against the sunset there stands a face gazing at me stands the face there it stands following me, vanishing along the endless vine-clad paths pathways that will soon be smothered under the leaves of dawn the depths of the vale invisible to me the secret there I cannot see both in the vermilion garb of the sun and on the warm breast of the night Venus would reveal herself a cry would arise with the dawn in the east as slowly with the silence of snow the hair-ribbon disentwines from my locks
gazing at me stands the face as silently and persistently as a shadow it follows me through life its pallor and its patience gifted by the snow and ripened in a pool of blue a complexion from the earthen depths rosy pink in hue
I rise to my feet that I may descend into the caverns of my soul you starlings magpies and butterflies should come once with me at daybreak to watch the sun as it arises and a goddess silently reclines upon the break of dawn.
Translated by Suat KARANTAY
LOVE AND FOREST
White angels swim through its water human destiny a scattered torso the world’s suns are growing pale now the moon’s winds at dawn wilting at the soaring grove and the moon glides with its silver rowboat into the roots of trees now I almost identify this oblivious being that whirls in the blue void it had come there having torn open the ground saying I hail from another necropolis with a tune I had never heard and tossing its huge body into the waters its steps were heard through the forets as it put forward the appeals to love’s high roof it had washed its feet in the roots of trees vigor and grandeur oozed out of its toes and I trailed it with tiny steps as I walked a forest opened up before me your hair had fallen over your dark shoulders did god send you oh where dreams are aflame at the red coral the forest keeps over there in a rage in a tumult of green the river’s blood vessels a great deal more than what you had been given all shapes are there yours are all the forms of forging ahead you are the being of what lies beyond the forest so you came and found me in fragments of the moon
Translated by Talat HALMAN
GÜLSELİ İNAL was born in İstanbul. After Studying English literature for two years, she majored in the Department of Philosophy and Sociology at the University of İstanbul and graduated in I975. She taught English and Turkish in a secondary school for a while and her first essay appeared in a daily newspaper. Her first volume of poems “Sulara Gömülü Çağrı”-A Call Burried into the Waters- illustrated by contemporary Turkish painter Burhan Uygur was published in I985. Her second volume was “Lale Sesiydiler ve Yoktular -they were the Voices of Tulip" and Nonexist-was published in I987 and her lyrical prose “Dolunay”-The Fullmoon” appeared in I988 and shortly after it was adapted and filmed by Şahin Kaygun. The film received awards at international and domestic film festivals. Her volumes of poems: Letoon I989, Dans Natura I990, Bakkaris I99I, and Sif ve Gula was published in I992 . Her volume of poetic prose “Saklanmış Levha”-the Preserved Tablet” appeared in I996. Gülseli İnal initially proposed “2I st March World Poetry Day” to Turkish PEN which carried the proposition to the international PEN, and was finally adopted by UNESCO.
Her volumes of poem “Chöd Raksları”-the Danses of the Matriks was published in 1998. The poet also studied the theory of art and painting during this period. Her volume The “ Kayıp Bağlantı”-Lost Connection appeared in 2000 and the next volume “Melek Kolonisi”- Colony of Angels was published in 2004. The Vortex of the Electra was published in 2005 and a new poetry volume - The Last Day of Childhood was published in 2007. The Divan of Dream was published in 2009. Kap Kario was published 2011. Pann was published 2013 and Before the Sun was published 2015.
She has also attended various international literary assemblies. She joined “Postmodern in Literature” panel held by Literarirsches Collogium in Berlin I992. She also attended seminars on poetry interpretation with contemporary English poets in I993. She read her verses in Rotterdam Poetry -Park and Amsterdam Vondel Park Poetry Festivals in I994. She attended the opening ceremony of international Writers and Translators Center of Rhodes held by Waves of three Seas and she read her poems at International Poetry Days at the antique Apollon Theatre of Rhodes in I996. She joined poetry reading at Frankfurt City Library about Book Fair in Germany in 2001. The poet attended Festival international De La Poesıe Turcophone Strasbourg France in 2003. She was invited at Kuala Lumpur World Poetry Reading Fest at Malasia 2004 and she joined Assocıazıone Culturale Allegoraın at İtaly in 2008. Her poems have been translated into German, English, French, Malay, Dutch and Farsi.