Original Ottoman Turkish Text
Metre: Mefā‘ilün Fe‘ilātün Mefā‘ilün Fe‘ilün
Yine cihāna şeref virdi Ḥażret-i müte‘āl
Ki ṭoġdı burc-ı sa‘ādetden āfitāb-ı kemāl
‘Aceb mi ḫalḳ-ı cihān pād-şāh-ı vaḳt olsa
Çü ṣaldı sāye hümā-yı sa‘ādet ü iclāl
Mübeşşirān-ı sa‘ādet beşāret eylediler
Ki irdi mevsim-i şādī vü gitdi derd ü melāl
Sa‘īd-i ṭāli‘ olup yine ṭoġdı başuma gün
Ki itdi gün gibi māh-ı kemāl ‘arż-ı cemāl
Müşerref itdi ḳudūm-ı mübārek ile bugün
İrişdi Rūm iline ol emīr-i ferruḫ-fāl
Sürūş-ı ġaybdan irişdi gūş-ı hūşe seḥer
Ki ḫayr-maḳdem eyā ṣāḥib-i ḫuceste-ḫiṣāl
Meh-i Züḥal maḥal u Āfitāb-ı Zühre nedīm
Emīr-i tīr-i tedābīr ü Müşterī iḳbāl
‘Alī seḫā vü Ebū Bekr ṣıdḳ u Aḥmed nām
Melik-ḫıṣāl ü felek-iḳtidār ü baḥr-nevāl
Olup sa‘ādet ile Rūm iline defter-dār
Yazıldı defter-i iḳbāle nāmumuz fi’l-ḥāl
Revāḳ-ı ḳadrine irmekde dest kūtehdür
Egerçi burc-ı sipihre ider kemend-i ḫayāl
Żamīr-i rūşeni āyīne-i münevverdür
Ki her ṭarīḳ ile rūşendür aña ṣūret-i ḥāl
Nikāt-ı fikreti dergende ‘aḳl-i gül ‘āciz
‘Ulūvv-i himmeti vaṣfında nefs-i nāṭıḳa lāl
İşitse ḥikmet ile manṭıḳın anuñ bulımaz
Ebū ‘Alī gibi yüz biñ ḥakīm nuṭḳa mecāl
Muḥibbisin fużalānuñ fünūn-ı fażlıla sen
Zihī kemāl-i fażīlet nihāyet-i efḍāl
Eyā kerīm sen ol ṣāḥib-i seḫāsın kim
‘Alī olur saña olursa ger keremde hemāl
Ne cūd olur bu begenmez ġınāda Ḳārūn’ı
Cenāb-ı devletüñe gelse bir faḳīrü’l-ḥāl
Su’āl olınsa baña ger ‘aṭā vü cūduñdan
Budur cevābum o dem kim ne lāzım aña su’āl
Ne vaṣf idem kerem ü cūduñuñ mübālaġasın
Ki dest-i ḥayret urur pā-yı ‘aḳl u fikre ‘ıḳāl
Çü esb-i devleti meydān-ı rif‘ate ṣalduñ
Senüñ durur yüri meydān murād ṭōpın çal
Ẓamīr-i rūşenüñe beñzedürse kendüyi şems
Başından olmasun eksik anuñ hemīşe zevāl
Peleng-i ḳahruñ eger açsa pençe-i ġażabı
Hezār şīr-i ner olsa öñüñde ola ġazāl
Ḳaçan muḳābil ola saña düşmen-i maḳhūr
Ne ṭāḳat irgüre şīr-i nere ża‘īf şeġāl
Kerīmsin ki keremde naẓīrüñ olmaz hīç
Umūr-ı luṭfda Ḥaḳ saña virmiş istiḳlāl
Ne ben hemān ki bütün ḫalḳ-ı ‘ālem eylerler
Du‘ā-yı devletüñi rūz u hefte vü meh ü sāl
Du‘āya el aça ger el devām-ı devletüñe
Ḳabūl-i Ḥażret ider ol du‘āyı istiḳbāl
Muḥāldür ki seni vaṣf idem kemā-hiye ben
Vücūda gelse eger dünyede her emr-i muḥāl
Ḳalem ne yüzden ide medḥüñi ‘aceb taḥrīr
Hümāyı ṣayd ide mi bir ġurāb bī-per ü bāl
Bilüp mekārim-i aḫlāḳ u ḥüsn-i işfāḳuñ
Saña ḳul olmaġa geldüm ḳabūl ḳıl elüm al
Kemīne Fażlī-i bī-çāre vü du‘ā-gūnuñ
Du‘ā durur ġarażı fī’l-ḳaduvvi ve’l-āṣāl
Ṣalarsa pertevini āfitāb-ı iḥsānuñ
Şehīr ola ḳamu şehr içinde māh mis̱āl
‘İnāyetüñ naẓarıyle olursa ger manẓūr
Türāb iken işi altun olur anuñ fi’l-ḥāl
Niçe ki vire şeref rūy-ı ‘āleme ḫūrşīd
Niçe ki māh ide ḫalḳ-ı cihāna ‘arż-ı cemāl
Mübārek eyleye Ḥaḳ maḳdemüñ sa‘ādetle
Hemīşe ola teraḳḳīde rif‘at ü iḳbāl
‘Adūlaruñ ola maḳhūr u dōstlaruñ şādān
Sa‘ādet ile ṭavīl ide ‘ömrüñi müte‘āl Āmīn Yā Mu‘īn
In English
1. God Most High has once again given honour to the world, for the sun of perfection has risen from the tower of felicity.
2. Since the huma of felicity and greatness has cast its shadow, is it any wonder if the people of the world become the padishah of the age. (It was believed that whoever the shadow of the huma bird fell on would become a ruler.)
3. The heralds of felicity have brought the good news: the season of joy has come, pain and weariness have gone.
4. My fortune has become blessed and the sun has risen over my head once more, for the moon of perfection has shown its face like the sun.
5. That auspicious emir has reached Rumelia and today has honoured it with his blessed arrival.
6. At dawn this voice reached the ear of the mind from the angel of the unseen: Welcome, O man of blessed character.
7. He is a moon seated in the place of Saturn, a sun with Venus as his boon companion; the emir of Mercury in his measures, Jupiter in his good fortune. (Mercury was counted the star of scribes, Jupiter the star of felicity, Venus the star of merriment.)
8. He is Ali in generosity, Abu Bakr in faithfulness, and his name is Ahmed; angelic in character, heavenly in power, sea-like in bounty.
9. When he became defterdar of Rumelia with felicity, our name too was at once written in the register of good fortune.
10. Though one cast the lasso of imagination at the tower of the sky, the hand falls short of reaching the portico of his worth.
11. His bright mind is a shining mirror; the image of every situation appears plainly to it from every side.
12. Even the Universal Intellect is powerless to grasp the subtleties of his thought; the rational soul is mute in describing the loftiness of his aspiration. (The text reads "‘aḳl-i gül"; it has been understood as "‘aḳl-ı küll", the Universal Intellect.)
13. If they heard his wise speech, a hundred thousand sages like Abu Ali (Avicenna) would find no strength to speak.
14. With the sciences of merit you are the friend of the men of merit; what perfect merit, the furthest point reached by the most excellent.
15. O generous one, you are such a lord of generosity that, if anyone were your equal in munificence, it could only be Ali. ("‘Alī" is both the name of the caliph Ali and the word for "lofty".)
16. What generosity is this, that if a man in poverty came to the presence of your fortune he would think nothing of Korah's wealth.
17. If I were asked about your bounty and generosity, my answer at that moment would be this: what need is there of a question.
18. How am I to describe the greatness of your munificence and generosity; the hand of bewilderment puts fetters on the feet of reason and thought.
19. Since you have released the steed of fortune into the field of eminence, the field is yours; go on, strike the ball of desire. (There is an allusion to the game of polo played on horseback.)
20. If the sun likens itself to your bright mind, may decline never be absent from its head. ("Zevāl" means both the sun's descent from its zenith and extinction.)
21. If the leopard of your wrath opened the claw of anger, even if a thousand male lions stood before you they would turn into gazelles.
22. When could the crushed enemy stand against you; how could a feeble jackal prevail over a male lion.
23. You are so generous that you have no equal in munificence; God has given you full independence in the affairs of grace.
24. Not I alone, but all the people of the world pray for your fortune by day, week, month and year.
25. If the people raise their hands in prayer for the continuance of your fortune, the acceptance of His Majesty (God) comes out to meet that prayer. (The word "el" is used both in the sense of people and of hand.)
26. Even if every impossible thing were to come about in the world, it would be impossible for me to describe you as you are.
27. With what face should the pen write your praise, it is a wonder; can a crow without wings or feathers hunt the huma bird.
28. Knowing the nobility of your character and the beauty of your compassion, I have come to be your servant; accept me, take my hand.
29. The aim of humble and helpless Fazlî, who prays for you, is prayer morning and evening. (Özkat explains the Arabic phrase in the line as "from the beginning, from the Day of the Covenant".)
30. If the sun of your bounty casts its light, (that man) becomes famous like the moon throughout the city. ("Şehīr", famous, and "şehr", city, make a play on sound.)
31. If one is looked upon with the glance of your favour, his affairs, though dust, at once turn to gold.
32. As long as the sun gives honour to the face of the world, as long as the moon shows its face to the people of the world,
33. may God bless your arrival with felicity; may your eminence and good fortune be ever rising.
34. May your enemies be crushed and your friends rejoice; may God Most High lengthen your life with felicity. Amen, O Helper.
Literary and Historical Commentary
Structure of the Poem
The poem is a kaside (qasida) of praise of thirty-four couplets (beyit). The metre is the "mefā‘ilün fe‘ilātün mefā‘ilün fe‘ilün" pattern of the müctes family. The rhyme is the sound "-āl" (müte‘āl, kemāl, iclāl, melāl, cemāl...); there is no redif (refrain word). Its title is "Ḳaṣīde fī Medḥi", that is, "kaside in his praise". According to Özkat, the kaside has no opening section (nesib) and begins directly with praise; the poet uses his pen name (mahlas) in couplet 29 and ends the kaside with a prayer of five couplets. The name of the praised man appears in couplet 8 as "Aḥmed", and his office is announced in couplet 9: he has become defterdar of Rumelia.
The kaside is part of Fazlî's work entitled "Tehniyet-nāme-i Ḥażret-i Aḥmed Çelebi bin Meḥmed Pāşā Defter-dār-ı Tīmārhā-yı Rūmili Şud". A tehniyetname is a work congratulating someone on an event such as appointment to a new office. Fazlî's tehniyetname consists of pieces of verse and prose in Arabic, Persian and Turkish, supported by verses of the Qur'an and hadith; besides this kaside it also contains a ghazal of seven couplets and a chronogram kıt'a of eight couplets. The only known copy of the work is in miscellany no. 314 of the Âşir Efendi collection of the Süleymaniye Library; the kaside is on folio 90a of this miscellany.
Meaning and Figures of Speech
The first six couplets of the kaside open in an air of good news: the sun of perfection has risen from the tower of felicity, the huma has cast its shadow, the heralds have announced the coming of the season of joy, and the angel of the unseen has said "welcome" at dawn. In couplet 5 the reason for this joy is given: the auspicious emir has reached Rumelia. Couplet 7 is a praise built on the planets: the patron is a moon seated in the lofty place of Saturn, a sun with Venus as his companion; he is the emir of Mercury in his measures and of Jupiter in his fortune. In the old lore of the stars Mercury was counted the star of scribes, which suits the praise of a defterdar. In couplet 8 the patron's generosity is tied to the caliph Ali and his faithfulness to Abu Bakr; his name being Ahmed is also a pointer to the name of the Prophet.
Couplet 9 shows how the poet joins his own fortune to this appointment: when the patron became defterdar, "our name too was written in the register of good fortune". The link between the words "defterdar" and "defter" (register) is a congruence of images (tenasüp) befitting the language of a poet who was a scribe. In couplets 12-14 the patron's intellect and learning are praised; the Universal Intellect cannot grasp the subtleties of his thought, and a hundred thousand sages like Avicenna fall silent before him. The words "fażl" and "fażīlet" (merit) in couplet 14 recall the poet's pen name. In couplet 15 the name "‘Alī" carries both the caliph Ali and the meaning "lofty". In couplet 20 a double entendre (tevriye) is made with the word "zevāl": if the sun tries to liken itself to the patron's mind, may decline never be absent from its head.
Özkat cites the saying in couplet 27, "can a crow without wings or feathers hunt the huma bird", among the proverbs Fazlî uses in his poems: the pen has no power to write the patron's praise. "Devlet atını yücelik meydanına salmak" (to release the steed of fortune into the field of eminence) in couplet 19 and "sâye salmak" (to cast one's shadow) in couplet 2 are also among the idioms Özkat collected. In couplet 25 the word "el" is used twice, in the senses of both people and hand.
Historical Context
According to Özkat, the kaside was written to express the joy at Ahmed Çelebi's appointment in 954 (1547) as defterdar of the tımars of Rumelia; the last line of the chronogram kıt'a written on the same occasion also gives this year. Fazlî felt great affection and devotion for this man. Özkat writes that he does not know exactly who Ahmed Çelebi was: an Ahmed Çelebi, son of Zağanos Mehmed Pasha, is known to have served as chief defterdar in the reigns of Bayezid II, Selim I and Süleyman; if the Ahmed Çelebi of the tehniyetname is this man, he must have been appointed to this office for the third time in 954, and if not, he is someone else. In 954 Fazlî was a secretary in Prince Mustafa's council in Amasya.
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. 218-220, kaside no. 31 (Süleymaniye Library, Âşir Efendi 314, fol. 90a); also p. 19 (his life), pp. 34-35 (the Tehniyetname), p. 55 (on the kasides), p. 60 (on the chronograms), p. 88 (proverbs) and pp. 91-93 (idioms), https://katalog.marmara.edu.tr/veriler/yordambt/cokluortam/5E/T0051713.pdf.
Online sources
