Onur Akin - Gaybana Geceler

Hi all,

Could you please help me to find a translation of this very song ?

I like it a lot and I'm very interested to know what is it all about

Here are the lyrics :

Oy sevdasina kurban oldugum oy,
Bilsen ne gaybana geceler yasarim,
Gaybana gecelere oy

Kulaklarimda kuru kuru ugultular,
Ben güllere yanarim, güller bana,
Demem o ki sana hasretin o kadar,koymazdi ama,
Geceler öyle bir gay bana
Geceler öyle bir kötü dinli gavur,
Gavur ki sorma

Dönerim olmaz,yatarim olmaz,
Upuzun hint fakiri yatagi gece,
Öyle bir batar ki,dört yanimdan,
Ayagimi uzatirim parmaklik,
Elimi uzatirim soguk duvar.

Oy kilit,parmak demir, soguk duvar,
Oy yandir, geceler andir,
Kanrevandir,kanrevandir,kanrevandir.
Yüregimin hasretinde yalnizlik deyme pust,
Gaybana gecelerin esaretinde,

Oy sevdasina kurban oldugum oy,
Bilsen ne gay bana geceler yasarim,
Gaybana gecelere oy.


Many thanks in advance !

Merhaba to all once again,

As no one answered , I decided to try my own translation, though some lines still remained totally unclear to me (I beg your pardon for my probable mistakes/misunderstandings in advance, arkadaslarim).

Live performance of this gloomy (but beautiful song by Onur AKIN here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHHE8li3nNQ

1) ALL the corrections, explications and further translations would be highly appreciated;

2) If somebody knows any background of this song (i. e. why and when did Onur Akin write this very song..? in which circumstances..?), you're welcome, I'm very interested to know it ! (as the text of this song seemed to me very interesting... Is it based on some real story of incarceration and arrest ? (of Onur or any other person because probably of political reasons ?) Or it's just a rather metaphoric rendition of some personal drama? Or a mix of both ?

Well, I tried my best, here's my translation :


Oh, I've become a victim of your love,
I wished you'd known what damned nights I lived,
Oh, those damned nights...

In my ears there's a dry (hungry ?) humming,
I am burning the days (???), days are burning me... (???)
Oh, this longing for you became unbearable, I tell you ("Demem o ki sana hasretin o kadar,koymazdi ama", - yani..???)
Oh, those nights are kind of damned ones,
Oh, those bad, infidel (traitor) nights,
So bad, that don't even ask...

Impossible for me to turn, impossible to sleep,-
It's like a long night on bed of needles of indian fakirs,-
So that the pain comes from all four sides of me,
My feet are stretching and dragging to the iron fence,
My hands are reaching the cold wall.

Oh, cold iron of lock and fence, oh, cold wall,
Oh, these nights reminded me of burning (??? Oy yandir, geceler andir ??? ) -
Bleeding, bleeding, bleeding.
My heart is in the state of longing of such a loneliness, that don't even tell me (???), you the son of a ***** (???),
Oh, those damned and cursed nights in captivity...

Oh, I've become a victim of your love,
I wished you'd known what damned nights I lived,
Oh, those damned nights...

Fans of Onur Akin wanted, to check out and correct my "tercume" :

Dear Helgah, its been 6 years but I hope you are still around here to see the answer

Gaybana Geceler wasn't written by Onur Akin, it was a poem originally written by Ersin Ergun at prison. This kind of poems and songs generally written and sang by left wing singers (even Onur is not socialist). We call this kind of poems and songs as "prison poetry". There are many like this in Turkish and Kurdish in Turkey.

It's a great poem which I am in love literally since it has many metaphors in it with incredible deep meanings.

After Onur, this 2 amateur guys are singing this song so beautiful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86uqhdhv4Hw

Regarding translation. There are many metaphoric things and some words don't mean literally like "victim-kurban". It means "sacrificing yourself" and for example Gaybana means more than "damn" honestly. We can use tyrant, cruel since the love pain hurts at nights cruelly at nights. Also "infidel" is something different here. Yes, it means who doesnt believe in God but we also use it (like in the poem) as "who doesn't afraid of God's judgment for his/her/its cruelty"

Here a translation with urs but I made some amends but not literal translation since I said that it is so methaphoric

Oh you, who I sacrifice myself for her love
I wish you'd known how cruel nights I have
Oh, how cruel nights...

There are so sharp (or keen) roarings in my ear (at nights) (because he is alone in cell so he doesn't have anyone to talk and he hears roarings)
I am sighing for days (not burn) and days are sighing for me

This is all to say that your longing would not hurt that much
But the nights, nights are so cruel (tyrant)
Nights are like heavy hand infidels
So infidel, that don't even ask...

It doesn't work out neither I turn around nor sleep
It's like a long night on bed of needles of indian poors
So that the pain comes from all four sides of me
There are bars when I extend my legs, there are cold walls when I extend my hands (so small cell in prison)

Oh, these locks, these bars and these cold walls
Oh, its just a moment, all night is just a moment for me
I'm drenched in blood (My soul is shattered and it is in water of blood because of grief)
Drenched in blood, drenched in blood!!!!!!

There is a loneliness in this longing of my heart, don't even touch it bastard!
This loneliness in the captivity of this cruel nights.

(we use Pusht (bastard) not only as a swear. Its a complicated word. In this song it means -dishonest, cruel- . Don't touch my loneliness cruel night! something like this)

Oh you, who I sacrifice myself for her love
I wish you'd known how cruel nights I have
Oh, how cruel nights...

--------------

I hope it helps...

best