Lawkê Metînî - Different versions...

[Diri]

Lawkê Metînî is an old and often said to be "ancient" folkloric Kurdish song.

Aynûr Doxan - Lawkê Metînî

Lawkê Metînî

Lê lê dayikê heyranê
Dê tu rabe - bi xwe ke Xwedê ke roja şemiyê
Serê min bişû û xemla min li min ke
Bisk û temborîka min li ber renîka min çêke

Hewal û hogirê me çone mixrîbî şêxa
Temamîka di geliya Kurde
Keçik dibê "lê lê dayikê heyranê
Biçine pê lawkî Metînî delalê malê
Bila bêyê naw sing û berê min" lê keçikê wîîîî

Eger tê min dixwaze bila bê min bixwazî
Eger tê min birewîne bila bê min birewîne

Eger min narewîne wê sibê min dê rêêêêkin"
Hey lê lê lê lê lê lê, lê lê! Hey lê lê lê lê lê, lê lê!

Hey lê lê, lê delalê ay...
Ay feleka me xayîne - wela me dixapîne, mere nayê domê ay...


Aynûr Doxan - Lawkê Metînî


What does she say? Here is a loose translation - parts of it are inaccurate - which I will correct when I've had the chance to do some research:



Lawkê Metînî / The Mittani Lad:

"Oh mother dear - come.
On saturday, God willing, wash my hair and straighten my clothes and hair."

Our friends and relatives have gone to the Şêx's visite
All in the valley are Kurds
The girl says "oh mother dear, let us go to the Mittani lad's house. Let him come to my bosom and embrace" oh girl dear...
"If he comes for my hand, then let him come"
"If he comes to run away with me, then let him come"

"If he doesn't come for me, tomorrow they will send me away"
Hey lê lê lê lê lê lê, lê lê! Oh dear - oh dear...

Hey lê lê beautiful one, our fate is treacherous - depriving us, giving us no closure...



So what is this song about?

It is the tragic story of a girl being married off to a man she doesn't love. While all along, she prays her love (the Mittani lad) will come to her rescue... The parts in quotation marks are the words of the girl in despair - while the others are the ones sung by the singer (which vary from one version to another)...


I hope you all download and listen with care to the emotions and feelings which Aynûr so beautifully has captured when performing this song. She truly has captured the essense of the song: a girl's desperate cry for help - when facing the cruel reality of her situation... And her lack of strenght to fight it...

[raman82]

This is like a hindi movie scenario , girl either kills herself , marries then kills herself, marries and then runs away or she just ends up loving the guy she got married to unless in this poem's case she seems she is getting married to an ugly old man. Interestingly enough , Sohrab on youtube , there is this sort of cheesy hindi pop video which seems to be VERY popular with Kurds in Turkey or West Kurdistan, based on the comments and views 400 000 almost. The song is about a similar scenario but opposite , girl is excited to her husbands home veiled and she will die of happiness but in this video , theve taken a double meaning instead they have used a young girl (very hot and demure BTW) and the groom (pun) is a young customer who wants to get laid . Its a cheeky video , the opening shots of the video i think you will get the idea LOL . There is a SHEMAME version of this video so I take it is popular LOL .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuUjG_s3emk&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1   

[Diri]

This is like a hindi movie scenario , girl either kills herself , marries then kills herself, marries and then runs away or she just ends up loving the guy she got married to unless in this poem's case she seems she is getting married to an ugly old man. Interestingly enough , Sohrab on youtube , there is this sort of cheesy hindi pop video which seems to be VERY popular with Kurds in Turkey or West Kurdistan, based on the comments and views 400 000 almost. The song is about a similar scenario but opposite , girl is excited to her husbands home veiled and she will die of happiness but in this video , theve taken a double meaning instead they have used a young girl (very hot and demure BTW) and the groom (pun) is a young customer who wants to get laid . Its a cheeky video , the opening shots of the video i think you will get the idea LOL . There is a SHEMAME version of this video so I take it is popular LOL .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuUjG_s3emk&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1   

OMG - the things you associate with songs... Thank you - I'll check it out...

But you didn't realy do the song any justice... I mean it's an ANCIENT song - and has nothing to do with Hindi movies and their clichès (of which I am aware)...

The point isn't that the guy the family want's her to marry is ugly - he might well be handsome and beautiful... The point is she is in no position to decide - that is the beauty of the song - how she cries her soul out... And... Oh well... It seems you didn't find it touching at all...

[Diri]

You need a crash course in Kurdish language and the geography of Kurdistan, Raman can...

1) The comments there are not Kurdish, but Turkish...
2) Turkey occupied Kurdistan is Northern Kurdistan, not Western Kurdistan (that is Syrian occupied Kurdistan)...

If you have any questions about Kurdistan or Kurds - just ask - nobody expects you or any non-Kurd to know much about us to begin with, but making mistakes is worse than asking for clearification, bira

[raman82]

Thats why I joined this forum dork. LOL Most of those users are Kurdish because within their messages they all say biji kurdisan or kurtce which im assuming is kurdish. Also lots Kurds in Turkey dont know their native language they speak in Turkish. I do my research well ....and see the users who put up the replica videos ...Location says : Diyarbakir LOL ...

Sorry for the flaky response but Ive honestly seen this situation on tv and in real life TOO many damn times and I feel sympathetic but at the same time a bit disappointed , I call this the Louisa Bounderby (from Hard Times ) Syndrome, where they lament of their predicament passively but dont do anything about it till much later when they have their existential moment.

[Diri]

Thats why I joined this forum dork. LOL Most of those users are Kurdish because within their messages they all say biji kurdisan or kurtce which im assuming is kurdish. Also lots Kurds in Turkey dont know their native language they speak in Turkish. I do my research well ....and see the users who put up the replica videos ...Location says : Diyarbakir LOL ...

Sorry for the flaky response but Ive honestly seen this situation on tv and in real life TOO many damn times and I feel sympathetic but at the same time a bit disappointed , I call this the Louisa Bounderby (from Hard Times ) Syndrome, where they lament of their predicament passively but dont do anything about it till much later when they have their existential moment.

Alright... Yes, some Kurds in Bakûr (North) have been assimilated badly by the Turkish government and hardly speak a word of their language - but those are by no means in majority or the general trend... "Kurtçe" is Turkish and means "Kurdish" - so it may well be Turks shouting shit at the "Kurdish" people... LOL

The way you can differentiate between Kurdish and Turkish script/alphabet:

Turkish has "i" without the dots - Kurdish doesn't - but instead we have "i" with "hats" or roofs = Î î
Turkish has a g called the "soft g" - which has a "hat" on top of it - Kurdish doesn't...
Kurdish has hat's on: e and u as well = û and ê (which are different sounds from u and e)

If you check out the Zimanê Kurdî section of the forums - you'll find a list of the Kurdish alphabet (with English examples) in the top thread...


@the song - well it's not so much of a clichè in Kurdish culture... And of course, the fact that we don't have our own Bollywood makes the song a bit more unique... Beside the fact that it's not a creation of modern time - but an "ancient" song which has (obviously with the reference to "the Mittani lad") been around for a loooooong time...

[raman82]

See see I was right ... , Sohrab I do my research well . In any case , its interesting to see that Mittani influence still survives almost 3300 years later.
Well for the oppressed Kurds of Diyarbakir , I guess the escapist fantasy world of bollywood can help in bringing color into ones life ,which is their main point to begin with.

[raman82]

actually looking at it twice and in a more serious mood , its sort of sad and somewhat eerie.

[sorgul]

omg, yes this is a very very beutiful song. and aynur does a great job with it- her voice is amazing, it has so much depth and soul, although i like the original by karapete xaco much better.

[Diri]

omg, yes this is a very very beutiful song. and aynur does a great job with it- her voice is amazing, it has so much depth and soul, although i like the original by karapete xaco much better.

You know, just out of curiousity Sorgul, I know you've heard this song probably since childhood as myself, but did you feel the same "aha" experience when reading the lyrics? I mean before, I'd always just know the general idea of the song - but when I wrote it down, I fully understood the implications and consequences of the story - how tragic it really must have been...

I mean since 99% of all Kurdish folksong are stories based on real-life events/stories...

[raman82]

Actually there is a term when songs are based of real events......im forgetting the word but its a style of song writing and prose. The name alludes me at the moment

[Diri]

Actually there is a term when songs are based of real events......im forgetting the word but its a style of song writing and prose. The name alludes me at the moment

In Kurdish these types of songs are the oldest form - they're called "Gelêrî" or "Dengbêjî" - in e.g. "Folklore" or "Voice Saying"...

You probably mean an English term?