Turkish National Anthem

Lyrics by Mehmet Akif Ersoy, 1921
Music composed by Zeki Ungor, 1930

Fear not, the crimson flag, waving in these dawns will never fade
Before the last hearth that is burning in my nation vanishes.
That is my nation's star, it will shine;
That is mine, it belongs solely to my nation.

Oh coy crescent do not frown for I am ready to sacrifice myself for you!
Please smile upon my heroic nation, why that anger, why that rage?
If you frown, our blood shed for you will not be worthy.
Freedom is the right of my nation who worships God and seeks what is right.

Listen to the Turkish National Anthem (74 sec)

The original Turkish National Anthem (Istiklal Marsi in Turkish), written by M. Akif Ersoy and officially adopted by the Parliament on 12th of March 1921, is composed by 10 verses but only the first two of them are sung during ceremonies. The rest of the verses are:

Since the beginning I have lived free, I live in freedom,
What madman shall fetter me? I would be surprised.
Like a roaring flood I am, I would trample my banks, I would exceed,
I shall tear mountains apart, exceed the Expanses and overflow.

If the steel armored wall surrounds the horizons of the West,
I have a borderline like my faithful chest.
You are mighty, fear not! How can this faith be drowned,
By the single toothed beast they call "civilization"?

Comrade! Do not ever let ignobles visit our homeland,
Shield your chest, this disgraceful offense shall be stopped.
The days promised to you by God shall arise,
Who knows, perhaps tomorrow, perhaps even sooner than tomorrow.

View not the soil you tread on as mere Earth - recognize it!
And think about the shroudless thousands who lie so nobly beneath you.
You are the glorious son of a martyr - take shame, grieve not your ancestors!
Unhand not, even when you are promised worlds, this heavenly homeland.

Who would not sacrifice their life for this paradise of a country?
Martyrs would burst forth should one simply squeeze the soil! Martyrs!
May God take my life, my loved ones, and all possessions from me if He wills,
But let Him not deprive me of my one true homeland in the world.

Oh glorious God, the sole wish of my pain-stricken heart is that,
No heathen's hand should ever touch the bosom of my sacred Temples.
These adhans and their testimonies are the foundations of my religion,
And may their noble sound prevail thunderously across my eternal homeland.

For only then, shall my fatigued tombstone, if there is one, prostrate a thousand times in ecstasy,
And tears of blood shall, oh Lord, spill out from my every wound,
And my lifeless body shall burst forth from the earth like an eternal spirit,
Perhaps only then, shall I peacefully ascend and at long last reach the heavens.

So ripple and wave like the bright dawning sky, oh you glorious crescent,
So that our every last drop of blood may finally be blessed and worthy!
Neither you nor my kin shall ever be extinguished!
For freedom is the absolute right of my ever-free flag;
For independence is the absolute right of my God-worshipping nation!

Korkma, sonmez bu safaklarda yuzen al sancak
Sonmeden yurdumun ustunde tuten en son ocak.
O benim milletimin yildizidir, parlayacak!
O benimdir, o benim milletimindir ancak!

Catma, kurban olayim, cehreni ey nazli hilal!
Kahraman irkima bir gul... ne bu siddet, bu celal?
Sana olmaz dokulen kanlarimiz sonra helal.
Hakkidir, Hakk'a tapan milletimin istiklal.

Ben ezelden beridir hur yasadim, hur yasarim;
Hangi cilgin bana zincir vuracakmis? Sasarim!
Kukremis sel gibiyim, bendimi cigner, asarim.
Yirtarim daglari, enginlere sigmam, tasarim.

Garbin afakini sarmissa celik zirhli duvar.
Benim iman dolu gogsum gibi serhaddim var.
Ulusun, korkma! Nasil boyle bir imani bogar,
'Medeniyet' dedigin tek disi kalmis canavar?

Arkadas, yurduma alcaklari ugratma sakin;
Siper et govdeni, dursun bu hayasizca akin.
Dogacaktir sana va'dettigi gunler Hakk'in,
Kim bilir, belki yarin, belki yarindan da yakin.

Bastigin yerleri 'toprak' diyerek gecme, tani!
Dusun altindaki binlerce kefensiz yatani.
Sen sehid oglusun, incitme, yaziktir, atani.
Verme, dunyalari alsan da bu cennet vatani.

Kim bu cennet vatanin ugruna olmaz ki feda?
Suheda fiskiracak topragi siksan, suheda!
Cani, canani, butun varimi alsin da Huda,
Etmesin tek vatanimdan beni dunyada cuda.

Ruhumun senden ilahi, sudur ancak emeli:
Degmesin ma' bedimin gogsune na-mahrem eli!
Bu ezanlar ki sehadetleri dinin temeli,
Ebedi yurdumun ustunde benim inlemeli.

O zaman vecd ile bin secde eder varsa tasim.
Her cerihamdan, ilahi, bosanip kanli yasim,
Fiskirir ruh-i mucerred gibi yerden na'sim;
O zaman yukselerek arsa deger belki basim!

Dalgalan sen de safaklar gibi ey sanli hilal!
Olsun artik dokulen kanlarimin hepsi helal.
Ebediyyen sana yok, irkima yok izmihlal;
Hakkidir, hur yasamis, bayragimin hurriyet,
Hakkidir, Hakk'a tapan milletimin istiklal!