A Sad State Of Freedom Poem by Nazim Hikmet

A Sad State Of Freedom

Rating: 3.5


You waste the attention of your eyes,
the glittering labour of your hands,
and knead the dough enough for dozens of loaves
of which you'll taste not a morsel;
you are free to slave for others-
you are free to make the rich richer.

The moment you're born
they plant around you
mills that grind lies
lies to last you a lifetime.
You keep thinking in your great freedom
a finger on your temple
free to have a free conscience.

Your head bent as if half-cut from the nape,
your arms long, hanging,
your saunter about in your great freedom:
you're free
with the freedom of being unemployed.

You love your country
as the nearest, most precious thing to you.
But one day, for example,
they may endorse it over to America,
and you, too, with your great freedom-
you have the freedom to become an air-base.

You may proclaim that one must live
not as a tool, a number or a link
but as a human being-
then at once they handcuff your wrists.
You are free to be arrested, imprisoned
and even hanged.

There's neither an iron, wooden
nor a tulle curtain
in your life;
there's no need to choose freedom:
you are free.
But this kind of freedom
is a sad affair under the stars.


Translated by Taner Baybars

A Sad State Of Freedom
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Adeeb Alfateh 24 June 2019

There's neither an iron, wooden nor a tulle curtain in your life; there's no need to choose freedom: you are free. But this kind of freedom is a sad affair under the stars. it's a great poem great expression excellent thoughtful writings great 10++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++x10

0 0 Reply
chisom 22 May 2019

nice work

0 1 Reply
Amadeus 12 February 2018

That speaks to my current lifestyle ever since i have been unemployed i got arrested 7 times

4 2 Reply
Wilson Waison 13 January 2018

NYC piece of art. Thanks for sharing, you might also check with mine entitled motherland

2 0 Reply
Edward Kofi Louis 12 February 2015

Nice piece of work. Thanks for sharing this poem with us. E.K.L.

9 3 Reply
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Nazim Hikmet

Nazim Hikmet

Turkey
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