A sigh without sorrow erupts in its strait
Awakens an oath-bound tumult
Istanbul!
Bitless city
As sunlight spills onto bazaars
The cheeks of Hagia Sophia blush
The form of the quietly seeping crowd
Changes within minutes
Fatigued from repeating etiquette
It wearies of modesty
Tumbles into the pit of rudeness
From a young child’s pocket falls compassion
A draft of sorrows takes shape
The living are hastily buried by the dead in this city
To empty so swiftly
Grabs fleeing minds in an instant
May the black carcasses decay,
May the land birth hope!
