Another Turkish idiom that the ruling Turkish government will not like…

do you remember the ‘Ali Dibo’ language we talked a couple of weeks ago?

Well, yesterday we found another similar one. — with his origin story intact — in the opinion column of the editor of the Turkish newspaper, Gözcü (The Sentinel). And, just like the ‘Ali Dibo’ idiom, the ruling Turkish government won’t like this one either… Dağ doğurdu fare. The mountain gave birth to a mouse.

We try to read Gözcü editor Rahmi Turan’s column every day, not because we always agree with what he says, but because it expresses a particular Turkish political philosophy (which is both secular and nationalist) that needs to be understood, in opposition to the philosophy of the religious right, which has so deeply dominated Turkish politics since 2003.

Rahmi Bey is not one to be intimidated by the ‘powers that be’… and his column yesterday (which we loosely paraphrase below) is a case in point.

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Dağın fare doğurması! (Mouse born of a mountain!)

So where is (Turkish) Prime Minister Erdoğan? Where is that man who so publicly roared at PKK terrorists“They’ve pushed our patience beyond the limit! Tomorrow, we’ll show them…big time! And they’ll get what they deserve!”

Aim, he hasn’t done anything after that, and everyone is disappointed — and gossip about him in private, ‘Dağ doğurdu fee‘; ‘The mountain gave birth to a mouse’…

In the interest of my bewildered younger readers, Let me explain what that Turkish idiom means…

Nearly 3,000 years ago, the famous storyteller Aesop lived in the Aegean region. One of his fables says:

“A very deep and terrifying sound began to emanate from Mount Ida (the birthplace of Zeus). The earth began to tremble and tremble, and huge rocks flew from the top of the mountain into the sky. It seemed as if the mountain was about to give birth.”

“The population was terrified and ran for cover, trembling with fear.”

“The sky darkened, and the thunderous sound from the holy mountain grew even worse. Finally, an earthquake more violent than ever, set everything in motion, and in one terrifying moment, the mountain peak was ripped open! “

“All the people knelt down and began to pray. Some fainted from fear. Others couldn’t take their eyes off the mountain, wondering how this terror would end.”

“Suddenly the roaring, shaking and shaking stopped. The entire Aegean region fell silent.”

“Then slowly, and with barely a whisper of sound…from the huge cleft in the mountain’s peak slowly emerged…a tiny little mouse.”

Aesop’s moral for the story, says Rahmi Bey, It is this:

Behind many impressive or ‘manly’ displays, there is often very little substance. like bear politicians… who promise great things and bellow and roar, but don’t really get the job done. And in the end… a mountain gives birth to a mouse!

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[Click following to access a fully illustrated HTML version of Turkish Idiom — ‘The mountain gave birth to a mouse.’]