Original Ottoman Turkish Text

Metre: fâilâtün fâilâtün fâilâtün fâilün (remel). Doğan does not show the pattern; we counted the syllables ourselves.

Kesmezem ağyâr cevri ile cânândan ümîd
Kim kesilmez havf-ı şeytân ile îmândan ümîd
Ağlamakla dürr-i vasla tâlib oldum tañ degül
Eylese gavvâs olanlar bahr-i ummândan ümîd
Âsitânunda nigârı görmesem ye’s itmezem
Bu mesel meşhûrdur kim çıkmaduk cândan ümîd
Dişlerüñdür ağlamakla göz yaşından umduğum
Dürr-i şehvâr oldı ancak ebr-i nîsândan ümîd
Her ne deñlü cürmüñe hadd ü nihâyet yoğsa
‘Avnîyâ kat‘ eyleme sen avn-i Rahmândan ümîd

In English

1. I do not give up hope of the beloved because of the rivals' cruelty; for hope of faith is not given up for fear of the devil.

2. Weeping, I have sought the pearl of union, and that is no wonder; those who are divers of course hope for something from the boundless sea.

3. Even if I do not see the beloved at the threshold of her door, I do not despair; the saying is well known: as long as the soul has not left, hope is not given up.

4. What I hope for from my tears by weeping is your teeth; what is hoped for from the April cloud is nothing but large, precious pearls.

5. O Avnî, even if your sins have no limit and no end, do not give up hope of the help (avn) of the All-Merciful.

Literary and Historical Commentary

Structure of the Poem

Hope is both the subject and the redif here: every couplet closes on the word "ümîd" (hope). The rhyme is the syllable "-ândan" in the words "cânândan, îmândan, ummândan, cândan, nîsândan, Rahmândan"; the ablative suffix ("from") says in every couplet where hope is expected from. There are five couplets, in remel.

Meaning and Figures of Speech

The opening couplet begins by likening love to faith. In divan poetry the rival is often likened to the devil; in Doğan's explanation the rival, with his black face, ill intent and cruelty, stands for unbelief, while the beloved, with her white face and the hope of union she grants, stands for faith. Just as the believer does not abandon his faith for fear of the devil, the lover does not abandon the beloved for fear of the rival. Couplet two brings the sea of tears and the diver together: the pearl lies at the bottom of the sea, and the pearl of union is not found without shedding tears.

The third couplet carries a proverb into poetry: "Çıkmadık candan umut kesilmez" (as long as the soul has not left the body, hope is not given up). Doğan sees a subtle play here. The beloved stands in place of the lover's soul; the beloved who does not appear at her door, who does not leave her house, also becomes "the soul that has not left". The proverb's sense of not giving up hope of life and the beloved's not leaving her house meet in the same saying.

The fourth couplet rests on an old belief. It was said that in April the pearl oyster rises to the surface of the sea, opens its shells and takes in drops of April rain, which in time turn into pearls. The lover's eyes are April clouds, his tears April rain, and the pearl hoped for from this rain is the beloved's teeth; that is, by weeping the lover hopes for the beloved's smile or her lips. The final couplet says not to give up hope of God's help despite sins beyond counting. "Avn" means help, and the pen name "Avnî" and "avn-i Rahmân" (the help of the All-Merciful) stand side by side in the same line; the poet rests his own name on God's help. The help hoped for, as Doğan adds, is once again the expectation on the road to union with the beloved.

Bibliography

  • Fâtih Sultan Mehmed (Avnî), Fâtih Dîvânı ve Şerhi / Dīwān of Sultan Mehmed II with Commentary, ed. Muhammet Nur Doğan, English trans. Michael D. Sheridan, 3rd ed., Istanbul: Türkiye Yazma Eserler Kurumu Başkanlığı, 2023, poem 9, pp. 139-141 (manuscript: Millet, Ali Emîrî Manzum 305, fol. 4a). https://ekitap.yek.gov.tr/urun/fatih-divani-ve-serhi--ucuncu-baski-_794.aspx

Online sources