Two Poems by Memtili Ependi

Tewpiq — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 05:18:28 +0000

Muhemmet Éli (Memtili) Toxtaji (1901-1937), better known as Memtili Ependi or Tewpiq, is a singular figure in the history of Xinjiang. He came from a family of prominent businessmen and activists for modern education and was educated exclusively in the modernist schools that were founded around Artush and Tijen, near Kashgar, beginning in the 1870s. He wandered in exile through the Soviet Union, where it is unclear how he spent his time, and washed up on the shores of Turkey, where he eventually trained as a teacher.

Here are two of his poems. The translations are unrhyming but otherwise accurate. Where I have felt the need to make stylistic choices, I have done so.

From Alip Tékin, Ibrahim. Memtili Ependi Shéirliri [The Poems of Memtili Ependi]. Ürümchi: Shinjang Xelq Neshriyati, 1998, p. 1:

“Soldier”	چېرىك
Catastrophe has come to Kashgar,	قەشقەرگە ۋابا تەگدى،
The stream has run dry.	قالدى سۇسىز ئېرىق.
Darkness is become a canopy,	زۇلمەت يېپىنچا بولدى،
And faces saffron yellow[1].	چىرايلار زەپىرەڭ سېرىق.
One cannot freely walk about,	كەڭتاشا ماڭغىلى بولماس،
Everywhere there are fierce soldiers.	ھەر جايدا يىرتقۇچ چىرىك.
Hunger and hardship have covered the land,	ئاچ-زارلىق قاپلىدى ئەلنى،
With not a grain of millet to be eaten.	يىگۈدەك قالمىدى تېرىق.
Tax and levy are become heavy,	باج-ئالۋان ئېغىر بولدى،
Suffocated every puff of breath.	بوغۇلدى نەپەسلەر-تىنىق.
Backs are become scars,	دۈمبىلەر يېغىر بولدى،
Did you see this, tewpiq[2]?	كۆردۈڭمۇ بۇنى تەۋپىق؟
God’s mercy comes,	خۇدانىڭ رەھمىتى كېلەر،
Faces are become warm…	چىرايلار بولدى ئىللىق…
May 1920	ماي، 1920

[1]^ The color yellow is a common Uyghur metaphor for devastation and sadness.

[2]^ Tewpiq (تەۋپىق) comes from the Arabic tawfīq, a Muslim theological term referring to God’s grace or guidance. In Uyghur, it is often rendered as the “correct road” toghra yol. Memtili took this as his pseudonym, apparently from an early age.

Memtili composed this poem at the age of about 19, around the time of the departure of his teacher and mentor, the Ottoman educator and Pan-Turkist Ahmed Kemal.

From the same source, pp. 13-14:

“Are there?”	بارمىكەن
Countrymen, relatives, when separated from your homeland,	ۋەتەنداشلار، قېرىنداشلار، ئەل ۋەتەندىن ئايرىلىپ،
Just when you had learned to fly, the wings broke and twisted.	ئەمدىلا بولغان ئۇچۇرما سۇندى قاناتلار قايرىلىپ.
What kinds of days have come to the homeland? Everywhere is suffering.	نېمە كۈن بولدى ۋەتەنگە؟ ھەممە يەردە دەرد-ئەلەم،
My Senem[3], my princess beauty, is become a serving girl, a slave.	خانىش كەبى ئاي جامالىم قۇل-دېدەك بولدى سەنەم.
I wandered away as a poor meshrep[4], far afield in a wayfarer’s inn,	مەن پېقىر مەشرەپ كەبى يۈردۈم يىراقتا دەڭدە مەن،
Oh, piteous Ghérib[5] and poor homeland, I am in distress for you.	ئېھ، غېرىب مىسكىن ۋەتەن، مەن سېنىڭ دەردىڭدە مەن.
On the shores of the Black Sea, of your fate I heard,	قارا دېڭىز ساھىلىدا قىسمىتىڭنى ئاڭلىدىم،
Filling up my heart with learning, like a fire I burned.	دىلنى پەندە تولدۇرۇپ ئوت كەبى لاۋۇلدىدىم.
My steps have reached the homeland, marching to such a distant goal,	قەدىمىم يەتتى ۋەتەنگە، شۇنچە يىراق مەنزىل بېسىپ،
My responsibility to speak fixed upon that country.	سۆزلىمەك بۇرچۇم مېنىڭ ئەل ئالدىدا كەسكىن كېسىپ.
Are there allies, are there volunteers?	بارمىكەن ئاركاداشلار، بارمىكەن پىدائىيلەر؟
I have girded my waist in knowledge, may ideals come true!	باغلىدىم بەلنى بىلىمدە، ئاشسۇن ئەمەلگە غايىلەر!
Let us gather, let us join together, hey, swift horses of the homeland,	توپلىنايلى، جۆر بولايلى، ئەي ۋەتەن دۇلدۇللىرى،
Girls and boys who roll up their sleeves, who hold up the sky!	يەڭنى تۈرگەن، كۆكنى تىرىگەن قىزلىرى، ئوغۇللىرى.
1933	1933

[3]^ Memtili references here both the figure of Senem, who is a tragic lover and one of the title characters of the opera “Ghérib-Senem,” and the formal music and dance form called senem.

[4]^ Thus, the speaker, to his Senem/senem, is just an improvised meshrep dance, but also represents, perhaps, the social power of the meshrep gathering.

[5]^ Ghérib is the tragic lover of Senem.

Memtili most likely wrote this poem in Istanbul, where he had arrived some years before. During his work and education there, he joined a group of young Turkestani exiles, some of whom returned with him to Kashgar in 1934 in hopes of building a new Turkic state. The poem suggests that he, as the speaker, has just learned about the uprising that led to the formation of the Turkic Islamic Republic of East Turkestan (1933-1934).

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Two Poems by Memtili Ependi