Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Gonca Özmen

KNOWINGLY WILLINGLY

I

The shadows were so insane I tasted them
And spoke to them, though I said I wouldn’t 

Love, never take me home again
Least of all to that house, and especially not at night 

Empty my bottom drawer, incinerate my garden,
Fling me out like the hick I am, 

So awkward in your tall ancestral halls
Which coil into each other, into you, into time 

Love, forgive me at night, most of all at night:
Let me go back to the dance, the crowd 

My body is a gun made of sorrow
aimed at you 

Don’t snag me into your trap
This is nothing compared to what I ran from 

Love, save me from those mornings,
from those long tables, those elegant rooms 

You could go swimming in the marshes of death
and still dive back freely into those mornings 

with the approval of your mother’s fine cheekbone,
me in my holey tights stumbling through breakfast. 

 

II

Love, listen to me at night, most of all at night
So I can let these words fall from my tongue

Prickly threads of sound
Nothing like my voice

Love, night-times, lay me down on a bed of wine
Distilled from your poverty, poured from your fears

Tell the freesias and jasmines about me
And most of all tell the dervishes, especially at night


III

Love, see a world in me, a peeled grape
Ignore the spinning machinery outside

Forget the pain I keep pressing on you,
Let it rest, let it fade into the distance

Catch an apple, a burst of street talk, a catcall,
an explosion of laughter in your ear.

Love, you streamed through my voice like water
What you’ve dropped didn’t fall from your pockets

Waiting, I’ve gathered more dust
Than an undisturbed vase

There is meaning in an undone button
It is words which kill their targets

Love, lean into me, look at me
You touch me but you left ages ago

Even water’s too busy to flow with me
No one’s coming to put a stop to the night, to let morning in.

WILLENS EN WETENS

I

Door de schaduw is een waanzin ontstaan -
Waarvan ik geproefd heb - al zei ik van niet

Liefste – neem mij 's nachts niet mee naar huis
Mij vooral niet naar huis, vooral niet 's nachts 

Doorboor mijn borst, verbrand mijn oogst, verban me naar de straat
De provincie in mij is niet gewend aan ruime kamers 

Waar jij je als een vis in het water voelt
Voel ik me als een kat in een vreemd pakhuis 

Liefste – vergeef mij ‘s nachts, vooral ‘s nachts
Laat de hongerige menigten zich vermaken met mijn dans 

Mijn lichaam is een wapen van verdriet
Of het zich niet op jou richt is de vraag 

Sleep mij niet mee in die onverhoopte val
Ik ben juist gevlucht voor wat jij thuis noemt

Liefste - bespaar mij die lange tafels, die chique zalen
Liefste - behoed mij voor de dagen 

Sleep mij door het moeras van de doden, langs de wang van je moeder
De meisjes met een ladder in hun kous horen niet bij jouw ochtenden

 

II

Liefste - luister 's nachts naar mij, vooral 's nachts
Hoe moet wat op mijn tong ligt anders stromen

Deze stekelige, meervoudige, ijzige
Stem in mij is er niet zomaar

Liefste - dompel mij 's nachts onder in wijn
Kerf mij uit je angsten, destilleer mij uit je armoede

Vertel de irissen over mij, vertel de jasmijnen over mij
Vertel vooral de derwisjen over mij, vooral 's nachts

 

III

Liefste - beschouw mij als de wereld, pel mij uit een druif
Het draaien van een kompas komt niet door ons

Vergeet die pijn die ik jou aldoor heb bezorgd
Houd hem ver bij je vandaan - vergeet hem 

Wees een appel in de mond van een straat
Wees een lach die in je oren schalt

Liefste – jij sijpelde met al het water door mijn stem
Wat jij onderweg liet vallen kwam niet uit jouw zak

Wat moet die pas op de plaats naast mijn stof,
Opgehoopt in een bloempot

Betekenis is het ontwarren van een knoop
Het is het woord dat wie het treft vermoordt

Liefste - buk je en kijk eens naar mij
Wie naast je ligt is allang niet meer de jouwe

BİLE İSTEYE

I

Gölgenin verdiği bir cinnet vardı - tattım
Olmadım deyince olunuyor değil 

Sevgilim - beni eve götürme geceleri
Beni en çok eve, en çok geceleri 

Sandığımı deş, harmanımı yak, yollara düşür
Bendeki taşra geniş odalara alışık değil
 
Sana bunları hep tek tek
Zemberekten birer birer geçirerek 

Sevgilim - beni bağışla geceleri, en çok geceleri
Bırak oyalansın o aç kalabalık dansımda 

Gövdem kederden bir tabanca
Üstünde patlamaz değil 

Götürme beni o apansız kapana
Ev dediğin ne ki kaçtığımın yanında 

Sevgilim - beni o uzun masalara, o şık salonlara
Sevgilim - beni gündüzlerden kolla 

Ölülerin sazlığından geçir, annenin yanağından
Çorabı kaçık kızlar zaten sabahın değil 

 

II

Sevgilim – dinle beni geceleri, en çok geceleri
Zaten nasıl akar bu dilimdeki

Pıtraklı, çoklu, ayazlı
Bendeki ses öylesine değil

Sevgilim - beni şaraba yatır geceleri
Korkularından yont, yoksulluğundan damıt

Beni süsenlere söyle, yaseminlere beni
Beni semazenlere en çok, beni en çok geceleri


III

Sevgilim – beni dünya say, bir üzümden soy
Pergelin döndüğü bizden değil

Seni durmadan çarptığım o ağrıyı unut
Olduğu yerde kalsın uzak – onu unut

Bir elma olup bir sokak ağzında
Kahkaha olup patlamak kulaklarında

Sevgilim – sen benim sesimden geçtin sularla
Yollarda düşürdüğün oysa cebinden değil

Öylece duran saksıda, bekleyiş ne ki
Benim tozumun yanında

Düğmenin çözülüşüdür anlam
Sözdür, kime vursa öldürür

Sevgilim – eğil de bir bak bana
Yanına kıvrıldığın çoktur senden değil

Close

KNOWINGLY WILLINGLY

I

The shadows were so insane I tasted them
And spoke to them, though I said I wouldn’t 

Love, never take me home again
Least of all to that house, and especially not at night 

Empty my bottom drawer, incinerate my garden,
Fling me out like the hick I am, 

So awkward in your tall ancestral halls
Which coil into each other, into you, into time 

Love, forgive me at night, most of all at night:
Let me go back to the dance, the crowd 

My body is a gun made of sorrow
aimed at you 

Don’t snag me into your trap
This is nothing compared to what I ran from 

Love, save me from those mornings,
from those long tables, those elegant rooms 

You could go swimming in the marshes of death
and still dive back freely into those mornings 

with the approval of your mother’s fine cheekbone,
me in my holey tights stumbling through breakfast. 

 

II

Love, listen to me at night, most of all at night
So I can let these words fall from my tongue

Prickly threads of sound
Nothing like my voice

Love, night-times, lay me down on a bed of wine
Distilled from your poverty, poured from your fears

Tell the freesias and jasmines about me
And most of all tell the dervishes, especially at night


III

Love, see a world in me, a peeled grape
Ignore the spinning machinery outside

Forget the pain I keep pressing on you,
Let it rest, let it fade into the distance

Catch an apple, a burst of street talk, a catcall,
an explosion of laughter in your ear.

Love, you streamed through my voice like water
What you’ve dropped didn’t fall from your pockets

Waiting, I’ve gathered more dust
Than an undisturbed vase

There is meaning in an undone button
It is words which kill their targets

Love, lean into me, look at me
You touch me but you left ages ago

Even water’s too busy to flow with me
No one’s coming to put a stop to the night, to let morning in.

KNOWINGLY WILLINGLY

I

The shadows were so insane I tasted them
And spoke to them, though I said I wouldn’t 

Love, never take me home again
Least of all to that house, and especially not at night 

Empty my bottom drawer, incinerate my garden,
Fling me out like the hick I am, 

So awkward in your tall ancestral halls
Which coil into each other, into you, into time 

Love, forgive me at night, most of all at night:
Let me go back to the dance, the crowd 

My body is a gun made of sorrow
aimed at you 

Don’t snag me into your trap
This is nothing compared to what I ran from 

Love, save me from those mornings,
from those long tables, those elegant rooms 

You could go swimming in the marshes of death
and still dive back freely into those mornings 

with the approval of your mother’s fine cheekbone,
me in my holey tights stumbling through breakfast. 

 

II

Love, listen to me at night, most of all at night
So I can let these words fall from my tongue

Prickly threads of sound
Nothing like my voice

Love, night-times, lay me down on a bed of wine
Distilled from your poverty, poured from your fears

Tell the freesias and jasmines about me
And most of all tell the dervishes, especially at night


III

Love, see a world in me, a peeled grape
Ignore the spinning machinery outside

Forget the pain I keep pressing on you,
Let it rest, let it fade into the distance

Catch an apple, a burst of street talk, a catcall,
an explosion of laughter in your ear.

Love, you streamed through my voice like water
What you’ve dropped didn’t fall from your pockets

Waiting, I’ve gathered more dust
Than an undisturbed vase

There is meaning in an undone button
It is words which kill their targets

Love, lean into me, look at me
You touch me but you left ages ago

Even water’s too busy to flow with me
No one’s coming to put a stop to the night, to let morning in.

Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Ludo Pieters Gastschrijver Fonds
Lira fonds
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère