Turkish phrases in Uska Dara
November 9, 2023 1:02 PM
In Eartha Kitt's various performances of Uska Dara she has some patter with Turkish phrases she translates as "I like to feed my lover bird's milk", "A fat man usually has a belly like a percolating coffee pot". I can't seem to find the actual Turkish she's singing for these phrases online - can anyone help out here?
I'm working on a silly Eartha Kitt zine and wanted to do a game using the original Turkish version of these phrases but can't seem to find them. I'd prefer to not use Google Translate so if anyone can help with the transcription of the phrases I'd super appreciate it!
I'm working on a silly Eartha Kitt zine and wanted to do a game using the original Turkish version of these phrases but can't seem to find them. I'd prefer to not use Google Translate so if anyone can help with the transcription of the phrases I'd super appreciate it!
The Wikipedia page about Kitt’s version of the song is useful. The song is based on the Turkish song Kâtibim (which has strange lyrics in Turkish but not those strange lyrics). Kitt’s version was adapted into English by Stella Lee.
posted by rongorongo at 2:10 PM on November 9, 2023
posted by rongorongo at 2:10 PM on November 9, 2023
I am Turkish. It is hard to figure out what she is saying exactly because:
(a) she is a foreigner trying to pronounce Turkish;
(b) she is exaggerating the vocalizations to make it sound more exotic;
(c) old Turkish (Ottoman Turkish which the songs dates back to) had a lot of Persian and Arabic words, so it is hard to decrypt all.
But, I can tell you that those translated meanings are made up for comedic effect. They do not correspond to actual Turkish sayings, although they have bits and pieces of Turkish idioms and phrases built in. For example, we do have a saying that says "to feed with bird's milk" which means you hold nothing back and take care of someone with care and attention.
I did find one translation attempt of the video at a password protected Turkish forum .
They claim the following transcriptions for what she is saying. After I read them, I listened to the specific sections again, and the transcriptions seems to be accurate.
1) "I like to feed my lover bird's milk"
The transcription is "Ben esmeri fıstık ile karavansarayda"
The direct translation of that sentence would be "I was at the roadside inn with a dark haired gorgeous."
2) "A fat man usually has a belly like a percolating coffee pot"
The transcription is (1) "Aman peştemala giriyorsun baş olmaz haminelehele." and (2) "Çadırımın üstüne şıp dedi damladı." She says a third sentence but there is no transcription of that, probably because it sounds nothing like Turkish.
Direct translation (1): "Oh you are getting into a towel, hard to handle..." i am unable to translate the last word haminelehele since it's not Turkish and I could not find any clue to what it might mean, but I suspect it could be an attempt at "hanimefendi", a respectful reference to a woman (e.g., gentlewoman).
Direct translation (2): "it dripped on my tent, making a plop sound" -- note that this is actually the name of another famous Turkish folk song, a kanto. The song is also known as Rompi Rompi. You can listen to a couple different famous versions. Here is (1) and here is (2).
That's all I have. I hope that helps.
posted by tuxster at 9:32 AM on November 10, 2023
(a) she is a foreigner trying to pronounce Turkish;
(b) she is exaggerating the vocalizations to make it sound more exotic;
(c) old Turkish (Ottoman Turkish which the songs dates back to) had a lot of Persian and Arabic words, so it is hard to decrypt all.
But, I can tell you that those translated meanings are made up for comedic effect. They do not correspond to actual Turkish sayings, although they have bits and pieces of Turkish idioms and phrases built in. For example, we do have a saying that says "to feed with bird's milk" which means you hold nothing back and take care of someone with care and attention.
I did find one translation attempt of the video at a password protected Turkish forum .
They claim the following transcriptions for what she is saying. After I read them, I listened to the specific sections again, and the transcriptions seems to be accurate.
1) "I like to feed my lover bird's milk"
The transcription is "Ben esmeri fıstık ile karavansarayda"
The direct translation of that sentence would be "I was at the roadside inn with a dark haired gorgeous."
2) "A fat man usually has a belly like a percolating coffee pot"
The transcription is (1) "Aman peştemala giriyorsun baş olmaz haminelehele." and (2) "Çadırımın üstüne şıp dedi damladı." She says a third sentence but there is no transcription of that, probably because it sounds nothing like Turkish.
Direct translation (1): "Oh you are getting into a towel, hard to handle..." i am unable to translate the last word haminelehele since it's not Turkish and I could not find any clue to what it might mean, but I suspect it could be an attempt at "hanimefendi", a respectful reference to a woman (e.g., gentlewoman).
Direct translation (2): "it dripped on my tent, making a plop sound" -- note that this is actually the name of another famous Turkish folk song, a kanto. The song is also known as Rompi Rompi. You can listen to a couple different famous versions. Here is (1) and here is (2).
That's all I have. I hope that helps.
posted by tuxster at 9:32 AM on November 10, 2023
Oh wow! Thank you so much - that's exactly what I was hoping to get! I'll be sure to credit you in the zine (and will be glad to send you a copy if you want!) for these translations!
posted by bookwo3107 at 9:00 AM on November 11, 2023
posted by bookwo3107 at 9:00 AM on November 11, 2023
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posted by mumimor at 1:39 PM on November 9, 2023