SYMBOL OF LIFE
February 14, 2026,
The capital of Azerbaijan,
The city of Baku.
Early at dawn,
Passing by the Flame Towers,
I boarded bus “Number 10”…
On my right, the herald of the world –
the Baku TV Tower,
On my left, the Flame Towers…
As we descended,
On my right – Martyrs’ Lane,
A mosque, the funicular,
The house of hero Ziya Bunyadov,
The Teletheater…
Then the slope begins;
A stony, rugged road…
“Yolki-Palki” café,
Sheikh Shamil Street,
Azneft Square,
Again on my right – the blue Caspian Sea,
On my left – “Four Seasons”…
Again on my left remains the Maiden Tower…
Bearing the wounds of centuries in its bosom;
The Church of Saint Bartholomew,
Far away;
At the intersection of Pervomayskaya and Karganov streets – a Jewish synagogue,
Right beside it the Karbalayi Abdullah Mosque,
A little further – the Mountain Jews’ synagogue…
All this in my thoughts as the bus turns toward the city center –
I leave “Neftyannik,”
My “blue-eyed one” stays behind…
“Dinamo” and the Pedagogical Institute remain on my right,
“Dzerzhinsky,” “26 Commissars,” the National Library fall to my left…
The Song Theatre of Rashid Behbudov remains on my right…
On the left, in the busiest part of Nizami Street –
In the very heart of Baku –
The Church of Saint Gregory…
On my right, on 28 May Street (former Telefonnaya),
The Lutheran church stands like a true “Savior”…
We swiftly pass 28 May Street,
Turn right from Mirza Agha Aliyev Street,
In front of the Conservatory stands Uzeyir Hajibeyov,
Opposite the National Bank – the Great Leader,
Remain behind on the left…
The bus pauses briefly in front of 28 May metro station…
On my right – “AZI,” on my left – the Railway Station…
Passengers get on, others get off…
We continue our journey…
Turning right from Pushkin Street;
On my left remains the great Samad Vurgun,
On my right – the former site of “Baku Hotel”…
“Move on, Number 10! Move!”
As if the driver hears my voice,
He accelerates…
We return again to “Neftyannik”…
Pushkin remains on my left,
“Domsovet” on my right…
Reaching the Seaport, we turn left,
The blue Caspian remains on my right…
Far away, in the embrace of the sea, the Sun is bathing!
The blue eye of my Caspian turns into a bowl of blood and life!
We reach Victory Park and turn left,
The Victory Arch remains behind on my right…
We go straight, straight…
Passing where Gagarin Bridge once stood –
Along Afiyaddin Jalilov Street…
The maternity hospital remains on the right,
The Oil Workers’ Hospital on my left…
My shah ancestor Shah Ismail Khatai remains on my left,
The Court of Justice on my right…
We go straight along Khojaly Avenue…
On my left – Khatai metro,
On my right – the temple of chemists;
Mendeleev, Mammadaliyev – there is a resemblance…
We go straight, straight…
Behind on the left;
A statue of a grieving woman
Who entrusted her child to God…
Again we move toward the Caspian…
The crimson Sun reddens at the horizon…
The chest of night is torn open…
The crimson rays stretch into the arms of night,
The sky takes on a strange hue –
A blend of blue and red…
I want to see the sky more closely:
“Stop, stop!” I say to the driver…
He does not want to stop, using the excuse of the stop…
I approach the door, bring my hand to my mouth,
Pretend to feel nauseous…
The driver quickly stops the bus.
Immediately, I “board bus number 11”…
My soul walks toward the sea…
The sky is crystal clear, the air slightly frosty…
The dawn breeze touches my face from the sea…
On the left, right in front of me, very close,
A bright star catches my eye…
I walk toward it, reach right beside it.
A strange building; a column rises into the sky…
At its top shines like a star – the “symbol of life”…
It has taken color from the Sun;
Neither red, nor pink, nor orange…
Its color is very strange,
Just like the world itself…
I walk toward the sea,
On my path sits an old woman,
Perhaps eighty years old,
Poorly dressed…
In front of her – 3–4 yellow lemons,
5–6 bunches of parsley…
“What building is this, ma’am?” I ask the old woman.
In the dim light of dawn, she awakens…
“I am not the lady, look, there she is!”
– my bearded self awakens too…
“It is the Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary…” – may I be your sacrifice…
February 14, 2026. Baku. (06:41)
Author: Zaur USTAJ
Oxuyun >> Gözündə tük var
Zaur Ustacın şeirləri haqqında
