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Saturday 16 July 2016

into the streets (Nâzım Hikmet Ran: Some Advice to Those Who Will Serve Time in Prison)

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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


Both of Istanbul's Bosphorus bridges closed: TVs: 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




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

into the streets 
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 

 BATON ROUGE, LA - JULY 15:  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 on July 15, 2016 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

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

BATON ROUGE, LA - JULY 15:  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 on July 15, 2016 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) 

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

World in focus – best photos for July 15, 2016

Pakistani supporters of banned organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) offer funeral prayers for Indian-occupied Kashmir Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wan
i: photo by  Aamir Qureshi / AFP, 15 July 2016 

epa05425606 Workers install a commercial advertisement on the side of a building in Beijing, China, 15 July 2016. China's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth was at 6.7 percent in the second quarter of 2016, according to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The growth is the lowest rate recorded since 2009.  EPA/ROLEX DELA PENA

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 scatterd on the street the day after a truck ran into a crowd at high speed killing scores celebrating the Bastille Day July 14 national holiday on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France, July 15, 2016.      REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

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 scatterd on the street the day after a truck ran into a crowd at high speed killing scores celebrating the Bastille Day July 14 national holiday on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France, July 15, 2016.      REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

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:

STEPHEN RATCLIFFE said...

Amazing photos here Tom -- "All the News / That's Fit to Print ". . .

tpw said...

Hikmet is such a powerful voice. I hope I never need his advice, but it's good to know it's there.

Lally said...

I thought of other poems by Hikmet last night but your choice is perfect Tom, as always...

TC said...

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)