Hozali Gelin — Malatyali Ibrahim

Watch Malatyalı İbrahim's soulful performance of this classic folk song: Hozalı Gelin Malatyalı İbrahim - Topic YouTube• Dec 29, 2020 Musical Context and Interpretations

The term typically refers to someone from a "hoza" (a place with stubble or unplowed land), but in the context of the song, it serves as a poetic identifier for the beloved "Gelin" (bride). Malatyali Ibrahim Hozali Gelin

The song follows a familiar theme in Turkish folk music—the pain of a lover watching the "göç" (migration/moving) of their beloved. A particularly poignant verse mentions keeping a lock of the beloved's hair to be buried with the speaker if they cannot be together in life. "Aşağıdan gelir hozalı gelin / Topla fistanını toz

"Aşağıdan gelir hozalı gelin / Topla fistanını toz olur gelin / Kaldırsam peçeni baksam yüzüne / Eller arif olmuş söz olur gelin" (The hozalı bride comes from below / Gather your skirts so they don't get dusty / If I lift your veil and look at your face / People are wise to us; there will be gossip) The Narrative Arc Malatyali Ibrahim Hozali Gelin