Song translation: Kanadım Değdi Sevdaya

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Song translation: Kanadım Değdi Sevdaya

Postby eskandar » 2017-06-29, 7:13

There are other versions of this song, sometimes with different lyrics, but I really like this version by the French-Armenian group Collectif Medz Bazar. This kind of thing is frankly beyond my ability in Turkish, but I'd really like to understand the song, so I thought I'd attempt a translation and hopefully others can help correct the mistakes - I'm sure there are more misses than hits in my translation...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwRKVmEN3es

Kanadım değdi sevdaya
Kondum kondum uçamadım
Aşk şarabın doya doya
Yandım da içemedim
Oy tabip şu yarayı sar sarabilir isen
Sevda ateş bir kaledir var varabilir isen

İçmişem sarhoşam dünden
Bayram ederim bu günden
Âşıkların köprüsünden
Döndüm de geçemedim
Oy tabip şu yarayı sar sarabilir isen
Sevda ateş bir kaledir var varabilir isen

Yan Mahzuni sine sine
Bugün bana noldu yine
Düştüm güzeller içine
Kendimi seçemedim
Oy tabip bu yarayı sar sarabilir isen
Sevda ateş bir kaledir var varabilir isen


My wing[s] reached passion
I stayed, I stayed, I didn't fly away
The wine of love to my heart's content
I burned, too, and didn't drink [I guess these lines should be combined to mean something like "I had a burning desire to drink the wine of love to my heart's content, but didn't drink it" :?: ]
Oy, doctor, can you bandage this wound?
From the fire of passion there is a fortress, can you reach it?

I have drunk, I'm intoxicated from yesterday
I am overjoyed from today
I turned at the bridge of lovers and did not cross over
Oy, doctor, can you bandage this wound?
From the fire of passion there is a fortress, can you reach it?

Burn, Mahzuni, in every[one's] breast
What happened to me again today?
I fell into the beauties
I did not choose myself
Oy, doctor, can you bandage this wound?
From the fire of passion there is a fortress, can you reach it?
Last edited by eskandar on 2017-06-30, 1:23, edited 1 time in total.
Please correct my mistakes in any language.

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Re: Song translation: Kanadım Değdi Sevdaya

Postby voron » 2017-06-29, 21:33

Aşk şarabın doya doya
Yandım da içemedim

I think it should be
Aşk şarabını doya doya
Yandım da içemedim,

which, if you re-arrange the words into a more straightforward order like this:
Yandım da aşk şarabını doya doya içemedim.
would mean "I burned (from the wine of love) and I couldn't drink it to my heart's content"

I listened to the song and I clearly hear "şarabın" there without the "ı", but then I can find many online texts of this song with the "ı", so perhaps it's not pronounced in the song for the sake of the rythm. I'll ask my Turkish friend and let you know.

Oy tabip şu yarayı sar sarabilir isen
Sevda ateşten bir kale var varabilir isen

"Sar" and "var" are imperative moods: "Bandage this wound if you can bandage it", "reach (the fortress) if you can reach it".

I reject the version where "bir kale var" means "there is a fortress" not just because it would be syntactically unaligned with the previous line, but also because I found the lyrics version where this line says "sevda ateşten bir kaledir, var varabilir isen", and this "-dir" makes the intepretation "bir kale var" impossible.

Bayram ederim bu günden

I will celebrate from this day on
(It looked to me that in your translation you interpreted "today" as the cause for celebration, while it is rather the starting point).

Kendimi seçemedim

Seçmek also has a meaning ''to distinguish, to discern, to make out", as in "to make out someone's silhouette in the darkness", and I think this is the meaning used in this sentence: there's so much beauty around that I cannot discern myself in this beaty.

Yan Mahzuni sine sine

I would translate "sine sine" as "to the depth of his heart" or something like this. It doesn't seem to be an idiomatic expression so I am not sure, but to me it sounds like "alev alev yanmak" (blaze in flames) where repetition doesn't indicate plurality (the fire travels from bosom to bosom) but rather intensity (the fire burns him to his very bosom).

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Re: Song translation: Kanadım Değdi Sevdaya

Postby eskandar » 2017-06-30, 0:55

Çok çok sağol, voron can!

voron wrote:I reject the version where "bir kale var" means "there is a fortress" not just because it would be syntactically unaligned with the previous line, but also because I found the lyrics version where this line says "sevda ateşten bir kaledir, var varabilir isen", and this "-dir" makes the intepretation "bir kale var" impossible.

Got it. This makes more sense to me now after your explanation about the imperatives. In fact, when I listen closely now, what they sing seems a little different from the lyrics that were provided. I hear "Sevda ateş bir kaledir var varabilir isen"! I edited the lyrics above to reflect this.

Bayram ederim bu günden

I will celebrate from this day on
(It looked to me that in your translation you interpreted "today" as the cause for celebration, while it is rather the starting point).

Yes, that was exactly my misunderstanding. Of course your translation makes more sense, too.

My first attempt at translation was very literal (and often wrong). I'm going to try a slightly more poetic one now, incorporating your corrections.

I flew to the height of passion
I stayed, I stayed, I didn't fly away
I burned from the wine of love and couldn't drink it to my heart's content
Oy, doctor, bandage this wound if you can
Reach the fortress of the fire of love if you can

I've drunk, I'm intoxicated since yesterday
From this day on I'll celebrate
I turned at the bridge of lovers and did not cross over
Oy, doctor, bandage this wound if you can
Reach the fortress of the fire of love if you can

Burn, Mahzuni, deep in your heart
What's happened to me today?
I lost myself in beauty and cannot find myself
Oy, doctor, bandage this wound if you can
Reach the fortress of the fire of love if you can
Last edited by eskandar on 2017-07-12, 7:10, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Song translation: Kanadım Değdi Sevdaya

Postby voron » 2017-06-30, 14:17

Your new translation looks good!

There is one little remark:
Döndüm de geçemedim

Geçemedim is "I couldn't cross". I am not sure if you left "could" deliberately or overlooked it.

I listened to the song and I clearly hear "şarabın" there without the "ı", but then I can find many online texts of this song with the "ı", so perhaps it's not pronounced in the song for the sake of the rythm. I'll ask my Turkish friend and let you know.

I asked my friend. He confirmed that it's very common to drop the accusative in poetry. He also suggested that "aşk şarabın(ı)" is "your wine of love", so that "n" is a part of the possessive affix, and not a helper sound appearing because of the accusative, since in the latter case, it would be strange to drop only the accusative ending but not the helper sound.

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Re: Song translation: Kanadım Değdi Sevdaya

Postby eskandar » 2017-06-30, 18:24

voron wrote:Your new translation looks good!

If it does, it's thanks to your help! :)

Geçemedim is "I couldn't cross". I am not sure if you left "could" deliberately or overlooked it.

Not deliberate, just a mistake. Thanks for pointing it out.

I asked my friend. He confirmed that it's very common to drop the accusative in poetry. He also suggested that "aşk şarabın(ı)" is "your wine of love", so that "n" is a part of the possessive affix, and not a helper sound appearing because of the accusative, since in the latter case, it would be strange to drop only the accusative ending but not the helper sound.

Got it. Thanks as well for asking your friend. I'm happy I was able to understand all of this song now. Maybe I'll try another one soon!
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Re: Song translation: Kanadım Değdi Sevdaya

Postby eskandar » 2017-07-12, 7:10

eskandar wrote:
voron wrote:I reject the version where "bir kale var" means "there is a fortress" not just because it would be syntactically unaligned with the previous line, but also because I found the lyrics version where this line says "sevda ateşten bir kaledir, var varabilir isen", and this "-dir" makes the intepretation "bir kale var" impossible.

Got it. This makes more sense to me now after your explanation about the imperatives. In fact, when I listen closely now, what they sing seems a little different from the lyrics that were provided. I hear "Sevda ateş bir kaledir var varabilir isen"!

I've been listening to this song and thinking about this line again. They definitely sing "sevda ateş bir kaledir" (not "sevda ateşten bir kaledir") - wouldn't it be better translated as "The fire of love is a castle, reach it if you can" :?:
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Re: Song translation: Kanadım Değdi Sevdaya

Postby kalemiye » 2017-07-12, 9:15

eskandar wrote:
eskandar wrote:
voron wrote:I reject the version where "bir kale var" means "there is a fortress" not just because it would be syntactically unaligned with the previous line, but also because I found the lyrics version where this line says "sevda ateşten bir kaledir, var varabilir isen", and this "-dir" makes the intepretation "bir kale var" impossible.

Got it. This makes more sense to me now after your explanation about the imperatives. In fact, when I listen closely now, what they sing seems a little different from the lyrics that were provided. I hear "Sevda ateş bir kaledir var varabilir isen"!

I've been listening to this song and thinking about this line again. They definitely sing "sevda ateş bir kaledir" (not "sevda ateşten bir kaledir") - wouldn't it be better translated as "The fire of love is a castle, reach it if you can" :?:


No, it clearly means "Love is a fortress made of fire". As native speakers clearly understand the meaning, the suffix -den has been omitted for the sake of the verse/melody.
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Re: Song translation: Kanadım Değdi Sevdaya

Postby eskandar » 2017-07-12, 20:13

kalemiye wrote:No, it clearly means "Love is a fortress made of fire". As native speakers clearly understand the meaning, the suffix -den has been omitted for the sake of the verse/melody.

Thanks, I get it now. Sevda, ateş[ten] bir kaledir. For my reading to have made sense it would have had to be something like "sevda ateşin bir kaledir", right?
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Re: Song translation: Kanadım Değdi Sevdaya

Postby kalemiye » 2017-07-12, 21:36

No, that makes no sense. The structure is as written above by voron: "sevda ateşten bir kaledir".
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Re: Song translation: Kanadım Değdi Sevdaya

Postby eskandar » 2017-07-12, 21:47

So if I wanted to say "the fire of love is a fortress" (using these words) what would it be?
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Re: Song translation: Kanadım Değdi Sevdaya

Postby kalemiye » 2017-07-13, 6:20

eskandar wrote:So if I wanted to say "the fire of love is a fortress" (using these words) what would it be?


Sevda ateşi bir kaledir
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Re: Song translation: Kanadım Değdi Sevdaya

Postby eskandar » 2017-07-13, 6:42

Got it. Thanks!
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Re: Song translation: Kanadım Değdi Sevdaya

Postby vijayjohn » 2017-09-24, 6:20

So I guess *sevdanın ateşi bir kaledir would be ungrammatical and would make it sound like love literally possessed a fire, which was a castle, right?

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Re: Song translation: Kanadım Değdi Sevdaya

Postby voron » 2017-09-24, 10:29

vijayjohn wrote:So I guess *sevdanın ateşi bir kaledir would be ungrammatical and would make it sound like love literally possessed a fire, which was a castle, right?

Yes, it would literally mean "love's fire is a castle".

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Re: Song translation: Kanadım Değdi Sevdaya

Postby vijayjohn » 2017-09-24, 20:52

Thanks! :)


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