I am listening to Istanbul with my eyes closed
First a breeze is blowing
And leaves swaying
Slowly on the trees;
Far far away the bells of the
Water carriers ringing,
I am listening to Istanbul with my eyes closed.
I am listening to Istanbul with my eyes closed
A bird is passing by,
Birds are passing by, screaming, screaming,
Fish nets being withdrawn in fishing weirs,
A woman’s toe dabbling in water,
I am listening to Istanbul with my eyes closed.
I am listening,
The cool Grand Bazaar,
Mahmutpasha twittering
Full of pigeons,
Its vast courtyard,
Sounds of hammering from the docks,
In the summer breeze far, far away the odor of sweat,
I am listening.
I am listening to Istanbul with my eyes closed
The drunkenness of old times
In the wooden seaside villa with its deserted boat house
The roaring southwestern wind is trapped,
My thoughts are trapped
Listening to Istanbul with my eyes closed.
I am listening to Istanbul with my eyes closed
A coquette is passing by on the sidewalk,
Curses, sings, sings, passes;
Something is falling from your hand
To the ground,
It must be a rose.
I am listening to Istanbul with my eyes closed.
I am listening to Istanbul with my eyes closed
A bird is flying round your skirt;
I know if your forehead is hot or cold
Or your lips are wet or dry;
Or if a white moon is rising above the pistachio tree
My heart’s fluttering tells me. . .
I am listening to Istanbul with my eyes closed.
translated by the poet Murat Nemet-Nejat
…and I admit, this time the poem comes not from my poetry bookshelf, but from Leonard Durso’s glorious website leonarddurso.com
Also, we should have been in Istanbul last week, but Corona got in the way. :(
The Cheesesellers Wife 
So unfair ! Beautiful poem though !
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Yes, but the poem makes me want to go all the more……
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Sorry to hear about the missed trip! Istanbul is on my top ten list of places I’d like to go. Hope you have an opportunity soon. :)
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Maybe next year…… :)
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That would be great!
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Thanks for posting Orhan Veli Kanık’s poem. Istanbul, known by one name or another, has been here for almost 2900 years so it will still be here whenever you come. It awaits you.
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Thank you Leonard –I’m very much looking forward to visiting, perhaps next year. Am listening to podcasts about Constantine and other rulers most evenings. :)
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There’s so much history here. There’s a t-shirt they see that reads: “Turkey The World’s Largest Museum.” And I believe it is.
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With wonderful food too! As students we lived in a Turkish enclave in London and we have great memories of our nieghbours. The area is still predominantly Turkish, although I suspect the traditional wrestling no longer happens in the park on Sunday mornings (the police were never keen on the nudity).
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They have a traditional wrestling match every year in Edirne. They rub oil on their mostly naked bodies and wrestle until the last man is standing.
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That’s what used to happen at Newington Green. As soon as there was a bit of sunshine.
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You can still see it here if you want.
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Thank you for this poem, Kim, one I’ve never read before. So sorry your trip to Istanbul was sabotaged by an insidious little bug. But we’ll always have poetry to take us to other realms.
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Yes, indeed.
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