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Turkish Language Idiom — ‘The mountain delivered a mouse.’

Another Turkish idiom the ruling Turkish government will not like…

Remember the ‘Ali Dibo’ idiom we spoke about a few days ago?

Well, we found another similar one yesterday — using its origin story intact — within the Editor’s Opinion column from the Turkish newspaper, Gözcü (The Sentinel). And, similar to the ‘Ali Dibo’ idiom, the ruling Turkish government will not such as this one either… Dag fare dogurdu. The mountain delivered a mouse.

We attempt to see Gözcü Editor Rahmi Turan’s column every single day, not because we always accept what he states, speculate he gives expression to particular Turkish political philosophy (that is both secular and nationalistic) that should be understood — towards the religious-right philosophy, that has so completely dominated Turkish politics since 2003.

Rahmi Bey isn’t someone to be overawed through the ‘powers that be’… and the column yesterday (which we loosely paraphrase below) is really a situation in point.

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Dagin fare dogurmasi! (Mouse born of the mountain!)

Where is (Turkish) Pm Erdogan? Where’s that man who so openly roared in the PKK terrorists, “They have pressed our persistence past the limit! Tomorrow, we’ll demonstrate to them… in a major way! And they’re going to get the things they deserve!”

But, he’s done nothing next, and everybody is disappointed — and mutter about him privately, ‘Dag fare dogurdu’ ‘The mountain delivered a mouse’…

Within the interest of my bewildered more youthful readers, allow me to explain what that Turkish idiom means…

Almost 3,000 years back, the famous storyteller Aesop resided within the Aegean region. Certainly one of his fables goes:

“A really deep and frightening seem started emanating from Mount Ida (the birthplace of Zeus). Our planet commenced to tremble and shake — and big boulders travelled from the mountain top in to the sky. It appeared as though the mountain involved to provide birth.”

“The populace was afraid and ran for shelter — shaking in fear.”

“Heaven blackened and also the thunderous seem in the sacred mountain grew to become a whole lot worse. Finally, an earthquake more violent than any ever-before it, set all things in motion — as well as in one terrifying moment, the mountain’s peak split available!”

“The folks all got lower on their own knees and started to wish. Some fainted from fear. Others could not place their eyes from the mountain — wondering how this terror would finish.”

“All of a sudden the roaring, the trembling, and also the shocks just stopped. The entire Aegean region went silent.”

“Then, gradually, with virtually no whisper of seem… from the huge cleft within the mountain peak there gradually emerged… a small little mouse.”

Aesop’s Moral towards the story, states Rahmi Bey, is that this:

Behind many a remarkable or ‘manly’ display, there’s frequently hardly any substance. Much like our politicians… who advertise big things and who bellow and roar — but that do not really complete the job. As well as in the finish… a mountain gives birth to some mouse!