Friday, August 19, 2011

"Valleys" translation - "Dərələr" tərcüməsi

This is my second attempt at translating poetry sung by my favorite Azerbaijani singer, Şövkət Ələkbərova.  This poem was written by the poet and playwright, Nəbi Xəzri sometime in the the 1960s or 1970s.  I particularly appreciate the poem’s combination of sensuality, nature, and nationalism – a combination epitomized in English by the work of the American poet, Walt Whitman.  This tremendous poetry coupled with Ələkbərova’s powerful, haunting voice is a marvelous example of Soviet-era high culture in Azerbaijan.  I am uncertain about my translation where it is highlighted in blue.




Dərələr
Valleys  
   
Çinarlar qatar-qatar,
Qalxıb zirvəyə çatar…
Dağa qısılıb yatar
Mışıl-mışıl dərələr,
Yaşıl-yaşıl dərələr.
Plane trees in flocks
Ascend reaching out to the summit...
Nestled next to the mountains sleep
Dear, dear[1] valleys
Green, green valleys

Sizlərə vurğunam mən,
Bəzəyiniz şəfəqdən…
Günəş çıxar üfüqdən
Ovuc-ovuc zər ələr,
Dərələr!
I am lovesick with you
Adorned by dawn…
The sun setting over the horizon
Gilds your hands, palm to palm
Valleys!

[Sevdiyiniz ağaclar
Küknarmıdır, şammıdır?!
Sizdən qalxan dumanlar
Dağlara salammıdır?]
[Which of the trees do you love,
Is it the spruce, the pine?!
Are the mists rising from you
Greetings to the mountains?]

Quş kimi üstünüzdən
Qanad çalım, dərələr!
Şamlıqda bir axşamlıq
Qonaq qalım, dərələr!
Like a bird over you
Let me flap my wings, valleys!
In the pine grove just for one evening
Let me stay as a guest, valleys!

Əgər ki, yıxılsam çinar göstərin,
Mən ona söykənib arana baxım.
Gözlərim görməsə Göygölü verin,
Mən onun gözüylə cahana baxım.
Hər yerdə, həmişə
Sənsən gümanım,
Canım-gözüm mənim,
Azərbaycanım!
If I fall, show me a plane tree,
Leaning against it let me look into the distance.
If my eyes do not see then give me Göygöl[2]
Let me see the world with its eye.
Everywhere, forever
You, you are my hope,
My dearest,
My Azerbaijan!

Sən günəş, mən isə bir zərrə kimi
Dirəykən oğlunam,
Ölsəm torpağın.
Sən ki, döyündürdün mənim qəlbimi,
Sən uca çinarsan, mənsə yarpağın.
Mənəm sənin özün,
Ey eşqim, canım,
Sənsən özüm mənim,
Azərbaycanım!
You are like the sun but I, like a particle
Resting here, am your son,
If I die I will become your soil.
It is you who makes my heart beat,
You are a high plane tree, I am your leaf.
I am you yourself,
Oh my love, my soul,
You are me myself
My Azerbaijan!

Sizlərdən yollar keçər,
Siz yaxşı ki, varsınız,
Dərələr!
Zirvələrə açılan
Geniş qapılarsınız,
Dərələr!
The roads that descend from you,
It is good that they are yours,
Valleys!
Opening to the summits
You are vast gateways,
Valleys!



[1] The phrase “mışıl-mışıl” is a phrase used to soothe infants.
[2] Lake Göygöl is an iconic lake in western Azerbaijan.  It is often featured in Azerbaijani poetry.  Its importance as a poetic symbol of beauty and longing is perhaps enhanced by the fact that for the last twenty years it has been declared off limits to the Azerbaijani public because it is in close proximity to the ceasefire line with the Armenians.

3 comments:

  1. yaxsi ki varsiniz is used in Istanbul Turkish as well - iyi ki varsiniz - and its approximate translation would be something like: it's good that you exist / I am glad that you exist / I am happy to have you.

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  2. Thanks for this! So would a good translation be:
    "The roads that descend from you,
    Are glad to have you"
    ?

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  3. I am not sure about the translation myself, because both sentences seem to be somewhat disconnected from each other. In my opinion, it would be something like "The roads descend from you, it is good that you exist!" because the second sentence is not related to the previous one grammatically.

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