Turkish Marches and Anthems

Istiklal Marsi Translation

Here is Istiklal Marsi, with the whole 10 verses and its translation into English:

Istiklal Marsi

Korkma! Sönmez bu safaklarda yüzen al sancak;
Sönmeden yurdumun üstünde tüten en son ocak.
O benim milletimin yildizidir, parlayacak!
O benimdir, o benim milletimindir ancak!

Çatma kurban olayim, çehreni ey nazli hilâl;
Kahraman irkima bir gül... Ne bu siddet, bu celâl?
Sana olmaz dökülen kanlarimiz sonra helâl;
Hakkidir Hakk´a tapan, milletimin istiklâl.

Ben ezelden beridir hür yasadim, hür yasarim.
Hangi çilgin bana zincir vuracakmis? Sasarim!
Kükremis sel gibiyim: Bendimi çigner, asarim.
Yirtarim daglari, enginlere sigmam, tasarim.

Garb´in âfâkini sarmissa çelik zirhli duvar;
Benim imân dolu gögsüm gibi serhaddim var.
Ulusun, korkma! Nasil böyle bir îmani bogar,
"Medeniyyet!" dedigin tek disi kalmis canavar?

Arkadas! Yurduma alçaklari ugratma sakin;
Siper et gövdeni, dursun bu hayâsizca akin.
Dogacaktir sana va´dettigi günler Hakk´in,
Kim bilir, belki yarin, belki yarindan da yakin.

Bastigin yerleri "toprak!" diyerek geçme, tani!
Düsün altindaki binlerce kefensiz yatani.
Sen sehîd oglusun, incitme, yaziktir atani:
Verme, dünyalari alsan da, bu cennet vatani.

Kim bu cennet vatanin ugruna olmaz ki fedâ?
Sühedâ fiskiracak topragi siksan, sühedâ!
Câni, cânâni, bütün varimi alsin da Hudâ,
Etmesin tek vatanimdan beni dünyâda cüdâ.

Rûhumun senden ilâhî sudur ancak emeli:
Degmesin ma´bedimin gögsüne nâ-mahrem eli!
Bu ezanlar - ki sehâdetleri dînin temeli -
Ebedî, yurdumun üstünde benim inlemeli.

O zaman vecd ile bin secde eder - varsa - tasim;
Her cerîhamdan, Ilâhi, bosanir kanli yasim;
Fiskirir rûh-i mücerred gibi yerden na´sim!
O zaman yükselerek Ars´a deger, belki, basim!

Dalgalan sen de safaklar gibi ey sanli hilâl!
Olsun artik dökülen kanlarim hepsi helâl.
Ebediyyen sana yok, irkima yok izmihlâl:
Hakkidir, hür yasamis, bayragimin hürriyet;
Hakkidir, Hakk´a tapan, milletimin istiklâl.

Mehmet Âkif ERSOY

Independence March

Fear not! For the crimson flag that proudly waves in these dawns, shall never fade,
Before the last fiery hearth that is ablaze within my nation burns out.
And that, is the star of my nation, and it will forever shine;
It is mine; and solely belongs to my nation.

Frown not, I beseech you, oh thou coy crescent,
But smile upon my heroic nation! Why the anger, why the rage?
The blood we shed for you will not be worthy otherwise;
For freedom is the absolute right of my God-worshipping nation.

I have been free since the beginning and forever will be so.
What madman shall put me in chains! I defy the very idea!
I´m like the roaring flood; powerful and independent,
I´ll tear apart mountains, exceed the heavens and still gush out!

The lands of the of the West may be armored with walls of steel,
But I have borders guarded by the mighty chest of a believer.
Recognize your innate strength! And think: how can this fiery faith ever be killed,
By that battered, single-toothed monster you call "civilization"?

My friend! Leave not my homeland to the hands of villainous men!
Render your chest as armor! Stop this disgraceful rush!
For soon shall be come the day of promised freedom...
Who knows? Perhaps tomorrow? Perhaps even sooner!

See not the soil you tread on as mere earth,
But think about the thousands beneath you that lie without even shrouds.
You´re the noble son of a martyr, take shame, hurt not your ancestor!
Unhand not, even when you´re promised worlds, this paradise of a homeland.

What man would not die for this heavenly piece of land?
Martyrs would gush out if you just squeeze the soil! Martyrs!
May God take all my loved ones and possessions from me if he will,
But may he not deprive me of my one true homeland for the world.

O Lord, the sole wish of my heart is that,
No infidel´s hand should touch the bosom of my temple.
These adhans, the shahadah of which is the base of the religion,
Shall sound loud over my eternal homeland.

Then my tombstone - if there is one - will a thousand times touch its forehead on earth (like in salah) in ecstasy,
O Lord, tears of blood flowing out of my every wound,
My corpse will gush out from the earth like a spirit,
And then, my head will perhaps rise and reach the heavens.

So flap and wave like the dawning sky, oh glorious crescent,
So that our every last drop of blood may finally be worthy!
Neither you nor my nation shall ever be extinguished!
For freedom is the absolute right of my ever-free flag;
For freedom is the absolute right of my God-worshipping nation!

Mehmet Âkif ERSOY

1.	History of Istiklal Marsi
2.	Istiklal Marsi Translation
3.	Onuncu Yil Marsi

Share:

Facebook

Return to TC essays page

Comments (1)