Pir Sultan Abdal

Pir Sultan Abdal (ca. 1480 - 1550), a legendary Turkish Alevi (Sufi) poet, whose direct and clear language as well as the richness of his imagination and the beauty of his verses led him to become a loved among the Turks. Pir Sultan Abdal reflected the social, cultural and religious life of the people; he was a humanist, and wrote about love, peace, death and God. He was also rebellious against authoritarian rule which led him into problems with the Ottoman establishment.

Origins

Pir Sultan Abdal's ethnic origin is Turcoman. Some researchers believe "Pir Sultan" wasn't just the one in Sivas, who has rebelled against the state and hanged for his religious convictions by Hizir Pasa's orders. Most of the information about him and his era we find in his verses, which reveal him as cultivated well educated and intellectual.

Life

Pir Sultan Abdal, belonged to the Alevi sect of Islam, his early work is dedicated to lyrical and pastoral themes and to the Sufi approach he had adopted. He criticized some Ottoman governors, Hizir Pasha in particular who ruled the region and his unjust officers. His verses and calls for the rights and freedoms of the peasant folk soon attracted a lot of support among the masses who supported these ideals. As a result he was hung by Hizir Pasha. But the tradition of his poetry and his struggle have remained alive till this day. His poetry was sung accompanied by the baglama, or saz, throughout the ages by folk singers. Today in modern Turkey the Baglama is one of the most loved instruments of the people and is extremely popular and widely used. Many poets acquired his name to keep 'Pir Sultan's voice' alive. According to literary historians, there were at least six other poets bearing the same name.

Poetry

Dostun bahçesine bir hoyrat girmiş
Korudur hey benli dilber korudur
Gülünü dererken dalını kırmış
Kurudur hey benli dilber kurudur

Şu meydanda serilidir postumuz
Çok şükür Mevlâ'ya gördük dostumuz
Bir gün kara toprak bürür üstümüz
Çürütür hey benli dilber çürütür

Kendisi okur da kendisi yazar
Hak hilâl kaşına eylemiş nazar
Senin akranların cennette gezer
Hürüdür hey benli dilber hürüdür

Hangi dinde isen ona tapayım
Yarın mahşer günü bile kopayım
Eğil bir yol ak gerdandan öpeyim
Beri dur hey benli dilber beri dur

Pîr Sultan Abdal'ım başından başlar
İyisini yer de kemini taşlar
Bin çiçekten bir kovana bal işler
Arıdır hey benli dilber arıdır

Koyun beni hak aşkına yanayım
Dönen dönsün ben dönmezem yolumdan
Yolumdan dönüp mahrum mu kalayım
Dönen dönsün ben dönmezem yolumdan

Benim pirim gayet ulu kişidir
Yediler ulusu, kırklar eşidir
Oniki imamın server başıdır
Dönen dönsün ben dönmezem yolumdan

Kadılar, Müftüler fetva yazarsa
İşte kemend, işte boynum asarsa
İşte hançer, işte kellem keserse
Dönen dönsün ben dönmezem yolumdan

Ulu mahşer günü olur divan kurulur
Suçlu, suçsuz gelir anda derilir
Piri olmayanlar anda bilinir
Dönen dönsün ben dönmezem yolumdan

Pir Sultan’ım arşa çıkar ünümüz
O da bizim ulumuzdur pirimiz
Hakka teslim olsun garip canımız
Dönen dönsün ben dönmezem yolumdan

Translation

To the garden of my love there came an evil louder
The shrubs now lie there, my fair one, shrubs lie
While gathering the roses, he broke their stems to moulder
They are all dry, my fair one, they are all dry.

We've spread our prayer hide all over this place
We saw our dearest one to Holy God in grace
One day, all of us will come into the earth's embrace
We'll putrefy, my fair one, we'll putrefy.

God Himself reads the fate, Himself he scribes
He closed the crescent lashes of her beautiful eyes
Your peers are walking now with you in Paradise
houris they are, my fair one, houris, fair my.

Whatever your creed be, I will adore it and pray
To be awaken together with you on Judgement Day
Rise up once more to kiss your white throat that I may
Don't pass for one more trice, my fair, don't pass by.

I am Pir Sultan Abdal, the first of the firsts,
I feed my soul with the best and remedy the worst
I'll pool honey from thousand blooms to one comb till it bursts
I am the bee, my fair one, the bee am I.

"Source: http://www.turkishclass.com/poem_204"

Legacy

Pir Sultan followed the traditional style of folk literature. The outstanding characteristic of his poems, the use of vernacular language, keen and clear style still prevail in folkloric poetry. He also had a great influence on the poets of modern Turkey in the republican era and is today a beloved figure.

ee also

* Ashik