y u n u s

TUAL UZERINE Y. BOYA / 100 x 100 / ANKARA / 1996

Ya İlahi ger sual etsen bana
Cevabım iş budurur anda sana:

Ben bana zulm eyledim ettim günah
Neyledim nittim sana ey Padişah?

Nesne eksildi mi mülkünden senin?
Geçti mi hükmüm hükmünden senin?

Hiç Yunus’tan değdi mi sana ziyan
Sen bilirsin aşikare vü nihan

Bir avuç toprağa bunca kıyl ü kaal
Neye gerek ey Kerim ü zül-Celal

Yunus Emre
13. Yüzyıl


O God, if you would ever question me
This would be my outright answer to Thee:

True, I sinned-brutalized my own being,
But what have I done against you, my King?

Did your dominion become any less?
Did I usurp any of your prowess?

No harm ever come from Yunus to you;
Open and secret: all things are in your view.

God Almighty, why all this talk, why must
We prattle a handful of dust?

Yunus Emre
13th Century (Trans. Talat Halman)