MY DEAR ISTANBUL

They have melted my souland frozen it in a mould;
They have named it Istanbul, and put it on earth.
There´s something smoking inside me;air,colour,grace,and climate;
That´s my beloved who came from beyond time and place,
Its flowers are golden stars,its water is sweet;
The moon and the sun have always been Istanbulian.
The sea and the earth have reached their union in her
And the dreams have turned reality in her.
Istanbul is my life;
my motherland...
Istanbul,
Istanbul...

History has eyes,the riddles on ancient walls;
Cypresses,cypresses are of fine stature,they are the curtains of two worlds...
A steed rears up on the clouds;
Diamond domes,perhaps there are billions of steeds...
The minarets are index fingers pointing to the sky.
In every embroidery a meaning:we must die.
Death is more alive than life,mercy is greater than sin;
When Beyoglu is drowning in worldly pleasures,
Karacaahmet weeps..
Seek the meaning,find it!
Find it in Istanbul!
Istanbul,
Istanbul...

The Bosphorus,the silver brazier of the Bosphorus,boils the coolness;
The depths of heaven on earth are in Camlica.
Playful waters are the guests in the basement of the sea-side house;
A photo of the sad face of a former diplomat hangs on the wall.
Every evening flames on the windows in Uskudar,
A hounted house,big as the city...
A song from the Ud or the Tanbour?
It sings ´´Katibim´´ behind the bay-windows...
Its women are like sharp knives,
Warm like fresh blood,
Istanbul,
Istanbul...

Time on the seven hills embroiders
Seven colours,seven voices,endless manifestation...!
Eyup is orphan,Kadikoy is dressed up,Moda is haughty,
Wind in the Island plays tricks with the girls.
Each dawn,the arrows fly from their bows.
Cries come from Topkapi Palace still.
The mothers are the best of sweethearts,Istanbul is the best of palaces;
Never mind the cheerful crowd,those who cry are happier.
Its night smells hyacinth,
Its Turkish the nightingale´s voice.
Istanbul,
Istanbul...

Necip Fazil Kisakurek

http://pl.youtube.com/watch?v=L-lbVQu2eCk

Thank you for posting that poem,it is stunning

but can you in the future add an author to a poem?and Turkish version ????

and read by our dear president R.T. Erdoðan. I have to admit that he is good at this.

http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=30_MFXc6yVE&feature=related

 I must admit Erdogan has a very good voicethank you mltm for posting this linkIt is a great pleasure to listen to this poem in Turkish.

 True! Doðru söze ne hacet!

You´re welcome.

Çok ilgi çekici ve þüphe uyandýrýcý doðrusu.

Türk mahkemelerinin hukuki açýdan yasakladýðý bu iilegal siteleri neden buralara taþýyorsunuz.

Youtube´dan mý bahsediyorsun? Youtube sitesinin yasadýþý olmasý Atatürk´e hakaret gibi yasadýþý videolarý içeriyor olmasýndandý. Bu her içeriðinin yasadýþý olduðu anlamýna gelmiyor. Kaldý ki baþbakanýmýzýn kendisi bizzat bu siteye girdiðinden söz etmiþti.

Thank you. It is very nice although i dont speak turkish yet, but I love it.

to each of you a heartfelt cok tesekkurler for sharing these musical treats. I sincerely enjoyed them!