HILAL KARAHAN

Hilal KARAHAN

THE MOON RISES ABOVE THE NIGHT’S BONES

The fire has no days

the crescent covers her skirt with night

The copper sickle avidly reaps

the neck before her and has no mercy

What can rage veil

when Dawn

scratches your face?

The crescent is a dagger

with a silent larynx

Night can’t be accused 

of the shadow’s curse

Gecenin kemikleri üzerinde yükselir ay

Yoktur ateşin eyyamı

geceyle örter eteğini hilâl

Öne düşen boyna acımaz

hırsla vurur bakır orak

Öfke neyi örter

yüzünü tırnaklarıyla

kazırken şafak?

Hançerdir hilâl

hançeresi lâl

Geceye

gölgenin

âhı sorulmaz

WE THINK WHEN THE NIGHT IS SILENT

Merciful is the night,

fixing ice skating stars

to trees’ hair

Buttoning the day’s collar

looking tired at the morning

She knows who put on her breath

the sandalwood and amber

smelling reality

At night

everyone believes

his intuitions

Gecenin sustuğu an düşünürüz

Gece rikkatlidir,

buzda kayan yıldızları

ağaçların saçlarına takar

İlikler düğmelerini günün

sabaha yorgun bakar

Bilir kimin bıraktığını

soluğuna sandal ve amber

kokulu hakikati

Gece

herkes

sezdiğine inanır

NIGHT WAS SHUTTLING BETWEEN US

Night takes its color off

and carelessly spreads

over the silver grass

Whistles grow,

wet are the whispers

and grows the earth

Vagabond wind

-a residue of ancient summers-

clumbers the tamarisks

with scented oils

Blameless is the night

thick and soft

are her arms

Night makes

eternal

the flesh’s atlas

Gece gidip geliyordu aramızda

Soyunur rengini gece

gümüş otların üzerinde

sere serpe

Büyür ıslıklar

ıslak fısıltılar

toprak büyür

Kokulu yağlarla

ovar ılgınları

o eski yazlardan kalma

avare rüzgâr

Gecenin alnı ak

kolları kalın

yumuşak

Gecede

sonsuzdur

atlası tenin

HILAL KARAHAN

HILAL KARAHAN: Turkish poet, writer, translator and medical doctor. She was born in 1977, at Gaziantep, Turkey. She has graduated from Kütahya Tavşanlı İstiklal Elementary School in 1988, Balıkesir Sırrı Yırcalı Anatolian High School in 1995, Ankara Hacettepe University English Medical School in 2001 and Ankara Başkent University Medical School, Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency in 2006. Although she has been writing since elementary school, 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, Rosetta Word Literatura and Sahitya Anand. Since 2000, she has been writing in various poetry-culture-literature magazines such as Destine Literature, Rosetta Word Literatura, Absent, Galaktika Poetike Atunis, Litterature Online, Neuma, Ramuri, Kafla, Chinese Language Monthly, Kwee, Kıyı, Kurşun Kalem, Patika, ÇağdaşTürk Dili, HürriyetGösteri, YasakMeyve, Varlık, Cumhuriyet Book Supplement, Mühür, Mor Taka, Eliz, Çinikitap, ÖzgürEdebiyat, KuşakEdebiyat, Papirus, Edebiyat Ortamı, Ayraç, Üçnokta, Akköy, Akbük, Hâr, Ayna, Aşkın e-Hali, Kül, Kül-Öykü, Etken, ŞiirSaati, Dize, Le PoéteTravaille, Kum, Islık, Bahçe, Ücra, Heves, Mavi Ada, Düşe-Yazma, Bilinçaltından Notlar Dergisi, Amanos, Ihlamur, … etc. 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 is recently intercontinental director of World Festival of Poetry (WFP), general secretary of Writers Capital Foundation (WCP), Turkey ambassador of World Institute of Peace (WIP) and Turkish member of International Council for Diplomacy and Justice (ICDJ) organizations. She organizes FeminIstanbul Woman Poetry Festival every year.