Rose And Emigrated, Tribes of Avsar -- Kalktı Göç Eyledi Avşar Elleri (İlleri), (Dadaloğlu, 18-19 c.)

Lyrics: Dadaloğlu (approx. 1785 - 1868), one of the most famous folk poets of Anatolia.
Music: Anonymous. Source Person: Muharrem Ertaş (Kırşehir, Turkey). Compiled by: Şenel Önaldı.

There is not much known about Dadaloğlu that can be based on historical facts. From the poems attributed to him, one may infer that he must have lived in and around a region of Taurus mountains surrounded by Kayseri, Maraş, Adana, and Kırşehir districts of south central Anatolia. Unlike many other folk poets of Anatolia, he displays a warrior character besides his poetic one. He is probably a personification of rebellion against the policies of the Ottoman reign of the times, particularly against the forced settlement of nomadic tribes, which, to them, must have amounted to giving up a revered way of life, to a threat to their continued existence, to a possibility of being absorbed into the mainstream -- of losing identity.

Whether or not the poem, as translated here, really belongs to a person named "Dadaloglu" is still disputed in literary circles (see, for example, this article by Ismail Gorkem, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey, 2006). The poem, with all of its variations, should be considered as the result of the collective work of folk poets, reaching us via oral tradition in this final form, among a few others. For example, in a Muharrem Ertas recording (a rare original), some verses differ from what was compiled, despite citing him as the source. Further, even in his son's, Neset Ertas's rendering there are slight variations from the father's. In another recording, of a local performer, not only some verses show variations, but there are others which are hardly intelligible, and are probably incorrect. Such things, I found, are quite common in folk music. Frequently, I find myself struggling to determine the original lyrics and meanings. Nevertheless, in all variations of this poem, current or historic, what stays firmly unchanged is the unambiguous expression of chivalry, protest, and challenge to authority.

Now, the music:

• Muharrem Ertaş: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ffa2CONoW5Q (Thanks to Kalan Muzik, via MUYAP). This is a rare recording of this great master from the traditional school. Some verses are slightly different from the commonly accepted form of the lyrics. The style, of both vocal and instrumental, is singularly beautiful and authentic.
• Cem Karaca: www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGIH3DHfqp4. A great interpretation in rock style by this master musician and one of the founders of the Anatolian rock movement.
• Hasan Yükselir with Yediveren orchestra (TRT Müzik): www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMxCDztKsrg. A perfect performance.
• Ümit Tokcan and Mehmet Erenler: www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkKhRNjrTxs. A beautiful performance in the original style from these two masters.

NOTES:

• In some versions the first verse goes like this: "Emigrated again, the tribes of Avsar", which may be more fitting to what was happening then, that is, when the empire was trying to relocate these communities here and there with limited success and a lot of sentiment.
• In M. Ertas's recording, the second verse goes like this: "The tribes that pass over are ours". However, in Turkish, both these versions sound quite alike: one is with "ağır ağır" (slowly), the other is with "aşıp aşıp" (passing over [repeatedly], as if mountains). Thus, it is difficult to determine which one the original intended.
• The word "Kirman" in the first verse of the second quatrain refers to a city or region of Iran, known as Kerman (see this Wikipedia article). The "Kirmani Sword" is a curved sword believed to originate in Kirman during the reign of Seljuk Turks in Iran. In some versions of the poem this verse goes like this: "Curved sword on our waist is Kirmani".
• The spearhead mentioned in the second verse of the second quatrain is referred to with different words in other versions. The one used here is "temren" which is probably derived from "demir" or "temir", meaning "iron", which is not surprising and more acceptable.
• By far, the most difficult was the second verse in the last quatrain. The word used in all versions is "davlumbaz". This is, I determined to my satisfaction, is a corrupted version of "davulbaz". The former means a totally different thing: hood (as in kitchens or part of chimneys) or paddle box. Accepting the latter, however, does not solve the problem readily. "Davul" is a type of drum. Then, what is "davulbaz"? The suffix "-baz" (from Persian) is used for denoting a person who does or excels in a certain thing, similar to the suffix "-er". For example, "hilebaz" literally means "trickster". Therefore, "davulbaz" would have to be "drummer". However, many of my sources, including the Turkish Language Agency dictionaries (TDK) and a personal acquaintance of mine, who excels in Turkish literature, insist that it refers to a smaller drum, especially used in war activities. So, I used it ... It doesn't end there, however. In different versions of the poem, one would find three different phrases: "davlumbazlar vurulur", "davlumbazlar derilir", and "davlumbazlar gerilir". The last one is quite unlikely as it means "drums are stretched", though it is functionally feasible. The second means "drums are gathered", which may be meaningful since before going to a war it was customary to have a ritualistic announcements and displays, which often involved music. The first one, nevertheless, is the most used in many versions. It means "the drums are hit". If one considers what comes before this, "the guns sing", this version presents itself as the most likely one the poets meant to use. It probably depicts the actual moment of the fight, especially the beginning. Originally I used the second version. Then, however, I decided that the first would be a better choice.
• One last word. In all versions, this troublesome verse is rendered as "Öter tüfek davlumbazlar ...", as if whatever happens to "davlumbaz"s is due to "guns singing". In this sense, I still think it is viable that what was meant by "davlumbaz" was "drummer", so that they were shot when the guns were fired. In this translation, I pulled back what happened to drums before what happened to the guns simply to keep the rhyming going. Normally, I would have to translate it as "Gun sings and drums get hit" or "Gun sings and drummers get hit".

Original lyrics:

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Kalktı göç eyledi Avşar elleri,

Ağır ağır giden eller bizimdir.

Arap atlar yakın eder ırağı,

Yüce dağdan aşan yollar bizimdir.

Belimizde kılıcımız Kirmani,

Taşı deler mızrağımın temreni.

Devlet vermiş hakkımızda fermanı,

Ferman padişahın, dağlar bizimdir.

Dadaloğlu der: birgün kavga kurulur,

Öter tüfek davlumbazlar vurulur.

Nice koçyiğitler yere serilir,

Ölen ölür, kalan sağlar bizimdir.

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