On Nâzim Hikmet: The Man Who Would Not Be Moved
Nâzım Hikmet can be described as many things.
The first Modern Turkish Poet. The Father of Modern Turkish Poets. To some, The Greatest Turkish Poet. A revolutionary Hero. To others, an outcast, an exile, a traitor. Yet, none can deny the influence and part he has placed in shaping 20th century poetry as we know it today. His mastery of language, introduction of free verse and a wide range of poetic themes strongly influenced Turkish literature in the late 1930s, he remains and will remain recognised as one of the most controversial, international poets of the 1900s.
Most of Hikmet’s vast body of literature produced was within the absence of freedom. He wrote much of his poetry from exile in Russia or in a jail cell in Turkey, speaking against oppression and inequality against the people that he saw pervasive in Turkish society. His poems were thus often scalding critiques of the Turkish government and its policies it pursued. For instance, an excerpt from his poem “A Sad State Of Freedom”:
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.
Within this political poem, Hikmet commented on the relentless exploitation of the middle-class and how they had been fed lies to remain sedated against uprising. It offers a critique on the illusion of freedom within Turkish society– that the masses were being manipulated into wasting their lives labouring away, toiling their hands and eyes away to dust just to benefit the rich, to which they would “taste not a morsel”. They were not truly “free”, but rather conditioned under the guise of liberty, with the only freedom being to submit. This irony lies in the fact that their perceived freedom was, in essence, a prison of obedience, where the illusion of choice masked the reality of captivity.
Hikmet spent more than 15 years of his life in captivity. His poem, “Some Advice to Those Who Will Serve Time in Prison” is somewhat ironic for it would be himself taking his own advice. In the poem and many others, Hikmet writes of hope, to “ put your foot down and live”, “ to live one more day to spite the enemy.” And that is indeed what he did. Through hunger strikes and continued imprisonment, Hikmet continued to uphold his beliefs and uphold his dignity. His core beliefs in advocating for peace continued to shine through his poems, namely “Hiroshima Child”.
I’m only seven though I died
In Hiroshima long ago
I’m seven now as I was then
When children die they do not grow
My hair was scorched by swirling flame
My eyes grew dim my eyes grew blind
Death came and turned my bones to dust
And that was scattered by the wind
(...)
All that I need is that for peace
You fight today you fight today
So that the children of this world
Can live and grow and laugh and play
Through the haunting voice of a 7 year-old girl who perished during the nuclear holocaust, he presents a simple, but poignant plea for peace. The speaker herself, in excruciating detail narrates her death. The terrifying imagery of being “scorched by swirling flame” leads to her demise and complete erosion of her physical body. It is an evocative and empathatic piece that perfectly captures Hikmet’s ideals of wanting peace, not war, freedom, not authoritarianism. For the rest of his life, Hikmet would continue to write pieces of poetry about hope, justice and political activism. Collections like Human Landscapes from my Country (2009; trans. Randy Blasing and Mutlu Konuk), Poems of Nazim Hikmet (2002; trans. Randy Blasing and Mutlu Konuk), Things I Didn’t Know I Loved and The Moscow Symphony (1970; trans. Taner Baybars) would provide more insight into his beliefs and ideals, far too many to include here.
Present Day:
In Turkey, Nâzim Hikmet’s spirit lives on. According to Zeynep Oral, director of Istanbul's Nazim Hikmet Foundation, to quote Nâzim Hikmet is to proclaim that you resist injustice and hope for a better world. Hikmet’s legacy continues to live on– celebrated as a revolutionist, as a symbol, and as a Turkish legend throughout the world. In the immortal words of the Hikmet himself, “However and wherever we are, we must live as if we will never die.” Truly, Hikmet’s struggled life is now immortalised amongst the history books. Hate him or love him, his impact on the world of poetry and literature can never truly be understated.
