I Want to Die with You

Sunday, May 18, 2008 3:08:00 AM        


I Want to Die with You

A hunter's cottage in the mountains
Knee-deep snow on the ground
Fire in the fireplace
Wind outside
Come on
First we must make love, prolonged
We must lie on the bear's fur on the floor
I must divide your body into square centimeters
And I must kiss them one by one
And then I must embrace you with all my strength
We must die like this
When years go by
And they find us
Even if our flesh has decayed
Our bones must not separate from each other
Come on
Breathing is easy
I want to die with you...

MY FUNERAL

Thursday, May 15, 2008 12:43:00 AM        


Will my funeral start out from our courtyard?
How will you get me down from the third floor?
The coffin won't fit in the elevator,
and the stairs are awfully narrow.

Maybe there'll be sun knee-deep in the yard, and pigeons,
maybe snow filled with the cries of children,
maybe rain with its wet asphalt.
And the trash cans will stand in the courtyard as always.

If, as is the custom here, I'm put in the truck face open,
a pigeon might drop something on my forehead : it's good luck.
Band or no band, the children will come up to me -
they're curious about the dead.

Our kitchen window will watch me leave.
Our balcony will see me off with the wash on the line.
In this yard I was happier than you'll ever know.
Neighbors, I wish you all long lives.

Poem of Nâzım Hikmet


Moscow, April 1963

tr. by Randy Blasing and Mutlu Konuk