Çankiri Turkey! 940 Seen From A Prison Windowii Poem by Metin Sahin

I heard a woman's voıce
and the cries of the children
Two ghosts of men
passed in front of the cafe with maiden
side by side slowly and slowly
They were officials I suppose
they were very proud and very weary
they could not even talk with each other
there was light only at the ground floor of The WHITE HOUSE
they were dining ı think
the engine of the passanger train started again
whistling bitter and bitter
like the tinkling in the ears
have your ears thinkled too
my beloved wife..my dear spouse
now
the radio began to broadcast
they tranferred it to the city publıc loud speakers
from the city hall
the tailors are talking loudly and coarsely even
the brand of their sewing-machines SIEMENS
modelled 1897
only one man passed from the main road
he was smokıng a cigarette
I can see the governor's offıcıal automobile
his daughters are beautıful
last week
the eldest one married in the CITY-HALL
an another man also passed from the main road
he was a villager
there is a wooden bridge beneath the poplars
there are aiming boards in the empty estate
and a cage for the hens of the captain
have not yet slept the hens
ı still hear their cacklings
again the voice of the same woman
a strange voice
they are goıng for walks on th wooden bridge
and there
beneath the poplars it is lit
first came the crackling noıses of the two wheeled
oxen carts
then came into view the carts themselves and their oxen
they were three
going slowly ın a row one after the other
one of them was loaded with newly harvested green grapes
then they dissapeared suddenly
for a long time
their noises remaining on the road
the radio played modern music pieces
if it lasts long
ı know
the mayor will interrupt it
he does not like the clasical modern west musıc
ı heard the the voice of the same woman
I think no voice can cope with it
your soft voice comes to my ears my beloved PİRAYE
the tailors burn kerosene of number five
where did they found the kerosene
the radio began to broadcast turkish classic music
with the black sea fiddle
the mountains are all whiter and whiter
the ammunıtıon depot is dark
the passanger lorry came and passed the city
ıs that a sentry standing in the recruıtıng office garden
ı see
no it is a woman shouting
and the cries of the children again
there three persons came out of the WHITE HOUSE
they stopped for a while
and looked behind
then they walked onto the road
ı think the railroad labourers are pasing from the main road now
only they can talk loudly lıke that
the road is iluminated
the radio sings a song
It says
''NO VISITING ONE:: NOT A PIECE OF NEWS TO COME! !
! ! THE DAY IS BEING LONG AND THE ROADS ARE EMPTY AND BARE''
Why?
But I
But WE KNOW
the news perhaps will come soon
we are all hopeful
I and we know that
we are hopeful
the news for all of us will come soon.....?
Nazım HİKMET

Translation Metin ŞAHİN