FAZIL HÜSNÜ DAGLARCA Seçme Siirler * Selected Poems

Translated by Talat Sait Halman

Deniz Feneri Uzanmis koca burun açik denize dogru, Lacivert ve gri gecenin degerinde. Karanlikla baslar bir dünya sevgisi, Deniz feneri parlar, Talihe aldirmadan kayalar üzerinde. Bulutlar birlesir alaca düzlüklerde, Çöker uzak limanlardan bir sis. Bir sikinti baslar karanliginda kaderin, Bildirir, yaninca yaninca, Ömrün neresindesiniz, askin neresindesiniz? Yüregin mi daraliyor, yildiz isiginda, Birak anilar gitsin biraz daha geri. Ruhu götürmeden vakit yürüyebilir, Düsün nasil durmus sabirla yüzlerce yil, Hep bu benekte bu deniz feneri. Bak deniz savaslarina, yasli korsanlara, Uçan dalgalara, uyuyan rüzgara bakmis, Bir tek göz kadar kara ve mavi, Enginle bos, Kismetsiz balikçilara bakmis. Saçlarinda tuz kokan, ölü kokan bir serinlik, Yüzünde bir firtina tadi. Durursun yorgun, umutsuz, Birden bir daha yanip söner, sevinçle titrersin, Bir sey, belki de yasaman uzadi. Yaslidir dullarin ölçülmez özleminde, Güçlüdür kocaman geceleri tasir. Delidir, konusmaz, uyumaz, Sonrasizligin iyiligini bekler, kötü günlerden, Akillidir. Sarhos gemilerimiz sallanir sallanir, Gömülmüs kasirgalarin uykusuyla belli, Kayalar mezarlara benzer enginlerden, Duyulur sudan göge kadar, "Ölüsü kandilli." Vakit yok olur, zamandan bosalir varlik, Düsmez burçlardan haber. Bir ugursuzlukla agir ve yorgun, Bütün insanlar bitti sanirsiniz, Deniz feneri gülümser.

Beacon Jutting far into the high seas, the promontory, Cherished as the lazulite and silver light, smoulders. A terrestrial love starts in the dark While the beacon shines Despite destiny on the boulders. Clouds fuse in crepuscule dimensions. From distant harbours fogs descend, And sadness stirs in the darkness of fate. Blazing and blinking, the beacon inquires: Where in life do you stand, where in love do you stand? If the heart cringes in the starlight, Memories might recede and recoil. Time may tread on without the soul's cargo As the beacon has stood for ages With patience on this same soil. It witnessed sea battles and ancient pirates, Caught the wind asleep and the waves in flight, As blue and black as a single eye, And vacant as the vast seas. Ill-fated fishermen struggled in its sight. In your hair a cool air smells of salt and death. On your face a cyclone's flavours linger. You stand weary and forlorn. Suddenly flickering, quivering with joy, Something, perhaps life, is now longer. Dolourous as widows' indomitable desires, Upon its prowess the gargantuan night lies. Insane, taciturn and awake, It craves from disaster the charity of end-all. It is wise. Our drunken vessels roll and sway. The sleep of buried hurricanes is stirred. Rocks stretch far like pelagic graves. From the sea to heaven The sailor's curse is heard. Time vanishes and life abandons time. From the galaxies descend no bulletins. Heavy and tired with an ill omen, When all men are thought to have ceased, The beacon grins.