Original Ottoman Turkish Text

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

Sanmanuz vasl-ı nigâr u sohbet-i câm isterüz
Biz Sikender-himmetüz ‘âlemde bir nâm isterüz
Yalınuz hazz-ı havâsı ile kanâ’at itmezüz
Lutfumuz halk-ı cihâna cümleten ‘âmm isterüz
Bârgâh-ı kibriyâdan lutf u ‘avn-ı ‘âmm umup
Çâr-yâr-ı Mustafâdan himmet-i tâm isterüz
İns ü cinn-i ‘âlemi mühr-i nigîn-i adl ile
Biz Süleymân-kevkebüz fermân-ber ü râm isterüz
Dehr-i dûnun şimdi Şâhî cevrine ne i’tibâr
Merd-i ‘âlî-himmetüz biz nîk-fercâm isterüz

In English

1. Do not suppose that we want union with the beloved and the company of the wine cup; we have the aspiration of Alexander, we want a name (renown) in the world.

2. We are not content with the pleasure of the elite alone; we want our favour to extend to all the people of the world.

3. Hoping for general favour and aid from the exalted court of God, we want complete spiritual support from the four companions of Mustafa.

4. We are of Solomon's star; with the seal of the ring of justice we want the men and jinn of the world (to be) obedient and submissive.

5. Şâhî, what regard is to be paid to the present cruelty of the base world? We are a man of lofty aspiration; we want a good end.

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 redif is "isterüz" (we want), and the rhyme is the "-âm" sound in the words "câm, nâm, 'âmm, tâm, râm, nîk-fercâm". Kılıç counts the redif "isterüz" among the refrains of the divan. In the edition the folio mark 22a stands at the head of the ghazal.

Meaning and Figures of Speech

The subject of the ghazal is not love. The opening couplet openly sets aside what the reader might expect, that is, union with the beloved and the drinking party, and puts in their place the wish for a name, for renown. The poem speaks from beginning to end in the first person plural, the language of "we". This language is close to the way rulers speak of themselves and suits the subject of the poem. The couplets list the virtues of a ruler: broad aspiration, favour extending to the whole people, the help of God and the spiritual support of the Prophet's four caliphs, justice and command.

The allusions are chosen to fit this frame. The phrase "Sikender-himmet" points to the lofty endeavour of Alexander, who set out to conquer the world. "Süleymân-kevkeb" (of Solomon's star, of Solomon's fortune) and "mühr-i nigîn" (the seal of the ring) in the fourth couplet refer to Solomon, who ruled over men and jinn with his sealed ring; the poet qualifies this seal as the "seal of justice". The expression "Çâr-yâr-ı Mustafâ" in the third couplet is a traditional term naming Abû Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthmân and 'Alî together. In the last couplet "dehr-i dûn" (the base world) and "merd-i 'âlî-himmet" (man of lofty aspiration) are set against each other; the present cruelty of the world is of no account, what is truly wanted is a good end.

From the pen of the son of Sultan Süleyman the Lawgiver, the epithet "Süleymân-kevkeb" also recalls the father's name. The ghazal may be thought to express a prince's expectations of the throne and of sovereignty; however, the edition offers no assessment of this ghazal, and this reading is our own. The presence, a short distance later in the fifty-eighth ghazal, of a couplet that counts sovereignty as "an empty quarrel for the head" also shows that the divan holds no single attitude on this subject.

Bibliography

  • Filiz Kılıç (ed.), Şâhî Dîvânı (Şehzâde Bâyezîd), Ankara: T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Kütüphaneler ve Yayımlar Genel Müdürlüğü, 2018, e-book p. 75, ghazal no. 56 (Millet Library, Ali Emîrî Efendi, Manzum Eserler 225, fol. 22a); also p. 29 (refrains), https://ekitap.ktb.gov.tr/Eklenti/59394,sahi-divanipdf.pdf.

Online sources