In Istanbul, in Bosphorus
I am a poor Orhan Veli,
I am the son of Veli,
In an unspeakable melancholy.
I sat on the Rumeli Fortress;
I sat and hummed ballads:
‘Istanbul’s marble stones;
They perch on my head, the seagulls;
I break into tears of sorrow;
My coy love
I am like this because of you.
A cinema in the middle of Istanbul;
Do not tell my mother my oddness, sadness;
People talk, make love; for all I care.
My love,
I am the sin lying on your neck!’
In Istanbul, in Bosphorus
I am a poor Orhan Veli;
The son of Veli;
In an unspeakable melancholy.
İstanbul’da Boğaziçi’nde
Bir fakir Orhan Veliyim,
Eli’nin oğluyum,
Tarifsiz kederler içinde.
Rumeli Hisarı’na oturmuşum;
Oturmuşta bir türkü tutturmuşum:
'İstanbul’un mermer taşları;
Başıma da konuyor aman martı kuşları;
Gözlerimden boşanır hicran yaşları;
Edalım
Senin yüzünden bu halim.
İstanbul’un orta yeri sinema;
Garipliğim, mahzunluğum duyurmayın anama;
El konuşur, sevişirmiş; bana ne?
Sevdalım
Boynuna vebalim!'
İstanbul’da Boğaziçi’nde
Bir fakir Orhan Veli;
Veli’nin oğlu;
Tarifsiz kederler içindeyim.
Mum Aleviyle Oynayan Kedinin Öyküsü
There was a burning candle in the room of a house
And there was a cat in that house.
Yapma Çiçekler
A naked woman
Comes from her beauty mountains
Tahir ile Zühre Meselesi
It's not shameful to be Tahir, nor to be Zühre
It's not shameful to die for love either
Nothing caused him as much pain
As his callus caused;
Benimki yalnızca teşhis
For instance at night, around how many stars form a space
For instance here, around how many cities shape a homeland