Why Kurdish?

[Editor's note: The two poems of Ehmede Xani posted for your reading enjoyment go to the heart of the Kurdish Question at a time when nationalism is in the driving seat of politics all over the world. The present crop of Kurdish leaders distance themselves from Xani not because they, in their hearts, disagree with him, but because they can not bring themselves to saying what he does lest they ruffle the feathers of our implacable adversaries. Such political expediency has gotten the Kurds nothing but sighs, tears, and blood and a profound disconnect with the critical Kurdish mass that alone can tip the scale for the liberation of Kurds and Kurdistan. Today, more than ever, Xani and his message are relevant, pertinent and essential, especially, for Kurds of diaspora. We thought you should have a glimpse into his world, 300 years old, as if a Kurdish father were addressing his children.]

[An extract from Mem u Zin by Ehmede Xani, Translated by Eziz Bawermend, in Fire, Snow and Honey: Voices from Kurdistan, Gina Lennox, Halstead Press 2001]

When ignorance reigned supreme,

Empty found Xani the chair of wisdom.

So, not because of this qualifications or competence,

But just for the loyalty to his people and passion to preserve,

In short, due to determination, or helplessness and desperation

He did commit this act, against the prevailing custom and tradition. [1]

He threw caution to the wind and took the plunge.

Seemingly made of pearls and precious stones,

The language of the Kurds he reorganized,

And thus for the people he suffered,

So that no one can say, The Kurds are unjust, baseless, without origin;

Various people have Books, [2] only the Kurds do not."

So that men of thought cannot say, "The Kurds

Did not choose love as one of their aims.

Altogether they neither want nor are wanted,

Altogether they neither love nor are loved.

The taste of love did not fall to their lot,

Devoid are they of metaphoric as well as true love."

Definitely not" The Kurds are not so green,

But they are waifs and powerless.

Unwise and ignorant they are not,

Just deprived and dispossessed.

If we had a leader to look after us,

A compassionate one who knew the subtleties;

If science, intellect, maturity,

Poetry, prose, reason and wisdom

Were the things he valued in his court,

Honored as valid currency and legal tender,

Then I would raise the flag of poetry

To the top of a mast that towered the earth.

I would recall from the heavens the spirit of Melaye Ciziri,

And along with him I would resurrect Eli Heriri,

I would give such joy to Feqiye Teyra, [3]

So they would remain content for all eternity.

But what am I to do? The market is rather still.

There are no customers for vintage wine.

Especially in this day and age, the purse

Has become the friend and darling to us all.

That is, greed for money and gold,

Each, has become our sweetheart.

If you sell all of science for one cent,

If you give all philosophy in exchange for a pair of shoes,

No one will take them to blaze the trail.

No one will come to the party.

When we realized that such is our day and age,

When we realized fighting is all for money,

We took to becoming alchemists,

And then we saw that this was not possible,

We acted with fairness for a while

And we cleaned counterfeit jewels [4]

Deception wasn't the heart's desire,

As a go-between, it never acted.

Faith we lost in religion, and gold we never came by,

Out of desperation, at the end, we became coppersmiths.

For exhibition we brought out our hidden copper,

All blank were they, with no seals, so we prayed.

Our prayers were answered in the positive,

Vehicles they became for out task.

Although these coins are not legal tender,

They are simple, clean and precious.

Without deceit and pretence, they are complete,

And handy are they for people to do their business.

It is pure Kurdish, no doubt about it.

Gold it is not, so they cannot say, "It is low in carat."

Silver it is not, so they cannot say, "It has faded."

Our own red copper it is, this quite clear.

Of our currency do not say, "Worthless it is."

It lacks only the stamp of those preceding the Shahs.

Had it been decorated with seals and stamps

But with no demand, it would not have remained.

It is a darling unattached to anyone.

Therefore, demand guilty, without intention.

Currencies of people with no powerful backers,

Unless stamped with the seals of sovereigns,

Are spoiled an useless, according to many scholars,

But are highly regarded by many philosophers.

Yet the sovereign of our time, knowledgeable man,

Did not listen to us with an ear to understand,

Mirza [5] is this gentleman's name,

Whose looks are pure alchemy.

Deceitful hearts he transforms to crystal,

Counterfeit coins he transmutes to pure gold.

Were there a hundred loads of red counterfeit coins,

To yellow he would instantly convert with one look.

He brings down the exalted to the lowest with his wrath,

And elevates the lowest to the pinnacle with his favor.

He detains generals like captives,

Then releases them like derelicts.

Without obligation or expectation of anything in return,

He makes rich with his benevolent hand

Thousands of poor and desperate every day,

Hundreds of beggars every moment.

Had he looked at us once,

Had he turned his blessed face towards us,

All these coins would be transmuted into gold,

All these words would be turned to poetry.

But very dear is his look.

Therefore, he did not look at us specifically.

However, a blessing for the populace is he,

So, oh God, grant him continuity.

Our Trouble

[An extract from Mem u Zin by Ehmede Xani, Translated by Eziz Bawermend,

in Fire, Snow and Honey: Voices from Kurdistan, Gina Lennox, Halstead

Press 2001]

Bartender, for the love of God, please

Pour some wine into the crystal glass. [6]

Let the glass of wine reveal to the world.

Let there appear here whatever we wish.

Let events ahead of us come to light.

Let us know if the future holds promise for us.

Look, our misfortune has reached its peak.

Will conditions improve, do you think?

Or will they remain,

Until upon us comes the end of time?

Is it possible, I wonder, that for us, too,

A star will emerge out of the firmament?

Let lady luck be on our side for once.

Let there emerge from within us, too

One to shoulder the earth.

Let there be a king of our own.

Let his sword attest to our might.

Let the might of is pen be known.

Let there be an answer to our trouble.

Let there be a demand for our knowledge.

If we had an exalted leader,

Of good deeds wanting a poem,

Our bullion, too, would be stamped.

It would not be so unwanted and suspect.

However pure and clean they may be,

Value is added to gold and silver with a stamp.

If we had a king,

If God saw him deserving of a crown,

If a throne was appointed to him,

Our luck would turn around.

If he was provided with a crown

O course, for us, there would be respect.

He would feel sorry for us orphans.

He would set us free from bondage to the craven.

They would not be victorious over us, these Turks.

Ours would not turn into ghost towns.

We would not become fugitives: dispossessed, wretched.

We would not bow our head in defeat to the Turks, the Tadjiks.

É

Although it is disgraceful to be their subjects,

This disgrace belongs to the persons of repute.

This is a matter of honor of the chiefs, the leaders!

What can the troubadours and the dispossessed do?

Whoever took the mighty sword in his hand,

Established in manly manner a state.

Because the world is like a prize bride,

Its fate, too, determined by the mighty sword.

But its dowry, trousseau, jewels and wedding presents

Are goodness, generosity, kindness and forgiveness.

I asked the world, "What is your dowry?"

"Benevolence", it said to me.

In short, "With the sword and goodness,

The world submits and bows its head to man."

I am puzzled by God's wisdom:

In this world of states,

Why have the Kurds remained stateless, dispossessed?

For what crime have they become fugitives, condemned?

É

Like a great wall, the Kurds stand between the Turks and the Persians.

Here and there are the Kurds, occupying all four corners. [7]

Both sides make the Kurdish clans

Targets of their poison-tipped arrows.

As if the Kurds hold the key to crossing the borders,

Each clan is as strong as a great wall.

Yet however rough and stormy they get,

This Turkish ocean and Persian sea,

It is the Kurds who are spattered with blood

And, like a rampart, separate the two.

Generosity, benevolence, bravery,

Chivalry, guardianship and valor,

All are credited to the Kurdish clans.

The fame of their sword and their benevolence is far-flung.

To the same extent, they cherish freedom and independence.

It is submission and obligation they detest.

Yet this spirit of independence and exalted benevolence

Has become the obstacle to shouldering the burden of obligation.

Because of this, they are always without unity,

Divided and pitched against one another, they stand.

If we had unity amongst ourselves,

If we all, together, obeyed one another,

The Turks, the Arabs and the Persians

Would one and all be in our servitude.

Then would we perfect the art of government and religion.

Then would we acquire all wisdom and command all nature.

Wheat would be separated from the chaff

And the real achievers would come forth.

1: Xani refers to the tradition of writing in Arabic and Persian

2: 'Books' refers to the Holy Books of the Torah, the Bible and the Quran

3: Ciziri, Heriri and Teyra are three masters of the Kurdish Literature preceding Xani

4: 'Counterfeit jewels' presumably refers to Arabic and Persian words

5: Mirza is Kurdish for 'prince' and is also used as a name for a male

6: Xani refers to the legendary crystal ball of the ancient King Jamshid who could see into the future

7: 'four corners' relates to the saying 'Four Corners of the world'