Original Ottoman Turkish Text
Sa‘âdetle hemîşe fâ’iḳ-i aḳrân u emẟâl ol
Bu iḫvân içre dâ’im ol ‘azîz-i Mıṣrâ iḳbâl ol
In English
1. May you always, in happiness, stand above your peers and equals; among these brothers may you always be the lord (aziz) of the Egypt of fortune.
Literary and Historical Commentary
Structure of the Poem
The couplet is one of the single couplets at the end of the divan and the second single couplet given as a sample in the article. Both lines end with the redif (refrain word) "ol" (be); the rhyme is the sound "-âl" in the words "emẟâl" and "iḳbâl". The length and structure of the lines suggest the "mefâ‘îlün" pattern of the hezec metre, but the edition does not give the metre.
Meaning and Figures of Speech
The couplet is one of congratulation and prayer: the poet wishes his addressee to surpass his peers in happiness and to be, among "the brothers", the lord (aziz) of the Egypt of fortune. The second line contains an open allusion to Joseph. According to the story, Joseph was thrown into a well by his brothers and finally rose to a high position in Egypt, becoming the "aziz of Egypt". The words "iḫvân" (brothers) and "‘azîz-i Mıṣr" recall this story and express the wish that the addressee will rise in spite of the envy of those around him. The spelling "‘azîz-i Mıṣrâ iḳbâl" in the edition is most probably the phrase "‘azîz-i Mıṣr-ı iḳbâl" (the aziz of the Egypt of fortune); this reading is ours.
Historical Context
To whom the couplet was addressed is unknown. The words "among these brothers" point to a particular company, perhaps a gathering or the brothers of a family, but the source gives no information on this. 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. 280). https://doi.org/10.28981/hikmet.683811
Online sources
