A colleague introduced me to a Christian musician serving in Turkey, and she introduced me to the work of Şaban Ok, a prolific Christian songwriter. One song of his, "Tu Pîroz Î" (roughly translated from Kurdish as "You are Holy") is catchy and straightforward, reflecting on the culture with its instrumentation. Kurdish and English lyrics below:
Nave te çiqas şerin e
Rehma te çiqas mezin e
Em heyrana hezkirina te ne
Kerem bike were, me teze bike
Tu piroz i, tu piroz i
Em pesne te didin ya Xudan
Tu piroz i, tu piroz i
Em pesne te didin ya Xudan
Cane me çawa birçi dibe
Ruhe me weha ti u birçi ye
Bi Peyva xwe me ter bike
Tama wi ji hingiv çerintir e
The fragrance of your name is sweet
Your depth of mercy strong and deep
We are amazed at your kindness
O come and make us like new
Refreshen us
You are holy, you are holy
We give you praise
Our Lord and our God
Just as our bodies need daily bread
So our spirits also hunger, too
Graciously feed us now with your Word
The taste of it is sweeter than honey
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