FAZIL HÜSNÜ DAGLARCA Seçme Siirler * Selected Poems

Translated by Talat Sait Halman

Bu Eller miydi Bu eller miydi masallar arasindan Rüyalara uzattigim bu eller miydi. Arzu dolu, yasamak dolu, Bu eller miydi resimleri tutarken uyuyan. Bilyalarin aydinlik dünyaciklari Bu eller miydi hayati o dünyalarin. Altin bir oyun gibi eserdi Altin tüylerinden mevsimin rüzgari. Topraktan evler yapan bu eller miydi Ki simdi degmekte toprak olan evlere. El isi vazifelerin önünde Tirnaklarini yiyerek düsünmek ne iyiydi. Kaybolmus o çizgilerden Falcinin saadet dedikleri. O köylü çakisinin kestigi yer Sögüt dallarindan düdük yaparken... Bu eller miydi kesen mavi serçeyi Birkaç damla kan ki zafer ve kahramanlik. Yorganin altina saklanarak Bu eller miydi sevmeyen geceyi. Ayrilmis sevgili oyuncaklardan Kirmis küçücük siselerini. Ve her seyden ve her seyden sonra Bu eller miydi Allaha açilan !;

Were These the Hands? Were these the hands that used to leap Out of fables into dreams, were these the hands? Full of yearning, full of life, Were these the hands that clutched the pictures and fell asleep? The tiny shining worlds of marbles were theirs. Were these the hands that sparked them into life Where the season's breeze wafted Like a golden game out of their golden hairs? Were these the hands that built the houses of clay Which now caress the houses turned to dust? Face to face with arts-and-crafts assignments, It was so nice to muse and bite your fingernails away. Gone from those lines for good Are aspects that the fortune-teller read as happiness, Where the jackknife had slashed While carving whistles out of willow wood. Were these the hands that slayed the blue sparrow, Sporting some drops of blood for victory and glory? Hiding underneath the quilt Were these the hands that hated the night so? They abandoned all the cherished, flighty Toys and smashed their tiny bottles, too. Yet, in the face of everything, Were these the hands that opened up to God Almighty!