Aşk (Birhan KESKİN)
Original Version
Coordinator/ Human Translation
Machine Translation (Google Translate)
AŞK
Aniden. Birdenbire, beklenmedik olandan…
Beklemeyene: Dilegen bir dünya.
Vahiy gibi, en çok ona benziyor.
Baharın karnını öptüğüm rüya.
O yüzden “ayak”landım, yukarı ağdım
Sana vardığımda ağlamam bundan
Adını andığımda sıcak akıyor bütün nehirler
Dünyayı dolduran sözü olduran o.
Ve ben ne desem şimdi, benden değiller.
Hala soruyor musun bana, aşk ne demek:
O en “bir” ve “tam” olana yürümek.
Durup durup geçmesin içinden ağlamak
Dur, neden ağlıyorsun can’ım,
yetmez mi ikimize bir sağanak…
LOVE
Suddenly. Abruptly, from the unexpected…
To the unanticipated: A longing world.
It resembles a revelation the most.
The dream of kissing the belly of spring.
That’s why I “arose” and ascended upwards,
When I reached you, I won’t cry about this.
When I mention your name, all rivers flow warmly.
She who gives birth to the word that fills the world.
And what can I say now, they are not from me.
Do you still ask me, what does love mean:
It is walking towards the most “one” and “whole.”
Don’t let crying pass through without stopping.
Wait, why are you crying, my soul,
Isn’t a downpour enough for the two of us…
LOVE
Suddenly. All of a sudden, from the unexpected…
For the unexpected: A benevolent world.
Like Revelation, it looks most like him.
The dream in which I kiss the belly of spring.
That’s why I “feet” up, cry up
I don’t cry when I reach you
All rivers run hot when I call your name
He is the one who made the word that filled the world.
And whatever I say now, they are not from me.
Are you still asking me, what does love mean?
To walk to that most “one” and “complete”.
Crying out of nowhere
Wait, why are you crying my dear,
Isn’t a downpour enough for both of us…
Critical Reading and Analysis: Çıraklı “A Modest Proposal for Critical Reading”
The poem's title, "Aşk" (Love), reflects on the profound and transformative experience of love, which has been a central theme in both classical and modern Turkish poetry. While this specific poem's author and context are not identified here, the language and imagery suggest a contemporary voice grappling with both the metaphysical and emotional dimensions of love. Love is depicted as a sudden, almost divine force that reshapes the speaker’s world, aligning with common themes in Turkish love poetry that often intertwine emotional depth with spiritual longing.
The poem exists in an internal, emotional setting where the speaker reflects on the overwhelming experience of love. The speaker describes love as arriving suddenly and unexpectedly, like a revelation or a powerful natural force ("sağanak" – downpour). The storyworld here is deeply personal, where nature and emotions blur together; rivers, dreams, and rain are all woven into the speaker's emotional landscape. Love is portrayed not just as a feeling, but as a transformative journey toward unity and completeness.
Modernist Turkish Poetry
• Equilibrium: The speaker reflects on the ordinary state of life before love. • Disruption: Love enters suddenly, like a revelation ("Aniden. Birdenbire"), breaking the normal flow of life. • Recognition: The speaker acknowledges love’s divine nature, its overwhelming presence that reshapes their emotions and thoughts. • Attempt to repair the damage: The speaker tries to articulate love’s meaning, recognizing the inadequacy of language in fully capturing its essence. • New equilibrium: The speaker accepts love as a complete and transformative journey toward oneness and embraces the emotional intensity it brings, including moments of tears.
• Mourning: The speaker talks about their “lost brother,” which represents the experience of loss. They seek to find recuperation and recovery from the sorrow of loss. • Emotional Bond with Memory: The brother, the object of desire, represents an essential constituent of the self and identity construction. They search for the lost connections with the past carried by “the lost siblings” refers to quest for reconciliation and meaning. This shows that the self cannot separate themselves from the siblings and still experiences mirror stage. This has to do with separation anxiety.
• Mourning vs. Recovery • Loss vs. Replacement & Substitution • Emotional Bond vs. Separation Anxiety
