Zareh Yaldizdjian (Zahrad) is one of the most refined poets of Armenian and Turkish literature.
Born in Istanbul in 1924, he carried the language, streets and silence of this city to poetry throughout his life.
What made him great was that he did not speak loudly.
He was able to say a lot with few words, to extract universal sadness from the small details of everyday life, and to capture people directly from the heart without getting involved in political slogans.
Zahrad's poetry does not shout; it sounds like the creak of a chair, a window opening, an unfinished sentence.
That is precisely why it is permanent.
He wrote in Armenian, but he wrote the soul of Istanbul.
That is why the Turkish reader also finds himself in him.
He did not make big promises, he did not speak from a big place;
looked at life through a window.
He talked about Istanbul, but without naming it,
he wrote about loneliness, but without shouting.
His poetry was the most crowded form of silence.
With a nod to Zahrad's style:
It's evening
the table is still set for three
but a chair
makes noise
with his absence
tea has cooled
no one noticed
most of all
tea doesn't care
Note These lines are for those who believe that subtlety, not loudness, lasts...