İSTANBUL’U DİNLİYORUM

İstanbul'u dinliyorum, gözlerim kapalı
Önce hafiften bir rüzgar esiyor
Yavaş yavaş sallanıyor
Yapraklar, ağaçlarda;
Uzaklarda, çok uzaklarda,
Sucuların hiç durmayan çıngırakları
İstanbul'u dinliyorum, gözlerim kapalı

İstanbul'u dinliyorum, gözlerim kapalı
Kuşlar geçiyor, derken
Yükseklerden, sürü sürü, çığlık çığlık.
Ağlar çekiliyor dalyanlarda
Bir kadının suya değiyor ayakları
İstanbul'u dinliyorum, gözlerim kapalı

İstanbul'u dinliyorum, gözlerim kapalı
Serin serin Kapalıçarsı
Cıvıl cıvıl Mahmutpaşa
Güvercin dolu avlular
Çekiç sesleri geliyor doklardan
Güzelim bahar rüzgarında ter kokuları
İstanbul'u dinliyorum, gözlerim kapalı

İstanbul'u dinliyorum, gözlerim kapalı
Başımda eski alemlerin sarhoşluğu
Los kayıkhaneleriyle bir yalı
Dinmiş lodosların uğultusu içinde
İstanbul'u dinliyorum, gözlerim kapalı

İstanbul'u dinliyorum, gözlerim kapalı
Bir yosma geçiyor kaldırımdan
Küfürler, şarkılar, türküler, laf atmalar.
Bir şey düşÃ¼yor elinden yere
Bir gül olmalı
İstanbul'u dinliyorum, gözlerim kapalı

İstanbul'u dinliyorum, gözlerim kapalı

Bir kuş çırpınıyor eteklerinde
Alnın sıcak mı, değil mi, biliyorum
Dudakların ıslak mı, değil mi, biliyorum
Beyaz bir ay doğuyor fıstıkların arkasından
Kalbinin vurusundan anlıyorum
İstanbul'u dinliyorum.

I AM LISTENING TO ISTANBUL


I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed;
At first there blows a gentle breeze
And the leaves on the trees
Softly flutter or sway;
Out there, far away,
The bells of water carriers incessantly ring;
I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed.

I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed;
Then suddenly birds fly by,
Flocks of birds, high up, in a hue and cry
While nets are drawn in the fishing grounds
And a woman's feet begin to dabble in the water.
I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed.

I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed.
The Grand Bazaar is serene and cool,
A hubbub at the hub of the market,
Mosque yards are brimful of pigeons,
At the docks while hammers bang and clang
Spring winds bear the smell of sweat;
I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed.

I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed;
Still giddy since bygone bacchanals,
A seaside mansion with dingy boathouses is fast asleep,
Amid the din and drone of southern winds, reposed,
I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed.

I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed.
Now a dainty girl walks by on the sidewalk:
Cusswords, tunes and songs, malapert remarks;
Something falls on the ground out of her hand,
It's a rose I guess.
I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed.

I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed;
A bird flutters round your skirt;
I know your brow is moist with sweat
And your lips are wet.
A silver moon rises beyond the pine trees:
I can sense it all in your heart's throbbing.
I am listening to Istanbul, intent, my eyes closed.

Wanderful poem, X, is it yours?

nope this is a poem of Orhan VELI, a well known poetry..

I wish I could write wonderful poems like Orhan Veli...

And who's translator? I need full information about things I like.

It is wonderful!!!
You guys want make us to come to Istanbul.
It is my biggest wish and I think Slavica is with me.
How do you feel, sestrichka?
I like it especially with translation.
Thank you.

also try one of the greatest lovers of istanbul Yahya Kemal's poem..
he has a really good looking and view to istanbul and really reflects good on his poems.

I still don't know who's translator.
Sestrichka, I'm not quite sure I want to go to Istambul any more.

Whos the translator?Someone translated this poem...Is it so important to know this?

hello here one of orhan veli's poem
FINE DAYS

These fine days have been my ruin.
On this kind of day I resigned
My job in ``Pious Foundations.''
On this kind of day I started to smoke
On this kind of day I fell in love
On this kind of day I forgot
To bring home bread and salt
On this kind of day I had a relapse
In my versifying disease.
These fine days have been my ruin.

Orhan Veli Kanik

I love that poem 'these fine days' Ramayan - it's too beautiful! Thank you whoever translated it.
Is there a Turkish version online somewhere?

Yes here it is:
http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/1534.html

and here you can find more poems by Orhan Veli in Turkish:
http://www.siirperisi.net/sair.asp?sair=73

Woohoo - I am going to make cay then I am going to read all these poems. Thanks Erdinc

Greetings Jane,
here are more translations. Unfortunately the originals arent accompanying to the translations:

http://www.orhanveli.net/talathalman/iamlisteningtoistanbul.html

I'm currently looking for sound files as Orhan Veli's poems were recorded by our famous artist Müşvik Kenter.

This CD is available to buy from the following website which is a known place by Turkish learners:
http://www.tulumba.com/storeitem.asp?ic=MU960007XH437

Just for the sake of completeness, here we have the poem mentioned above once again.

***

Poet: Orhan Veli Kanık
Poem: Güzel Havalar (Beautiful Weathers)

***

CONTENTS:
1. Original
2. Translation by Talat Sait Halman
3. Translation by Bernard Lewis
4. Translation by me
5. Sound record by Müşvik Kenter

***

1. Original
http://www.siirperisi.net/siir.asp?siir=4050

GÃœZEL HAVALAR

Beni bu güzel havalar mahvetti,
Böyle havada istifa ettim
Evkaftaki memuriyetimden.
Tütüne böyle havada alıştım,
Böyle havada âşık oldum;
Eve ekmekle tuz götürmeyi
Böyle havalarda unuttum;
Şiir yazma hastalığım
Hep böyle havalarda nüksetti;
Beni bu güzel havalar mahvetti.

***

2. English Translation by Talat Sait Halman
http://www.orhanveli.net/talathalman/lovelyweather.html

LOVELY WEATHER
This lovely weather has brought on my ruin.
One fine day like this I quit
My job with the Pious Foundations Agency.
In such weather I got used to smoking
And on a day like this I fell in love:
It was on such a day that I forgot
To take home bread and salt;
Time and again, in this weather
My verse-making disease has recurred.
This lovely weather has brought on my ruin.

***

3. English Translation by Bernard Lewis
http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/1534.html

Fine Days

These fine days have been my ruin.
On this kind of day I resigned
My job in 'Pious Foundations'.
On this kind of day I started to smoke
On this kind of day I fell in love
On this kind of day I forgot
To bring home bread and salt
On this kind of day I had a relapse
In my versifying disease.
These fine days have been my ruin.

***

4. And here is my translation:

Beautiful Days

These beautiful days have destroyed me.
In such a day I've quit my job
From the Charity Foundations Office.
I started smoking tobacco in such a day.
In such a day I fall in love.
I've forgotton to take home
Bread and salt in such days.
My disease for writing peoms
Relapsed always in such days.
These beautiful days have destroyed me.

***

5. Sound record by Müşvik Kenter
http://www.wanadoo.dk/~mob95151/musfik_kenter_guzel_havalar.mp3

Here is another one by Orhan Veli. There is also a song of this poem. Many of his poems were composed as the way he writes is smillar to lyrics.
I used to love him more when I was younger.

***

1. The original
2. Translation by Talat Sait Halman
3. Sound record by Müşvik Kenter
4. Song by "Akustika"

***

1. http://www.siirperisi.net/siir.asp?siir=552

ANLATAMIYORUM
Ağlasam sesimi duyar mısınız,
Mısralarımda;
Dokunabilir misiniz,
Göz yaşlarıma, ellerinizle?

Bilmezdim şarkıların bu kadar güzel,
Kelimelerinse kifayetsiz olduğunu
Bu derde düşmeden önce.

Bir yer var, biliyorum;
Her şeyi söylemek mümkün;
Epeyce yaklaşmışım, duyuyorum;
Anlatamıyorum

***

2. http://www.orhanveli.net/talathalman/icantexplain.html

I CAN'T EXPLAIN
If I cried, could you hear
My voice in my poems,
Could you touch my tears
With your hands?

Before I fell prey to this grief,
I never knew songs were so enchanting
And words so mild.
I know there's a place
Where you can talk about everything;
I feel I'm close to that place,
Yet I can't explain

***

3. http://www.wanadoo.dk/~mob95151/musfik_kenter_anlatamiyorum.mp3

***

4. http://www.orhanveli.com/akustika/akustika-anlatamiyorum.mp3

Orhan Veli seems popular in our forum these days. I found this thread somewhere deep in the Off-Topic forum and brought it here. Regards.

Thank you Erdinc!
Can you find others too please.