On an overcrowded street,
where bright and darkness never meet,
where voices barter to be heard
from faces hidden behind veil or beard.
Aromas, perfumes, pungent smells,
wafting forth from wishing wells,
coffee roosters wake up the souls,
Bazaars of ochre in sun drenched bowls.
Minarets with nibs of lead
scribe crescent moons on skies near red,
Seraglio Point, which marks the Horn,
where Marmara is Bosphorus born.
The sky blue mosque mocks Mecca's name
but leaves no doubt to which bears fame.
Constantinople or Istanbul,
no place, no name, can be so full.
On one goes, by cheek, by jowl,
eclipsed by fading light in cowl.
No talk of morn, no night yet come,
no curfew called, nor quiet but hum.
Of dreams Aladdin's, of wicks, of lamps,
of sesame, pariahs, tramps.
Of sounds from far off citadels,
of glamour, clamour, peal knell-toll bells.
No sleep, no sheep, no counting herds,
no mudlark talk, no listening nerds.
Romans, Greeks, have gone and come,
left names on stones; Byzantium.
Where west joins east, nigh one the least,
by bridge shake hands, an eyeful feast.
The spawn of dawn, once far, now here,
a call to all, to kneel in prayer.
Plato described it as Utopia, Kallipolis meaning ideal city.
Where bright and darkness never meet? this of course is
introducing the reader to a nocturnal tour via the poem.
Coffee roosters is not a misprint, I have always associated
coffee with the rooster and tea with the owl.
Crescent moons on skies near red, is a metaphor for the abundance of
national flags one sees in Turkey.
Mudlarks are street scavengers.
First line last verse refers to Bosphorus bridge.
The poem is attempting to state how the city
seduced the author to renounce sleep rather then
miss what night had to offer. Few, if any capitals
possess such allure. It ends with Adhan which is
the Islamic announcement from each Minaret.