TURKEY - A man holds a fired bullet at Taksim square in Istanbul during #turkeycoupattempt in Istanbul. By @ozannkosee: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 15 July 2016
Nâzım Hikmet Ran: Some Advice to Those Who Will Serve Time in Prison
If instead of being hanged by the neck
you’re thrown inside
for not giving up hope
in the world, your country, and people,
if you do ten or fifteen years
apart from the time you have left,
you won’t say,
“Better I had swung from the end of a rope
like a flag” --
you’ll put your foot down and live.
It may not be a pleasure exactly,
but it’s your solemn duty
to live one more day
to spite the enemy.
Part of you may live alone inside,
like a stone at the bottom of a well.
But the other part
must be so caught up
in the flurry of the world
that you shiver there inside
when outside, at forty days’ distance, a leaf moves.
To wait for letters inside,
to sing sad songs,
or to lie awake all night staring at the ceiling
is sweet but dangerous.
Look at your face from shave to shave,
forget your age,
watch out for lice
and for spring nights,
and always remember
to eat every last piece of bread --
also, don’t forget to laugh heartily.
And who knows,
the woman you love may stop loving you.
Don’t say it’s no big thing:
it’s like the snapping of a green branch
to the man inside.
To think of roses and gardens inside is bad,
to think of seas and mountains is good.
Read and write without rest,
and I also advise weaving
and making mirrors.
I mean, it’s not that you can’t pass
ten or fifteen years inside
and more --
you can,
as long as the jewel
on the left side of your chest doesn’t lose its luster!
Nâzım Hikmet Ran (1902-1963): Some Advice to Those Who Will Serve Time in Prison, May 1949, translated by Randy Blasing and Mutlu Konuk in Poems of Nazim Hikmet (1994)
TURKEY - People take over tank near Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge during #turkeycoupattempt in Istanbul. by Gurcan Ozturk: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 15 July 2016
TURKEY - Jet fighters pass over near the Bosphorus bridge during #TurkeyCoupAttempt in Istanbul. By @Kilicbil #AFP: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 15 July 2016
TURKEY - People carry a man shot during clashes with Turkish military at Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul. By @Kilicbil: image via AFP Photo Department @AFPphoto, 15 July 2016
TURKEY - A wounded man is given medical care at Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul during #TurkeyCoup, By @AFP: image via AFP Photo Department @AFPphoto, 15 July 2016
TURKEY - A wounded man is given medical care at Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul during #TurkeyCoup, By @AFP: image via AFP Photo Department @AFPphoto, 15 July 2016
TURKEY - Turkish military control the Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul after #turkeycoupattempt. By @Gurcan Ozturk #AFP: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 15 July 2016
TURKEY - A military tank drives past during #TurkeyCoupAttempt at Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul. By @Kilicbil #AFP: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 15 July 2016
TURKEY - A man covered with blood stands near Bosphorus bridge during #TurkeyCoupAttempt in Istanbul. By @Kilicbil: image via AFP Photo Department @AFPphoto, 15 July 201
TURKEY - Turkish solders stay at Taksim square as people protest against #TurkeyCoupAttempt in Istanbul. By @ozannkosee: image via AFP Photo Department @AFPphoto, 15 July 2016
TURKEY - Turkish solders stay at Taksim square as people protest against #TurkeyCoupAttempt in Istanbul. By @ozannkosee: image via AFP Photo Department @AFPphoto, 15 July 2016
TURKEY - People take Turkish solder to Police at Taksim square in Istanbul during #TurkeyCoupAttempt in Istanbul. By @ozannkosee: image via AFP Photo Department @AFPphoto, 15 July 2016
TURKEY - A man is shot in his car during #TurkeyCoupAttempt near Taksim square in Istanbul. By @ozannkosee #AFP: image via AFP Photo Department @AFPphoto, 15 July 2016
TURKEY - People take over tank near Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge during #turkeycoupattempt in Istanbul. By Gurcan Ozturk: image via AFP Photo Department @AFPphoto, 15 July 2016
TURKEY - People take to streets in Ankara during protest against #TurkeyCoupAttempt in Istanbul. by @AdemAltan3 #AFP: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 15 July 2016
TURKEY - People take to streets in Ankara during protest against #TurkeyCoupAttempt in Istanbul. by @AdemAltan3 #AFP: image via AFP Photo Department @AFPphoto, 15 July 2016
TURKEY - People wave a Turkish national flag at Taksim square in Istanbul during #TurkeyCoupAttempt. By @ozannkosee: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 15 July 2016
TURKEY - An injured man lies on ground at Taksim square in Istanbul during #TurkeyCoupAttempt. By @HalitOnurSandal: image via AFP Photo Department @AFPphoto, 15 July 2016
TURKEY - An injured man lies on ground at Taksim square in Istanbul during #TurkeyCoupAttempt. By @HalitOnurSandal: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 15 July 2016
TURKEY - People take cover during #TurkeyCoupAttempt. By @HalitOnurSandal: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 15 July 2016
TURKEY - A tank drives on streets in Ankara as people protest against #TurkeyCoupAttempt. By @AdemAltan3 #AFP: image via AFP Photo Department @AFPphoto, 15 July 2016
TURKEY LIVE UPDATES: Bomb blasts reported in Istanbul and Ankara: image via Reuters Top News @Reuters, 15 July 2016
TURKEY LIVE UPDATES: Bomb blasts reported in Istanbul and Ankara: image via Reuters Top News @Reuters, 15 July 2016
TURKEY LIVE UPDATES: Bomb blasts reported in Istanbul and Ankara: image via Reuters Top News @Reuters, 15 July 2016
LIVE UPDATES: Witnesses say two more explosions hit Turkish parliament: image via Reuters Top News @Reuters, 15 July 2016
More than 130 people detained in relation to coup attempt: Turkish PM: image via Reuters Top News @Reuters, 15 July 2016
Official says 42 people killed in Turkish coup attempt: image via Reuters Top News @Reuters, 15 July 2016
Official says 42 people killed in Turkish coup attempt: image via Reuters Top News @Reuters, 15 July 2016
Flights diverted, canceled as coup attempt unfolds in Turkey: image via Reuters Top News @Reuters, 15 July 2016
What we know - and don't know - so far about the #Turkey coup: image via Claire Phipps @ClairePhipps, 15 July 2016
Social media access restricted in Turkey: internet monitoring groups: image via Reuters Top News @Reuters, 15 July 2016
CNN Turk's live broadcast of empty studio after alleged coup soldiers stormed the building, shut TV down #Turkey: image via Ivan Watson @IvanCNN, 15 July 2016
Turkish people will resist the Gulenist soldiers' coup attempt! We will not let that happen again!: image via Merve Sebnem @mervesebnem, 15 July 2016
Turkish people will resist the Gulenist soldiers' coup attempt! We will not let that happen again!: image via Merve Sebnem @mervesebnem, 15 July 2016
BREAKING: Bomb hits Turkish parliament in Ankara: State-run Anadolu Agency: image via Reuters Top News @Reuters, 15 July 2016
Bugün YÜCE MECLİS'e saldıranlar hainlere ders verme günüdür..: image via Omer Celik @omerrcelik, 15 July 2016
Bugün YÜCE MECLİS'e saldıranlar hainlere ders verme günüdür..: image via Omer Celik @omerrcelik, 15 July 2016
Bugün YÜCE MECLİS'e saldıranlar hainlere ders verme günüdür..: image via Omer Celik @omerrcelik, 15 July 2016
Bugün YÜCE MECLİS'e saldıranlar hainlere ders verme günüdür..: image via Omer Celik @omerrcelik, 15 July 2016
TURKEY - Turkish security officers detain Turkish police officers (in black) in Istanbul. By @yasinnakgul #AFP: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 15 July 2016
TURKEY - Turkish security officers detain unknown individuals in Istanbul during #TurkeyCoup. By @Kilicbil: image via Frédérique Geffard @fgeffardAFP, 15 July 2016
Gunfire heard in Turkish capital Ankara: Reuters witness: image via Reuters Top News @Reuters, 15 July 2016
Wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Masha Allah. Amazing people amazing bravery. Such a passionate nation #Turkey: image via Tenacious IK @Wasim_Wazir, 15 July 2016
Protesters climb onto tank as situation in #Turkey appears to be rapidly escalating: image via Daily Mirror @DailyMirror, 15 July 2016
Syria watches as #Turkey erupts under an apparent military coup: image via Business Insider @businessinsider, 15 July 2016
People attempt to mount a tank during military coup in #Turkey: image via the Boston Globe @BostonGlobe, 15 July 2016
Civilians have taken to the streets as confusion remains over who is in charge in #Turkey: image via Bloomberg @business, 15 July 2016
The #Turkish people have taken the airport. #Turkey: image via Airplane Pictures @iLoveAviation, 15 July 2016
Magnum Fotoğraf Ödülleri Açıklandı #magnumphotos: image via Foto Gaste @fotogaste, 15 July 2016
Images from the streets of Istanbul during the military coup attempt of 15 July 2016: all images via MUSA KESLER @MuSaKesLeR, 15 July 2016
LATEST| The junta soldiers under custody... [photo Anadolu Agency]: image via MUSA KESLER @MuSaKesLeR, 15 July 2016
LATEST| The junta soldiers under custody...[photo Anadolu Agency]:: image via MUSA KESLER @MuSaKesLeR, 15 July 2016
Lying in
The body of Alton Sterling, who was shot and killed by Baton Rouge Police officers, lies in a casket as he is brought into his funeral at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana: photo by Sean Gardner, 15 July 2016
The body of Alton Sterling, who was shot and killed by Baton Rouge Police officers, lies in a casket as he is brought into his funeral at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana: photo by Sean Gardner, 15 July 2016
Pakistani supporters of banned organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) offer funeral prayers for Indian-occupied Kashmir Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani: photo by Aamir Qureshi / AFP, 15 July 2016
Workers install a commercial advertisement on the side of a building in Beijing: photo by Rolex Sela Pena/EPA, 15 July 2016
#NiceAttack Policemen walk on the site where a truck drove into a crowd on the Promenade des Anglais @ValeryHache: image via AFP Photo Department @AFPphoto, 15 July 2016
Nice truck attacker was from Tunisian town of Msaken: Tunisian security sources: image via Reuters Top News @Reuters, 15 July 2016
A man walks through debris scattered on the street the day after a truck ran into a crowd at high speed killing scores celebrating the Bastille Day on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France: photo by Eric Gaillard/Reuters, 15 February 2016
A man walks through debris scattered on the street the day after a
truck ran into a crowd at high speed killing scores celebrating the
Bastille Day on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France: photo by Eric Gaillard/Reuters, 15 February 2016
4 comments:
Amazing photos here Tom -- "All the News / That's Fit to Print ". . .
Hikmet is such a powerful voice. I hope I never need his advice, but it's good to know it's there.
I thought of other poems by Hikmet last night but your choice is perfect Tom, as always...
Steve, Terry, Michael,
Thanks very much.
These are surprising events, and the world changes as they unfold... unless, of course, it doesn't.
Terry, now that you mention it, er... will Hildebeest round us up and have us all immured in a Turkish prison?
After all, it's a growth industry.
Michael, for me, a great world poet is the first and maybe best argument any people or country can offer on its own behalf, in addressing the inhabitants of Earth either individually or en masse.
Darwish for example -- his poems properly translated into Galactic, the best possible advertisement for the always fraught project of intelligent life on Earth, in his little corner pocket of it, and radiating out from there.
I've met more than one Turkish person with whom -- and I don't mean "poets" like, just people -- it was possible to begin a conversation in no more time than it took to say "Hikmet"... a warm smile usually permitting the alien (me) to plunge on in out of my depth... when the rain washes you clean you'll know, and all that.
In a good sense, the poems of a great world poet open a door into a beautiful garden somewhere, and invite us to live there too, despite everything. We don't have American poets like that, of course.
Which of our poets has ever been a "people's poet" in that common sense?
I remember going to Northwestern High School in Detroit in 1967 and proffering upon an audience of some 500 students, all black, a few poems I thought might go over with, like, the people.
Started with Frank O'Hara's poem about picking up little boys at the movies.
Should have stopped right here... or been stopped. (They shoot horses don't they).
Stumbling to find a polite way to say, we just don't have that kind of people's poet...
But Hikmet is like that, and of course there is a great sum of "despite everything" in his case.
Spent perhaps 1/4 of his not very long life in Turkish prisons, a milieu possibly a bit less pleasant than, let's say, the Promenade des Anglais -- and yet, in a certain way, every poem he wrote is a love poem, and the beloved is the country and people.
Go figure.
And now, Erdogan no sweetheart (!), still, and yet, and yet...
Reverberations in the Echo Chamber (Nâzim Hikmet Ran: The Walnut Tree)
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