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The verses used in this composition were translated into English by Süha Faiz from the Divan of Yunus Emre, a Sufi who wrote in Turkish during the late 13th and early 14th centuries, and were first published in 1992 as part of a collection entitled "The City of the Heart". They have been set to music with the permission of the copy-right holder, the Rumi Institute at Near East University.

Three Songs from the Turkish: No 1. Wine

Poem 139

Of that cup-bearer’s wine we drank Whose tavern is the Throne of Heaven;
We were made drunk by Him Whose beaker is the souls of humankind.

Three Songs from the Turkish: No 2. Ash

Poem 78

Upon the Road to the Beloved, you burn until you are but ash.
Though in a day I burn a thousand times, I will not turn away

Three Songs from the Turkish: No 3. Dance

Poem 117

Upon the Road to the Beloved, you burn until you are but ash.
Though in a day I burn a thousand times, I will not turn away