MELISA GURPINAR
c 2001
STREETS
Streets have their seasons too.
Some streets you walk in spring
The time of Judas-trees and nightingales.
Some are for winter-passage;
a snow-laden pine branch
bows courteously to greet you.
Some are hilly
when you climb, the north wind's at your back
and on a Ramazan evening
you gaze and gaze at dusty clusters of unripe grapes.
There are wide straight streets.
Sheltering between their walls
horse-chestnut trees grow high along both sides.
Asphalt roads give back their warmth to the sun
and stony roads gather rainwater in their bosoms.
There are streets where tar
drips from the stovepipes on the sidewalk.
Lovers frequent the unlit streets
and when the south wind blows they stray
on roads going down to the sea.
The street of plane trees is finest in autumn.
In unpaved streets that delight children
birds who've forgotten how to fly strut side by side.
There are narrow streets, rundown and shadowy.
In spring-cleaning season the house overflows
and on festival mornings
a kilim* and a pot of basil sometimes embrace.
A street without seasons
where I've never strayed yet
in a tiny corner of the world
is waiting impatiently for me.
1983
from the collection
Look Me Up Darling Amongst the Words (1985)
Translator unspecified
* kilim = a flat tapestry woven carpet
The following information appears on the Turkish Language Class website. It is re-posted here for information purposes only and, like the poems re-posted above, remains its author's exclusive copyright-protected intellectual property.
Born in 1941, Melisa Gurpinar graduated from the Drama Department of the Istanbul Municipal Conservatory in 1964. She studied drama in London (1965-67) and prepared programs on cultural issues for the BBC during her stay there. Poetry collections: Umut Pembeleri (Pinks of Hope/1962), Yeni Bir Gun Sarkisi (Song for a New Day/1975), Geceyarisi Notlari (Midnight Notes/1981), Ara Beni Sevgilim Sozcuklerin Icinde (Look Me Up Darling Amongst the Words/1985), Yaz Mektuplari (Summer Letters/1986), Cocuklugum ve Olumum (My Childhood and My Death/1992). Play: Yeni Zaman Eski Hayat (New Times Old Lives/1993). Istanbul’un Gozleri Mahmur (Istanbul Has Dreamy Eyes/1999) is a short story collection in poetic form.
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