1

Das Uhrenstellinstitut
Saatleri Ayarlama Enstitüsü
The Time Regulation Institute
L I B R E T T O
In Turkish with English translation

Original text in Turkish by Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar

Translation in English by Maureen Freely and Alexander Dawe
Arrangement by Sinan Samanli
2

“Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar(1901-62) is considered one of the

most significant Turkish novelists of the twentieth century. Also a poet,
short-story writer, essayist, literary historian, and professor, he created a
unique cultural universe in his work, combining a European literary voice
with the Ottoman sensibilities of the Near East.„
- Penguin Classics Edition

“For all its historical and cultural specificity, “The Time Regulation
Institute” is before all else a first-rate comic novel, one with a fairly large
foot in the Western literary tradition called Menippean satire. Works
within the orbit of this genre stretch across the centuries, including
Aristophanes’ “The Clouds,” Erasmus’s “In Praise of Folly,” Huxley’s
“Point Counter Point” and those “Fortuna’s wheel” sections of Toole’s “A
Confederacy of Dunces.” What such otherwise dissimilar books have in
common is a delight in exposing the limits of human reason, with
particular scorn for any intellectual system that attempts to
comprehensively explain the world. Throughout history, whenever a
theory arises that seeks to encapsulate human experience — politically,
philosophically, economically, whatever — a Menippean satire emerges
to make fun of it. So too with “The Time Regulation Institute,” in which
Tanpinar creates an allegorical premise at once specific and broad
enough to effectively satirize the entire 20th century, a century of systems
if ever there was.„
- The New York Times

Curriculum Vitae SINAN SAMANLI 05.04.2020

Sinan Samanli wurde am 21.03.1990 in Istanbul, Türkei geboren. Er hat

Klassische Guitarre an der Yıldız Technische Universität, Musikologie,
Musiktheorie und Komposition(mit Ahmet Altınel) am Mimar Sinan
Konservatorium studiert.

2016 began er sein Masterstudium Komposition an der Kunstuniversität

Graz, wo er Komposition mit Beat Furrer und Bernhard Lang,
Stimmbildung mit Franziska Hammer-Drexler und Gerd Kenda, Klavier
mit Han-Gyeol Lie studiert hat. Gelegentlich hat er Unterrichten von
Brian Ferneyhough, Georg Friedrich Haas, Pierluigi Billone, Chaya
Czernowin, Pierluigi Billone, u.ä. bekommen.

Seine Musik ist von Schallfeld Ensemble, ICE Ensemble, Ensemble

Multilaterale, Cantando Admont, u.ä. in Österreich, Frankreich,
Finnland, dem Ukraine und in der Türkei aufgeführt.

2019 hat er den ersten Preis im Sektion Kammermusik von der Torre
della Quarda Kompositionswettbewerb für sein Duo Neume
gewonnen.

Neben seiner Tätigkeit im Bereich Komposition tritt er in Graz

gelegentlich als Oudspieler auf.
3

1.SCENE 2.SCENE 3.SCENE 4.SCENE 5.SCENE

Summary -Hayri and Halit are -Hayri can not go on -Halit brings him to The public becomes Hayri´s work is
depicted working further: a tavern where he doubtful of the Time interrupted as the
at the Institute. -“I just miss my old demonstrates his Regulation Institute religious figure
-The static scene self„ power of bringing altogether and Halit incarnates before
Halit´s full attention him and offers
reveals Hayri´s the public opinion quickly fabricates a
him the truth.
discontent with his is directed on Hayri. to his will. story to reestablish
Hayri asks for
position as well as He must convince credibiity.The unwilling only a part of it.
the hiearchy Hayri to go on. Hayri is given the task of He is therefore
between the two writing a historical study brought to the
characters. on a fabricated religious realization that he
figure. himself is to
blame for his
problems.

Place The Time Regulation The Time Regulation A crowded tavern at The Time Regulation The Time
Institute’s Institute’s night Institute’s Headquarters Regulation
Headquarters Headquarters Institute’s
Headquarters

Choir(SATB) Silent at the Silent at the backstage. -The choir crowds the Silent, either backstage or Silent, either
backstage. stage. on the stage backstage or on
the stage
4

Das Uhrenstellinstitut
Saatleri Ayarlama Enstitüsü
The Time Regulation Institute
L I B R E T T O
In Turkish with English translation

Original text in Turkish by Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar

Translation in English by Maureen Freely and Alexander Dawe
Arrangement by Sinan Samanli

I. Scene

[Hayri and Halit are sitting at a rather big table. Hayri has a huge pile of matchboxes in
front of him and struggles with the duty of constructing a scale model for a clock-
shaped building using them despite clearly not having any knowledge of architecture.
Halit is relaxed, patronizing, hidden in his newspaper, occasionaly paying attention to
Hayri´s work only to return to his former state in disappointment. They are singing
their lines simultaneously but do not necessarily communicate.]

Hayri:

-Gömülmüstüm bu manasiz aleme I was in thrall to this world

Bir hayvanin eline düsmüsüm gibi
Cok tüylü, yumusak bir yigin kol ve kanatli,
Insani sömürüp tüketen bir hayvanin eline
Sömüren, bitmez tükenmez gidiklamalar
Kisik gülüsler ve haz bayginliklari icinde
Sömürüp tüketen bir hayvanin eline
düsmüsüm gibi
Gömülmüstüm sanki bu manasiz aleme
As if fallen into the grips of a beast
Engulfed by its many soft arms and ticklish wings
In the grips of a densely feathered beast
While its husky voice lulled me
Into a a languid stupor
I was in thrall to this world
As if fallen into the grips of a beast.

Halit:

-Saat, zaman ve ayar fikrini binanin icinde ne
suretle ifade ettiniz?
Bunlar herhangi bir binada yapilabilecek
seylerdir.
Saat fikrinin binanin bünyesine girmesini
istiyoruz.
Binanin kendisinde programimizi ve gayemizi
görmek istiyoruz.
And in what way did you express the essence of
timepieces, or of time and regulation, in the buildings
interior?
Such ornaments can be tacked onto any building.
We want the concept of a timepiece to be embodied in the
very structure of the building.
We want to see our programs and goals manifested in the

[The accumulating music achieves a climax. Hayri abruptly stands up]

Hayri:

-Insaf ve merhamet! Show mercy on me!

5

II. Scene
[Hayri slowly walks toward a standing clock on the stage and sits on the ground in
front of it]

Hayri:

-Fakat neyi anlatabilirim, But who was I fooling?

Kime anlatabilirim?
Insan neyi anlatabilir?
Insan insana,
insanlara hangi derdini anlatabilir?
Yıldızlar birbiriyle konuşabilir,
Insan insanla konusamaz.
To whom could I explain myself?
For what can a man ever really convey?
What grief can one man truly share with another?
The stars might speak to one another,
but man can never communicate with man.

Halit:
[looks directly into Hayri’s eyes]

-Hayri bey, bize nicin inanmiyorsunuz? Hayri Bey, don´t you believe in what we´re doing?

Hayri:

-Bana müsbet bir isimiz yok gibi geliyor. It´s just that we don´t seem to be engaged in
meaningful activity.

Halit:
[stands up

-Dostum isler bizden sonra dünyaya
gelmislerdir.
Isleri onlari görecek adamlar icat eder.
Biz de bunu icat ettik.
Etrafimiza zaman suurunu verecegiz.
Razi misiniz? Vazgeciyor musunuz?
My good man, first there was man and then work.
Work was created by man to be executed by man.
And we have created this.
We´ll give our people a consciousness of time.
Are you up for the task or will you fold?

Hayri:

-Sadece eski halime hasret cekiyorum… I just miss my old self.

Halit:
[walks towards Hayri]

-Degiseceksiniz, Hayri Bey, You´re going to change, Hayri bey, change.

degiseceksiniz… But above all else,
Saatleri Ayarlama Enstitüsü herseyden
evvel The Time Regulation Institute needs you to believe.
kendisine inanilmaya muhtactir. Music! Music!
Müzik! Müzik!

[The ongoing music stops and after a brief hesitation the ensemble starts with a
grotesque dance. Enter choir]
6
III. Scene
[Halit brings Hayri to the table]
-Siz harbe girmeden maglup olmus bir
orduya benziyorsunuz.
Sonra idealistsiniz. Realiteyi
görmüyorsunuz…
Hayri:
[Offended]
-Ben mi realist degilim!
Halit:
-Biraz realist olsaniz bir parca, ufak bir
miktarda, hersey degisirdi.
Hayri:
-Ben öyle saniyorum ki her seyi oldugu gibi
görenlerdenim.
Hatta fazla realistim, rahatsiz edecek
kadar.
Realist olmasaydim size vakayi böyle
anlatabilir miydim?
Size baldizim hakkinda en ufak bir ümitle
bahsettim mi?
[Enter Sister-in-Law. Starts singing poorly]
-Ah bir görseniz, yahut dinleseniz,
Parmaklarini catirdata catirdata
Kirmizi topuklu eskarpinlerinin üstünde
Sallana sallan size Gelse o suh mecliseyi
bir kere okusa!
Daha Isfahanla Mahuru, Rastla
Acemasirani birbirinden ayiramiyor.
Kulagi yok efendim, hic yok. Sesleri
ayiramiyor.
You are like an army convinced of its defeat
before entering the war.
And you fail to comprehend the reality around
you. You´re an idealist.
I´m not a realist?
If only you had a shred of realism in you. Just
only so much, a wee bit. Oh, then
everything would change.
It seems to me that I am the only one who
sees things for what they truly are.
Indeed I am too much of a realist, I´ll have
you know- so much that it pains me.
Would I have told you all I have in the
manner that I did if I weren´t a realist?
Have I spoken to you about my sister-in-law
with any inkling of hope?
Ah, but if you could only see her, or rather
listen to her,
Singing there right before you like a great
barrel wobbling on her crimson high heels
Singing If only my love would come join this
joyful scene
She can´t tell the difference between a
Mahur and an Isfahan, a Rast from an
Acemasiran.
She has no ear sir, none at all. She´s entirely
tone deaf.
7

Halit:

-Realist olmak hic de hakikati oldugu gibi
görmek degildir.
Hakikati görmüssün ne cikar?
Hakikati oldugu gibi görmek….
Yeni adamin realizmi baskadir.
Elimde bulunan bu mal, bu nesne ile,
Onun bu vasiflariyla,
Ne yapabilirim?
Iste sorulacak sual!
Being a realist does not mean seeing the
truth for what it is.
To see the truth as it is… is to admit defeat.
But the realism of today´s man is something
else.
What can I make with the material at hand,
With this very object and all it has to offer?
That´s the question to ask.

[Sister-in-law sings better and masterfuly. Everyone on stage cheers and applauses]

-Gördünüz mü nasil begenildi? Didn´t I tell you?

Hayata inanmak lazim Hayri Bey.
Siz hayata degil, Acem Asirana
inaniyordunuz.
Degiseceksiniz, Hayru. Bey, degiseceksiniz…
Saatleri Ayarlama Enstitüsü herseyden evvel
kendisine inanilmaya muhtactir.
You need to believe in life, Hayri Bey.
But you have more belief in the Acemasiran
makam than you do on life itself!
You´re going to change, Hayri bey, change.
But above all else,
The Time Regulation Institute needs you to
believe.

[Instrumental Intermezzo]

Scene IV
Choir :
[The joy of the choir has given way to a doubtful discontent]

-Ne is görecek bu müessese? Do we really need this Institute?

Böyle bir müesseseye ne lüzum var? What good is this Institute for?
Pespaye dolandiricilar!
Tricksters through and through!

Halit:
[Thinks quickly before adressing the choir]

-Evvela büyük bir etüdümüz var. Firstly, we have quite a substantial study.
Arkadasim Hayri Bey´in A book my friend Hayri Bey has devoted most of
hemen hemen bütün ömrünü his life to.
sarf ederek yazdigi bir kitap! It is a source of great happiness to us!

Choir(including Sister-in-Law):

-Kitabinizin ismi nedir Hayri Beyefendi? What is your book called, Hayri beyefendi?
 8

Hayri:

-Seyh Ahmet Zamani Efendi Hazretleri`ne ait bir It´s a historical study of Sheikh Ahmet Efendi the
etüt. Timely.

Choir:

Ahmet Zamani Efendi? Ahmet Efendi the Timely?

Hayri:

-On yedinci asrin meshur alimlerinden. The eminent seventeenth-century scholar.

Devrin en mühim saatcisi.
Hatta Graham’dan evvel
Rabia hesaplarini bulmus diyorlar.
Sari rengi cok severmis.
Hatta spek mutat olmadigi halde
sari cübbe, sari kapli kürk giydigini
hocam Nuri Efendi söylerdi.
Sari, günesin rengidir, dermis.
He was the most important clock smith of his time.
In fact they even say he discovered
rabia calculations before Graham.
He loved the color yellow.
Indeed my master Nuri Efendi told me
He wore a yellow robe and a yellow fur coat
Though it was not the fashion at the time.
Yellow is the color of the sun, he would say.

Halit:

-Bir Venedikli vasitasiyla devrin garpli Did you mention that he corresponded with
riyaziyecilerile mektuplastigini söylüyordunuz… Western mathematicians through a Venetian
contact?

Hayri:

-Eve ama, müsbet bir sey bulunamadi. It´s right, but nothing has been proven.
Nuruosmaniye Kütüphanesindeki kitap If only that tome hadn´t been lost by the
kaybolmasaydi. Nuruosmaniye Library.

Choir:

Kitabiniz bitti mi? Have you finished writing your book?

Hayri:

-Dogrusunu isterseniz henüz hayir! To be honest, no, not yet.

Halit:

-Zannederim ki gelecek nisana yetistirirsiniz. I imagine we´ll have it ready by this coming April.
Gelecek nisanin sekizi Ahmet Zamani Efendi This April will be the hundred and eightieth
´nin ölümünün yüz sekseninci yildönümüdr anniversary of the death of Ahmet the Timely.
de…
 9

Choir:

-Mühim kesif dogrusu. Truly an important discovery… A man of such…

[Exit choir]

Halit:

Yasasin Saatleri Ayarlama Enstitüsü! Long live the Time Regulation Institute!
Siz kitabi ne zaman bitireceksiniz? When will the book be done?

Hayri:

-Nasil yazarim ben bu kitabi? How will I ever write such a book?
Mevcut olmayan bir adam icin.. And about a man who never even existed?

Halit:

-Nasil mevcut olmayan adam?
Daha demin kendiniz bahsediyordunuz.
Dördüncü Mehmet yamaninda yasamis, sari
rengi severmis.
Günesin rengidir dermis.
What do you mean, a man who never existed?
You were just talking about him.
Didn´t he like the color yellow?
The color of the sun, as he used to say.

Hayri:

-Iyi ama bütün bunlar manasiz seyer. Hepsi That´s all well, but all this is nothing more than
uydurma! nonsense. I made it all up!

Halit:

-Adi olan her sey mevcuttur Hayri Bey!
Binaenaleyh Ahmet Zamani Efendi vardir,
Biraz da ikimiz böyle istedigimiz icin vardir.
Bu kitap yazilacak.
Yahut da gider iceriye
Istifanamenizi yazar getirirsiniz!
Anything with a name exists, Hayri Bey!
So, yes, Ahmet Efendi the Timely exists.
He exists in part because we want him to.
You will write the book.
Otherwise you will step inside
And write your letter of resignation!

[Exit Halit]
 10
Scene V
Hayri:
-Gömülmüstüm.
Ucunu bucagini bilmedigim
Her gün yeni bir parcasiyla karsilastigim
Adeta tefrika halinde bir yalan olmustum.
Nasil yazarim ben bu kitabi?
Ya, kitap beüenilmezse?
Ya yalan oldugu ortaya cikarsa?
Ya pir!
Fakat yalancilarin piri kimdi acaba?
Seyh Ahmet Zamani Efendi Hazretleri:
Sari rengi pek severmis.
Uzun boylu, Sarisin, Kumral sakalli, Siyah gözlü
Dili genlciginde biraz peltekmis
Garip huylari varmis.
Mesela cok iyi meyve yetistirdigi halde
Üzümden baskasini yemezmis.
[Enter Ahmet Efendi the Timely]
Hayri:
Vaktiyle ne masum yalanlar söylermisiz!
Eski halime hasret cekiyorum…
Ahmet Efendi the Timely:
-Dönünüz! Hasretini cekiyorsaniz, dönünüz!
Amma dönemezsiniz. Artik dönemezsiniz,
Cünkü hicbir seyden vazgecemezsiniz.
Hülasa bir ahtapot gibi sayisisiz kollarla
dünyaya yapismissiniz!
Hayri:
-Dönmek istemiyorum…
…sadece biraz daha makul…
Engulfed,
I had become a confabulation
And the term of my sentence was indefinite;
My life was presented to me in daily installments
like a serial in a magazine.
How will I ever write such a book?
What if it will be disliked?
What if it will be found out to be a lie?
Oh my patron saint!
But who was the patron saint of liars?
His Holiness Sheikh Ahmet Efendi the Timely:
He loved the color yellow.
He was a tall man.
Fair but with a brown beard and black eyes.
He had a slight lisp when he was a child
He had a number of peculiar quirks of personality.
For example, though he grew a variety of
excellent fruit,
He ate nothing but grapes.
What innocent lies we told each other back then!
I just miss my old self…
Then go back to it! If you are longing for it, then
go back!
But you can´t. You can´t turn back now,
Because you aren´t willing to give anything up.
At the end of the day, you´re an octopus, with
your eight arms wrapped around the world!
I didn´t want to go back,
I just want a more reasonable…
11

Ahmet Efendi the Timely:

[laughs]

-Makul… makul…Hayir sizin aradiginiz baska Reasonable! Reasonable! No, you´re after
bir sey. something else.

Hayri:

-..Ben dogruyu ariyorum. I´m after the truth.

Yahut istiyorum. Or rather I want it,
Bir parcacik olsun… Or at least a piece of it…

Ahmet Efendi the Timely:

-Dogru, ya bütün olur, ya hic olmaz…
Dostum, bahsettiginiz saglam kiymetler
ancak bir lokma, bir hirka yasamaya razi
olan icindir.
Sizin gibi her seyi ve hepsini birden isteyenler
icin degil!
Bütün ve halis sahsiyet her seyden evvel
kendisiyle yetinmeyi icap ettirir.
Truth is either whole or not there at all.
My good friend, these unassailable truths you´re
seeking
Are there for those who are content to live with nothing
but the shirt on their back and the odd piece of bread.
They are not for someone like you, who wants it all and
straightaway!
An individual who is pure and complete seeks first of all
to meet his own needs.

Hayri:

-O kadarini isteyen yok… But I really don´t want that much…

[Silence]

[Brief instrumental postlude without words]