here
the sun
rises
to see you
again
Month: April 2015
in Altunizade
one lone man
eating cheese cake
drinking cay
to my way
on the piano
11pm
in Altunizade
breakfast in Moda
menemem
and cappuccino
sun light breeze
waiting
for the promise
of the day
and the poem that led me to this wonderful poet 15 years ago thanks to Ali Rıza Esmen: I Am LIstening To Istanbul by Orhan Veli Kanık
I am listening to Istanbul with my eyes closed
First a breeze is blowing
And leaves swaying
Slowly on the trees;
Far far away the bells of the
Water carriers ringing,
I am listening to Istanbul with my eyes closed.
I am listening to Istanbul with my eyes closed
A bird is passing by,
Birds are passing by, screaming, screaming,
Fish nets being withdrawn in fishing weirs,
A woman’s toe dabbling in water,
I am listening to Istanbul with my eyes closed.
I am listening,
The cool Grand Bazaar,
Mahmutpasha twittering
Full of pigeons,
Its vast courtyard,
Sounds of hammering from the docks,
In the summer breeze far, far away the odor of sweat,
I am listening.
I am listening to Istanbul with my eyes closed
The drunkenness of old times
In the wooden seaside villa with its deserted boat house
The roaring southwestern wind is trapped,
My thoughts are trapped
Listening to Istanbul with my eyes closed.
I am listening to Istanbul with my eyes closed
A coquette is passing by on the sidewalk,
Curses, sings, sings, passes;
Something is falling from your hand
To the ground,
It must be a rose.
I am listening to Istanbul with my eyes closed.
I am listening to Istanbul with my eyes closed
A bird is flying round your skirt;
I know if your forehead is hot or cold
Or your lips are wet or dry;
Or if a white moon is rising above the pistachio tree
My heart’s fluttering tells me. . .
I am listening to Istanbul with my eyes closed.
translated by Murat Nemet-Nejat
and once more because I like this one so much: Am I In Love? by Orhan Veli Kanık
Was I going to have thoughts also?
Was I going to be an insomniac like this?
Was I going to be quiet like this?
To stop caring for the tossed salad I loved so much?
Was I going to turn into this?
translated by Murat Nemet-Nejat
Bird and Cloud by Orhan Veli Kanık
Birdman!
We have a bird
A Tree
Give me a nickel’s
Worth of clouds.
translated by Murat Nemet-Nejat
? by Orhan Veli Kanık
Why do I think of masts
When I mention a port?
And of sailboats
When I mention the open seas?
Of cats when I mention March,
Of workers when I mention justice?
And why does the old miller
Believe in God without thinking?
And on windy days
Why does the rain come down at a slant?
translated by Murat Nemet-Nejat
Traveling by Orhan Veli Kanık
I have no intention of traveling;
But if I did
I would come to Istanbul.
What would you do
If you saw me on the streetcar
going to Bebek?
I told you though,
I have no intention of traveling.
translated by Murat Nemet-Nejat
On Mustard by Orhan Veli Kanık
I was so stupid.
For years
I didn’t understand
The place
Of mustard
In society.
“One can’t
Live
Without mustard.”
Abidin was saying
The same thing
The other day
To those
Who understood
Deeper things.
I know it isn’t necessary,
But may God deprive no one
Of mustard.
translated by Murat Nemet-Nejat
Casual Poem on a Spring Day by Ch’eng Hao
The clouds are thin the wind is light the sun is nearly overhead
past the flowers through the willows down along the stream
people don’t see the joy in my heart
they think I’m wasting time or acting like a child
translated by Red Pine
Leonard Durso 