For Atatürk / (Osman ATİLLA)

You took us by the hand and we set out,
We liberated the nation, the motherland, my Ataturk.
We spread blind fortune, as they say, over the land,
Glory is the blessing of war, my Ataturk.

The mountains were like horses beneath us.
You cried, ‘Awake, Oh, Turk!’ My eyes were opened,
My face was washed in the waters of the Sakarya.
The value of the Turk was known, my Ataturk.

I hear the waves beating on the shore,
You would still have won our hearts
Had you been merely a general,
But you are the crown of this nation, my Ataturk.

Has there ever been your equal in bravery?
We did well to call you ‘Father,’
Your love is in our hearts, our fingers on the trigger.
You were the protection of God for us, my Ataturk.

Every Turk burns with the name of his ‘Father,’
Hears your command and resolves all other concerns.
This one consolation is enough for him,
The aim of being worthy of you, my Ataturk.

Osman ATİLLA