has some profound thoughts about the state of the world.
He also learns about the tumult in Petrograd/St.
Petersburg that leads to the fall of Czar Nicholas in
March 1917 (in bold below.)//
Russia March 1917 click here for more details.
Today, The New
Year
((14 March 1917))
New Year – Year of
Blood. Yes, today is new year’s and so
we’re in a
new time. The change of season and the
frangrances in the air remind
one of other happy days. The preparation of new replacements for
those
old things that have expired tells us of the existence of a new order. In
this season everyone
more or less soothes their pains, children grow, the
flowers of Spring bloom all around
and families gain a restful happiness.
Really, this renewal of nature gives mankind practical
and spiritual
favors. That’s why it’s called the new year…so today Is the new
year…the traces of
before are manifest in this. But in the face of all
these new things there is still another
reality facing mankind and
humanity -
while nature fill hearts with gladness, grants joy to our souls
and peace to our minds it transforms them all into sorrow and yet reflects
all sorts of calm and
delight. Yes, today is the new year…but this
beginning is not a happy change for mankind, it’s
not a luxurious
renovation. Rather, it batters mankind with continuous dread.
There’s still blood
everywhere, a storm of blood all over…humanity is
still sad, civilization is
still aggrieved. If a
new year, a new day happens
with the passing of days, then we should feel a renewal with every
moment we live and compare every situation to the past. However,
renewal is telling us
about the manifestation of a beautiful change that
mankind has produced in his
mind over time; or is
it saying that the
nomadic life of ancient times is to be lived in this century
too?
This new year
cannot bring a renewal to mankind in light of the terrible
life we’ve been
living for three years.
Nature has only renewed the
calendar, as required. So in this way there’s a
newness but this hasn’t
brought mankind to a great new beginning, it has instead so far thrown
mankind into the face of
unparalleled savagery and since this will
continue to be the case, rather than
call this new year it’s
more accurate
to call it the year of blood.
14 March 1917
Wednesday
Again we’re
spending this year in captivity for the second time amidst
a thousand different
kinds of thoughts. On one
side, the Russians have
passed Erzincan and the English are approaching Bagdad. On the other,
we
have no word from our families. The pain that captivity breeds
increases day by
day… a deep unknown,
all the time and everywhere.
Dear God, grant a peace that will honor the state
and nation and one
that will at least salve the torments and pains suffered and the terrible
deprivations borne. Let beloved
poor Turkey, which has thus far been
under the tyranny of Westerners, rise and let the
much-maligned Turkish
flags wave with honor everywhere. Let us be happy too
…the
weather is clear, nice.
The cold is about minus ten. We toured the
city a bit in the afternoon. Salah
came from Malaşova again. In
any case
the samovar problem has been solved. Çerkes Mehmet was supposed
to go to Varanoj
province today but it’s been put off until tomorrow. At
night we read German
with the Austrian
Alexander.
15 March 1917
Thursday
The weather is
quite bad. There was a violent storm in the morning and
rain mixed with snow
fell. It was bitter cold
until mid-afternoon. Then
it eased up. I went to Malaşova in the afternoon. I chatted with Nuri,
Tahir and two other fellows. When I returned I saw that Süleyman,
who’s been sick since
yesterday, had worsened. He’s talking nonsense,
raving. The doctor examined
him. It seems he’s got
brain fever. May
God give him health. News: in Petrograd there’s conflict
between the Duma and the
government. A great rebellion
and revolt has arisen. Peace is being demanded. In this
regard a
telegram has come to the Commander and a
copy in German will be brought here…the ministers
have
been sacked, imprisoned…good. May God give
them their due.
At night both Halis and I were
struck with a terrible bewilderment
mixed with anxiety.
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