WW1 Gallipoli poem in memory of Turkish martyrs
Çanakkale Şehitlerine
To Dardanelles Martyrs
Şu Boğaz harbi nedir? Var mı ki dünyâda eşi?
What is that Bosphorus war? Is there an equivalent to it in the world?
En kesif orduların yükleniyor dördü beşi.
Four or five of the most dense armies are pressing
-Tepeden yol bularak geçmek için Marmara’ya-
In order to go to Marmara finding a way through the hill
Kaç donanmayla sarılmış ufacık bir karaya.
To a very small land besieged by many navies.
Ne hayâsızca tehaşşüd ki ufuklar kapalı!
What a dishonarable gathering, because of it horizons are overcast.
Nerde-gösterdiği vahşetle ´bu: bir Avrupalı´
Where is “This is an European.” with the violance he shows?
Dedirir-Yırtıcı, his yoksulu, sırtlan kümesi,
This wild, numb hyena group makes you say this.
Varsa gelmiş, açılıp mahbesi, yâhud kafesi!
They came being opened their cages
Eski Dünyâ, yeni Dünyâ, bütün akvâm-ı beşer,
Old world, new world, all the nations of men
Kaynıyor kum gibi, mahşer mi, hakikat mahşer.
They are boiling like sand, is it Armegeddon?, truely it is.
Yedi iklimi cihânın duruyor karşında,
Seven nations of the world stand in front of you.
Avusturalya´yla beraber bakıyorsun: Kanada!
You see Australia together with Canada!
Çehreler başka, lisanlar, deriler rengârenk:
Faces are different, languages, skins are colourful
Sâde bir hâdise var ortada: Vahşetler denk.
There is a simple thing obvious:wildnesses are equal
Kimi Hindû, kimi yamyam, kimi bilmem ne belâ...
Some of them are Indian, some of them are cannibal, I dont know what the heck the others.
Hani, tâuna da züldür bu rezil istilâ!
This disgraceful invasion is a lowness even for plague
Ah o yirminci asır yok mu, o mahlûk-i asil,
Oh that 20. century, that noble thing
Ne kadar gözdesi mevcûd ise hakkıyle, sefil,
All of its favored ones are truely wretched.
Kustu Mehmedciğin aylarca durup karşısına;
It threw up for months standing in front of dear Mehmets
Döktü karnındaki esrârı hayâsızcasına.
It threw out the secrets in its stomach without shame.
Maske yırtılmasa hâlâ bize âfetti o yüz...
If the mask wasnt torn, that face would be still adorable for us.
Medeniyyet denilen kahbe, hakikat, yüzsüz.
The whore called civilization is truely shameless.
Sonra mel´undaki tahribe müvekkel esbâb,
The reasons which cause the destruction at the cursed
Öyle müdhiş ki: Eder her biri bir mülkü harâb.
They are so terrible, even each one of them can destroy a land.
Öteden sâikalar parçalıyor âfâkı;
Thunderbolts are tearing the horizons to pieces from the other side
Beriden zelzeleler kaldırıyor a´mâkı;
Earthquakes lift up the depths from this side.
Bomba şimşekleri beyninden inip her siperin;
The thunderbolts of bombs are going down through the brains of every shelter
Sönüyor göğsünün üstünde o arslan neferin.
They go out on the chest of those brave soldiers.
Yerin altında cehennem gibi binlerce lağam,
There are thousands of underground tunnels like hell under the earth.
Atılan her lağamın yaktığı: Yüzlerce adam.
And hundreds of men who the mines thrown burnt.
Ölüm indirmede gökler, ölü püskürmede yer;
Sky is bringing down death, earth is spewing out dead.
O ne müdhiş tipidir: Savrulur enkaaz-ı beşer...
What a terrible blizzard it is, wreck of men is thrown into the air.
Kafa, göz, gövde, bacak, kol, çene, parmak, el, ayak,
Head, eye, body, leg, arm, chin, finger, hand, foot
Boşanır sırtlara vâdilere, sağnak sağnak.
They hail onto ridges, valleys
Saçıyor zırha bürünmüş de o nâmerd eller,
Those coward hands in armor are scattering
Yıldırım yaylımı tûfanlar, alevden seller.
Floods like thunderbolt volleys, ******** from fire
Veriyor yangını, durmuş da açık sinelere,
They are giving fire to chests open,
Sürü halinde gezerken sayısız teyyâre.
Many planes, while going around in groups.
Top tüfekten daha sık, gülle yağan mermiler...
Missiles splattering cannonballs are more frequent than cannon and gun.
Kahraman orduyu seyret ki bu tehdide güler!
Watch the brave army, it laughs at that threat.
Ne çelik tabyalar ister, ne siner hasmından;
Neither it wants steel bastions nor it is afraid of its enemy.
Alınır kal´â mı göğsündeki kat kat iman?
Is a strong faith a fortress which can be taken?
Hangi kuvvet onu, hâşâ, edecek kahrına râm?
Which power can make it bow down to its oppression?
Çünkü te´sis-i İlahi o metin istihkâm.Because that stronghold is an establishment of God.
Sarılır, indirilir mevki-i müstahkemler,
The location of fortified buildings can be surrounded and can be taken
Beşerin azmini tevkif edemez sun´-i beşer;
The creation of human cant arrest the will of the humanity.
Bu göğüslerse Hudâ´nın ebedi serhaddi;
As for these chests, they are eternal borders of God.
´O benim sun´-i bedi´im, onu çiğnetme´ dedi.
“It is my beautiful creation, dont allow it to be run over.” He said
Asım´ın nesli...diyordum ya...nesilmiş gerçek:
I was talking about the generation of Asım, it is truely a generation:
İşte çiğnetmedi nâmusunu, çiğnetmiyecek.
Look, it didnt allow its honor to be run over, it will not.
Şühedâ gövdesi, bir baksana, dağlar, taşlar...
Look at the mountains and rocks, they are the bodies of martyrs.
O, rükû olmasa, dünyâda eğilmez başlar,
Except Rüku, it is impossible to make heads bow.
Vurulup tertemiz alnından, uzanmış yatıyor,
He lies down shot from his so clean forehead.
Bir hilâl uğruna, yâ Rab, ne güneşler batıyor!
For the sake of a crescent, oh God, many suns set.
Ey, bu topraklar için toprağa düşmüş asker!
O Soldier who fell down to the ground for this land!
Gökten ecdâd inerek öpse o pâk alnı değer.
It would worth it if the forefathers kissed coming down that clean forehead
Ne büyüksün ki kanın kurtarıyor tevhidi...
How great you are, your blood saves the Tevhid.
Bedr´in arslanları ancak, bu kadar şanlı idi.
Only the lions of Bedir were this much glorious.
Sana dar gelmiyecek makberi kimler kazsın?
Who can dig the grave which will not be narrow for you?
´Gömelim gel seni tarihe´ desem, sığmazsın.
If I said “lets burry you into history”, you wouldnt fit into
Herc ü merc ettiğin edvâra da yetmez o kitâb...
That book isnt enough even for the eras you shook
Seni ancak ebediyyetler eder istiâb.
Only eternities can embrace you.
´Bu, taşındır´ diyerek Kâ´be´yi diksem başına;
If I put Kaba around your head saying “This is your grave stone”
Ruhumun vahyini duysam da geçirsem taşına;
If I heard inspiration of my soul and wrote it on your stone
Sonra gök kubbeyi alsam da, ridâ namıyle,
Then, If I took vault of heaven with the Rida name
Kanayan lâhdine çeksem bütün ecrâmıyle;
If I pulled it to your tomb with its all stars
Mor bulutlarla açık türbene çatsam da tavan,
And if I made it a ceiling to your shrine open with purple clouds
Yedi kandilli Süreyyâ´yı uzatsam oradan;
If I sent seven candled Süreyya from there
Sen bu âvizenin altında, bürünmüş kanına,
Under this chandelier,covered with your blood
Uzanırken, gece mehtâbı getirsem yanına,
While you were lying down, if I brought moon light near you at night
Türbedârın gibi tâ fecre kadar bekletsem;
Like caretaker of your shrine, if I made it wait untill day light.
Gündüzün fecr ile âvizeni lebriz etsem;
In morning, if I made your chandelier full of day light.
Tüllenen mağribi, akşamları sarsam yarana...
If I wrapped the tulle covered west to your wound at nights.
Yine bir şey yapabildim diyemem hâtırana.
I wouldnt say that i did much to honor your memory.
Sen ki, son ehl-i salibin kırarak savletini,
You, by breaking the attack of Crucifix people
Şarkın en sevgili sultânı Salâhaddin´i,
You made the most beloved sultan of east, Salahaddin
Kılıç Arslan gibi iclâline ettin hayran...
An admirer of your greatness like Kılıç Arslan.
Sen ki, İslam´ı kuşatmış, boğuyorken hüsran,
You, while disappointment was sorrounding and choking Islam
O demir çenberi göğsünde kırıp parçaladın;
You broke and tore that iron chain into pieces on your chest.
Sen ki, rûhunla beraber gezer ecrâmı adın;
You, your name visits stars with your soul.
Sen ki, a´sâra gömülsen taşacaksın...Heyhât,
You, if you were burried into centuries, you would pour out.
Sana gelmez bu ufuklar, seni almaz bu cihât...
These horizons cant come to you, this cihat cant embrace you
Ey şehid oğlu şehid, isteme benden makber,
Oh martyr son of a martyr; dont want grave from me
Sana âğûşunu açmış duruyor Peygamber.
The prophet is waiting you his arms open.
