Turkish Poems

Turkish National Independence March

Do not Fear, will not fade away at these dawns waving crimson flag
Before burns out last owen that fumes above my homeland
It is my nation's star that will shine forever
Its mine, its my nation's however

Do not wrinkle up your visage dear coy crescent, I'll be sacrificed
To my hero race smile once, what is this severity

My Miracle Original in Turkish, Mucizem

**Original in Turkish**

Mucizem 

Levent, bir rüzgâr gibi esti dünyama,
Esintisiyle savurdu karanliklari.
Bir adadaki isik gibi, yolumu aydinlatti,
Oksijenim, havam—nefesim oldu varligi.

Gelecegimi çoktan bilen büyüleyici bir ruh,
Ovis’te oturmus, beni bekleyen bir kalp.
Evren sesimi duymus,
Ve mucizem, atesin isiginda dogmustu.

Ince düsünceli, titiz ve zarif,
Ceylan gözlerinde bin hikâye sakli.
Seker suratinda bir gülümseyis,
Hem masum, hem de biraz muzip.

Tatli bir afacan, gözlerinde isik,
Hem

Degrees of Soul

(Turkish DOBAG rug)

Degrees of Soul

Awhile ago I got a Turkish rug that opened my eyes
To what real joy looks like
Transferred to one’s work.

In this rug I could see the soul of a weaver 
Proud to be part of a tradition
She added to with each delicate knot.

And with my eyes so opened 
I could clearly see

turkish thoughts

It is important to vary the landscapes,
For the spirit to be happy,

But what soothes a lover?
The beauty of a mountain range,
The purity of a river, the silence of a lake,

It takes an inner garden to the soul,
To grow roses, orchids,
Daffodils and all kinds of sweets,

Only the sun has authority over the heart of man.



Il est

under a Turkish sun

a boys own adventure has now begun
on a beach blazed under a Turkish sun
we`re here to take land from the evil Hun
and are told we are doing this for everyone

orders were given from the mother home
without question we followed this master plan
to the bitter end we do not stray or roam
for we have virtue, honor,

turkish coffee

turkish coffee is quite grand

settled grounds of desert sand

fill a warm space

taste full of grace

time flavor layers expand.

To Turkish and Syrians

The world is shocked with a tragedy that has claimed too many lives
In Syria and Turkey, the ground shook with strife
Desperate souls left in its wake
A dad's hand touching that of his daughter, too late

We feel the pain of those who have lost loved ones
Their hearts heavy, weighed down with the burden
We send our thoughts

Turkish Poetry Translations Ii

Turkish Poetry Translations II

Çanakkale Sehitlerine
"For the Çanakkale Martyrs"
by Mehmet Akif Ersoy
loose English translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Was there ever anything like the Bosphorus war??
The earth’s mightiest armies pressing Marmara,
Forcing entry between her mountain passes
To a triangle of land besieged by countless vessels.
Oh, what dishonorable assemblages!
Who are these Europeans, come as rapists?
Who, these braying hyenas, released

Turkish Poetry Translations I

Turkish Poetry Translations I



Ben Sana Mecburum: "You are indispensable"
by Attila Ilhan
translation by Nurgul Yayman and Michael R. Burch

You are indispensable; how can you not know
that you're like nails riveting my brain? 
I see your eyes as ever-expanding dimensions.
You are indispensable; how can you not know
that I burn within, at the thought of you? 

Trees prepare

Yahya Kemal Beyatli Translations

Yahya Kemal Beyatli translations

Yahya Kemal Beyatli (1884-1958) was a Turkish poet, editor, columnist and historian, as well as a politician and diplomat. Born born Ahmet Âgâh, he wrote under the pen names Agâh Kemal, Esrar, Mehmet Agâh, and Süleyman Sadi. He served as Turkey’s ambassador to Poland, Portugal and Pakistan.



Sessiz Gemi (“Silent Ship”)
by Yahya Kemal

Turkish Sunrise

a gold orb of light
rises behind the mountains ~
a new day begins







Written 22 September 2020.

Turkish Holiday Humour Or Turk Tatil Mizah

TURK TATIL MIZAH 





FOREST GUMP

Did you hear about old Forest Gump
Went up to do a parachute jump
Gave the rip cord a jerk
Found out it didn't work
Hit the ground with one hell of a thump...

JED

In the care home was an old boy called Jed
Always given some blue pills with his med
And every night
He didn't excite
But it

A Turkish Mother To the Kaiser -Ww1

How many sons 
  have we lost

How many demons
  have we found

How many graves
  must we dig

To make the ‘Fatherland’
  proud

(Villanova Pennsylvania: September, 2016)

Eftelya

Mavi kubbe, sana savurdu beni.
Bedenimi çektin derinlerine.
Dünya büküldü o an.
Diplerindeyken ben,
siyah sularin doldurdu cigerlerimi.
Dalgalarin esir aldi ruhumu,
ben fark etmeden.
Billurlasti her sey,
sana aitken benligim.
Hiç oldum ilik rüzgarlarinla.
Zamanin disindaydim sanki bedenindeyken.
Yandim,
alev aldi maviliklerin.
Kayboldum,
can verdim çakillarina.
Söndüm,
eftelyalar dogdu denizinde.
Sonlardan en sonra
kizgin kumlarina vurdum senin.
Dünya dogdu o an.

Choreography's Turkish Delight

Choreography’s Turkish Delight

On sediment at the bottom of the cup of societies 
   drags of dis-enfranchised masses are waiting for a
trickle from the leaks of luxury founded on coffee 
   planted on wealthy soil and pittances from labour

Reading the ground rules from a chalice turned
   upside down and upright

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