Original Ottoman Turkish Text

Metre: Fâ’ilâtün Fâ’ilâtün Fâ’ilün

Kimse kılmaz hâlümi dil-dâre ‘arz
Mülk-i hüsne server olan yâre ‘arz
Giceler âh itmek ile hâlini
İtmek ister bülbül-i bî-çâre ‘arz
Hecr elinden râzıyam cân virmege
İtmenüz tek hâlümi agyâra ‘arz
Gönlüni hod aldı cânı key sakın
Yây itme ol gözi hûn-hâre ‘arz
Ey tabîbüm eyle tâ sıhhat vire
La’l-i nâbun Şâhî-i bîmâre ‘arz

In English

1. No one presents my state to the heart-holder, to the beloved who is the sovereign of the realm of beauty.

2. At night the helpless nightingale too wishes, by sighing, to present its state.

3. I am content to give my life at the hand of separation, so long as you do not present my state to strangers and rivals.

4. It has already taken his heart; guard his soul well, do not present it to that bloodthirsty eye.

5. O my physician, so that Şâhî may regain his health, present your pure ruby lip to the sick one.

Literary and Historical Commentary

Structure of the Poem

The ghazal of five couplets is written in the "fâ'ilâtün fâ'ilâtün fâ'ilün" pattern, and in the edition the folio mark 27a stands at the end of the second couplet. The redif (refrain) is "'arz" (presentation), and the rhyme is the "-âre" sound in the words "dil-dâre, yâre, bî-çâre, agyâra, hûn-hâre, bîmâre". "'Arz" appears in Kılıç's list of refrains. The pen name appears in the last couplet.

Meaning and Figures of Speech

All the couplets of the ghazal turn on the senses of the word "arz". "Arz etmek" means to present or report a matter to a superior; in Ottoman correspondence the submission of a petition to the sultan or to an office is also expressed with this word. In the opening couplet the lover complains that he can find no one to present his state to the beloved, and the beloved is called "mülk-i hüsne server olan yâr", the beloved who is the sovereign of the realm of beauty. In this way the relation between lover and beloved resembles the relation between a ruler and a servant who wishes to submit a petition to him. This interpretation is ours.

In the second couplet the nightingale too tries to present its state by moaning at night. In the third couplet the lover says he is content to die because of separation but does not want his state to be made known to the "agyâr", that is, to strangers and rivals; the secret of love can be opened only to the beloved. In the last couplet the word "arz" turns to the sense of offering: Şâhî, who is sick, asks the beloved, whom he sees as a physician, to offer his ruby lip as medicine. There is a congruence of images (tenasüp) among physician, patient, health and the lip that stands in for the remedy.

The second line of the fourth couplet is obscure. The phrase printed in the edition as "Yây itme" cannot be understood in this form. If it is read as "Yâd itme" (do not mention), the sense "do not mention it, do not present it to that bloodthirsty eye" emerges without breaking the metre; however, this suggested reading is ours, and the text has not been touched. The first line of the couplet says "Gönlüni hod aldı cânı key sakın": the eye has already taken the heart, and the soul must be guarded well. The English rendering has been made on this assumption. There is no sign of a person, place or date 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. 81-82, ghazal no. 71 (Millet Library, Ali Emîrî Efendi, Manzum Eserler 225, fol. 27a); also p. 29 (list of refrains), https://ekitap.ktb.gov.tr/Eklenti/59394,sahi-divanipdf.pdf.

Online sources