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#1 |
Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Chania Crete Greece
Posts: 506
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Can somebody help? Zifir?
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#2 |
Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Istanbul
Posts: 228
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Efhitis, thanks for posting these pictures. I saw the first inscription on many yatagans. Every time it was half erased and I could not make any sense out of it. For the first time I have seen it written very clearly.
The first inscription is: Yemliha, Mekselina, Mislina, Mernuş, Debernuş, Şazenuş, Kefeştatayuş, Kıtmir These are the names of Eshab-i Keyf (Seven Sleepers) and their dog. I have no idea what is the significance of putting these names on a yatagan. Maybe someone from the forum can help on this subject. The second inscription: Sinn-i ‘adaya ya Rabb bu bıçağı kıl nişan Sahibini daima muzaffer eyle olsun ‘alişan This is a little bit literally translation, but I hope it makes sense: May God make this knife a sign on the bossom of enemy May God make the owner of this knife always glorious and illustrious The third inscription: Ey Bari Hoda bihakk hesti Şeş çiz meram der feresti 'ilm-e 'amel ferah desti iman-e man ten dorosti 'abd-e Muhammed This is written in Persian. Maybe someone who knows Persian firstly, can correct my transcription and then be able to translate it. I know it is quite impossible for a native Persian speaker to make sense out of Persian as written and spoken by Turks ![]() The fourth inscription: Sene ihda aşer ve mieteyn ve elf amel-e Mehmed sahib El-hac Muhammed Year 1211 (1796-97) made by Mehmed, owner Pilgrim Muhammed Last edited by Zifir; 29th January 2008 at 05:28 PM. |
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#3 |
Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Chania Crete Greece
Posts: 506
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According to Manoucher, the persian inscription read:
Ey bāri Xodā be haq hasti Šeš čiz marā madad feresti Elm-o amal farāx dasti imān amān tandoristi-ye abd-e Mohammad O God if you are the Almighty, you will provide me with six things: knowledge, action, generosity, faith, peace, and the health for the servants of [the Prophet] Mohammad |
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#4 |
Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Posts: 5,503
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I do not doubt Manoucher's linguistic precision. Because of that, I am somewhat confused: the word "if".
Does the supplicant leave open the possibility that his prayer is addressed not to the True Almighty God? Then, to whom? Or, if to the God who is not Almighty, does it mean that the six requests is the maximum he is asking for ( but would be happy with, say, 3?) Is this structure ("... if you are...") common in Islamic prayers? |
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#5 |
Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Athens Greece
Posts: 479
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Who was that guy who said that
"translations are like women; the more beautiful the less faithful" ![]() |
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#6 |
Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 70
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Yannis, I think it was Yevgeny Yevtushenko, a russian poet and novelist.
Original quote I think was: "Translation is like a woman. If it is beautiful, it is not faithful. If it is faithful, it is not beautiful." He might've meant something else when he repeated "If it is faithful, it is not beautiful.", maybe his own conflict and faith, he was a traveling poet and a creative person who was not afraid to speak his mind during the soviet regime, so KGB reported some "anti-soviet" activity on his part, by that they probably meant his ability to talk about things that are not exactly in line with the popular at the time. I like your version better, shorter. Absolutely true and applies here perfectly ![]() |
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