Nights with your absence have begun in this goddamn city.
For some reason, you always come to mind at night,
I count black sheep, trying to forget
Only to remember all over again.
How could one not feel a heavy heart, or, if one could, not curse?
I weep, silent and still, in the embrace of the darkness.
The stars are shining brightly now in your city.
The same songs are being sung in the places you left behind.
I wish to forget, but then a wave of melancholy rises,
And I find myself rushing out into the streets.
I know, I know well that this is a dark passion.
The gardens are abloom with flowers now in your city.
Somber rains begin to fall in heavy torrents.
Phantom trains pass through my wet, darkness,
Their mournful whistles echoing in my solitude.
Your absence is like a stagnant pool for it a longing I hold
The streets are lively and bustling now in your city.
If only you were here.
I would like to take your hands in mine gently.
In truth, a blind, headlong race has fallen to my lot,
Upon my unhappiness.
The unfinished songs you left behind, the tears that spill,
And the intoxicated memories that tremble in my mind
The trees are vibrant and green now in your city.
1980
English Translation by Mesut Şenol