Original Ottoman Turkish Text
Metre: Fâ’ilâtün Fâ’ilâtün Fâ’ilâtün Fâ’ilün
Âh kim çâk itdi dest-i gam girîbânum benüm
Yirleri vü gökleri inletdi efgânum benüm
Hâlüme rahm itmedi gitdi meded hânum benüm
Aglasun kan aglasun bu çeşm-i giryânum benüm
Ey gönül şâd u ferahken vuslat-ı cânân ile
Ol boyı ‘ar’ar dehânı gonce-i handân ile
Ayırup çarh inledürse ‘âkıbet hicrân ile
Aglasun kan aglasun bu çeşm-i giryânum benüm
Leylî-i zülfünle gönlüm âh Mecnûn olmada
Nesne yok hâlümde gün günden diger-gûn olmada
Cigerüm biryân gözüm giryân yaşum hûn olmada
Aglasun kan aglasun bu çeşm-i giryânum benüm
Hâlüme gökde dem-â-dem ebr ü bârân aglasun
Acısun derdüme yiryüzinde ‘ummân aglasun
Halk efgân eylesün hâlüme yârân aglasun
Aglasun kan aglasun bu çeşm-i giryânum benüm
Âteş-i mihr ü mahabbet Şâhî yakdı cânumı
Rahm kılmaz gûş idüp ol bî-vefâ efgânumı
Hakka kaldı işüm ol vire hemân dermânumı
Aglasun kan aglasun bu çeşm-i giryânum benüm
In English
1. Alas, the hand of grief has torn my collar; my cries have made the earth and the heavens moan. He had no pity on my state; my lord has gone, help. Let this weeping eye of mine weep, let it weep blood.
2. O heart, if, while you were joyful and happy in union with that beloved of juniper stature and laughing rosebud mouth, heaven in the end parts you and makes you moan with separation, let this weeping eye of mine weep, let it weep blood.
3. Alas, my heart is becoming Mecnun through the Leylâ (the night) of your lock; nothing is left of my state, it changes from day to day; my liver is roasted, my eye is weeping, my tears are turning to blood. Let this weeping eye of mine weep, let it weep blood.
4. Let the cloud and the rain in the sky weep for my state at every moment; let the ocean on the face of the earth pity my pain and weep; let the people cry out, let friends weep for my state. Let this weeping eye of mine weep, let it weep blood.
5. O Şâhî, the fire of love and affection has burned my soul; that faithless one hears my cries and has no pity. My affair is left to God; may He grant my cure. Let this weeping eye of mine weep, let it weep blood.
Literary and Historical Commentary
Structure of the Poem
The poem is a murabba of five stanzas with a refrain, written in the "fâ'ilâtün fâ'ilâtün fâ'ilâtün fâ'ilün" pattern of the remel family of aruz (quantitative metre). In the first stanza the four lines end with the redif (refrain word) "benüm" and rhyme on "-ânum": girîbânum, efgânum, hânum, giryânum. The other stanzas use "-ân" with the redif "ile" (cânân, handân, hicrân), "-ûn olmada", "-ân" with the redif "aglasun" (bârân, 'ummân, yârân) and "-ânumı". The refrain is the line "Aglasun kan aglasun bu çeşm-i giryânum benüm". The pen name (mahlas) appears in the last stanza (fols. 71a-71b). It is not known to whom the poem was written.
Meaning and Figures of Speech
The refrain is built on repetition: the verb "aglasun" (let it weep) is said twice, and the second time it is strengthened by the word "kan" (blood). Weeping blood is an idiom in divan poetry for the utmost degree of suffering. Kılıç says that lyricism is stronger in Şâhî's murabbas and that the repetition at the end of the stanzas gives a fluent harmony; in this murabba the repetition goes beyond the bounds of the refrain and spreads over a whole stanza. In the fourth stanza the word "aglasun" becomes the redif: the cloud and rain in the sky, the ocean on earth, the people and friends are called to weep for the lover's state. In this way the refrain is prepared in advance within the stanza; this observation is our own. The weeping of cloud, rain and sea is a picture built on personification and hyperbole.
In the first stanza the hand of grief tears the collar and the cries make earth and heaven moan. The words "gitdi meded hânum benüm" (my lord has gone, help) in the same stanza announce the departure of the beloved, who is called a ruler. In the second stanza the beloved has the stature of an "'ar'ar" and a rosebud mouth; the 'ar'ar, a tree of the juniper kind, is, like the cypress, an image of tall stature. In the third stanza the lock recalls both the name Leylâ and the word "leyl" (night), and the heart becomes Mecnun. The roasted liver, the tearful eye and the tears turning to blood are given in a sequence. In the last stanza the lover gives up hope of the beloved and, saying "Hakka kaldı işüm" (my affair is left to God), awaits his cure from God; the poem closes with this movement from the pain of love to trust in God. The word "diger-gûn" (changed), frequent in Şâhî's language, also appears in this murabba, in the third stanza.
Bibliography
- Filiz Kılıç (ed.), Şâhî Dîvânı (Şehzâde Bâyezîd), Ankara: T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Kütüphaneler ve Yayımlar Genel Müdürlüğü, 2018, e-book pp. 135-136, murabba no. 8 (Millet Library, Ali Emîrî Efendi, Manzum Eserler 225, fols. 71a, 71b); also pp. 30-31 (on the murabbas), https://ekitap.ktb.gov.tr/Eklenti/59394,sahi-divanipdf.pdf.
Online sources
