Zamaninda On Time

Zamaninda

Seramik kabuğumu çatlatınca

Çin mozaik gibi çıktım ansızın
Eski ve zamansızdım
kıymetli ve kalender
Gökyüzü en iyi toprağa
uzanınca seyredilir ya,
Bir bulutun kanatlarında
kıkırdarken sırtım çim nemiydi
İçimde umut saçımda otlarla kaldım.
 
Kaç yıl önce bir kız yine
ve hep uzanmıştı çimlere
Elinde gereksizce şiir kitapları
mucizesine bakardı gökyüzünde.
 
Otların kökünü emdiğin
o sakıncasız ânı unutma
Kendinde güzel koca bir şakaydı
Bir dilek tutmuştun
eski ve zamansız
kıymetli ve kalender
 
İçim geçmiş uyumuşum
yıllar sonraki bir ihtimale
uyandım ağacın altındaki rüyamdan
Böyle tamamız böyle zamanında, demek için
Her kimsen sana
 

On Time

Suddenly I cracked my ceramic shell
and hatched like a Chinese mosaic
I was ancient and timeless
precious and carefree
Clouds are best contemplated
lying on the ground
Flying in the sky
I laughed, the grass warm beneath my back
with hope inside me, leaves in my hair
 
How many years since you were a girl
lying on the grass
superfluous poetry books in your hand
observing their miracle in the sky
 
Never forget that necessary moment
when you soaked up the wet leaves of grass
What a joke -
you made a wish
ancient and timeless
precious and carefree
 
I drifted off
and dreamed of the years to come
Waking from my dream under this tree
to say, this is how we become complete
we are on time
Whoever you are, this is for you
 

On Time

When I cracked my ceramic shell

I suddenly got out like a Chinese mosaic
I was ancient/past/old and timeless
precious and carefree
The sky is best observed
when you lay on the ground/earth/soil (toprak) you know (ya),
On the wings of a cloud
when I giggled my back was grass humid
I stayed with hope inside me, herbs in my hair.
 
How many years a girl again
and always laid down on the grass
In her hand unnecessarily poetry books
would look at her/their miracle on the sky.
 
Don't forget that unobjectionable moment
when you sucked on the roots of herbs
It was a nice big joke in you
You made a wish
ancient/past/old and timeless
precious and carefree
 
I passed out and slept
on a possibility years ahead
I woke up from my dream under the tree
To say, this is how we are complete, we are on time
Whomever you are this is for you
 

What a pleasure it was to translate this beautiful, sensitive poem about how we change over the years and what a vital role poetry plays in creating our sense of who we are.

Notice how the poet uses the first then second person to indicate the shift in time between her younger self soaking up the ‘wet leaves of grass’ and her older self looking back with tenderness.

The title, of course, is a play – in both Turkish and English – on being on time and a discourse on time. But you knew that, didn’t you?

Sarah Maguire, Workshop Facilitator

Original Poem by

Karin Karakaslı

Translated by

Canan Marasligil with The Poetry Translation Workshop Language

Turkish

Country

Turkey