Kerem was a Turkish folk hero who literally died for love. His unbridled passion for his beloved Sirin on their wedding night raged beyond control. He spontaneously combusted and burned to ash. Nazım Hikmet’s imagery of burning and melting lead lends a particular gravitas, a seriousness of purpose to the piece. First, there is a deeply rooted cultural tradion in Turkey of melting lead to dispel nazar, the evil eye. Second, melting lead connotes a call to arms, that is, using lead to cast bullets. Published in 1930, the poem is a call to ultimate action. Dispelling oppressive, dark-mindedness requires a passionate commitment and a willingness to suffer, even to die. The poem remains enormously popular in today’s problem-ridden Turkey.
LIKE KEREM
Air heavy as lead!!
Shout
Shout
Shout
I am shouting.
Run!
I am calling you
to melt lead.
He tells me:
-Hey! You’ll become ashes with your own voice!
burning
burning
like Kerem’s
burning…
<<Many troubles
no fellow sufferers>>
The ears of the
hearts are
deaf…
Air heavy as lead…
I tell him:
-Let me burn to ashes
just
like
Kerem’s
burning.
If I don’t burn
if you don’t burn
if we don’t burn
how will the light
vanquish the darkness?
Air pregnant as earth.
Air heavy as lead.
Shout
Shout
Shout
I am shouting.
RUN
I am calling you
to melt lead…
Nazim Hikmet, May 1930
(Translation: James Ryan and Hüda Cereb)
Original Turkish and poetic structure and layout follow…
KEREM GİBİ by Nazim Hikmet
(Turkish and original poetic structure)
Hava kurşun gibi agır!! Bağır bağır bağır bağırıyorum.
Koşun kurşun erit- -meğe çağırıyorum…
O diyor ki bana: --Sen kendi sesinle kül olursun ey! Kerem gibi yana yana…
«Deeeert çok, hemdert yok»
Yürek- -lerin kulak- -ları sağır… Hava kursun gibi ağır…
Ben diyorum ki ona: - Kül olayım Kerem gibi yana yana. Ben yanmasam sen yanmasan biz yanmasak, nasıl çıkar karan- -liklar aydın- -lığa…
Hava toprak gibi gebe. Hava kurşun gibi agir. Bağır bağır bağır bağırıyorum. Koşun kurşun erit- -meğe çağırıyorum…..