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PİR SULTAN ABDAL and me

~ A personal reflection on the great Alevi poet's lyric works and influence – mostly through translation

PİR SULTAN ABDAL and me

Tag Archives: mahlas

Pir Sultan Abdal ‘Bülbül olsam varsam gelsem’ (Allah Allah desem gelsem)

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Posted by koerbin in Translations

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Gölpınarlı, Kul Himmet, mahlas, Muhlis Akarsu, Nelly Furtado, Pertev Naili Boratav, Ruhi Su, Translation

Cennet Mağarası near Narlıkuyu

 

This song is also known as Allah Allah desem gelsen. My translation is based on the text collected from Ali İzzet Özkan by Pertev Naili Boratav and included in Boratav and Gölpınarlı’s 1943 book on Pir Sultan Abdal. It rather stands out awkwardly as a Pir Sultan piece being in the form of a conversation (söyleşi) on the theme of transformations – folk theme common throughout European folkore (The Two Magicians being the most well known English version). However it does bring in some suggestions of mystical themes, which might be why Ali İzzet attributed it Pir Sultan. We know from İlhan Başgöz that Ali İzzet was readily prepared to attribute deyiş to Pir Sultan if he thought them appropriate. Halil Atılgan in his book Türkülerin İsyanı observes that it was also collected in the eastern Anatolian Iğdır region where the version is attributed to Kul Himmet Üstadım which is also surprising as Kul Himmet Üstadım is generally associated with the Sivas-Divriği region. The attributions at the very least suggest it is a lyric favoured among Alevis. Also, İbrahim Aslanoğlu in his book on Kul Himmet Üstadım (1976) does not include this text. As can be noted from Atılgan’s book, the TRT ‘official’ repertoire version does not include a şah beyit (mahlas) at all and manifests as a somewhat less interesting and simple türkü.

The recorded versions of this song by Muhlis Akarsu and Ruhi Su (who recorded the song in 1971 on his first LP Seferberlik Türküleri) change the opening line from Bülbül olsam varsam gelsen to Allah Allah desem gelsem, which does fit a little more logically with the following line Hakkın divânına dursam to present an opening reading “If I come and repeat Allah Allah/If I stand in the presence of God”. I have given the Turkish text and based my translation, however, on the version as presented in Boratav and Gölpınarlı although it retains is some confusing regionalisms, such as alma for elma, şahan for şahin, yanıl for yanal and çövmem for çöven. The final verses present the most problems however. The line Ben bir Azrail olsam (If I am the Angel of Death) seems corrupt, certainly for a Pir Sultan Abdal lyric! This song is an 8 syllable koşma yet this line only contains 7 syllables. This can be fudged, as Ruhi Su does, by inserting a spurious syllable – not uncommon practice – to make Azrail, Azırail. Muhlis Akarsu’s solution seems more satisfying. Akarsu sings Ben bir can alıcı olsam (If I am a receiver of souls). The second last line containing the mahlas is also problematic. The printed version has bulsa (if he/she finds) which doesn’t make a lot of sense in the context; and other sources, including the recorded versions have bulsan (if you find) which is more consistent and logical. It does put the mahlas into the position of an object rather than the subject, which does happen, but is somewhat uncommon. In this reading the accusative ending (-ı) is lacking, however that is a very common practice in folk lyrics. The use of the form üstadın (your master) in this line suggests this is not part of the mahlas and this form is certainly not associated with Pir Sultan; however it does suggest why the attribution mentioned above may have been made to Kul Himmet Üstadım.

Finally, I should mention the controversy over the use of Muhlis Akarsu’s recording by Nelly Furtado on her song Wait for You. On one level it would be nice to think the likes of Ms Furtado or the song’s producer DJ Timbaland have the curiosity, interest and good taste to investigate the work of master Alevi aşık-s and musicians like Akarsu. It is rather unfortunate however that it appears that such interest does not extend to the good grace and good intent of acknowledging such sources, traditions and artists. It would seem to be a position of arrogance to think that Muhlis Akarsu is just some ‘obscure’ musician and that no one would notice or care about such self-serving use. Besides the generally shabby approach of pop music muscle and identities, the real issue, if I understand correctly, would be the actual sample they used from Muhlis Akarsu’s recording Ya Dost Ya Dost, a selection of recordings issued by Kalan Müzik in 1994 (see the English language report from the Turkish online newspaper Today’s Zaman – only available now since the paper was shut down in July 2016 thanks to the Internet Archive). I believe the original recording of the song was on Akarsu’s album Kalk Gidelim Deli Gönül though I don’t know the date of its release, but judging by the sound I would say some time in the late 1980s, possibly 1987. Ruhi Su recorded the song earlier (1971) with much the same musical phrase; and the song is, or course, essentially traditional and in the public domain.

Pir Sultan Abdal: Bülbül olsam varsam gelsem

Translation: Paul Koerbin

 

If I am a nightingale if I approach and come

If I stand in the presence of God

If I am a rosy red apple

If I sprout on your branch, what do you say?

If you are a rosy red apple

If you come to sprout on my branch

If I am a silver clad crook staff

If I draw and strike a blow, what do you say?

If you are a sliver clad crook staff

If you come to draw and strike a blow

If I am a handful of maize

If I am scattered on the ground, what do you say?

If you are a handful of maize

If you come to be scattered on the ground

If I am a beautiful grey partridge

If I gather up bit after bit, what do you say?

If you are a beautiful grey partridge

If you come to gather up bit after bit

If I am a young falcon bird

If I seize and steal you off, what do you say?

If you are a young falcon bird

If you come to seize and steal me off

If I am a shower of sleet

If I break your wing, what do you say?

If you are a shower of sleet

If you come to break my wing

If I am a wild nor’easter wind

If I spurn and disperse, what do you say?

If you are a wild nor’easter wind

If you come to spurn and disperse

If I have a great sickness

If I lie down in your way, what do you say?

If you have a great sickness

If you come to lie down in my way

If I am the Angel of Death

If I take your soul, what do you say?

If you are the Angel of Death

If you come to take my soul

If I am a subject destined for heaven

If I enter into heaven, what do you say?

If you are a subject destined for heaven

If you come to enter into heaven

If you find your master Pir Sultan

If we enter in company together, what do you say?

———————————————————————————————————–

Original text from Pir Sultan Abdal by Gölpınarlı and Boratav (1943)

Bülbül olsam varsam gelsem

Hakkın divânına dursam

Ben bir yanıl alma olsam

Dalında bitsem ne dersin

Sen bir yanıl alma olsan

Dalımda bitmeye gelsen

Ben bir gümüş çövmen olsam

Çeksem indirsem ne dersin

Sen bir gümüş çövmen olsan

Çekip indirmeye gelsen

Ben bir avuç darı olsam

Yere saçılsam ne dersin

Sen bir avuç darı olsan

Yere saçılmaya gelsen

Ben bir güzel keklik olsam

Bir bir toplasam ne dersin

Sen bir güzel keklik olsan

Bir bir toplamaya gelsin

Ben bir yavru şahan olsam

Kapsam kaldırsam ne dersin

Sen bir yavru şahan olsan

Kapıp kaldırmaya gelsen

Ben bir sulu sepken olsam

Kanadın kırsam ne dersin

Sen bir sulu sepken olsan

Kanadım kırmaya gelsen

Ben bir deli poyraz olsam

Tepsem dağıtsam ne dersin

Sen bir deli poyraz olsan

Tepip dağıtmaya gelsen

Ben bir ulu hasta olsam

Yoluna yatsam ne dersin

Sen bir ulu hasta olsan

Yoluma yatmaya gelsen

Ben bir Azrâil olsam

Canını alsam ne dersin

Sen bir Azrâil olsan

Canımı almaya gelsen

Ben bir cennetlik kul olsam

Cennete girsem ne dersin

Sen bir cennetlik kul olsan

Cennete girmeye gelsen

Pir Sultan üstadın bulsa(n)

Bilece girsek ne dersin

Aşık Daimi ‘Kainatın aynasıyım’

21 Thursday May 2009

Posted by koerbin in Translations

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Aşık Daimi, deyiş, mahlas, Translation

daimiI am the Mirror of All Creation

This is my translation of Aşık İsmail Daimi’s masterpiece deyiş  ‘Kainatın Aynasıyım’. Having in the past been pondering the themes found in Alevi deyiş, this is a prominent example of the humanist theme with, as Melih Duygulu notes, the religio-mystical (dini tasavvuf) references never really absent. If not always overt then certainly immanent. This is also a great example of the ability of the mahlas (or mahlas verse) to structure and form the unity of the lyric. The mahlas verse introducing a shift in tone and the humble nature of the subject (the aşık, the human being) reveals the enel-hak (I am God) theme as one that grounds and honours the human being and is no arrogant assertion. Again, there are plenty of challenges in translating this to English, even though this is a modern composition. I could translate the first line (title) as, more simply, “I am the mirror of the cosmos” or “I am the mirror of the universe”, a meaning that kainat certainly has. It also has the sense of  “all creation” which I have preferred because, while it conveys the sense of the universal it also has association with the living being among other things. The dilemma of how or if to translate aşık again arises however. While I am inclined to leave it un-translated to leave the multiple meanings of “one seeking to enter the tarikat“, “a minstrel-bard”, and a “lover” intact, I have experimented with “enraptured bards” (for the plural aşıklar) in this translation. I’m not entirely convinced by this and also experimented with “enraptured dervishes” though that did not scan as well. In Daimi’s recording (I think made in the 70’s and available on the album Gücenme Sevdiğim – unfortunately still not released on CD) he omits the second last verse.  Interestingly, on the version of the song on the seminal early 1980s recording (by Arif Sağ, Musa Eroğlu and Muhlis Akarsu),  Muhabbet 2, the subtle lyric change from “Kuran’ım” to “Kuran’ı” (dropping the personal possessive)  is made. Halil Atıkgan in his book Türkülerin İsyanı (Akçağ, 2003: pages 70-72) notes rather more comprehensive changes to the lyric in the TRT “repertoire” (no. 4070) version. You can hear Daimi’s recordng from Gücenme Sevdiğim on YouTube.

Aşık Daimi: Kainatın aynasıyım  (I am the mirror of all creation)

 

Translation: Paul Koerbin

I am the mirror of all creation

Since I am a human being

I am the depth of God’s being

Since I am a human being

Man in God and God in Man

If you  seek look in the human

There is no deficiency within Man

Since I am a human being

In me is knowledge in me is scripture

How many are the worlds in me

The writing tablet and pen are in me

Since I am a human being

So much desire wells up within

Comes forth fizzing like fireworks

Let the angels bow to me

Since I am a human being

I can write the Pentateuch

I can arrange the New Testament

I can discern my Quran

Since I am a human being

With my name I am God

With my body I reached God

With my design I resemble God

Since I am a human being

I am Daimi I am desolate

Humble as dust on the feet

I am wine for enraptured bards

Since I am a human being

——————————————————————————————

Kainatın aynasıyım

Mademki ben bir insanım

Hakkın varlık deryasıyım

Mademki ben bir insanım

İnsan hakta hak insanda

Arıyorsan bak insanda

Hiç eksiklik yok insanda

Mademki ben bir insanım

İlim bende kelam bende

Nice nice alem bende

Yazar levhi kalem bende

Mademki ben bir insanım

Bunca temenni dilekler

Vız gelir çarkı felekler

Bana eğilsin melekler

Mademki ben bir insanım

Tevrat’ı yazabilirim

İncil’i dizebilirim

Kuran’ım sezebilirim

Mademki ben bir insanım

Enel Hakkım ismin ile

Hakka erdim cismim ile

Benziyorum resmim ile

Mademki ben bir insanım

Dâimi’yim harap benim

Ayaklarda turap benim

Aşıklara şarap benim

Mademki ben bir insanım

 

Thesis writing

11 Monday May 2009

Posted by koerbin in Uncategorized

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deyiş, mahlas, Thesıs

Writing about definitions of deyiş today; the point to be made is that that as a functional term it has a broad scope – and consequently allows for an inclusiveness when composing in this form – while at the same time derives its principle character and meaning from specific Alevi contexts. In a sense itis  not about how the lyric form is defined but rather what it signifies – which can be many things but significantly refering back to, or at least inhereting meaning from, more specific sub-genres (duaz, mersiye, tevhid etc), themes and subjects (tarikat principles and beliefs). But the deyiş is in essence a ‘statement’ – demek – and so the poetic identity, in the form of the mahlas, becomes a critical element.

All this going fine until I tried to work out how to have Endnote insert references at the end of the master document rather than in each sub-document.  That is yet to be resolved.

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