Âşıkî, Manzume 127: Gazâlar kim idüpdür Âl-i 'Osmân

Manzume 127 — Gazâlar kim idüpdür Âl-i 'Osmân

Amasya05 Editorial Board • Editor: Mevlüt Erdem Öztürk • 01 October 2026 • Updated: 14 October 2026 • 3 min reading

Praise of the dynasty after Varna (848): the Hungarian king falls from his horse and is beheaded, Turahan Beg is freed from Tokat and Murad takes the throne again.

Original Ottoman Turkish Text

Gazâlar kim idüpdür Âl-i 'Osmân
Vilâyet kâfirin itdi Müsülmân

Kaçanı komadılar yagılarda
Dileyene dahı virdiler amân

Bu âl kim 'âlem içre gāzi oldı
Bu âlüñ müştakı oldı Süleymân

Hûrî vü ins ü cinnî vahş u tayrı
Bu âle oldılar cümlesi fermân

Muhammed ümmetinüñ hâslarıdur
Bu âldür kim ider i'lân-ı îmân

In English

1. The gazâs that the House of Osman waged made the infidel's land Muslim.

2. They did not leave the fugitive among the enemies; to whoever asked, they gave quarter.

3. This house that became gazi in the world: Solomon (himself) came to long for this house.

4. Houris, men, jinn, wild beasts and birds: all came to be under this house's command.

5. They are the elect of Muhammad's community; it is this house that proclaims the faith.

Literary and Historical Commentary

Varna

Father in Manisa, son in Edirne: so the hundred and seventeenth chapter opens. The lord of Karaman sends word to the Hungarians and to the despot: "The son of Osman has gone mad," he has left the throne to a child. Yanko and the king of Hungary march on Varna. Murad comes from Manisa; since the Gallipoli strait is closed, he crosses at Akçahisar. The battle of Varna begins; Karaca Beg, governor-general of Anatolia, falls as a martyr. The king charges forward saying "let me seize the Turkish lord", and the gazis make way for him; the king comes into their midst, they hamstring his horse, he falls with it, and Koca Hızır cuts off his head, which is set on a lance. The gazis charge with the takbîr, the infidels are cut down and their wagons taken. At this time Azab Beg petitions the khan and Turahan Beg is released from prison in Tokat castle and set free. Gifts of captives are sent to the neighbouring lords and to the sultan of Egypt. Murad returns to Edirne, takes the throne again and sends his son back to Manisa. The date is 848 (1444).

Praise of a Dynasty

The details of the victory at Varna stay out of the couplets; they are given over to a general praise of the Ottoman house. The first two couplets list the outcome of gazâ: the infidel's land becomes Muslim, the fugitive is not abandoned, and quarter is given to those who ask. The third and fourth raise the praise to an extravagant height: even the prophet Solomon longs for this house; houris, men, jinn, wild beasts and birds obey its command. This image rests on the story that Solomon ruled over all creatures. The fifth couplet names the house as the elect of Muhammad's community and the proclaimer of the faith. Turahan Beg's release in this chapter from prison in Tokat shows once more the place of the prisons of the province of Rum in the work. The rhyme throughout is "-ân": 'Osmân, Müsülmân, amân, Süleymân, fermân, îmân.