The Abbot and Abidin
By Alexander Dawe
At number 6 the و floats into م
An abbot sitting close to Abidin
Tonight the rising moon is ever dim
A dramaduna softly blows in him
Inside the bottle dwells a saintly din
At number 6 the و floats into م
Now floating like a forlorn synonym
A bond that is and what has never been
Tonight the moon is rising ever dim
Now hear a line that hammers out a hymn
To a troubling sea, tripping, protean
At number 6 the و floats into م
And yet another trembling on a limb
Turning, thinking, (now) is this creation
Tonight the rising moon is ever dim
The abbot holding hands with Abidin
Religion is a golden trial of sin
At number 6 the و floats into م
Tonight the rising moon is ever dim
*
Alexander Dawe has translated many contemporary Turkish novels, including Endgame by Ahmet Altan and Women Who Blow on Knots by Ece Temelkuran. In collaboration with Maureen Freely he has translated A Useless Man by Sait Faik Abasıyanık, The Time Regulation Institute by Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar, which received the MLA Lois Roth Award, and Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali. In 2010, he received a PEN/Heim translation Fund grant to translate the short stories of Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar. He lives and works on one of the Prince’s Islands in Istanbul.