Mirvarid Dilbazi – the first female National Poet of Azerbaijan
Mirvarid Pasha gizi Dilbazi was one of the well-known representatives of Azerbaijani poetry in the 20th century. She was born on August 19, 1912 in the village of Khanliglar (now Musakoy) in the Gazakh district. After losing her father at a young age, Mirvarid grew up in the village of Dashsalahly under the care of her grandfather Mustafa agha. The rich spiritual atmosphere of this place had a significant influence on her development as a person.
In the 1920s, Mirvarid moved to Baku to continue her education, where she studied at a Female Seminary. After graduation, she worked as a teacher at a Railway School in Balajary and other educational institutions. Later, she received a higher education at the Azerbaijan Pedagogical Institute, taught at the Party School in Guba, and then returned to Baku, where she continued her literary activities in the journal “Sharg gadini” (“Woman of the East”). She also worked as the head of the department at the Institute of Manuscripts of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences and as a translator at the Azerbaijan State Publishing House.
Mirvarid Dilbazi’s first literary work was the poem “Women’s Emancipation”, which was published in 1927, and her first poetry collection “Our Voice” was released in 1934. Her poetic work is rich in lyrical experiences, themes of women’s freedom, love for the Motherland, and humanistic values. Collections such as “First Spring”, “Love is Born with Us”, “Pictures from Life”, “Where Memories Live”, “Lilac Season”, “Mountain Flower”, “When Violets Freeze”, “Mother’s Wings”, “Snowy Flowers”, and “When Cranes Fly By” reflect Mirvarid Dilbazi’s wide poetic range. Her children’s books, including “Fairy Tales”, “To My Little Friends”, “Spring Comes”, “Lala’s Trees”, and “In the Gardens of Absheron” demonstrate her attention to educating the younger generation.
Mirvarid khanim was known not only as a poetess but also as a talented translator. She translated the works of such classics and contemporaries as Khaqani Shirvani, Nizami Ganjavi, Alisher Navoi, Alexander Pushkin, Taras Shevchenko, Nikolai Tikhonov, Samuil Marshak, as well as Euripides’ tragedy “Hippolytus” into Azerbaijani. Her own works have been translated into many languages. Many renowned composers, including Aghabaji Rzayeva, set music to her poems. Songs like “Choban Gara”, “The Bride Enters Our Home”, “Lullaby”, “Remembering Mom”, and “Azerbaijan” still hold a special place in the hearts of listeners.
The creative work of Mirvarid Dilbazi is also intricately connected to socio-political events. The tragic events in the history of Azerbaijan at the end of the 20th century had a particularly strong influence on her poetry. Poems like “Cry, my kamancha, cry” and “Don’t let me cry” reflect the fate of refugees and displaced persons, while “Kiss this bloody land”, “At the Martyrs’ Cemetery” depict the tragedy of January 20th. During this period, her lyrical “Me” became not just a poetic image, but a symbol embodying the pain of the people.
Mirvarid Dilbazi’s literary legacy encompasses various genres: poetry, epic poems, plays. Epics such as “Mehseti”, “The Algerian Girl”, “Partisan Aliya”, “Conversation with the mountain Avay”, plays like “The Cry of Khojaly”, “Mehseti” demonstrate the thematic richness of her work. Continuing the traditions of classical poetry in the modern language, she shaped the spiritual and social image of Azerbaijani women.
The outstanding poetess Mirvarid Dilbazi passed away on July 12, 2001.
Her literary and social activities were highly praised by the state. She was awarded honorary titles such as “Meritorious Worker of Culture”, “People’s Poet”, and decorated with orders like “Order of the Red Banner of Labor”, “Order of Honor”, and “Istiqlal”. Her 85th birthday was celebrated at a national level with the personal participation of the national leader Heydar Aliyev. In 2012, according to the decree of President Ilham Aliyev, the centenary of Mirvarid Dilbazi was also officially celebrated.
Recommended literature:
- Ağabalayeva, Südabə Ağabala qızı. Zamanla üz-üzə : monoqrafiya / S. A. Ağabalayeva ; red. M. Çəmənli ; Azərbaycan Respublikası Mədəniyyət və Turizm Nazirliyi. - Bakı : Təhsil, 2013. - 176 s.
- Dilbazi, Mirvarid Paşa qızı. Seçilmiş əsərləri / M. P. Dilbazi ; red. V. Vüqarlı ; bur. məsul Ə. Güləliyev. - Təkrar nəşr. - Bakı : Lider nəşriyyat, 2004. - 280 s.
- Dilbazi, Mirvarid Paşa qızı. Fikir ümmanında : əsərlərindən seçmələr / M. P. Dilbazi ; tərt. P. Məmmədli ; Azərbaycan Respublikası Mədəniyyət və Turizm Nazirliyi. - Bakı : "E.L." NPŞ MMC, 2014. - 532 s.