Alnı Delmeli Yarim (My Beloved in the Embroidered Vest)
Story
The song addresses a beloved wearing a “delme”; according to Repertükül, a delme is a kind of vest or apron with an embroidered front. Its best-known lines say that wealth is of no use — what matters is a partner who is one’s equal. The second verse recalls a home under a walnut tree and a halay (line dance) being formed there, and complains that others begrudge the singer this beloved. No traditional story behind the song was found in the sources.
About
It is a “kırık hava” (metered folk tune) from Çorum, registered as TRT Repertoire No. 3643. The source singer is Güllü Coşkun; it was collected by Nazmiye Coşkun Özgül and set to notation by Mustafa Özgül (turkuler.com, Repertükül). The TRT Music Department’s score sheet gives the collector as “Nazmiye Coşkun” and the collection date as 1964; Türkü Dostları gives the same details and notes that the song also appears in Levent Sezgin’s Çorum Halk Türküleri ve Oyun Havaları (Folk Songs and Dance Tunes of Çorum, 2004). According to Repertükül, it uses the uşşak scale (makamsal dizi) in 4/4 time.
The title is spelled two ways in the sources: the TRT score sheet, turkuler.com and Repertükül give “Alnı Delmeli Yarim,” while Türkü Dostları writes “Allı Delmeli Yarim.”
Lyrics
In short, the words praise a beloved in an embroidered vest who should come every day, and state that an equal match matters more than riches. (The Turkish opening lines are quoted on the Turkish page; line variants differ between sources.)