Mehmed Akif Ersoy
I have spent years wandering in the East,
And I've seen much-not merely idled past!
Arabs, Persians and Tartars, I have seen
All the components of the Moslem world.
I've looked into the souls of little men,
And scrutinized great men's philosophies.
Then, too, what caused the Japanese ascent?
What was their secret? This I wished to learn.
These journeys, this far-reaching search.
Led to a single article of faith.
It's this -
Do not go far for such a quest,
The secret of your progress lies in you.
A nation's rise comes from within itself,
To imitate does not ensure success.
Absorb the art, the science of the West,
And speed your efforts to achieve those ends,
For without them, one can no longer live,
For art and science have no native land.
But bear in mind the warning that I give:
When reaching through the eras of reform,
Let your essential nature be your guide -
There's no hope of salvation otherwise.
From The Penguin Book of Turkish Verse
Edited by Nermin Menemencioglu
In collaboration with Fahir Iz
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