nur yoldaş songs

when i was even smaller than birds, and so was the turkish pop, there was nur yoldaş with her crystal clear voice. she was one of the many whose voice couldn't make it to these days. in this thread, i'll try to translate some of her songs i still remember and insert the youtube links where possible.

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Sultaniyegah
Lyrics: Attila İlhan
Composer: Ergüder Yoldaş
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD7w0MlVUJs

Şamdanları donanınca eski zaman sevdalarının
when the candlesticks of old time loves are arrayed

Başlar ay doğarken saltanatı sultaniyegahın
the majesty of sultaniyegah starts as the moon rises

Nemli yumuşaklığı tende denizden gelen ahın
on the skin is wet softness of sigh coming from the sea

Gizemli kanatları ruhta ölüm karanlığının
in the soul is the mysterious wings of the darkness of death

Başlar ay doğarken saltanatı sultaniyegahın
the majesty of sultaniyegah starts as the moon rises

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notes:
1. sultaniyegah is a makam in the classical turkish music (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makam).

2. sultan-ı yegah (as written in the video's title) is a common misspelling due to ignorance. there's no such thing as sultan-ı yegah, meaning the sultan of yegah (yegah is another musical makam). the makam sultaniyegah is obtained from the makam yegah. if you listen to the song carefully, nur yoldaş also mispronounces it, with ı, not i.

it's related that when the song was first introduced to the trt censorship at that time, it was rejected on grounds of the mispronunciation on the part of the singer. she then re-recorded it with the correct pronunciation and this one passed. unfortunately, not many care for these subtleties nowadays, even trt itself, as you can clearly see the trtint logo in the video that contains the mispronounced version.

3. the remaining part of the poem is as follows:

Yansıyan yaslı gülüsmelerdir karasevdalı suda
it is mournful smiles that reflect in the passionately loving water

Bülbüller kırılır umutsuzluktan yalnızlık korusunda
nightingales are broken because of despair in the grove of loneliness

Eylem dağılmış, gönül tenha, çalgılar kış uykusunda
action was dispersed, heart is desolate, (musical) instruments are in hibernation

Ölümün tartışılmazlığı nihayet anlaşılsa da
even though the indisputability of death is evident after all

Başlar ay doğarken saltanatı sultaniyegahın
the majesty of sultaniyegah starts as the moon rises


Bir başkasının yaşantısıdır dönüp arkamıza baksak
it's someone else's life if we look back

Çünkü yaşadıklarımız başkasının yargısına tutsak
because what we live is the slave of the judgement of others

Su yasak, rüzgar yasak, açık kapılar yasak
water's forbidden, wind's forbidden, open doors are forbidden

Belki bu karanlıkta yasakları yasaklasak
maybe if we ban forbiddances in this darkness

Başlar ay doğarken saltanatı sultaniyegahın
the majesty of sultaniyegah starts as the moon rises

this song apparently has two different lyrics. handan is a female name (from persian=farsi) meaning laughing, that who laughs, joyful. a video on the youtube is no longer available.

v1:
Lyrics: Unknown
Music: Ergüder Yoldaş
streaming media (mp3): http://media.putfile.com/Handan-Turkuola


Nasıl üzgünsün böyle handan handan
Az bir gülümser misin
Kuşların seviştiği güllerden handan
Güllerden handan
Güllerden handan
Gül derler misin
Handanım güler misin

Her gül sanki senden bir gülüş öpüştür ah senden
Her gül sanki senden bir beste şarkıdır ah senden


why are you sad like this, handan, handan (literally, how sad ...)
would you smile a lil bit?
from the roses on which birds make love, handan
from the roses handan (x2)
would you pick up roses?
my handan would you smile?

every rose from you is like a smile, a kiss, ah, from you
every rose from you is like a melody, a song, ah, from you



v2:
Lyrics: the first couplet is from a nev'i (a divan poet) poem, the second one is either from baki or yavuz sultan selim
Music: Ergüder Yoldaş


Senin mahzûnun olmak bana şâdân olmadan yeğdir
i'd rather be sad because of you than be joyful

Gamınla ağlamak ellerle handân olmadan yeğdir
i'd rather cry because of the sorrow you've caused than laugh with others


Hep senin içündür benim dünya cefâsın çektiğim
it's always for you that i bear the sufferings of the world

Söyle ömrüm vârı sensiz neylerim dünyayı ben
tell me, support of my life, what's the use of the world to me without you

Lyrics & music : Ergüder Yoldaş (1981)
YouTube video

mihrimah, originally mihr ü mah, meaning "the sun and the moon" in persian, is a female name, now obsolete.

Tenha başım yad ellerde yüreğimde sevdalı semahım (*)
my lonely head is in foreign lands, in my heart is my passionate semah (see youtube video for semah)

Uçarken sen göklerde sevdiğim mihrimâhım
as you fly in skies, my beloved, my mihrimah


Sigaramın ucunda ben kendimi dağlamışım bir ateş-i külhânım
on the end of my cigarette, i cauterized myself, i'm a fire in the boiler room

Aramıza giren bulut duman olmuş giden âhım
it's the cloud that comes between us, my ah (sigh) turned into smoke

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(*) besides meaning a hand or a stranger, el also means a country (mostly poetic, though).

lyrics & music: ergüder yoldaş (1981)
listen here


saki
cup-bearer


vakit çok geç dönemem ki
it's too late, i can no longer return

yarılanmış yolum saki
i'm halfway along the road (ie, of life), cup-bearer (*)

bana öyle mahzun bakma
don't look at me so sadly

gidecek sen, sen misin sanki
is it you who would go anyway? (ie, die)


hayat bir gemi dünya bir liman
life is a ship, the world is a port

her limanda inen de olur binen de olur inan ki
some get off, and some go aboard in every port, believe it
(x2)


tanrım bana bir dünya ver
lord, give me a world

yeşil pembe rüya gibi
green, pink, like a dream

bıktım artık yaşamaktan
i'm already tired of living

son kadehte zehir sun saki
offer me poison in the last cup, cup-bearer


hayat bir gemi dünya bir liman
her limanda inen de olur binen de olur inan ki
(x2)

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(*) i think this is a reference to dante's most quoted lines in the commedia:

Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita
mi ritrovai per una selva oscura,
ché la diritta via era smarrita.

hayat yolumuzun (aslında, yürüyüşümüzün) ortasında
kendimi karanlık bir ormanda buldum
doğru yolun kaybolduğu

according to cahit sıtkı tarancı, this is when one is 35 years old:

yaş otuz beş, yolun yarısı eder
dante gibi ortasındayız ömrün

the age is thirty five, it makes the midway of the road
we're at the midpoint of the lifetime like dante

by the way, tarancı died when he was 46, and dante, 56. fate is always on watch to prove mankind a liar!

Lyrics: Nedim
Music: Ergüder Yoldaş (1981)
streaming audio (windows media player required)


Sa’d-âbâd

Bir sefâ bahşedelim gel şu dil-i nâ-şâde
come let's bestow pleasure to this sorrowing heart

Gidelim serv-i revânım yürü Sa’d-âbâd’e
walk, my walking cypress, let's go to sadabad (*)

İşte üç çifte kayık iskelede âmâde
here a caique with three pairs of oars is ready at the quay

Gidelim serv-i revânım yürü Sa’d-âbâd’e


Gülelim oynayalım kâm alalım dünyadan
let's laugh, dance (and) have full pleasure of the world

Mâ-i tesnim içelim çeşme-i nev-peydâdan
let's drink the water of tesnim from the newly built fountain (**)

Görelim âb-ı hayât aktığın ejderhadan
let's see the water flow from the dragon (***)

Gidelim serv-i revânım yürü Sa’d-âbâd’e

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notes:
the second quatrain is heavily loaded with sexual insinuations. nedim is known for his lewdness.

(*) walking cypress: tall. cypress was a common allusion of the diwan poetry to the tallness of a woman (caution: a far as nedim is concerned, it doesn't have to be a woman).

(**) tesnim is said to be the name of a fountain in paradise, and the water of tesnim is regarded as the most valuable among the paradise drinks.

(***) i couldn't figure out what this dragon thing refers to. it might be that the fountain was built in the shape of a dragon or something else, as i remarked in the opening note.


this is the last one, folks. enjoy.