Celal Oğlan Türküsü

Celal Oğlan Türküsü is a folk song originating from the Yozgat region. Classified within the lament tradition of folk literature, it expresses the grief and emotional void left by the death of a young man named Celal. Its lyrics serve as an example of how personal loss is preserved in collective memory through the folk song form.

Celal Oğlan Türküsü has the character of a lament sung after the death of a beloved young person. In the song, the sorrow and helplessness experienced by those left behind are conveyed through imagery drawn from everyday life. Particularly through the motif of “yonca,” the absence of Celal and the void it creates in daily existence are emphasized. Over time, the song spread through oral tradition and became anonymous.

In folk poetry, a lament is regarded as a form of koşma and is typically sung following the death of a young or beloved individual. Works in this genre elevate the deceased’s qualities and their place in society through an honorific narrative. Deaths caused by illness, murder, or martyrdom have historically been catalysts for the emergence of laments. Characterized by a sorrowful and heart-wrenching language, laments prompt listeners to reflect on the nature of death and the transience of life. Celal Oğlan Türküsü is a representative example of folk poetry possessing these characteristics.

In pre-Islamic Turkish societies, poetic compositions known as “sagu” were recited during funeral rites held after a person’s death. Sagus expressed the grief felt for the deceased, as well as their virtues and heroic deeds. Composed in syllabic meter and structured in quatrains, these works resemble koşmas in form and follow a rhyme scheme of aaab / cccb / dddb. Folk laments and divan poetry mersiyeler are considered continuations of this tradition. Celal Oğlan Türküsü can be understood as a reflection of the sagu tradition within folk literature.

Elements such as “yonca” and “sarmaşık” in the song are used both to depict the environment and to express longing. Yonca, literally a part of daily life, becomes a symbol that makes Celal’s absence visible. The lines “Who will cut this yonca / When Celal Oğlan is no more” describe the emptiness following death through a concrete domestic task. Sarmaşık, in folk poetry, is associated with the beloved’s hair and reinforces feelings of longing and devotion.

Although Celal Oğlan Türküsü was originally composed in memory of a specific individual, it gradually became a folk song and acquired an anonymous character. In folk literature, many laments, even if initially sung by a particular person, became anonymous through the process of oral transmission. This enabled the song to transcend regional boundaries and become part of the cultural memory.

• From below comes the sound / It pleases my ear / The motor that took Celal / Returns empty / Celal oy, oy my love oy oy! I will cut my hair oy oy
• Before our house grows yonca / Yonca stretches the length of the roof / Who will cut this yonca / When Celal Oğlan is no more / Celal oy, oy my love oy oy! I will cut my hair oy oy
• Before their house grows ığde / The branches of the ığde lie on the ground / Our wedding is about to begin / But where is Celal Oğlan / Celal oy, oy my love oy oy! I will cut my hair oy oy
• A camel comes from afar / Chewing its cud / As if I were the bride / Brought to Celal’s great house / Celal oy, oy my love oy oy! I will cut my hair oy oy
• Silk handkerchief, grain by grain / Tears have scattered in the sun / They struck my beloved Celal / And he lies weeping at the threshold / Celal oy, oy my love oy oy! I will cut my hair oy oy
• Before our house grows barley / The threshing machine rumbles / Celal Oğlan gives his life / While the oxen thresh the grain / Celal oy, oy my love oy oy! I will cut my hair oy oy
• Before their house lies a grave / Celal Oğlan floats upon it / They buried him in blue / And enemies roam the field / Celal oy, oy my love oy oy! I will cut my hair oy oy
• My father came from Gayseri / A storm filled our home / While my dowry was being written / We heard that Celal had died / Celal oy, oy my love oy oy! I will cut my hair oy oy
• The ığde tree’s great branch bends / Celal lies in the grave / Why do you lie there Celal Oğlan / Leaving your engagement ring behind oy! Celal oy, oy my love oy! I will cut my hair oy oy
• I wove seven pairs of socks / Seven shirts I prepared / I opened the trunk, chose the shroud / So Celal could enter it / Celal oy, oy my love oy oy! I will cut my hair oy oy