Original Persian Text

Metre: Mefâ’îlün Mefâ’îlün Mefâ’îlün Mefâ’îlün

Eger tâc-ı cihândârî müyesser mî-şeved mâ râ
Ki tîg-i kahramânî ber-küşâyem mülk-i dünyâ râ
Eger yârî dehed bahtem be-âyîn-i Süleymânî
Çü ins ü cin be-fermân âverem ez-Kâf ankâ ra
Ser-i Tahmasb râ ez-ten be-darb-ı tîg ber-dârem
Be-zîr-i hükm-i hîş ârem Semerkand u Buhârâ râ
Muhibb-i çâr-yâr u âl ü ashâb-ı Muhammed şev
Biyâ ey Râfizî ber-cân-ı hod kon ân turâ râ
Be-râh-ı şer’-i rûşen şev me-şev güm-reh be-nâdânî
Birûn âr ez-dimâg-ı huşk în bî-hûde sevdâ râ
Men ez-behr-i cihân-gîrî çerâ bî-hûde endîşem
Ki hod ez-dil rızâ dâdem kazâ-yı Hak Te’âlâ râ
Ümîdem hest ey Şâhî mu’înem ger mu’în bâşed
Be-şemşîr-i cihân-gîrî küşâyem mülk-i dünyâ râ

In English

1. If the crown of world sovereignty falls to our lot, I shall conquer the realm of the world with the sword of heroism.

2. If my fortune helps me in the manner of Solomon, I shall bring the Anka of Mount Qaf under my command, like men and jinn.

3. I shall sever Tahmasb's head from his body with one stroke of the sword; I shall bring Samarkand and Bukhara under my own rule.

4. Be a friend of the four companions of Muhammad (the four caliphs), of his family and his companions; come, O Râfizî, hold them above your own soul. (The end of the line can also be read in another way; see below.)

5. Take the bright road of the sacred law, do not lose your way through ignorance; drive this vain passion out of your dry head.

6. Why should I worry in vain about world conquest; I have already consented with all my heart to the decree of God Most High.

7. O Şâhî, I hope that if my helper helps me, I shall open the realm of the world with the world-conquering sword.

Literary and Historical Commentary

Structure of the Poem

The seven-couplet Persian ghazal is written in the "mefâ'îlün mefâ'îlün mefâ'îlün mefâ'îlün" pattern. The redif is "râ", and the rhyme is the "-â" sound in "dünyâ, ankâ, Buhârâ, turâ, sevdâ, Te'âlâ, dünyâ"; "dünyâ" is repeated in the first and the last couplets. The edition gives the Persian poems in Latin transcription and their meanings in the footnotes. According to Kılıç's note the opening couplet is not in the manuscript of the divan; the couplet found in the Persian divançe and in Solakzâde's history has been added to the ghazal. The closing couplet, which stands fourth in the manuscript, has also been moved to the end following the order of the Persian divançe.

Meaning and Figures of Speech

The poem is built on power and faith, not on love. In the second couplet Solomon's rule over men and jinn is mentioned together with the Anka bird of Mount Qaf; the phrase "âyîn-i Süleymânî" (the manner of Solomon) may also recall the poet's father, Sultan Süleyman, and this possibility is ours. Kılıç says that the ghazal may be a nazire to Hâfız's ghazal beginning "Eger ân Türk-i Şîrâzî". The two poems share metre, redif and rhyme, and the words "Semerkand u Buhârâ râ" stand in the rhyme position in both. Hâfız gives away these two cities for a mole of the beloved; Bayezid wants to take them by the sword. The observation of this contrast is ours. The end of the fourth couplet is printed in the edition as "kon ân turâ râ"; the form in Solakzâde is "kon ân teberrâ râ". With this second reading the line means "O Râfizî, turn that teberrâ (ritual cursing and dissociation) upon your own soul", and it also fits the metre better; this reading is ours, and the text has not been altered. In the sixth couplet the poet, resigned to his fate, finds the passion for world conquest vain; the poem thus moves back and forth between a boastful threat and submission to God.

Historical Context

The third couplet speaks of severing the head of Tahmasb, the Safavid ruler, with the sword; the fourth and fifth couplets address the holders of the Shiite faith, the "Râfizî". According to what Kılıç reports from Solakzâde, this poem fell into Tahmasb's hands before Bayezid took refuge with Shah Tahmasb, and harsh words were spoken because of it. According to Kılıç's account of his life, Bayezid took refuge in Iran in mid-August 1559 and was received with ceremony by the shah at Qazvin on 23 October. That the poem demands the head of the ruler with whom he would seek refuge is therefore striking. In the tezkire of Hasan Çelebi the opening couplet appears as "Eger taht-ı Süleymânî müyesser mî-şeved mâ râ", and in Solakzâde several couplets also appear in different words.

Bibliography

  • Filiz Kılıç (ed.), Şâhî Dîvânı (Şehzâde Bâyezîd), Ankara: T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı Kütüphaneler ve Yayımlar Genel Müdürlüğü, 2018, e-book pp. 154-155, Persian ghazal no. 1 (Millet Library, Ali Emîrî Efendi, Manzum Eserler 225, fol. 91a); footnotes 125-133 (the addition of the opening couplet from the Persian divançe and Solakzâde, variants in Solakzâde and Hasan Çelebi, its possible character as a nazire to Hâfız, Turkish meanings of the couplets); also p. 13 (refuge in Iran), p. 26 (nazire to Hâfız), https://ekitap.ktb.gov.tr/Eklenti/59394,sahi-divanipdf.pdf.
  • Hâfız-ı Şîrâzî, Ghazal 3 ("Eger ân Türk-i Şîrâzî be-dest âred dil-i mâ râ"), Ganjoor, https://ganjoor.net/hafez/ghazal/sh3

Online sources