Original Ottoman Turkish Text

Gine bir kurs-ı gün togdı cihana
Musavver oldı ef'âlde nişâna
Tola garba vü şarka berre bahra
Ola güneş gibi lütfı 'ayâna
Kılıcından anuñ ditreye taglar
Bulutlar kaça gireler tumana
'Arab 'Acem Bulgar Sind'e
Vire hükmi ki tîz gelüñ dîvâna
Mutî' ola cihan mahlûkı düpdüz
Bu şâhuñ hükmine kamu yigâne
Temerrüd ehli kâfiri kıra ol
İde sarâyların köşkin vîrâne
Dü kevni 'adl ü bedli ma'mûr ide
Diyeler şâhinşâh geldi beyâna

In English

1. Once again a disc of sun has risen upon the world; in its deeds it was pictured as a sign.

2. Let it fill west and east, land and sea; let its grace be plain like the sun.

3. Let mountains tremble at his sword; let clouds flee and hide in mist.

4. To Arab, Persian, Bulgar and Sind let him give his command: "Come quickly to the council."

5. Let the creatures of the world obey outright, all of them, the command of this matchless shah.

6. Let him cut down the stubborn infidels; let him lay waste their palaces and pavilions.

7. Let him make both worlds flourish with justice and generosity; let them say, "The shah of shahs has come forth."

Literary and Historical Commentary

A Warning on the Ada Bridge

The chapter on the Conqueror's accession, the hundred and twenty-first, opens with Murad II's death: as Murad crosses the Ada bridge at Edirne, a dervish who is a disciple of Emir Seyyid tells him of his coming death; Murad takes Saruca Paşa and İshak Paşa as witnesses to his repentance and dies shortly afterwards. The death is concealed for thirteen days; Mehmed comes from Manisa and takes the throne at Edirne. His little brother, born of İsfendiyar's daughter, is "sent to his place". İbrahim of Karaman sets out to claim Germiyan, Aydın and Menteşe. Mehmed marches to Bursa and from there to Akşehir and takes Akşehir with its province; the author says mockingly that the "bastard boys" the lord of Karaman had begotten fled and crept back into their mothers' wombs. When Mehmed turns towards Konya, the lord of Karaman weeps and pleads: "I repent of my sins." He also sends "parrot florins" to the paşas; the author adds that the paşas are "very bashful" men. The paşas win the khan over: the lord of Karaman will give his daughter and join the campaign every year. Mehmed leaves the province to him.

A New Sun

A young ruler is greeted as the sun. A disc of sun has risen; it must fill west and east, land and sea. In the third couplet it is said that mountains will tremble at his sword and clouds will flee. The fourth and fifth carry a wish for world rule: Arab, Persian, Bulgar and Sind are summoned to the council, and all creatures bow to this matchless shah. The last two couplets read like a ruler's programme: the stubborn infidels will be cut down, and both worlds made to flourish with justice and generosity. The first line of the fourth couplet appears to lack syllables in the edition; nothing has been added to "'Arab 'Acem Bulgar Sind'e". Its rhyme words, cihana, nişâna, 'ayâna, tumana, dîvâna, yigâne, vîrâne and beyâna, move between "-âna" and "-âne".

Bibliography

  • Âşık Paşazade, Osmanoğulları'nın Tarihi, ed. Kemal Yavuz, M. A. Yekta Saraç, Istanbul: K Kitaplığı, 2003, pp. 485-486 (transliterated text, bâb 121).