THE TROUBADOR OF MARASH

My father tells another story (recorded in the 1970's in Newton, Massachusetts,) a story about Aleksanin Delisi (Alexander's Crazy One). The exact transcription follows.

"This is Bethel's Daddy speaking. When I was a little boy in Marash, there was a man that was called Aleksanin Delisi -- and this man used to go to different homes and recite poetry so they would give him a piece of bread or some food to eat. He used to ride on a stick making believe that it was a little horse as he came through the streets -- and then as he came in [to the house], he would recite poetry to the women so they would give him something to eat. And one of the poems I remember is this, in Turkish:
Birini evi geldim; o birini alajak dedim; öldüm iki avratin elinden. Translated it means:
I bought a pair of shoes for one of my wives; and I promised to buy (for) the other; I am dying from the hands of the two women that I have.

Aleksanin Delisi was Armenian, about 50 years old. I don't believe he was crazy, but he used to make himself crazy so that [long pause] . . . the Turks would never touch a crazy person. . .

This man was the type of a man that would not accept bread from any person unless it was given to him after he performed; he would tell stories in Turkish, in poetry form. And after he got through, he would then accept the piece of bread that you would give him. In the back of my mind I have a feeling that he always talked in poetry, in Turkish. Here's one of the songs that he sang. [Peter first hums, then sings the following in a beautiful minor key.] öldün anan helal ola sütünü! Cahil oldum dinlemedim sözünü." ["Mother, you died, blessed be your milk. I was ignorant (young and innocent) and did not listen to your words."]

N.B. 1) Peter translates the first poem he recites to the meaning generally understood in Marash rather than an exact word for word translation. The reader should know that Peter was fluent in Turkish, his native language.
2) Marash Girl thanks Varteni for the English translation of the second poem/song.