Suddenly / Yannis Ritsos

SUDDENLY

Quiet night. Quiet. And you had stopped
waiting. It was peaceful almost.
And suddenly on your face the touch, so vivid,
of the one who is absent. He’ll come. Then
the sound of shutters banging on their own.
Now the wind has come up. And a little farther, the sea
was drowning in its own voice.

Yannis Ritsos

Translated by Edmund Keeley / (Ritsos in Parentheses)





BİRDEN

Sessiz gece. Sessiz. Ve sen vazgeçtin
beklemekten. Nerdeyse dingindi her yer.
Birden, orada olmayan kişinin o canlı
dokunuşunu duydun yüzünde. Gelecek.
Sonra kendi kendine çarpan pancurların sesi.
İşte rüzgâr da çıktı. Ve biraz ötede,
kendi sesinde boğuluyordu deniz.

Yannis Ritsos - Ayraçlar (1946 - 1947)

Çeviri: Cevat Çapan

Photo by Todd Hido