Saturday, April 9, 2011

Ölkəm - My Native Land

This is a wonderful song. Music by Asəf Zeynallı, the brilliant composer who died of TB when he was in his early twenties. Words are by Cefer Cabbarlı.

The lyrics are usually listed as having 4 verses, but the second and fourth are Soviet-style propaganda and are not normally sung today. I do not list them here - they clash completely with the beauty of these two verses. My English translation seems awkward in comparison, I have to admit. Again, lots of internal rhyme (and near rhyme) makes the choice of words so interesting to hear and to sing.

Şiş ucları, sis ucları, buludlarla döyüşən, - The mountain tops reach the clouds,
Dağlarında buzları var ölkəmin. - Mountains rimed with ice.
Göy otlardan, göy otlardan, yaşıl paltar geyinən - From the meadows, the land is enrobed in green
Tarlaları, düzləri var ölkəmin. - The fields stretch out in endless furrows.

Göllərində ördəkləri üzərlər, - On the lakes there are ducks swimming
Çöllərində maralları gəzərlər, - In the fields deer are foraging,
Güllərindən gəlinlər tac bəzərlər, - The brides are adorning themselves with crowns of flowers
Ceyran gözlü qızları var ölkəmin. - In my country there are beautiful girls with eyes like a gazelle's.

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