Etim Emin

(pseudonym of Magomed-Emin, son of Sevzikhan). Born 1838, in the aul (village) of Tsiling, in presentday Kurakh Raion, Dagestan ASSR; died 1884, in the aul of laldzhukh, in present-day Akhty Raion, Dagestan ASSR. Lezgin poet.

Etim Emin was the son of a qadi (judge). After receiving his education in a madrasa, he took his father’s place in the court. But shortly afterward, he was compelled to give up the post. Etim Emin was the first Lezgin to write poems in his native language, using the Arabic alphabet. He condemned social injustice and expressed sympathy for the destitute in such poems as “A Cry for Help.” The poet protested against national oppression (“The Uprising of 1877”) and dreamed about a just social system (“To My Friends,” “To the World”). His lyric poems are popular. Etim Emin established the use of new forms in Lezgin poetry, including the eight-syllable syllabic line and rhymed refrains. His poems were first published in the Soviet period.