Küffar Sanur - Ottoman Turkish Song

Описание: Saz by Ido Romano, vocals & arrangement by Farya Faraji. This is a song that dates back to Ottoman times, some say to the end of the 16th century, during a war with the Austrian Empire. The lyrics describe the efforts of the Austrians to recapture European territories after the fall of Eger fortress, and also allude to the Battle of Mohacs a few decades earlier, one of the greatest military victories in the history of the Ottoman Empire.

The arrangement consists of a baglama saz played by Ido Romano, an additional, more simple layer of the divan saz which I played underneath Ido's masterful and florid delivery, and tambourine drums as well as a bendhir drum. The time signature is 9/8, one very common in the Balkans and Anatolian music.

Lyrics in Turkish:
Küffar sanur hüccet almış Eğri'ye,
Hali benzer nefes çekmiş bengiye.
Bire sorun Nemçelüyle Lehliye,
Ne de çabuk unuttular Mohaç'ı.

Yağız atın dikelince yelesi,
Başımızdan esti gaza nefesi.
Bre sorun nerde Nemçe kölesi,
Dayanır mı Zülfikare kellesi?

Haberler iletin Beç Çasarı'na,
Durmasın kılıcın sarsın donuna.
Er ise buyursun er meydanına,
Ne de çabuk unuttular Mohaç'ı.

English translation:
The Infidels thought that Eger belongs to them,
They look like they have smoked opium.
Ask those Austrians and Poles,
How quickly did they forget Mohács?

When his gallant horse reared up,
The breath of jihad blew over us,
Ask now, where is the Austrian slave?
Can his head resist to the blade of Zulfiqar?

Send news to the Emperor in Vienna,
Tell him to don his sword.
Tell him to come to the battlefied if he's man enough,
How quickly did they forget Mohács?