A Poem by Nazim Hikmet..Turkey's most famous poet

On a day in which I was supposed to be in Mexico, but due to my sister and brother-in-law (who were supposed to join us) being trapped by an awful snowstorm in Longmont, Co., where they live, I have been here at my mother's home in Salem, Va. most of the day.

I have wanted to put up an entry with the poety of Nazim Hikmet (1902-1963) for quite some time. Hikmet was controversial because of his socialist views, and had been residing in Moscow for a number of years at the time of his death.

I was reading a book of Walt Whitman poetry earlier today, and I think Hikmet's style captured Turkey's difficulties in facing transition in much the way that Whitman's work captured what America was going through during his lifetime.

I found this poem "About My Poetry," which was translated by Mutlu Konuk and Randy Blasing on the Internet.

About My Poetry

I have no silver-saddled horse to ride,
no inheritance to live on,
neither riches no real estate_
a pot of honey is all I own
red as fire!

My honey is my everything,
I guard
my riches and my real estate
-my honey pot, I mean-
from pests of every species,
Brother, just wait...
As long as I've got
honey in my pot,
bees will come to it
from Timbuktu....


I've also wanted to mention that a friend of mine, K. Kamal Ayyildiz, who is also originally from Roanoke, Va., has a published book of poetry enttitled "The Cistern."
Originally published in 2004, "The Cistern" is available from http://www.amazon.com

Hikmet's poems, as well as the works of many other legendary poets can be found at:
http://www.poemhunter.com