The Lion Of Plevna In The Songs Of Bosniaks From Sandžak

204 Naka NİKŠİĆ, PhD, Assistant Professor T.C Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Songs about Gazi Osman Paşa in the living music tradition In the living music tradition of the Bosniaks from Sandžak we came across two songs. The first one was Zaplakala Šećer-Đula (Sweet Rose sheds her tears) (Example 5) which can often be heard during the festivities of Bosniaks (weddings, circumcision celebrations, births). When it comes to the melody of the song Zaplakala Šećer-Đula , it is sung to the melodic pattern of the Turkish national song Tuna nehri 11 . However, the differences in terms of text are significant. Na- mely, while in the Turkish folk song Tuna nehri there is word of Gazi Osman Paşa’s military feats, in the song Zaplakala Šećer-Đula 12 there is word of the love and yearning between Gazi Osman Paşa and his wife Šećer Đula 13 , which is quite normal, if we take into consideration the fact that love songs – sevdalinke – are characteristic of the music tradition of the Bosniaks 14 . The lyrics to this song can be found in the seventh-grade language arts reading material in Bosnian and used as in-class material during classes taught in the Bosnian language in Serbia (Ništović, 2015: 49). However, what is interesting is that this song was not included in the music textbooks for older elementary school children in which, in accordance with its sound characteristics, it could be used as a part of music appreciation activities. 11  For more information on the changes which occurred in the melody of this song compared to the Turkish song Tuna nehri see Şenturk, N., Nikšić, N. (2013). Geleneksel Boşnak Müziğinde Türk Halk Şarkıları, IV. Uluslararasi Turk Kulturu Kurultayı , 491-502. Anakara: Halk Kulturu Arastirmalari Kurumu. 12  In the collections of sevdalinkas and anthrologies we came across several versions of the lyrics to the song Zaplakala Šećer Đula . For more information see Bašić, 2002 and Gunić, 2006. 13  From Turkish sources we find out that Gazi Osman Paşa was married to Zatigül Hanım, the sister of Neşet Paşa, and that from this marriage they had four children – sons Nureddin, Kemaleddin, Cemaleddin ad Huseyin Abdulkadir (Hülagü, 2015: 465). However, in Bosniak sources we come across texts which indicate that Osman Paşa’s love was from Sarajevo or Trebinje. Here is what Trebinjac says in his text: “Svi pripovjedači o pozadini ove divne sevdalinke izostavljaju objasniti ko je šećer (slatka) Đula, ta ljepotica za kojom čuveni Gazija Osman - paša pati i kojoj se jedino obraća u najtežim trenucima. Po nekim usmenim predanjima radi se o šećer slatkoj Sarajki, ali neki tvrde da je riječ o medenoj trebinjskoj djevojci.” (Trebinjac, 2015) (“All the storytellers fail to provide the background information for this beautiful sevdalinka, that is, who this Sweet Rose is, this beautiful girl for whom Gazi Osman Paşa suffers and the only one he addresses in his most difficult moments. According to some oral traditions, it could either be a beautifully sweet girl from Sarajevo, but other claim it to be a honey sweet girl from Trebinje.”) 14  A sevdalinka is a type of song in which through allegory it is possible to show desire through love and suffering born out of love. It sings about the pain that comes from the inability to satisfy and fulfil one’s desire for love, since there is time and space before them, and sometimes even an obstacle of an individual, social, family, traditional or emotional-psychological nature (Rizvić, 1994). In sevdalinka songs we find described sudden and longed-for encounters, the frustration of having the object of one’s affection marry someone else, be it a man or woman who is married off, lamenting being married to someone you do no love, the desire to be liked by someone, defiance, trepidation, loneliness, and the solitary life of a man prone to drinking and a life in taverns. Naka Nik š i ć