Original Ottoman Turkish Text
Metre: Mefâ‘îlün mefâ‘îlün mefâ‘îlün mefâ‘îlün
O ‘âḳiller ki cevr-i dehr ile terk-i diyâr eyler
Şu ‘anberdir ki zûr-ı mevc ile ‘azm-i kenâr eyler
O gülzâr içre kim zâġân ola râz-âşnâ-yı gül
Nice ġayret-keşân bülbül ṭurup anda ḳarâr eyler
Geçer bezm-i şehândan ṣâf-meşreb ‘âlem-i ‘ulve
Gider tâ mihre şebnem çün şeh-i gülden güẕâr eyler
Giderse böyle ger âşûb-ı dehr nâ-ehil-perver
Şikenc-i ḳâkül-i cânâneden diller firâr eyler
Leb-i mey-gûnun añma sâḳiyâ eyler beni ser-mest
Ṣabâ añma o kâkülden ki ‘aḳlım târümâr eyler
Benim sînemde olmuşken ‘ulüv-ḫîz âteş-i ḥasret
Niçün cism-i laṭîfin nâzenînim dâġdâr eyler
N’ola pertev-fürûş-ı genc-i ‘irfân olsa ‘Âkif kim
Çerâġ olmaḳla ol mihr-i kemâle iftiḫâr eyler
O ḥikmet-senc-i deryâ-dil-i velîyü’n-ni‘me fâżıl
Ki kendin bu ‘alîde bendegânından şümâr eyler
O kân-ı luṭf kim iksîr yana pûte-i ‘irfâna
Ġubâr-ı pâyını kibrît-i aḥmerle ‘ayâr eyler
Şebistân-ı dilinde dâ’ima lüṭuf u ṣadâḳât
Dü dûşîze ‘arûs-ı ṭab‘ına ‘arż-ı ‘iẕâr eyler
İlâhî ẕât-ı pâkin neyl-i dil-ḫᵛâh ile şâdân it
Felek tâ kim usûl-i devr ile leyl ü nehâr eyler
In English
1. Those wise men who leave their homeland because of the cruelty of the age resemble ambergris that heads for the shore through the force of the waves.
2. In that rose garden where crows are the rose's confidants, how many zealous nightingales stay and settle?
3. The man of pure disposition passes from the gatherings of kings to the higher world; the dewdrop too passes from the king of roses and goes to the sun.
4. If the turmoil of the age goes on favouring the unworthy like this, hearts will flee even from the curl of the beloved's forelock.
5. Cupbearer, do not mention the wine-coloured lip, it makes me drunk; morning breeze, do not speak of that forelock which throws my reason into confusion.
6. While the rising fire of longing is in my breast, why does my darling brand her delicate body?
7. What wonder if Âkif sells the light of the treasure of knowledge, for he takes pride in being the lamp of that sun of perfection.
8. That virtuous benefactor who weighs wisdom, sea-hearted, the one among whose servants (Âkif) counts himself.
9. That mine of kindness, in whose crucible of knowledge the elixir burns, assays the dust of his foot against red sulphur. (The couplet is not wholly clear.)
10. In the bedchamber of his heart, kindness and loyalty always show two virgin cheeks to the bride of his nature. (The couplet is not wholly clear.)
11. O God, as long as the heavens carry on night and day with measure and cycle, gladden his pure person with the blessings his heart desires.
Literary and Historical Commentary
Structure of the Poem
The poem has eleven couplets and is written in the hezec pattern "mefâ‘îlün mefâ‘îlün mefâ‘îlün mefâ‘îlün" of aruz (quantitative metre). The redif (refrain word) is the verb "eyler" (does, makes); the rhyme is the sound "-âr" in the words "diyâr, kenâr, ḳarâr, güẕâr, firâr, târümâr, dâġdâr, iftiḫâr, şümâr, ‘ayâr, ‘iẕâr, nehâr". The pen name (mahlas) appears in the seventh couplet; the four couplets that follow leave the subject of the ghazal and praise a benefactor. This structure fits the müzeyyel ghazal, a ghazal to whose end couplets of praise are added. Öntürk and Tunçadam say that the sixteenth ghazal of the divan is a müzeyyel ghazal of eleven couplets; this poem is probably that ghazal, but the article does not give the divan numbers of the sample poems. The number is the order of the sample poem in the article by Öntürk and Tunçadam; the poem's number among the ghazals of the divan is not given in the article.
Meaning and Figures of Speech
The first four couplets complain against the age. The wise men who leave their homeland because of the cruelty of the age are likened to ambergris thrown ashore by the waves: ambergris too shows its value only once it leaves the sea. The second couplet says that the nightingale cannot stay in a garden where crows are the rose's confidants; it is a criticism of a world in which the unworthy are esteemed. The phrase "nâ-ehil-perver" in the fourth couplet, an age that nourishes the unworthy, names this thought openly. The fifth and sixth couplets are inserted love couplets. In the pen-name couplet the poet calls himself the lamp of a "sun of perfection" and passes to the section of praise. "Kibrît-i aḥmer" (red sulphur) in the ninth couplet is the name of the substance sought by the alchemists and considered impossible to find; even the dust of the patron's foot is so precious that it is assayed against it. The words "usûl" and "devr" in the last couplet refer both to the cycle of time and to rhythmic patterns in music. The meaning of the ninth and tenth couplets is given approximately.
Historical Context
The "benefactor" who is praised is not named. Öntürk and Tunçadam note that Âkif wrote praise of his teacher Uşşâkzâde Efendi, of Dâmâd Ali Paşa and of the Şeyhülislam of the day, Mustafa Efendi; to whom this ghazal was presented is unknown. Complaint against the age and against favour shown to the unworthy is among the themes Öntürk and Tunçadam see in Âkif's poetry. For the poet's life, see the article Îdîzâde Âkif Mustafa Efendi.
Bibliography
- Tolga Öntürk and Özcan Tunçadam, "Amasyalı 'Îdî-zâde Âkif Mustafa ve Divanı", Hikmet-Akademik Edebiyat Dergisi, 6(12), 2020, pp. 259-281 (text: pp. 276-277). https://doi.org/10.28981/hikmet.683811
Online sources
