Nothing caused him as much pain
As his callus caused;
Even his ugly existence
Didn’t affect him so much;
He wouldn’t recall God’s name
If his feet weren’t chafed
But he couldn’t be considered a sinner.
What a pity for Süleyman Efendi.
“To be or not to be”
Was not a big deal for him;
He slept one night
And never woke up.
They took him, carried him away,
Washed, received prayers, got buried.
If people he owed knew his death,
They would surely forgive his debts.
And people who owed him…
There were none anyways.
They put his gun to a storage,
Gave his garments to others.
No more bread crumbs in his bag,
No more the imprint of his lips on his flask;
Such a wind that,
He himself departed,
Even his name left no trace.
Only this couplet remained,
In a coffeehouse, with his handwriting:
“Death is an order from God,
But I wish there was no separation.”
Hiçbir şeyden çekmedi dünyada
Nasırdan çektiği kadar;
Hatta çirkin yaratıldığından bile
O kadar müteessir değildi;
Kundurası vurmadığı zamanlarda
Anmazdı ama Allah'ın adını,
Günahkâr da sayılmazdı.
Yazık oldu Süleyman Efendi’ye.
Mesele falan değildi öyle,
To be or not to be kendisi için;
Bir akşam uyudu;
Uyanmayıverdi.
Aldılar, götürdüler.
Yıkandı, namazı kılındı, gömüldü.
Duysalar öldüğünü alacaklılar
Haklarını helal ederler elbet.
Alacağına gelince...
Alacağı yoktu zaten rahmetlinin.
Tüfeğini depoya koydular,
Esvabını başkasına verdiler.
Artık ne torbasında ekmek kırıntısı,
Ne matarasında dudaklarının izi;
Öyle bir ruzigar ki,
Kendi gitti,
İsmi bile kalmadı yadigâr.
Yalnız şu beyit kaldı,
Kahve ocağında, el yazısıyla:
"Ölüm Allah'ın emri,
"Ayrılık olmasaydı."
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
Benimki yalnızca teşhis
For instance at night, around how many stars form a space
For instance here, around how many cities shape a homeland
İstanbul Türküsü
In Istanbul, in Bosphorus
I am a poor Orhan Veli,