Collection Information: Uyusun Da Buyusun Ninni was collected on May 10th, 2014 in Hanover, New Hampshire. It belongs to a sub-genre of nursery rhymes called lullabies.
Informant: The informant is a 23 year old male of Turkish origin, named Tuna Kent. His parents are both of full Turkish origin and he speaks fluent Turkish. He works as an analyst now in the finance industry.
Text:
Uyusunda büyüsün ninni
Tıpış tıpış yürüsün ninni
Dertlerini sürüsün ninni
Oğlum kızım uyusun ninni
Translation:
Sleep and grow, lullaby
Walk then, lullaby
Drag your troubles then, lullaby
My son, my daughter, sleep, lullaby
Context: This lullaby is typically sung from by a mother to her child. Typically mothers sing this song when their children are very young. Of course, given the genre, it is sung to children prior to bed, to assist in their transition to slumber.
Meaning and Interpretation: This lullaby generally expresses the mother’s desire for various things for her child, including some type of benefits, whether materials such as clothes and sustenance. It could also be health, wealth, a great career, etc. In the first stanza the mother is wishing for growth and health, essentially. They use the onomatopoeic Turkish expression, “tipish.” This is a shortened version of the actual lullaby, but generally this depicts the love and concern from a mother for her child.
Collector’s Information: Malcolm Leverett, Dartmouth College ’14, Russian 13, Professor Mikhail Gronas, Spring 2014
