Muhamet Kyçyku (Çami)
Encyclopedia
Muhamet Kyçyku (9 July 1784 - 1844), born in Konispol
, Ottoman Empire
, is one of the most known Albanian
bejtexhinjs and is considered as the first poet of the Albanian National Renaissance.
, Egypt
where a sizeable Albanian colony had settled at that time. On his return to his native village he served as a hodja
and died in 1844. Kyçyku was a relatively prolific author who wrote in his native Çam
dialect and, as it seems, was the first Albanian author to have written longer poetry. The work for which he is best remembered is a romantic tale in verse form known as Erveheja (Ervehe), originally entitled Ravda (Garden), written around 1820.
By a miracle Ervehe survives her lapidation and is picked out of the rubble, severely injured, by a passing nobleman who hears her lament and takes her home to his wife. Ervehe recovers from the ordeal only to have the nobleman too fall victim to her charms. She refuses his advances as well, telling him she is married, which suffices to put him off. Later, a servant in the house attempts to seduce Ervehe and is also repulsed. He takes vengeance on her by killing the nobleman’s son and accusing Ervehe of the crime. The matter is clarified but the nobleman, though convinced of her innocence, is obliged to dismiss Ervehe from his household, giving her 400 pieces of gold as her parting wages.
Poor Ervehe’s misfortunes do not end here. While wandering along a river bank, she encounters a thief who is about to be hanged for having stolen 400 pieces of gold from the king’s treasury. She takes pity on him and saves his life with the money she earned. The thief follows her and begs her to become his wife. When she refuses, he ungratefully sells her as a slave to the captain of a ship who also attempts to seduce her. A storm arises in the nick of time and drowns all on board except Ervehe who is washed up onto the shore of a strange city.
A pious man lends her his clothes and, in male dress, she presents herself to the king of the country who receives her cordially and has a house built for her. Here she takes care of the sick and the blind, and becomes the object of veneration for her good deeds. Indeed when the king dies, Ervehe is chosen as his successor.
One day, five strangers arrive at her court: her husband and his brother, the nobleman, the servant and the thief, the latter three now blind. Ervehe promises to heal them if they confess all their sins. The injustice perpetrated against Ervehe thus becomes known and she can now reveal herself to her husband as the woman of chastity and virtue she has always been.
original, the Shukasaptati. The seventeen-page Albanian text consists of 856 lines of verse and is preserved in the National Library in Tirana
. It is also one of the rare works of the Bejtexhinj to have been published in the 19th century, though in an altered version.
Rilindja publicist Jani Vreto
(1822-1900) not only transliterated and published Erveheja in Bucharest in 1888, but adapted it to late 19th century tastes and saw fit to purge it of all its Turkish, Persian and Arabic vocabulary. The original version is more straightforward and preserves the unadorned narrative character of a poetic fable whereas Vreto’s edition endeavours to present the work more in epic form with appropriate epithets.
("Jusufi i Zelihaja"), a moralistic verse tale in 2,430 lines based on the biblical story recounted in Genesis 39 and the Sura 12 of the Koran, of the attempted seduction of the handsome Joseph by the wife of his Egyptian master Potiphar
. This ‘most beautiful tale’, as the Koran calls it, served as a common motif in Arabic, Persian and Turkish literature.
The work had already been adapted, in particular, by the Persian epic poet Firdausi (ca. 935-1020) and later by the mystical writer Jami
(1414-1492). The biblical Joseph is in some respects the male counterpart of Ervehe. He, too, suffers much at the hands of his family and enemies and yet steadfastly resists the advances of his master’s wife in order to remain chaste and virtuous. Kyçyku’s Jusufi i Zelihaja evinces a higher level of literary sophistication than Erveheja. Its language is more ornate and many of the descriptive passages transcend the constraints of a simple narrative. It also relies more on character analysis as a means of conveying dramatic suspense, in particular with respect to the passions of the enamoured Zeliha.
.
Konispol
Konispol is the southernmost town in Albania. It sits one kilometer away from the Albanian-Greek border. The municipality consists of the town Konispol and the village Çiflik.The town's main interests are agriculture and viticulture...
, Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, is one of the most known Albanian
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
bejtexhinjs and is considered as the first poet of the Albanian National Renaissance.
Biography
Kyçyku studied theology for eleven years in CairoCairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
where a sizeable Albanian colony had settled at that time. On his return to his native village he served as a hodja
Hodja
Hodža, also spelled as Khawaja, Hoca, Hodžić, or Hoxha, is a title of respect in some Central Asian, Middle Eastern and European cultures, used for people who have performed the Hajj a difficult and often dangerous feat in the Middle Ages, especially for those living far away from Arabia...
and died in 1844. Kyçyku was a relatively prolific author who wrote in his native Çam
Cham Albanian dialect
The Cham Albanian dialect is the dialect of the Albanian language spoken by the Cham Albanians, an ethnic Albanian minority in the Epirus region of northwestern Greece.-Classification:...
dialect and, as it seems, was the first Albanian author to have written longer poetry. The work for which he is best remembered is a romantic tale in verse form known as Erveheja (Ervehe), originally entitled Ravda (Garden), written around 1820.
Plot
The poetic tale follows the adventures of the fair Ervehe who manages to defend her chastity and virtue through many a trial and tribulation. Ervehe’s husband goes abroad, leaving her to the care of his brother who, despite his promises, attempts to seduce her. Ervehe resists both his advances and his threats to kill her if she does not yield. The frustrated brother takes vengeance on Ervehe by falsely accusing her of adultery and she is sentenced under Koranic law to be stoned to death.By a miracle Ervehe survives her lapidation and is picked out of the rubble, severely injured, by a passing nobleman who hears her lament and takes her home to his wife. Ervehe recovers from the ordeal only to have the nobleman too fall victim to her charms. She refuses his advances as well, telling him she is married, which suffices to put him off. Later, a servant in the house attempts to seduce Ervehe and is also repulsed. He takes vengeance on her by killing the nobleman’s son and accusing Ervehe of the crime. The matter is clarified but the nobleman, though convinced of her innocence, is obliged to dismiss Ervehe from his household, giving her 400 pieces of gold as her parting wages.
Poor Ervehe’s misfortunes do not end here. While wandering along a river bank, she encounters a thief who is about to be hanged for having stolen 400 pieces of gold from the king’s treasury. She takes pity on him and saves his life with the money she earned. The thief follows her and begs her to become his wife. When she refuses, he ungratefully sells her as a slave to the captain of a ship who also attempts to seduce her. A storm arises in the nick of time and drowns all on board except Ervehe who is washed up onto the shore of a strange city.
A pious man lends her his clothes and, in male dress, she presents herself to the king of the country who receives her cordially and has a house built for her. Here she takes care of the sick and the blind, and becomes the object of veneration for her good deeds. Indeed when the king dies, Ervehe is chosen as his successor.
One day, five strangers arrive at her court: her husband and his brother, the nobleman, the servant and the thief, the latter three now blind. Ervehe promises to heal them if they confess all their sins. The injustice perpetrated against Ervehe thus becomes known and she can now reveal herself to her husband as the woman of chastity and virtue she has always been.
Morale of the tale
The motif in this moralistic tale of ‘female virtue’ occurs widely in both oriental and Western literature. The most likely source for Kyçyku’s poetic version of the tale is the Persian Tûtî-nâme (The Parrot's Seventy Tales) by Ziyâ’uddîn Nakhshabî, inspired by a SanskritSanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
original, the Shukasaptati. The seventeen-page Albanian text consists of 856 lines of verse and is preserved in the National Library in Tirana
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
. It is also one of the rare works of the Bejtexhinj to have been published in the 19th century, though in an altered version.
Rilindja publicist Jani Vreto
Jani Vreto
Jani Vreto was an Albanian writer, publisher and important figure of the Albanian National Awakening.- Life :Jani Vreto was born in Postenan, a village near Leskovik, southern Albania in 1822...
(1822-1900) not only transliterated and published Erveheja in Bucharest in 1888, but adapted it to late 19th century tastes and saw fit to purge it of all its Turkish, Persian and Arabic vocabulary. The original version is more straightforward and preserves the unadorned narrative character of a poetic fable whereas Vreto’s edition endeavours to present the work more in epic form with appropriate epithets.
The cham version of Yusuf and Zulaikha
Erveheja was the only work from Kyçyku for many years. Most of the over 4,000 lines of his verse (ca. 200 pages) we possess have been discovered within the last forty years. Kyçyku’s other major work is Yusuf and ZulaikhaYusuf and Zulaikha
Yusuf and Zulaikha is the Quranic verse of Yusuf and Zulaikha . It has been told and retold countless times in many languages spoken by Muslims, especially Persian. Its most famous version was written in Persian by Jami , in his Haft Awrang...
("Jusufi i Zelihaja"), a moralistic verse tale in 2,430 lines based on the biblical story recounted in Genesis 39 and the Sura 12 of the Koran, of the attempted seduction of the handsome Joseph by the wife of his Egyptian master Potiphar
Potiphar
Potiphar or Potifar is a person in the Book of Genesis's account of Joseph. Potiphar is said to be the captain of the palace guard and is referred to without name in the Quran. Joseph, sold into slavery by his brothers, is taken to Egypt where he is sold to Potiphar as a household slave...
. This ‘most beautiful tale’, as the Koran calls it, served as a common motif in Arabic, Persian and Turkish literature.
The work had already been adapted, in particular, by the Persian epic poet Firdausi (ca. 935-1020) and later by the mystical writer Jami
Jami
Nur ad-Dīn Abd ar-Rahmān Jāmī also known as DJāmī, Mawlanā Nūr al-Dīn 'Abd al-Rahmān or Abd-Al-Rahmān Nur-Al-Din Muhammad Dashti who is commonly known as Jami , is known for his achievements as a scholar, mystic, writer, composer of numerous lyrics and idylls, historian, and one of the greatest...
(1414-1492). The biblical Joseph is in some respects the male counterpart of Ervehe. He, too, suffers much at the hands of his family and enemies and yet steadfastly resists the advances of his master’s wife in order to remain chaste and virtuous. Kyçyku’s Jusufi i Zelihaja evinces a higher level of literary sophistication than Erveheja. Its language is more ornate and many of the descriptive passages transcend the constraints of a simple narrative. It also relies more on character analysis as a means of conveying dramatic suspense, in particular with respect to the passions of the enamoured Zeliha.
Bekriu
Muhamet Kyçyku is the author of several other poems of note, one of which is a 348-line work in octosyllabic quatrains usually entitled Bekriu, in which its Moslem author condemns the drinking of wine and rakiRaki
-Alcoholic beverages:*Rakı, an anise-flavored spirit popular in Turkey*Any anise-flavored drink.-Fictional characters:*Raki, a character in the manga/anime series Claymore*Raki, a character in the game Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica...
.
Further reading
- Elsie, Robert: Albanian Literature. A short history. London [ua] 2005. ISBN 1-84511-031-5 London [ua] 2005. ISBN 1-84511-031-5