Destina (Lale MÜLDÜR)
Original Version
Coordinator/ Human Translation
Machine Translation (Google Translate)
DESTİNA
Dün gece sen uyurken
İsmini fısıldadım
Ve hayvanların korkunç
Öykülerini anlattım
Dün gece sen uyurken
Çiçeklere su verdim
Ve insanların korkunç
Öykülerini anlattım onlara
Dün gece sen uyurken
Yüreğim bir yıldız gibi bağlandı sana
İşte bu yüzden sırf bu yüzden
Yeni bir isim verdim sana
DESTİNA
Sen öyle umarsız uyusan da bir köşede
İşte bu yüzden sırf bu yüzden
Yaşamdan çok ölüme yakın olduğun için
Seni bu denli yıktıkları için
DESTİNA
Yaşamımın gizini vereceğim sana
DESTINA
Last night while you were sleeping
I whispered your name
And told the horrifying
Tales of animals
Last night while you were sleeping
I watered the flowers
And told them the terrifying
Tales of humans
Last night while you were sleeping
My heart became tied to you like a star
That’s why, just for this reason
I gave you a new name
DESTINA
Even if you sleep so carelessly in a corner
That’s why, just for this reason
Because you are so close to death rather than life
Because they have shattered you to this extent
DESTINA
I will give you the secret of my life.
DESTINA
last night while you were sleeping
I whispered your name
And the animals are terrifying
I told their stories
last night while you were sleeping
I watered the flowers
And people are terrible
I told them their stories
last night while you were sleeping
My heart is tied to you like a star
That’s why that’s why
I gave you a new name
DESTINA
Even if you sleep so carelessly in a corner
That’s why that’s why
Because you’re closer to death than life
Because they destroyed you so much
DESTINA
I will give you the secret of my life
Critical Reading and Analysis: Çıraklı “A Modest Proposal for Critical Reading”
Lale Müldür (1956–) is one of the most innovative and experimental poets in contemporary Turkish literature. Her work often explores themes of mysticism, existentialism, and personal reflection. Known for her unique voice, Müldür frequently blends surrealism with lyrical intimacy, creating deeply evocative poems. "Destina" is one of her signature poems, where the speaker contemplates the nature of love, life, and death, addressing a beloved with deep tenderness and existential reflection. The name Destina is symbolic, suggesting destiny or fate, but with a personal and mystical layer.
The poem unfolds in the quiet intimacy of night, where the speaker engages in a deeply personal and emotional dialogue with the sleeping Destina. The setting is both physical and metaphysical: it takes place in the night while the beloved sleeps, but it also transcends the physical, as the speaker’s heart is metaphorically tied to the beloved “like a star.” The world created here is one of quiet reflection, where the speaker speaks to flowers and tells stories of both animals and humans, symbolizing the interaction between nature, humanity, and the speaker’s emotional world.
Modernist Turkish Poetry
• Equilibrium: The speaker exists in quiet contemplation while the beloved sleeps. • Disruption: The speaker reflects on the emotional and existential pain Destina has endured, recognizing that the beloved is closer to death than life. • Recognition: The speaker realizes the depth of their emotional connection, symbolized by naming the beloved Destina. • Attempt to repair the damage: The speaker offers solace and intimacy through storytelling and emotional closeness, hoping to provide meaning and comfort. • New equilibrium: The speaker reaches a state of acceptance, promising to share the secrets of their life with Destina as an offering of intimacy and understanding.
• Trauma and Recovery: Trauma and resiliency are hinted at in the lyric, “Because you are so close to death rather than life / Because they have shattered you to this extent.” These emotionas are accompanied by strong desire to recovery ending up in paranoia. • Need for empathy: Unfulfilled healing process of the character produces subliminal sentiments hinting at the paranoia of the speaker and his/her neurotic state of mind. The speaker’s actions while the receiver is sleeping show that the speaker is using unconscious communication or expression. • Dream as a manifestation of the Unconscious: Sleep and dreams indicate the speaker’s unconscious mind, activated by strong aspirations, anxieties, and desires for the lost object.
• Trauma vs. Recovery • Need for Empathy vs. Maturity and Social Balance • Dream vs. Conscious Mind
