Cegerxwîn

Poet of the Toilers · Voice of the Kurds in the 20th Century · 1903 – 1984 CE — Şêxmûs Hesen, known as Cegerxwîn ('the one whose liver bleeds'), was a Kurdish poet, linguist, and political activist from Bakur (Mardin). He lived most of his life in Rojava, Iraq, and Europe, and is regarded as the greatest of all modern Kurdish poets.

Historical Overview

  • Rise to Power: Born in the village of Hesar near Mardin, he fled with his family to Rojava in Syria after the First World War. He trained in the religious sciences before turning to literature and politics, taught in Amûda and Qamishli, and belonged to several Kurdish and communist parties.
  • Achievements: He published eight collections of verse — most notably Prîşk, Kîme Min, and Ronahî — compiled a complete Kurdish dictionary, and authored multi-volume histories of the Kurds. He helped codify modern Kurmanji and composed national anthems still sung across every part of Kurdistan.
  • Significance to the Kurds and Medes: Cegerxwîn is the bridge between the classical verse of Cizîrî and Xanî and the modern Kurdish poem. His work fuses Sufi depth, class consciousness, and uncompromising nationalism, and his voice became the voice of the Kurds throughout the twentieth century.

Timeline

  1. 1903 CE — His Birth: Born in the village of Hesar near Mardin in Bakur.
  2. 1914 – 1918 CE — Flight into Exile: His family fled to Rojava during the war and famine.
  3. 1946 CE — The Republic of Mahabad: He travelled to Mahabad and supported Qazi Muhammad's republic with his verse.
  4. 1979 CE — Exile in Sweden: He moved to Stockholm to continue writing beyond the reach of persecution.
  5. 1984 CE — His Death: He died in Sweden and was later reinterred in Qamishli according to his wishes.

Battles & Achievements

  • The Prîşk Collection: His first major collection, which inaugurated the modern Kurdish poem.
  • The Cegerxwîn Dictionary: The first modern Kurdish–Kurdish dictionary, setting the template for all that followed.
  • History of the Kurds and Kurdistan: A four-volume historical encyclopedia composed in Kurdish.
  • Anthems of Liberation: He wrote the most enduring Kurdish national anthems of the twentieth century.

The Exiles of Cegerxwîn

  • Mardin — His birthplace in Bakur.
  • Qamishli — His city in Rojava and his final resting place.
  • Mahabad — He visited in 1946 and supported its republic.
  • Stockholm — His final exile, where his last books were written.

Quotes & Legacy

  • I am a Kurd, and every poem of mine is a bullet in the chest of injustice. — From the collection Kîme Min.
  • Though my body be imprisoned, the tongue of my poetry is free. — Spoken during his arrest in Damascus.
  • The Kurd is born on the mountain, and so he does not fear the abyss. — From a celebrated anthem.

LEGACY

  • Cegerxwîn is the single most influential poet of the modern Kurdish conscience. His anthems are raised in demonstrations from Diyarbakir to Mahabad, his collections are taught in every Kurdish studies department, and his tomb in Qamishli is a cultural and national shrine.

SOURCES

  • Cegerxwîn · Jînenîgariya min (سيرتي الذاتية) · 1995 · Roja Nû, Stockholm
  • Joyce Blau · Mémoire du Kurdistan · 1984 · Findakly
  • Kurdish Institute of Paris — Cegerxwîn · https://www.institutkurde.org