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Sari Gelin (Armenian: Սարի Աղջիկ Sari Aghjik), (Azerbaijani: Sarı Gəlin/ساری گلین), (Turkish: Sarı Gelin) is the name for a number of folk songs popular among the people of the southern Caucasus and eastern Anatolia. All versions of the song use the same melody and are written in Bayati genre; but sing different lyrics. Despite Turkish and Armenian claims, there is no consensus about its country of origin.

"Sari gelin" is a blonde tall girl from the mountains. depending on the lyric language "Sari" means "Blonde, fair , yellow or mountain" And "Gelin" means "bride, maiden or girl". These attributes are also addressed in the lyrics.

What the versions have in common, is a boy complaining to/about a girl he loves but cannot achieve. the combination of Armenian, Turkish and Azerbaijani version parallels is the laments of a Muslim Turk (language of both Azerbaijan and Turkey) boy, about a Christian Armenian blond maiden from a mountain or valley, that he loves, although they are kept apart, and the "unkind" girl is taken away, causing the boy to lament and curse frequently. (see below: Parallels)

Etymology

"Sarı" as a Turkic adjective means "yellow". Thus "sarı" gəlin can mean "golden", "blonde" or "fair-skinned" bride. "Sarı" in Azerbaijani may refer to "yellow" or a person’s soul. But "sari" in an Armenian is a derived word, meaning "of the mountain" (սարի), which is the meaning used in the Armenian version of the song ("girl/bride from the mountains").

The word gəlin in Azerbaijani and Turkish means someone who comes to the family (i.e. a bride), with its root in the Turkic word gəl (meaning "come"). It is a popular loan word from the Ottoman Turkish by local minorities, like Armenians and Kurds.

Versions

All versions of Sari Gelin use the same melody and are written in the literary genre known as Bayati, which is one of the most popular forms of poetry in Azerbaijan and Turkey. Bayati poetry is known for its reflective and introspective prose. Generally, Bayati poetry consists of lines of seven syllables written in a simple rhythm. However, There are many different lyrical interpretations of Sari Gelin among Armenians, Azerbaijanis, Georgians, Persians, and Turks. The song is a subject of contention and accusations of plagiarism among the countries where it is popular. At the moment, there is no consensus about its country of origin.

In Armenia there are two versions of the song:

Armenian Sari Gyalin

Sari Gyalin (Mountain bride) versions which uses the Turkic loan word for bride (gelin) such as:

The clouds pieces pieces, maid of the mountain.

I could not have the one I loved,

Ah, let your mother die, maid of the mountain.

There you are white like milk, maid of the mountain.

You look like an opened rose,

Ah, let your mother die, maid of the mountain.

A longer but less common variation is as follows:

Armenian Sari Aghjik

Sari Aghjik (Mountain girl) versions which use the same melody with the Armenian word for the girl(aghjik աղջիկ) such as the song Vard Siretsi ("I loved a rose"). Thy lyrics translates to:

Azerbaijani Sarı Gəlin

In Azerbaijan, Sarı Gəlin (Blond Maiden) is a legend that symbolizes the love between a Muslim Azerbaijani and a Christian Kipchak girl who are kept apart. "seni mene vermezler" (They will not give you to me) is Referring to this story. lyrics translate to:

The Azerbaijani version by the Iranian Hossein Alizadeh and the Armenian Jivan Gasparyan sometimes use the Turkish line "Sarı Gəlin aman!"; and ends with the first paragraph of the Persian version.

Azerbaijani long version

DayIrMan's CD "Leyla va Deyirman", sings a longer Azerbaijani version, which translates to:

Turkish Sarı Gelin

Sarı Gelin is a popular folk story in Turkey, about an impossible love between Turkish man and an Armenian girl from Erzurum. In Turkey, it is often considered to be an Armenian song that originated in Eastern Turkey.

Persian

Parallels

While the Persian version is completely different, there are notable similarities between Armenian, Azerbaijani and Turkish version:

• The girl is from mountainous regions. The Turkish version boy encounters the girl in Erzurum market and suggests that she is from Palandöken mountain. The Armenian version girl is "sari" (from the mountain). and the Azarbaijani version boy calls the girl "tallest in the valley" and "sheperd".
• The girl is blonde. In Azerbaijani and Turkish versions "Sari" means yellow. in the Azerbaijani version, where the story is about a Muslim boy in love with a Christian girl, It makes sense for "Sari" to mean blond, as it is a notable characteristic among predominantly dark haired people.
• The girl is tall, as Azerbaijani "uzunu" (the tallest) and Turkish "suna" (male duck. here: tall and beautiful) correspond.
• The boy says "aman!". The Arabic word "aman" (secure me / help / please) is an exclamation of lasting pain and long distress. It is used in Azerbaijani "neynim aman, aman" (what do I do? please!), Turkish "Leylim aman" (my Leyli, please!) and Armenian "dle aman" (my heart, please!).
• The boy and the girl are apart as told in Azerbaijani story, Azerbaijani line "seni mene vermezler" (They won't give you to me / let me marry you), Armenian Sari Gaylin line "I could not have the one I loved". Turkish line "I won't give you to others" and In Armenian Sari Aghjik line "She left and chose someone else".
• The girl is called Leyli in Turkish line "leylim aman aman" (my leyli, please!) and the Armenian Sari Aghjik line "Leyli janin yar" (Leyla dear beloved). but this particular line is a persian phrase referring to Layla the famous beloved. This can mean:
  • The girl is beloved, as Leyli is the famous object of desire.
  • The girl's name is Leyli
  • The girl is insanely loved, but is impossible to get; especially if similarity to Romeo & Juliet is noticed, as widely done by Turks.
• The boy says "may your grandmother die" in Armenian and Turkish versions. It may be:
  • A curse.
  • That grandmother might have a real role in parting the lovers.
• The girl may have been taken away from the boy, and even given to someone else: In the last part of Turkish lyric found in some sources, the boy says "I won't give you to others", and in some of its variations, the girl write's the boy's death sentence. In the Persian version the girl is unkind and flees away. Both Armenian versions, are about the boy complaining that the unkind girl have rejected her. In Armenian Sari Aghjik, The girl have chosen someone else over him.

If the statements are taken as complementary rather than just similar, the Muslim Turk (language of both Azerbaijan and Turkey) boy has fallen in love with a Christian Armenian blond maiden from the mountains and valleys, probably close to Palandöken; But they are kept apart, and the unkind girl is taken away, causing the boy to lament and curse frequently.

Cultural impact

In Azerbaijan

• The story has been retold by the prominent early 20th Century Azerbaijani poet and playwright Huseyn Javid in his play Sheikh Sanan (1914) featuring a Muslim boy and a Christian girl.

• The story has also been adapted into a film directed by Yaver Rzayev called Sari Gelin (1999).; which was Azerbaijan's first feature film, shown in 2000 at the London and Karlovy Vary Film Festivals. It is about the country's fight with Armenia. The protagonist, is a boy named Gadir. he has a vision of a bride dressed in yellow, which in both cultures is a symbol of death and the cruelties of fate.

• A Latvian singer, Anmary has also performed this song in an interview for Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, and in January 2013, it's her new single

• There is an Azerbaijani musical ensemble called "Sari Gelin";

• On 18 December 2013 during the concert of Italian singers, which was held at the Baku Crystal Hall, one of the most popular Italian singers Toto Cutugno sang Sari Gelin in Azerbaijani language.

In Turkey

• A controversial documentary with the same title as the song (due to it being linked to Armenians in Turkey) was distributed in Turkish schools which shows the Turkish version (denial) of the Armenian Genocide. It received several criticism from Armenia.

References

1. Alim Qasımov - Sarı Gəlin
2. ^ Ottman history, Episode 35: Sari Galin between Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey by Chris Gratien from Georgetown University Podcast and Pdf
3. ^ karabakh foundation Sari Gelin blog
4. Video for Sari Gyalin in Armenian
5. Translated by Ms. Farida Aghayeva From Azerbaijan International
6. Video for Jivan Gasparian's Sari Aghjik (Սարի աղջիկ) by Armenian duduk
7. Video for Vart Sireci (Sari Aghjik)/Վարդ Սիրեցի (Սարի Աղջիկ) in Armenian
8. Armenian lyrics
9. ^ Sarı Gelin video in Azerbaijani with narration of the story
10. Sari Galin Video by violinist Sabina Rakcheyeva
11. Sari Galin video performed by Azerbaijanis
12. Audio and video of Sari Gyalin in Armenian combined with Farsi by Hossein Alizadeh and Jivan Gasparyan.
13. Leyla va Deyirman
14. Translation by Farida Aghayeva from Azerbaijani International (c). Upload by Farida Sadikhova
15. Bates, Eliot 5.4 Azerbaijani and Armenian identity and the story of "Sari Gelin/Sari Gyalin" // ''Music in Turkey : Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture. — New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011. — 160 p. — ISBN 9-7801-9539-414-6
16. Sari Gelin is Armenian song
17. Origin of Sari Gelin (in Turkish)
18. NeyYork Times on Sari Galin (1999)
19. Mark Deming, Rovi
20. Amazon.com: Music from Azerbaijan - Sari Gelin Ensemble
21. Sari Galin (band)Tower Records. Music from Azerbaijan
22. Toto Cutugno sings Sari Gelin in Azerbaijani language in Baku
23. Baydar, Yavuz. "‘Sari Gelin’ DVD should have no place in schools." Today's Zaman. February 20, 2009. Accessed at July 05, 2009 Excerpt: "referring to an old Armenian song "Sarı Gyalin", later adopted into Turkish."
24. Ղարսից մինչև Կանն by Հրապարակ.am retrieved 2009-05-12
25. Sanar Yurdatapan, 'Turkey: censorship past and present', Shoot the Singer!: Music Censorship Today. Edited by Marie Korpe. (Zed Books: New York, 1994), 190.
26. Baydar, Yavuz. "‘Sari Gelin’ DVD should have no place in schools." Today's Zaman. "referring to an old Armenian song "Sarı Gyalin", later adopted into Turkish."
27. Armenian question documentary causes more controversy. Today's Zaman. Փետրվարի 20, 2009.
28. Erdem, Suna. "Father sues Turkish Education Ministry over Armenian 'genocide' DVD." The Times.

• Armenian music
• Azerbaijani folk songs
• Turkish folk songs