Photo: Zeynep Arkok 

Istanbul CityPoem: Poets and Voices, Ilhan Berk

POET AND VOICES

Everyday he comes and takes his place in the world.
“The difficult thing,” he says “is to live the life of poetry,
writing always comes later.” The words come easy
from his mouth, like ordering a glass of water.
Then, to be more at home with himself
he goes as usual to his old chair and sits.
Comes face to face with trees, with seas and skies.
He twirls a carnation in his hands. Brings it to his nose.
Then listen to the voices. To someone saying goodnight,
someone passing in the street. Mornings’ noisy departure.
Silent grass. Descending day.
                           Voices. Voices. Voices.
All day he listens to these sounds
and then withdraws
                           to his place in the world.

İlhan Berk, 1981

Photo: Zeynep ArkokAbout the author

İlhan Berk (born 1918) is a contemporary Turkish poet. İlhan Berk was a dominant figure in the Postmodern Generation (postmodern artists are given the name "ikinci yeni" in Turkish which means "The second new generation".) He has been very influential among Turkish literary circles.

Berk's poetry evolved from the approach of an epical socialist to the dreamy vision of a lyrical and erotic individual. He made the "object" visible in its glory and aimed to break down the meaning. Berk's poetry takes its roots from the mythology, and a synthesis of Western and Eastern poetry traditions, yet he accomplishes to create a unique and post-modern approach.

History, geography, visual arts, cities such as Istanbul, Paris and Ankara, feed Berk's poetry and, his themes are supported by a sizable vocabulary that includes colloquial words as well as very specific ones, such as musical terms and local names of plants.

Only a small selection of Berk's poems has so far appeared in English, most notably A Leaf About To Fall: Selected Poems (2006) translated by George Messo.

Text in Turkish

OZAN VE SESLER

Her gün böyle gelip dünyadaki yerine alıyor.
“Zor olan, diyor, şiirin hayatını yaşamaktır.
Yazmak sonra gelir hep.” Bir bardak su ister
Gibi kolay çıkıyor bu sözler ağzından.
Kendiyle daha bir içli dışlı olmak için sonra
Her zamanki eski koltuğuna gidip oturuyor.

Göz göze geliyor ağaçlarla denizle gökle. Bir top
Karanfilde gezdiriyor ellerini. Burnuna götürüyor.
Sesleri dinliyor sonra. İyi akşamlar diyen
Yoldan geçen bir sesi. Gürültülerle inen sabahı.

Sessiz otları. Düşen günü.
Sesleri. Sesleri. Sesleri.
Böyle bütün gün sesleri dinleyip
Çekiliyor sonra,
Dünyadaki yerine. 1981Günlerimiz Olacak  Daha nice yıllarda.
Hep beraber seninle,
En güzel bir baharda,
Bir uzun yazda.
Günlerimiz...Kâh Adada, kâh Boğazda.
Kuytu bir yolda – bütün böğürtlen, kocayemiş –
Dudaklarımız birleşivermiş...
Akşam, Köprüüstü kalabalık,
Başın, omuzumda artık
Ufukta hilâl, gökte yıldızlar.
Günlerimiz olacak,
Mesut, bahtiyar. 1945
Photo: MomLes  

photo Peter Samis

See also

> Cultural Hotspots in Istanbul

Inspiring Cities Museum of CityPoems

Inspiring Cities has collected many citypoems over the years, as well as organized salons with citypoets and cities doing special projects. We have two criteria for what a citypoem is: the intention must be poetic, and it must be in the public realm of cities. Shapes, form and locations can and do differ.

The Museum of CityPoems has citypoems from cities all over the world. From Alhambra to Zonnebeke, from Taipei to Lima.

Got one yourself? Mail us your pictures (free of rights) and description, and we will publish.