At Last

I read your messages
late at night I lose time
I see your face
again and again
I taste your love
my joy immeasurable

Am I dreaming that finally
you have thrown the door open
and walked into my waiting heart
Can it be?
Do stars always shine
Mountains always stand
Does the sun always rise
Do autumn leaves fall

Is it true?

Are you here at last Askim?

I never had a more shining gift




Istanbul

I am homesick for Istanbul
Homesick for you my darling one
Galata, bosphorus, beyoglu
Your wild yellow eyes

I am thinking only of Istanbul
She goes on calling me
blue sea ships sailing
your soul I dream of

Istanbul disturbs my sleep
waterbearer moon in the sky
golden sunset minuret
I feel your body turn in the night

Istanbul calls me night and day
fragrant roses, Aya Sophia
mountain honey sweet with wild herbs
I taste your lips

Istanbul fragments my brain
sleek cats, marmaris jellyfish floating
a wild salt wind, summer moon
I am lying in your arms

Istanbul claims my soul
Soft Ney flute, children's laughter
rising in the air
Blue Mosque glowing
velvet evening sky

Oh ... I feel your heart darling
I feel your heart

Both poems are a masterpiece. I have tried to translate them properly. I'm not sure if I did well but with a few cups of coffee and lots of music it was a pleasure for me. Others, please feel free to translate as well. I know, if it had been me to see the peoms afterwards I wouldnt be able to resist.



Sonunda

Gecenin yarısında okuyorum yazdıklarını
Zaman yitiyor
Tekrar tekrar beliriyor
Yüzün gözlerimin önünde
Tadı dudaklarımda bu aşkın
İçimde tarifsiz bir mutluluk

Sonunda kapıyı aralayıp
Seni bekleyen kalbime girdiğini
Hayal mi ediyorum yoksa,
Doğru mu bu?
Yıldızlar hep parlar mı?
Dağlar hep yerli yerinde midir?
Güneş doğar mı her zaman?
Dökülür mü hep sonbahar yaprakları?

Gerçek mi bunlar?

Sonunda burada mısın aşkım?

Hiç bu kadar büyüleyici bir hediye almamıştım.



İstanbul

Hasretini çekiyorum İstanbul'un
Senin hasretini çekiyorum, biricik sevgilim
Galata Köprüsü, Boğaziçi, Beyoğlu
Senin vahşi sarı gözlerin

Sadece İstanbul'u düşÃ¼nüyorum
Beni çağırıyor sürekli
Aklımdan çıkmayan senin ruhun
Gemiler süzülüyor masmavi denizde

Uykularımı kaçırıyor İstanbul
Kova burcu gökyüzünde Ay
Altın rengi günbatımı minareler
Vücudunun kıpırtısını hissediyorum geceleri

Gece ve gündüz çağırıyor beni İstanbul
Mis kokulu güller, Aya Sofya
Yabanıl otlarla çam balı kıvamında
Varıyorum dudaklarının tadına

İstanbul bölüyor zihnimi fragmanlara
İpek tüylü kediler, Marmaris denizanası süzülen,
Vahşi tuzlu bir rüzgar esen yaz gecesi
Kollarında uzanıyorum

Ruhumu istiyor İstanbul
Havada yükselen ılık ney sesi, çocukların gülüşÃ¼
Sultanahmet Camisi parlıyor
Kadifemsi gökyüzü akşamüstleri

Ah birtanem, hissediyorum yüreğini
Yüreğini hissediyorum


***

Jane, I'm not sure about the following words. So let me tell you how I understood it. If I got it wrong let me know and I will happily correct it.

1. water-bearer:
I could find two main meanings for this:
a. Aquarius: The 11th sign of the zodiac in astrology
b. Being a water-bearer means that you're able to shoulder the emotional weight of dynamic, ever-changing situations
I have choosen the first vone here.

2. minuret
This was an hard word to find. But suddenly I realised it must be minare (the high tover of a mosque). Did I get it right.

3. "I feel your body turn in the night"
I wasnt sure how to understand "turn" here. I thought it could mean "a change" or "turning back", "going away" but later I decided that it must mean "movement" like a body turning next to you when you lie down.

4. Sleek:
I think this would be "glossy, satiny or silky"

5. salt wind:

This was a difficult one. I convinced myself that it should mean something different than the "sea salt", "salty" but later I gave up and used as in "c" below.

a. (1) salt -- (containing or filled with salt; "salt water")
b. (1) salt -- ((rare; of speech) painful; bitter; "salt scorn"- Shakespeare; "a salt apology")
c. salty, salt -- (one of the four basic taste sensations; like the taste of sea water)

6. Are these two lines connected in any way?
a. "blue sea ships sailing"
b. "your soul I dream of"
I thought they were like two different sentences but I'm not sure.

SLEEK(especially of hair or fur) smooth and shining, as from good health and care.
You can use SLEEK as - neat, fashionable, or stylish in appearance - sleekness.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=sleek


hope this helps too

helpful girl ceyda well done

Erdinc I am so touched you took the time plus countless cups of kahve to do this for me. Thank you for your support and encouragement. You really did a remarkable thing here. Not just anyone could climb into the flow of these poems so much as to interpret exactly right. No changes needed anywhere! Beautiful! Just as it should be.

Again Thank you from the heart for this.

Erdinc

'Salt wind'. this is like the wind/ruzgar by the sea, when it goes on your lips you can taste the salt/tuz When i was in Izmir last month and we were walking by the sea, the 'salt wind' put salt on our faces and lips.

So... and here I am getting adventurous in my pathetic translations....'salt wind' means

'ruzgar tuz taşır'

I agree with you Lyndie. I had translated it as salty wind. "Tuzlu rüzgar" means "salty wind".

Your suggestion is also a proper sentence. Very good I must say. "Rüzgar tuz taşır" could be easly a line of a poem. Beautifuly said.