The worst is over
your flower is faded
And seed set
in the soil
Mother Courage
can you hear the people
sing?
Such weight of soul
Such lightness of laughter
Who taught you to sing
an honest tune?
Your mother
And father
With eyes deeper than time
Smile on in the hearts
of millions now.
Now, that the worst
is over.
Now rage and indignance
burn bright anew
for you
and your honest tune
True and strong
like the eternal Bosporus
like Nazim’s eyes
fresh from daydreams of Piraye
Piraye, on the horizon
Beyond this Bursa cell
Beyond the bars on your window
You must know,
it was not in vain
You must know
that we are with you, still;
And more and more
Every day averted eyes
Turn to see
the source of sublime
Music
An honest tune
True and strong
like the eternal Bosporus
Frail and failing
like your fingers
But free!
Free and noble
the flags unfurl
in furious rupture
Inside the hearts
of millions
and millions
of voices
fill your silence
You sing now
through us all
impossible to silence
The deafening roar
of your soft voice
Unshakeable
Unforgettable
amacil siir (“poetry with a purpose”)
• Author’s Note: In honor of Helin Bolek, who died April 3, 2020 on hunger strike against the Turkish government’s ban on her group’s politicized music.