Mehmet Akif Ersoy

Discussions on the final era of the Ottoman Empire, from the Young Turk Revolution of 1908 until the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923.
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stevebecker
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Mehmet Akif Ersoy

#1

Post by stevebecker » 18 Jan 2018, 00:11

Tosun and Mates,

I notice this man wrote much on the Chanakkale Campaige as well as the National Anthem, and his views are a bit mixed.

Do we know if he fought at Chanakkale and what did he do?

Cheers

S.B

Tosun Saral
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Re: Mehmet Akif Ersoy

#2

Post by Tosun Saral » 19 Jan 2018, 18:12

Mehmet Akif Ersoy (İstanbul, 1873- İstanbul, Dec. 27. 1936) is turkish national poet.He studied veterianry at İstanbul Uni. He wrote the verses of Turkish National Hymne. On March 21st 1921 his werses were accepted as turkish "İstiklal Marşı" the Marche of Independance. He wrore only poems. His poems were colleced in the book "Safahat"
For the fallen Turkish Soldier National poet of Turkey Mehmet Akif Ersoy wrote a very long legend which made him very famous in Turkey. Here is some verses: We call battles of Gallipoli ""War of Canakkale"

During WW1 he took part at the secret organşzation called Teşkilat-ı Mahsusa . He worked with Kuşcubaşı Eşref Bey .He joined the national forces of Mustafa Kemal Pasha.

TO THE MARTYRS OF CANAKKALE


This Dardanelles war - without equal in the world
Four or five mighty armies are pressed and are hurled
To reach the Sea of Marmara by hill and pass
So many fleets have surrounded a small mass...

The Old World and the New World, all have come this way,
Bubbling like sand, like a flood, or like Judgement Day;
The seven climes of the world stand opposite you
Australia, beside which observe Canada too!
Different are these hordes in face and skin and sound
Only their violence, forsooth, is equal all round.

Outstretched he lies there, shot right through his spotless brow,
For this Crescent O Lord, what suns are setting now
O soldier, for this earth's sake fallen to the dust,
If your heavenly forbears kissed your brow, "twere just"
Brave you are, your blood makes "God is one" victorious,
Only the lions of Badr could be as glorious.
Who can dig a sepulchre great enough for you?
History itself, say I, cannot contain you.
That book records the epochs upturned in this race...
Eternities are needed to give you your place.
You, who destroyed the onslaught of the last crusade,
From the dearest sultan of the East, Saladin,
And from Kýlýç Arslan who earned high accolade
You who took the iron hoop hemming Islam in
And shattered into pieces on your own strong breast
You with whose spirit move the legends of your name
The iron hoop that robbed Islam of all its rest;
Ages of history overflow with your fame...
No more these horizons for you no more this test...
Martyr son of martyr ask me not for a grave,
The prophet open armed awaits his warrior his warrior brave.
Shot down, on their spotlessly clean foreheads they lie,
For the sake of Crescent what suns are setting, O God!
Hey Soldier! Who has fallen on the ground for this land!
It would be worth their while
For our ancestors to descend from heaven
And kiss your unsullied forehead!
How great you are; our religion is saved by your blood;
Only the lions of the Battle of Bedr were as glorious.
Who could dig the grave that won't be too small for you?
`Come', if I say, `Let's bury you into History!'
You won't be contained in it.
That book isn't large enough
For the epochs you played havoc with.
Only eternity can contain you.
Saying, `this is your tomstone'
If I could place the Kaaba on your head,
And listening to the divine inspiration of my soul
Write down your epitaph,
Then, if I could take the voult of heaven
As if it was a woollen cloak
And cover your bleeding tomb
With all the planets.
If I could build with April clouds
A dome over your tomb,
And extend the seven starred Pleiades from there;
You, enwrapped with your blood 'neath the chandelier
While lying there,
If I could bring the moon to your graveside
And make it attend on you as your keeper
Until daybreak,
And then, if I could fill your chandelier to the brim
With dawn;
If I could wrap round your wound
In the evenings with tulles of sunset,
Even then I could not say
I have done enough
To cherish your blessed memory.

Translated By: S. Tanvir Wasti
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Tosun Saral
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Re: Mehmet Akif Ersoy

#3

Post by Tosun Saral » 19 Jan 2018, 18:36

- Çanakkale Şehidlerine-
Şu Boğaz Harbi nedir? Var mı ki dünyâda eşi?
En kesîf orduların yükleniyor dördü beşi,
-Tepeden yol bularak geçmek için Marmara'ya-
Kaç donanmayla sarılmış ufacık bir karaya.
Ne hayâsızca tehaşşüd ki ufuklar kapalı!
Nerde -gösterdiği vahşetle- "bu: bir Avrupalı! "
Dedirir -yırtıcı, his yoksulu, sırtlan kümesi,
Varsa gelmiş, açılıp mahbesi, yâhud kafesi!

Eski Dünyâ, Yeni Dünyâ, bütün akvâm-ı beşer,
Kaynıyor kum gibi, tûfan gibi, mahşer mahşer.
Yedi iklîmi cihânın duruyor karşına da, (2)
Ostralya'yla berâber bakıyorsun: Kanada!
Çehreler başka, lisanlar, deriler rengârenk;
Sâde bir hâdise var ortada: Vahşetler denk.
Kimi Hindû, kimi yamyam, kimi bilmem ne belâ...
Hani, tâ'ûna da züldür bu rezîl istîlâ!
Ah o yirminci asır yok mu, o mahlûk-i asîl,
Ne kadar gözdesi mevcûd ise, hakkıyle sefîl,
Kustu Mehmedciğin aylarca durup karşısına;
Döktü karnındaki esrârı hayâsızcasına.
Maske yırtılmasa hâlâ bize âfetti o yüz...
Medeniyyet denilen kahbe, hakikat, yüzsüz.
Sonra mel'undaki tahrîbe müvekkel esbâb,
Öyle müdhiş ki: Eder her biri bir mülkü harâb.

Öteden sâikalar parçalıyor âfâkı;
Beriden zelzeleler kaldırıyor a'mâkı;
Bomba şimşekleri beyninden inip her siperin;
Sönüyor göğsünün üstünde o arslan neferin.
Yerin altında cehennem gibi binlerce lağam,
Atılan her lağamın yaktığı: Yüzlerce adam.
Ölüm indirmede gökler, ölü püskürmede yer;
O ne müdhiş tipidir: Savrulur enkaaz-ı beşer...
Kafa, göz, gövde, bacak, kol, çene, parmak, el, ayak,
Boşanır sırtlara, vâdîlere, sağnak sağnak.
Saçıyor zırha bürünmüş de o nâmerd eller,
Yıldırım yaylımı tûfanlar, alevden seller.
Veriyor yangını, durmuş da açık sînelere,
Sürü hâlinde gezerken sayısız tayyâre.
Top tüfekten daha sık, gülle yağan mermîler...
Kahraman orduyu seyret ki bu tehdîde güler!
Ne çelik tabyalar ister, ne siner hasmından;
Alınır kal'â mı göğsündeki kat kat îman?
Hangi kuvvet onu, hâşâ, edecek kahrına râm?
Çünkü te'sis-i İlâhî o metîn istihkâm.

Sarılır, indirilir mevki'-i müstahkemler,
Beşerin azmini tevkîf edemez sun'-i beşer;
Bu göğüslerse Hudâ'nın ebedî serhaddi;
"O benim sun'-i bedî'im, onu çiğnetme" dedi.
Âsım'ın nesli...diyordum ya...nesilmiş gerçek:
İşte çiğnetmedi nâmûsunu, çiğnetmeyecek.

Şühedâ gövdesi, bir baksana, dağlar, taşlar...
O, rükû olmasa, dünyâda eğilmez başlar,
Yaralanmış tertemiz alnından, uzanmış yatıyor,
Bir hilâl uğruna, yâ Rab, ne güneşler batıyor!

Ey, bu topraklar için toprağa düşmüş asker!
Gökten ecdâd inerek öpse o pâk alnı değer.
Ne büyüksün ki kanın kurtarıyor Tevhîd'i...
Bedr'in arslanları ancak, bu kadar şanlı idi.
Sana dar gelmeyecek makberi kimler kazsın?
"Gömelim gel seni târîhe" desem, sığmazsın.
Herc ü merc ettiğin edvâra da yetmez o kitâb...
Seni ancak ebediyyetler eder istîâb.
"Bu, taşındır" diyerek Kâ'be'yi diksem başına;
Rûhumun vahyini duysam da geçirsem taşına;
Sonra gök kubbeyi alsam da, ridâ namıyle,
Kanayan lâhdine çeksem bütün ecrâmıyle;
Mor bulutlarla açık türbene çatsam da tavan,
Yedi kandilli Süreyyâ'yı uzatsam oradan;
Sen bu âvîzenin altında, bürünmüş kanına,
Uzanırken, gece mehtâbı getirsem yanına,
Türbedârın gibi tâ fecre kadar bekletsem;
Gündüzün fecr ile âvîzeni lebriz etsem;
Tüllenen mağribi, akşamları sarsam yarana...
Yine bir şey yapabildim diyemem hâtırana.

Sen ki, son ehl-i salîbin kırarak savletini,
Şarkın en sevgili sultânı Salâhaddîn'i,
Kılıç Arslan gibi iclâline ettin hayran...
Sen ki, İslâm'ı kuşatmış, boğuyorken hüsran,
O demir çenberi göğsünde kırıp parçaladın;
Sen ki, rûhunla beraber gezer ecrâmı adın;
Sen ki, a'sâra gömülsen taşacaksın...Heyhât,
Sana gelmez bu ufuklar, seni almaz bu cihât...

Ey şehîd oğlu şehîd, isteme benden makber,
Sana âgûşunu açmış duruyor Peygamber.


Mehmet Akif Ersoy

stevebecker
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Posts: 1468
Joined: 01 Jul 2006, 04:04
Location: Australia

Re: Mehmet Akif Ersoy

#4

Post by stevebecker » 20 Jan 2018, 02:25

Tosun,

Thank you.

Do you know if he was an officer during the war?

What was his rank and if known what unit did he serve?

Cheers

S.B

Tosun Saral
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Posts: 4079
Joined: 02 Nov 2005, 20:32
Location: Ankara/Turkey
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Re: Mehmet Akif Ersoy

#5

Post by Tosun Saral » 21 Jan 2018, 12:47

He was never an officer. He knew fluent arabic for that reason he served as a civilian agent of Teşkilat-ı Mahsusa the Special Organization at arap lands.

stevebecker
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Posts: 1468
Joined: 01 Jul 2006, 04:04
Location: Australia

Re: Mehmet Akif Ersoy

#6

Post by stevebecker » 22 Jan 2018, 00:35

Tosun,

Many thanks

S.B

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