Original Ottoman Turkish Text
Cihân her lahza bir nev'a görinür
Hayâl ehli o nev'aya sevinür
Sanur budur kim ol maksûd olanlar
Ya açar setrini yâhûd bürinür
Cihânda hill ü hürmet böyle geçdi
Kimi it gibi talar kim korınur
In English
1. The world appears at every moment in another form; the people of illusion rejoice in that form.
2. They think that this is what is sought; (the world) either uncovers its veil or wraps itself.
3. In the world honour and lawfulness have passed thus; some attack like a dog, so that one guards against them.
Literary and Historical Commentary
The White Cap and the Puppy Yaya
In the prose of the chapter Alâeddin Paşa gives his brother counsel: the caps of the surrounding lords are red, let those of Orhan's men be white. The white cap is made in Bilecik, and Orhan and his men put it on. When Orhan wishes to enlarge his army, his brother tells him to entrust the matter to the kadıs; at the time the kadı of Bilecik is Çandarlı Kara Halil, later kadı of İznik and Bursa, and in the time of Gazi Hünkâr he will become military judge, vizier and governor-general. Kara Halil says "raise them from the land"; people bribe the kadı to be enrolled as yaya, foot soldiers, and they too are given the white cap. The author also tells the story of the nickname "enük yaya", puppy yaya: in the time of Murad II a foot soldier on campaign stole a puppy (enük), and its owner cursed him with "you puppy yaya". It is also recorded that the twisted turban appeared in Orhan's time and that anyone who came to the council without one was reproached.
The Changeability of Appearances
The couplets look down on these details of dress and custom. The world appears at every moment in another form; the people of illusion, those caught by appearances, rejoice in this change. "Setr", veil, and the verb "bürünmek", to wrap oneself, in the second couplet form an image that matches the subject of dress: the world sometimes uncovers its veil and sometimes wraps itself up. The third couplet sets honour and disgrace side by side; the line "kimi it gibi talar kim korınur", some attack like a dog so that one guards against them, turns the dog image of the puppy yaya story into a harsh comparison. Görinür, sevinür, bürinür, korınur: all four rhyme words end in "-nür/-nur".
Bibliography
- Âşık Paşazade, Osmanoğulları'nın Tarihi, ed. Kemal Yavuz, M. A. Yekta Saraç, Istanbul: K Kitaplığı, 2003, p. 365 (transliterated text, bâb 31).
