Original Ottoman Turkish Text
Metre: Mef’ûlü Fa’ilâtü Mefâ’îlü Fâ’ilün
Ol kes ki giydi egnine uzlet libâsını
Buldı murâdı üzre sa’âdet yakasını
Künc-i fenâda server-i iklîm-i ‘ışk olan
Virmez kabâ-yı ‘izzete zillet pelâsını
Dil küfr ile kala idi zülfün görüp ger
Salmasa yüzün şem’-i hidâyet kıyâsını
Cânâ ne çare üstüme tutup meded benüm
Giydiriyor felek yine fürkat libâsını
Bezm-i safâda yâr ile şâhâne nûş idüp
Sür turma Şâhî câm-ı mahabbet safâsını
In English
1. Whoever puts on his back the garment of seclusion has caught hold of the collar of happiness as he wished.
2. He who is the head of the realm of love in the corner of non-being will not give the coarse blanket of humility in exchange for the robe of honour.
3. Had your face not cast the light of the candle of guidance, the heart, seeing your locks, would have remained in unbelief.
4. O soul, what remedy is there? The heavens come upon me (help!) and dress me again in the garment of separation.
5. Şâhî, drinking royally with the beloved in the gathering of delight, enjoy the delight of the cup of love, do not hold back.
Literary and Historical Commentary
Structure of the Poem
The five-couplet ghazal is written in the "mef'ûlü fa'ilâtü mefâ'îlü fâ'ilün" pattern. In the line giving the metre in the edition, the second foot is printed as "Fa'ilâtü"; in Kılıç's list of metres the same pattern appears as "Fâ'ilâtü", and the lines also fit this pattern. The rhyme is the "-a" sound in the words "libâs, yaka, pelâs, kıyâs, safâ" together with the suffix "-sını" attached to it. The word "libâs" (garment) rhymes twice, in the opening and the fourth couplets; "yaka" and "safâ", since they do not carry the "-âs" sound, loosen the rhyme. In the edition the folio mark [60a] stands after the second couplet.
Meaning and Figures of Speech
The first two couplets of the ghazal are like a counsel taken from the language of Sufism. Seclusion (uzlet) is withdrawing from people and shutting oneself in a corner; the poet speaks of putting it on like a garment and says that whoever wears this garment has found the collar of happiness. The congruence of images (tenasüp) between garment and collar turns an abstract thought into a picture that can be seen. In the second couplet "künc-i fenâ" (the corner of non-being) and "iklîm-i 'ışk" (the realm of love) stand side by side. He who is the head of the realm of love in that corner will not exchange the coarse woollen blanket called "pelâs", that is, the garment of poverty, for the robe of honour. The contrast between robe and coarse blanket is also the picture of the contrast between palace and dervish life.
The third couplet rests on a familiar pairing of divan poetry: black locks correspond to unbelief, the bright face to faith and guidance. The heart, about to remain in darkness on seeing the locks, has been led to the right path by the candle of the face. In the fourth couplet the image of the garment returns, this time the heavens dress the lover in the garment of separation. The phrase "tutup meded benüm" is obscure; we have read the word "meded" as a cry for help.
The closing couplet turns from seclusion back to the gathering. Şâhî counsels himself to drink "şâhâne" (royally) with the beloved in the gathering of delight and to enjoy the delight of the cup of love. The word "şâhâne" is linked in sound and sense with the pen name. Kılıç also notes that the divan contains couplets on the transience of sovereignty; the contrast of honour and humility in the first two couplets of this ghazal rests on the same thought as those couplets. This connection is our own reading. To whom and when the ghazal was written is unknown.
Bibliography
- Filiz Kılıç (ed.), Şâhî Dîvânı (Şehzâde Bâyezîd), Ankara: T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Kütüphaneler ve Yayımlar Genel Müdürlüğü, 2018, e-book pp. 123-124, ghazal no. 162 (Millet Library, Ali Emîrî Efendi, Manzum Eserler 225, fol. 60a); also p. 29 (list of metres) and p. 41 (the transience of the world and of sovereignty), https://ekitap.ktb.gov.tr/Eklenti/59394,sahi-divanipdf.pdf.
Online sources
