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| Ziya Gökalp (1876-1924) |
I am Turkish! You say, you are not Turkish!
And I am Islam! You say, you are not Islam!
I, neither for my race from you a document,
Nor for my religion wanted a judgment,
I worked for Turkishness, only for my own pleasure
Never expected award for this work!
Because of this I suffered thousand disasters,
I never said with regret: Alas!
Even if I were: Kurdish, Arabic, Circassian
My first purpose would have been Turkish people,
Because if Turkish people become strong, absolute,
Will save every Islamic people,
Whether I am Turkish or not I am a friend of Turks,
Whether you are Turkish or not you are enemy of Turks,
Because my purpose to make Turks live
Yours is to kill everyone who makes them live
Turkishness is my aim and my blood
Cannot take it off of my back, because it is not a fur,
Those who call the eunuch of Turkishness "Not Turkish"
Even if they are Turkish, they are "bastards" not Turkish.
Gökalp, Z. (1921, Nisan 20) Ali Kemal'e. Kastamonu Açıksöz Gazetesi. Translated from Turkish to English by Canan Williams. https://theysaidthisandthat.blogspot.com/2024/10/ali-kemale.html