Original Ottoman Turkish Text
Metre: Fâ‘ilâtün Fâ‘ilâtün Fâ‘ilâtün Fâ‘ilün
Çeşm-i lüṭfuñla kime itdiñse cânânım naẓar
Ḳoymadıñ gerd-i küdûretden dilinde bir es̱er
Bir girişmeñle dil-i maḥzûnuma virdiñ żiyâ
Hîç siyâh olur mı âyâ ḫâne ṭoġduḳda ḳamer
Ben saña bir bendeyim ki ‘itḳı hîç itmem ḳabûl
Ḫidmetiñde Kâmilem ammâ ki ġâyet mu‘teber
In English
1. My beloved, whomever you looked upon with the eye of grace, you left no trace of the dust of sorrow in his heart.
2. With a single glance you gave light to my sorrowful heart; does a house ever stay dark when the moon has risen?
3. I am such a slave to you that I will never accept being set free; in your service I am perfect (kâmil), and highly esteemed besides.
Literary and Historical Commentary
Structure of the Poem
The poem consists of only three couplets and is written in the "fâ‘ilâtün fâ‘ilâtün fâ‘ilâtün fâ‘ilün" pattern. The rhyme is the sound "-er": "naẓar, es̱er, ḳamer, mu‘teber". Both lines of the opening couplet rhyme and the pen name appears in the last couplet; in other words the beginning and end of the ghazal are in place, but the number of couplets is small. Avni Erdemir therefore describes the poem as nâkıs, an incomplete ghazal. Since a ghazal is usually written with at least five couplets, one may suppose that a three-couplet ghazal was either left unfinished or placed in shortened form within one of the prose sections of the Divançe; Erdemir offers no explanation, and this possibility is ours.
Meaning and Figures of Speech
The three couplets work out a single idea: the beloved's gracious glance cleanses and illuminates the heart. In the opening couplet this glance wipes the dust of sorrow from the heart. In the second couplet the "girişme", the narrowing of the eyes, gives light to the sorrowful heart, and the couplet ends with a comparison: when the moon rises, the house does not stay dark. The couplet is a judgement put in the form of a question; its answer is plain.
The last couplet is built on the ideas of slavery and manumission. The lover is such a servant of the beloved that he will not accept being set free, "‘itḳ". The words "Ḫidmetiñde Kâmilem" have two meanings: the lover is perfect, flawless in service, and at the same time the poet names himself, Kâmil. "Ġâyet mu‘teber" (highly esteemed) at the end of the line says that being a servant is not a debasement but an honour. In a mystical reading this servitude points to servitude to God, and refusing freedom to never leaving that bond; Erdemir's general assessment of the poems fits this reading.
Bibliography
- Avni Erdemir, "Amasyalı Abdurrahman Kâmil (Yetkin) Efendi'nin Şairliği ve Türkçe Şiirleri", Amasya İlahiyat Dergisi, 12, June 2019, p. 193, doi:10.18498/amailad.579964. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/amailad/article/579964
- Mecdîzâde Abdurrahman Kâmil, Divançe, National Library of Turkey, Manuscripts Collection, Yz. A 8993, p. 90 (author's autograph).
Online sources
