Iraftadır Bağlama (The Bağlama Is on the Shelf)
Story
The song opens with the bağlama (long-necked lute) lying on the shelf, as someone about to leave for “gurbet” (distant lands far from home) tells a “coal-eyed” beloved not to weep and not to put on black; according to Repertükül, “ıraf” means shelf and “çiniler” means rings or tingles. The refrain reproaches someone who passed by without a greeting. The second verse conveys separation through images such as copper trays (sini) that moan untouched and the ringing ears of a beloved far away. No traditional story behind the song was found in the sources.
About
It is a “kırık hava” (metered folk tune) from the İskilip district of Çorum, registered as TRT Repertoire No. 4398. The source singer is Ahmet Tatar; it was collected by the Ankara State Conservatory and set to notation by Altan Demirel (TRT Music Department score sheet, turkuler.com, Repertükül). The score sheet gives the collection date as 11 July 1939. According to Repertükül, it uses the hüseyni scale (makamsal dizi) in 4/4 time, and its theme is classed as “gurbet” (exile, life away from home).
According to the TRT score sheets, Bafra’dan Çıktım Başım Selamet was collected from Ahmet Tatar on the same day, and Arzum Ağleyip Durma — which likewise describes a departure after which the beloved is asked not to weep — from Dudu Gümüşten. For more on the district, see İskilip.
Lyrics
In short, a person setting off for distant lands asks the beloved not to cry or go into mourning, and reproaches someone who passed by without a word. (The Turkish opening lines are quoted on the Turkish page; line variants differ between sources.)