Beni Tarihle Yargıla [English translation]

we were not turbid smoke released to air by a shaky candle flame

or fog that an eye can't see an eye (ie, that you can't see beyond the tip of your nose)

understand me by science, my two eyes

understand me by philosophy

and judge me by history

death isn't honey to me

execution isn't a rose to me

nights are so much dark

come, my love in my dreams

feed me moonlight

ah

i'm a prisoner to longing

longing is a prisoner to me

roses don't hang from my mustache

i'm forbidden to grow mustache

prison is to me, silence is to me

a greased slip knot is to around my neck

instead of a lover

i embrace hangings and lie

and then i wait patiently

you drag away the clouds from over me

you judge the judges of my guiltlessness

and bring me that beautiful future

just then my love doesn't know death

i arise clawing the ground with my fingernails

the sun runs through my eyes

you plant flowers in my soil

feeling is to me, story is to me

every moment is like a novel to me

come, i'm alone in my cell

come, my lover in my dreams

undress and prepare for me

soon they'll take me to hang

soon they'll kill me plucking me off my branch

farewell, those whom i loved

four seasons, seven continents, blue sky

whole nature, farewell

farewell, lovers

children, university students, young girls

infinite space, planets and stars

farewell

farewell, symphonies, dance tunes

love songs, poems

cities where our leaflets and voices echoed

earth on whose mountains we walked

rivers that we crossed marching barefoot, farewell

farewell, my pleasures (lit, tastes of my mouth)

my warm soup, my tea, my cigarette

my stroll row, my shower row, my row to be handcuffed (or, my turn to stroll, my turn to take a shower, my turn to be handcuffed)

dear friends to whom i left my parka, my pullover, my gloves, my shoes

and my pen, and my watch

and my fight

farewell, farewell

my friend is to me, my love is to me

pass me your breathe

i'm not able to sleep

memories have queued up

come, mother, get me to drink milk

farewell, people to whom i left my memories

people for whose happiness i fought

seven regions, four seas

seven climates, sixty seven cities

schools, districts, bridges, railways

sea shores, fishing boats, small boats

factories lined up along the asphalt road

and workers and peasants

farewell, my country

farewell mother, farewell father, brother

farewell lover, farewell world

farewell all the peoples of the world

i'm going to a place that's not bounded

a time that's not finite

with my most loving state, with my most living state

i'm going, friends

farewell, farewell

appraise me by my life, my two eyes

by my heart, by my self

by science understand me

by philosophy understand me

by history understand me

and so judge me

• Artist:Ahmet Kaya