Vagabond Multilingual Journal Spring 2005 | Page 4

1. düþtük düþmekten medet umarak duymadýðýmýz bir çukurda bozuldu büyü her karanlýðýn sonu þafak deðilmiþ bir hayat boyuna yayarak anladýk uyduk uymaktan medet umarak uygun bir üniformada bozuldu büyü saatlerimiz ayný, aynalarýmýz ayný ayrý yolda ayný ayakkabýyý sürüdük aldýk almaktan medet umarak altý milyarlýk bir markette bozuldu büyü suyumuzu pet þiþeden, ekmeði poþetinden çýkartamaz gibi bilmezden yedik bildik bilmekten medet umarak aydýnlýk kervanýyla çin yolunda uyandýk göðsümüz gökyüzünde, elimiz insan elinde çözülmemiþ o düðümü çözmeye kalktýk Sener Akturk 1. We fell--Hoping that falling would help us Our hope was undone in a dark hole that we’ve never heard of Every dark tunnel does not lead to Light Our lifelong experience taught us We conformed--Hoping that conforming would help us Our hope was undone in a conformist uniform Wearing the same watch, our mirrors the same We dragged the same shoes along different roads We bought and bought--Hoping that buying would help us Our hope was undone in a six billion strong market Drinking water from plastic bottles, and our bread in plastic bags We ate without knowing it We learned--Hoping that learning would help us We woke up in a caravan of Light, on the way to China* Our shoulders in the skies, our hands joined human hands We attempted to solve the Gordion knot. Sener Akturk *The trip to China in the fourth stanza alludes to Prophet Muhammad’s hadith regarding science and higher learning: “You should pursue science even if it is in China.” It is also meant to have a double-meaning in the Turkish context by referring to the Marxist-Maoist journal Aydinlik (“Enlightenment”, second line of fourth stanza reads “caravan of Enlightenment” in Turkish) and their sympathy for the modern day People’s Republic of China. “Gordion Knot” is a knot that a Frigian king ?xed in the city of Gordion in Asia Minor (Anatolia). The legend had it that whoever unwinds the knot would rule over Asia. Alexander the Great, frustrated by the knot, cut it with his sword when he conquered Gordion. - Page 4 - VAGABOND