I Was Amazed and Left Speechless (Poem)

“I Was Amazed and Left Speechless” is a poem written by Yavuz Bülent Bâkiler and is one of the representative works of Republican-era Turkish poetry. Bâkiler composed this poem based on his personal experience of romantic love. The poem explores the confusion, indecision, and inner conflicts experienced in the face of love.^【1】 The text, grounded in an autobiographical context, examines the ebb and flow between attraction to and avoidance of love through simple language and imagery. The poet merges the traditions of folk and classical poetry with the freedom of modern verse, treating the theme of love both in its personal and Sufi dimensions.

^{Yavuz Bülent Bakiler} (AA)

The poet wrote the poem for a person with whom he attended university classes and shared daily life but was unable to openly express his love. Although Bâkiler revealed his intense attachment to this person through his behavior, he never made a verbal confession. Years later, during a confrontation, it became clear that the other person had also recognized this affection—a revelation that reinforced the central theme of “amazement” in the poem with its real-life counterpart.

I claim I flee from you on galloping steeds,

Sometimes silently, with silken wings,

Yet you always appear before me with ancient stubbornness,

Coming forth in the coolest breezes,

You write your name in every opportunity you find,

Dots and lines upon the very core of my heart,

In the end I am left alone with sighs,

I claim I flee from you on galloping steeds.

Please, one day stand at my door and listen,

Kill the self within me, then revive it with your own,

If you strike me with black passion, at least with a hundred thousand,

Then you will understand how I became bound by your cord.

How many times have I left these places, I swear,

Yet each time I returned to you.

Which knot can be undone with pleading, blame, or resentment?

Please, one day stand at my door and listen..

I was amazed and left speechless, I do not know what you are,

Sometimes you are like a sister, sometimes like a mother I kiss,

When silent you are a sultan, when speaking you are a servant,

You are an unending trial,

You are the horizon line over there and the warmth beside me here,

You are the endless circle that embraces me like a soul,

I am helpless, you are my solution.

I was amazed and left speechless, I do not know what you are? ^【2】 

The poem is primarily written in the 7+7=14-syllable meter. However, variations are introduced through the use of 15-syllable and 7-syllable lines (e.g., “I claim I flee from you / on galloping steeds” → 15-syllable line). Sound repetitions (“s” sounds, “at” rhyme, “-larla” refrain) create harmony within the poem. The repetition of opening and closing lines reinforces internal cohesion. The diction is simple and melodic.

The poem centers on the individual’s vulnerability, indecision, and inner turmoil in the face of love. Although the speaker claims to flee from the beloved, he acknowledges that this flight is merely verbal, as he always returns. While rooted in autobiographical experience, the poem offers a universal narrative that reflects the shared emotional state of individuals who have experienced similar feelings.