This is a poem of Mehmet Akif Ersoy and it is very famous in Turkey. It is also one of my favourite poems and I wanted to translate it. Probably I made many mistakes. I hope natives can correct them. This poem can offend some foreigners but dont forget the hard times the writer in while he was writing this poem. This kind of poems had important influences on the morality of the army. This is an old poem. I hope you will like it.

Çanakkale Şehitlerine

To Dardanelles Martyrs

Şu Boğaz harbi nedir? Var mı ki dünyâda eşi? 

What is that Bosphorus war? Is there an equivalent to it in the world?

En kesif orduların yükleniyor dördü beşi.

Four or five of the most dense armies are pressing  

-Tepeden yol bularak geçmek için Marmara’ya- 

In order to go to Marmara finding a way through the hill

Kaç donanmayla sarılmış ufacık bir karaya. 

To a very small land besieged by many navies.

Ne hayâsızca tehaşşüd ki ufuklar kapalı! 

What a dishonarable gathering, because of it horizons are overcast.

Nerde-gösterdiği vahşetle ´bu: bir Avrupalı´ 

Where is “This is an European.” with the violance he shows?

Dedirir-Yırtıcı, his yoksulu, sırtlan kümesi, 

This wild, numb hyena group makes you say this.

Varsa gelmiş, açılıp mahbesi, yâhud kafesi! 

They came being opened their cages 

Eski Dünyâ, yeni Dünyâ, bütün akvâm-ı beşer, 

Old world, new world, all the nations of men

Kaynıyor kum gibi, mahşer mi, hakikat mahşer.

They are boiling like sand, is it Armegeddon?, truely it is.

Yedi iklimi cihânın duruyor karşında, 

Seven nations of the world stand in front of you.

Avusturalya´yla beraber bakıyorsun: Kanada! 

You see Australia together with Canada!

Çehreler başka, lisanlar, deriler rengârenk: 

Faces are different, languages, skins are colourful

Sâde bir hâdise var ortada: Vahşetler denk. 

There is a simple thing obvious: wildnesses are equal 

Kimi Hindû, kimi yamyam, kimi bilmem ne belâ... 

Some of them are Indian, some of them are cannibal, I dont know what the heck the others. 

Hani, tâuna da züldür bu rezil istilâ! 

This disgraceful invasion is a lowness even for plague

Ah o yirminci asır yok mu, o mahlûk-i asil, 

Oh that 20. century, that noble thing

Ne kadar gözdesi mevcûd ise hakkıyle, sefil, 

All of its favored ones are truely wretched.

Kustu Mehmedciğin aylarca durup karşısına; 

It threw up for months standing in front of dear Mehmets

Döktü karnındaki esrârı hayâsızcasına. 

It threw out the secrets in its stomach without shame.

Maske yırtılmasa hâlâ bize âfetti o yüz... 

If the mask wasnt torn, that face would be still adorable for us. 

Medeniyyet denilen kahbe, hakikat, yüzsüz. 

The whore called civilization is truely shameless.

Sonra mel´undaki tahribe müvekkel esbâb, 

The reasons which cause the destruction at the cursed

Öyle müdhiş ki: Eder her biri bir mülkü harâb. 

They are so terrible, even each one of them can destroy a land.

Öteden sâikalar parçalıyor âfâkı; 

Thunderbolts are tearing the horizons to pieces from the other side 

Beriden zelzeleler kaldırıyor a´mâkı; 

Earthquakes lift up the depths from this side.

Bomba şimşekleri beyninden inip her siperin; 

The thunderbolts of bombs are going down through the brains of every shelter

Sönüyor göğsünün üstünde o arslan neferin. 

They go out on the chest of those brave soldiers.

Yerin altında cehennem gibi binlerce lağam, 

There are thousands of underground tunnels like hell under the earth.

Atılan her lağamın yaktığı: Yüzlerce adam. 

And hundreds of men who the mines thrown burnt.

Ölüm indirmede gökler, ölü püskürmede yer; 

Sky is bringing down death, earth is spewing out dead.

O ne müdhiş tipidir: Savrulur enkaaz-ı beşer... 

What a terrible blizzard it is, wreck of men is thrown into the air.

Kafa, göz, gövde, bacak, kol, çene, parmak, el, ayak, 

Head, eye, body, leg, arm, chin, finger, hand, foot 

Boşanır sırtlara vâdilere, sağnak sağnak. 

They hail onto ridges, valleys

Saçıyor zırha bürünmüş de o nâmerd eller, 

Those coward hands in armor are scattering

Yıldırım yaylımı tûfanlar, alevden seller. 

Floods like thunderbolt volleys, torrents from fire

Veriyor yangını, durmuş da açık sinelere, 

They are giving fire to chests open,

Sürü halinde gezerken sayısız teyyâre. 

Many planes, while  going around in groups.

Top tüfekten daha sık, gülle yağan mermiler... 

Missiles splattering cannonballs are more frequent than cannon and gun.

Kahraman orduyu seyret ki bu tehdide güler! 

Watch the brave army, it laughs at that threat.

Ne çelik tabyalar ister, ne siner hasmından; 

Neither it wants steel bastions nor it is afraid of its enemy. 

Alınır kal´â mı göğsündeki kat kat iman? 

Is a strong faith a fortress which can be taken?

Hangi kuvvet onu, hâşâ, edecek kahrına râm? 

Which power can make it bow down to its oppression?

Çünkü te´sis-i İlahi o metin istihkâm. 
Because that stronghold is an establishment of God. 

Sarılır, indirilir mevki-i müstahkemler, 

The location of fortified buildings can be surrounded and can be taken

Beşerin azmini tevkif edemez sun´-i beşer; 

The creation of human cant arrest the will of the humanity.

Bu göğüslerse Hudâ´nın ebedi serhaddi; 

As for these chests, they are eternal borders of God.

´O benim sun´-i bedi´im, onu çiğnetme´ dedi.

“It is my beautiful creation, dont allow it to be run over.” He said

Asım´ın nesli...diyordum ya...nesilmiş gerçek: 

I was talking about the generation of Asım, it is truely a generation: 

İşte çiğnetmedi nâmusunu, çiğnetmiyecek. 

Look, it didnt allow its honor to be run over, it will not.

Şühedâ gövdesi, bir baksana, dağlar, taşlar... 

Look at the mountains and rocks, they are the bodies of martyrs.

O, rükû olmasa, dünyâda eğilmez başlar, 

Except Rüku, it is impossible to make  heads bow.

Vurulup tertemiz alnından, uzanmış yatıyor,

He lies down shot from his so clean forehead.

 
Bir hilâl uğruna, yâ Rab, ne güneşler batıyor! 

For the sake of a crescent, oh God, many suns set. 

Ey, bu topraklar için toprağa düşmüş asker! 

O Soldier who fell down to the ground for this land!

Gökten ecdâd inerek öpse o pâk alnı değer. 

It would worth it if  the forefathers kissed coming down that clean forehead

Ne büyüksün ki kanın kurtarıyor tevhidi... 

How great you are, your blood saves the Tevhid.

Bedr´in arslanları ancak, bu kadar şanlı idi. 

Only the lions of Bedir were this much glorious.

Sana dar gelmiyecek makberi kimler kazsın? 

Who can dig the grave which will not be narrow for you?

´Gömelim gel seni tarihe´ desem, sığmazsın. 

If I said “lets burry you into history”, you wouldnt fit into

Herc ü merc ettiğin edvâra da yetmez o kitâb... 

That book isnt enough even for the eras you shook

Seni ancak ebediyyetler eder istiâb. 

Only eternities can embrace you.

´Bu, taşındır´ diyerek Kâ´be´yi diksem başına; 

If I put Kaba around your head saying “This is your grave stone”

Ruhumun vahyini duysam da geçirsem taşına; 

If I heard inspiration of my soul and wrote it on your stone

Sonra gök kubbeyi alsam da, ridâ namıyle, 

Then, If I took vault of heaven with the Rida name

Kanayan lâhdine çeksem bütün ecrâmıyle; 

If I pulled it to your tomb with its all stars

Mor bulutlarla açık türbene çatsam da tavan, 

And if I made it a ceiling to your shrine open with purple clouds

Yedi kandilli Süreyyâ´yı uzatsam oradan;

 If I sent seven candled Süreyya from there

Sen bu âvizenin altında, bürünmüş kanına,

Under this chandelier,covered with your blood

 
Uzanırken, gece mehtâbı getirsem yanına, 

While you were lying down, if I brought moon light near you at night

Türbedârın gibi tâ fecre kadar bekletsem; 

Like caretaker of your shrine, if I made it wait untill day light.

Gündüzün fecr ile âvizeni lebriz etsem; 

In morning, if I made your chandelier full of day light.

Tüllenen mağribi, akşamları sarsam yarana...

If I wrapped the tulle covered west to your wound at nights.

 
Yine bir şey yapabildim diyemem hâtırana. 

I wouldnt say that i did much to honor your memory.

Sen ki, son ehl-i salibin kırarak savletini, 

You, by breaking the attack of Crucifix people

Şarkın en sevgili sultânı Salâhaddin´i, 

You made the most beloved sultan of east, Salahaddin

Kılıç Arslan gibi iclâline ettin hayran...

An admirer of your greatness like Kılıç Arslan.

Sen ki, İslam´ı kuşatmış, boğuyorken hüsran, 

You, while disappointment was sorrounding and choking Islam

O demir çenberi göğsünde kırıp parçaladın; 

You broke and tore that iron chain into pieces on your chest.

Sen ki, rûhunla beraber gezer ecrâmı adın; 

You, your name visits stars with your soul.

Sen ki, a´sâra gömülsen taşacaksın...Heyhât,

You, if you were burried  into centuries, you would pour out.

Sana gelmez bu ufuklar, seni almaz bu cihât... 

These horizons cant come to you, this cihat cant embrace you

Ey şehid oğlu şehid, isteme benden makber, 

Oh martyr son of a martyr; dont want grave from me

Sana âğûşunu açmış duruyor Peygamber.

The prophet is waiting you his arms open.

Thanks for posting this great epic poem Gok. it is one of my favorite. And great translation.!

Interesting, gokuyum. I understand it is an old piece of poetry and it reflects its own era. But as you say it is important for Turks I would like to ask if you don´t mind how much the same thoughts are still there in the landscape of Turkish soul? Do you still easily feel threatened, attacked and abused by other nations?

And for those of us who slept through their history lessons would you shortly describe the situation this poem is talking about.

Gokuyum thanks for sharing and translating this. I have read a lot about the Çanakkale War (the Gallipoli Campaign in WW1). It was such a tragic waste of lives. I have walked around many of the battlefields and memorials around  this area and have slowly gained a better knowledge about what happened here. 

When I get time, I will also try to check your English, and try and improve this English where I can.

The poem deserves to be understood and translated well to do it honour. I have only seen a few minor errors, but I need to understand the Turkish fully, before I can offer an improved English translation. Marion would certainly be more qualified to interpet the poem, but I will also try.

En kesif orduların yükleniyor dördü beşi.

Four or five of the darkest armies are pressing

four or five of the most dense  armies are embarking??????

Thank you Abla. I cant say we got over the traumas that WW1 brought. We are more confident now. But people easily remember WW1 and how Europe was our enemy when something bad happens in international relations.

This poem´s language is old. It is not easy for teenagers to understand it. But this poem keeps its popularity in the minds of conservative people. I am not conservative. I like it because of its rhytime and feelings it gave. It really effects me when I listen to it.

I will correct it. Thanks deli.

yüklenmek here has such a mening as to press, to put pressure on.

Congratulations Gokuyum. Great poem and translation.