Rasul Gamzatov (1923-2003), Avar poet, USSR State Prize laureate (1952), National Poet of Dagestan (1959), Lenin Prize laureate (1963):
Tukay is like an evidence of greatness of the gifted nature of his outstanding great nation. My love for him has come to me hereditably. I grew up in the poetical family. His name often sounded in our highland saklya during my childhood, and it has imprinted in my heart. My father did not know the Tatar language, and I do not. The poet has a wonderful fortune. Even our Dagestan poets, who wrote in the daughter languages, often did not know each other. The name of Gadulla Tukay went through seas and rivers from distant Tatarstan. He found shelter in every house, every saklya. “What a wonderful poet!” my father said about him. Reading him, the outstanding Russian poet Yesenin also said, “What a poet!”
Everybody, who read him, is likely to say, “What a poet!” He is really outstanding and great poet. When there was no electricity and candles in the mountains, we had such a position called firekeeper. Tukay can be certainly called as a firekeeper of his nation. It is fire of love, fire of talent, fire of uncompromising attitude to platitude, and lie, fire of hate towards numerous enemies of the world. And he left us this fire. And we will carry it with us for years and centuries. His name is important for us. His life is like a lightning. His fortune is important for us because it is closely connected with the nation’s fortune. He handed down us a great heritage. It belongs not only to the Tatar nation, but also to all the nations. I feel sorry for myself that I am poor; I think that I am poor, because I do not know the Tatar language. However, at the same time I think that I am rich, because I understand him, feel his love, his friendship, and his talent. I give many thanks to the nation which presented us such a great son as the poet Gabdulla Tukay.