“Kara Toprak” (The Black Earth) – Âşık Veysel’s Emotional Anthem Interpreted by Tarkan

Release Date: 2011
Duration: 4:03
Label: Hitt Music
Author (Lyrics and Music): Âşık Veysel

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“Kara Toprak” (The Black Earth) is a single released by Tarkan in 2011, paying tribute to one of the greatest treasures of Turkish culture: the poetry and music of Âşık Veysel Şatıroğlu. Tarkan performed the celebrated song “Benim Sadık Yârim Kara Topraktır” (My Loyal Companion is the Black Earth) for the film “Entelköy Efeköy’e Karşı,” written and directed by Yüksel Aksu. This film, sensitive to environmental issues, offered Tarkan the opportunity to once again demonstrate his deep commitment to nature protection, emphasizing the vital importance of earth, air, and water. Upon its release, the song received widespread acclaim, and its music video, directed by Altan Dönmez, amplified its impact. Tarkan, a long-time admirer of Âşık Veysel, breathed new life into the türkü (Turkish folk song), interpreting this melody that resides in the very soul of Anatolia. His version not only honored the original but also allowed a wider audience to connect with Veysel’s timeless message.

Âşık Veysel Şatıroğlu: The Blind Bard Who Saw the Soul of the Earth

Born on October 25, 1894, in the Şarkışla district and passing away on March 21, 1973, in Sivrialan, Turkey, Âşık Veysel Şatıroğlu is a legendary figure in Turkish folk literature. This poet-minstrel (Aşık) and virtuoso bağlama (traditional Turkish string instrument) player was the main representative of the “Ashik” tradition in the 20th century. His life was marked by tragedy: Âşık Veysel lost one eye at the age of seven due to smallpox and the other in a subsequent accident. However, his blindness did not extinguish his love for life and humanity; instead, it gifted him a unique vision and perspective. It was through the eyes of his soul, touch, and boundless imagination that Veysel composed his beautiful songs and poems. To help him overcome health issues and loneliness, his father Ahmet bought him a bağlama, which became his inseparable companion. With deep passion for traditional Turkish songs and poems, Veysel learned to play the instrument and sing, dedicating himself wholeheartedly to this art. His melodies, often melancholic, address the inevitability of death, but his lyrics span a wide range of themes, including morality, values, universal love, care, beliefs, and his particular view of the world as a visually impaired person. His “Kara Toprak” stands as a testament to a spiritual and indissoluble bond with the earth, seen not only as a physical element but as the most loyal of mothers and friends, a source of life, and the ultimate destination

Lyrics Translation English: “Kara Toprak” (The Black Earth)

So many, so many I embraced, calling them friends,
So many, so many I embraced, calling them friends,
My loyal companion is the black earth.
Oh my beloved, I wandered in vain; oh my beloved, I tired for nothing.
My loyal companion is the black earth.
It is the black earth.
Oh my beloved, I wandered in vain; oh my beloved, I tired for nothing.
My loyal companion is the black earth.
It is the black earth.
To so many beauties, oh my love, I became attached and remained,
I became attached and remained.
I saw no loyalty, nor did I gain anything.
Every desire of mine, oh my beloved, I received from the earth, from the black earth.
My loyal companion is the black earth.
It is the black earth.
Every desire of mine, oh my beloved, I received from the earth, from the black earth.
My loyal companion is the black earth.
It is the black earth.
Whoever, oh my beloved, is privy to this secret, is privy to this secret,
Will leave an immortal work to the world.
The day will come, oh my beloved, when it will embrace Veysel to its bosom.
My loyal companion is the black earth.
It is the black earth.
The day will come, oh my beloved, when it will embrace Veysel to its bosom.
My loyal companion is the black earth.
It is the black earth.