Muhamad Salih Dilan

Muhamad Salih Dilan
Born	1927 Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan
Died	1990-10-28 Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan
Pen name	Dilan
Occupation	Poet, Maqam Singer
Influences Nalî, Salîm, Mawlawi Tawagozi, Mahwi, Hamdi Saheb-Qiran
Influenced Kurdish literature

Dilan (in Kurdish: محه‌مه‌د ساڵح دیلان) is regarded as one of the most influential Kurdish Poets and one of the greatest Maqam singers of his time. He was one of the few early Poets that brought a revolution in Kurdish Poetry and Literature in the 20th Century.

Biography

A Photo of Dilan taken in the early 1950s

Dilan was born in Goizha, a neighborhood in Slemani. His family's origins were from Qala Chuwalan, along with the Kurdish Principality of Baban, they settled in Sulaimaniyah in 1784. His Father, Ahmed Dilan was a Poetry Enthusiast and a Maqam specialist, apart from Kurdish he was fluent in Persian and Arabic, he played a key role in his son's love for Poetry and Maqam. Dilan went to Xalidiye Primary School, before completing secondary School, his father became ill, family responsibilities fell on his shoulder and he had no choice but to leave school and work. He was offered a job at the local Tobacco Company as a Clerk.

The Poet

The First Poem Dilan wrote was in 1948, at a Festival, he recited the poem to the Famous Kurdish Nationalist Poet Faiq Bekas:

(In Kurdish)
منم به‌ ده‌ستی چه‌رخه‌وه‌ وا گێژ ئه‌خۆم و ئه‌ڕۆم
منم که‌ بوومه‌ خوێنه‌خۆرو خوێنی خۆم ئه‌خۆم
منم له‌ به‌حری خه‌یاڵاتی بێ ووچانی ماته‌ما
هه‌ر په‌ل ئه‌گێڕم، نه‌ که‌ڵک و نه‌ سوودو عیلاجه‌ بۆم
زامداره‌ بولبول، له‌ ده‌وری گوڵ ئه‌کا ڕه‌قس و سه‌ما
به‌ که‌یلی ئه‌شکی سروشک و ئه‌سه‌ف، ده‌ست و چاو ئه‌شۆم

Minem be destî çerxewe wa gêj exom u erom
Minem ke bume xwênexoru xwênî xom exom
Minem le behrî xeyalatî bê wiçanî matema
Her Pel egêrim, ne kelku ne sudu elace bom
Zamdare Bulbul, le dewrî gul eka reqis u sema
Be keylî eshkî srushk u esef, dest u çaw eshom

According to Dilan himself, Bekas refused to believe he was the writer which most likely was due to the poem having such depth in meaning and strict lyricality.

Newroz

Dilan was also present at this Slemani Newroz Festival in 1959

In 1948, Dilan and his brother, Qadir Dilan, a musician, met with Piramerd in Mewlewi Street, the ageing Philosopher took out his Cigarette Packet and wrote the Newroz poem on it before handing it over to them, he then asked if they could write a melody for the poem and if Dilan himself could sing it when Newroz arrives. It didn't take long before Qadir Dilan wrote the timeless Newroz melody with Dilan being the first Artist to sing it on March 21, 1948. Today all over the cities of Kurdistan the song is played when Newroz arrives.

In prison

Here pictured with Abdulla Agreen at a Festival

From 1947 to 1966 Dilan was arrested, tortured and imprisoned for 13 years for his involvement in Kurdish Independence demanding movements and at times for his Art, many of his poems are written in prison, in 1963 for writing "Rez" (In Kurdish: ڕه‌ز, In English: Vineyard), he served one year in prison:

(In Kurdish)
ئای کێ بێ بانگ و هاوارو په‌یام
بگه‌یه‌نێته‌ گوێ گۆڕی خه‌یام
بڵێ: هه‌ی سه‌رشێت، کووشته‌ی گڕی ته‌ڕ
گه‌ر تێتا ماوه‌ یه‌ک تۆز نرخ و فه‌ڕ
تۆ له‌سه‌ر باکه‌ی شووشه‌که‌ی شکان
له‌گه‌ڵ خودادا کردت به‌ زۆران
هه‌ڵسه‌ به‌ره‌و ئه‌م ناوه‌ هه‌ڵتووتێ
نه‌ک شووشه‌ شکا، وا ڕه‌ز ئه‌سووتێ
سروشت به‌ پێچه‌ خوارو چه‌پ گه‌رده
‌ له‌ جێیه‌ ئاو، بێ ڕه‌قه‌ن و به‌رده
‌ له‌ جێیه‌ زه‌وی نه‌رم و هه‌ڵۆڵ بێ
ئه‌بێ خوڕه‌ی ئاو تۆزی ده‌هۆڵ بێ
ئه‌گینا شه‌راب له‌ مامۆستای ماف
بۆ ئه‌گه‌یشته‌ ئه‌وپه‌ڕ قوله‌ی قاف
قاتی شه‌رابه‌ گیانی ئیفڵاتوون
سه‌ر ده‌رکه‌ هه‌تا نه‌بووی به‌ مه‌یموون
به‌ره‌و مه‌ڵبه‌نی کوردستان ڕه‌وتێ
نه‌ک کووپه‌ شکا، وا ڕه‌ز ئه‌سووتێ

Ay kê bê bang u hawar u peyam
Bigeyenête gwê gorî Khayyám
Bilê: hey serşêt, kuştey giry ter
Ger têta mawe yek toz nirxu fer
To leser bakey şuşekey şikan
Legel xudada kirdit be zoran
Helse berew em nawe heltutê
Nek şuşe şika, wa rez esutê
Siruşt be pêçe xiwar u çep gerde
Le cêye aw, bê reqen u berde
Le cêye zewî nerm u helol bê
Ebê xureî aw tozî dehol bê
Egina şerab le mamostaî maf
Bo egeyşhte ewper quleî qaf
Qatî şerabe giyanî eflatoon
Ser derke heta nebuî be meymoon
Berew melbenî Kurdistan rewtê
Nek kupe şika, wa rez esutê

Here he recalls various events, Omar Kayyam's famous poem about the wind braking his glass of wine and the blaming of God by the poet, the other event being Plato's supposed hiding in the wine Vessels before his writings occurred, then Dilan compares them with the burning of the villages and the Vineyards in the early 1960s by the Iraqi Government. The poem is a comparison between three events yet the only connection between them is grape, Kayyam drinking the wine, Plato thinking inside the Wine Vessel and the Vineyards burning in Kurdistan, the Poem's deep meaning and contrast shows why it's considered a masterpiece of Kurdish Poetry.

Diwan of Dilan

Dilan's colleague Abdulla Agreen took on the task of collecting his poems and publishing a Diwan under the name "Diwani Dilan". The Book was published in 1987.

Death

On 28 September 1990, Dilan died at the age of 63 and was buried at the Seywan cemetery in his hometown. On his Gravestone:

(In Kurdish)
له ‌سه‌ر کێلم به‌ بۆیه‌ی سور بنووسن خۆشه‌ویستانم
له‌ ناو گۆڕا له‌ ژێر خاکا له‌ ڕیزی ده‌ست له‌ ده‌ستانم
به‌ په‌یمانێ که‌ من دابووم به‌ کوردو خاکی کوردستان
به‌ نه‌عره‌ی ڕاپه‌ڕین شه‌رته‌ که‌ بانگ کا من له‌ هه‌ستانم

Leser kêlim be boyey sur binusin xoşwistanim
Lenaw gora le jer xaka le rizi dest le destanim
Be peymanê ke min dabum be Kurd u Kurdistan
Be neêrey raperin şerte ke bang ka min le hestanim

See also

• Kurdish music
• Maqam

References

• World Music

Persondata
Name	Dilan, Muhamad Salih
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1927
Place of birth	Sulaymaniyah, Kingdom of Iraq
Date of death	1990-10-28
Place of death	Sulaymaniyah, Iraq