The Story of the Poem "Beklenen"

Different stories about poetry are presented. Although all proceed from the same fundamental premise, some feature different settings and characters.

Necip Fazıl Kısakürek falls in love with a lady during his university years. He observes her only from afar, lacking the courage to speak to her. His inner turmoil consumes him; his feelings unfold as a distant longing. One day, Kısakürek needs a book for his class. As it happens, the book belongs to the young woman. Filled with excitement and shame, he approaches her and humbly requests the book. The lady gladly accepts his request and immediately hands it to him. They do not speak, and cannot speak. Necip Bey takes the book with trembling hands and walks away. The first lines of the poem are written between its pages:

“Neither the sick awaits the morning,

Nor the fresh corpse the grave,

Nor the devil his sin,

As I await you.”

He returns the book to its owner. Time passes, but Fazıl Bey receives no response from the lady. The days slip away; love blends with time and fades. After the passage of time, the lady suddenly appears before Necip Fazıl Bey. She tells him that she had feelings for him all along, that she never opened the book after he gave it to her, and that she had only just now read the poem. Necip Fazıl says nothing. In silence, he takes the book from her and writes the final lines of the poem:

“It is past, I do not wish your coming,

In your absence I found you;

Let my illusion hold your shadow,

Do not come—what use is it now?”