Original Ottoman Turkish Text

Metre: Fâilâtün Fâilâtün Fâilün

Bende yoḳ yâ Rab saña lâyıḳ umûr
Fısḳ u iṣyân içreyim hem pür-ḳuṣûr
Bende bî-ḥad cürm-i ‘iṣyân bî-şumâr
‘Afvıña ḳalmış işim ey Kirdgâr
Yoḳ yüzüm rûy-ı siyâhımdan saña
Aġlarım her-dem günâhımdan saña
Mużṭarib ḥâlim bu ḥâlimden celîl
Sen ġanî bir pâdişâhsıñ ben ẕelîl
Bi-nihâyet raḥmet-i ‘afvıñ füzûn
Cürm ü ‘iṣyân içre bu ‘abd-i cünûn
Var ümîdim ‘afv-ı bî-pâyânıña
Noḳṣan olmaz ḥâşe lillâh şânıña
Sen beni ‘afv et be-ḥaḳḳ-ı enbiyâ
Enbiyâlar pâdişâhı Muṣṭafâ
Ey Ḫudâ taḳlîd işim taḥḳīḳ buyur
Her ne işlersem ḫaṭâ ‘iṣyân ḳuṣûr
Ḳıl muvaffaḳ bu risâlem tam ola
Baḥr-i ‘aşḳıñla hemân itmâm ola
Hem ‘azîzim ġavs̱-i a‘ẓam ‘İṣmet’i
Ver aña fevḳ’at-tecellî ni‘meti
Hem de evlâdı Bahâ’eddîn için
Raḥmet-i şefḳat buyur anıñ için
Şimdi gelmez böyle bir ‘âşıḳ civân
On beşinde tâm velâyet buldu cân
Eyledi on altıda dâr-ı beḳā
Böyle bir aḥsen maḥâsin mehliḳā
Ḥaḳḳ’a ‘âşıḳ olmasa ger bir kişi
Muṭlaḳā beyhûdedir anıñ işi
Yâ ilâhi kim saña ‘âşıḳ olur
Her işinde ‘âḳıbet ṣâdıḳ olur
Cümle aḳṭâb u âşıkân ü mürşidân
Oldular sâyende dâ’im sâye-bân

In English

1. O Lord, there is no deed in me worthy of You; I am in sin and rebellion, and full of fault.

2. In me are boundless crimes, rebellions beyond count; O Creator, my affair is left to Your pardon.

3. Because of my black face I have no face before You; at every moment I weep to You for my sin.

4. O Glorious One, my state is troubled by this state of mine; You are a rich king, I am lowly.

5. The mercy of Your pardon is endless and abundant; this mad servant is in crime and rebellion.

6. I have hope in Your boundless pardon; God forbid that any deficiency should come to Your glory.

7. Pardon me for the sake of the prophets, for the sake of Mustafa, king of the prophets.

8. O God, turn my work of imitation into realisation; whatever I do is error, rebellion, fault.

9. Grant me success, let this treatise of mine be complete; let it be finished at once with the sea of Your love.

10. And to my dear one, the Greatest Help İsmet, give the blessing above manifestation.

11. And for his son Bahâeddîn too, command mercy and compassion for his sake.

12. Now no such loving youth comes; at fifteen his soul found complete sainthood.

13. Such a fair-natured, moon-faced youth departed at sixteen to the abode of permanence.

14. If a man is not a lover of God, his work is surely in vain.

15. My God, whoever becomes Your lover is faithful in the end in all his doings.

16. All the poles, lovers and masters have been shaded always in Your shade.

Literary and Historical Commentary

A Supplication from within the Book

The mesnevî metre and numbering go on, but the content turns into a prayer: couplets 708-723 of the edition bear the heading “Der Münâcât-ı Ḳâżiye'l-ḥâcât”, a supplication to God who fulfils needs. The first seven couplets are a familiar confession: there is no deed in the poet worthy of God, his face is darkened by sin, his only hope lies in the boundlessness of pardon.

The ninth couplet gives a clue to the writing of the book: “Ḳıl muvaffaḳ bu risâlem tam ola”, grant me success, let this treatise of mine be complete. The poet wrote these lines while the work was not yet finished; the supplication comes before the section on the reason for writing and before the closing dated 1296.

From the tenth to the thirteenth couplet the poet prays for his master Mustafa İsmet and for “evlâdı Bahâ'eddîn”, his son Bahâeddîn. These couplets are important for the identity of Şeyhzâde Abdullah Bahâeddîn: it is plainly said that he was “evlâdı”, İsmet's son; it is stated that at fifteen he found “complete sainthood” and at sixteen departed to the “dâr-ı beḳā”, the abode of permanence. The chronogram dated 1292 later in the book is written on the death of the same youth; Şensöz's taking him for Süleyman Efendi's son must be reconsidered when read together with these couplets. Its last thought is that the work of one who is not a lover of God is in vain.

Bibliography

Online sources