Cacık [English translation]

Present company excluded, my friends;

I feel like a cucumber (feel terrible) these days…

I mean, if they finely diced me

I say “The Sea of Marmara, the Aegean Sea, the Black Sea,

And even the Mediterranean Sea would turn into a ‘Cacik’(1)”.

I have such a big trouble that, my friends;

I mean, if they split me into 40 pieces and divided me into 40 pieces again

And sprinkled me over 40 vegetable gardens as a fertilizer

I say “40 thousands kinds of herbs would grow and cure 40 thousands troubles”.

I don’t know what happened to me all of a sudden.

My son walked away and my daughter has never listened to me anyways.

My button is missing, Hem of my trousers unstitched, I have safety pins here and there…

And they say “Safety pin destroys the evil eye”.

My wife’s hosiery has run and she has rollers on her head.

Even Karabaş (a sheep-dog), even Karabaş keeps looking at my face and barks at me.

In all modesty, my friends;

I feel like a cucumber.

I mean, if they finely diced me, I say “the Mediterranean Sea would turn into a ‘cacik.’”

I say “And even the Atlantic Ocean and even the Indian Ocean

And even more, the Pacific Ocean would turn into a ‘cacik.’”

How could Rakis (2) be enough for such a cacik?

They say “One nail drives out another" and “They scrub a frozen person with ice”

I've already burned, my friends, should they put me into an oven?

Olive juice with dry bread, it has been always like this and will continue to be like that.

• Artist:Barış Manço