Poems by ​Salih Bolat

THE LAKE
 
at night
feeling secure, we went off to our beds
but the lake stayed alone in darkness
ı wish she would talk with the summer grasses
and would listen to the song of hot herbs
ı wish falling stars would stop her worries
and she wouldn’t feel cold
 
at night
 we fell into a deep asleep
the mountains were covered with distances
 but the lake was still awake
she was wandering alone among the bulrushes
ı prepared a bed for her
ı wish she would come to us.

 
Translated by Tozan Alkan



THE NIGHT TESTIMONY II
 
every stone wants to walk, just look
the ash wants to remember that beginning of fire
the blood wants to sprout in embrace of night
the deads want to laugh, just look.
 
dug soil, found seed, mold
who can explain distance of sadness
if mountain appear so, it know a thing
if sea go mad, it know a thing
this is loneliness,this is love, this is death
breath of bird is boreing night, just look.

​
Translated by Salih Bolat

Salih Bolat was born in Adana in 1956 and completed his elementary through high school education there. He graduated from the Department of Social Politics at the University of Gazi (1980). He completed his doctorate at Hacettepe University. .  He was on the editorial board of the journals Koza, Petek, Yapıt and Yarın. He has published books of essays, poetry and criticism. His first literary work was his short story entitled Çöpçü/Garbage Man published in the newspaper Yeni Adana (1975). He has also been published in journals like Yeni Olgu, Türkiye Yazıları and Düşler. In his socially oriented poetry, he depicts the individual’s distress and pain, and the details of life. He has an imagist and lyrical style. His books of poetry include Yaşanan/What Is Lived (1983), Bir Afişin Önünde/In Front of a Poster (1986), Sınır ve Sonsuz/Limit and Infinity (1988), Karşılaşma/Encounter (1993), Uzak ve Eski/Distant and Old (1995), Gece Tanıklığı/Witness to the Night (1999), Açılmış Kanat/Spread Wings (2004) , Kanıt/Evidence (2006). ), and Atların Uykusu /Sleeping of the Horses/(2014)

 
 
Awards:
1. 1984 Akademi Kitabevi Poem Prize
2.1986 Yaşar Nabi Nayır Poem Prize  
3.1990 Ceyhun Atuf Kansu Poem Prize .
4.2002 Ahmed Arif Poem Prize
5.2003 Yunus Emre Poem Prize
6.2004 Homeros Work Prize
7.2007 Behçet Aysan Poem Prize
8. 2015 Metin Altıok Poem Prize

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