SUNG POEMS OF OSMAN ĐIKIĆ

Sve sevdahom živo gori / Ljubovanju sve se dalo / Samo moje srce nije / Premaljeće razigralo! (All that lives burns with sevdah / everybody is in love / Except my heart / Spring is blooming!) (Behar geldi, from cycle Ašiklije)

A short life's journey of Osman Đikić was long and fruitful enough for his name to be included among prominent poets of Bosnia and Herzegovina. His love poems, many of which were written under the influence of Bosniak folk lyric poetry, i.e. sevdalinka, did not bring him the fame he deserved though some of them, thanks to being recorded and set to music, acquired the status of sevdalinka. Most Đikić's poems on the published sound recording media are referred to as folk, which speaks of their values and the fact that people accepted Đikić's poetry as their own.

Osman Đikić, a writer, a playwright, a poet and a political activist, was born in Mostar on 7 January 1879, from father Avdaga and mother Zulka, née Šehić. His whole life was marked by the tumultuous period of Austro-Hungarian rule, which witnessed struggle for both religious autonomy of Muslims and their enlightenment and, in some circles, for political rapprochement and cooperation between Muslims (Bosniaks) and Serbs. Đikić actively belonged to both circles. In Mostar, he completed the primary school and four grades of high school, from which he was expelled due to “nationalist” views. He continued his education in Istanbul and Belgrade, where he completed the Commercial College. As a bank clerk, he worked in Zagreb, Brčko, Bijeljina and Mostar.

Patriotism, nationalism and sevdah (love yearning) were the main topics of Đikić's poetry. Due to his views of rapprochement of Bosniaks and Serbs, the ideas which he made known in 1900 through the first published collection of poems Pobratimstvo (Blood Brothers) together with Omer-bey Sulejmanpašić Skopljak and Avdo Karabegović, he was harshly criticized in the Muslim intellectual circle of the time as well as in journal Behar. Muslim elite, whom Đikić belonged to, considered affection for Serbian or Croatian cultural circles as a pan-Slavic idea. Nevertheless, nationalist circles tried to win over Muslim writers who cooperated with Serbian or Croatian journals, both in terms of cultural and national orientation. Muhamed Hadžijahić wrote about it as follows: “Bašagić, Hadžić (author’s comment, Osman Nuri Hadžić) and Mulabdić are the most prominent representatives of cultural movement of Muslims; however, if one analyzed activity by most cultural professionals among Muslims, regardless of their declaration as Serbs and Croats, one would obtain the same results, except for few exceptions. For them, both Serbian and Croatian belonging was mostly a broad cultural or political platform, so that they certainly did not experience Serbian and Croatian ethnicity same as Serbian and Croatian intelligentsia. For them, Serbian and Croatian orientation was approximately what Yugoslav orientation meant for Serbs and Croats.”

Đikić had his first poem published in journal Zora in 1896, as early as in the third grade of high school. Later on, he cooperated with journals Behar, Bosanska vila, Brankovo kolo, Delo, Gajret, Nova iskra, Carigradski glasnik and others. While he worked as a bank clerk in Brčko, during a visit of a Belgrade theater troupe to this city, in about 1904, he met the young actress Zora Milojković. Đikić had a romance with her, which was crowned by marriage a year later. A marriage with a girl of contrary faith, moreover with an actress, was an inexhaustible topic for Mostar people. Out of spite and sincere love, Đikić in rapture wrote and published, in 1905, poem Đaurko, mila, which deserves the status of one of the most beautiful poems of our literature, and which is considered a traditional sevdalinka:

Đaurko mila, tuga me mori / za oči tvoje što suze rone, / ah, tvoje oči, prepune baja / ah, hodi, hodi, sred zagrljaja. / Znaš li kako srce umilno tepa / ljubim te, ljubim, đaurko lijepa.

(My dear Đaurka, I am so sad / about your eyes which shed tears / oh, your eyes full of colors/ or, come here, in embrace. / Do you know how the heart coos caressingly / I love you, I love you, beautiful Đaurka)

Probably the oldest sound recording of this poem dates back to only three years after it had been written; in 1908, performed by Vaso Jovanović accompanied by his own tambura orchestra. Actually, he joined two poems: Đaurko, lepa and Udaralo ture u tambure, and essentially used only the first stanza of Đikić's poem, so that he did not use the whole text of Đikić. We will also mention a sound recording from 1927 performed by baritone Stanoje Janković. The composer of the melody remains unknown. Among others, this song was recorded and performed by out well-known sevdalinka performers: Zaim Imamović, saz player Hašim Muharemović, Safet Isović, Muhamed Mujkanović and others.

Another sung poem of Đikić which acquired the status of sevdalinka is Đela Fato, đela zlato.  The poem was published in the cycle Ašiklije. Its melody was composed by well-known Mostar journalist, an expert in sevdalinka and singer Ismet Ćumurija:

Đela Fato, đela zlato, / Đel draganu svom! / Đela legni i prilegni / Na srdašcu mom! // Male lale pozaspale / I alkatmeri, / Miris-đuli i sumbuli / Cio bostan spi!.. // Spusti glavu mirisavu / Na njedarca tu; / Da te njiham, da ti pjevam / Snenom janjetu! // Da milujem i mirišem / Tvoju bujnu vlas! / San sve spleće, niko neće / Povidjeti nas! // Đela Fato, đela zlato, / Đel draganu svom! / Đela legni i prilegni / Na srdašcu mom!

(Come, Fata, come honey, / Come to your sweetheart! / Come and lie down / On my heart! // Small tulips have fallen asleep / Same as carnations, / Fragrant roses and hyacinths / The whole garden is sleeping! // Lay your fragrant head / On my bosom; / Let me rock you, let me sing to you / to my sleepy lamb! // Let me caress you and smell you / Your lush hair! / Sleep has overcome everybody / They will not see us! // Come, Fata, come honey, / Come to your sweetheart! / Come and lie down / On my heart!

In Mostar, Đikić was a friend of Aleksa Šantić and Svetozar Ćoroviće  In the book Mostarenje by Mišo Marić, Šantić says following to Đikić: “You are a good poet. Ašiklije will be known forever. Such linguistically juicy poems have never been written before. The way you write, the fountain of Oriental words, I feel on my tongue like a ripe fig.” Collection of poems Pobratimstvo (1900) was followed by collection of reverent poems Muslimanskoj mladeži (1902) and love lyric poems Ašiklije (1903). Đikić was significantly influenced by Serbian poets Jovan Jovanović Zmaj and Vojislav Ilić. His love lyrical poems were considerably influenced by sevdalinka, which can be observed in the cycle Ašiklije. Đikić found an inexhaustible inspiration in folk poetry. Searching for folk poems, he also committed himself to folklorist activity on collecting them. He consolidated folk poems and ballads, with over 5,000 verses which he recorded in Mostar and Stolac, in a manuscript entitled Hercegovački biser. Since he did not manage to find funds and publishers' willingness to publish this extremely valuable collection, he submitted it to the Serbian Academy of Sciences in Belgrade. Folklore dramas Zlatija (1906), Stana (1906) and Muhadžir (1909) also stand out in the oeuvre of Đikić.

Đikić's love poems emanate passionate sevdah, which can also be observed in the poem Bre đavole, kôno more, written in 1904. This poem has survived under the title Ašik ostah na te oči. It is on eof unavoidable songs in the repertoire of sevdalinka performers, and the composer of the melody is also unknown.  Performance by Edo LJubić from 1940 is one of the oldest sound recordings. With minimum textual changes, this song has been performed by Mostarac Mile Janjić, Vukašin Jeftić, Zvonko Bogdan and others:

Ašik ostah na te oči, / Na te dvije mrkle noći, / Bre đavole kôno more, / Ne ishodi na prozore! // Ne ishodi, ne prkosi, / Tvoj mi pogled pamet nosi! / Jer tako mi Ramazana, / Biće rusvaj jednog dana – // Svoj ću život pregoreti: / U dvor ću ti uskočiti, / Stô ću jada počiniti / Sva ti vrata porazbiti // Dok odaju nađem tvoju, / U njoj tebe – tugu moju; // Izgrišću ti usne rujne, / I obraze tvoje bujne. // Ispiću ti oka oba / – Dva mi srcu hladna groba – / Bre đavole, kôno more, / Ne ishodi na prozore!

(I fell in love with these eyes, / With two pitch dark nights, / Like a sea, / Do not come to the window! // Do not come, do not defy, / Your look benumbs my mind! / Since, I swear by Ramadan, / I'll make a rumpus one day - // I will burn down by life: / I will jump into your castle, / and make a mess / I'll smash all your doors // To find your room, / And you in it – my sorrow; / I will bite your red lips, / And your lush cheeks.// I'll drink up both your eyes / - The two graves for my heart - / Like a sea, / Do not come to the window!)

Poem Akšam geldi from cycle Ašiklije has also been recorded though it is one of less performed sevdalinkas. The song was recorded by Himoz Poloivna in 1967, and it is described as a folk song   on the recorded sound carrier. It was also recorded by Emina Zečaj in 2003.

Akšam gledi, sunce zađe / na tvom licu osta sjaj. / Akšam geldi, tvoje lice/ od sunašca ljepše sja. // Da mi se je ogrijati / na ljepoti lica tvog! // Moja draga na šiltetu / uživa k'o padišah! / A ja nigdje ništa nemam, / ja sam puki siromah. // Akšam geldi, dan se gubi / moje srce zaman ljubi. / Akšam geldi, mrak se sprema / a za mene sanka nema!

(Dusk has come, the sun has set / and glow remained on your face. / Dusk has come, and your face / glows nicer than the sun. // I wish I could get warm / on the beauty of your face! // My darling on the cushion / enjoys herself like a queen! / And I have nothing, / I am a pauper. // Dusk has come, the day vanes / my heart loves in vain. / Dusk has come, darkness approaches / and sleep does not come to me!)

Poem Ala, imaš, also from cycle Ašiklije, was recorded by popular singer Nedeljko Bilkić. Music for this poem of Đikić was composed by Radojka Živković, and it was performed at the festival “Beogradski Saborˮ in 1975. The last stanza of Đikić's poem was omitted and replaced by a completely new text, which is not provided here. The original text of this poem of Đikić reads as follows:

Ala imaš čarne oči, / čarne oči atešlije! / Blago onom, ko na njinom / Ognjenom se plamu grije! // Ala imaš alt'n čelo / Alt'n čelo, varak lice! / Blago onom, kome sviće / Zora s' tvoje jagodice! // Ala imaš medne usne, / Medne usne šećerlije! / Oj, srećan je onaj junak, / Komu pružaš šeftelije! // Ala imaš stasa vita, / Ko košuta iz planine! / Blago momku, kojemu se / U naručje toplo vine! // Ala imaš svilne vlasi, / Zul-zolufe ibrišima! / Blago momku, kojemu se / Miješaju s' brkovima! // Sve što imaš sve te resi / - Urnekom te Allah stvori! - / Al najljepše likuje ti / Krmzi-jelek, sličan zori, / I pod njijem, aman, aman / Dva goluba, dertu derman!

(Your eyes are so dark, / black eyes like burning coals! / Lucky is the one / Who basks on their fire! // You have such a golden forehead / The golden forehead, and the face! / Lucky is the one whose dawn / is your cheekbone! // You have such honey-like lips, / Sweet honey-like lips! / Lucky is the hero, / to whom you give peaches! // You have such slender waist / Like a doe from the mountain! / Lucky is the guy / To whose embrace you rush! // You have such silky hair, / Like an embroidery thread! / Lucky is the guy / With whose moustache it mingles! // Everything you have adorns you / Allah made you his model! - / And what suits you best / Is your vest, like the dawn, / And under it, oh / Two pigeons, cure for sorrow!)

Interest in poetry of Đikić is also reflected through the sound recording of devout poem Molitva from cacly Muslimanskoj mladeži. This poem was recorded in a reduced version, performed by Zehra Deović. Music was composed by and the song was published on the album of nasheeds and qasidas performed by Zehra Deović and the choir of Gazi Husrev-bey madrasa in 1990.

Although Đikić was a gifted poet, due to his political engagement he put poetry on the back burner, and completely gave it up for a while. Poems remained in the shadow of his socio-political engagement. At the age of 34, on 18 March 1912, he was hit by tuberculosis, which took away his life. Osman Đikić did not manage to show his poetic talent to the fullest. Nevertheless, he has left a significant trace in our literature.

References:

• Hadžijahić, Muhamed (1990), Od tradicije do identiteta, Zagreb: Muslimanska naklada Putokaz.

• Marić, Mišo (2006), Mostarenje, Sarajevo: Rabic.

• Odavić, Rista, ed. (1904), Nova iskra, ilustrovani list. Beograd: Parna radikalna štamparija. Available at: http://ubsm.bg.ac.rs/cirilica/dokument/1122/nova-iskra-ilustrovani-list-1904

• Trifković, Risto, ed. (1971), Osman Đikić: Sabrana djela, Sarajevo: Izdavačko preduzeće “Svjetlostˮ.