The hunter has become a guide for the birds,
his two faces
against two wings.
He has chopped down trees
to make a post
with small dried branches
for the birds to roost.
He has broken off flowers
to decorate this small tree
to cheer the birds.
He has put small stones
and large grains of wheat
on plates
so that the birds can eat.
He has constructed
posts with pencils
and towers with posts
from the ruins of the towers
so that the birds can take cover.
He has appended signatures,
each one different,
on dry leaves
with his two faces,
no one noticing.
After some time,
chasing the birds one by one,
he blows like a wind,
saying that judges and prosecutors
are his friends.
The birds, like many others,
quickly understand
and when the time is ripe
they emigrate
exchanging one thing for another,
finding another country,
agreeable people, trees,
grains of wheat on plates
and flowers of all colors...
while living peacefully there,
the hunter is of two faces
against two wings.

by Uzeyir Lokman CAYCI
Mantes la Ville - 1998
Traduit par by Yakup YURT en français
French free verse translated into English free verse
by Joneve McCormick