Poem by RUSEN HAKKI
(Turkish Poet, 1936-2011)
AT THE MOTTLE OF THE EVENING
The branch is thin, the flower is sky blue
it is snowing on my voice
when your name is mentioned.
They had carved your picture
on a tree with your name
they had hung the rug
which you covered yourself on the wall.
You both exist and not
you are both you and not
you had gone; your shadow has remained on the wall.
They say that he was both tall and thin
his love was like a public fountain as his heart
he has gone; his kiss has remained at the kids
he was a well-spoken man
his moustache was equal to his face
he has gone; his smile has remained in the rooms
also we say
he was Karacaoglan¹ when he loved
and Pir Sultan² when he went to scaffold!
¹ Karacaoglan (17th century): Ancient Turkish poet who had mostly written love poems.
² Pir Sultan (16th century): Ancient Turkish poet and religious-political leader who had written dissident poems.
ALACASINDA AKŞAMIN
Dal ince gök gökçe
sesime kar yağıyor
adın geçtikçe.
Adınla resmini
oymuşlar bir ağaca
duvara asmışlar
örtündüğün kilimi.
Hem varsın hem yoksun
hem sensin hem değilsin
gitmişsin, gölgen kalmış duvarda.
Derler ki hem uzun hem inceydi
sevgisi yüreğince sebildi
gitti, öpüşü kaldı çocuklarda
sözü sohbeti yerindeydi
bıyığı yüzüne denk düşerdi
gitti, gülüşü kaldı odalarda
hemi de deriz ki
severken Karacaoğlan’dı
ipe giderken Pir Sultan!
RUŞEN HAKKI
Translated from Turkish by Serkan Engin
ATUNIS GALAXY POETRY 