Nazim Hikmet, Turkey's greatest modern poet. . .

On the 50th anniversary of his death, renowned Turkish poet Nazım Hikmet Ran, who died on June 3, 1963, in Moscow, was commemorated with Turkish music concerts and a ceremony at his grave in the Russian capital. More here

During the Nazım Hikmet commemoration events, Turks living in Moscow carried banners and posters to show their support for Gezi Park protesters. DHA photo

Five Lines
To overcome lies in the heart, in the streets, in the books

from the lullabies of the mothers
to the news report that the speaker reads,
understanding, my love, what a great joy it is,
to understand what is gone and what is on the way.

Angina Pectoris

If half my heart is here, doctor,
the other half is in China
with the army flowing
toward the Yellow River.
And, every morning, doctor,
every morning at sunrise my heart
is shot in Greece.
And every night, doctor,
when the prisoners are asleep and the infirmary is deserted,
my heart stops at a run-down old house
in Istanbul.
And then after ten years
all i have to offer my poor people
is this apple in my hand, doctor,
one red apple:
my heart.
And that, doctor, that is the reason
for this angina pectoris--
not nicotine, prison, or arteriosclerosis.
I look at the night through the bars,
and despite the weight on my chest
my heart still beats with the most distant stars.

Trans. by Randy Blasing and Mutlu Konuk (1993)