This was in a program for a performance of Diamanda Galas' "Defixiones", or "orders from the dead" dedicated to the genocides perpetrated by the Turks against the Christians of Asia Minor. I will be writing more on this subject soon, as I had read about Diamanda's Defixiones before this and am always interested in this subject. This ought to chill the blood, especially when you see the date:
HATRED
As long as the vulgar Greek exists in this world
By Allah, my hatred won't leave me
As long as I see him there like a dog
By Allah, this hatred won't leave me
A thousand heads of infidel Giaours cannot wash away this hatred.
My only aim is revenge
When my turn comes to go to battle
In one day I'll butcher a thousand Giaours
By Allah, this hatred won't leave me
A thousand heads of Giaours cannot wash away this hatred.
Even if I crush thirty thousand of their heads with a stone
Even if I wrench out the teeth of ten thousand
And throw a hundred thousand of their corpses into the river
By Allah, this hatred won't leave me
A thousand heads of Giaours cannot wash away this hatred.
The whole world knows how superior the Turk is
Who crashed the Greek's fucked world over his head
Even if I burn in stokeholes the heads of five thousand of them
By Allah, this hatred won't leave me
A thousand heads of Giaours cannot wash away this hatred
Even if I slash forty thousand of them with my bayonet
And send eighty thousand of them to the devil
And hang a hundred thousand of them
By Allah, this hatred won't leave me
A thousand heads of Giaours cannot wash away this hatred.
The text of HATRED was published by the large circulation Turkish
newspapaer Hurriyet on 18 July 1974, just 48 hours before the
Turkish invasion of Cyprus by order of the Bulent Ecevit
government.
Research: Leonidas Koumakis, Athens
*********************
I realized after typing this out that it, as well as much more information is on Diamanda's site at www.diamandagalas.com. Many more horrific quotes have been republished there, as well as her other works. For more on Diamanda's production, please see: http://www.diamandagalas.com/defixiones/defixiones.htm and infinite thanks to Diamanda for bringing more publicity to the genocides perpetrated by the Turks.
I think she's writing a dirge for the Greeks, not a promotion of genocide. How many non-Greeks aside from Goethe know who Gaiour is?
ReplyDeleteOnce again, this is a case of glaring co-incidence: we here in Vancouver, Canada are attempting to contact Armenians to stage a demonstration against the Armenian genocide. It would be worth the efforts of Balkan people in this area to support same.
If you or anyone you know is interested in supporting a discussiion group on this topic, please contact me for some preliminary work:
dag.walker@gmail.co.
Thank you.
And maybe we can see sometime the Hollywood version of Beowulf? Let's, because life flys like a bird through the mead-hall.
Yes, Dag, Diamanda has been rather into writing dirges for some time now. This is something like that, a project akin to her "Plague Mass" for AIDS victims. As you know, I'd always love to discuss this topic. After all, had my ancestors not had to flee this genocide I would not exist as I am today.
ReplyDeleteOh, and yes, definitely Beowulf. Now you're speaking my language...heeheehee...I've been going back over my Old English grammar the last few days as it is. Plus, I think that you're the only one to have caught my last Beowulf quote. Quite impressive.