhammad, Ali

The one who seeks is sifted through a fine mesh

The one who believes turns to the True way

Shah Hüseyin was soaked in scarlet blood

Saying Allah is one, Muhammad, Ali

Imam Zeynel was torn to pieces and portioned

Humble respect was given to the Imam Bakir

The essence of direction was given to Cafer-i Sadık

Saying Allah is one, Muhammad, Ali

The heart is a bird’s ramshackle nest

The Shah’s desire become our prayers

The prayer of Kâzım, Musa, Ali Rıza

Saying Allah is one, Muhammad, Ali

Shah Taki and Naki went on as light

Hasan-ül Askerî went on as the brave

The Mehdi went on mysterious in the cave

Saying Allah is one, Muhammad, Ali

Kanber, Salman, Fatma stood for the prayer

Shahrbanu was stripped and mounted on the camel

Jesus was distressed and passed unto the air

Saying Allah is one, Muhammad, Ali

Four books were written and passed to four faiths

The Kuran became Muhammed’s prayers

Kul Himmet passed to the sorrow of his saint

Saying Allah is one, Muhammad, Ali

—————————————————————————-

Original text from Cahit Öztelli Pir Sultan’ın Dostları (2nd ed. 1996)

Her sabah her sabah ötüşür kuşlar