Necmedin Dêrîkikî : Siyabend û Xecê

[Piling]

Siyabend et Xecê (called also Siyahemed And Şemsî) is one of the most famous Kurdish love story. There are dozen of versions but the main thread is as following :

Siyabend is a young Kurd from the Sillivi tribe. He is handsome and brave, but poor. He fells in love with Xecê, the daughter or a rich and powerful man, who is a pasha and a chief of a village. His name is Timûr Pasha Milli. Of course, he does not want to give his daughter to a poor Kurd.

Then Siyabend et Xecê are more and more unhappy because of their impossible wedding. So, one day, Siyabend decides to 'rapt' Xecê.

(We've already talked here about these 'willingly rapt' when a family does not accept a marriage.)

Siyabend et Xecê run away in Xelat mountains. When they halt not far from a ravine, they see a herd of deers or ibexes. Siyabend wants to hunt for eating and shot a deer with his bow (or gun, there are many versions). The wounded beast jumps in the ravine and died.

Siyabend wants to take his prey. So he climbs down and comes near to the deer. But this one was not still dead and hit Siyabend with its antlers and kills the young man.

Xecê is waiting for a long time with the horses. At the end, she goes near to the ravine and sees the bodies. Hopeless she threw herself in the ravine and fell next to her lover and the deer.


The men who seek for the lovers find the 3 bodies in the ravine. But Xecê (like the deer) is not still dead and has the time to tell them all the story.

And then the sad story of Siyabend and Xecê are singing by Kurdish dengbêj.