Seni düşünmek güzel şey,
ümitli şey,
dünyanın en güzel sesinden en güzel şarkıyı dinlemek gibi bir şey.
Fakat artık ümit yetmiyor bana,
ben artık şarkı dinlemek değil,
şarkı söylemek istiyorum.
[30 Eylül 1945]
*
Thinking of you is something beautiful,
something hopeful,
like hearing the most beautiful song from the most beautiful voice in the world.
But hope isn't enough for me anymore,
I don't want to hear another song,
I want to sing...
[30 September 1945]
*
An dich zu denken, ist etwas Schönes,
etwas Hoffnungsvolles,
als hörte man das schönste Lied der schönsten Stimme der Welt.
Aber die Hoffnung reicht mir nicht mehr,
ich will kein Lied mehr hören,
ich will singen...
*
Pensar en tu és quelcom bonic,
quelcom esperançador,
com escoltar la cançó més bonica de la veu més bonica del món.
Però l'esperança ja no és suficient per a mi,
no vull escoltar cap altra cançó,
vull cantar...
Nâzım Hikmet (17 January 1902 – 3 June 1963)
Suggestions for improvement are welcome. ;-)
ReplyDeleteJo li diria... Doncs canta! ;-)
ReplyDeleteMolt bona tarda, Sean.
Aferradetes!
He wouldn't have heard you, Paula. He wrote this in his cell seven years after being sentenced to 28 years and four months in prison.
DeleteAferradetes i petonets. ;-)
Que bonic!
ReplyDeleteHo trobo preciós.
Cantar està molt bé.
Qui canta els seus mals espanta!
Una abraçada
One has to be resilient to write such beautiful lines after so many years in prison.
DeleteGràcies, Carme, i una abraçada.
P.S.: Is there anything that could be improved in the Catalan translation?
Sí, admiro molt la força des que mantenen l'esperança i les ganes de viure en situacions extremes com és un llarg empresonament.
DeleteTrobo molt bonica i molt correcta aquesta traducció al català. Aquest "vull cantar" que és metèfora de tantes coses: vull viure, vull actuar, vull caminar, vull sortir, vull estimar, té una força que arriba endins.
Gràcies per fer-nos arribar aquestes paraules tan belles.
Una abraçada, Sean.
I admire people who peacefully resist injustice. Especially since I'm not sure I'd have the courage.
DeleteHa! And I'm glad the Catalan translation isn't terrible. ;-)
Yes, 'vull cantar' is so wonderfully ambiguous.
Moltes gràcies, Carme, i una abraçada!
Somehow, the music and the poetry have to come out.
ReplyDeleteAnd be it behind prison walls.
DeleteHi Sean - you do improve our knowledge of authors, poets and people who believe in life as it should be, not dictated to by others ... He's still highly revered I note. Cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteRe "still highly revered", Hilary:
DeleteConsidered a traitor in life and denationalised, his poems which got translated into more than 50 languages forbidden for decades, "only" about 46 years after he died (June 3rd, 1963), from January 6th, 2009 on Nâzım Hikmet is allowed to call himself a Turkish citizen, again.
If Mr. Hikmet ("I love my Country") has already applied for a passport has not yet been disclosed. ;-)