Original Ottoman Turkish Text

Metre: fā‘ilātün fā‘ilātün fā‘ilātün fā‘ilün

Merḥabā ey Ḫüsrev ü ḫurşīd-i burc-ı devletüm
Buldı yümn-i ṭal‘atuñ birle şeref her ḥāletüm
Ḫüsrevā görüp seferden geldigüñ göñlüm didi
Minnet Allāha ki geldi yine gitmiş devletüm
Dāne-i ḫālüñ durur dāyim murādı göñlümüñ
Āsyā-yı çarḫ içinde olduġınca nevbetüm
Ġam pelāsını ki geydürdi baña sulṭān-ı ‘ışḳ
Ḥulle-i dībādan ey dil yeg durur bu ḫil‘atüm
Ruḫları şem‘ine yan pervāne-veş yārüñ Münīr
Yanmayınca yoḳdur el-ḳıṣṣa cihānda rāḥatum

In English

1. Welcome, O my king (Hüsrev) and sun of the constellation of my fortune; every state of mine has gained honour through the auspiciousness of your face.

2. O my king, when it saw you return from the campaign my heart said: thanks be to God, my fortune (my good luck, my happiness) that had gone has come again.

3. So long as I have my turn in the mill of the heavens, the desire of my heart is ever the grain of your mole.

4. O heart, the coarse sackcloth of grief that the sultan of love has made me wear is better than a robe of silk brocade; this is my robe of honour (hil‘at).

5. Münîr, burn like a moth at the candle of the beloved's cheeks; in short, there is no rest in this world until one burns.

Literary and Historical Commentary

Structure of the Poem

This is a five-couplet Turkish ghazal, the hundred and ninetieth of the Turkish ghazals in the edition (tg 190). The metre is "fā‘ilātün fā‘ilātün fā‘ilātün fā‘ilün". The redif (refrain word) is "-Um", the first-person possessive suffix; Ersoy records this ghazal with this redif in his list of redifs. The rhyme is the sound "-et" or "-at" before the redif: devlet, ḥālet, nevbet, ḫil‘at and rāḥat. The word "devletüm" is used as the rhyme both in the opening couplet and in the second couplet. The ghazal is found in the three divan manuscripts (VT 142b, VY 119b, Ü 46b) and in the Pervâne Bey Mecmuası (PB 401b); the edition records no variant readings.

In the first two couplets of the ghazal the beloved is addressed as "Ḫüsrev" and welcomed on returning from a campaign. The Kubbealtı Lugatı explains "hüsrev" as ruler, shah, king. There is no information in the edition or in any other source as to whether this address was directed at a ruler or prince in whose circle Münîrî moved; it is not known for whom or when the ghazal was written.

Meaning and Figures of Speech

The opening couplet begins with a scene of welcome. In the couplet that opens with "Merḥabā" (welcome) the beloved is both king and the sun of the constellation of fortune. The Kubbealtı Lugatı explains "tal'at" as face, countenance, a beautiful face. There is a congruence of images (tenasüp) between "ḫurşīd" (sun), "burc" (constellation) and "ṭal‘at". Under "tal'at" the Kubbealtı Lugatı cites a couplet by Fıtnat Hanım describing the radiance of a face that rises like the sun in the constellation of sovereignty; constellation, sun and face are found together in Münîrî's opening couplet as well. In the second couplet the king returning from the campaign is seen as "devlet", fortune that left its owner and has come back again. The Kubbealtı Lugatı also gives the word "devlet" the senses of greatness, grandeur and high station; in the couplet the word can be read both as sovereignty and as luck and happiness.

The third couplet rests on the image of a mill. The Kubbealtı Lugatı explains the Persian word "âsiyâ" as mill, water mill, and cites from Nâbî the line "Kâr ü bârı âsiyâb-ı âlemin nevbetledir" (the work of the mill of the world goes by turns). The same dictionary explains "nevbet" as turn, watch. In Münîrî's couplet, too, the mill and the turn come together: as the heavens revolve like a mill, everyone waits his turn; whenever the poet's turn comes, the only grain he wants is the beloved's mole. There is a clear congruence of images between mill, grain and turn.

The fourth couplet uses words taken from clothing and court ceremony. The Kubbealtı Lugatı explains "pelâs" as things woven of coarse wool such as aba and sackcloth; "dîbâ" as a heavy woven silk fabric; and "hil'at" as a precious robe bestowed by sultans and viziers as a mark of favour or a reward. In the poet's eyes the coarse sackcloth of grief bestowed by the sultan of love is a robe of honour superior to a silk robe. Under "pelâs" the dictionary also cites a couplet by Fuzûlî in which the sackcloth of poverty is held above the satin of the heavens; the closeness between the two couplets is our own observation. The couplet bearing the pen name (mahlas) ends with the motif of the candle and the moth: rest is found only by burning.

Bibliography

Online sources