Kara degil mi?
bana kara diyen dilber
gozlerin kara degil mi
yuzunu sevdiren gelin
kaslarin kara degil mi
beni kara diye yerme
mevla'm yaratmis, hor gorme
ala goze siyah surme cekilir,
kara degil mi?
hint'ten, yemen'den cekilir
iner bagdad'a dokulur
turlu taama ekilir
biber de kara degil mi
illerde konup gocerler
lale sunbulu bicerler
agalar, beyler icerler
kahve de kara degil mi
Karac'oglan der, insallah
gorenler desin masallah
kara donlu beytullah
ortusu kara degil mi
*******
Isn't that black?
Charming lady who calls me black
Aren't your eyes black
Pretty faced bride
Aren't your brows black?
Don't condemn me for being black
My Lord created, don't despise me
The eyeliner that adorns the hazel eye
Isn't that black?
It's grinded in India and Yemen
Poured upon Baghdad
Sprinkled on a variety of food
Isn't pepper black too?
Camp in foreign lands and migrate
Harvest tulip and grains
Lords and sires drink it
Isn't coffee black too?
Karac'oglan (Black Boy) says God willing
Those who see should say praise God
God's house Kaaba covered in black
Isn't its garment black too?
**
Turkish to English translation - Turkce Ingilizce ceviri tercume.
Comments on translation quality are welcome.
***
The poet is Karacaoğlan. He is a 17th century Turkish folk poet and ashik. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karacaoğlan
Badem is a Turkish group who made this into a song.
http://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badem_(grup)
The song has a humorous style to it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmI1xLCetY4
Kaaba is a temple built by Prophet Abraham (pbuh) (claimed by some to have been initially built by Prophet Adam (pbuh)) and is in Makka--a holy pilgrimage site. Muslims around the world face the direction of Kaaba when they're performing the 5 daily prayers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaaba
Picture: muslims praying around the Kaaba
