Gorkut Ata (Dede Korkut) Statue in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.The language of the Gonbad manuscript is of a mixed character and depicts vivid characteristics of the period of transition from later Old Oghuz Turkic to the Early Modern Turkic of Iranian Azerbaijan. However, there are also orthographical, lexical and grammatical structures peculiar to Chaghatai, which shows that the original work was written in the area between the Syr Darya and Anatolia, later rewritten in Safavid Iran in the second half of the 16th century and again in Qajar Iran in the second half of the 18th century.[18] However, the manuscript also boasts a couple of Persian word groups, such as Dāvūd-ı nebī (Prophet Dawud), Şāh-ı merdān ("shah of the valiant", Ali), taḫt-ı Mıṣır (the throne of Egypt) and others.[19]
The following sentences are a few of many sayings that appear in the Gonbad manuscript:[20]
- Text in original Oghuz Turkic language:
- Allāhına güveneŋ yumruḳ ursa ḳara daġlar yıḫar.
- Üstin ala bedirli ay gelende sıçramaḳa ḥamlelenür.
- Tekebbürlik eyleyeni Taŋrı sevmez.
- Kara saçuŋ dolaşmışını daraġ yazar.
- Eger erdür eger ḫatun bu dünyāda nāmūslı ġayretli ḳoççaḳ gerek.
- Yapa yapa ḳarlar yaġsa yaza ḳalmaz.
- Ecel vaʿde ėrmeyince kimse ölmez.
- Aġlamaġıla nesne mi olur?
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- English translation:
- Those who trust in God can destroy even the black mountains if they punch them.
- When the light of the full moon appears above, [the pied violent tiger] makes a move to leap.
- God disdains the proud.
- The comb can disentangle tangled black hair.
- Whether man or woman, in this world one must have an honest and zealous heart.
- If the flaky snow falls, it will not stay in the summer.
- If one's dying day doesn't come, that person will not die.
- What can be achieved by crying?
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