The Art of Marxism: poetry

Our Eyes

by Nāzım Hikmet Ran


Our eyes

are limpid

drops of water.

In each drop exists

a tiny sign

of our genius

which has given life to cold iron.

Our eyes

are limpid

drops of water

merged absolutely in the Ocean

that you could hardly recognize

the drop in a block of ice

in a boiling pan.

The masterpiece of these eyes

the fulfillment of their genius

the living iron.

In these eyes

filled with limpid

pure tears

had failed to emerge

from the infinite Ocean

if the strength

had dispersed,

we could never have mated

the dynamo with the turbine,

never have moved

those steel mountains in water

easily

as if made of hollow wood.

The masterpiece of these eyes

the fulfillment of their genius

of our unified labour

the living iron.

1922