Poetry

Mavi Liman

Çok yorgunum, beni bekleme kaptan.
Seyir defterini başkası yazsın.
Çınarlı, kubbeli, mavi bir liman.
Beni o limana çıkaramazsın...

- Nâzım Hikmet

Blue Harbor

I’m so weary; don’t wait for me, captain.
Let another write the voyage’s log.
A blue harbor with domes and plane trees—
You cannot take me there [through mist and fog]…

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This is a translation of Nâzım Hikmet’s poem “Mavi Liman” which I did with my Co-Writer ChatGPT.

Nâzım wrote this poem while in exile in Moscow. It’s about him coming to terms with the fact that we will never be able to return to Turkey and that he will die in exile.

In the last line, I’ve added the “through mist and fog” part so that we have a rhyme on lines 2&4 just like in the original.
The correct translation would be: “You cannot take me to that harbor”.

https://zora.co/collect/zora:0x9d49ecca7936f7e3a364da6e14e81846e447a50b/12?referrer=0x748f23e419bbdd09740e300a261870e8eaf9a909

This translation beautifully captures the essence of Nâzım Hikmet's poem "Mavi Liman." The emotional depth of longing and acceptance of exile is conveyed eloquently. The addition of "through mist and fog" for rhyme is a thoughtful touch, maintaining the poetic structure of the original. Well done.