Je suis resté sans manger ni boire
La nuit était trahison et ténèbres
L’âme solitaire, l’âme taciturne,
L’âme tout en morceaux…
Et menottes aux mains
Je suis resté sans fumer ni dormir
Ton amour ne m’a pas abandonné…
***
Sevdan beni
Terketmedi sevdan beni,
Aç kaldım, susuz kaldım,
Hayın, karanlıktı gece,
Can garip, can suskun,
Can paramparça…
Ve ellerim, kelepçede,
Tütünsüz uykusuz kaldım,
Terketmedi sevdan beni…
*
Your love never left me
Your love never left me.
I hungered and thirsted
in the treacherous, dark night.
My soul was stranger, my soul was silent
my soul was shattered…
And my hands were handcuffed
I was without tobacco or sleep
but your love never left me…
***
Ahmed Arif (1927-1991) – Traduit du turc par Michel Aquien, Güzin Dino, Pierre Chuvin – Translated by Richard McKane.