Original Ottoman Turkish Text
Metre: Mef‘ūlü Fā‘ilātü Mefā‘īlü Fā‘ilün
İy şehr-yār-ı taḫt-nişīn şāh-ı tāc-dār
Ẕātuñla buldı tāc şeref taḫt i‘tibār
Ṣāḥib-ḳırān taḫt-sitān şāh-ı tāc-baḫş
Sulṭān-ı taḫt-gīr şehen-şāh-ı tāc-dār
Ḫūrşīd-i tāc-ı Şāh-ı Selīm-i sipihr-taḫt
Tāc-ı ser-i şeref şeref-i taḫt-ı iḳtidār
Taḫtuñda baḫt-ı taḫt-ı sa‘ādet serüñde tāc
Tāc āftāb-ı zīver ü taḫt āsmān-medār
Ḳadrüñ şehine taḫt felek tāc āftāb
Ẕī-taḫt-ı zer-nigār zihī tāc-ı tāb-dār
Ol taḫt ki ‘aẓīmdür ol tāc ki şerīf
Tā ḥaşr tāc bāḳi ola taḫt pāy-dār
İḳbāl zīb-i taḫtdur iclāl dürr-i tāc
Ol taḫt ‘arş-pāye vü ol tāc mihr-vār
Gey başa tāc-ı ‘izzeti geç taḫt-ı devlete
Müştāḳdur çü taḫt saña tāc ümīd-vār
Ḫaṣmuña taḫt u tācı Ḫudā görmeyüp revā
Taḫt oldı dār çeşmine başına tāc ṭar
Ol tācı ḫāke ṣaldı irüp baḫt taḫtına
Sen taḫta geç ki tāc saña buldı inḥiṣār
Sen tāca raġbet eyleme vü taḫta meyl hīç
Zīrā ki taḫt u tāc çeker saña intiẓār
Şehler egerçi tāc ile miḥnetle faḫr ider
Ẕātuñla tāc nāziş ider taḫt iftiḫār
Olalı bende taḫt saña ser-figende tāc
Taḫt oldı ‘āli tāc ise baş üzre yiri var
Başa çıḳardı tāc işini buldı pāye taḫt
Anuñla tāca ‘izzet idüp taḫta i‘tibār
Zībā senüñle tāc mu‘allā senüñle taḫt
Tāc oldı ser-firāz olup taḫt üstüvār
Taḫtuña ferş ‘arş güher mihr tācuña
Esbāb-ı taḫt-ı baḫt güher tāc rūzgār
Bilse senüñle bulduġını tāc u taḫt ḳadr
Ṭopraġa ṣala tācı ‘adū taḫta ura nār
Ten-şūy taḫta taḫt ola seng-i mezār tāc
Ḳaṣd ide taḫt u tāca eger ḫaṣm-ı nā-bekār
Sensin çü taḫta müstaḥiḳ ü tāca müsta‘idd
A‘dāya tāc derd-i ser ü taḫt oldı dār
Ẕātuñla tāca ‘izzet idüp taḫta i‘tilā
Tāc oldı ser-bülend olup taḫt baḫtiyār
Taḫt oldı ‘arş-sāye vü tāc oldı ‘arş-sāy
Tāc oldı nām-dār olup taḫt iştihār
Taḫtuñı zīb ü tācuñı terṣī‘ içün müdām
Evṣāf-ı taḫt u tācda bu naẓm-ı āb-dār
Tāc-ı kelāma dürdür u taḫt-ı süḫanda raḫt
Geldüm o taḫt u tāca yed-i ‘acz ile nis̱ār
Gördüm ki taḫt tācuña lāyıḳ güher degül
Evṣāf-ı taḫt u tācdan idüp hemān güẕār
Geçdüm çü taḫt u tācdan itdüm ‘azil yolın
İy tāc-baḫş u taḫt-sitān oldum iḫtiyār
Ẕillet türābı taḫt baña tāc seng-i yār
Taḫt ehliyüm ser-āmed-i ‘uşşāḳ-ı tāc-vār
Başumda tāc neşgeh-i mey taḫt mıṣṭaba
Taḫt-ı melāmet üzre benüm şāh-ı tāc-dār
Māh olsa tāc taḫt saña çerḫ yiridür
Sensin o taḫt u tāc ile ḫūbāne şehr-yār
Taḫt oldı saña nāz başuñda ġurūr tāc
Olduñ o taḫt u tāc ile fettān her diyār
Taḫt-ı bahāda görse seni tāc-ı ḥüsn ile
Terk ide tācı Yūsuf idüp taḫtdan firār
O taḫta ḳılma tekye o tāca ṣaḳın ġurūr
Ne tāc bāḳidür saña ne taḫt ber-ḳarār
Olursa taḫt taḫt-ı Süleymān u tāc hem
Çün tācı gel virür yile ol taḫtı rūzgār
Fażlī saña ne tāc gerek dünyede ne taḫt
Der-gāh-ı şāh taḫt yeter tāc ḫāk-dār
Bī-taḫt u tāc gerçi gedāsın velī Ḫudā
Şükr eyle ḳıldı tāc ile taḫt ile nām-dār
Taḫt oldı nes̱r tāc saña naẓm dir gören
Ḥaḳ saña tāc u taḫt-ı müsellem hezār bār
Taḫt-ı feṣāḥat üzre şeh-i tāc-dārsın
Ma‘nā başuñda tāc u taḫt üzre āşikār
Bu ḫoş ḳaṣīde kim ṣıfat-ı taḫt u tācdur
Da‘vā-yı taḫt u tāca delīl olsa vechi-vār
Ol taḫt u tāc ile çü ser-efrāzsın bugün
Ḳıl tāc u taḫt-ı şāha du‘ā leyl ile nehār
Bu taḫt u tācdan ġarażuñ ḫod du‘ā durur
Yoḫsa ḳuru baş aġrısıdur tāc u taḫt-ı yār
Niteki taḫt u tāc ile şehler bulup kemāl
Tāc ile ser-firāz ola taḫt ile baḫtiyār
Taḫtuñ sipihr ola vü tācuñ ḫuceste nehr
Olup cihānda tāc ile taḫt ile kām-kār
Taḫtuñ Ḫudā refī‘ ide tācuñ bülend-i ser
Taḫt üzre ol murāduñ ile tāc-dār-vār
In English
1. O sovereign seated on the throne, crowned shah; through your person the crown has found honour and the throne esteem.
2. Lord of the auspicious conjunction, taker of thrones, bestower of crowns; sultan who seizes thrones, crowned king of kings.
3. The sun of the crown of Shah Selim, whose throne is the sky; the crown on the head of honour, the honour of the throne of power.
4. On your throne is the fortune of the throne of felicity, on your head the crown; the crown is adorned by the sun, the throne turns on the axis of the sky.
5. To the shah of your worth the sphere is a throne and the sun a crown; how fine the gold-embroidered throne, how fine the gleaming crown.
6. That throne which is great, that crown which is noble; may the crown endure and the throne stand firm until the Day of Resurrection.
7. Good fortune is the ornament of the throne, greatness the pearl of the crown; that throne has the Throne of heaven as its step, that crown is like the sun.
8. Put the crown of glory on your head, pass to the throne of fortune; for the throne longs for you and the crown awaits you in hope.
9. Since God did not deem the throne and crown fitting for your rival, the throne became a gallows in his eye and the crown too tight for his head. ("Dār", gallows, and "ṭar", tight, make a play on sound.)
10. He has cast the crown to the ground; reach the throne of fortune and pass to the throne, for the crown has been reserved for you alone.
11. Do not covet the crown, do not incline to the throne at all; for both throne and crown are waiting for you.
12. Though shahs take pride in the crown and in toil, the crown preens itself on your person and the throne takes pride in it.
13. Since the throne became your servant and the crown bowed its head to you, the throne has been raised high, and the crown has found a place above the head.
14. (You) carried the work of the crown to its head, the throne found rank; thus you gave glory to the crown and esteem to the throne.
15. The crown is lovely through you, the throne lofty through you; the crown has become high-headed and the throne firm.
16. The Throne of heaven is the carpet of your throne, the sun the jewel of your crown; the furnishings of the throne of fortune are jewels, and its crown is the age itself. (The sense of the second line is not entirely clear.)
17. If the enemy knew that crown and throne have found their worth through you, he would throw the crown to the ground and set fire to the throne.
18. If that worthless foe makes an attempt on throne and crown, the board for washing the dead will be his throne and the gravestone his crown.
19. Since it is you who are worthy of the throne and ready for the crown, the crown has become a headache to the enemies and the throne a gallows.
20. Through your person the crown has gained glory and the throne eminence; the crown has become high-headed and the throne fortunate.
21. The throne has become one that casts its shadow on the Throne of heaven, the crown one that touches it; the crown has won renown, the throne fame.
22. To adorn your throne and to set your crown with jewels, this lustrous verse is ever in description of throne and crown.
23. As a pearl for the crown of speech and furnishings for the throne of words, I have come with the hand of helplessness to scatter offerings over that throne and crown.
24. I saw that even the throne is not a jewel worthy of your crown; I left off the description of throne and crown at once and passed on.
25. O bestower of crowns and taker of thrones, I have passed beyond throne and crown and taken the road of retirement; I have grown old.
26. The dust of abasement is my throne, the stone of the beloved's door my crown; I am one of the people of the throne, like a crown at the head of lovers.
27. On my head the crown is the intoxication of wine, my throne the bench of the tavern; on the throne of blame I am the crowned shah. (Melâmet, the path of blame, is the way of accepting reproach and disregarding outward appearances.)
28. (O beloved,) it would be fitting if the moon were your crown and the sphere your throne; with that throne and crown you are the sovereign of the fair.
29. Coquetry has become your throne and pride the crown on your head; with that throne and crown you have become the one who throws every land into turmoil.
30. If Joseph saw you on the throne of worth with the crown of beauty, he would leave his crown and flee from the throne.
31. Do not lean on that throne, beware of pride in that crown; neither is the crown lasting for you nor does the throne stay in place.
32. Even if the throne were the throne of Solomon and the crown his crown too, know that time gives that crown and that throne to the wind. (The throne of the prophet Solomon is told to have been carried by the wind.)
33. Fazlî, you need neither crown nor throne in the world; the shah's court is throne enough, its dust crown enough.
34. True, you are a beggar without throne or crown; but give thanks to God that He has made you renowned with crown and throne.
35. Whoever sees says, "prose has become your throne and verse your crown"; crown and throne have been granted to you by God a thousand times over.
36. On the throne of eloquence you are a crowned shah; meaning, as the crown on your head, stands plain upon the throne.
37. It would be fitting if this fine kaside, which is a description of throne and crown, served as proof in the claim to throne and crown.
38. Since today your head is held high with that throne and crown, pray night and day for the shah's crown and throne.
39. Your aim in this throne and crown is, after all, prayer; otherwise the friend's crown and throne are an empty headache.
40. As long as shahs reach perfection with throne and crown, their heads held high by the crown and made fortunate by the throne,
41. may your throne be the sky and your crown a blessed river; may you attain your desires in the world with crown and throne. (The phrase "ḫuceste nehr", blessed river, used for the crown is puzzling.)
42. May God make your throne lofty and your crown high-headed; remain crowned upon the throne as you desire.
Literary and Historical Commentary
Structure of the Poem
The poem is a kaside (qasida) of forty-two couplets (beyit). The metre is the "mef‘ūlü fā‘ilātü mefā‘īlü fā‘ilün" pattern of the muzari family. The rhyme is the sound "-ār" (tāc-dār, i‘tibār, iḳtidār, medār, pāy-dār...); there is no redif (refrain word). Its title is "Ḳaṣīde-i Taḫt u Tāc Ḳara Fażlī Berāy-ı Sultān Selīm Ḫān", that is, the "kaside of throne and crown" written by Kara Fazlî for Sultan Selim Khan. According to Özkat, the kaside has no opening section (nesib); the poet names Prince Selim in the third couplet and passes directly to the praise. True to the kaside's name, the words "throne" and "crown" appear in every couplet. The pen name (mahlas) is used in couplet 33; the last couplets are a prayer.
The text is found only in miscellany no. 1966 of the Revan collection of the Topkapı Palace Museum Library (fol. 143a). To whom it was presented is partly clear from the title: the kaside was written for Prince Selim; its year, however, is not known.
Meaning and Figures of Speech
The real art of the kaside is to be able to use two words throughout forty-two couplets, each time in a different relation. In Özkat's words, Fazlî plays with the notions of "throne" and "crown" in every couplet of this kaside. Sometimes the words form attributive phrases (taker of thrones, bestower of crowns), sometimes they enter a metaphor (the sphere a throne, the sun a crown), and sometimes they form a contrast: in the rival's eye the throne turns into a gallows and the crown into something too tight for his head (couplet 9); for the ill-intentioned foe the board for washing the dead becomes the throne and the gravestone the crown (couplet 18); to the enemies the crown is a headache and the throne a gallows (couplet 19). In these last examples there are plays on sound between "taht" (throne) and "tahta" (board), and between "dār" and "ṭar". In couplet 37 the poet himself calls his kaside "this fine kaside, which is a description of throne and crown" and says that it could serve as proof in the claim to throne and crown. Among the idioms collected by Özkat are, from this kaside, "baş üstünde yeri olmak" (to have a place above the head, couplet 13), "başa çıkarmak" (to carry to the head, couplet 14), "yele vermek" (to give to the wind, couplet 32) and "baş ağrısı" (headache, couplet 39).
In the middle of the kaside there is a section in the manner of a ghazal (tegazzül). In couplets 23-25 the poet leaves off the praise: he says that there is no jewel enough to describe throne and crown, and that he has passed beyond throne and crown, taken the road of retirement and grown old. Özkat concludes from this couplet that Fazlî had grown quite old in the years when he wrote the kaside. In couplets 26-31, on the other hand, the "throne and crown" of the lover and the beloved are described: the lover's throne is the dust of abasement and his crown the stone of the beloved's door; on the throne of blame he is a shah who has made the intoxication of wine his crown. The beloved's throne is coquetry and her crown pride; even Joseph would flee from his throne if he saw her. This section closes in couplets 31-32 with advice: neither crown nor throne is lasting; time gives even Solomon's throne to the wind. The allusion to the prophet Solomon's throne carried by the wind combines with the idiom "yele vermek" (to give to the wind).
Couplets 33-36 are a passage of self-praise (fahriye). The poet says that he has no need of crown or throne in the world, that the shah's court is throne enough and its dust crown enough; but immediately afterwards he describes his own throne and crown: prose has become his throne and verse his crown, and these have been granted to him by God a thousand times over (couplet 35); he is the crowned shah of the throne of eloquence (couplet 36). Özkat mentions these two couplets twice among those showing Fazlî's view of poetry and his self-confidence: the poet boasts that he sits on the throne of prose wearing the crown of verse. Considering that Fazlî was known both as a poet and as a master of prose (münşi), prose as throne and verse as crown describes both his crafts at once.
Historical Context
According to Özkat, after Prince Mustafa was killed in 1553 Fazlî became the secretary of the council of Prince Selim, was with him in Manisa, Konya and Kütahya, and in 1562 was made chief of the scribes. The words of old age and retirement in the kaside point to these last years of his. The mention in the kaside of a "rival" of Selim's who had designs on throne and crown (couplets 9 and 17-19) brings to mind the struggle for the throne between Selim and his brother Bayezid; it is also known that in his last years Fazlî conducted the correspondence carried on after Bayezid took refuge in Iran. But Bayezid's name does not appear in the kaside, and Özkat does not make this connection.
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. 205-208, kaside no. 28 (Topkapı Palace Museum Library, Revan 1966, fol. 143a); also p. 19 (his life), pp. 38 and 102 (view of poetry), pp. 54-55 (on the kasides) and pp. 91-93 (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
