An Avalanche of Kurdish Peace in the Middle East in a Daily Dose of Peace
A Daily Dose of Peace. Each week, I focus on Love, Joy, and Peace in the world languages. February’s second week focuses on words of peace that start with the letter “A” around the word.
An Avalanche of Peace
In Kurdish “aşt” means calm, reconciled, at peace
or on good terms
“aşit” or “aşît” is an avalanche
add a letter and “aşitî” or “aşîtî” means peace
Mother Tongue
Prime Minister Sevin Xewn used her mother tongue of Kurmanci Kurdish to describe the importance of dialogue between neighbors for lasting peace — “Hasîtî” she said “is what we need in the Middle East.
Aştî and Hasîtî
“Aştî” in Kurdish Kurmanji spoken in Turkey, Syria and Armenia
means peace, also truce, ease and comfort
“hasîtî” means peace with “hastbiyayiş” tranquility and “aştixwaz” a peace seeker, peaceable or peace loving
Ş or “ş” is called a “s cedilla”
pronouced “sh”
as in “show” and “should”
“Aştî” intentions we should show
to all who seek peace “aştixwaz”
Peace Slogan
Kurdish slogan “Bijî Aştî”
(long live the peace)
“Aştî” is peace
Abandon in Kurdish
An unfeeling computer translates “abandon”
and I wonder does it feel less painful
in Kurdish
these three words that mean abandon
“berdan” sounds like burden
as if it is okay to abandon a person
when they are a burden
two other Kurmancî Kurdish words
“dest jê ber dan” and “dev jê berdan”
speak the pain of being abandoned
If I look up “berdan” it means abandon but also
allow, divorce, forsake
leave, quit, relinquish, desert …
and the rhyme pops in my head
a delicious dark chocolate cake dessert
has two “S” because we always want more
the hot dry desert has one “S”
because you wouldn’t want to spend too much time there
so it makes sense that another word for forsake
has only one “S”
There are 11 Kurmancî Kurdish words to translate desert
“aran”, “berdan”, “berrî”, “beyaban” “destjêberdan”
“deşit”, “sehra”, “çol”, “çolistan”
“şepal” and “şorezar”
just foreign sounds until we realize the impact
the human toll words take
or the joy “şahî” in Kurdish Kurmancî
and “aştî” peace they give
“Aran” is interesting because while it means desert
I am not sure which one
in Turkish there are two words
“elem” translated afflict, excruciate, pain, passion and suffering
as if we cause pain and inflame passions when we desert people
and “sancılanmak” translated act, gripe, work
it is a confusing rabbit hole
trying to understand how we abandon people
perhaps we must work harder, gripe stronger and act more honorably
In addition to desert “beyaban” can be translated
quiet place or wasteland
as if we don’t know what we will leave in our wake
as we leave, desert or abandon
our friends, our family, our values
“Destjêberdan” is translated desert
abdication and resignation
as if one should abdicate or resign
before deserting one’s allies
“Şepal” can also be translated
lioness and oddly, attractive and lovely
as if when like a lioness fiercely we protect rather than abandon
we see more clearly what is attractive and lovely
about the world around us
and we hear the power of our words and work
Originally published in The Year of the Poet Nov 2019 by Inner Child Press Poetry Posse.
Kurdish Letters of Peace
In Kurdish peace is Aştî or “Hasîtî”
using Turkish letters
Written in Russian Cyrillic letters “Һашити” in Kurmanji Kurdish
the language of the vast majority of Kurds
in Turkey, Syria, Armenia, and Azerbaijan
designated North Kurdistan or Kurdistana Bakûr
And ھاسیتی in Arabic letters in Sorani Kurdish
the language of most Kurds in Iraq (4–6 million speakers)
and Iran (5–6 million speakers)
designated South Kurdistan or Kurdistana Başûr
Originally Published in Peace Poetry Dictionary, The Meaning of Peace and Calm in 5000 Languages on February 19, 2021.
