There You Are


Aşik Veysel (20th century)
Translated by Jennifer Ferraro & Latif Bolat

I hide Your beauty in my eye;
Whatever I look at,
There You are.

I hide Your presence in my heart;
How could a stranger live there?
There You are.

You are my foundation and my all;
My intimate one and the word on my tongue;
You bring the greeting from my darling one;
Within that greeting,
There You are.

All the blossoms and tender leaves
They hide their beauty in reds and greens;
In night’s darkness and the dawn's first beams,
As each one awakens,
There You are.

You are the one who made creation,
who gave life and strength to every being.
There is no ending except for You
I believe and accept what I am seeing.
There You are.

The flute moans “Huuu” in ecstacy
The waves are roaring, the seas are rushing,
The sun appears to veil the stars
In its rays' vast shining,
There You are.

You are the one who makes Veysel speak;
You are the tree and I am your leaf.
The unconscious fly right by what they seek.
In both the fruit and seed,
There You are.


© Jennifer Ferraro, & Latif Bolat, 2007

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