My Dear and beloved Andas,
I was always interested in Literature, and especially in French literature that I considered as the best one in Occident culture. French has always been the elite language in Turkey too (Young Turks spoke French each other, Atatürk spoke it too, …). Among the authors I liked to read his poems was the rapist of Rimbaud (another famous French poet) : Voltaire. I didn’t know he(!) was homosexual, indeed I forgot he was also French. I’ve recently discovered his poem dedicated to the prince Eugène (Austrian – I think Habsbourg): I translate into English:
« Poursuivez les musulmans
Rompez bientôt la barrière
Faîtes mordre la poussière
Aux circoncis insolents
Et plein d’une ardeur guerrière
Foulant aux pieds les turbans
Achevez cette carrière
Au sérail des Ottomans »
“Pursue these muslims
Break soon the barrier off
Make bite the dust
To the unashamed circumsizeds
And full with martial enthusiasm
By trampling the turbans underfoot
Complete this career
In the Palace of the Ottomans”
This homoerectus-sexuel also thought that we, Turks, were enemies of Art! Which Art? The gayreek homosexual Art? Yes, we bombed the “Parthenon” in 1897. Our culture is Nature, is Sky, … Our architecture style should not be that!
Unfortunately, we see some Turkish Andas that think that Lamartine could have had a positive opinion about Turks and Turkish Civilization. It isn’t correct at all. Lamartine recommended to Serbs not to destroy the Skull Tower at Nis built by Ottomans , just because he thought that this will saveguard the Anti-Turkishness among them.