Tsug Teutšež

Tewchoj Tsighu or Tsug Teuchezh (; ; legal birth name Tagir Aliyevich Teuchezh, ; ; August 15 [O.S. August 3] 1855, Gabukay – January 26, 1940, Ponezhukay) was a Circassian (Adyghe) Soviet poet, ashug, and the People's Poet of Adygea.

Teuchezh is considered a transitional figure in national culture; as Abu Shkhalakho noted, "Teuchezh Tsighu's poetic creativity became a bridge for Adyghe literature that connected and united two banks—folklore and written literature."

Biography

Teuchezh was born on August 15, 1855, in the aul of Gabukay in Bzhedugia (now the Republic of Adygea) into a poor Adyghe family. During his childhood, he worked as a farm laborer (batrak) and later became a skilled saddler. Teuchezh was a composer and performer of folk songs, accompanying himself on the shichepshin (a traditional bowed instrument). Although a significant portion of his work remained part of the oral tradition, many of his poems and songs were eventually transcribed into book form. Teuchezh could not read or write; he composed his works orally and dictated them to others. Despite this, he familiarized himself with the works of Adyghe poets and writers by having others read to him. He was notably influenced by the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. After hearing a translation of Pushkin's poem Poltava (translated into Adyghe by Ahmed Khatko), Teuchezh utilized its structural elements to compose his own major work, The War of Princes and Nobles .

Memory

In 1955, a bust monument to the ashug was installed in his homeland (Republic of Adygea, Teuchezhsky District, Ponezhukay aul, Lenin Street, 69). Teuchezhsky District in Adygea is named after the poet, as are various secondary schools and streets in the region. The city of Adygeysk was named Teuchezhsk from 1976 to 1992. In 1982, to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the poet's birth, the Teuchezh Tsighu House-Museum and a monument to the poet were ceremoniously opened in Gabukay by decree of the Adyghe Regional Executive Committee.

Books Selected Works. Moscow, 1956. A Share of Happiness (Adyghe: Nasip Iah). — Maykop, 1980 (Published in 1982 to commemorate his 125th anniversary; contains works in Russian and Adyghe). Historical poems: War with the Princes and Nobles (1938), Urysbiy Mefoko (1939), The Motherland (1939). Poems: "Happiness", "Stakhanov", "I Will March With You in My Old Age", "Old and New", "Our Ploughmen", and others.

Awards Order of the Red Banner of Labour (January 31, 1939) People's Poet of Adygea