Music: Anonymous, Müslüm Sümbül (source person) of Kangal, Sivas, Turkey; a poet and master aşık from the traditional school. Compiled by Nida Tüfekçi and Yücel Paşmakçı (www.trtnotaarsivi.com), two of the greatest music professionals who have compiled thousands of folk songs from throughout Anatolia. The enormous feat they have accomplished is still unmatched today.
It is not easy to say a word on Yunus Emre. He has been the object of numerous research by great many authorities in the field. He was a philosopher with a plain voice. In this poem he treats the technological advances of his times and tries to show the futility of human affairs despite such achievements, which is quite in line with his Sufi view of the world.
His object is a water wheel, a device used for reclaiming water by using external work of mostly human or animal origin, although those driven by wind or the river itself also existed. The original name for these contraptions is "Noria", a Spanish word from an Arabic origin (nā‘ūra, see this Wikipedia article). They were used to supply water to aqueducts, a common method of water supply in ancient Greece, Egypt, India, China, and medieval Islamic communities. Plans for a modern construction were still underway in Los Angeles, CA, USA, in 2012.
Probably, one of most famous places where ancient water wheels are found is the Norias Park in Hama, Syria, dating back to the 4th c. CE. A nice and solemn account of these giants can be found at Ash Clark's website, www.themostalive.com, who seems to have been affected by these giant norias in a very similar way that Yunus Emre was. This is a striking way to illustrate that despite the passage of many centuries human beings still have a similar view of the world.
I learned that Yunus Emre may have traveled as south as Damascus (Dimashq, ash-Shām, Şam), Syria. Since the water wheels had been and are still regarded as technological marvels, I cannot think that Yunus Emre would forgo even the slightest chance of seeing them. Thus, it is not unlikely that he saw them there the first time. Then, probably, seeing that they were made of mere wood, he sighed in despair and wrote this poem, connecting all, again, back to the creator. He was right! A man-made mechanical tool of wood compelled to carry the water by the laws nature, or the creator: that is all they were! And, he said, that's why they moan.
I had seen a watermill when I was a child. It was still operational in 1970s. They really do make sounds as if they moan, as if they suffer, due to the heavy loads they experience. Well, to me, all machines moan. Because, they work. Work is creation, and creation is suffering.
Now, let's explore the music. Here are some of the things I found for this one:
- Müslüm Sümbül: www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4zZ5yjRfbI, the original.
- Cengiz Özkan: www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS1hkXB6_MY, a master interpreter of the traditional style.
- A. Adnan Saygun: www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdovfAu1ZsA, a master composer and music writer. This is from his "Yunus Emre Oratorio", the choral part. Saygun was one of the great Turkish Five, likened to Jean Sibelius of Finland and Béla Bartók of Hungary, probably due to their deliberate involvement in folk music.
- Marmara University A.E.F. Chorus: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sgr_IUSTEnI, performing in 7. International Mundus Cantat Sopot Chorus Festival. It is the fourth or the fifth piece, be patient.
Original Lyrics:
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Dolap niçin inilersin
Derdim vardır inilerim
Ben Mevla'ya âşık oldum
Anın için inilerim
Benim adım dertli dolap
Suyum akar yalap yalap
Böyle emreylemiş Çalap
Derdim vardır inilerim
Beni bir dağda buldular
Kolum kanadım yoldular
Dolaba layık gördüler
Derdim var inilerim
Ben bir dağın ağacıyım
Ne tatlıyım ne acıyım
Ben Mevla'ya duacıyım
Derdim vardır inilerim
Dağdan kestiler hezenim
Bozuldu türlü düzenim
Ben bir usanmaz ozanım
Derdim var inilerim
Dülgerler her yanım yoldu
Her azam yerine kondu
Bu iniltim Haktan geldi
Derdim vardır inilerim
Suyum alçaktan çekerim
Dönüp yükseğe dökerim
Görün ben neler çekerim
Derdim vardır inilerim
Yunus bunda gelen gülmez
Kişi muradına ermez
Bu fanide kimse kalmaz
Derdim var inilerim
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I've been looking for this...
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