Linguistic Features of the Yazidi Hymn Qewlê Kirasgorîn in Kurmanji

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Qewlê Kirasgorîn (Kurmanji: Qewlê Kirasgorîn) is a sacred Yazidi hymn recited in ritual gatherings; it functions as a theological narrative and a mnemonic device for communal memory.

Pronunciation & orthography

The hymn’s title is spelled Qewlê Kirasgorîn in Latin‑script Kurmanji. In the traditional Arabic‑based script used by Yazidis it appears as قوله كيراسگورين and in Cyrillic‑based Kurdish publications as Кевле Кирасгорин. The IPA transcription is /qewˈle kiɾasɡoˈɾiːn/. Common English misspellings include “Kirasgorin” and “Kirasgorin”.

Main exposition

Phonological patterns

Qewlê Kirasgorîn exemplifies the predominance of voiceless uvular /q/ and pharyngealized consonants that are characteristic of Kurdish religious poetry (Omarkhali 2011). The hymn employs vowel harmony, alternating between front /e/ and back /o/ vowels to create an acoustic resonance that aligns with the melodic mode (kubrî) used in performance (de la Bretèque & Omarkhali 2022).¹

Morphology and lexical formulae

The text relies heavily on the Kurdish infinitival construction “to be” + noun (e.g., “bê elîf” meaning “without the letter ‘A’”) as a symbolic device, mirroring patterns found in other Qewls such as Beyta Heyî Malê (Omarkhali 2011). Derivational suffixes –î, –an, and the emphatic particle “ê” appear repeatedly, reinforcing the hymn’s didactic tone. Lexical items are drawn from a sacred register that includes archaic terms (e.g., “bêyî” for “without”, “şehdet” for “declaration”) not used in everyday Kurmanji (Rodziewicz 2018).²

Syntax and narrative structure

The hymn follows a predominantly verb‑final (SOV) order, a feature that aligns with classical Kurdish poetic syntax (Omarkhali 2017). Parallelism is a core syntactic device: pairs of clauses mirror each other in length and grammatical construction, facilitating memorization. For instance, the opening couplet juxtaposes “Xwedê çi dike” (What God does) with “Mala wî dike” (What his house does), creating a rhythmic antithesis that is typical of Qewl poetry.³

Metric and prosodic design

Qewlê Kirasgorîn is composed of 48 beyts (couplets), each consisting of two hemistichs of eight syllables, yielding a strict octosyllabic meter. The rhyme scheme is monorhymed (AA) throughout, a hallmark of the “Qewl” genre (Rodziewicz 2018). The melodic contour (kubrî) follows a descending minor third pattern, which acoustic analysis has shown to reinforce the hymn’s solemn character (de la Bretèque & Omarkhali 2022).⁴

In the oral tradition

Fieldwork among Yazidi clerics in the Sinjar region records that Qewlê Kirasgorîn is transmitted orally from master to apprentice through a “listening‑learning” method, with no written notation permitted during the ritual (Omarkhali 2017). The hymn is performed at the beginning of the “Bê‑Cem” ceremony, where its opening lines are chanted in unison before the lead qewl‑gar (hymn reciter) proceeds with a solo rendition.

“Ezê Qewlê Kirasgorîn bêjim, da ku mêran bibin çavê Xwedê” – “I will sing the Kirasgorîn hymn so that men become the eyes of God.” (Omarkhali 2017, p. 112)

Scholarly disagreement

Omarkhali argues that Qewlê Kirasgorîn belongs to the “canonical” subset of Qewls because of its explicit theological references and its inclusion in the Şehdetiya Dîn (Declaration of Faith). Rodziewicz contends that the hymn should be classified as “semi‑canonical” since its textual variants differ across villages, suggesting a later codification process (Rodziewicz 2018). Both scholars agree on its linguistic significance but diverge on its textual stability.

Common misconceptions

Regional variation

Variations of Qewlê Kirasgorîn have been documented in four main locales:

• Sinjar (Iraq): Retains the original octosyllabic meter and uses the traditional Arabic‑script cue cards.
• Sheikhan (Iraq): Exhibits minor lexical substitutions (e.g., “Melek” for “Xwedê”) reflecting local dialectal influence.
• Syria: Performances often incorporate a regional darbuka rhythm, slightly altering the melodic contour.
• Turkey & Caucasus diaspora: Printed editions in Latin script have introduced standardized orthography, leading to a more uniform textual version.

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