Ğabdulla Tuqay

Ğabdulla Tuqay (April 28, 1886 - April 15, 1913) is perhaps the greatest Tatar poet of all times.

Life and works
Ğabdulla Tuqay was born in the village of Qoşlawıç, Kazan Governorate, Russian Empire (nowadays Tatarstan, Russia) near the modern town of Arsk (Arça). His father, Möxämmät Ğärif, died when Tuqay was 5 months old. A few years later Ğabdulla's mother, Mämdüdä, married the mullah of the village of Sasna. Tuqay's relatively happy childhood did not last long: a year later his mother also died. Ğabdulla was sent to his grandfather, Zinnätulla, who was a very poor man with many children. Lacking enough food even for his own children, the grandfather sent Ğabdulla to Kazan with a coachman. There the coachman took Tuqay to a market-place, Peçän Bazaar, hoping to find someone who would be willing to adopt the helpless little child. A man named Möxämmät Wäli from the Yaña-Bistä region of Kazan decided to take care of him. But when both of Ğabdulla's new parents got sick they had to send him back to his grandfather. This time, Ğabdulla's grandfather sent the child for further adoption to the village of Qırlay, where Ğabdulla was to stay with the family of a man named Säğdi. During his stay with this family, Ğabdulla was sent to school, madrasa (Möxämmädiä mädräsäse) (religious school), for the first time in his life. In his own words, his enlightenment started in this particular village.

In the fall of 1895, Tuqay was brought to his aunt's family, the Ğosmanovs, from Qırlay to Qoşlawıç, where Ğabdulla was sent to a madrasa. Simultaneously, he started to attend a Russian school. There, for the first time in his life, he became acquainted with the world literature and started writing poetry.

In 1907, he left the Möxämmädiä madrasa, started to live independently and committed himself to serving his people. In the fall of he same year he went to Kazan. There he made many friends among the leading Tatar writers and poets. Ğabdulla was successful in founding a new style in Tatar poetry. He wrote such famous poems as Kitmibez (We Won't Leave), Şüräle (The Forest Demon), Tuğan İlemä (To My Motherland), Peçän Bazarı (Hay Bazaar) and Par At (A Pair of Horses), all of which are full of warm feelings towards the Tatar people. At the same time he started writing for a newspaper and bagan participating in the publishing of several Tatar magazines.

On February 26, 1913, Ğabdulla was hospitalized due to a severe case of tuberculosis. Even in the hospital he never stopped writing poems for Tatar newspapers and magazines. On April 15 of the same year, Ğabdulla died at the age of 27.

Excerpt, "Oh My Mother Tongue!"

 * 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!"