Leyla Bir Özge Candır - Sadettin Kaynak - 20th Century Turkish Music

"Leyla Bir Özge Candır" (Leyla is a precious soul) is a Turkish song composed by Sadettin Kaynak in Segah makam (mode) and written by Vecdi Bingöl. The song's lyrics describe a woman named Leyla and her beauty, which is compared to that of a gazelle.

Sadettin Kaynak was a prominent composer of Turkish classical music born on April 15, 1895, in Istanbul, Ottoman Empire, and passed away on February 3, 1961, in Istanbul, Turkey. He was a hafiz at a young age and lost his father early in his youth. He completed his music education at Istanbul University. Kaynak is considered one of the greatest figures and composers of classical Turkish music of the 20th century. He has created melodies that left deep and lasting impressions on people's ears and have provided answers to all kinds of human emotions. In his classic compositions, it is possible to find more than one rhythm in a single song. Kaynak spent his last years at his two-story house in Koşuyolu, Kadıköy, Istanbul, where he was visited by his music-loving friends and was open to sharing his music notes for everyone's benefit. Kaynak was laid to rest in the Merkezefendi Cemetery in Istanbul. Kaynak's works are still popular and celebrated today, and he is regarded as one of the most significant contributors to Turkish classical music.

Turkish Lyrics

Leyla bir özge candır, kara gözlü ceylandır
Doyulmaz hüsn-ü andır kanılmaz bir içim su
Leyla, Leyla ah Leyla

Dillerde sözlenen o, yollarda gözlenen o
Yürekten özlenen o, her gönülde o arzu
Leyla, Leyla ah Leyla

Aşıklar levend olsa, sevdalar kemend olsa
Birbirine bend olsa, ele geçmez o ahu
Leyla, Leyla ah Leyla

English Translation

Leyla is a precious soul, a doe-eyed gazelle
Her beauty is insatiable, her essence is unbelievable
Leyla, Leyla oh Leyla

She's the one spoken of, the one seen on roads
Longed for from the heart, desired in every soul
Leyla, Leyla oh Leyla

If lovers were soldiers and loves were reins
Bound to each other, impossible to catch, oh dear
Leyla, Leyla oh Leyla.