Original Ottoman Turkish Text
Metre: Mefā‘ilün Fe‘ilātün Mefā‘ilün Fe‘ilün
İrişdi mevsim-i tekbīr ü vaḳt-i ḥacc u ṣalāt
Ki mecma‘-ı ‘Arafāt oldı ‘arṣa-i ‘araṣāt
Kelīm-vār münācāta çıḳdı ehl-i niyāz
Şerefde hem-ser-i Ṭūr oldı ḳulle-i ‘Arafāt
Derūn-ı ḳubbe-i eflākı güm güm ötdürdi
Ṣadā-yı ṣayḥa-i Lebbeyk ü na‘re-i ṣalavāt
Ḥarīm-i Ka‘be’de hem maḥrem oldı hem muḥrim
Libās-ı maġfiret ile mülebbes oldı ‘uṣāt
Ṣadā-yı ṣayḥa-i tekbīr irişdi āfāḳa
Zihī zemān-ı ‘ibādāt u mevsim-i ṭā‘āt
Büt-i hevāyı ṣıdı ehl-i ḥac Ḫalīl-āsā
Yüzin düşüp ḫacil oldı hezār Lāt u Menāt
Zihī zemān-ı Ḥasan k’oldı ḥüsn-i ṭā‘atla
Müsāfirān-ı Ḥarem cümle ġarḳa-i ḥasenāt
Olur mı böyle şeref dünyede k’ola rūzī
Ziyāret-i ḥarem-i pāk-ı seyyidü’s-sādāt
Feżāyili bugünüñ ṣanma kim şümāra gele
Eger ki mün‘aḳid olsa hezār ulūf u mi’āt
İrişdi ‘īd-i şerīf ile dehre bir ‘ālim
Ki irdi ẕevḳ ü sürūra ḳamu benīn ü benāt
Ne ḫūb gündür İlāhī ki itdi ḳurbānlar
İrince bugüne erbāb-ı fidye vü ḫayrāt
Ṣaçıldı ‘āleme şol deñlü ḫūn-ı ḳurbānı
Kim oldı la‘l-i Bedaḫşān ḳamu cibāl ü felāt
Ḥisāb olınmaya el-ḥaḳ şeh itdügi ḳurbān
Zemīn ṣaḥīfe şecer ḫāme çerḫ olursa devāt
Yegāne Ḥażret-i Ḫān Muṣṭafā-yı ‘ālī-şān
Meh-i ḫuceste-ḫıṣāl ü şeh-i ḥamīde-ṣıfāt
Ne şāhdur ki gören ẕāt-ı pākınuñ luṭfın
Olur esīri göñülden zihī leṭāfet-i ẕāt
Görürse sen şehi fi’l-ḥāl niçe ferzāne
Piyāde ruḫ sürüp atuñ ayaġına ola māt
Şükūh u şevket ile her ḳuluñ olup Dārā
Alur mı ‘aynına dārāları zihī dārāt
Eger ki olmasa ‘adl ü siyāsetüñ māni‘
Ṭutardı ‘ālemi iy şāh fitne vü feterāt
Seḫāda bulmaz idi nāmı Ḫātem-i Ṭāyī
Eger ki dest-i cevāduñdan irmese ṣadaḳāt
Bu ‘adl ü cūd-ile kim herbiri şehādet ider
Umūr-ı devlete itdüñ liyāḳatüñ is̱bāt
Ne ḥüccet eylese ibrāz müdde‘ī göremez
Bunuñ ḫilāfına ḥükme cevāz cümle ḳużāt
Şu ‘ömre ḥayf iderüm k’olmadı du‘āñ ile ṣarf
N’idem şehā budur ancaḳ tedārik-i mā-fāt
Cihānı pertev-i rāyuñ ger itmese rūşen
Ṭutardı dīde-i a‘yānı perde-i ẓulemāt
U‘yūn-ı şems ü ḳamer olmaz-idi nūrānī
Eger żamīr-i münīrüñden irmese leme‘āt
Edā-yı midḥatuñ itmekde ṭab‘ ‘āciz iken
Dilüme oldı revān şevḳ ile bu nüh ebyāt
Lebüñ şeker dir idüm ḳılsa ger şeker kelimāt
Dönerdi ḳaddüñe serv itse serv eger ḥarekāt
Teveccühüm sañadur mā-sivāya lā dimişem
Olur mı mü’min olan ‘ālem içre ābid-i Lāt
Lebüñ cihāna virelden ḥayāt ḫacletle
Ḳaçup gidüp ẓulemāta görinmez āb-ı ḥayāt
Cemālüñüñ ḥacebin mümkin idi ref‘ itmek
‘Uḳūli yaḳmasa vechüñden irişen subuḥāt
Gül-i ḥayāt açılmazdı bāġ-ı dehr içre
Eger ki gülşen-i vaṣluñdan irmese nefeḥāt
Cihāna beẕl ola ger cür‘a-i şarāb-ı lebüñ
Bulup ḥayāt-ı ebed ḳalmaya cihānda memāt
Niṣāb-ı ḥüsne çü māliksin iy şeh-i ‘ālem
Faḳīrüñe naẓar it k’oldı müstaḥaḳḳ-ı zekāt
Bu mācerāyı görüñ k’eyleyüp sirişküme reşk
Biri birine girüp cūşa geldi Şaṭṭ u Fırāt
Ḫulūṣ-ı ‘ışḳ ile dil oldı ḫāliṣ ü muḫliṣ
Be ṣūfi var yüri ‘arż itme zerḳ ile ṭāmāt
Beyān u şerḥe çü ṣıġmaz ḥadīs̱-i ‘ışḳ göñül
Ḳo anı ḳıl ḫidemāt ile ol şehe midḥāt
Zihī şehen-şeh-i ‘ālī ki ḳaṣr-ı ḳadrine çerḫ
İrişmeye bula biñ mertebe eger derecāt
‘Adūlaruñ saña ḥāşā muḳābil olabile
Berāber ola mı insāna yirdeki ḥaşerāt
Uzatma gel sözi Fażlī du‘āya aç elüñi
Ḳabūl ola umarum k’irdi mevsim-i ḥācāt
Çü vaṣf u medḥine ḥad yoḳ hemān odur ūlā
Devām-ı devletine dāyim idesin da‘vāt
Ne diyesin ki du‘ādan yeğ ola iy dā‘ī
‘Ale’l-ḫuṣūṣ ola bu resme Eymen-i evḳāt
Nice ki Merve’de ḥüccāc ide Ṣafā ile sa‘y
Nice ki ehl-i vuḳūf ola vāḳıf-ı ‘Arafāt
İşigi Ka‘be-i ehl-i ṣafā olup dāyim
Cenābına müteveccih ola cemī‘-i s̱iḳāt
Ḫalel irişmeye dünyāda seyl-i ḥādis̱eden
Serāy-ı devleti dāyim bula cihānda s̱ebāt
In English
1. The season of the tekbir, the time of pilgrimage and prayer has come; the gathering place at Arafat has become like the plain of the Last Judgement.
2. The supplicants went out like Moses to pray to God; the summit of Mount Arafat became equal in honour to Mount Sinai. (Moses spoke with God on Mount Sinai.)
3. The cries of "Lebbeyk" and the calls of blessing on the Prophet made the inside of the dome of the heavens resound with a booming noise.
4. In the sacred precinct of the Kaaba the sinners became both intimates of the secret and pilgrims in the state of consecration, clothed in the garment of forgiveness.
5. The sound of the tekbir reached the horizons; what a fine time of worship, what a season of devotion.
6. The pilgrims broke the idol of desire like the Friend of God, that is, Abraham; a thousand Lâts and Menâts fell on their faces in shame. (Lât and Menât were idols worshipped by the Arabs before Islam.)
7. What a fair time, in which the guests of the Sanctuary were all immersed in good deeds through fair worship. ("Ḥasan", "ḥüsn" and "ḥasenāt" are words from the same root denoting beauty and goodness.)
8. Can there be a greater honour in the world than to be granted a visit to the pure sanctuary of the lord of lords, the Prophet?
9. Do not think the virtues of this day can be counted, even if numbers were gathered by thousands and hundreds.
10. With the blessed feast such a state came upon the world that all the sons and daughters attained joy and delight.
11. My God, what a fine day it is; when the people of ransom and good works reached this day they made their sacrifices.
12. The blood of the sacrifices was scattered over the world so that all the mountains and deserts became rubies of Badakhshan. (Badakhshan is a land of Central Asia famed for its precious rubies.)
13. Truly the sacrifices the king made cannot be reckoned, even if the earth were the page, the trees the pens and the sky the inkwell.
14. He is the peerless Hazret Mustafa Han of lofty glory, a moon of auspicious character, a king of praiseworthy qualities.
15. He is such a king that whoever sees the grace of his pure person becomes his captive from the heart; what refinement of being.
16. O king, when many a wise man sees you he is at once left on foot and, rubbing his face, is checkmated at the feet of your horse. (In chess "ferzāne" is the vizier, "piyāde" the pawn and "ruḫ" the rook; "ruḫ" also means face.)
17. Every servant of yours, having become a Darius in majesty and splendour, takes no notice of kings; what magnificence. (Darius is the ancient Persian king; "dārā" means a ruler and "dārāt" magnificence.)
18. O king, were it not for the restraint of your justice and your firm rule, discord and disorder would cover the world.
19. Had alms not reached him from your generous hand, Hâtem of Tayy would not have won his name for generosity. (Hâtem of Tayy is an Arab famed for his generosity.)
20. With this justice and generosity, each of which bears witness, you have proved your fitness for the affairs of state.
21. Whatever proof a claimant may bring forward, no judge would see it lawful to rule against this.
22. I regret this life that has not been spent in prayer for you; what can I do, my king, this alone is the way to make good what has been lost.
23. If the light of your judgement did not illuminate the world, a veil of darkness would cover the eyes of the notables.
24. If gleams did not reach them from your luminous heart, the eyes of the sun and the moon would not be full of light.
25. While my nature fell short of fulfilling your praise, these nine couplets flowed on my tongue with longing:
26. If sugar could speak, I would call your lip sugar; if the cypress could walk, it would turn into your stature.
27. My devotion is turned to you; to all else I have said "lâ", that is, no; does a believer worship Lât in this world?
28. Since your lip gave life to the world, the water of life has fled in shame into the darkness and is seen no more. (The water of life, which grants immortality to whoever drinks it, was believed to lie in the land of darkness.)
29. Were it not that the lights spreading from your face burn up the minds, it would be possible to lift the veil of your beauty.
30. If scents did not come from the rose garden of union with you, the rose of life would not open in the garden of time.
31. If a sip of the wine of your lip were bestowed on the world, everyone would attain eternal life and death would remain no more in the world.
32. O king of the world, you possess the full measure of beauty; look upon your poor one, who has become entitled to alms. (The nisab is the amount of wealth that makes the giving of alms obligatory.)
33. See this affair: envious of my tears, the Tigris and the Euphrates have mingled with each other and begun to surge. ("Şaṭṭ" is the Shatt al-Arab, where the Tigris and the Euphrates meet.)
34. Through the purity of love the heart has become pure and sincere; O Sufi, be off, do not peddle empty marvels with hypocrisy.
35. O heart, the tale of love does not fit into explanation and commentary; leave it, and praise that king with your services.
36. What a lofty king of kings he is, whose palace of worth the sky could not reach even if it rose a thousand degrees.
37. God forbid that your enemies could stand against you; can the insects on the ground be equal to a man?
38. Fazlî, do not prolong your words, come, open your hands in prayer; I hope it will be accepted, for the season of petitions has come.
39. Since there is no limit to his virtues and praise, the best is that you always pray for the continuance of his fortune.
40. O you who pray, what can you say that is better than prayer, especially at such most auspicious times?
41. As long as the pilgrims perform the sa'y with joy at Merve, as long as those who stand in vigil keep the vigil at Arafat,
42. May his threshold always be the Kaaba of the people of purity, and may all trustworthy men turn towards his presence.
43. May no harm come to him in the world from the flood of events, and may the palace of his fortune stand firm in the world forever.
Literary and Historical Commentary
Structure of the Poem
The poem is a kaside (qasida) of forty-three couplets (beyit). The metre is the "mefā‘ilün fe‘ilātün mefā‘ilün fe‘ilün" pattern of the müctes family; the rhyme is the sound "-āt": ṣalāt, ‘araṣāt, ‘Arafāt, ṣalavāt, ‘uṣāt and the same sound in the following couplets. Mustafa Özkat defines the kaside as an ıydiyye addressed to Şehzade Mustafa; it describes what is done during the pilgrimage and depicts the sacrificed animals in hyperbolic language. The name of the person praised appears in couplet 14. In couplet 25 the poet says that "bu nüh ebyāt", these nine couplets, flowed from his tongue, and in couplet 26 he makes a tecdid-i matla, a new opening couplet; couplets 26-34 form a tegazzül of nine couplets, that is, a ghazal (gazel) set within the kaside. The poet names himself in couplet 38 and completes the kaside with a prayer.
Özkat publishes the kaside as the twenty-third kaside of the divan. The poem is found without a title in miscellany no. 314 of the Âşir Efendi collection of the Süleymaniye Library (fol. 122a) and with the title "Ḳaṣīde-i Fażlī berāy-ı Sulṭān Muṣṭafā" in miscellany no. 1966 of the Revan collection of the Topkapı Palace Museum Library (fol. 152b). In the Revan copy the second lines of couplets 9 and 10 were mistakenly exchanged and later corrected with arrows.
Meaning and Figures of Speech
The introduction describes the pilgrimage together with the Feast of Sacrifice. The crowd at Arafat is likened to the plain of the Last Judgement through the words "‘Arafāt" and "‘araṣāt", which come from the same root; in the second couplet Mount Arafat is counted equal to Mount Sinai, where Moses spoke with God. The sixth couplet says that the pilgrims broke the idol of desire as Abraham did and that a thousand Lâts and Menâts fell on their faces in shame; Özkat counts the expression "yüzü düşmek" (to fall on one's face, to be shamed) in this couplet among the idioms used by the poet. In couplets 12 and 13 the number of sacrifices is described with hyperbole: the mountains and deserts have become rubies of Badakhshan with the blood of sacrifice, and even if the earth were the page, the trees the pens and the sky the inkwell, the sacrifices of the king could not be written down to the end.
In the section of praise, couplet 16 stands out. Özkat gives this couplet as an example of congruence of images (tenasüp): the words "şeh", "ferzāne", "piyāde", "ruḫ", "at" and "māt" bring together the chess pieces and the end of the game. When wise men see the prince they are left on foot and, rubbing their faces, are checkmated at the feet of his horse. In couplet 17 the words "Dārā", "dārālar" and "dārāt" create a play of sound and root. The image of the claimant and the judge in couplet 21 restates in legal language the idea, seen also in Fazlî's twenty-first kaside, that the throne is the prince's right.
The ghazal section in couplets 26-34 speaks of the beloved in the same field of words as the prince. The lip is sugar, the stature a cypress; because the beloved's lip has given life to the world, the water of life has fled in shame into the darkness. In couplet 32 the terms of almsgiving are turned into a witticism of love: the beloved possesses the full measure of beauty, and the lover is a poor man entitled to alms. In couplet 33 the lover's tears are so abundant that they make the Tigris and the Euphrates envious. In this section the theme of pilgrimage and sacrifice is set aside; at the end of the kaside, in couplet 41, Merve, Safa, the sa'y and Arafat are mentioned again, returning to the introduction. The word "Ṣafā" in couplet 41 is a double entendre (tevriye), meaning both the name of the hill and joy of heart.
Historical Context
The title in the Revan copy and the words "Ḫān Muṣṭafā" in couplet 14 show that the kaside was presented to Şehzade Mustafa on the occasion of a Feast of Sacrifice. The description of what is done during the pilgrimage does not mean that the prince or the poet went on pilgrimage; the pilgrimage and Arafat are mentioned as the religious ground of the Feast of Sacrifice. Fazlî served as secretary in Mustafa's divan at Amasya from 1543 to 1553; the year in which the kaside was presented is unknown. The statement in couplet 13 that the sacrifices made by the prince were countless can be read as a reflection of the sacrifices and hospitality at the prince's court during the feasts.
Bibliography
- Mustafa Özkat, Kara Fazlî'nin Hayatı, Eserleri, Edebî Kişiliği ve Dîvânı (İnceleme-Tenkitli Metin), MA thesis, Marmara University Institute of Turkic Studies, Istanbul 2005, pp. 191-195, kaside no. 23 (Süleymaniye Library, Âşir Efendi 314, fol. 122a; Topkapı Palace Museum Library, Revan 1966, fol. 152b); also p. 54 (on the kasides), p. 83 (figures of speech) and p. 94 (idioms), https://katalog.marmara.edu.tr/veriler/yordambt/cokluortam/5E/T0051713.pdf.
- Hasan Aksoy, "Kara Fazlî", TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi, vol. 24, Istanbul 2001, pp. 360-361, https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/kara-fazli.
Online sources
