Original Ottoman Turkish Text

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

Âh kim hiç gülmedüm ben bu cihânda bir nefes
Bulmadum ‘âlemde câna kendüme feryâd-res
La’l-i nâbun yâdına ben cân virürsem tan mıdur
Kanda kim şehd ola lâ-büd cân virür ana meges
Bülbül-i cân hâr-ı gamda nice nâlân olmasun
Karşusında sen gül ile sohbet ider hâr u has
Devr-i güldür sâkiyâ devr eylesün la’lîn kadeh
Geçmesün bu demde ‘ömr-i nâzenîn yazık ‘abes
Dest-gîr ol pâdişâhum Şâhî pâ-mâl olmasun
Dest-i lutfun gibi olmaz ana bir feryâd-res

In English

1. Alas, I have not laughed for a single breath in this world; in the world I found no one to come to the aid of my soul, of myself, at my cry.

2. Is it a wonder if I give my life for the memory of your pure ruby lip? Wherever there is honey, the fly surely gives its life for it.

3. How should the nightingale of the soul not moan on the thorn of grief, when before its eyes you, the rose, converse with thorns and straw?

4. O cupbearer, it is the season of the rose; let the ruby cup go round; let precious life not pass in vain at this moment, it would be a pity.

5. My padishah, take him by the hand, let Şâhî not be trampled underfoot; there is no helper for him like your hand of grace.

Literary and Historical Commentary

Structure of the Poem

The ghazal of five couplets is written in the "fâ'ilâtün fâ'ilâtün fâ'ilâtün fâ'ilün" pattern. It carries no folio mark in the edition; since it comes after the 25a mark in the preceding ghazal, it is understood to stand on the same folio. There is no redif; the rhyme is the "-es" sound in the words "nefes, feryâd-res, meges, has, 'abes, feryâd-res". The word "feryâd-res" of the opening couplet is used again as a rhyme in the closing couplet; the repetition of the same rhyme word is a weak point of the ghazal. The pen name appears in the last couplet.

Meaning and Figures of Speech

This ghazal forms a series with ghazals 64 and 65, which are in the same metre and rhyme. The second couplet in particular is almost the same as the last couplet of ghazal 65, which is recorded in the manuscript as an "unfinished ghazal"; between the two lines only the verb changes ("cân virür" in place of "meyl ider"). The comparison of honey and fly is stronger here, because the fly does not merely turn towards the honey but gives its life for it. The third couplet brings back onto the stage the rivals called "hâr u has" (thorns and straw), who also appear in the two preceding ghazals: the beloved is the rose, the lover's soul is the nightingale, and the rivals are the thorns beside the rose.

The fourth couplet is the only cheerful couplet of the ghazal and calls on the cupbearer and the drinking party. There is a play on words (cinas) between "devr-i gül" (the season of the rose) and "devr eylesün" (let it go round); when the season of the rose comes, the cup too must go round. Describing life as "nâzenîn" (delicate, precious) and counting its passing in vain as a "pity" sets up a contrast with the lover of the opening couplet, who has never laughed.

In the last couplet the poet addresses "pâdişâhum" (my padishah) directly and asks him to take him by the hand and not leave him trampled underfoot. The words "dest-gîr" (one who takes by the hand), "pâ-mâl" (trampled underfoot) and "dest-i lutf" (hand of grace) set up a congruence of images (tenasüp) between hand and foot. Kılıç notes that a similar supplication is found in the poems in which Bayezid hopes for mercy from his father. It may be thought that the last couplet of this ghazal is also directed at the father; however, since the address "padishah" is also used for the beloved in divan poetry, this reading is ours, and there is no sign of a date or event in the ghazal.

Bibliography

  • Filiz Kılıç (ed.), Şâhî Dîvânı (Şehzâde Bâyezîd), Ankara: T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Kütüphaneler ve Yayımlar Genel Müdürlüğü, 2018, e-book pp. 79-80, ghazal no. 66 (Millet Library, Ali Emîrî Efendi, Manzum Eserler 225, fol. 25a); also pp. 32-33 (poems hoping for mercy from his father), https://ekitap.ktb.gov.tr/Eklenti/59394,sahi-divanipdf.pdf.

Online sources