İstiklâl Marşı

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The İstiklâl Marşı (i.e. "Independence March") is the Turkish National Anthem, officially adopted on March 12, 1921 - two years before the October 29, 1923 establishment of the modern day Republic of Turkey, both as a motivational musical saga for the troops fighting on the Turkish War of Independence, and as a heroic anthem for the Republic that was to be established once victory was achieved.

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 was changed to a symphonic 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 stanzas of the ten-verse anthem are sung.

The composition has also been adopted as the National Anthem of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Source: Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Contents 1 Turkish lyrics 2 English translation 3 Alternate version 4 External links

[edit] 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!

Yazan Mehmet Akif Ersoy

[edit] English translation

Never fear! 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.

For it 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? ¹

Our blood which we shed for you will not be worthy otherwise;

For freedom is the absolute right of my God-worshipping nation.

I have been free since the beginning and forever will be so.

What madman shall put me in chains! I defy the very idea!

I'm like the roaring flood; powerful and independent,

I'll tear apart mountains, exceed the heavens ² and still gush out!

The lands of the West may be armored with walls of steel,

But I have borders guarded by the mighty chest of a believer.

Recognize your innate strength, my friend! And think: how can this fiery faith ever be killed,

By that battered, single-fanged monster you call "civilization"? ³

My friend! Leave not my homeland to the hands of villainous men!

Render your chest as armor and your body as trench! Stop this disgraceful rush!

For soon shall come the joyous days of divine promise...

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 you.

You're the noble son of a martyr, take shame, hurt not your ancestor!

Unhand not, even when you're promised worlds, this paradise of a homeland.

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 all my loved ones and 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 infidel's hand should ever touch the bosom of my sacred Temples.

These adhans, and these shahadahs that my hearing is accustomed to, are the foundations of my religion,

And may their noble sound last loud and wide over my eternal homeland.

For only then, shall my fatigued tombstone, if there is one, prostrate ⁴ a thousand times in ecstasy,

And tears of fiery blood shall flow out of my every wound,

And my lifeless body shall gush out from the earth like an eternal spirit,

Perhaps only then, shall I peacefully ascend 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 race shall ever be extinguished!

For freedom is the absolute right of my ever-free flag;

For freedom is the absolute right of my God-worshipping nation!

Explanations:

1: There is a literary element being employed here that may not be immediately noticeable. The Turkish flag is comprised of a white crescent and star superimposed on a crimson background. The poet is creating an imagery of a crescent and comparing it to the frowning eyebrows of a sulky face. To be specific, the flag (under threat from invading nations against whom victory seems initially impossibly difficult to achieve, hence "coy") is being treated as a coy maiden with a sulky face (resentment of the invasion) who is playing hard-to-get.

2: A literal translation of this word would be "the infinites" - a Turkish poetical word (with no direct English translation) that refers to everything that is perceived infinite by Man: the heavens, the oceans, the Earth, the horizon, etc.

3: Again, some explanation is required. What is being referred to as "civilization" is the invading European nations (France, Britain, Italy and Greece, to be specific) and their modern armies. The poet is, however, calling out to the Nation, and saying that while "the lands of the West may be armed with walls of steel", i.e. "while these European armies may have seemingly impenetrable/undefeatable modern technology and weaponry, do not be fooled/discouraged by their apparent superiority. Look at what we have accomplished in our war of independence so far with minimal arms and supplies! Our motivation, belief, and internal drive is what has and will continue to carry us through, and that is something that those other armies do not remotely possess. So what if they possess better armed forces? We have the 'mighty chest of a believer', which is all we need for ultimate victory.

4: The act of laying one's forehead on the ground as part of Muslim sacred ritual. See Namaz or Salah.

[edit] Alternate version

Fear not! This crimson flag rippling in the twilight will never fade,

The last hearth burning above my nation,

It is my nation’s star, it will shine,

It is mine and for my nation solely.

Frown not coy crescent for I am ready to die for you

Smile upon my heroic race. Why this anger? Why this wrath?

(Frown not) lest our blood shed for you be unblessed.

It is the right of my nation, who worships god(Justice); Freedom!

From the beginning I have lived free and I will live free,

What lunatic claims he will shackle me? I’m astonished!

I’m like a roaring flood; I will trample my barrier and surmount it.

I’ll tear the mountains, even oceans won't contain me and I will erupt.

If horizons of the west is surrounded by a steel plated wall,

I have a frontier like my bosom full of faith!

Let it howl, do not be afraid, how can it throttle a faith such as this?

What you call "The Civilized (World)" is but a monster with only a single tooth left.

My friend, do not allow scoundrels to tread in my homeland,

Make your body a shield, and stop this shameless charge!

There will come the days your lord has promised you

Who knows? Maybe tomorrow, maybe sooner than tomorrow.

Do not pass over the soil you walk on and think of it as only earth! Recognise it.

Think about the thousands lying under it un-shrouded

You are the descendant of martyrs, don’t alter this tradition, it would be a pity.

Even if you were given the worlds, do not give up this heavenly homeland.

Who wouldn’t sacrifice himself for this paradise land?

If you squeezed earth, blood of martyrs would gush out of it!

Let God, the saviour of souls, take my soul, my beloved, my everything;

But only let him not separate me from my homeland, ever!

For God, my soul’s request from you is only this:

Let not the bosom of my temple be touched by unfaithful hands

It is these adhans, whose shahadas are the foundation of The Religion,

That should eternally echo(wail) above my eternal homeland.

Then my tombstone -if I have any- shall prostrate one-thousand times with ecstacy,

From every wound, for God, my bloody tears will flow,

My corpse will gush out from the ground like a pure spirit

Then maybe my head will rise and touch the heavens

So ripple now like the twilight, oh glorious crescent

Blessed now be every drop of blood I shed for you

There is never an end for you, no submission for my race

Freedom is the right of my flag, who has ever lived free!

Independence is the right of nation, who worships God!

[edit] External links

• Instrumental version of "İstiklâl Marşı" in RealAudio
• Vocal of "İstiklâl Marşı" in RealAudio
• "İstiklâl Marşı" in MIDI format
• History of Turkish national anthem