Description
Maqām: Muhayyer Kürdi
Commentary: This piece was composed by a renowned 17th century Ottoman Polish scholar and musician, Wojciech Bobowski (1610- 1675) who embraced Islam and adopted the name Ali Ufki Bey. Sultan Murad IV (r. 1623-1640) employed Ali Ufki in his court as a language interpreter and musical composer. He assembled hundreds of classical Ottoman songs and applied Western staff notations to them for the first time in a work entitled Majmuah-e Saz u Soz (Anthology of Instrumental and Vocal Music). The lyrics for this particular song, which are ascribed to sultan Murad III (1546-1595), express the poet’s remorse for having slept through the dawn prayer.
The first line of the poem reads, “Wake from your heedlessness O my eyes awake!”
*The musical portion preceding the Turkish verse is a new section composed by Sami Yusuf.
Music by Ali Ufki Wake from your heedlessness O my eyes awake This world is not your home, soon it melts away. Here is Murad your slave, all his sins erase! Uyan ey gözlerim gafletten uyan
Words by Sultan Murad III
English translation by Dr. Tim Winter (Abdal Hakim Murad)
*Special thanks to Dr. Savaş Barkçin for additional backing vocals.[English & Turkish] Awake Lyrics
Long you have slumbered so now my eyes awake.
Azrail’s intention is your soul to take.
Wake from your heedlessness O my eyes awake
Long you have slumbered so now my eyes awake.
Even were all seven climes under your sway
Throne and dominion and glory pass away
Wake from your heedlessness O my eyes awake
Long you have slumbered so now my eyes awake.
Forgive my errors and all my burden raise,
Raise me in the shade of Ahmad’s flag of praise.
Wake from your heedlessness O my eyes awake
Long you have slumbered so now my eyes awake.
Uyan uykusu çok gözlerim uyan
Azrail’in kastı canadır inan
Uyan ey gözlerim gafletten uyan
Uyan uykusu çok gözlerim uyan
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