We do not know the original title of the song. The name "Davancingning Qizi" was apparently derived from the first word of the poem. This song was dedicated to a Dabancing beauty Ambar Xan before 1877. Logically it should be called "Ambar Xan" or "Emeber Xan". People also call it "Qambar Xan" by imitating the popular name.

The oldest text of the song was published in 1911 by A. v. Le Coq. In the end of December 1905, the Lukcun Wang invited the member of the Second German expedition Albert von Le Coq and Theodor Bartus to his palace for Caghan. After the feast, they went into a room to listen songs by Wang's women singers accompanied by a man with a Si-tar, a long-necked instrument of the violin type. Le Coq invited these singing ladies to his place in Qaraxoja and recorded their songs into the Naxsha Sanduq (phonograph). He gave the phonograph record to the Berlin Institute of Psychology when he returned back in January 1907 and published the texts in 1911. If the record was not destroyed during the war, it would be the earliest record of Uygur songs. According to Le Coq: "The poem sings of the love of one of the warriors of Yakub Beg for the most beautiful woman of the East, Ambar Khan of Dabancing. It was here at Dabancing that Yakub Beg's army made their last desperate attempt to drive back the superior forces of the Chinese. It failed, however, and the two lovers were parted for ever."

Ambarxan

Dabancingning yeri qatiq
tawuzi tatliq
Dabancingda bir yarim bar
Ambarxan atliq

Ambarxanning saci uzun
yerge tigemdu
Ambarxandin sorap baqing
erge tigemdu

Ushshaqqina uncelerim cecilip ketti
terip bersengcu
Soyey disem boyum yetmes
egilip bersengcu

Atlaringni haydaydiken
muz dawan birlen
Bir yaxshini qiynaydiken
bir yaman birlen

Qarisam korenmeydu
dabancingdiki qorghan
Ejep bir yaman iken
ambarxandin ayrilghan

This was recorded from Zuwaida Xan, a fifteen year old daughter of their landlord in Qaraxoja in December 1905. There must have more verses to be a full text. The song is beautiful, and worth to have a dozens of musicians to re-produce it in all kinds of versions including jazz, rock-'n'-roll, rumba, disco, trio, quartet and symphony.

A. von. Le Coq. 1911. Sprichworter und Lieder aus der Gegend von
Turfan. Baessler Archiv, Beiheft I, Leipzig: B. G. Teubner.

Kahar Barat