Oh My Mother Tongue (excert) - Ğabdulla Tuqai

Oh, beloved native language
Oh, enchanting mother tongue!
You enabled my search for knowledge
Of the world, since I was young
As a child, when I was sleepless
Mother sung me lullabies
And my grandma told me stories
Through the night, to shut my eyes
Oh, my tongue! You have been always
My support in grief and joy
Understood and cherished fondly
Since I was a little boy
In my tongue, I learned with patience
To express my faith and say:
"Oh, Creator! Bless my parents
Take, Allah, my sins away!"


Ğabdulla Tuqay (b.in Qoşlawıç, Kazan Governorate, Russian Empire (nowadays Tatarstan, Russia, on Apr. 28, 1886; d. Apr.15, 1913)