Tacettin Fidan

Doksanbir

Alnına doksanbir sene konunca,

Toprağa doğru yürürmüş hissiyat

Dizilmiş gençlik yılları ardına

Nerde kalmış zevki mevki talanı?

Rüya imiş her biri, bir gel-geçmiş

Yine de dolanıyor şanı şehveti:

Bulamıyor ki anasın gözünü!

Melamet faslını tekrar açıver,

Ne kadar noksandır o leziz hayat!

Hayalin görsene diyor benimki

Toptan saysam bütün hadiseleri

Kabahatli çıkmaz mı seninki?

Madde tazelenmezmiş yaşlanınca,

Böyle kor anılar akla dolsada!

- İngilizce / English -

NINETY- ONE

When ninety-one years wrinkle your forehead

Our sixth sense seems to hear

the call of mother nature

and the smell of earth

Youthful years are lined up

on our back window

I wonder

where is the joy of rank, file and position now?

Each one of our memories was a dream

It was here once but it is here no more

Still, its glory is wandering around

Oh, Mother!

I can’t find where it is anymore!

Reopen a new period

Start the process of blaming yourself

for your shortcomings, your errors and misdeeds

How deficient is that delightful life?

"Imagine the dream" - I say

If I count all the incidents as a whole in life,

wouldn't the experiences of everyone else be

just as guilt-ridden?

Our substance does not

gift us with new vigor or youthfulness,

nor does it make us feel or look brand new again

For under the sun,

life is meant to melt down, not attain

Such burning yet sweet memories,

lay tracks to our minds

like a runaway choo-choo train!