09 March 2007

Bring The Sun To Me

Our Turkish friend Kamal asked us to team up with Nazli to play for an international society concert up at the Uni. Kamal plays the Baglama, a seven stringed instrument that looks for all the world like a big gourd with a long neck.

It was difficult at first for us to get our heads round the style of the Turkish rhythms and melodies but we got there in the end and managed to put four songs together.

There is nothing understated about the Turkish style; it is all about passion and emotional intensity, as Kamal says to us 'you have to feel it in your heart.' Here is one of the songs we performed called Günes topla benim için which means 'bring the sun to me'.

Seher yeli çik daglara
Günes topla benim için
Haber ilet dört diyara canim
Günes topla benim için

Umutlarin arasindan
Kirpiklerin karasindan
Döste biçak yarasindan canim
Günes topla benim için

Seher yeli yar gözünden
Havadaki kus izinden
Geceleyin gök yüzünden canim
Günes topla benim için

roughly translates as:

Twilight wind climb the mountains
Bring the sun to me
Let everyone know everywhere
Bring the sun to me

From the hopes
From the black eyebrows
From the knife bruises collect the sun
Bring the sun to me

From the eye of my lover
From the trace of the birds in the sky
From the sky at night
Darling, collect and bring the sun to me.

I'm happy to go along with that as spring is coming on although I suspect our lovestruck young Turk has it in mind to find light, love and prosperity in the dark eyebrows of beautiful young women. Well, looking at Nazli, who could blame him.... really?