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DOI 10.47940/cajas.v6i3.464
"WHEN A§IQ B9STI SANG EVEN THE ROCKS WOULD CRY": THE LEGACY OF AZERBAIJANI A§IQ B9STI
Anna Oldfield1
1 Coastal Carolina University (Conway, South Carolina, USA)
Abstract. This study focuses on the sung poetry of A§ i q Bssti (1836-1936), a woman master of the a§ i q art, Azerbaijan's musical-poetic bardic tradition. A§ i q Bssti, who was blind, not only travelled widely to perform, but also became part of 19th century Azerbaijan's most renowned a§ i q performance collectives. She reached the status of a master a§ i q (ustad) who trained apprentices, and her songs have been passed down and are still performed in Azerbaijan today. The purpose of this article is to reveal the importance of A§ i q Bssti's creative life and legacy. The Azerbaijani a§ i q art is a form of living oral narrative that has been performed continuously since the 16th century, yet has not been studied in the global context; this study introduces this artist in translation and opens a path towards integrating the a§ i q art into discussions of comparative world literature.
This material for this study is drawn from scholarly manuscripts and archives as well as interviews with living a§ i qs and folklorists. Methods used include fieldwork, historical-contextual analysis, comparative literary analysis and close reading. The results of the study open a window into the creative life of a rural woman artist working in a traditional genre. The discussion sets the historical and cultural stage then looks closely at A§ i q Bssti's life and legacy, with a close reading of several of her poems. The conclusion focuses on the multifacted value of A§ i q Bssti's poetry both as personal creative expression and as a part of broader social movements.
Keywords: Azerbaijani a§ i q, Turkic oral narrative, bardic arts, woman bard, Azerbaijani folklore, Azerbaijani music, gender in Azerbaijani culture, 19th century Azerbaijan.
Cite: Oldfield, Anna. "'When A§ i q Bssti sang even the rocks would cry': the legacy of Azerbaijani A§ i q Bssti." Central Asian Journal of Art Studies, vol. 6, no. 3, 2021, pp. 45-56. DOI: 10.47940/ cajas.v6i3.464.
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Introduction
A§iq Bosti in the Creative landscape of 19th century Azerbaijan.
This study focuses on the work of A§iq Bosti of Kalbajar (1836—1936), an artist of Azerbaijan's traditional bardic a§iq genre. This genre is performed by professional bards who sing lyrical, didactic, or heroic songs and epic-length narratives called dastan while accompanying themselves on a long necked lute called the saz. Evolving out of the Central Asian epic tradition brought by the Oghuz Turks centuries earlier when they migrated westward, the Azerbaijani a§iq arose in the 16th century in early Safavid Tabriz in the court of Shah Ismayil I (1501-1524) (Abdullayeva 52). Forged from a combination of Turkic Shamanism, Islamic mysticism, and Azerbaijani musico-verbal poetics, the genre expanded north into the Caucasus and merged with local narrative traditions, becoming central to Azerbaijani life cycle ceremonies. By the nineteenth century, a§iqs had developed distinct local schools in different regions across the Caucasus, and the a§iq art reached what scholars consider a golden age, producing figures such such as A§iq 9losgor (c. 1831-1926) who were respected as sages, mentors and local heroes who are still famous today in Azerbaijan (9losqor 9).
The 19th century was also a time when several women a§iqs achieved reknown, the best known being A§iq Peri, whose example inspired a collective of women a§iqs (The A§iq Peri Moclisi) who still perform in Baku. But A§iq Peri was not the first or only women a§iq; women a§iqs such as Zernigar of Derbend are known to have been performing in the 18th century (Tohmosib and Axundov, 272), and by the 19th century there were women a§iqs performing throughout Azerbaijani lands (Coforzado 3). One of the most remarkable was Blind A§iq Bosti, who although less known than A§iq Peri can be counted among Azerbaijan's most
remarkable oral poets. The Azerbaijani a§iq art is a form of living oral narrative that has been performed continuously since the 16th century, yet has not been studied in the global context; this study introduces the poetry of A§iq Bosti in translation and opens a path towards integrating the a§iq art into discussions of comparative world literature. While sung poetry is often categorized as "folklore" that is not as original or valuable as written literature, this article will argue that a§iq poetry is not only unique but also valuable as lyric poetry, as well as opening a window into Azerbaijani culture.
A§iq Bosti (1840-1936) left a legacy of poetry that is personally evocative while adhering strictly to the a§iq tradition, which has specific musico-poetic forms that must be followed in composition. All of her poetry was performed in song, and she herself did not read or write: however, her poetry was passed down through a master-apprentice system of oral tradition and eventually collected and written down. A§iq Bosti was from the Kelbajar region of western Azerbaijan and became a part of A§iq 9losgor's moclis (a collective of a§iqs who often perform together), called the Qurban Bulagi moclis [The Qurban Spring collective] (Pirsultanli, 2). Along with performing and traveling with the Qurban Bulagi, she became a master a§iq (ustad) who trained several apprentices (§agird). (9losgorov iii). Besides performing traditional dastan she composed many of her own songs; these were learned and passed down by her apprentices, and many are still performed by Azerbaijani a§iqs today.
Methodology
This material for this study is drawn from scholarly manuscripts as well as interviews with living a§iqs and folklorists. Specifically, the author spent 20 months from 2004 to 2006 conducting research and fieldwork on the topic of women a§iqs in the Republic
of Azerbaijan. This research included the study of Azerbaijani and Russian language scholarship on a§iqs and materials from archives. The author also conducted embedded fieldwork with the A§iq Peri Majlisi women's a§iq collective, and recorded interviews with a number of male and female a§iqs in the years from 2004 to 2018. This study is drawn from all of these sources.
For scholarship on A§iq Bosti, the author drew especially on the works of scholars 9zizo Coforzado and Sodnik Pasha Pirsultanli, both of whom researched women a§iqs in two different spheres. Coforzado was a literary historian, writer, and philologist at the Institute of Manuscripts, where she collected and published the first anthology of women a§iqs and poets (1974), then continued throughout her life to research women's literature and folklore. She left an archive of research and writing about women's literature in Azerbaijan which could be a resource for many years of research. Folklorist Sodnik Pirsultanli specialized in collecting verbal folklore and oral history; besides being the first to collect and publish the poetry of A§iq Bosti (1964), he has collected verse and oral history about her from descendents and others in the region where she lived. He was also kind enough to introduce me to Ashiq Bosti's descendents and to the Kolbacor a§iq community in Gonco so that I could interview them.
In the argument and analysis of the materials, the methodology is interdisciplinary, drawing from historical and cultural contextualization and comparative literary analysis based in close reading.
Goals and Results
The Azerbaijani a§iq tradition is one of the world's living epic tradition, along with other related Turkic epic traditions such as the Tukman Bakshi, the Kazakh
Zhirau and the Kyrgyz Manasci. All Turkic epic traditions are uniquely "syncretic" arts, fusing oral literature, music, and performance (Eldarova 32). Despite the fact that most of these West-Central Asian living epic traditions have been declared as "Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO ("Intangible"), these traditions are still little known outside of scholarly circles that specialize in them, and very little of the lyric poetry or epic has been translated into English. Because of this, these oral poet-bards are not known or studied comparatively as part of global literary studies. This study brings the oral poetry of A§iq Bosti into global conversations through historical and cultural contextualization, translation and analysis.
Discussion
A§iq Bosti was born into a time of tremendous change in Azerbaijan. During the first decades of the 19th century Azerbaijan was the site of a war for territory between Iran's Qajar Dynasty and the Russian Empire under Alexander I. In 1837, the Turkmenchai Treaty confirmed Russia's colonial hold over the north and separated northern from southern Azerbaijan at the Aras River, where it still is today (Swietochowski and Collins 128).
Initially, Russia's influence over northern Azerbaijan was administrative rather than cultural; except for a small percentage of local elites who were educated in "Russo-Tatar" schools and employed in the colonial civil service, life for the local population remained much the same, and Farsi continued to be used as the language of local bureaucracy (Swietochowski 14). Farsi also continued as the literary language of the elites, although the Turkic Azerbaijani language had its own written legacy and a thriving life in a§iq and folk poetry. Interest in the Azerbaijani vernacular had been growing among the intelligentsia since the 18th
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century, championed by figures such as Molla Ponah Vaqif (1717-1797), who wrote poetry inspired by a§iq and folk poetry using Turkic hece vezne meters (Hosonli 184).
Mirza Fatali Axundzade (later Axundov) (1812-1878) is a well-known writer and public intellectual who embodies the dynamic spirit of the native intelligentsia of the 19th century. Educated in a Russo-Tatar school after receiving a traditional Azerbaijani education in classical Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman, he reached a high position as a translator in the Russian colonial administration in Tiflis (now Tbilisi), where he befriended a circle of exiled Russian intellectuals. At the same time, he was deeply involved in the intellectual worlds of Azerbaijan, Iran, and Ottoman Turkey, where he is identified with progressive jadid movements that championed universal secular education, women's rights, and alphabet reform. He wrote poetry and philosophical tracts in Farsi, but is most famous for his six plays, works of realist social satire written in vernacular Azerbaijani. As Swietochowski writes, Axundzade's "lyrical poetry was written in Persian, but his works that carry messages of social importance are written in the language of the people of his native land, which he called Turki" (28). Axundzade was one of the intellectuals who broke the hold of Farsi over the intellectual life of Azerbaijan and paved the way for vernacular Azerbaijani to be used as a written literary language. Axundzade's plays are humorous and didactic, aimed at combating superstition and supporting secular education and women's rights. His plays also champion the folk wisdom and natural good sense of the Azerbaijani and use a colorful vernacular full of useful and witty proverbs. The trend toward the vernacular indicated a change of audience and a change of purpose for literature: while Farsi was intended for the elite, Axundzade's plays were
written in Azerbaijani so that they had "a wide popular appeal and could reach the illiterate" (Altstadt 52).
In the 19th century however, the literary flow was not only from the elite/literate to the non-elite/illiterate classes; intelligentsiya poets also drew language and inspiration from a§iq and folk poetry. As in many societies in the 19th century, an awakened national identity was combined with a search by intellectuals to re-discover that identity in vernacular folklore and oral literature (Olson 23). In the 19th century, a§iq poetry and music attracted the attention of Azerbaijani and Russian intellectuals alike and began to appear in print (Eldarova 3). At the same time, a§iq bards were themselves responding to the currents of the times.
The a§iq tradition combines both the learning of a large cannon of historical poetry and dastan, but also includes composing new poetry based on current events, thus preserving the past while commenting on the present. A§iqs would compose new songs to sing in performance and also compose spontaneously at deyi§ma, verbal dueling contests. Although associated with rural regions, a§iq arts were not practiced in isolated environments. While most of them were indeed rural and many were illiterate, a§iqs were deeply influenced by the intellectual currents of the times and by the written poetry of the 19th century (which was mostly recited aloud in moclises rather than printed). In fact, because they traveled frequently to multicultural urban centers such as Tabriz, Yerevan, Derbend and Tbilisi, a§iqs were often multilingual and exchanged ideas with a§iqs, poets and others at social gatherings. Before the 20th century, a§iqs were very probably the primary conduits of ideas from the urban/written/classical culture to the rural/oral/vernacular culture.
Poetry of 19th century a§iqs, such as of the renowned A§iq 9losgor of Goyco,
shows the same kind of reactions to new social currents as in the works of Axundzade and other progressives: opposition to the oppression of the poor by the rich, protest against the hypocrisy of religious and government bureaucrats, and calls for an indiginous moral code based on traditional wisdom. However, instead of Axundzade's enthusiastic multiculturalism, 9losgor's works express a populist national consciousness with patriotic poems praising the Azerbaijani people, landscape, and language. All of these new social themes are present in 9losgor's collected works side by side with the more traditional lyric and metaphysical themes of love, nature, longing for God, and reflection on the falseness of the ephemeral world (9losgor 2003).
The 19th century also provides the first written records of women a§iqs by folklorists, and the first publications of their poetry (Tohmasib 220). From 19th century sources it is evident that the women's a§iq tradition was not separate from the men's; they had the same repertoires, same training, and they performed together at the same moclises. Deyi§mo (verbal dueling) between male and female a§iqs was a popular form (as it is today), and often were written down by enthusiastic onlookers. The same is true for women poets who were involved in elite moclises devoted to classical poetry written in aruz meter in Farsi or classical Azerbaijani, such as Khur§id Banu Natovan (Coforzado 65), and indicates that the moclis tradition itself inspired artistic dialogue, as well as being an accepted venue for men and women to interact in artistic exchange.
Bosti Bayramoli qizi was born circa 1840 in the Azerbaijani village of Loy in Kolbocor and lived there until she passed away in 1936. As a young women she apprenticed in the a§iq arts, then joined the Qurban Bulagi Moclis which was made up of the best a§iqs of the Western region,
including A§iq 9losgor and Agdabanli Qurban. The moclis system put a§iqs into a performance collective and was also a school for the arts — they would perform together, engage in verbal dueling, and comment on each other's performances. A§iq Bosti traveled and worked professionally as an a§iq in the Kolbocor-Goyco-§omkir region. She was known to have been accomplished in all a§iq arts, which include saz playing, singing, telling dastan and competing in verbal duels, and was declared a master (ustad) who trained six (male) apprentices (Pirsultanli 3-4). Her poetry and legends about her life have come through time not just in writing but also through the oral narrative of the Kolbocor region, and were not printed until 1969 when Pirlsultanli recorded and published them in the collection Lale (Pirsultanli June 16, 2006, recorded interview). There is still a wealth of oral narrative that circulates about her life and poetry, and a§iqs from Kolbocor still include her works in their repertoire, as I witnessed at a performance at the Gonco Union of A§iqs in 2006. As the ashiqs explained to me, they were internal refugees from Kolbocor, having been displaced in the first Karabakh war (1992—1994), and sang the songs of Ashiq Bosti to keep a connection with their homeland (June 15, 2006, fieldwork video).
The story of A§iq Bosti's life as told by the people of her region is perhaps a mix of life and legend, as is common with the life stories of a§iq bards. It is told that when A§iq Bosti was a young woman, she was in love with a shepherd (whom she names Xangoban, "King shepherd" in her poetry). According to the legend, she watched as her beloved was murdered by a powerful rich man in front of her eyes, after which her eyes became blind from weeping; it is also said that the trauma of this event drove her to become an a§iq, traveling to sing of her sorrow so plaintively that there is a saying "when A§iq Bosti
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sang even the rocks would cry" (Pirsultanli 45). Famous for her mellifluous voice and quick wittedness in verbal dueling, she performed for many years at weddings and other moclises (gatherings of a§iqs and poets that were also public performances) in the regions of Kolbocor, Góyco and neighboring Gonco, §omkir, Qazax, and Qarabag, often performing together with other members of the Qurban Bulagi Moclis. When I asked her relatives how a blind woman managed to travel around like that, they explained that she was accompanied by her brother, whose role in the family was, it seems, to support her a§iq career (June 18 2006, interview).
Much of A§iq Bosti's poetry mourns the loss of Xangoban, the ephemeral nature of life, and the fickleness of fate. While these themes are traditional to all a§iq verse, her interpretation of them is strikingly original. Her language is vernacular Azerbaijani, strongly informed by the vocabulary and idiom of folk poetry. At the same time, her work is very much within the legacy of the professional a§iq tradition, and a§iq poetry often integrates nature, stressing a strong integration between states of nature and the self — for example, the image of fog on a mountain is often used as indicating that the poet is experiencing sorrow (Tohmasib 57). A§iq Bosti's poems frequently use flowers as images, such as in the poem "Lale" (Tulips), in which red tulips remind her of the bloody shirt of the murdered Xangoban (Pirsultanli 2002: 157) or in this garayli (verse form made up of 8 syllable quatrains), "Bonov§olor" (Violets):
O yargazan oylaqlarda, Bir do agdi bdnov§dldr. Sdpdldndi daga-da§a, Yaldan a§di bdnov§dldr. Yarali bülbülldr kimi, Kola dü§dü bdnóv§dldr.
In the fields where the beloved has wandered, They have bloomed again, the violets.
Sprinkled among the mountain rocks They have climbed over the mountain's crest, Like wounded nightingales, the violets.
Yarob, o Tutqu gayini, Neca kegdi bdnov§dldr? Bir qu§ kimi yoxa gixdi, Hara ugdu bdnov§dldr? Bdsti, Xangobanim kimi, Vaxtsiz kogdu bdnov§dldr.
They have fallen under the bushes, the violets.
Good Lord, how did they cross
The Tutgu river, the violets?
They have vanished suddenly like a bird.
Where have they flown to, the violets?
Oh Bdsti, like my Xangoban,
They have passed away too soon, the violets.
(Pirsultanli 50)
Reading this poem, one can almost feel the ephemeral coming and going of spring violets as they move through the poem, blooming, falling and vanishing. In the first line, Bosti makes the association between her beloved and the violets, the echoes of his now absent footsteps. The entire poem expresses movement with a series of rhyming verbs that fall powerfully at the poems caesura (the syllables of the gorayli scan 4+4) in line of the second hemstitch of each beyt (couplet), which contrasts or fulfills the idea of the first line; agdi, a§di, du§du, kegdi, ugdu, kogdu. This sound sonority of this series of verbs, each two syllable, like a heartbeat or a footstep, gives a ritual rhythmic tone almost like an incantation, while expressing the pounding, relentless march of time - opened, climbed, fell, crossed, flew, passed away. The rhyme is strengthened further by the grammatical ending for the definite past (di/du), which gives even a stronger sense of finality. The ending of each two line beyt with the repeating bdnдv§dldr (violets) changes the flower from a cheerful herald of spring in the first line to an endless, repeating, sorrowful reflection on mortality:
"they have passed away too soon, the violets."
This poem expresses a connection between the inevitable progression of nature and the painful awareness of time and loss. There is a cruelty to the violets' speedy demise, when after just crossing the mountain top, they fall "like wounded nightingales". At that point they lose their flower qualities and turn to birds, surprising Bosti, who claims "Good Lord, how did they cross/ The Tutgu river, the violets? They have vanished suddenly like a bird." Perhaps this is a transformation from matter to spirit, but to Bosti on the ground, all she can see is that they have vanished. Connecting to a tradition of poetry that often mourns the fleeting nature of life, Bosti's composition is unusually powerful. Each short line crafted as an interlocked combination of sound and idea, the poem is cut like a diamond, with no superfluous words. It is no wonder that Pirsultanli called Bosti "one of the most important of all a§iq poets" (October 21, 2005, interview). Bosti's poems use originality and exquisite craft to expand the intellectual force of a tradition, all the while staying very strictly within its confines.
Ashiq Bosti 's focus on the murder of Xangoban is personal, but it is also social, concerning the oppression of the poor rural classes by cruel and powerful landowning classes, a theme that was important to the urban intelligentsiya such as Axundzade as well. Ashiq Bosti was also concerned with the problems of the lives of of rural women, who were vulnerable to being forced into arranged marriages and into being subordinated to men and older women in their families, as well as facing the dangers of childbirth and the tragedy of high infant mortality. Although she does not sing about these issues directly, she encodes them into folkloric tropes, such as in her poem Gdlin Da§ (The Bride Stone).
Ashiq Bosti's works often directly incorporate local myths and topographies, such as in this poem on the subject of a rock formation called the Gdlin Da§ (The Bride Stone) located in Western Azerbaijan (golin is a title given to women that means bride/daughter-in-law). One legend has is that when a young woman was climbing the mountain with her baby, a strong wind came and blew her baby away. "Fate!" she cried, "do not allow the wind to take my baby out of my hands and separate us! Let us both turn to stone together!" and they did (Abdulla 162). In another version the bride is to be married to a man she does not love, and asks to turn to stone so she can be eternally faithful to her real beloved. Both legends admire the faithfulness and rock-like endurance of a women's love. Bosti's "Da§ ay golin" (Stone, oh Bride) concentrates on the sorrow of the legendary bride:
Gдrmdydydim bu daglarda, Haray, soni, ka§, ay golin! Sdylo, sono kim qargadi, Niyo oldun da§, ay golin? Hardan bilim haralisin, Dag gdrmuson yaralisan? ismotlison, hoyalisan. Ozu qolom qa§, ay golin.
If only I hadn't seen you in the mountains, Oh bride!
Tell me, who put a curse on you? How did you turn into stone, oh bride? How shall I know where you are from, Did you have such sorrow in life that you are still in pain?
You are faultless, honorable, You are a beauty, oh bride.
Qoymaz burden dordsiz kogom, Durusu qom, baxi§i qom. Aglar Bosti taloyi kom. Durmaz gdzdo ya§, ay golin.
She would not let me pass by this place without sorrow,
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Her bearing is mournful, her gaze is mournful.
Bosti weeps for her [the bride's] wretched fate,
The tears flow from the eyes, oh bride. (Pirsultanli 31)
Qdllorino qurban olum. Agibmi maral gigoyi?
Gullorino qurban olum.
Tortorim qan-qan deyirmi?
Sellorino qurban olum.
Daglara bahar golibmi?
Пldrind qurban olum.
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In this poem Bosti interweaves legend and life. She humanizes the Stone Bride by showing interest in the person she was before, where she was from, how she met her fate, and by weeping for her. By recognizing the real human condition behind the myth, she gives voice to the suffering of the many real women whose lives have been 'turned to stone' by sadness. Bosti connects the real and legendary worlds in a way that is unique to her, with poignancy and profound simplicity. Instead of comparing herself to literary figures like Leyla and Majnun, she brings local legends to earth, and humanizes them.
The poem "Qurban olum" (May I be a sacrifice) is an example of a murvoti gorayliwhich features 8 syllable line in a question and answer form, and is rare in a§iq poetry, though more common in folk traditions (Hokimov 417). This poem shows Bosti acting in a role very important to a§iqs, that of stressing geographical and cultural bonds in the local communities through which they travel:
Sdylo Ldydonmi golirson, Yollarina qurban olum. Agginqildan gul dordinmi? dllorino qurban olum. Da§ bulaqdan su igdinmi? Dillorino qurban olum. Bozonibmi tama§ali?
Tell me if you are going to Ldy,
May I be a sacrifice for your roads.
Did you pick a flower from the Agginqil tree?
May I be a sacrifice for your hands.
Did you drink water from the rock spring?
May I be a sacrifice for your tongue.
Did it resemble a beautiful landscape? May I be a sacrifice for its wild fields. Did the deer-flower bloom? May I be a sacrifice for its flowers. Did the Tatar river get crazy and flood? May I be a sacrifice for its flood. Has spring come to the mountains? May I be a sacrifice to its years. (Pirsultanli 51)
Again, this poem features the repetition of idea and sound with variations that move through the poem. In this case, the longing is for her homeland. Each couplet describes a specific feature of the land and its people. The poem expresses the geographic and community identification of a rural person of the 19th century, focusing on what makes it unique — the deer-flower, the Aqcinqal tree, the Tortor river — and on the community of people that share this locality, those that have walked its roads and drank from its springs. Unlike Axundzade's transnational, multilingual, multiregional (he lived variously in Azerbaijan, Iran, and Tiflis) identifications, Bosti's identification is carefully defined and rooted. At the end of each beyt, she ends with "qurban olam", "may I be a sacrifice". The idiom "qurban olum" is used very frequently in colloquial Azerbaijani speech and folklore, and the very phrase itself denotes being part of the community, and adherence to a prime foundation of Azerbaijani adot (way of life), the willingness to be a "sacrifice" for one's family, loved ones, kin, and community. Thus the repetition here at the end of each beyt stressed Bosti's belonging, and her affection for her place and her community.
Bosti's poems are still performed by today's aqiqs. One that is popular in the repertoire of contemporary women aqiqs is the qoqma (verse of 11 syllable quatrains) "Bu DQnya" (This World) which describes the fickleness of the world, a theme that is very recurrent in the written and verbal poetry of Azerbaijan. When I asked GQloro Azafli why she includes this poem in her repertoire when there are many others on this theme, she told me "This one is the best. Everyone feels as if it was written for them. It addresses all the unfairness that happens to everyone" (July 15, 2005, interview).
Moleyko boyludur, qirin lohcoli, dzoldon tamaqa olan bu dunya. Qoca cadugordi aldadar soni, Cavanliq donunda qalan bu dunya. Qanani eylonib talesiz, baxtsiz. dyibdi qoddini, qocaldib vaxtsiz, Qoxlarini qoyub eyvan-otaqsiz, Varlinin dordino qalan bu dunya. Qomdon paygoturdum, nalodon qismot, Gormodim bir lozzot, gokdim oziyyot, Canda eqq atoqi, dildo mohobbot, Bostini odlara salan bu dunya.
It looks like an angel with a sweet voice, It has been like a spectacle since the creation, this world.
It is an old sorcerer who will deceive you, Dressed as a youth, this world. It left those who fell for it without fortune or luck,
It bent them with age, made them old before their time
It left many without house or home It only cares for the problems of the rich, this world.
I got my share of sorrow, from moans my fate,
I have not had any pleasure, only torture, With burning love in my soul and loving words on my tongue, It threw Bosti into flames, this world. "Bu Dunya" by Aqiq Bosti. (Pirsultanli 2001, 31)
Conclusion
A§iq Bosti was a remarkable Azerbaijani oral poet and deserves more study and translation so that her work can be seen comparatively as global literary heritage. While sung poetry is often categorized as "folklore" that is not as original or valuable as written literature, this article has sought to demonstrate that A§iq Bosti's poetry is not only original but also valuable as lyric poetry that expresses profound feelings of love, loss, and connection to homeland.
Western studies of epic arts exclude the possibility that women could be performing bards; as Albert Lord writes in his seminal Singer of Tales, "this is a man's world" (14). Yet records of women a§iqs of the 19th century show women that are embedded in the tradition, performing in the same moclises with men, and furthermore putting their own unique stamp on the art by their creativity in adding their own works to centuries of a§iq poetry. The poems quoted above are only a small collection of her works, which range on many more themes than I have been able to discuss here; for example, Bosti also has verse that celebrates the beauties of the world, not just its sorrows, and there are many anecdotes about her quick-wittedness and sense of humor in deyi§mo that round out the picture of her as a human figure. Like M. F. Axundzade and A§iq 9losgor, as mentioned above, A§iq Bosti participated in the progressive movements of their times, reacting against the power and injustice of the rich over the poor.
The a§iq tradition of the 19th century shows a cultural milieu in which rural women who had mastered the arts had opportunities to enter into creative dialogue both with other a§iqs and with the larger discourses that were affecting their society. The a§iq profession shows a vehicle embedded within Azerbaijani tradition that gives both men and women
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from rual regions not only the opportunity to have a voice listened to and respected by a wide public, but also a verbal encoding system to carry their poetry through time in the memories of their community.
Through translation, study and dialogue, the oral poetry of ashiqs such as Bosti can begin to be analyzed and compared as part of the artistic heritage of the world.
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Анна Олдфилд
Костал Каролина университет! (Конвей, Онтуслк Каролина, А^Ш)
«АШЫК БЭСТИ ЭН АЙТКАН КЕЗДЕ, Т1ПТ1 ТАСТАР ДА ЖЫЛАЙТЫН ЕД1»: ЭЗ1РБАЙЖАНДЫК АШЫК БЭСТИ МУРАСЫ
Ацдатпа. Бул зерттеуде Эз1рбайжанныц музыкалык-поэтикалык бардалык дэстур^ашык енершщ шеберi эйел Ашык Бэстидщ (1836-1936) эндерi карастырылады. Ke3i кермеген Ашык Бэсти енер керсету Yшiн кеп саяхаттап кана коймай, сонымен катар XIX гасырдагы Эзiрбайжаннын эйгiлi орындаушылык ужымдарыныц бiр белiгi болды. Ол шэшрт даярлайтын ашык шеберi мэртебесше жеттi, оныц эндерi мура болып калады жэне бYгiнгi кYнге дейш Эзiрбайжанда орындалып келедi. Бул макаланыц максаты - Ашык Бэстидщ шыгармашылык емiрi мен мурасыныц мацыздылыгын ашу.
Эзiрбайжандык ашык енерi - XVI гасырдан берi Yздiксiз орындалатын, бiрак элi де жаhандык контекстте зерттелмеген жанды ауызша баяндаудыц бiр тYрi. Зерттеуде бул суреткер аудармамен таныстырады жэне салыстырмалы элем эдебиетiн талкылауга ашык енерiн енгiзуге жол ашады.
Бул зерттеу материалдары гылыми колжазбалар мен мурагаттардан, сондай-ак казiр емiр сYрiп жаткан ашыктар мен фольклортанушылардыц сухбаттарынан алынган. Колданылатын эдiстерге такырыпты терец зерттеу, тарихи контекстi талдау, салыстырмалы эдеби талдау жэне егжей-тегжейлi оку жатады. Зерттеу нэтижелерi дэстYрлi жанрда жумыс iстейтiн ауылдык суретшi эйелдщ шыгармашылык емiрiне терезе ашады. Талкылау тарихи жэне мэдени кезецд белгiлейдi, содан кейiн Ашык Бэстидщ емiрi мен мурасына мукият карайды, оныц бiрнеше елендерiн мукият окиды. Корытындыда Ашык Бэсти поэзиясыныц жеке шыгармашылык керiнiсi ретiнде де, когамдык козгалыстардыц бiр белiгi ретiнде кеп мэндЫпне назар аударылады.
Трексвздер: Эзiрбайжан ашыгы, тYркi халыктарыныц ауызша баяндауы, бард енерi, эзiрбайжан фольклоры, эзiрбайжан музыкасы, эз1рбайжан мэдениетiндегi гендер, Х1Х гасырдагы Эзiрбайжан.
Дэйексвз уш1н: Олдфилд, Анна. «"Ашык Бэсти эн айткан кезде, ттт тастар да жылайтын едГ: эзiрбайжандык Ашык Бэсти мурасы». Central Asian Journal of Art Studies, т. 6, №3, 2021, 45-56 б. DOI: 10.47940/cajas.v6i3.464. 55
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Анна Олдфилд
Университет Костал Каролина (Конвей, Южная Каролина, США)
«КОГДА ПЕЛА АШУГ БАСТИ, ДАЖЕ КАМНИ ПЛАКАЛИ»: НАСЛЕДИЕ АЗЕРБАЙДЖАНСКОЙ ПОЭТЕССЫ-АШУГА БАСТИ
Аннотация. В данном исследовании рассматривается песенная поэзия Ашуга Басти (1836-1936), женщины-мастера ашугского искусства, музыкально-поэтической бардовской традиции Азербайджана. Ашуг Басти, будучи слепой, много путешествовала с выступлениями и вошла в плеяду самых известных ашугских коллективов Азербайджана XIX века. Она достигла статуса мастера ашуг (устад), обучавшего учеников; ее песни передаются по наследству и до сих пор исполняются в Азербайджане. Цель данной статьи - раскрыть важность деятельности и творческого наследия Ашуга Басти.
Искусство ашугов в Азербайджане - это форма живого устного повествования, которое непрерывно продолжается с XVI века, однако еще не имеет глобального научного изучения. Настоящее исследование знакомит с творчеством поэтессы в переводе, открывая путь к интеграции искусства ашугов для дискуссий в сравнительной мировой литературе.
Материалы для исследования почерпнуты из различных научных публикаций и архивов, а также из интервью с современными ашугами и фольклористами. Используемые методы включают всестороннее исследование темы, историко-контекстный анализ, сравнительный литературный анализ и детализированное чтение. Результатом исследования стал обзор творческого пути сельской поэтессы, работавшей в традиционном поэтическом жанре. В дискуссии разворачивается исторический и культурный контекст, на основе которого изучается жизнь и творческое наследие Ашуга Басти на примере ее избранных стихотворений. В заключении статьи автор акцентирует внимание читателя на многогранной ценности поэзии Ашуга Басти как в отношении творческого выражения личности, так и в плане широкого социального значения.
Ключевые слова: азербайджанский ашуг, устное повествование тюркских народов, искусство бардов, азербайджанский фольклор, азербайджанская музыка, гендер в азербайджанской культуре, Азербайджан XIX века.
Для цитирования: Олдфилд, Анна. «"Когда пела Ашуг Басти, даже камни плакали": наследие азербайджанской поэтессы-ашуга Басти». Central Asian Journal of Art Studies, т. 6, № 3, 2021, с. 45-56. DOI: 10.47940/cajas.v6i3.464.
Автор туралы мэлiмет:
Анна Олдфилд — PhD, Элем эдебиет профессоры, АFылшын тш факультет^ Костал Каролина университет (Конвей, Оцтустж Каролина, АКШ)
Сведения об авторе:
Анна Олдфилд — PhD, ассоциированный профессор Мировой литературы, Факультет английского языка, Университет Костал Каролина (Конвей, Южная Каролина, США)
Author's bio:
Anna Oldfield - PhD, Associate Professor of World Literature, English Faculty, Coastal Carolina University (Conway, South Carolina, USA)
ORCID ID: 0000-0002-9461-2002 ешвП: [email protected]
