This is a traditional Bosnian song about a dying Ottoman sultan who disperses his harem to his loyal servants at the moment of his death and whose wife immediately falls dead upon hearing the tragic news of the sultan’s death. In addition to its inherent interest, the song is also interesting for the light it sheds on how Bosnian Muslims related to the Ottoman Turkish empire and Ottoman identity in general.

Here’s a translation of the lyrics:
“In Istambul on the Bosphorus”
In Istanbul on the Bosphorus,
The pasha lies sick.
His soul is on the decline,
And yearns for the black earth.

Prayer for him is holy,
When from the minaret, the muezzin
Calls out:
Allah ilallah, salaam aleikum.

Since, my servants, you have
Faithfully served my harem,
Let each one of you take
At least seven wives.

A tear dropped from his eye
And he fell dead on the divan,
The old Muslim…
Allah ilallah, salaam aleikum.

When the pasha’s wife
Heard about this sad news,
That the pasha had moved
Onto the afterlife,

A tear dropped from her eye
And she fell dead on the divan,
The pasha’s beloved…
Allah ilallah, salaam aleikum.

More information here.

"U Stambolu Na Bosforu (A Capella)"
by lenmorzh

2007 - Licensed under
Creative Commons
Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)

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