Section 3 of 5
Hassan Dialogue Context
Source: German edition, printed pp. 58-61.
Title and Identity
Conversation with Hassan.
Q. What is the name of your tribe?
A. The name of our tribe is Sivän.
Q. How many villages are in your tribe?
A. Our tribe has thirty-four villages.
Q. What are the names of the villages of your tribe?
A. Fatrakom and so on.
Village, House, and Garden
Q. What is the name of your village?
A. My village is Kasan.
Q. How many houses are there in Kasan?
A. There are sixty houses in Kasan.
Q. Do you have a garden?
A. I have a garden.
Q. What trees are in your garden?
A. There are mulberry trees, apple trees, apricot trees, peach trees, pomegranate trees, vines.
Q. How many rooms are in a hut?
A. There are some who have four or five buildings; others have only one hut and no room.1
Summer Pasture and Feuds
Q. Do you move to the summer pasture?
A. We move to the summer pasture.
Q. At what time do you move to the summer pasture?
A. In the month of Temüz we move to the summer pasture.
Q. Do you stay in black tents at the summer pasture?
A. We stay in black tents; if there are huts, we stay in huts.
Q. At what time do you return?
A. We return in the first autumn month.
Q. Have you seen many fights?
A. I have seen many fights. By my father! I saw the feud between Nerib and H'yeni; I went into the fight between Nerib and H'yeni; I was in the fight between Ahmed Beg and the tribe Sivan; I saw the feud between the tribe Sivän and Awdullah Beg, I took part in it; I saw the feud between the tribes Karbegän and Sivän, I took part in it; I saw the feud between Wesin and Sivän, I took part in it. Those are tribal feuds. I do not fear battle.2
Q. Will you not tell me the feud between the tribe Sivän and Awdullah-Baeg?
A. I am fasting, so I do not wish to speak; I wish, my heart wishes, to smoke.3
Notes
- The German source has "houses" here, while the Russian witness uses "buildings" and then "one hut, no rooms." The English translation follows the Russian wording for the first noun because it makes better sense with the contrast between multiple structures and one hut. ↩
- The Zaza line and German translation include the feud between Wesin and Sivän; the Russian prose translation appears to omit this final item. ↩
- Lerch's German printed note: It was during Ramadan. Although I offered him a pipe, Hassan resisted the temptation. I did not give up my hope and wish of being able to write down some of the feuds according to his narration, and within a few days I succeeded in moving him to communicate them. These communications, however, took place only under four eyes. ↩