Stop to Contemplate the Sky

Yesterday I read Turgut Uyar’s poem “Stop to Contemplate the Sky” (Göğe Bakma Durağı), and I thought I’d try my hand at translating it. I don’t know if it’s already been translated into English and I’m not even sure if I figured out everything about the poem, but I still want to share my version with the rest of the world 🙂

Stop to Contemplate the Sky

We may both rejoice, let’s contemplate the sky

Recuperate my eyes, which I’ve been wasting on

These fickle streetlights, sugar canes,

Milk teeth, suns, weeds

Hold these timid, fumbling hands of mine

Skip these houses, and these too, and these too

Let’s contemplate the sky

*                    *                    *

We’ll soon be at so-and-so stop, let’s contemplate the sky

We’ll yell at the driver and he’ll let us off

The darkness is fine like this, well done God

Let everyone sleep, that’s good; that pleases me

The thieves, the policemen, the rich, the poor; let them sleep

Let everyone sleep, except for you, except for me

We’ll be when everyone’s gone, let us not sleep

We’re drunk anyway, we’ll kiss on the streets anyway

Let me be, let’s contemplate the sky

*                    *                    *

I don’t know what’s with these hands of yours, let’s contemplate the sky

As I hold them I grow stronger; more crowded

These nostalgic eyes of yours, they look as if lonely, as if trees

My stare will heat up your waters, they are heating up

I’m taking you to this extravagant place

You had countless windows, I shut them one by one

I shut them one by one so that you’d turn to me

The bus will come and off we’ll go

Choose a place where there’s no coming back, otherwise it’s tough

Your hands, my hands will do, we’ll handle that, it’ll do

I’m taking you away, saving you for myself, don’t stop, remind me of yourself

Don’t stop, remind me of yourself

Don’t stop, let’s contemplate the sky