"Aşan bilir karlı dağın ardını," she whispered to the cold air. Only the one who crosses knows what lies behind the snowy mountain.
She began to sing. Her voice, rich and evocative—the same voice that would one day make her a legend of Turkish folk music —carried over the valleys. She sang of the "bülbül" (nightingale) and the price of the rose’s sorrow. She sang for those who "know the pain of separation" ( Çeken bilir ayrılığın derdini ). Aysun Gultekin Asan Bilir Karli Dagin Ardini
Years later, when Aysun stood on the grand stages of , she would close her eyes and return to that village edge. Every time she performed Aşan Bilir Karlı Dağın Ardını , she wasn't just singing a "türkü" (folk song); she was crossing that mountain again, bringing the echoes of the lonely plateaus to the rest of the world. "Aşan bilir karlı dağın ardını," she whispered to