Kurdish Songbook - Suna Alan - Meso - 6 April 2015

LYRICS Meso Xidire min [“Dont go, my Khidir”] [in Zazaki dialect, from Dersim province] This is a lament sung by the mother of Xidir (Khidir). Xidir is a young Kurdish Alevi villager from Dersim province of Turkey, Northern Kurdistan. In 1950 Turkey sent its army to Korean War and 250 young villagers were taken from Dersim as soldiers to fight in Korea. Xidir was one of them and he never returned to his village. When the news of his death arrives, his mother starts to cry and sings a heart-rending lament TEXT xaxo verra xidirê min cigera min sona rayê to dıme ra beeerbena, peeepuga Kora maye [2] wayê wayê li min li min xidirê min cigera min to dıme ra, beeerbena peeepuga Kora maye meso meso biko Xido, gosro mın e, li min meso to xapneno ceno beno, nû hukûmato de tereso [2] wayê wayê li min li min xidirê min cigera min to xapneno ceno beno nû hukûmato de tereso Ends ___________________________ Set used with kind permission from: Shrapnel: 34 Fragments of a Massacre by Anders Lustgarten Produced by Arcola Theatre, London Director Mehmet Ergen Designer Anthony Lamble Lighting Designer Richard Williamson Technical Manager Geoff Hense