Nazim Hikmet: 60 years since the death of the great Turkish poet – Greek twitter honors him

Today, June 3, 1963, one of the most important Turkish poets of the 20th century, the Nazim Hikmet.

His name is among the 10 trending topics of Twitter, with Greek users honoring Hikmet with verses from his poems, several of which were set to music by Manos Loizos and Thanos Mikroutsikos.

“More than men,
I loved their songs.
Without people I could live,
but never without songs”.
– Nazim Hikmet, who died today, June 3, 1962… pic.twitter.com/Dfpw7MtYEo

— Giannis Eutuxiadis (@GiannisEutux) June 2, 2023

Nazim Hikmet was a member of the Communist Party of Turkey.

He was born on January 15, 1902 in Thessaloniki and died in Moscow on June 3, 1963 from a heart attack, at the age of 61.

With love and immense respect in your memory Nazim Hikmet Ran.
Thessaloniki, January 15, 1902 – Moscow, June 3, 1963. pic.twitter.com/B8VIqEVgsJ

— DP (@DIONPIE) June 3, 2023

June 3, 1963-June 3, 2023: Sixty years since the death of Nazim Hikmet, the great Turkish communist poet of the world working class, whose poems glorified and expressed the people’s struggles for peace, justice and socialism!!https:// t.co/N3T6NT32wi

— GEORGE (@NGw0ysG1wSJYIKE) June 3, 2023

If I don’t burn
if you don’t burn
if we don’t burn
who will do my brother
the darkness light?
Nazim Hikmet, the Turkish militant poet who died on a day like today in 1963 pic.twitter.com/HW9pJGym3P

— Bella ciao (@5WcbwyGvkfW4nbf) June 3, 2023

Among his most famous poems is “If half my heart”, which was translated by Yiannis Ritsos, set to music by Thanos Mikroutsikos and sung in 1975 by Maria Dimitriadis.

“If half my heart lies, doctor, over here in China The other half lies with the army descending to the yellow river The other half in China lies….”