Original Ottoman Turkish Text

Metre: Mefâîlün Mefâîlün Mefâîlün Mefâîlün

Meded ḳıl ḥâlime herhalde giryân olmuşum yâ Rab
Esîr oldum bu kâfir nefse tuġyân olmuşum yâ Rab
Saña rûy-ı siyâhımdan yüzüm yoḳdur diyem ‘afv et
‘İnâyet maġfiret senden peşîman olmuşum yâ Rab
Seniñ emr-i şerîfiñ üzre bir kâr etmedim aṣla
Bu naḳṣ-ı cehille ser-keşte-i civân olmuşum yâ Rab
Rıżây-ı bâbıña bend et beni bir ġayre sevḳ etme
Hevây-ı nefsle zîra girîzân olmuşum yâ Rab
İlâhi mürşidim ser-çeşme-i ġavs̱-i cihân ḥaḳḳı
Beni bir dem baña ḳoyma perîşân olmuşum yâ Rab
Ṭurup dergâhıña Mir’at-nümâ feryâd eder eyvâh
Kapıñda ṭurmayıp aġlar ki nâdân olmuşum yâ Rab

In English

1. Help my state, O Lord; in every state I have become one who weeps; I have become captive to this unbelieving self, I have rebelled, O Lord.

2. Let me say that because of my black face I have no face before You; forgive me; grace and pardon are Yours, I have repented, O Lord.

3. I have never done a single deed according to Your noble command; with this fault of ignorance I have become a bewildered youth, O Lord.

4. Bind me to the pleasure of Your door, do not drive me to another; for through the desire of the self I have become a runaway, O Lord.

5. My God, for the sake of my master, fountainhead of the help of the world, do not leave me to myself for a moment; I have become wretched, O Lord.

6. Mir'ât-nümâ stands at Your threshold crying “alas”; unable to stay at Your door he weeps that he has become ignorant, O Lord.

Literary and Historical Commentary

The Book's First Supplication

The na'ts address the Prophet; the book's first supplication turns directly to God. Its six couplets, following the section on avoiding deniers, are in the hezec of four “Mefâîlün” feet, and the refrain is “olmuşum yâ Rab”, I have become, O Lord. The repetition of the refrain in every couplet brings the poem close to the repeated imploring of a night prayer; the rhyme words “giryân, tuġyân, peşîmân, civân, girîzân, perîşân, nâdân”, weeping, rebellious, repentant, young, runaway, wretched, ignorant, count the stages of a repentance.

For the notions of “unbeliever” and “self” in the work, Şensöz's example is the opening couplet of this supplication: the poet sees himself as one who has become “captive to this unbelieving self”. The phrase “ser-keşte-i civân”, a bewildered youth, in the third couplet is a confession that ties his ignorance to his youth. What is asked in the fourth couplet is not to be left to one's own self and to be bound to the pleasure of the door; this wish opens further in the fifth couplet: “Beni bir dem baña ḳoyma”, do not leave me to myself for a moment.

In the fifth couplet the poet prays for the sake of his master, whom he calls “ser-çeşme-i ġavs̱-i cihân”, fountainhead of the help of the world. Imploring God for the sake of the master in supplications is the notion of rabıta carried into prayer. The pen-name couplet closes with the poet, weeping because he cannot stay at the door, confessing that he is “nâdân”, ignorant.

Bibliography

Online sources