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

Geceye Karsi Müdafaa

     Bu adam ölmüstür ama,
     Düsmedi topraga henüz vakit.
     Hayatini devrettik agaçlara
     Kalbi kimlere ait.

     Bu adam ölmüstür ama,
     Basucundan ayrilamadik.
     Sonsuz kederinde gecelerimizin
     Nedendir hala bu beyazlik.

     Bu adam ölmüstür ama,
     Henüz durmadi nehir.
     Ve nasibi muhtesem kuslar gibi
     Onu götürebilir.



Defense Against the Night

     This man is dead and gone but
     Time did not fall in the ground for long.
     To the trees we delivered his life.
     To whom does his heart belong?

     This man is dead and gone but
     We could not leave the dead man's side.
     In the endless sorrow of our nights
     Why does this pallor never subside?

     This man is dead and gone but
     Still the river would not stay,
     And like the birds of a glorious fate
     It can carry him away.

"Geceye Karsi Müdafaa" 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.