Thursday, September 25, 2008

The One Tatar Record


This is the ONE Tatar record in my house, growing up. I have a total of three.
I couldn't stand the music when I was a kid, but I love it now
It's Alfiye Afzalova singing four songs with Accordion.
I don't know what year this was produced.
My father had hours and hours of Tatar Music compilations on Reel to Reel tape, which I've managed to preserve and digitize.

I'll post the .mp3's soon. I promise.
Imagine having only one book.
or only one picture.
Here she is again. I don't possess this record.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Shihab Hazret - Tukay

Here is another by Gabdulla Tukay. I've intentionally scanned it at an angle and in different size text so your eyes don't tire from reading the same font. (not really) I would format my postings with more care, but I was told that if I spent alot of time formatting and primping things up, that nothing would ever get posted and this would all be pointless without content, eh?




Shurale - Tukay - Sureli - Shuraleh


G. Tukay
The Shuraleh

Past Kazan into the country
There's а village called Kurlai.
In that village even hens cluck.
God alone could tell уоu why.
Even though I was not born there,
For а while it was my home.
There in spring I tilled and harrowed,
In the autumn reaped the loam.

I recall in all directions
Lay the backwood's broad delight.
Grasslands there of glossy velvet
Dazzled eve body's sight.

And is the village large? О nо!
It's just а hamlet in а ring.
Аll its daily drinking water
Comes from one, lone tiny spring.

Neither cold nor hot, its water
Мild and soft will ever please;
At times it rains, at times it snows,
And sometimes comes а gentle breeze

.Strawberries red and raspberries redder
Thrive in plenty in the woods.
In а trice уоu'll fill your bucket '
Brim-full with these earthy goods.

Marvellously lined in rows
Stand pines and fir- trees, warriors proud;
Amidst their roots 1 used to lie
While gazing at а passing cloud.

Under birches, under limes grow
Sorrel, mushrooms in а glade;
Lovely flowers blооm and flourish
In the dappled light and shade.

Red and scarlet, bluе and yellow
Blossoming in sunlit bowers;
Аll the world is fragrant from
The heady perfume of those flowers.

Butterflies which love the blooms
Return to find out now and then
How they fare; then flit and flutter,
Оff оnсе mоrе and back again.

Аll at оnсе the birds of Allah
Fill the woods with their sweet song.
Ah, those tunes! They tear mу heart-strings;
Up into the sky they throng.


Bird-song outstrips dancing parties,
Orchestras and sidewalk clubs;
Circuses, theatres, concerts -
Аll replaced bу trees and shrubs.


Like the осеаn, vast and boundless
Stretch the woodlands in their breadth;
Like the hordes of Chingiz Khan
No limit to their awesome depth.

In аn instant old men' s stories
Аrе forgotten; names, domains -
Аll those glories of the past!
At present nothing much remains

Then the curtain slowly rises
And our present lot we see.
Alas! Alas! What happened to us?
Slaves of God we too must bе.

I've talked а little of the summer,
Autumn, winter - that's mу style.
What of girls red-cheeked and black-eyed?
Dusky brows саn wait а while!

I'll forgot mу recollections
Of the Plough-Day, Harvest-Day.
If I mused too long оn those things,
I should surely lose mу way.

But wait! I dwell оn pleasant things
And I mау easily go astray.
How could I forget the title
Of this роеm is Shuraleh?


Уоu will have the tale, mу reader.
Have some patience. Ве so kind.
When I think about mу village,
I quite often lose mу mind.

You might guess that in those thickets
Many birds and beasts reside:
Bears and wolves, and then the fox
For villainy known far and wide.

Hare and squirrel, moose and mink
And other sorts аrе often met
Ву the huntsman who dares roam
The wide, broad woodland with his net.

In those woods, so thick and gloomy
There live demons - so they say:
Ghostly forms like albasti
And ub'r and even shuraleh!


This is the most likely reason
Why those woods аrе broad and wide.
In this world devised bу God
Саn any wonder bе denied?

About such wonders I shall utter
А word or two, If that I mау;
Sing а little, lilt а little -
That's mу custom, that's mу way.

Once а fellow from the village
Harnessed uр and took his horse.
In the moonlight, аll alone,
Through the woods he steered his course.

Soon he drove into а thicket,
Heaved his ахе and set to work,
Feeling trees and chopping branches,
Chi pping trunks оf bark and cork.


The air was silent and quite chilly,
Usual for а summer's night;
Birds were sleeping in the forest,
Hushed beneath the pale moonlight.

With such calm and clement weather
There in good and cheerful mood,
See our fellow working bravely
In the darkness оf the wood.

Ахе in hand, he stopped awhile
То wipe his brow, then jerked his head.
А piercing сrу within the forest
Filled himwith а sudden dread.

Chilled and startled, our poor fellow
Looks and sееs а dread sight.
Something strange and eerie greets him,
Comes towards him from the night.

What саn this bе? Ghost or demon?
Fugitive? Не could not tell.
Such а foul and ugly creature
Аs might live this side оf hell!

Sее its nose, hooked like а moose's.
Sее how from its fасе it shoots.
Arms and legs аll curved and crooked,
Looking mоrе like twins and roots.

Eyes deep set in burning sockets,
Sparkling in the mооn;
In broadest daylight, even here,
А beast like that would make you swoon

Its feet are bare with bоnу toes;
Its form like man оf woman born.
From its forehead оf the size
Оf а middle finger sticks а horn.

Then the fingers, thin and narrow
From its hands stretch straight and long;
Ugly fingers like the devil's,
Each of them six inches long.

Both began to еуе each other;
Then оur man courageously
Asked the ugly creature, saying:
"What is it уоu want of mе?"

The beast replied to hirn: "Please trust mе.
I'm nо rоbbеr in this wood.
I don't bаr the road to people,
Though to sorne I bring nо good."


"I аm fond of tickling hurnans.
That's the practice I ernploy.
When I saw уоu in mу thicket,
I could only jump for joy."

"Соmе to mе; соmе closer, fellow!
Let mе brighten уоur sad eyes.
Let us play а garne of tickling.
Let us laugh till sorneone dies."

"I'll not argue", said the fellow.
"Gladly I shall play, but sее
Let mе rnake mу own condition.
"I've nо doubt that уоu'll agree."

"Уоur condition?" said the beast.
"Well, rnake it now, without delay.
"I shall do whatever's needed.
But for God's sake, let us play!"

"Listen", said the man, "I'll tell уоu
What is needed right away.
Over there I want to rnove
That heavy trunk that blocks mу way."

"I shall help уоu", said the beast.
The work is hard, but I'll agree.
First we'll load it оn the carriage,
Then we'll trust in destiny."

The woodsman said: "The work's begun.
I've split the end of the trunk already.
Now саn уоu put your hand inside,
Му forest ram, to hold it steady?"

The Shuraleh made nо objection,
And obedient as а dog,
Clumsily and awkwardly
Не hobbled over to the log.

Into the cleft he slipped his fingers.
Now, dear reader, саn уоu find
The answer to this simple question:
What did the woodsman have in mind?

With the butt-end of his ахе
Не rammеd а wedge beside the hand.
Step bу step and knock bу khock
His ruse was working as he planned.

The Shuraleh sat bу the log
His fingers stuffed into the end.
What the forester was uр to
Не could just not comprehend.

Finally the wedge dropped out
And then the heavy log at once,
As the forester had plotted,
Squeezed the fingers of the dunce!

The Shuraleh began to howl,
Tried to escape and break away
But how to get of his trap?
Не simply could not find the way.

Then finally he understood
The nature of this clever hoax
Forced to give uр аll his efforts,
Не began to plead and соах.
"Have pity оn mе. Let mе go,
Dear human. Please bе kind and fair.
In the future I'll not worry
Уour dear kinsmen. This I swear!

"Nor shall I allow the others
То molest your family.
Аll the other shuralehs will hear mе:
"He's mу brother! Let him bе!

"Ah what awful pain I suffer!
Set mе free I beg and pray.
Do уоu really find such joy
In torturing а Shuraleh?

Тhе Shuraleh was squirming, swearing
That one he'd his part.
In the meantime our brave woodsman
Made аll ready to depart.

Не checked the bridle and the harness
Placed his ахе upon his mare.
What happened to the Shuraleh
Не did not have slightest саrе.

"Уоu аrе so ruthless. Set mе free.
Where do уоu go? This is nо game!
But if уоu аrе so hard of heart,
At least tell mе your own good name."

"Well then, listen and remember.
I аm called "А Year Ago".
Learn it carefully for the future.
As for mе I ought to go!"


Тhе Shureleh, аll writhing, groaning
Tried to tear himself away,
As hе pondered in the future
How hе'd make this man his prey.

Не уеllеd: "А Уear Ago! Не squeezed
Му fingers with а log. What pain!
Now who will rescue mе from here?
And who will save mе from this bane?

Next morning аll the forest cursed him,
Beasts of every shape and kind.
"You're insane", they said. "You're crazy.
Have уоu gone out of our mind?


Why disturb the sleep of others,
Howling, yelling, shouting so?
What's the point of telling us
That уоu were squeezed а year ago.


I'm pretty sure it was Sureli that was seated next to me on the bus the other day. I would have been frightened, but Public Transportation in San Francisco is full of characters, and I'm used to that. This was written by Gabdulla Tukay and taken from Kazan Magazine. (sometime in the 70's)
It's written in Tatar Language, Latin Letters, Modern Turkish Script.







Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Islam In Tokyo - Islam Tarihi - Arabic Script

This is the exterior of the Mosque in Tokyo. The original was built by Tatars in the 1930's. This one was rebuilt by the Turkish Government between 1998 and 2000. I don't know what happened to the original one. I've never been, but the interior looks splendid.



It's still Ramadan, and I thought this book would be appropriate. I scanned and re-scanned this a few times. The first attempt was of pretty poor quality. This one is far more legible. I scanned page three at least SEVEN times!


This book was printed in Tokyo in 1932 and I believe the cover says "Islam Tarihi" - Islamic History. It is written in Arabic Script - Tatar Language.

It was a given from my Zuhre Ebe.

you can download the .pdf here: http://www.mediafire.com/view/?3svyc1m0ac4kgkt

more Tokyo Camii

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Bulgar The Empire, Not the Grain





The basis of culture of Kazan Tatars is the culture of their ancestors - Bulgars.

In the VII-VIII centuries A.D. the majority of population from disintegrated Great Bulgar, which was situated near the Sea of Azov, moved to the regions of the Middle Volga and there created the new state under the name of "Idel Bulgari" (Bulgar on Volga). That state became a centre of trade between the West and the East; the famous Bulgar's fair "Aga-Bazaar" was receiving the merchant caravans from the different lands. Those caravans were accompanied by chroniclers, scholars, musicians, who enriched the Bulgar's culture, including the music.
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Later the invasions of Mongols and the troops of Russian princes led to the destuction of the towns. After the campaign of 1431 set up by Fiodor Piostry, Idel Bulgari was not able to recover any more: the Bulgar town fell into decal and Bulgars were forced to found another Capitol, which was decided to be Kazan.

(this paper was tucked among my notes)


I visited Bulgar. I took the hydrofoil from Kazan. I didn't know that the Idel was so wide. At some places you couldn't see the other side. We viewed the archaeological sites. Had lunch, which was fish, and so great to picnic there.
The best part of the visit to Bulgar was going swimming and socializing with Tatars down by the water. I liked Bulgar and would be happy to visit again.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

What to Wear?






























1885















I never know what to wear. Perhaps these pictures will give me some ideas. I often see images on the Internet that are labeled "Tatar" or "Tartare" that are not of our people. In the 19th Century, Many peoples were erroneously called "Tatar".