Folklore of Kürse Village (9): Manis and Ramadan Manis

Folk Verses

If I were to get on the green minibus
Is it serious or just a joke?
If I knew my beloved’s heart

The sky is cloudy today
It looks as if it’s going to rain
I’m always looking at the roads
As if my beloved were coming

There’s a stable by the fountain
There’s a wall in front of it
It grew dark and passed by
My beloved is in distress

The roads of Kürse Village
Are dusty from the drought
The one I love is between us
The go-betweens are spoiling it

Kürse is our village
Our water flows like Zamzam
To love and then part
That’s not in our nature

At the edge of the field
Could my beloved be a hare?
You there, me here
Will evening come, my love?

Fifty-lira notes in my hands
Glasses on my eyes
All given to my beloved
All the world’s beauties

My sweetheart in secondary school
On to secondary school, then sixth form
Come, let me press your clothes
On the dress you’re wearing

Here comes a taxi, a taxi
From Istanbul’s mansion
Don’t you know, my love?
I’m dying of love for you

Fly away, my poplar, fly away
Will you reach the heavens?
You’ve taken my beloved
Will you see no good?

The fountain in Kürse Village
Doesn’t flow without a drop
The girls of our village
Don’t give the flirt a second glance

The teeth in my mouth
My cross-stitch work
It’s not a wave I love
I long for him with all my heart

Two birds on the road
Pecking at one another
My beloved’s two words
Weigh heavily on me

The bracelet on my arm
Must be twisted, twisted
Loving my beloved is easy, but
My beloved must keep their word

A soldier undergoes training
No one knows my plight
Both military service and love
It’s killing my beloved

The imam has come to the mosque
He’s gathering the spoons
O Allah, bring us together
Lovers like us

He’s coming to Susa, Susa (the road)
Susa is short
I wonder if my beloved will come
If only he could hear my voice

Behind our house
There’s a weaving mill
I gave my love to my beloved
Her collar hangs open

Behind our house
It’s a coal store, a coal store
If I’m not destined to be with you
I gave her a handkerchief to last a lifetime

It’s raining, it’s raining
On the black stone
My beloved has combed her fringe
Over her dark brows

I want a pair of shoes
If they’re white on top
I love my mother-in-law
If her son is handsome

I’ll wear earrings in my ears
They’re clasped, clasped
My sweetheart and I, just the two of us
Eager from a young age

The pleats of my dress
If I try to add to it, it won’t fit
Now a new fashion has come along
Adults aren’t expected

I’ve got a ring on my finger
It doesn’t fit snugly
To anyone but my beloved
My blood doesn’t boil

Don’t cry, my love, don’t cry
Don’t drape yourself in black
Give me a strand of your hair
Let it be a salve for my wound

Your eyebrows are my light, my love
Come and make me smile, my love
Though our homes may be apart
Our hearts are one, my love

Between your home and ours
Are but ten paces apart
Don’t smoke, my love
Save up for the wedding

My lamp isn’t giving off any light
Unless you twist the wick
My heart can’t find peace
When I don’t see my beloved

His field is overgrown with weeds
I won’t go to the sandal-wearer
If Allah wills it
To the one with a tie

My beloved is coming on horseback
My Mehmed wears a tie
A letter from my beloved
Hidden under my pillow

From beyond these mountains
A smooth, round stone came
As I read your letter
Tears welled up in my eyes

On the corner of my handkerchief
Shall I tie a piece of chewing gum
And, heeding what others say,
Would I make my beloved weep

To the corner of my handkerchief
I’ve tied a piece of chewing gum
I’ve heard, my beloved
That you’ve fallen for another girl

I had a dress made
With the side left unhemmed
What would the doctor do if he came?
My sorrow has no cure

Don’t just stand there in front of me
Don’t keep twisting your neck
Don’t keep uttering ugly words
And keep breaking my heart

Our rose has fallen into the water
Our nightingale no longer sings
You there, me here
Our foolish lives have passed

My hair is long
If I let it down, it reaches my waist
To make my beloved fall in love
That is in my hands

My beetroot is all scarred
I weep, my tears burning
May He not give me to my enemy
My Lord, such a parting

It’s evening, it’s afternoon
The sun stands high on the hill
Step aside, my love, from before me
I’ve grown weary of you

The girl’s name is Necmiye
She goes off to reap with a sickle
Have you sworn an oath, my love?
To walk along our path

The girl’s name is Mücevher
The day passes through the gauze curtain
If she won’t take it, let her not
I’ve teased her enough

A lamp by the fire
Light it, O God, light it
My beloved has turned away and is leaving
Bring her back, O God, bring her back

Our village’s pasture
It cools in the late afternoon
My beloved’s longings
Grow deeper day by day

The roads of Kürse Village
They never seem to end
My love, I turn to you
Seven kinds of longing

Isn’t the garden ours?
Let’s raise a banner, my love
Most of this love is within me
Let’s be partners, my love

Until what day?
Tell me, what is your wish?
Will it go on for much longer?
This long, yearning separation

Down stream, stream by stream
Did you think the stream wouldn’t flow?
You’ve lost heart, my love
Did you think I wouldn’t give up on you?

May my beloved read
Let him read and become a hafiz
That I am here
Let my beloved know

As I crossed the bridge
The bridge made me sway
My beloved’s affections
Have bound me without a rope

If only these mountains weren’t here
Had the tulip not withered
Death is God’s command
Had there been no parting

I placed a copper vessel by the spring
It will fill drop by drop
The lad I love
Will become a headteacher

Go down, come up straight
What has become of us, my love?
They handed us
They’ve placed in our hands

You’ll ride a bike
You’ll get off over there
If Mum and Dad ask
You’ll say the tyre’s gone flat

The lad’s name is Mustafa
Come, shopkeeper, shopkeeper
Your peers have all got married
You should get married too, Mustafa

The lad’s name is Recep
He’ll put on his jacket
Kiss my father’s hand
He’ll give me to you

The boy’s name is Hasan
If I were to tie his shoes
A rose has bloomed on his lapel
If I were the leaves

The girl’s name is Fadime
I threw a stone at the almond tree
To those afflicted with love
My love, the doctor; I am the servant

Come, let’s go, my love
To the wild figs
We’ve become bound together, my love
To the chains of love

‘Ah,’ I said, and my heart was pierced
My heart was pierced
Come, my beloved, come
My grave has been laid out

These mountains are my sorrow
I have no patience left
If I do not reach my beloved
My grave will be pierced

At the Susurluk market
Those with money wander about
One lover after another has loved me
What part of her is more beautiful than me

I’m knitting a jumper, a jumper
From seventy-two stitches
A letter has come from my sweetheart
I can’t read it for laughing

I have a ring on my finger
It’s a relief, a relief
If you’re not mine, my love
May you not rest in peace in your grave

The master who built this house
May he, God willing, fall ill
He left no windows
How shall I look out for my friend?

At the motor’s mast
If I were to cling to its handlebar
I have a few words for my beloved
Let them sink into your heart

The train is coming, the train
All the way from Haydarpaşa
I’ve loved my beloved
Ever since I was seven

Down into the stream, down into the stream
The stream’s muddy, you’ll slip
Don’t follow me, lad
I’m a swimmer, you’ll get burnt

Sunflowers in the gardens
Leaves right down to the root
If I cannot reach my beloved
Will the black earth cover me?

Two ships side by side
Can you set sail?
My beloved, to my love
Can you endure

Her dress is torn from her body
Why did you leave me
Had I known you’d leave
I’d have taken a picture of you

Her dress was pink
It’s stained before I’ve even worn it
I recognise my beloved
By the moles on her face

The pleats in her dress
The seam is on the side
Let’s get engaged, my love
It’s easy to wait

The finest part of my dress
I’ve turned up the collar
I haven’t seen him for ages
I’ve forgotten your face

I’m thirsty, I want some water
From a blue-painted jug
How can I part with
From a friend of two years

Aubergines in the gardens
I’ll leap from branch to branch
Mum, just so you know
I’m running away tonight

A scent on the table
Come and read the letter
I’ve loved my beloved ever since
Sleep won’t come to my eyes

The three gold pieces round my neck
May all three be leaves
Whatever separates me from my beloved
May it turn to dust in three days

The headscarf on my head
It became soiled before it could cover me
I fell in love with a new beloved
Everyone who saw it was envious

I planted a flower in a pot
So it might lean against the window
I loved and loved, then parted
So that it might burn when I die

The watch on his wrist
Don’t wind it, let me wind it
Two years’ military service
How can I stay apart

A jug on the table
The belt cut into my waist
My beloved far away
It just crossed my mind

Let her dress be white
If it withers, let the branch wither
Look at my partner, my love
May his heart be content too

Three rings on my finger
May all three be engagement rings
Whoever separates me from my beloved
May he be utterly wretched

To a telephone pole
If I were to cling to its base
Sing a song, my love
Don’t burden your heart with sorrow

My hair is long
Like fine silk
I love my beloved
Just like my own brother

My shoe has come undone
Tie them, my love, tie them
Today is the day of parting
Cry, my love, cry

That black tree over there
If I blew on it, I’d dry it
They have separated me from my beloved
Ah, how can I ever forget

Where is my cloak?
I shall put on my cloak
My beloved, to your mother
I’ll call her ‘Mum’ too

I’ve added the narrowest
I’ve added to its width, my love
At the lovers’ fountain
I’ve waited so long for you, my love

Behind that hill
The Bahriye soldiers
Amongst the beauties
I love the dark-haired ones

My hair is long
Five fine strands
Tell me the truth, my love
How many others are there besides me

Take your cup and go to the water
Don’t let your cup run over, my love
To love another besides me
May it never be your lot, my love

Beyond that hill
There’s a wedding with drums
Those who love but cannot have
Burns and burns until they turn to ash

Can glass be joined to glass?
Is the bottom of the glass ever reached?
Seven years’ military service
Can I wait for the one I love?

Barley up to the knees
Come, my love, to us
I’ll knit you some socks
From the heel to the knee

I’ll tie the knot
Who has ever seen a rose-shaped knot?
My friends have become my enemies
They wish I were dead

The girl’s name is Münevver
She came down the stairs
When the matchmakers arrive
Just say I’m too young

The black train has arrived
Carriage after carriage brought stones
When they said there would be a parting
Tears welled up in my eyes

I let the sheep out to pasture
I do love this game
To whom shall I compare her?
My beloved, as slender as a sapling

There’s no curtain at the window
I’m amazed at her
Let her not say she’s living
Let her not say I’m living

I sent my sweetheart off to the army
If only the bag weren’t so heavy
My dark-eyed sweetheart
If only the officer wouldn’t beat him

The train comes whistling
Spilling its coal
I parted from my beloved
Shedding my tears

At the top of the minaret
Look at the birds, look at the birds
Mum, was I too much?
You cast me out

The roads of Kürse Village
Plaster my beloved’s arms
It’s our turn now
Hold the drums, my love

Are you the leader of the Manici?
Are you a jewel?
If I were to write a mani and send it
Would you carry it in your pocket?

A poplar beneath the bridge
Swaying gently, gently
Talking to the lads
Is more rewarding than praying

In the valley of the mine
The water never stands still in the bucket
My beloved comes to mind
In the middle of prayer

Did you think the stones of Maden
Did you think they were sheep, my love?
I was in love for real
Did you think it was a game, my love?

They call the ring on my finger
They call it a ring, my love
The gesture you made
They call it a wave, my love

Does a pear fall from the branch?
Do ants feel the cold?
To love and love, then part
Is that befitting our honour?

The bracelet on my wrist
All three are twisted and coiled
If my love goes into exile
Don’t stay away for more than three days

They say that star has fallen
They say one end is still there
Those who can’t stand us
Will say your beloved has strayed

The roads in our village
Smell of red roses
My sweetheart is a joker
He’s looking towards my afterlife

Rows upon rows of willows
Whispering to one another
Two fools have fallen in love
Why should the elders interfere?

I won’t call the rose ‘moon’
I won’t call the blood-red rose ‘blood’
To anyone but my beloved
Even if they were to kill me, I’d not call her my beloved

From the hem of my cloak
I’ve had enough of the world’s talk
I longed for a beloved and fell in love
But he, too, slipped from my grasp

Whether the water flows or dries up
It goes empty and returns full
May the jug’s handle break
My beloved’s arm has grown weary

My cigarette smoulders faintly
If I think, my mind wanders
If it’s not to be, so be it
I’ve teased you enough

If I offered you a handkerchief, you wouldn’t take it
You won’t be left without a handkerchief
Here, take my jacket—I’ll carry it
Don’t let it be a bother to you

Here comes the water, drop by drop
It’s not water that’s my worry
If trees were pens
My troubles could not be written

A rhyme unlocks another rhyme
Who runs away from the rhyme?
You tell me, and I’ll tell you
Which of us comes out on top

I cannot be a stone at the fountain
Even if I were a stone, I could not be the head
If I were to part from my beloved
I cannot be a wife to others

Water flows from the log
It cannot be drunk from its foam
May God never part us
from the one they love

Water flows with the current
Washing away the stones
Boy, what good did you find
By gazing from across the way

Basket after basket of eggs
My love, don’t forget me
If you forget me
Don’t let your tears dry up

You’d board the train
Some of you would get off
One by one, it won’t work
Your greeting is ‘welcome’

They don’t say it like that
They don’t eat bread and cheese
They wouldn’t even call a manici like you
They wouldn’t even call you a madman

Lift the white stone and come
Kill the snake and come
If you’re going to take me, lad
Fill the pouch and come

You brought me down from the mountain
You turned me to ashes
You didn’t give me to the one I loved
Mother, you’ve killed me

I reached the roof, but it wasn’t a roof
Its window wasn’t made of glass
I shall write a letter to my beloved
My mind isn’t quite right

There’s a spring in front of the house
If I dip my hands in, they’ll freeze
I’ve never been a girl, nor a bride
My heart burns for him

My pistol is loaded with shot
Don’t run away, my love, don’t run away
My heart is already wounded
Don’t you open another wound

I threw an apple into the sea
It’s coming, floating to the surface
The girls of Kürse Village
Nine thousand nine hundred

I placed a pot on the table
I fell into deep sorrow
The girls from the neighbouring village
A bunch of leeks

My shoe got stuck
At the tailor’s, on the machine
How can I give my heart
To a poor man like you

Do you plant carnations
Are you honey and sugar
You’ve set me ablaze in this world
Will you torment me in the Hereafter?

Fresh mint, dried mint
I’m burning, Mother
You didn’t give it to my first love
At least give this one to me, Mum

The tea is mine, the tap is mine
Don’t follow me
I was just teasing you
My beloved is someone else

My shoelace has come undone
Tie them, my love, tie them
This parting is for us
Cry, my love, cry

I threw an apple, a pomegranate came
In the narrow street, my beloved came
The bracelet she sent
Felt too tight on my arms

I sowed grain, they say it’s too little
They call the beauty ‘white’
To whom shall I confide my troubles?
They say this sorrow is little to you

Hey, you lot, you lot
The cats meowed
The reciters of folk verses
They said the folk song was over

Leeks in the gardens
If snow were to fall on their leaves
If the girls were left without husbands
And were to beg the lads

Across the way, Demirkapı
The rye stalks sway
That separates me from my beloved
May they crawl from door to door

Two doors side by side
I don’t want a mother-in-law
If there were no mothers-in-law
We’d get by side by side

Ramadan Rhymes

As we know, Ramadan rhymes are recited by the night watchman who beats the drum during Ramadan nights. They are recited during the ‘haklama’—the collection of fees and tips—which takes place in the middle and at the end of Ramadan, when the drummer collects his payment. In the village, these Ramadan rhymes remain relevant to this day. Here are a few of them:

My ropes are twisted and coiled
Sultans issue their decrees
Mehmet Aga, the apple of my eye
Peace be upon you too

I’ve come all the way from down below
I fell and punctured my drum
Mehmet, my dear, the apple of my eye
I longed for you and came

A gentle breeze blows from down below
The string of my drum cuts my neck
And if I do not call at this house
My dear Mehmet will be angry with me, he’ll turn his back on me

The cord of my drum is a braid
I’ve no shirt left on my back
Give me, lads, five or ten kuruş
So I can buy myself a shirt

The old mosque needs a pillar
It takes courage to speak
My belly is full, but
My friend fancies a pastry

I caught a flea
I stretched its skin over the drum
Mehmet Aga, my lord
Send me a lira

Take the drum and play it through the night
There’s neither chickpeas nor broad beans left
Mehmet, my lord, my master
Feel the bottom of the purse

The black sheep is a lamb
Its horns are marked
Don’t keep me waiting too long, my darlings
My legs are aching

You’ve got sugar to be ground
To be strained through muslin
Don’t keep me waiting too long, my darlings
There’s so much to see

We’ve entrusted you to God
Don’t forget us in your prayers
If we’re still here next year
We’ll come round to see you again

(Note: Names vary according to the head of the household, and a drum is beaten after each verse.)

All episodes of the series

1. Foreword and Introduction to the Village
2. Customs Relating to Birth and Children
3. Folk Medicine
4. Superstitions and Folk Meteorology
5. Proverbs, Blessings and Curses
6. Folk Songs, Lamentations and Nursery Rhymes
7. Legends and Riddles
8. Fairy Tales
9. Rhymes and Ramadan Rhymes

Traditions and Customs page