Original Ottoman Turkish Text

Metre: eleven-syllable syllabic metre

Veren geldi emanetin götürdü
Benim gibi yüzü solmuş var m’ola
Hey erenler ben bir yavru yitirdim
Benim gibi yüzü solmuş var
Yürekten mi çıkar böyle bir sızı
Huriye meleğe benziyor yüzü
Oğul mahşerinde unutma bizi
Benim gibi yüzü solmuş var
N’olducağın kuzucuğum bilmedi
Erden evliyadan imdat olmadı
Hızır bile yetişip de gelmedi
Benim gibi yüzü solmuş var
Felek pençe vurup belimi bükme
Yavruyu alıp da yuvamı yıkma
Topraklar incitip yavrumu sıkma
Benim gibi yüzü solmuş var m’ola
Ölüm bize yaran oldu eş oldu
Giden oğul böyle böyle beş oldu
Sefil KUL HASAN’ım kaygıya daldı
Benim gibi yüzü solmuş var m’ola

In English

1. He who gave the soul has come and taken back His trust; is there anyone whose face has faded like mine? O saints, I have lost a little one; is there anyone whose face has faded like mine?

2. Does such an ache come from the heart? My little one's face is like a houri's, like an angel's. My son, do not forget us on the Day of Judgement; is there anyone whose face has faded like mine?

3. My little lamb did not know what would become of him; no help came from the holy men and saints. Not even Khidr reached us in time; is there anyone whose face has faded like mine?

4. O Fate, do not strike your claw and bend my back; do not take my little one and tear down my nest. O earth, do not hurt my little one, do not press on him; is there anyone whose face has faded like mine?

5. Death has become our companion and our mate; one by one the sons who left have come to five. I am wretched Kul Hasan, sunk in grief; is there anyone whose face has faded like mine?

Literary and Historical Commentary

Structure of the Poem

This is a lament (ağıt) in koşma form of five quatrains, in the eleven-syllable metre (the syllable count is ours). Every quatrain ends with the line "Benim gibi yüzü solmuş var m'ola". In the source this line is written in the first three quatrains as "Benim gibi yüzü solmuş var", with the final "m'ola" dropped; the original text has been left as in the source, and the prose rendering follows the full form. The first quatrain has cross rhyme ("götürdü, yitirdim"); in the following quatrains the first three lines rhyme among themselves ("sızı, yüzü, bizi"; "bilmedi, olmadı, gelmedi"; "bükme, yıkma, sıkma"; "oldu, oldu, daldı"). The pen name appears in the last quatrain.

Meaning and Figures of Speech

The deyiş is the lament of a father who has lost his child. In the first line death is described as the Giver taking back His trust; this is a well-known consolation people turn to in order to bear mourning. Then the father calls on the saints and says that help came neither from the holy men nor from Khidr. The belief in Khidr who comes to the aid of those in distress is used here in reverse: even Khidr's failure to come is mentioned to convey the magnitude of the grief. In the fourth quatrain Fate is likened to a beast of prey that strikes with its claw; the address to the earth, "do not press on my little one", is the most shattering line of the lament.

Historical Context

According to the information taken from Ali Cem Akbulut's book on the compilation site, Kul Hasan lost five children at intervals of a week and went through very hard days because of it. The line "one by one the sons who left have come to five" in the last quatrain matches this account; it may be thought that the deyiş was composed on these losses. The cause and date of the deaths are not in the source.

Bibliography

Online sources