Original Ottoman Turkish Text

Metre: eleven-syllable syllabic metre

Mahlasım Pervane gezdim bir zaman
Sıdki mahlasını verdi bir üstad.
Yedullah suresi okundu ilan
Hamdülillah beni eyledi irşad
Hicab perdeleri kalktı gözümden
Türlü hikmet zahir oldu özümden
Kerem buldum kadd-i serfirazımdan
Anın içün böyle olmuşum dilşad
Erişti feyz-i Hak eseri cana
Açtım gözlerimi baktım cihana
Çok şükür kul oldum azim sultana
Harabe kalbimi eyledi bünyad
Erenler şahından dersimi aldım
Doksan bin kelamın künhünü buldum
Aslı bir noktadır zatını bildim
Her, cana söylenmez iş bu istidad
SIDKI sadık bu mahlası bulalı
Kalmadı gönülde dünya melali
Mabudum, maksudum nüri Cemali
Ol bana Şirin’dir, ben ona Ferhad

In English

1. Once I wandered under the pen name Pervane; a master gave me the pen name Sıdkı. The verse "the Hand of God" was recited and proclaimed; praise be to God, he guided me to the right path.

2. Veils were lifted from my eyes; wisdom of every kind appeared from my inner self. I found grace from my beloved of lofty stature; that is why I have become so glad of heart.

3. The trace of God's grace reached my soul; I opened my eyes and looked upon the world. Thanks be, I became the servant of a great sultan; he rebuilt my ruined heart.

4. I took my lesson from the king of the saints; I found the essence of the ninety thousand words. I came to know that its origin is a single dot, I knew His essence; this capacity is not spoken of to every soul.

5. Since I, Sıdkı, found this faithful pen name, no worldly sorrow has remained in my heart. My object of worship and of longing is that radiant face; he is Shirin to me and I am Farhad to him.

Literary and Historical Commentary

Structure of the Poem

This is a koşma of five quatrains in the eleven-syllable metre (the syllable count is ours). The last lines of the quatrains rhyme on "irşad, dilşad, bünyad, istidad, Ferhad"; in the first quatrain the second line also joins this rhyme with the word "üstad". The first three lines of the quatrains rhyme among themselves ("gözümden, özümden, serfirazımdan"; "cana, cihana, sultana"; "aldım, buldum, bildim"; "bulalı, melali, Cemali"). The pen name appears in both the first and the last quatrain; in the first, the old pen name Pervane and the new one, Sıdkı, are named together.

Meaning and Figures of Speech

The deyiş describes the bestowal of the pen name as a moment of guidance, of spiritual awakening. The "Sura of the Hand of God" in the first quatrain recalls the verse of the Sura al-Fath in the Qur'an which says that "the Hand of God" is above the hands of those who pledge allegiance; this verse speaks of the bay'a, the vow of attachment to a guide. Then the change is described in images of veils lifted, eyes opened and a ruined heart rebuilt.

The "ninety thousand words" of the fourth quatrain are, in Alevi-Bektashi tradition, the words believed to have been spoken on the night of the Ascension; the deyiş says that he learned their essence from the king of the saints and adds that this knowledge is not opened to everyone. The origin gathered in one dot continues the symbolism of letters and the dot found in Sıdkî's other deyiş. Shirin and Farhad in the last line are an example of love taken from the folk romance; devotion to the guide is told here through a legendary love. In the words "Nur-i Cemal" an allusion may be seen to the name of Cemaleddin Çelebi, who gave the pen name.

Historical Context

According to Necdet Kurt, Cemaleddin Çelebi, head of the Hacıbektaş lodge, said that because of his loyalty the pen name Sıdkı would suit him better than Pervane, and the pen name changed after fourteen years. The compilation site also quotes the first quatrain of this deyiş separately, among the quatrains that tell of the change of pen name. In the light of this information the "master" of the deyiş should be understood as Cemaleddin Çelebi.

Bibliography

Online sources