YAHYA KEMAL
IN THE MAHUR MODE
I saw that moon,
A shawl from Lahore
Tossed over her shoulder
And over cheeks of rose
She wore
A veil of light.Staircases
Drunk on the tender kiss
Of her hem,
She descends,
With a thousand allures,
From a porcelain palace.
She gathers up her skirts
And leaps Into a triple-oared skiff
As, I suppose,
Would the new moon
Pass over a crystal mirrorAll along the banks
On either side
The folk of Sadadabad
In bands
Applaud from afar
The promise of her coming.
And from the shores
Of the Silver Canal
Your voice breaks forth,
Oh Kemal,
Like a fountain of gold
Singing in the mahur mode.Translated by Walter G. Andrews & Kemal Silay
SONG
When the gusty pearls of laughter yesterday rose from your house,
It was I who passed, beloved, in a boat upon the sea!
With my heart to far horizons sailing from you through the night,
It was I who passed, beloved, in a boat upon the sea!There was deathless joy and pleasure yesterday in your carouse
Strains of music compassing the bay until the dawn;
As the melodies were raising and the waters paled with light,
It was I who passed, beloved, in a boat upon the sea!Translated by Bernard Lewis
LIFE
There is a halt where sea and sun appear,
There is a halt where both the worlds appear,
And the last halt--an autumn long drawn out-
Where past and future as a dream appear.Translated by Bernard Lewis
GAZEL TO GEDIK AHMED PASA
The winds prevail upon the breath of Christ
The galleons conquer to the foeman shore.To far Otranto stormed Ahmed Pasa
Perhaps as far as Rome the horsetails roar.
Cry; "God is One!": the prayer call must reach
Yon famous church where infideis adore.From Roman Pope to Christ himself the light
Of Islam flood the infidel at war.Let Kemal be an offering for your soul
To topmost heaven let this gazel soar.Translated by Bernard Lewis
THE DEATH OF HAFIZ
A rose-tree blooms in Hafiz garden grave,
Each day anew its crimson leaves unfold,
Each night the Bulbul weep until the dawn,
Its cadences evoke Shiraz of old.For him, death is a land of peaceful spring,
His heart like incense permeates the years
Each night amid the cypress by his tomb
A Bulbul sings, each day a rose appears.Translated by Bernard Lewis
BEYATLI, YAHYA KEMAL (1884-1958) Before completing his education at Robert College in Istanbul, he left for Paris in 1903 and registered at the Faculty of Political Science. Upon his return in 1912, he became a member of the Union and Progress Party. He delivered several speeches and published articles on Turkish and nationalist ideology. Towards the end of the Turkish War of Independence, he came to Ankara and became an editor-in-chief at Hakimiyet-i Milliye newspaper. He was elected to the Turkish National Assembly as representative of Urfa (1923-1936). After his ambassadorial service in Madrid and Warsaw, he returned to the Assembly as a representative of Istanbul and Tekirdag. In 1949, he retired from his ambassadorial post in Pakistan. While the content of his poetry rests upon an idealistic world view and the eternity of the soul, his love of the Ottoman past and passion for Istanbul are also pervading themes. Overall, his poetry portrays a pastoral, lyrical and romantic style and he is considered by many as the "last great Ottoman poet." POETRY: Kendi Gokkubbemiz (196l), Eski Siirin Ruzgariyle (1962), Rubailer ve Hayyam'in Rubailerini Turkce Soyleyis (1963), Bitmemis Siirler (1976). OTHER WORKS: Istanbul (1954, in collaboration with Abdulhak Sinasi Hisar and Ahmet Hamdi Tanplnar), Aziz Istanbul (1964), Egil Daglar (1966), Siyasi Hikayeler (1968), Siyasi ve Edebi Portreler (1968), Edebiyata Dair (1971), Cocuklugum, Gencligim Siyasi ve Edebi Hatiralarlm (1973), Tarih Muhasebeleri (1975), Mektuplar-Makaleler (1977).