THE LINES WHICH ARE CONNECTED WITH DECORATIVE STONES IN MAGTYMGULY’S POEMS

The creative work of the wise Magtymguly, who laid the foundation of Turkmen classical literature and unified the literary language with the spoken language of the people, encompasses all the issues of Turkmen life in his time. His works address not only philosophical views on ethics, education, morality, courage, heroism, patriotism, and national statehood but also depict the everyday life of his era, including weddings and sorrows, the beauty of Turkmen nature, and celebrate the qualities of beautiful women and brave men. The poetry of Magtymguly Pyragy is vast like the ocean, clear like a spring, precious like a pearl, and artistic like a coral structure. This is why his creativity has been likened to the cup of Jamshid. According to legends, there was once a king named Jamshid who had a cup that revealed all things happening in the world. This analogy is related to that. However, in popular belief, Magtymguly is considered a poet who not only knows what exists but also what has existed, what exists, and what will exist. This thought is indeed correct. The wise Magtymguly wrote, “I wish for a prosperous state.” This prophetic wish of the poet has been realized in its entirety based on the multifaceted initiatives of our Hero Arkadag and esteemed President.

In this work, I aim to confirm that the vocabulary of the Turkmen language was already well-developed in the 18th century by presenting verses related to stones in the works of our wise poet.

Göwher. This precious stone is considered the finest among gemstones, including clear white, yellowish, pink, and blue colors. Scientifically, it is a polished version of gowher. The droplet-shaped gemstone referred to as “göwher” appears in Magtymguly’s poems “Söhbet ýagşydyr” and “Ýaryň ýagşysyn”:

Hemra bolup oturmagyl pis bile,

Poha degseň, beýniň dolar ys bile,

Göwher daşyn ýüzük etseň mis bile,

Gymmaty egsilmez, hormat ýagşydyr.

Akyl keser, köňül galkar her bapda,

Dür-göwheri bent eýlediň mahtapda,

Bedewi-parsyda, tili-arapda,

Bagyş kyldyň bady-şütrüň ýagşysyn.

Here, it is worth mentioning that Magtymguly was not only proficient in word craftsmanship but also in the art of jewelry-making.

Zümerret. This beautiful, hard stone comes in bright green and light green colors. In ancient times, rings, earrings, and necklaces were decorated with zümerret. Magtymguly refers to this stone in the form of poetry in “Köňül hoşundadyr”:

Degresi zümerret başly,

Ner babatly, kyrk gardaşly,

Altyn tagtly, almaz täçli,

Döw begleri daşyndadyr.

Lagyl. This red, bright red, and reddish-brown stone is often set in various types of jewelry. Magtymguly clearly expresses the value of this stone in his poem “Ýaranlar”:

-Boýy teňňe, altyn kümüş – diýdiler,

Lagly-jöwahyrdan ança oýdular,

Hälem arzan diýip aýtdy ýaranlar.

Ýakut. This stone, with its dark blue, greenish, and orange colors, is known for its density. Jewelers set it in jewelry. It fits firmly and securely in ornaments. An example from the poem “Ýaşyl zümerret”:

Altynjy gat gögi söýlesem ýatdan,

Ady Defna, asly sary ýakutdan.

Hakyk. This stone, with yellowish-red, red, and reddish-brown hues, is embedded in jewelry. People believe the hakyk protects from evil eye and brings victory. From “Şal tapsa”:

Ötürler her ýerde sözüm takyga,

Garry arman eder ýigit çakyga,

Eşek monjugyna, berer hakyga,

Biçäre çopanlar ýakut-lagl tapsa.

Pöwrize. This stone, in shades of blue and green, enhances the beauty of jewelry like earrings, rings, and necklaces. Pöwrize is mainly produced in the western regions of our country. Among the people, it is also known as “mashryk stone.”

According to the story told by the seventh disciple of the great poet Magtymguly, the wise Gara işan Muhammed, this distinguished word master gifted an everlasting ring with a shining stone to his beloved. The ring made of this mashryk stone found in the museum of Magtymguly located in Gerkez village symbolizes the poet’s life, his legacy, and his descendants.

Zeberjet. This stone, in shades of bright green and golden-green, is used in various types of jewelry. Magtymguly describes the weight of this stone in his poems “Gerekdir” and “Byragyň”:

Dünýä diýip, ança jan köýüp hem bişer,

Ançalar ýaş döküp, ýüregi çişer,

Şalar haznasyna altyn-kümüş üýşer,

Gözel tagta lagl-zeberjet gerekdir.

Ýaşyl zeberjetdir iki gulagy,

Daň ýyldyzna meňzär gözi Byragyň.

Merjen. This stone comes in shades of reddish-brown, orange, and bright red, formed from the remains of living plants and animals at the bottom of the sea and rivers. Beautiful, shimmering gems are made from merjen. The poet illustrates this in the poem “Näme sen”:

Altynmy sen, kümüşmi sen, zermi sen,

Ýa aryşmy sen, ýa kursmi sen, ýermi sen,

Ýa ýakutmyň, ýa merjenmiň, dürmi sen,

Ýa çyragmyň, ýa röwşenmiň, näme sen?

M. Fasmer writes in “The Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language” that the merjen is known internationally by the name “merwerit.” Magtymguly has used this word in several places in his works. An example from the poem “Meňzär hökümli”:

Täze helal gaşly, merwerit dişli,

Tawus guş zynatly, dawut duruşly…

Dür. This organic stone comes in shades of yellowish-white, bluish-white, yellow, gray, and light pink. There are varieties of dür taken from the seas and rivers, as well as those cultivated in laboratories. Dür is mainly used to make beads. It stands out for its delicate beauty when set in jewelry. Dür is the stone most frequently found in Magtymguly’s works. The poet describes the characteristics of this delicate stone in his poems “Güman görner” and “Nadan pelekden”:

Akyl olsaň iste bu ýolda bir pir,

Ryskyňa kepildir alla mühtebir,

Altyn, kümüş, ýakut ile lagly-dür,

Hakdan gaýry tamam zyýan görüner.

Akyl keser, köňül galkar her bapda,

Dür-göwheri bent eýlediň mahtapda.

Akyl kesmez, dür ýasalmaz ussatsyz.

Sadap. This natural stone, collected from the depths of the seas, comes in various shimmering colors. Jewelry set with sadap attracts attention with its pleasant beauty. From “Mal istär”:

Uzyn boýly, galam gaşly,

Müşki-anbar ýufar saçly

Şeker zyban, sadap dişli,

Goşa nar, inçe bil istär.

The great wise, master poet, and skilled jeweler Magtymguly’s works, with their references to jewelry stones, provide a foundation to confirm that even in the poet’s time, there was a particular focus on jewelry-making and related vocabulary. Jewelry-making is one of the oldest crafts. Jewelers adorned women’s jewelry, decorated horses, and crafted items like knives, swords, and belts for men with great skill. Decorative jewelry was mainly made from silver and gold, with stones such as hakyk, jade, lazurite, pöwrize, onyx, and various minerals used, and later colorful glass began to be incorporated. The surfaces of women’s jewelry were adorned with geometric patterns and designs related to celestial bodies, plants, and animals, as well as various motifs.

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