I’ve seen many rueful men
i said nothing to them
flowing as if two violins tete a tete
we scratched our shoulders…
only one of them: are you in an extreme hurry! says
i’ve seen many rueful men
only he saw me
i loved two women
while leaving i was dressing black for one
for other it’s not the way to tell
i was heading off with the wind all over me
In between Ergani and Diyarbakir
girls heading for the field
in every one of them the Tigris flows
everybody has got their homes! let it be so
when eyes to eyes, all married become single
In between Tokat and Niksar
many sad ballads i’ve heard
a pair of dice picked and thrown
two graves lay head together
songs faded on those faces of the women
In between Sivas and Şarkışla
i lost my pocket mirror
a rooster was in mess till the morning
shot signboards between Sivas and Şarkışla…
the road’s being dangerous though
one can only see when looked closer
My feet inside my mouth
in between the earth and the sky
upside down i stood
Translated by Mesut Senol