The dead body

 

I will die where no imam can sing.
I want no one to see my feet,
my hair or the things of my body.

In the name of the dead, free and clean,
of the nameless fish in the sea,
I refuse the crowds that will come
to question my beliefs.

The white shroud will squeeze

pain into my darkness. I do not want

the shoulders of others to rouse

my limbs from this dream.

No prayer can bring me closer
to heaven. Let them not wash me
so my warmth can stay mine forever.
 

 

Ölü by Fazıl Hüsnü Dağlarca

Translated March 23, 2020

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