HİLAL KARAHAN

HİLAL KARAHAN

THE HONOR

1

Twisted roads rush into the quarter

that is wet and always smelling tarhana*

2

Evenings enter always through the same door

to bald houses wearing wigs of arbor

3

Smell of fried food binds to life

women who expose their wounds to the court

4

Opening with the evening, girls’ eyes at their feet

a way that a lifetime walking: 

flat heel size to thirty six

__________

*tarhana: A homemade dried food stuff made chiefly of curds and flour (used for making soup)

Namus

1

Hep ıslak, hep tarhana kokan

mahallede koşturur çarpık sokaklar          

2

Çardağı peruk yapmış kel evlere

aynı kapıdan girer akşamlar

3

Avluya yarasını açan kadınları

yaşama bağlar kızartma kokuları

           

4

Akşamla açılan kızların gözleri ayaklarında

bir ömrün yürüdüğü yol:

düz topuk otuz altı numara

VESPERTİNE

1

Carefully patting abdomen of time,

the silence, with warty hands,

prepares table for the tired day

to turn into evening

2

Pearls are poured on the fields

from recently tied waistband of clouds

3

Rushing all day, has the earth

stuck to the cliff to fall down

from brae to meadow,

her knees are mud, moon dust, saffron

4

What scoops out alone stones

none of them can understand; 

dancing grass,

stretching thicket,

or the wind smelling footprints

Akşam

1

Dikkatle sıvazlar karnını zamanın

siğilli elleriyle sessizlik

akşam olmaktan yorulmuş

güne sofra kurar

2

İnciler dökülmüş tarlalara

bulutların yeni bağlanmış uçkurundan

3

Gün boyu koşturmuş toprak

kayalığa mı takılıp düşmüş

obadan ovaya

dizleri çamur, ay tozu, safran

4

Anlayamaz bir başına taşların

içini usul usul oyanı

ne dans eden otlar

ne gerinen çalılık

ne de ayak izlerini koklayan rüzgâr

THE NİGHT SUNDERİNG PASSİON

1

O thirsty, all my paths lead to you

your mouth is the wine flowing through my veins

2

Your mouth splits passion into two:

love and night

3

When night frees your tongue

your mouth disperses through wind

4

The night starts with your mouth:

a press opens to my world

5

You speak through a well

when night deepens

6

Whichever question I ask

your mouth is a door closing on me

7

Each conversation with you:

broken key, lost lock

8

Everyone carries a defeat to love

Lie likes to speak about

wasted nights

 Ateşi Bölen Gece

1

Tüm yollarım sana çıkıyor ey susayan

damarımda akan şaraptır ağzın

2

Ağzın böler ateşi:

aşka, geceye

3

Ağzındır dağılan rüzgâra

bırakınca gece dilini

4

Ağzından başlar gece

dünyama açılan cendere

5

Bir kuyunun ağzından sesleniyorsun

gece inerken derine

6

Hangi soruyu sorsam

ağzın üstüme kapanan kapı

7

Seninle her konuşmamız:

kırık anahtar, kayıp kilit

8

Herkes bir yenilgiyi taşır aşka

Yalan hoşlanır anlatmaktan

eskiyen geceleri

HİLAL KARAHAN

HİLAL KARAHAN: Turkish poetess, writer, translator and medical doctor (Born in1977, Gaziantep/Turkey) She has graduated from Ankara Hacettepe University English Medical School in 2001 and Ankara Başkent University Medical School, Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency in 2006. Her professional poems, stories, articles about poetry have been published since 2000. She was one of the editors of ÇAMCAK Culture and Literature Magazine, published in Ankara Hacettepe University Poem Club during 2000-2002, ETKEN Poem Magazine, published in Alanya during 2003-2004 and MÜHÜR Poem and Literature Magazine in İstanbul during 2010-2013. Since 2017, she is a member of publishing council of international bilingual poetry magazines of Absent and Rosetta Word Literatura. Since 2000, she has been writing in various poetry-culture-literature magazines. She has also joined to many collective books, poetry almanacs and literature festivals. Her poems were translated into many languages. Her books were published in foreign countries. She had many national and international poetry awards. She is recently intercontinental director of World Festival of Poetry (WFP) and general secretary of Writers Capital Foundation (WCF) organizations. She is a member of Turkish PEN, Turkey ambassodor of World Intitute of Peace (WIP) and Turkey member of International Council for Diplomacy and Justice (ICDJ). She is director of Feminİstanbul and Mediterranean Poetry festivals which are held in Turkey every year.

Poem Books: İç Sözlük-Bir Günün Özeti - Self Dictionary-Summary of One Day (2003). Tepenin Önünde - In Front of The Hill (2003). Giz ve Sis - Secret and Mist (2004): Found as “remarkable” in 2004 Yaşar Nabi Nayır Poem Election. Gecikmiş Mumya - Delayed Mummy (2010): Found as “successful” in 2010 Cemal Süreya Poem Election. Ateşi Bölen Gece - The Night Sundering Passion (2012): Given Burhan Günel Private Award in 2013 M. Sunullah Arısoy Poem Election. Denizi Arayan Sokak - Strada Care Cautẵ Marea (Turkish-Romanian, 2014). Denizi Arayan Sokak - La Rue Qui Cherce La Mer (Turkish-French, 2016). Ateş ve Gece Arasında - Between Night And Fire (Turkish-English, 2017). Kırk Yama Kırk Yara - Forty Wound Forty Patchwork (2017) ): Given Jurie Special Award in 2017 İsmet Kemal Karadayı Poetry Award . Poems To The Shadows - قصائد للظّلال (Turkish-English-Arabic, 2017). Oriento Medio (Spanish, 2018). Prose Books: Şiir ve Kuantum - Poem and Quantum (2012). Dip Köşe Şiir Notları - Nook and Cranny Poem Notes (2014). Garland Book: Öteki Poetika: Bayrıl Şiiri Üzerine Yazılar - Other Poetic: Assays About Bayrıl Poem (2012)