Büyük İnsanlik by Nazım Hikmet The Great Humanity The great humanity travels as deck passengers by ship By train in third class By foot on the roads Great humanity. Büyük insanlık gemide güverte yolcusutirende üçüncü mevkişosede yayanbüyük insanlık. The great humanity goes to work at age eight Marries at twenty Dies at forty Great humanity. BüyükContinue reading “Deck passengers”
Tag Archives: Nazim Hikmet
Bulut mu olsam
What if I were a cloud – Bulut mu olsam by Nazım Hikmet Over sea a transcendent cloud a silver ship on the sea’s face yellow fish in its waters blue algae on its floor on the shore is a naked man deep in thought. Denizin üstünde ala bulut yüzünde gümüş gemi içinde sarı balıkContinue reading “Bulut mu olsam”
The landscape changes
Seni Düşünmek – To Think of You by Nazım Hikmet Seni düşünmek güzel şey, ümitli şey To think of you is a beautiful thing, a hopeful thing Dünyanın en güzel sesindenEn güzel şarkıyı dinlemek gibi bir şey It’s as if listening to the most beautiful song sung by the world’s most beautiful voice Fakat artık ümitContinue reading “The landscape changes”
I don’t like to turn back
Autobiography -Nazım Hikmet I was born in 1902 I never once went back to my birthplace I don’t like to turn back at three I served as a pasha’s grandson in Aleppo at nineteen as a student at Moscow Communist University at forty-nine I was back in Moscow as the Tcheka Party’s guest and I’veContinue reading “I don’t like to turn back”
Five Lines / Beş Satırla
Annelerin ninnilerinden From mothers’ lullabies spikerin okuduğu habere kadar, To news spouted by talking heads, yürekte, sokakta, kitapta, yenebilmek yalanı, To overcome lies in the heart, in the street, in books, anlamak, sevgilim, o, ne müthiş bahtiyarlık, To discover, my love, the awesome good fortune, anlamak gideni ve gelmekte olanı. Of understanding what is goneContinue reading “Five Lines / Beş Satırla”
Nazım Hikmet sings
Seni düşünmek güzel şey, ümitli şey To think of you is a beautiful thing, a hopeful thing Dünyanın en güzel sesinden En güzel şarkıyı dinlemek gibi bir şey It is like listening to the most beautiful song Being sung by the world’s most beautiful voice Fakat artık ümit yetmiyor bana, But hope finally isn’t enough forContinue reading “Nazım Hikmet sings”
Paralyzed with shock
Today is Sunday. Today for the first time they took me out into the sun. And for the first time in my life the sky Was so far away from me And so blue And so vast that I stood paralyzed With shock. Then, respectfully, I sat upon the ground, Leaning my back against theContinue reading “Paralyzed with shock”
Your whole occupation
Living is no laughing matter: you must live with great seriousness like a squirrel, for example— I mean without looking for something beyond and above living, I mean living must be your whole occupation. YaşamakContinue reading “Your whole occupation”
Yaşıyoruz çok şükür der gibi
I love you like dipping bread into salt and eating Like waking up at night with high fever and drinking water, with the tap in my mouth Like unwrapping the heavy box from the postman with no clue what it is fluttering, happy, doubtful I love you like flying over the sea in a planeContinue reading “Yaşıyoruz çok şükür der gibi”
Ve sana söylemek istediğim en güzel söz
The most beautiful sea hasn’t been crossed yet. The most beautiful child hasn’t grown up yet. The most beautiful days we haven’t seen yet. And the most beautiful words I wanted to tell you I haven’t said yet. Nazım Hikmet, “24 September 1945” (English translator unknown) En güzel deniz: henüz gidilmemiş olandır, En güzel çocuk:Continue reading “Ve sana söylemek istediğim en güzel söz”