Sari Gelin is a familiar love song for most people who live in Iran and neighbor countries. The song is the words of a boy complaining to/about a girl he loves but cannot achieve.
Sari Gelin is preformed in different versions with different lyric but with the same melody written in Bayati, the most popular genre for folk poetry in Azeri.
There are many different lyrical interpretations of Sari Gelin among Armenians, Azerbaijanis, Georgians, Persians, and Turks.
Turkish, Azerbaijani and Armenian versions narrate the laments of a Muslim Turkish boy, about a Christian Armenian blond maiden from a mountain or valley that he loves, although they are kept apart, and the “unkind” girl is taken away, causing the boy to lament and curse frequently.
Turkish version: love story in Erzurum
In Turkish language “sari” means yellow, golden, blonde or fair-skinned.
The word Gelin in Azerbaijani and Turkish means someone who comes to the family (bride), with its root in the Turkish verb “Gel”, which means “come”.
Thus Sari Gelin can mean “golden”, “blonde” or “fair-skinned” bride.
In Turkey, Sari Gelin is a popular folk story about an impossible love between a Turkish boy and an Armenian girl from Erzurum.
Turkish singers Yavuz Bingöl and Kiraç performed the Turkish version of the song.
Azerbaijani version: Love happens in Karabakh
In Azerbaijani language, “sari” means yellow or blonde but it may also refer to a person’s soul as well.
In Azerbaijan, Sari Gelin (Blond Maiden) is a legend that symbolizes the love between a Muslim Azerbaijani boy and a Christian Kipchak girl who are kept apart.
The story sets in Karabakh, a controversial region disputed between Armenia and Azerbaijan. An Azeri boy falls in love with an Armenian girl, which is futile.
Vocalists Alim Qasimov and Abbas Bagirov performed the Azerbaijani version of the song.
Armenian version: Sari Aghjik
In some Armenian versions of the song, the Armenian word Aghjik (Girl) is used instead.
Sari may also be derived from the Armenian word saro, meaning “of the mountain”, which is the meaning used in the Armenian versions of the song (“Girl/Bride from the mountains”).
There are two Armenian versions of “Sari Gelin”. According to one version, Sari Gelin was an Armenian girl, and a young man from Erzurum fell in love with her.
Another version is about a Turkish Muslim who sees a very pretty Armenian girl and he falls in love with her and starts to follow her around.
But he is Muslim and she is Christian. Hence their families don’t want them to marry each other. The lovers end up running away together but the girl’s father, a powerful man, come after them with his men and kill the Turkish man.
Singers Ruben Matevosyan and Gevorg Chakmanyan are amongst the Armenian vocalists who performed “Sari Gelin”.
Iranian version: Persian Saray
In Iran, there is a famous Azeri fable about a girl named Saray. Some people relate it to Sari Gelin song.
The Persian version happened in Mugan plain, located in northwestern Iran and the southern part of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
A girl with blonde hair was born in a village near Aras River. Her parents named her Saray, which is a combination of sari and ay (moon), which means golden moon.
Saray was engaged to a shepherd however the khan falls in love with her. Despite her reluctance, she is doomed to a forced marriage with khan. Before the marriage, she commits suicide in Aras River.
The Iranian celebrated tar virtuoso Hossein Alizadeh accompanied by Grammy nominated Armenian musician Djivan Gasparyan performed the Armenian version of Sari Gelin.
However they use the Turkish line “Sari Gelin aman!” in their performance.
Love has border!
The song depicts an unfulfilled love between lovers of different nations. They cannot marry because of their lands, beliefs and traditions.
Hence, it comes as no surprise that there is no consensus about the song’s country of origin as well. The song is still a subject of contention and accusations of plagiarism among the countries where it is popular.