Ottoman lyric poetry : an anthology

358 Pages·2006·18.12 MB·English

by  Mehmet Kalpakli

Publications on the Near East
Publications on the Near East
Poetry's Voice, Society's Song: Ottoman Lyric Poetry
Walter G. Andrews
The Remaking of Istanbul: Portrait of an Ottoman City in the Nineteenth Century
Zeynep <::elik
The Tragedy of Sohrdb and Rostdm from the Persian National EPic,
the Shahname of Abol-Qasem Ferdowsi
Translated by Jerome W. Clinton
The]ews in Modem Egypt, 1914-1952
Gudrun Kramer
Izmir and the Levantine World, 1550-1650
Daniel Goffman
Medieval Agriculture and Islamic Science: The Almanac of a Yemeni Sultan
Daniel Martin Varisco
Rethinking Modernity and National Identity in Turkey
Edited by Sibel Bozdogan and Re§at Kasaba
Slavery and Abolition in the Ottoman Middle East
Ehud R. Toledano
Britons in the Ottoman Empire, 1642-1660
Daniel Goffman
Popular Preaching and Religious Authority in the Medieval Islamic Near East
Jonathan P. Berkey
The Transformation of Islamic Art during the Sunni Revival
Yasser Tabbaa
Shiraz in the Age of Hafez: The Glory of a Medieval Persian City
John Limbert
The Martyrs of Karbala: Shi'i Symbols and Rituals in Modem Iran
Kamran Scot Aghaie
Ottoman Lyric Poetry: An Anthology, Expanded Edition
Edited and translated by Walter G. Andrews, Najaat Black,
and Mehmet Kalpakh
Ottoman Lyric Poetry
An Anthology
EXPANDED EDITION
Edited and translated by
Walter O. Andrews, Najaat Black,
and Mehmet Kalpakh
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON PRESS
Seattle and London
This edition published with t~ assistance of a grant from the
Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Turkish Republic.
Copyright © 2006 by the University of Washington Press
Originally published by the University of Texas Press, 1997
Printed in the United States of America
11 10 09 08 07 06 5 4 3 2 1
University of Washington Press
P.O. Box 50096
Seattle, WA 98145-5096, USA
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
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permission in writing from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ottoman lyric poetry: an anthology / edited and translated by
Walter G.Andrews, Najaat Black, and Mehmet Kalpakh.-Expanded ed.
p. cm. - {Publications on the Near East}
Poems in English translation and original Ottoman Turkish.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-295-98595-X (alk. paper)
1. Ghazals, Turkish-Translations into English.
1. Andrews, Walter O. II. Black, Najaat, 1955-III. Kalpakh, Mehmet, 1964-
IV. Publications on the Near East, University of Washington.
PL235.087 2006
894'.35108-dc22 2006002201
The paper used in this publication is acid-free and 90 percent recycled from
at least 50 percent post-consumer waste. It meets the minimum requirements
of American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of
Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984.
Contents
Preface to the 2006 Expanded Edition ix
Acknowledgments xi
Poet's Preface xiii
A Note on the Pronunciation and Transcription
of Turkish xv
OITOMAN LYRICS: INTRODUCTORY ESSAY 3
THE GATHERING OF DESIRE 25
Nesimi
1. Oh my idol 27
Ahmed-i Da'i
2. The torture of the beloved 28
Sheyhi
3. Your sun-face 29
4. It's the season of spring 31
Ahmet Pasha
5. Ask about my wailing 32
The Mejlis: Gathering of Desire 33
6. Is there any heart 35
Nejati
7. Those glances rain down arrows 36
8. The heart is pleased 39
9. Those tulip-cheeked ones 41
10. Spiraling, the sparks 43
Iskender/A lexander, HlZlr, and the Fountain
of Eternal Life 45
MihriHatun
11. I opened my eyes 49
12. At times, my longing 50
13. My heart burns 51
v
Contents
Zeynep Hatun
14. Remove your veil 53
Revani
15. What do you say 54
Lami'i
16. Yesterday I saw 55
lati
17. Oh heavens, why do you cry 56
The Pleasantries of Zati 57
Hayren
18. We are not slaves of Suleyman 59
Figaoi
19. My sad heart is burnt black 60
The Cosmos and the Earth 61
20. Your kiss does not satisfy 63
Fevri
21. The arrow of your glance 64
Hayali
22. They do not know how to search 66
23. We are among those 68
24. When dawn hennas her hands 69
The Story of Leyla and Mejno.n 70
Fuzilli
25. Oh God, don't let anyone 74
26. If my heart were a wild bird 75
27. For long years 76
28. The pointed reproach of the enemy 77
Hiisrev, Shtrin, and Ferhad 78
Nisayi
29. We are the Mejnun 82
Fabulous Birds 84
Nev'i
30. We don't need the cup of pleasure 87
31. Help me, oh sapling 88
BaIti
32. That tyrant 90
33. Oh beloved, since the origin 93
34. The fountain of my spirit 95
vi
Contents
35. If only the bud would open 96
36. Sparks from my heart 97
37. Your rebellious glance 98
Yahya Bey
38. Come wander through the city 100
39. Poetry holds the written veil 101
RuM
40. Curse the thorns of fate 103
Sheyhulislam Yahya
41. Saki, offer the cup 104
42. Let the hypocrites 105
43. Is there no heart 106
The Down on Your Cheek 107
Nef'i
44. That black drunken eye 109
45. Those who painted my portrait 111
46. The heart is both the cup and the wine 112
Sheyhulislam Bahayi
47. Oh cry, what are you doing 113
Nabi
48. When we watch the spinning of the sky 114
49. In the garden of time and destiny 115
50. At the gathering of joy 116
ROml's Mirror 118
Na'ili
51. We are the snake 122
52. My tears became desire 124
53. Since the thunderbolt of disaster 126
54. What witch are you 128
Poetic Parallels 129
Neshati
55. We are desire 131
56. You're gone-I'm alone 132
57. The sky's face has turned dark 133
Nedim
58. At the gathering of desire 134
59. When the east wind 135
60. As the morning wind blows 136
61. Take yourself to the rose-garden 137
62. Delicacy was drawn out 140
vii
Contents
Koja Ragtb Pasha
63. Dark thought is revealed 142
Rasih Bey
64. Don't lower your languid eyes 143
Fltnat Hamm
65. In a heart 144
Esrar Dede
66. In the ruins 145
67. You left, but don't forget 146
The Indian Style 147
Sheyh Galib
68. You are my effendi 149
69. I won't abandon you 151
70. To me, love is the flame 153
Siinbiilzade Vehbi
71. Oh east wind, come 155
Enderunlu Vaslf
72. The gazelles have bound their hearts 156
'izzet Molla
73. Everyone knows 157
74. I am a nightingale 158
Yenishehirli 'Avni
75. Don't think we came to ask 159
NOTES 161
THE POETS 209
OTTOMAN TURKISH TEXTS 269
OTTOMAN SCRIPT TEXTS 307
Bibliography 331
viii
Preface to the 2006 Expanded Edition
Ottoman Lyric Poetry was a publishing success for a book of translations
from Ottoman Turkish. According to an unscientific survey of our colleagues,
it was widely used in classes ranging from history to world literatures. It also
attracted readers and reviewers from outside academia, and, as a result, the
paper version sold out in a surprisingly short time. It remains the only book
of its kind and a significant number of scholars whom we respect have urged
us to bring it back into print. The result is this expanded edition undertaken
by the University of Washington Press.
This new edition comes at a time when the part of the world once
dominated by the Ottomans is, perhaps, more at the forefront of general
awareness in the English-speaking world than it has ever been. However,
because this increased awareness is rooted in unspeakable tragedies, it will do
little to heal our world unless it helps to generate a mutual understanding
that reaches beyond surface divisions and enmities to a core of love and
spiritual yearning that we all share. One may not be able to achieve such an
understanding solely by struggling to appreciate Ottoman love poetry, but
it is not a bad place to start.
We would be remiss if we did not mention that, in addition to the
resources mentioned in the Introduction, we (Kalpakh and Andrews) have
published The Age of the Beloveds, a far-ranging study of early-modem Ottoman
love and love poetry in a comparative European context, that serves well as
a companion to this volume. Prominent among other recent resources for
encountering Ottoman poetry in English are Victoria Holbrook's translation of
$eyh Galip's mystical narrative Beauty and Love (translation) and Hiisn-ii ~k
(text), and Shirine Hamadeh's forthcoming study of eighteenth century Ottoman
architecture, which contains copious translations of poetry about architec
tural products. We hope that such resources, combined with our Anthology,
will enable more teachers to offer courses in English on Ottoman literature
and to include Ottoman literature in more general literature courses as well.
ix