İstiklâl Marşı
From Free net encyclopedia
The İstiklâl Marşı (Independence March) is the Turkish National Anthem, officially adopted on March 12, 1921. A total of 724 poems were submitted to a nation-wide competition organized to find and select the most suitable original composition for this National March, and a 10-verse poem written by the renowned poet Mehmet Akif Ersoy was adopted unanimously by the Turkish Grand National Assembly. Twenty-four composers participated in another competition arranged for the selection of a musical composition that would suit the elected National Anthem best. The Council, which was only able to convene in 1924 due to the Turkish War of Independence, adopted the music composed by Ali Rıfat Çağatay. The words of the National Anthem were sung to this music until 1930. Thereafter, the music of the National Anthem was changed to an arrangement written by Osman Zeki Üngör, conductor of the Presidential Symphonic Orchestra, and the words have been sung to this musical accompaniment ever since. It should be noted however, that only the first two verses are sung. This song is also used as the National Anthem by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Source: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Turkish lyrics
- Korkma, sönmez bu şafaklarda yüzen al sancak;
- Sönmeden yurdumun üstünde tüten en son ocak.
- O benim milletimin yıldızıdır parlayacak;
- O benimdir, o benim milletimindir ancak.
- Çatma, kurban olayım çehreni ey nazlı hilal!
- Kahraman ırkıma bir gül! ne bu şiddet bu celal?
- Sana olmaz dökülen kanlarımız sonra helal,
- Hakkıdır, Hakk'a tapan, milletimin istiklal!
- Ben ezelden beridir hür yaşadım, hür yaşarım.
- Hangi çılgın bana zincir vuracakmış? Şaşarım;
- Kükremiş sel gibiyim, bendimi çiğner aşarım;
- Yırtarım dağları, enginlere sığmam, taşarım.
- Garbın afakını sarmışsa çelik zırhlı duvar,
- Benim iman dolu göğsüm gibi serhaddim var.
- Ulusun, korkma! Nasıl böyle bir imanı boğar.
- "Medeniyet!" dediğin tek dişi kalmış canavar?
- Arkadaş! Yurduma alçakları uğratma sakın!
- Siper et gövdeni, dursun bu hayasızca akın.
- Doğacaktır sana vaadettiği günler Hakk'ın;
- Kimbilir, belki yarın, belki yarından da yakın.
- Bastığın yerleri "toprak" diyerek geçme, tanı!
- Düşün, altında binlerce kefensiz yatanı.
- Sen şehit oğlusun, incitme, yazıktır atanı;
- Verme, dünyaları alsan da bu cennet vatanı.
- Kim bu cennet vatanın uğruna olmaz ki feda?
- Şüheda fışkıracak toprağı sıksan, şüheda!
- Canı, cananı, bütün varımı alsın da Hüda,
- Etmesin tek vatanımdan beni dünyada cüda.
- Ruhumun senden, ilahi, şudur ancak emeli;
- Değmesin mabedimin göğsüne na-mahrem eli!
- Bu ezanlar ki şahadetleri dinin temeli,
- Ebedi yurdumun üstünde benim inlemeli
- O zaman vecd ile bin secde eder varsa taşım;
- Her cerihamdan, ilahi, boşanıp kanlı yaşım,
- Fışkırır ruh-i mücerret gibi yerden na'aşım;
- O zaman yükselerek arşa değer belki başım!
- Dalgalan sen de şafaklar gibi ey şanlı hilal;
- Olsun artık dökülen kanlarımın hepsi helal!
- Ebediyyen sana yok, ırkıma yok izmihlal.
- Hakkıdır, hür yaşamış bayrağımın hürriyet;
- Hakkıdır, Hakk'a tapan milletimin istiklal!
Lyrics by Mehmet Akif Ersoy
Music composed by Osman Zeki Üngör
English translation
- Fear not! For the crimson flag that proudly waves in these dawns, shall never fade,
- Before the last fiery hearth that is ablaze within my nation burns out.
- And that, is the star of my nation, and it will forever shine;
- It is mine; and solely belongs to my valiant nation.
- Frown not, I beseech you, oh thou coy crescent,
- But smile upon my heroic race! Why the anger, why the rage?
- Our blood we shed for you will not be worthy otherwise;
- For freedom is the absolute right of my God-worshipping nation.
- I have been free from eternity and forever will be so.
- What madman shall put me in chains! I defy the very idea!
- I'm like the roaring flood; I'll run over my embankment and overflow,
- I'll tear apart mountains, exceed the offings and still gush out!
- The horizons of the West may be armored with walls of steel,
- But I have borders guarded by the mighty chest full of faith.
- Recognize your innate strength (also interpreted as "Let it howl")! Never fear: how can this fiery faith ever be killed,
- By that battered, single-fanged monster so-called "civilization"? (a symbol referring to the better-armed military forces of the invading European nations that had been greatly reduced by severe Turkish opposition - see Turkish War of Independence )
- My friend! Leave not my homeland to the hands of villainous men!
- Render your body shield, so that this disgraceful rush shall stop!
- For soon shall come the promised days, by God (also interpreted as "the promised days, which you deserve)...
- Who knows? Perhaps tomorrow? Perhaps even sooner!
- View not the soil you tread on as mere earth, recognize it!
- And think about the shroudless thousands who lie so nobly beneath it.
- You're the noble son of a martyr, hurt not your ancestor, that will be shame on you!
- Unhand not this heavenly homeland, even when you're given worlds.
- What man would not die for this heavenly piece of land?
- Martyrs would gush out were one to just squeeze the soil! Martyrs!
- May God take my life, my beloved and all my possessions from me if He will,
- But may He not deprive me of my one true homeland for the world.
- Oh glorious God, the sole wish of my pain-stricken heart is that,
- No extrinsic hand should ever touch the bosom of my sacred temple.
- These adhans, shahadahs of which are the base of my religion,
- May them resound over my eternal homeland.
- For only then, shall my tombstone -if there is one- lay its forehead on the earth (like in salah) a thousand times in ecstasy,
- And, o God, my bloody tears shall gush out of my every wound,
- And precisely so shall my corpse gush out from the earth like an eternal spirit,
- And perhaps only then, shall my head rise and at long last reach the heavens.
- So flap and wave like the bright dawning sky, oh thou glorious crescent,
- So that our every last drop of blood may finally be worthy!
- Neither you nor my nation shall ever be annihilated!
- For freedom is the absolute right of my ever-free flag;
- For freedom is the absolute right of my God-worshipping nation!
External links
cs:Turecká hymna de:İstiklâl Marşı es:İstiklâl Marşı fr:İstiklâl Marşı ko:터키의 국가 hr:İstiklâl Marşı id:Istiklâl Marsi lv:İstiklâl Marşı hu:Török himnusz nl:İstiklâl Marşı ja:独立行進曲 no:Istiklâl Marsi nn:İstiklâl Marşı pl:Hymn Turcji pt:Hino nacional da Turquia sq:İstiklâl Marşı sr:Химна Турске fi:İstiklâl Marşı sv:İstiklâl Marşı tt:İstiklâl Marşı vi:Istiklâl Marsi tr:İstiklâl Marşı tk:İstiklâl Marşı