FAZIL HÜSNÜ DAGLARCA
Seçme Siirler * Selected Poems 		< i >
Translated by Talat Sait Halman 

Çanakkale'de Ölüm

     Sen ölüm,
     Evlerde pissin ama,
     Daglarda igrençsin.

     Sen ölüm,
     Birinin adi silinir de,
     Adin geçer ancak.

     Sen ölüm,
     Eli tutmaz olur da, gözü görmez olur da
     Tutarsin, görürsün oralarda ancak.

     Sen ölüm,
     Ülkelerde kötüsün ya
     Ülkelerarasi daha çirkinsin.

     Sen ölüm,
     Sayriliklardan sonra gelirsin peki,
     Su dev gibi, su dipdiri gençlerle isin nedir?



Death at the Dardanelles

     You, death,
     You are filthy in homes,
     But disgusting on the hills.

     You, death,
     Your name is mentioned only
     When someone's name is wiped off.

     You, death,
     When hands are paralysed and eyes go blind,
     Then your hand holds and your eyes see.

     You, death,
     You are evil in nations,
     But uglier among the nations.

     You, death,
     You follow in the wake of illness.
     What then do you want from healthy gigantic lads?

"Çanakkale'de Ölüm" is from SELECTED POEMS OF FAZIL HÜSNÜ DAGLARCA, translated by Talat Sait Halman, © 1969 by University of Pittsburgh Press.
Reprinted by permission of the University of Pittsburgh Press.
All rights reserved.