Rose for alto or baritone and strings by David Warin Solomons String Quartet - Digital Sheet Music

I first heard of this poem through our local bell ringer (at St Anne's in Sale), Peter Lomax, who wrote, in 1998:"I have an auntie who became interested in the plight of Kurdish prisoners through a Quaker friend. She joined the Befrienders and was given the name of a young man with whom to correspond.He is an unknown Kurdish poet and went by the pseudonym of Iskan Acikca.Auntie Theo, in common with most of us, knew no Turkish so she wrote to her new friend in English, and when he replied she had to send the letter to the Society of Friends for translation.My Auntie Theo is an impatient lady and became frustrated by the long delays so she decided to learn Turkish. She bought a dictionary and made time each day to study the language. It wasn't long before she was able to understand fragments of the letter.Auntie Theo cares very deeply for these young men who are in prison simply because they are Kurds (not a fashionable race to belong to in modern Turkey). They are not murderers or terrorists, they were teenagers when they last tasted freedom.Iskan writes poetry and sent a poem to Auntie Theo, which she struggled to translate. I thought it was beautiful and mentioned it to David Solomons (countertenor in our choir and music composer). David took the poem to a Turkish speaking friend to check the translation, then scored it.Finally he recorded it and very good it is. Auntie Theo sent a copy of the score to Iskan and he has not yet replied; he has probably not received it. On the other hand, Iskan might be dead; quite a possibility, but Auntie Theo will continue to write to him until she knows and is certain."Rose (English version based on the Turkish original)There is a rose in my gardenA crimson rose opening in my heartRosy cheeks blossoming like a young pomegranate plantwhich loves the earth like springlike a rising sun in the skyboth weep both love from withinlike a rising a rising moon in the nightlike summer rain watering my rose gardenas if it were a life.It is you in my dreams at nightevery moment I see you in my mind..You are running through my soullike blood runs through my veins with joy!Original poem Gül by "İskan Açıkça" Bir gülüm var bahçemdeAçıldı yüreğim deki kızıl gülAl al yanaklarıNar fidan gibi çiçek açmışTopraǧı sevdigi kadarİlkbahar mevsimi gibiGök-yüzüne doǧan güneş gibiHem aǧlarHem sever içten içeGeceleri doǧar ay gibiYaz yaǧmuru akar gibiSuluyor gülbahçemiBir hayat gibiGeceler rüyamda sensinHer an kardeşim hayalsinRuhuma akıp gidiyorsunDamarımdakı kan gibiCoşup gidiyorsun.The sound sample for this alto and strings version is performed by the composer. It can also be sung by a baritone.The pdf file contains score and parts.Videohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXqt0syZIvw