Sunday, June 28, 2020

I Want To Die Before You by Nazim Hikmet

I Want To Die Before You

want to die before you. 
Do you think that who passes later 
will find who's gone before? 
I don't think so. 
You'd better have me burned, 
and put me on the stove in your room 
in a jar. 
The jar shall be made of glass, 
transparent, white glass 
so that you can see me inside... 
You see my sacrifice: 
I renounced from being part of the earth, 
I renounced from being a flower 
to be able to stay with you. 
And I am becoming dust, 
to live with you. 
Later, when you also die, 
you'll come to my jar. 
And we'll live there together 
your ash in my ash, 
until a careless bride 
or an unfaithful grandson 
throws us out of there... 
But we 
until that time 
will mix 
with each other 
so much that 
even in the garbage we are thrown into 
our grains will fall side by side. 
We will dive into the soil together. 
And one day, if a wild flower 
feeds from this piece of soil and blossoms 
above its body, definitely 
there will be two flowers: 
one is you 
one is me. 
don't think of death yet. 
I will give birth to a child. 
Life is flooding from me. 
My blood is boiling. 
I will live, but long, very long, 
but with you. 
Death doesn't scare me either. 
But I find our way of funeral 
rather unlikable. 
Until I die, 
I think this will get better. 
Is there a hope you'll get out of prison these days? 
A voice in me says: 
maybe.

(Translated by Randy Blasing and Mutlu Konuk)

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