Original Ottoman Turkish Text

Metre: Fâ’ilâtün Fâ’ilâtün Fâ’ilâtün Fâ’ilün

Dostum âvâre gönlümdür saçun dîvânesi
Cân-ı âşüftem durur şem’-i ruhun pervânesi
‘Işkum ile sît-ı hüsnün dilde destân olalı
Kaldı Şîrîn ile Ferhâdun şehâ efsânesi
Sal hayâlün gencini istersen anı saklamak
Dile câna dile dile ikisi de hânesi
Ehl-i derdün bezm-i fürkatde dem-â-dem dostum
Bagrı kanıdur şarâbı çeşmdür peymânesi
Şâhîye nâlân olmak nice lâzım gelmesün
Bir senün gibi cefâkar olıcak cânânesi

In English

1. My friend, the madman of your hair is my wandering heart; the moth of the candle of your cheek is my distraught soul.

2. O shah, since my love and the fame of your beauty became a legend in the heart (and on tongues), the tale of Şirin and Ferhad has been left (forgotten).

3. If you wish to keep the treasure of your image hidden, leave it to the heart and the soul; both of them are its home. The couplet is obscure: the phrase "dile dile" can be understood both as "to the heart, to the heart" and as "wishing and wishing".

4. My friend, in the gathering of separation of those who suffer, their wine at every moment is the blood of their breast, and their cup is the eye.

5. When he has so cruel a beloved as you, how should lamenting not become necessary for Şâhî?

Literary and Historical Commentary

Structure of the Poem

The five-couplet ghazal is written in the "fâ'ilâtün fâ'ilâtün fâ'ilâtün fâ'ilün" pattern. The rhyme is the "-âne" sound in the words "dîvâne, pervâne, efsâne, hâne, peymâne, cânâne"; the possessive suffix "-si" stands in the place of the redif (refrain). After the opening couplet the second line of every couplet ends with this "-ânesi" sound and gives the ghazal a regular cadence. In the phrase "sît-ı hüsnün" in the second couplet, "-ı" has been printed after the word "sît" (fame) instead of "-i"; this may be a typesetting difference, and the text has not been altered. In the edition the folio mark [56b] stands after the second couplet.

Meaning and Figures of Speech

The opening couplet places two familiar images side by side. The heart is the madman of the hair; because madmen were put in chains, the hair is thought of here as a chain. The soul is the moth rushing to the candle of the cheek. The attributes "âvâre" (wandering) and "âşüfte" (distraught) describe the aimless, scattered state of heart and soul; at the same time they recall scattered hair.

In the second couplet the poet compares his own love with the story of Ferhad and Şirin. Ferhad's love for Şirin is one of the best-known examples of love in divan poetry. According to the poet, since his love and the beloved's beauty came to be on everyone's tongue, this old tale has been forgotten. The address "şehâ" (O shah) speaks of the beloved as a ruler.

The third couplet is the most obscure place in the ghazal. In divan poetry treasures are believed to be hidden in ruins; the lover's ruined heart is therefore a fitting place for the treasure of the beloved's image. The poet tells the beloved that if she wishes to keep the treasure of her image hidden, she should leave it to the heart and the soul. In the phrase "dile câna dile dile" in the second line, the word "dil" (heart) and the verb "dilemek" (to wish) are interwoven in sound. We have rendered the couplet according to the reading of the edition and as an interpretation; its exact meaning is not clear.

The fourth couplet describes the gathering of those who suffer. In this gathering the wine is the blood of the breast and the cup is the eye; the bloody tears flowing from the eye take the place of drink. The closing couplet is a plain concluding sentence: when the beloved is so cruel, the lover's lament is unavoidable. The edition does not state the addressee of the ghazal or the time it was written.

Bibliography

  • Filiz Kılıç (ed.), Şâhî Dîvânı (Şehzâde Bâyezîd), Ankara: T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Kütüphaneler ve Yayımlar Genel Müdürlüğü, 2018, e-book p. 119, ghazal no. 152 (Millet Library, Ali Emîrî Efendi, Manzum Eserler 225, fol. 56b); also p. 29 (metres), https://ekitap.ktb.gov.tr/Eklenti/59394,sahi-divanipdf.pdf.

Online sources