Poems by ​Eray Canberk

IN THE SHELTER OF A MOUNTAIN

or they are deceived by a lack of interpretation
under a sky no loger able to cloud
for it is not show that falls
it is simply a chill perhaps

they miss a city
while living in another
for in fact they are not in their former places
when inadvertantly  they look up into the sky

what changes is simply outside they think
what is there penetrating inside
besides the cold and sadness
and the dark that settles early



wish it would snow and never melt again
to get used to living this city
frozen its waters frozen its smokes
and sheltered in the nook of a mountain

and when an old forgotten song
is sung which  nobody understands
a woman plants Kars (*)
as homesickness in her heart
as she gets used to her womanhood

                                                           Translated by Suat Karantay

(*) Kars: City in east of  Turkey.



INCORRIGIBLE

they just  go and on
the pain and love unending
they just brood  on and on
each time they take a wrong turning

something unfinished remains
-actually rather within-
a loving heart, getting childish
-maybe more so the older it is getting-

                                         Translated  by Yurdanur Salman

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Eray Canberk (d.1940.) studied French Literature at Istanbul University and Philosophy at İstanbul High Institute for Teachers. He worked as primary school teacher at first and later on at various publishing houses  as translator, writer, chief editor and adviser and for a while he managed even a publishing house. He won several poetry prize such as Homeros poetry reading honour quest (2006); Troya Culture and Art Prize(2010);Behçet Necatigil Poetry Prize( 2012);PEN Turkey Poetry Prize (2013); Salihli Poetry Gathering Honour Quest and 5th Intertanional Eskişehir poetry Festival Honour Quest. His poetry books as follows: Kuytu Sular/Silent Waters (1969), Yüreğim Burkulduğu Zaman/When my heart were broken (1983), Eskimiş Yalnızlığa/To Neclected Lonliness (Toplu şiirler/Collected Poems) (1992), Ebrular (1997), Kuytu Sularda Zaman/Time in silent waters (Seçilmiş şiirler) (2006), Kent Kırgını/City disappointer   (2011). He translated also World poets such as Mao Çe-tung, Paul Éluard, Robert Desnos, Jacques Prévert, Antonio Machado, Tahar Ben Jelloun, andTudor Arghezi, Aimé Césair. Some of his poems were published as book. He also has some other books on essay, research and children books on literature.

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