Original Ottoman Turkish Text

Metre: Mefâ‘îlün Mefâ‘îlün Mefâ‘îlün Mefâ‘îlün

Benim bu ser-bülend olmaklığım ol hâk-i pâdandır
Gedânı ser-firâz eyler kerem kim pâdişâdandır
Dem-â-dem pertev-i ruhsâr-ı mâhım artar eksilmez
Ki noksân olmaz ol hûrşîd kim ‘ayn-ı zıyâdandır
Der-i agyâra varmam tâ ki varam kim bu istiğnâ
Mücerred sâye-i lutf-ı Hudâ-yı zi'l-‘atâdandır
Sürûr-ı hâtırım şâm u seher keyfiyyet-i cânım
Mezâk-ender-mezâkım devlet-i âl-i ‘abâdandır
Açılmışdır sinem meşrûhdur gönlüm bi-hamdi'llâh
Güşâyışlık derûnumda belî Hayber-güşâdandır
‘Alem kaldırdığım ‘âlemde at oynatdığım beydâk
Sürüp mât itdigim akrânı imdâd-ı Bahâdandır
Safâ-ender-safâ bahş eyler eş‘âr-ı sûzum zîrâ
Şarâb-ı vâridâtım himmet-i ehl-i safâdandır
Dilâ güftârına mağrûr olma kim lezzet-efzâ
Mezâk-ı güft ü gûyun şehd-i la‘l-i dil-rübâdandır
Degül bî-câ Nigârî [ger] ser-efrâz olsa Dîvânın
Ki ol hâk-i pey-i feyz-i Habîb-i Kibriyâdandır

In English

1. My being raised high comes from the dust of your foot; what exalts the beggar is generosity that comes from a king.

2. The radiance of my moon's cheek grows every moment and never wanes; for that sun which is light itself suffers no loss.

3. As long as I live I shall go to no other door; this freedom from need comes solely from the shade of the grace of God the Giver.

4. The joy of my mind morning and evening, the state of my soul, my taste upon taste come from the fortune of the Family of the Cloak.

5. My breast is opened, my heart expanded, praise be to God; yes, the openness within me comes from the Opener of Khaybar.

6. The banner I raise in the world, the pawn I move with the knight, the peers I drive and checkmate, come from the help of Bahâ.

7. My burning poems bestow delight upon delight, for the wine of my inspirations comes from the favour of the people of purity.

8. O heart, do not be proud of your speech, for the delight-increasing taste of your talk comes from the honey of the heart-stealer's ruby lip.

9. Nigârî, it is not out of place if your Divan is exalted, for it comes from the dust beneath the grace-giving foot of the Beloved of the Almighty.

Literary and Historical Commentary

The ghazal ties every beauty in the poet's heart to a source, and these sources list Nigârî's spiritual lineage from beginning to end. In the fourth couplet the heart's joy comes from the fortune of the Âl-i Abâ, the Family of the Cloak: the Prophet, Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husayn, who by tradition were gathered beneath his cloak. In the fifth the opening of the breast comes from "Hayber-güşâ", the opener of Khaybar, that is, Ali. In the sixth help comes from "Bahâ". The Naqshbandi order takes its name from Baha al-Din Naqshband, who lived in Bukhara in the fourteenth century, and members of the order refer to him simply as "Şâh-ı Nakşibend" or "Bahâeddîn"; in a Naqshbandi sheikh's ghazal the name "Bahâ" very probably points to him. At the end the exaltation of the divan is tied to the dust beneath the foot of "Habîb-i Kibriyâ", the Beloved of the Almighty, the Prophet.

The words "my breast is opened, my heart expanded" in the fifth couplet recall the first verse of the sura al-Inshirah, "Did We not expand your breast?" The opening of the breast is in the Qur'an a grace given to the Prophet; Nigârî joins two senses of the verb "to open" by tying it to Ali, who opened the gate of Khaybar. Opening a fortress and opening a breast are said with the same word.

The sixth couplet is built in the language of chess. "Beydak" is a pawn, "at oynatmak" moving the knight, "mât itmek" ending the game. The poet counts the banner he has raised in the world, the pawn he has moved and the peers he has checkmated; all came about with Bahâ's help. The favour of the spiritual guide is likened to a victory won at chess. "İstiğnâ" in the third couplet, freedom from need of anyone, is a state Sufism praises: the poet goes to no one else's door, since the shade of God's grace is enough for him.

Bibliography

Online sources