Söz: Can Yücel
Müzik: Ahmet Kaya
ahmet kaya
the poem in the poet's own voice
(the lyrics are as sung by ahmet kaya)
Sevgi Duvarı
Sen miydin o yalnızlığım mıydı yoksa
Kör karanlıkta açardık paslı gözlerimizi
Dilimizde akşamdan kalma bir küfür
Salonlar piyasalar sanat sevicileri
Derdim günüm insan arasına çıkarmaktı seni
Yakanda bir amonyak çiçeği
Yalnızlığım benim pasaklı kontesim
Ne kadar rezil olursak o kadar iyi.
Kumkapı meyhanelerine dadandık
Önümüzde; altınbaş, altın zincir fasulye pilakisi
Ardımızda görevliler hızır paşalar
Sabahları açıklarda bulurlardı leşimi
Öyle sıcaktı ki çöpçülerin elleri
Çöpçülerin elleriyle okşardım seni
Yalnızlığım benim süpürge saçlım
Ne kadar kötü kokarsak o kadar iyi
Baktım gökte bir kırmızı, bir uçak
Bol çelik, bol yıldız, bol insan
Bir gece sevgi duvarını aştık
Düştüğüm yer öyle açık seçik ki
Başucumda bir sen varsın bir de evren
Saymıyorum ölüp ölüp dirilttiklerimi
Yalnızlığım benim çoğul türkülerim
Ne kadar yalansız yaşarsak o kadar iyi.
the wall of love
was it you or my solitude
we used to open our rusty eyes in a pitch black
a curse on our lips from last night
galleries, promenades, art lesbians (1)
my purpose, my day, was to take you out among people
an ammonia flower on your collar (2)
my solitude, my sloppy countess
the more we're humiliated the better
we frequented the kumkapı taverns (3)
altınbaş, golden chain and bean salad before us (4)
officials/waiters and hızır paşas behind us (5)
they used to find my carcass offshore in mornings
so hot were the hands of garbage men
i used to cuddle you with the hands of garbage men
my solitude, my shrubby-haired one
the worse we stink the better
i looked up, a red in the sky, a plane
plenty of steel, plenty of stars, plenty of people
one night we passed beyond over the wall of love (6)
so clear and distinct was where i fell
next to me is only you and the universe
i don't count those whom i resurrected with my deaths
my solitude, my plural songs
the more we live without lies the better
---
1. sevici literally means lover, but it gained a special meaning as lesbian. he makes a pun for art-lover. be sure not to use the word sevici out of its context.
2. ammonia flower: as far as i guess, this is the arum lily.
3. kumkapı: a district in istanbul known for its taverns (meyhane in turkish)
4. altınbaş: meaning golden head, a raki brand. i couldn't figure out golden chain. it might be a food or drink. i'll look for it when i go to kumkapı next time.
5. i don't know any place called hızır paşa in the district. he might be making a remote allusion to hızır paşa who is said to have pir sultan abdal hanged, but i'm not sure. (until recently, the existence of this hızır paşa was also questionable due to anachronism.)
6. the wall of love: as far as i understand, this as an allusion to the term sound barrier, which we call ses duvarı. ses duvarını aşmak is to break the sound barrier, which supersonic planes usually do. i couldn't retain the allusion in the translation.