Duydum ki Unutmuşsun Gözlerimin Rengini - Selahattin Altınbaş - 20th Century Turkish Music

"Duydum ki Unutmuşsun Gözlerimin Rengini" (I heard that you have forgotten the color of my eyes) is a Turkish song composed by Selahattin Altınbaş and lyrics written by Turgut Yarkent. It is performed in the Muhayyerkürdi makam (musical mode) and follows the Semai usul (rhythmic pattern). The song is structured in the form of a traditional Turkish şarkı (song).
Selahattin Altınbaş (born 1938, Balıkesir, Susurluk - passed away on December 18, 2003, in Ankara) was a Turkish composer and ud (a musical instrument) artist. Born into a musical family, Altınbaş started his musical journey at the age of 8, initially playing the violin and later continuing with the accordion. Influenced by his famous uncle, the ud virtuoso and composer İzzet Altınbaş, he decided to learn to play the ud. In 1966, he passed an exam and joined the TRT Ankara Radio as a ud artist. In the following years, he also served as a choir conductor and was a member of the repertoire control committee at the institution. In 1977, in the "Year's Beloved Songs" competition organized by the Milliyet newspaper, he received awards for his songs "Duydum ki unutmuşsun gözlerimin rengini" (I heard that you've forgotten the color of my eyes) in the Muhayyerkürdi makam (musical mode) and "Ömrümüzün son demi, sonbaharıdır artık" (The last moment of our lives, it is the last autumn now) in the hüzzam makam. He retired from TRT in 1999. In more than 50 of his compositions, he used lyrics from almost all of the prominent lyricists of the time. He passed away in Ankara due to cirrhosis. His funeral took place in Susurluk.
Turkish Lyrics
Duydum ki unutmuşsun gözlerimin rengini,
Yazık olmuş o gözlerden sana akan yaşlara.
Bir zamanlar sevginle ateşlenen başımı,
Dizlerinin yerine dayasaydım taşlara.
Hani bendim yedi renk, hani tende can idim,
Hani gündüz hayalin, geceler rüyan idim.
Demek ki senin için aşk değil yalan idim,
Acırım heder olan o en güzel yıllara.
English Translation
I heard that you've forgotten the color of my eyes,
Pity for the tears flowing from those eyes to you.
Once, my head was inflamed with your love,
I wish I could have laid it on stones instead of your knees.
I used to be seven colors, I used to be life in the flesh,
I used to be your daydream in the day and your dream at night.
It seems, for you, I was not love but a lie,
I feel sorry for those most beautiful years that went to waste.