INVITATION

Çok sevdiğim Talat Halman Hocam bu tercümemi çok beğenmişti.

Onun anısına.

Kaya Boztepe.

I wanted to share this with you. I know my translation doesn’t do any justice but I tried anyways. This is a poem by Can Yucel. A brilliant poet who was known to use slang and vulgar language in such a skilled manner where he kept everything simple and understandable.

Invitation

I wanted to get them altogether,

Figured we can all use a good laugh and chat some.

I’m pretty good in the kitchen too you know,

Sure enough, I prepared a nice spread.

Took me some time to put it together.

I know what they like, each and every one of them,

What they enjoy eating and drinking!

Spent some serious money too.

Well, what one eats, the other won’t.

What this guy loves to drink, the other simply rolls his eyes.

It was a nice table prepared for the 4 of us. 

I lit the candles.

Listen, I know they all liked Erick Satie.

I remember that.

Music was on.

They all arrived.

Me when I was 20,

Me when I was 35,

Me when I was 40 and Me now, today, all four of us. 

I sat Me 20 across from Me 35.

I sat myself next to  Me 40.

Me 20 thought Me 35 was way too conservative. 

Me 40 thought they were both idiots.

I wanted to calm them down. 

They said “stay out of this old man”. Whole thing became ugly.

Next door neighbors were tapping on the walls for us to keep it down.

Me 20 threw a glass to Me 40. 

They royally crushed my house, ruining it.

My fault I know.

What were you thinking, inviting people you don’t know.