| English: Independence March | |
|---|---|
 Classroom wall with the lyrics of İstiklâl Marşı (far right). |
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| National anthem of |  Turkey Northern Cyprus |
| Lyrics | Mehmet Akif Ersoy |
| Music | Osman Zeki Üngör |
| Adopted | 12 March 1921 |
| Music sample | |
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Istiklâl Marsi (instrumental)
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The İstiklâl Marşı (Independence March) is the Turkish National Anthem, officially adopted on 12 March 1921 - two and a half years before the 29 October 1923 establishment of the Republic of Turkey, both as a motivational musical saga for the troops fighting in the Turkish War of Independence, and as an anthem for a Republic that was yet to be established.
Penned by Mehmet Akif Ersoy and ultimately composed by Osman Zeki Üngör, the theme is one of affection for the Turkish homeland, freedom, and faith, of sacrifice for liberty, and of hope and devotion, explored through visual, tactile and kinesthetic imagery as they relate to the flag, the human spirit and the soil of the homeland.
The Anthem is regularly heard during state and military events, as well as during national festivals, bayrams, sporting events, and school ceremonies.
Of the ten-stanza anthem, only the first two quatrains are typically sung- with an upright, immobile and solemn composure. A framed version of the national anthem typically occupies the wall above the blackboard in the classrooms of every public -as well as most private- school in Turkey (accompanied by a Turkish flag, a photograph of the country's founding father Atatürk, and a copy of Atatürk's famous inspirational speech to the nation's youth).
The composition has also been adopted as the National Anthem of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
The anthem was depicted on the reverse of the Turkish 100 lira banknotes of 1983-1989.[1]
Contents |
Following the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, a nation-wide competition was organized to select an original composition for a National March- for which a total of 724 poems were submitted. Mehmet Akif Ersoy, a very well known poet of the time, refused to participate in consideration of a monetary prize. He was called and convinced by parliament to write a poem, disregarding the prize. A ten-verse poem written by Ersoy was unanimously adopted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly following evaluation by parliamentary committee; the prize was granted to a society of veterans.
Shortly thereafter, 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.
Çağatay's original composition was replaced in 1930 by a symphonic arrangement written by Zeki Üngör, conductor of the Presidential Symphonic Orchestra, with a new harmonization supplied by the Turkish-Armenian composer Edgar Manas.
Footnotes:
1: A white crescent and star superimposed on a crimson background comprise the Turkish flag- the poet is invoking the image of the crescent and comparing it to the frowning eyebrows of a sulky face. The flag (and the spirit of freedom which it embodies, under threat from invading nations against whom victory initially seems impossibly difficult to achieve, hence "coy") is being treated as a coy maiden with a sulky face (symbolically, the resentment of the invasion) who is playing hard-to-get. That is, the "coy" flag is being "playful" about letting the troops achieve ultimate victory and thus, freedom.
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 horizon, the Universe, etc.
3: What is being referred to as "civilization" is the invading European nations (France, Britain, Italy and Greece) and their armies, which were superior in terms of equipment and manpower to the war-stricken, undermanned, and underfed Turkish forces that were hastily assembled by patriotic civilians and ex-military officials following World War I. This tight collaboration between civilians and former armed officials was due to the Ottoman Imperial Court's internal corruptions and the presence of individuals in power who preferred to protect their own interests rather than the interests of the greater public. (see Sultan Vahdeddin and Damat Ferid Pasha) This self-preserving behavior manifested itself as political inaction, an openness to foreign manipulation, trecherous collaborationism and the much-protested acceptance of an unjust treaty - actions that ultimately resulted in a hurt national pride, widespread feelings of resentment and humiliation, as well as the anarchic dissolution of the Empire. It was at such a grim point in time that a defiant new organization of armed and civil forces, led by Atatürk, gave the people hope for the future through a series of successful battles and liberation campaigns, which gradually turned into an increasingly successful Turkish War of Independence|War of Independence.
Thus, the poet is 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/unbeatable modern technology and weaponry, do not be fooled/discouraged by their apparent superiority. Look at what we have accomplished so far with virtually non-existent arms and supplies! We are horribly fatigued, and at a disadvantage in every conceivable way, yet we still are able to succeed in our battle for liberty! This seemingly undefeatable 'monster' has had almost every one of its teeth knocked out (hence, 'single-fanged') by our victorious campaign! Our motivation, faith, and internal drive is what has and will continue to carry us through, and that is something that our enemies cannot remotely match. All we need for ultimate victory is the ability to recognize our true 'innate strengths': a 'fiery faith' and the 'mighty chest (i.e. heart) of a believer'.
4: Prostration is the act of laying one's forehead on the ground as part of Muslim sacred ritual (see Namaz, As-Sajda or Salah). The image being painted here is that of a battle-fallen and pain-stricken man, who becomes ecstatic following the victorious end of the War of Independence. This is a man whose mind, body and soul have at long last found peace, and may finally ascend and reach the heavens, knowing that his homeland is finally safe and sound and that all his suffering was all worth it in the end.
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| ←National anthems | İstiklâl Marşı by , translated by Wikisource |
| İstiklâl Marşı (i.e., "Independence March") is the national anthem of Turkey, officially adopted on 12 March 1921 - two years before the 29 October 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. It was written for a competition by the renowned poet Mehmet Akif Ersoy, and adopted unanimously by the Turkish Grand National Assembly.— Excerpted from İstiklâl Marşı on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. |
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 (and the spirit of freedom which it embodies, under threat from invading nations against whom victory initially seems impossibly difficult to achieve, hence "coy") is being treated as a coy maiden with a sulky face (symbolically, the resentment of the invasion) who is playing hard-to-get. That is, the "coy" flag is being "playful" about letting the troops achieve ultimate victory and thus, freedom.
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 horizon, the Universe, 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, which were superior in terms of
equipment and manpower to the war-stricken, undermanned, and
underfed Turkish forces that were hastily assembled by patriotic
civilians and ex-military officials following World War I. This tight
collaboration between civilians and former armed officials was due
to the Ottoman Imperial Court's internal corruptions and the
presence of individuals in power who preferred to protect their own
interests rather than the interests of the greater public. (see
Sultan Vahdeddin and Damat Ferid Pasha) This self-preserving
behavior manifested itself as political inaction, an openness to
foreign manipulation, trecherous collaborationism and the
much-protested acceptance of an unjust treaty -
actions that ultimately resulted in a hurt national pride,
widespread feelings of resentment and humiliation, as well as the
anarchic dissolution of the Empire. It was at such a grim point in
time that a defiant new organization of armed and civil forces, led
by Ataturk, gave the people hope for the future through a series of
successful battles and liberation campaigns, which gradually turned
into an increasingly successful War of Independence.
Thus, the poet is 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/unbeatable modern technology and weaponry, do not be
fooled/discouraged by their apparent superiority. Look at what we
have accomplished so far with virtually non-existent arms and
supplies! We are horribly fatigued, and at a disadvantage in every
conceivable way, yet we still are able to succeed in our battle for
liberty! This seemingly undefeatable 'monster' has had almost every
one of its teeth knocked out (hence, 'single-fanged') by our
victorious campaign! Our motivation, faith, and internal drive is
what has and will continue to carry us through, and that is
something that our enemies cannot remotely match. All we need for
ultimate victory is the ability to recognize our true 'innate
strenghts': a 'fiery faith' and the 'mighty chest (i.e. heart) of a
believer'.
4: Prostration is the act of laying one's forehead on the ground as part of Muslim sacred ritual (see Namaz, As-Sajda or Salah). The image being painted here is that of a battle-fallen and pain-stricken man, who becomes ecstatic following the victorious end of the War of Independence. This is a man whose mind, body and soul have at long last found peace, and may finally ascend and reach the heavens, knowing that his homeland is finally safe and sound and that all his suffering was all worth it in the end.
| This translation is hosted with different licensing information than from the original text. The translation status applies to this edition. | |||
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| Translation: |
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