Original Ottoman Turkish Text

Metre: Fâ‘ilâtün Fâ‘ilâtün Fâ‘ilâtün Fâ‘ilün

Ey gözüm seyr eyle bir gör kim ne âl eyler nigâr
Nîm-nigehle bin dili şûrîde hâl eyler nigâr
Hâl ü rûy u la‘l ü kâkül ser ü kãmet gamzeden
Hâzır ol kim şeş der-i hayret hayâl eyler nigâr
Şâhîn-âsâ gönlümi çalmak diler kim zer-nisâr
Kâkülin tâvus-per ü rengîn ü âl eyler nigâr
Hayret-efzâ-yı tekellüm ‘âlem-i güftârda
Erinîden ben len terânîden makãl eyler nigâr
‘Âlem-i dîdârlıkda özge ‘âlemdir bu kim
Der pes-i perde tecellî fi'l-cibâl eyler nigâr
Rütbe-i kurbın görüp havf-ı celâl itdikce ben
Gösterüp lutf u cemâlin lâ übâl’eyler nigâr
Ey Nigârî şaşmışam kim hayret-efzâdır kerem
Eyledikce nûş ben ‘afv-ı vebâl eyler nigâr

In English

1. O my eye, look and see what wiles the beloved plays; with half a glance she leaves a thousand hearts distraught.

2. Be ready for mole, face, ruby lip, forelock, head, stature and glance; the beloved builds a bewilderment with six doors.

3. Scattering gold, the beloved wants to steal my heart like a falcon; she makes her forelock coloured and red like a peacock's feather.

4. With speech that heightens bewilderment in the world of words, the beloved speaks of "Erinî" (show me) from me and "Len terânî" (you shall not see me) from herself.

5. In the world of beholding this is another world: from behind the veil the beloved manifests herself upon the mountains.

6. Whenever, seeing the rank of nearness, I fear the majesty, the beloved shows her grace and beauty and acts without a care.

7. O Nigârî, I am amazed; generosity heightens bewilderment: the more I drink, the more the beloved forgives my sin.

Literary and Historical Commentary

The story of Moses on Mount Sinai, already told in "Veh ki zâyende-i tab‘ım", returns to Nigârî's verse shortly afterwards in this ghazal. The fourth couplet stages a conversation in the world of words: the lover says "Erinî", show Yourself to me; the beloved answers "Len terânî", you shall not see me. The fifth continues the story. According to the Qur'an, when the Lord manifested Himself to the mountain it was levelled; the couplet's "tecellî fi'l-cibâl", manifestation upon the mountains, rests on this verse. The poet calls it "another world within the world of beholding": the beloved appears from behind the veil, but the appearance shatters even mountains.

The sixth couplet sets against each other two basic notions of Sufism, celâl and cemâl. Celâl names God's majesty, might and wrath; cemâl His beauty, grace and mercy. As the lover reaches the rank of nearness he fears the majesty, but the beloved shows him her grace and beauty and takes on a "lâ-übâlî", unconcerned, air. The closing couplet tells the most surprising form of this grace: the more the lover drinks, the more the beloved forgives his sin. Generosity heightens bewilderment, since forgiveness, against all expectation, grows with the offence.

The second couplet lists the beloved's beauties: mole, face, lip, forelock, head, stature and glance. Around the lover they build a "şeş der-i hayret", a bewilderment with six doors. The six doors are the six directions, the four sides with above and below; whichever way the lover turns he meets a beauty and has nowhere left to escape. The position in backgammon called "şeşder", where a piece is shut in, may also be called to mind, but the couplet does not make the link openly.

Bibliography

Online sources