Jvightingales & 'Pleasure 9Ardens

JVightingales & 'Pleasure 9ardens

Middle East Literature in Translation Michael Beard and Adnan Haydar, Series Editors Other titles in the Middle East Literature in Translation series

A Child from the Village Sayyid Qutb; John Calvert and William Shepard, ed. and trans.

The Committee Sonallah Ibrahim; Mary St. Germain and Charlene Constable, trans.

A Cup ofSin: Selected Poems Simin Behbahani; Farzaneh Milani and Kaveh Safa, trans.

Granada Radwa Ash our; William Granara, trans.

In Search of Wal id Masoud: A Novel Jabra Ibrahim Jabra; Roger Allen and Adnan Haydar, trans.

The Night ofthe First Billion Ghada Samman; Nancy N. Roberts, trans.

Sleeping in the Forest: Stories and Poems Sait Faik; Talat S. Halman, ed.; Jayne L. Warner, assoc. ed.

Three Tales of Love and Death Out el Kouloub

A Time Between Ashes and Roses Adonis; Shawkut M. Toorawa, ed. and trans.

Women Without Men: A Novella Shahrnush Parsipur; Kamran Talattof and Jocelyn Sharlet, trans.

Zanouba: A Novel Out el Kouloub; Nayra Atiya, trans. JVigfitingales & 'Pleasure gardens Turkish Love Poems

Editor and Translator Talat S. Halman

Associate Editor Jayne L. Warner

First Edition 2005 12 13 14 15 16 6 5 4 3 2

∞ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992.

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ISBN: 978-0-8156-0835-6

Half-title Page: design from sixteenth-century Iznik tile from the mausoleum of Hürrem, the wife of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, Istanbul, 1558. Part One, Premodern Love Poems: “Rhodian” period (second half of the sixteenth century) Iznik pottery flower motif. Dawn of Love: semi-stylized flower motif from a tile in the sixteenth-century Ramazan Efendi Mosque, Istanbul. Legends of Love: semi-stylized tulip motif from the Harem at Topkapı Palace, Istanbul. Whirling Ecstasy: “Rhodian” period Iznik pottery flower motif. Love’s Paradise: “Rhodian” period Iznik pottery flower motif. Love Is All: “Rhodian” period Iznik pottery flower motif. Sovereign Love: stylized rosebud from a tile in the sixteenth-century Ramazan Efendi Mosque, Istanbul. Many-Splendored Songs: “Rhodian” period Iznik pottery flower motif. Part Two, Love Poems from the Turkish Republic: detail of scroll on the lid of an Iznik bowl of the “Rhodian” period.

The above illustrations are reprinted from Azade Akar,Authentic Turkish Designs (New York: Dover, 1992); Azade Akar, Treasury of Turkish Designs (New York: Dover, 1988); and Inci A. Birol and Çiçek Derman, Türk Tezyînî San’atlarında Motifler / Motifs in Turkish Decorative Arts (Istanbul: Kubbealtı Iktisâdî İşletmesi, 1995).

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Nightingales and pleasure gardens : Turkish love poems / editor and translator Talat S.Halman ; associate editor Jayne L.Warner. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0–8156–0835–7 (alk. paper) 1. Love poetry, Turkish—Translations into English. 2. Turkish poetry—Translations into English. I.Halman, Talât Sait. II.Warner, Jayne L. PL235.N54 2005 894'.351008'03543—dc22 2005012389

Manufactured in the United States of America Contents

Preface xi

Note on Turkish Spelling xv

PART oNE I 'Premodern Love 'Poems

DAw N o F Lo v E: Earliest Turkish Love Poems

My darling, best of all APRiN t;:OR TiGiN 5

Say just one word to me, make one promise ANONYMOUS 6

LEGENDS OF LOVE: EpicsandTalesofLove Come here, my love, the crown of my home CHIEFTAIN, from TheBookofDedeKorkut 9 Come to me here WIFE OF CHIEFTAIN, from TheBookofDedeKorkut 9

WHIRLING ECSTASY: Rumi'sMysticalLove This is such a day: the sun is dazzling twice as before MEVLANA CELALEDDiN RUM! 13 Listen to the reed-flute telling its tales MEVLANA CELALEDDiN RUMi 14 Come, come, you will never find a friend like me MEVLANA CELALEDDiN RUMi 15 At one time when life was real MEVLANA CELALEDD!N RUM! 16 So long as I am alive, love enlivens each day MEVLANA CELALEDDiN RUMi 17 When I have you, the passions of love make me stay awake MEVLANA CELALEDDiN RUMi 18 Love is the water of eternal life, cures every woe MEVLANA CELALEDD!N RUMi 19

LOVE'S PARADISE: Yunus Emre's Divine and Human Love

Yourlovehaswrestedmeawayfromme YUNUS EMRE 23

Hearmeout,mydearfriends YUNUS EMRE 24

Dear Friend, let me plunge into the sea oflove YUNUS EMRE 25

Go and let it be known to all lovers YUN US EMRE 26

Burning, burning, I drift and tread YUNUS EMRE 27

Nowhearthis,lovers,myfriends YUNUS EMRE 28

Love is minister to us, our flock is the inmost soul YUNUS EMRE 29

My Lord granted me such a heart YUNUS EMRE 30

Iloveyoubeyondthedepthsofmyownsoul YUNUS EMRE 31

LOVE IS ALL: ClassicalLyricsoftheOttomanEmpire

Atone glance MIHRI HATUN 35

I reap no gains but trouble at your place when I come near Fu z u LI 36

Song NEDIM 37

Mydarlingwiththerosyface ~EYH GALIB 38

Drink all you want in the rose-garden LEYLA HAN IM 39

Get on with the festivities LEYLA HAN IM 40

TellMeAgain NiGAR HANIM 41

Vl Contents SOVEREIGN LOVE: Sultan Poets No end to this separation, no limit to this cruel pain SULTAN SOLEYMAN THE MAGNIFICENT 45 My very own queen, my everything SULTAN SOLEYMAN THE MAGNIFICENT 46 Till the day I die, I shall never leave her beauty's sun SULTAN SOLEYMAN THE MAGNIFICENT 48 Coy like a lovebird, she flirts with hundreds SULTAN SEL1M III 49

MANY-SPLENDORED SONGS: Wandering Folk Poets

With its tender flakes, snow flutters about KARACAOGLAN 53

In the plain stands a plum tree ANONYMOUS 54

At daybreak I dropped in on a beauty ANONYMOUS 55

Mysoulyearnsforyou ANONYMOUS 56

PART TWO I ,Love rroems from tfie 'Turkish 'Republic

Tryst y AHY A KEMAL BEY A TL! 59

[untitled] NAZIM H1KMET 60

[untitled] NAZIM H1KMET 61

ThreeStorksRestaurant NAZIMHiKMET 62

[untitled] NAZIM HiKMET 63

I Shut My Eyes Tight NAZ IM HiKMET 64

MyLady'sEyesAreHazel NAZIM H1KMET 65

PoemsofNinetoTenP.M. NAZIM HiKMET 66

Prison to Prison NAZIM HiKMET 68

Poems from Prison NAZ IM HI KMET 22 September 1945 69 23 September 1945 70 5 October 1945 71 Contents vu From Letters to Taranta Babu NA z IM H l KM ET 72

Now's the Time for Love SAtT FAtK 75

MyLittleWoman ASAP HALET <;ELEBi 77

Maria! ASAF HALET C,:ELEBI 78

Maria II As AF HA LET <;EL EB i 79

Oblivion AH MET MUHiP DIR AN AS 80

Love Poem z i YA o s MAN s AB A 82

BlackMulberries BEDRt RAHMl EYUBOGLU 83

You Will Come to Me CE LAL SI LAY 84

From:PoemsoftheMediterranean FAZIL HOSNO DAGLARCA 85

Beauty and Mind FAZ IL HOSNO DAGLARCA 88

Beyond FAZIL HOSNO DAGLARCA 88

WhenIArrive FAZIL HOSNO DAGLARCA 88

Is FAZIL HOSNO DAGLARCA 89

Shadow FAZIL HOSNO DAGLARCA 89

Day Within a Day FAZ IL HOSNO DAGLARCA 89

Leaf FAZIL HOSNO DAGLARCA 90

People Will Talk ORHAN VELl KANIK 91

Did I Fall in Love? ORHAN VELl KANIK 92

ToMyWife OKTAY RIFAT 93

From: Horses Before Troy MELlH CEVDET AN DAY 94

SecretLove BEH<;ET NECATlGtL 95

On Bald Mountain A. KADiR 96

LostLove CAHiT KOLEBl 97

Once Upon a Time CAHiT KOLEBi 98

Poem lLHAN BERK 99

Love iLHAN BERK 100

Never Did I See Such Loves Nor Such Separations iLHAN BERK 101

Vlll Contents Sonnet iLHAN BERK 102

Women ILHAN BERK 103

From:TheHistoryofaFace 1LHAN BERK 104

I Woke, This Meant a Love in the World iLHAN BERK 105

LovePoem SABAHATTIN KUDRET AKSAL 106

Giiler's Hours of Love NECATi CU MALI 107

Smoke upon Smoke MEHMET SALiHo(;ru 108

Lavinia OZDEMiR ASAF 109

The Letter HRiHA AKTAN 110

Pia ATTILA iLHAN 111

ComeSoFarasYouCanFeel GULTEKiN SAMANOGLU 112

Your Love Never Left AHMED ARIF 113

Eyes EDiP CANSEVER 114

The Sea, the Memory, and the Woman SEYFETT!N BA~CILLAR 115 To an Immortal Solitude Where We Now Pitch Our Stately Tent TAHS!N SARAC,: 116

Love Tomorrow TALAT s. HALMAN 117

Yellow Blight CEMAL SDREYA 118

AButtCastintheSea CEMAL SOREYA 119

KissMe,ThenGiveBirthtoMe CEMAL SDREYA 120

The 8:10 Ferry C:EMAL SU REY A 121

Rose CEMAL SOREY A 122

Weekly Agenda of Love M. SA Mi A~AR 123

First SEZAi KARAKO<;: 124

The Hobbyhorse SEZA i KARAKO<;: 125

NottheFearofShivering GULTEN AKIN 127 now CENG!Z BEKTA~ 128

For Many Years... KE MAL OZER 129

Contents IX windy windows HILMI YAVUZ 130

Empty Streets ÖZDEMIR INCE 131

Am I the Only One AYDINHATIPO§LU 132

Tigerish CAHIT ZARIFO§LU 134

Like a Stranger MELISA GÜRPINAR 135

All Over Again ATAOL BEHRAMO§LU 136

Ailing SENNUR SEZER 138

Link MEHMET YARDIMCI 139

I Love You So AHMET ADA 140

Love and the Forest GÜLSELI INAL 141

Unknown Love ADNAN ÖZER 142

Biographical Notes 147 About the Editors 157 Acknowledgments 159

x Contents 'Preface

THE p LEAS URES AND PA IN s Of LOVE have dominated Turkish poetry for a millennium and a half. The earliest Turkish poet (Aprin c;:or Tigin, sixth cen tury A.D.) appealed to "Gods oflight" to grant him and his "gentle darling the bliss of joining [their] lives forever" so that they could "live and laugh together." In later centuries, nomads, minstrels, mystics, court poets, sultans, bards of the countryside, and modern poets celebrated love as paradise, and often lamented its ordeals as well as its occasional absence. Significantly Anatolia, along with other territories that constituted the later Ottoman Empire, was the motherland of many celebrated myths and leg ends of love. In this terra firma of mythology, through no less than ten millen nia, mother goddesses, love goddesses, and fertility goddesses flourished, the cults of Apollo and Dionysus grew, Zeus had his romantic escapades. The mythic names evoke Asia Minor's love life-Cybele, Heracles, the Amazons, Hero and Leander, Endymion, Medea and Jason, Artemis, Aphrodite, Adonis, Ares, Philemon and Baucis, Sellerophon, and so many legendary figures who lived in the light of history, like Helen and Agamemnon, Antony and Cleopatra. It is small wonder that the world's earliest love poem, a 4,000-year-old poem of seduction, identified as such by the prominent Sumerologist Samuel Noah Kramer, was discovered on Turkish soil and is in the collection of Istanbul's Archaeological Museum. Anatolia's great mystics composed paeans. Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi (the eminent Sufi poet-philosopher, the patron saint of"The Whirling Dervishes") advised: "Live in love's ecstasy, for love is all that exists." Rumi is included in this anthology in spite of the fact that he composed his vast poetic corpus in Persian. The reason for his inclusion is that he lived and wrote in Konya in the heartland of Anatolia for more than two-thirds of his life, and his spirituality, mysticism, and poetics have exerted an encompassing and enduring impact on Turkish cul- x1 ture since the thirteenth century. His near-contemporary, Yunus Emre, made a cogent plea for love and peace:

Come let us all be friends for once, Let us make life easy on us Let us be lovers and loved ones The earth shall be left to no one.

The refined lyrics of the Ottoman Empire's court poets, including many sultans, glorified love-erotic, abstract, divine, profane, platonic, amatory. In the sixteenth century, Fuzuli, one of the great Ottoman masters who created the massive mystical narrative of star-crossed lovers, "Leyla and Mecnun;' proclaimed:

Love is all there is in this world; Science is nothing but balderdash.

This may explain why the Ottomans failed in scientific work while they reveled in creating hundreds of thousands of love lyrics. Siileyman the Magnificent wrote three thousand poems using "Lover" as his sobriquet. His father Selim I is well known for his couplet:

While lions were trembling in my crushing paw Fate made me fall prey to a doe-eyed darling.

Their forefather Mehmed II, the sultan who captured Constantinople and de feated Byzantium, was an accomplished poet:

We are in bondage to the sovereignty of love, my darling; We beg for love's command, that's why we are the whole world's king.

For the mystics, God was the great Beloved to whom belonged the Divine Kingdom. The monarch, too, represented power that required love and sacri fice. For the poet, God and King, like the Beloved, could inflict unbearable cru elty and torture on the lover. In many ways, Ottoman poems functioned as a critique of mainstream faith (which was part of the state ideology) and of the sultan and his ruling establishment.

Xll Preface In the Ottoman Empire poetry was not an exclusive province of male poets. From the fifteenth century onward many women composed exquisite poems, most of them on the theme of love. One of the most prominent among them, Mihri Hatun (d. 1506), pitted her talent against males in a couplet that appears at the beginning of her Divan (collected poems):

It is better to have one woman with class Than a thousand males all of whom are crass.

The Ottoman tradition included a substantial output of homosexual po etry as well. Since Turkish is a genderless language, it was easy for poets, male or female, to address a lover without any indication of his/her sex. Some poems, however, are very explicit about gender preference. The sixteenth-century poet and intellectual historian Ali, for instance, proclaimed:

Would the man of wisdom favor women? By nature Ali inclines toward young men.

In the seventeenth century another poet was adamant:

I shall not incline toward women Even if this means the end of the human race.

Folk poets, whose earliest transcribed verses date from a thousand years ago, produced (as they continue to do today) sensuous, lilting lyrics about lovely village girls and pantheistic joys of the countryside. A famous one by the leg endary seventeenth-century minstrel, Karacaoglan, equates nature's beauties with the charms and tribulations of his beloved Elif: tender snowflakes flutter ing, calling out her name, her eyes glowering like a baby goshawk's, highland flowers smelling like her, a green-headed duck gently floating for her sake .... It is significant that one of the dominant terms for folk poet or minstrel or trouba dour in the Turkish tradition is d?1k which literally means "lover." The d?1ks composed mellifluous and erotic verses about their loved ones. Occasionally the anonymous poems of the folk tradition are remarkable for their subtlety of emotion and expression:

Preface Xlll There is the trace of a gaze on your face; Who has looked at you, my darling?

Some of the most memorable examples of Turkish love poetry are in the form of verses interspersed through the one-thousand-year-old national epic (entitled "The Tales of Dede Korkut") and in long, sometimes monumental, Ot toman narrative poems. Perhaps it was the dominance of love poetry in the Turkish experience that prompted Shakespeare to use the Turk as a paragon (e.g., "in woman out paramoured the Turk," King Lear). In Victorian England there were novels about The Lustful Turk. Significantly, the first French book relating to Turkish poetry was an anthology of love poems translated from the Turkish. The Turks, conversely, developed a passionate interest in European culture and French literature in the middle of the nineteenth century and composed a large number oflove poems in that manner. After the Turkish Republic was established in 1923, modern poets pro duced an immense number of love verses-passionate or revolutionary, senti mental or sardonic, philosophical or casual, wry or heartrending. Today, the genre is flourishing. The "Turkish love poetry industry" continues to be active at an exceedingly high level of productivity. Most of the selections in Part One (antedating the modern era) and some in Part Two (featuring poems published in the Turkish Republic since 1923) have set formal structures and heavy rhymes. The versions here, on the whole, follow or replicate the original forms and rhyme-patterns. In a few cases, however, the renditions are freer. This selection has been designed as a quintessential treasury of the joys and sorrows of love in the Turkish experience over a period of almost fifteen cen turies. It is not a study of love poetry nor a systematic anthology. Essentially a selection of some of the best examples of a vast corpus, its main purpose is to provide pleasure to the reader. Some major poets and hundreds of first-rate poems have not been included-which is the inescapable fate of any small an thology. The editors hope that its readers will enjoy these 111 poems, presented in chronological sequence, that range from the lyrics of ancient Central Asia to present-day Turkey. Talat S. Halman

XlV Preface