Farewell Letter by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Marquez'in Son Mektubu

"Tanri bir an için paçavradan bebek oldugumu unutup can vererek beni ödüllendirse, aklimdan geçen her seyi dile getiremeyebilirdim, ama en azindan dile getirdiklerimi ayrintisiyla aklimdan geçirir ve düsünürdüm. Esyalarin maddi yönlerine degil anlamlarina deger verirdim. Az uyur, çok rüya görür, gözümü yumdugum her dakikada, 60 saniye boyunca isigi yitirdigimi düsünürdüm. Insan asktan vazgeçerse yaslanir... Baskalari durdugu zaman yürümeye devam ederdim. Baskalari uyurken uyanik kalmaya gayret ederdim. Baskalari konusurken dinler, çikolatali dondurmanin tadindan zevk almaya bakardim.
Eger, Tanri bana birazcik can verse, basit giyinir, yüzümü günese çevirir,sadece vücudumu degil, ruhumu da tüm çiplakligiyla açardim. Tanrim, eger bir kalbim olsaydi nefretimi buzun üzerine kazir ve günesin göstermesini beklerdim. Gökyüzündeki aya, yildizlar boyunca Van Gogh resimleri çizer, Benedetti siirleri okur ve serenatlar söylerdim.
Gözyaslarimla gülleri sular, vücuduma batan dikenlerinin acisini hissederek dudak kirmizisi taç yapraklarindan öpmek isterdim. Tanrim bir yudumluk yasamim olsaydi... Gün geçmesin ki, karsilastigim tüm insanlara onlari sevdigimi söylemeyeyim. Tüm kadin ve erkekleri, en sevdigim insanlar olduklari konusunda birer birer ikna ederdim ve ask içinde yasardim.
Erkeklere, yaslandiklari zaman aski birakmalarinin ne kadar yanlis oldugunu anlatirdim. Çünkü insan aski birakinca yaslanir. Çocuklara kanat verirdim. Ama uçmayi kendi baslarina ögrenmelerine olanak saglardim. Yaslilara ise ölümün yaslanma ile degil unutma ile geldigini ögretirdim. Ey insanlar! Sizlerden ne kadar da çok sey ögrenmisim. Tüm insanlarin, mutlulugun gerçekleri görmekte sakli oldugunu bilmeden, daglarin zirvesinde yasamak istedigini ögrendim.Yeni dogan küçük bir bebegin, babasinin parmagini sikarken aslinda onu kendisine sonsuza dek kelepçeyle mahkûm ettigini ögrendim.Sizlerden çok sey ögrendim. Ama bu ögrendiklerim pek ise yaramayacak. Çünkü hepsini bir çantaya kilitledim. Mutsuz bir sekilde... Artik ölebilir miyim?"

~GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ~


A Farewell Letter

If for an instant God were to forget that I am rag doll and gifted me with a piece of life,
possibly I wouldn't say all that I think,
but rather I would think of all that I say.
I would value things,
not for their worth but for what they mean.
I would sleep little, dream more,
understanding that for each minute we close our eyes we lose sixty seconds of light.
I would walk when others hold back.
I would wake when others sleep.
I would listen when others talk,
and how I would enjoy a good chocolate ice cream!
If God were to give me a piece of life,
I would dress simply,
throw myself face first into the sun,
baring not only my body but also my soul.
My God, if I had a heart, I would write my hate on ice,
and wait for the sun to show.
Over the stars I would paint with a Van Gogh dream a Benedetti poem,
and a Serrat song would be the serenade I'd offer to the moon.
With my tears I would water roses,
to feel the pain of their thorns,
and the red kiss of their petals. My God, if I had a piece of life...
I wouldn't let a single day pass without telling the people I love that I love them.
I would convince each woman and each man that they are my favorites,
and I would live in love with love.
I would show men how very wrong they are to think that they cease to be in love when they grow old,
not knowing that they grow old when they cease to love!
To a child I shall give wings,
but I shall let him learn to fly on his own.
I would teach the old that death does not come with old age,
but with forgetting.
So much have I learned from you, oh men... I have learned that everyone wants to live on the peak of the mountain,
without knowing that real happiness is in how it is scaled.
I have learned that when a newborn child squeezes for the first time with his tiny fist his father's finger,
he has him trapped forever.
I have learned that a man has the right to look down on another only when he has to help the other get to his feet.
From you I have learned so many things,
but in truth they won't be of much use,
for when I keep them within this suitcase,
unhappily shall I be dying.

~GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ~


*Please see the link for the origin of above picture http://www.cartoonmovement.com/cartoon/14417
* Yukarıdaki görsel http://www.cartoonmovement.com/cartoon/14417 sitesinden alınmıştır.