Original Ottoman Turkish Text

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

Böyle kec-reftār olıcaḳ ṭāli‘-i vārūn u şūm
Kevkeb-i baḫtumda ‘ācizdür belī ehl-i nücūm
Günde derd ü ġam gelür dil mülkine resm isteyü
‘Ādetā her yılda ḫod bir kerre olurdı rüsūm
Gözümüzi baġlamasaydı bu çarḫ-ı ḥoḳka-bāz
Nefs-i kāfir-kīş iñende bize itmezdi hücūm
Sen göñül tekmīl-i nefs itmekde cehd it kāmil ol
Geç teheccīden kim irilmez aña çoḳdur ‘ulūm
Sırr-ı vaḥdet-rā be-bīn ü ẕevḳ-ı vaḥdet-rā şinās
Ḫāṣṣa behr-i to ne ey dil īn süḫan dāred ‘umūm
Ḳalbüñi mūm eyle yeter saña daḫı ey Münīr
Ḥażret-i Dāvūd elinde āhen oldıyısa mūm

In English

1. When the star of fortune moves so crookedly, reversed and ill-omened, the astrologers, it is true, are helpless before the star of my luck.

2. Every day pain and grief come to the realm of the heart demanding dues; yet by custom the dues used to be taken only once a year.

3. Had this juggling wheel of heaven not blindfolded us, the infidel-natured self (nefs) would not assail us so.

4. O heart, strive to perfect the self and become perfect; pass beyond spelling letter by letter (teheccî), for that way it is not reached; the sciences are many.

5. (A Persian couplet; our own rendering) See the secret of unity and come to know the taste of unity; O heart, this word is not meant for you alone, it is addressed to all.

6. O Münîr, make your heart wax, that is enough for you; for in the hand of Hazret-i Dâvûd (David) even iron became wax.

Literary and Historical Commentary

Structure of the Poem

This is a six-couplet ghazal, the two hundred and second of the Turkish ghazals in the edition (tg 202). The metre is "fā‘ilātün fā‘ilātün fā‘ilātün fā‘ilün". The ghazal has no redif (refrain word); the rhyme rests on "-ūm": şūm, nücūm, rüsūm, hücūm, ‘ulūm, ‘umūm and mūm. The ghazal is in the VT (145a) and VY (121a) manuscripts, but not in Ü. It is not known for whom or when it was written.

The fifth couplet of the ghazal is in Persian ("Sırr-ı vaḥdet-rā be-bīn ü ẕevḳ-ı vaḥdet-rā şinās"). The edition gives the meanings of the Persian poems in its apparatus, but gives none for this couplet; the rendering above is our own. The placing of such a Persian couplet inside a Turkish ghazal shows the poet writing in two languages at once. The same metre and the rhymes "nücūm", "rüsūm", "hücūm", "‘umūm" and "mūm" are also used in Ghazal 196 of the edition (our observation).

Meaning and Figures of Speech

The ghazal is a poem of counsel that deals with the discipline of the self and the idea of unity (vahdet) rather than with praise of the beloved. The opening couplet rests on terms concerning the stars. The Kubbealtı Lugatı explains "tâli" as rising and as fortune, luck, and "nücûm" as stars; "nücûmî", according to the same dictionary, is one who practises astronomy and astrology. The poet's star of fortune moves so contrarily that the astrologers can pass no judgement on it. The second couplet has the word "rüsūm", which the Kubbealtı Lugatı explains as "taxes": pain and grief are like unjust collectors who come every day to demand a tax that should be taken once a year.

In the third couplet the wheel of heaven is a juggler. The Kubbealtı Lugatı explains "hokkabaz" as one who shows tricks by sleight of hand and, figuratively, as a cheat. Just as the juggler blindfolds the spectator, the wheel of heaven blindfolds man, and the self takes advantage of this heedlessness to attack. There is a congruence of images (tenasüp) between "ḥoḳka-bāz" (juggler), "göz baġlamaḳ" (to blindfold) and "hücūm" (attack). The fourth couplet uses the word "teheccî", which the Kubbealtı Lugatı explains as "spelling". The poet advises the heart not to be content with gathering knowledge letter by letter, but to become perfect by refining the self.

The Persian fifth couplet ties this counsel to the idea of unity: one must see the secret of unity and come to know its taste, and this word is addressed to everyone. The couplet bearing the pen name (mahlas) rests on a story in the Qur'an. In verse 10 of the sura of Saba, according to the Diyanet translation, it is said of David, "We softened iron for him". The poet tells himself that since even iron became wax in David's hand, it will be enough for him to soften his heart; this is an allusion (telmih). The couplet by Hayâlî Bey cited in the Kubbealtı Lugatı's entry "eğerçi" ("Dil-i sengîn-i yâri eyledim nerm / Egerçi âheni mûm etti Dâvûd", I softened the beloved's stony heart, just as David made iron wax) shows the same allusion in use in divan poetry. There is a contrast (tezat) between "āhen" (iron) and "mūm" (wax).

Bibliography

Primary sources

Official sources

Books

  • Kubbealtı Lugatı (Misalli Büyük Türkçe Sözlük), entries "tâli", "nücum", "rüsum", "hokkabaz", "teheccî" and "eğerçi". https://lugatim.com/s/hokkabaz

Online sources