{"id":504,"date":"2018-04-02T22:04:45","date_gmt":"2018-04-02T22:04:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.azizisa.org\/en\/?p=504"},"modified":"2018-04-02T22:10:15","modified_gmt":"2018-04-02T22:10:15","slug":"new-year-how-can-i-salute-you-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.azizisa.org\/en\/new-year-how-can-i-salute-you-today\/","title":{"rendered":"New Year, how can I salute you today?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Aziz Isa Elkun<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Year!<\/span>
\nOnce more you have passed<\/span>
\nI have no desire for a new one<\/span>
\nBecause you brought with you unbearable oppression for my people<\/span>
\nCountless friends have disappeared<\/span>
\nThe humiliation of the Uyghurs reached its peak <\/span>
\nAll the lovers of freedom thrown into jail<\/span>
\nNo tears fall from our nation\u2019s eyes without blood<\/span>
\nBut the world pretends to be blind \u2026<\/span>
\nThey sell their humanity for profit<\/span>
\nIf this is what you offer me as a gift<\/span>
\nHow can I salute you today, New Year?<\/span><\/p>\n

Year!<\/span>
\nYou thief of life since ancient times! <\/span>
\nThat\u2019s why Lutun(1)<\/span> answered you without fear<\/span>
\nThe enemy\u2019s sword could not kill us all <\/span>
\nBut the Uyghurs were hardened<\/span>
\nBecame heroes on the battle field<\/span>
\nWithout being defeated!<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Year!<\/span>
\nI am like a moth burning myself on the fire<\/span>
\nBut I will not accept my weakness<\/span>
\nIf this is what you offer me as a gift<\/span>
\nHow can I say farewell to you<\/span>
\nHow can I salute you today, New Year?<\/span><\/p>\n

Year!<\/span>
\nThe \u201ctracks\u201d(2)<\/span> have become a monument for us<\/span>
\nThe fire of revenge burning in our hearts<\/span>
\nThe great caravan has set out on its journey<\/span>
\nThough its destination is a road with no return<\/span>
\nWorld, listen to us!<\/span>
\nThe earth has become too narrow for the stateless Uyghurs<\/span>
\nAnd my people have scattered to the seven continents<\/span>
\nInnocent lives begging for humanity <\/span>
\nWhile being a Uyghur has become a crime<\/span>
\nIf this is what you offer me as a gift<\/span>
\nHow can I salute you today, New Year?<\/span><\/p>\n

Year!<\/span>
\nIn our unjust land, our fists are clenched with rage<\/span>
\nNo patience left, we are ready to sacrifice for our independence<\/span>
\nLife is on the edge, with no meaning left in it for us<\/span>
\nThe Uyghur problem is still not cured, though it has lasted a century<\/span>
\nBut the year has taught us tough lessons<\/span>
\nAnd we are now dedicated to the struggle<\/span>
\nLet\u2019s stop our tears and start to act<\/span>
\nIf this is what you offer me as a gift<\/span>
\nI will salute the New Year with joy!<\/span><\/p>\n

31 December 2017, London<\/span><\/p>\n

________________________________<\/p>\n

(1) Lutun: pen name of Lutpulla Mutellip, nationalist poet and writer, executed in Aqsu on 18 September 1945, aged 22. He wrote a well-known poem called \u201cYillargha Jawab\u201d (Answer to the Years)<\/span><\/p>\n

(2) Tracks (iz), footprints in the desert sand: title of a historical novel written by Abdurehim Otkur in 1985, which became a nationalist symbol for Uyghurs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read the original version of this poem in Uyghur:<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u0642\u0627\u0646\u062f\u0627\u0642 \u0643\u06c8\u062a\u06d5\u064a \u0633\u06d0\u0646\u0649 \u0628\u06c8\u06af\u06c8\u0646 \u064a\u06d0\u06ad\u0649 \u064a\u0649\u0644<\/p>\n

www.azizisa.org\/qandaq_kutey_seni_yengi_yil\/
\n<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Listen to audio version in Uyghur language:\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

www.azizisa.org\/elkun_poem\/Qandaq_kutey_yengi_yil_A_Salam.mp3<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aziz Isa Elkun Year! Once more you have passed I have no desire for a new one Because you brought with you unbearable oppression for my people Countless friends have disappeared The humiliation of the Uyghurs reached its peak All the lovers of freedom thrown into jail No tears fall from our nation\u2019s eyes without<\/p>\n

Read more…<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,70],"tags":[44,99,98],"class_list":["post-504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aziz-isa-elkun-poems","category-elkun-poems-in-english","tag-aziz-isa-elkun-poem","tag-how-can-i-salute-you-today","tag-new-year"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azizisa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azizisa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azizisa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azizisa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azizisa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=504"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.azizisa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":509,"href":"https:\/\/www.azizisa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504\/revisions\/509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.azizisa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azizisa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.azizisa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}