qara : budunum : qatïγlanïŋ : el törüsü : ïdman : : yïta : esiz elim : qanïm
Elim : uγurïnda : sü bolčï : erlerim edükim yoq : ič biligde : bertegmede sekiz : er : sürdim :
Elim : otšïŋa bir qïlnu ...
Buŋ : baŋa : büŋ at ermiš : öldim : yïta : esizime yïlqïn yana :
Tört kü yïlqïm : sekiz adaqlïγ : barïmïm : buŋïm : yoq ertim :
qadašïma : ekenime : adïrïldïm : yïta : qara : budunuma adïrïldïm : yïta : men
English translation:
I left ownerless my wife at hearth, my children orphans in steppe. I lost you, my orphans.
Under the decision of hundred my relatives, a hundred men have filled fifty bulls.
The sun and the moon ownerless in blue Tengri . I left (my people).
To my father, to people, my ownerless orphans... I parted from my father, people, my ownerless orphans.
I tied a belt bow in gold quiver from Kürtel-khan Al Urung at the age of seventy nine.
My father Urung Külüg Toq Bögü Terikin, in the name of valor lords, came together.
My people, be firm. The governor of people has left. Deserted people, ownerless relatives.
I had not allowed soldiers to fall for my people fortune. I had captivated eight soldiers being in board.
For sake of victories of my people, making...
The grief for me was on hundred horses. I have died. My ownerless orphan horses.
My four best horses, my eight-legged house, I had no grief (before).
I parted from relatives, my ownerless common people, the orphans.
Subjects of the text
Possible Kurdish reference
The phrase "𐰚𐰇𐰼𐱅 𐰠𐰴𐰣" in the first sentence of the fifth line could be either read as "Kört äl kan" "Kürt el kan", literally meaning "the inn of the Kurdish province". This caused some researchers to believe in theories speculating the Turkic origin of Kurds. Later, some local and foreign researchers working on Turkic history accepted this reading and interpretation, and came to the possibility that the Kurds once had a relation with Turkic tribes.[3]
Notes
^The letters <kẄrtlKN> are interpreted by Tekin (1995: 20), Kormušin (1997: 236-237, 2008: 101) and Sertkaya (2017) as körtlä qan. Since the final vowel of körtlä is not written, it is either a mistake in the inscription or the two words were handled by the author as one unit, i.e. a compound. See the inscription Elegest II with plene writing of the vowel in <kẄrtlA> körtlä. Cf. the word körtlä 'beautiful' appearing in other Old Turkic sources. The interpretations kürt el kan by Orkun (1940: 180) and kört äl kan by Malov (1952: 26) are unlikely.
^The runiform letters <rlrmdẅkmYwK> are interpreted by Sertkaya (1995: 739) as er ölürmedüküm yok '(düşman askeri) öldürdüm' and (2010: 211-212) är ölürmädükim 'er (savaşçı) öldürmediğim', whereas Kormušin (2008: 101) reads ärlärmädükim joq 'ja (lično) ne poražal voinov (vraga)'.
^The phrase säkiz adaqlïγ barïm most likely describes properties or belongings of the pastoral nomads pulled by four legged draught animals on four wheeled carts, hence the number eight.
