Penned by Mehmet Âkif Ersoy, and ultimately composed by Osman Zeki Üngör, the theme is one of affection for the Turkish homeland, freedom, and faith, as well as praise for the virtues of hope, devotion, and sacrifice in the pursuit of liberty, all explored through visual, tactile, and kinesthetic imagery as these concepts relate to the flag, the human spirit, and the soil of the homeland. The original manuscript by Ersoy carries the dedication Kahraman Ordumuza – "To our Heroic Army", in reference to the people's army that ultimately won the Turkish War of Independence, with lyrics that reflect on the sacrifices of the soldiers during the war.
It is regularly heard during state and military events, as well as during national festivals, bayrams, sporting events, and school ceremonies. Visual depictions can also be found adorning state or public displays, such as in the form of a scroll displaying the first two quatrains of the anthem on the reverse of the Turkish 100 lira banknotes of 1983–1989.[1]
Of the ten-stanza anthem, only the first two quatrains are sung.
The present-day anthem is a collective effort by several prominent poets, musicians, and composers that took form over several years due to the relatively tumultuous nature of the period in which it was crafted.
Even before the full official dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, a nationwide competition was organized in 1921 by the Turkish National Movement — an independent and self-organized militia force led by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk waging a lengthy campaign for independence against both invading foreign powers and the Ottoman Court itself, due to the latter being treasonous and complicit in the partitioning of the Turkish homeland in the aftermath of the 1920 Treaty of Sèvres. The goal of the competition was to select an original composition suitable for a National March, intended to both motivate the militia forces fighting for independence across the country, and to provide inspiration and pride for a new homeland that would be established once victory was achieved.
A total of 724 poems were submitted. Mehmet Akif Ersoy, a well-known poet of the period, initially refused to participate due to a monetary prize being offered in the competition, but was subsequently contacted and convinced by the National Parliament to submit a poem and disregard the reward. The resulting ten-stanza-long poem written by Ersoy was recited to the National Assembly by representativeHamdullah Suphi, on 1 March 1921,[4] where it was unanimously adopted by the deputies following evaluation by a parliamentary committee. The prize of the competition was later bestowed on a society of veterans.
Shortly thereafter, twenty-four composers participated in another competition arranged for the selection of a musical composition that would best suit the elected anthem. The committee, which was only able to convene in 1924 due to the 1919–1923 Turkish War of Independence, adopted the music composed by Ali Rıfat Çağatay.
This early composition by Çağatay lasted only six years. In 1930, a new composition by Osman Zeki Üngör, virtuoso composer and the first conductor of the Presidential Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of Turkey, was adopted as a permanent musical arrangement by Parliament.[4] Shortly thereafter, in 1932, eminent Turkish composer, conductor, and musicologist (of Armenian descent) Edgar Manas (Armenian: Էտկար Մանաս) was commissioned by the Turkish government to harmonize and orchestrate the melody created by Üngör,[5][6][7] and the final and official version of the anthem took form.
The full lyrics of the Turkish national anthem consist of 41 lines of verses, with ten stanzas total, though only the first two verses (shown in bold) are performed in official ceremonies.
.او زمان وجد ایله بیڭ سجده ایدهر – وارسه – طاشم
،هر جریحهمدن، الهی، بوشانوب قانلی یاشم
فیشقیریر روح مجرد گبی یردن نعشم؛
!او زمان یوكسهلهرهڭ عرشه دگهر بلكه باشم
!دالغالان سن ده شفقلر گبی ای شانلی هلال
!اولسڭ آرتق دكولن قانلریمڭ هپسی حلال
!ابدیا سڭا یوق، عرقمه یوق اضمحلال
حقیدر حر یاشامش بایراغمڭ حریت؛
!حقیدر حقه طاپان ملتمڭ استقلال
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 hayâsızca akın.
Doğacaktır sana vadettiği günler Hakk’ın,
Kim bilir, belki yarın belki yarından da yakın.
Bastığın yerleri “toprak” diyerek geçme, tanı,
Düşün altındaki 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 İlahî, şudur ancak emeli:
Değmesin mabedimin göğsüne namahrem eli.
Bu ezanlar, ki şehadetleri dinin temeli,
Ebedî, yurdumun üstünde benim inlemeli.
O zaman vecd ile bin secde eder, varsa taşım,
Her cerihamdan, İlahî, boşanıp kanlı yaşım,
Fışkırır ruhumücerret gibi yerden naaşım,
O zaman yükselerek arşa değer belki başım.
Dalgalan sen de şafaklar gibi ey şanlı hilal!
Olsun artık dökülen kanlarımın hepsi helal.
Ebediyen sana yok, ırkıma yok izmihlal.
Hakkıdır, hür yaşamış bayrağımın hürriyet;
Hakkıdır, Hakk’a tapan milletimin istiklal!
Fear not! The scarlet flag rippling at dawns shall not wither While my country’s last smoking hearth is yet aflicker. It is the star of my nation, it is meant to blaze and shine; It belongs to none but my nation alone, it is mine.
Do not frown, I beseech you, oh coy crescent! But smile at my valiant race… Why this angry, why violent? Lest our blood spilt for you be unblessed and worthless. For my nation, who worships God, has the right to independence!
I have been free since eternity, and free shall I be.
What fool dares to shackle me? I defy the temerity!
I am like a roaring flood; I overflow trampling down my banks,
I tear apart mountains, surge into depths, and surpass.
Western horizons may be encircled by walls armoured in steel
But I have my chest brimful of faith as my homeland’s frontier.
Let it howl, fear not! How can it smother such solid faith
That single-fanged monster, “Civilisation!” as you call it?
My friend! Never ever let the dastards into my land!
Render your body a shield; bring this heinous raid to an end.
For soon shall break the blissful days God promised, for sure;
Perhaps tomorrow, who knows, perhaps even sooner than that.
Do not assume what you tread on is mere “earth”, recognise it!
Think of the thousands, without shrouds, lying beneath.
You’re the son of a martyr, take shame, hurt not your ancestor;
Cede not this heavenly homeland, even if it’s the worlds you’re granted.
Who would not offer his life for this homeland of paradise?
Martyrs would pour forth, all martyrs, should one simply clutch the earth!
If God will, He may take my life, my beloved, and my wealth,
But may He not, for the world, just deprive me of my homeland.
The sole wish of my soul, oh glorious God, from You is that,
No heathen would ever, on the bosom of my temple, lay hand!
These calls to prayer, whose testimonies are the ground of religion,
Should resound far and wide over my eternal homeland.
Then, my tombstone, if any, prostrates in rapture a thousand-fold,
Of my every wound, oh glorious God, tears of blood gush forth,
And out spurts my corpse, in pure spirit, from the ground,
Perhaps then, shall ascend and to the heavens touch my crown!
So ripple and wave, like dawning skies, oh glorious crescent,
So that every drop of my blood finally be blessed and worthy!
Neither you nor my race shall ever be annihilated,
For my flag, who has lived ever freely, has the right to liberty;
For my nation, who worships God, has the right to independence!
^Vefatını 72. yılında Mehmet Âkif Ersoy bilgi șöleni 3 : Mehmed Âkif edebî ve fikrî akımlar. Ankara: Türkiye Yazarlar Birliği. 2009. p. 54. ISBN9789757382409.
^Külekçi, Cahit (2010). Sosyo-kültürel açıdan Ermeniler ve Türkler: İstanbul Ermenileri (in Turkish). 432: Kayihan. p. 340.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
Official Records of the Grand National Assembly of The Republic of Turkey on the parliamentary debates and history of the İstiklal Marşı – Zabit Ceridesi – 12.03.1921(in Turkish)
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