In the Seraglio
the tulip-beds herald
the mute requiem of defeat
death is a naked dervish
whirling to the echo
of the chief eunuch’s laughter
There is
no god
but God
There is
Shadow is all
Fires earthquakes plagues are God’s obeisance
One concubine remains the eternal virgin
The last noble calligraphy
that takes the leap
from fate
the minaret
without a mosque

Talat Sait Halman, İstanbul