Turning copper into gold became their goal
but how could they have forgotten the soul?

As long as men has been on this earth,
blood has been shed for a pinch of golds worth.

Yet, gold it is simply another stone.
And men have given less value to bone.

For this Allah kept the alchemists prize
in the hands of those who heard peoples cries.

When they turned to use its power
it was their souls that towered

Transformation
became

Transfiguration

Enough of learning, my friend!
To it there is never an end
An alphabet should do for you,
It’s enough to help you fend.

You’ve amassed much learning around,
The Quran and its commentaries profound.
There is darkness amidst lighted ground.
Without the guide you remain unsound.

Learning makes you a Sheikh or his minion,
And thus you create problems trillion.
You exploit others who know not what,
Misleading them with wild opinion.

You meditate and you say your prayers
You go and shout at the top of the stairs.
Your cry reaching the high skies,
Its your avarice which ever belies.

The day I learnt love’s lesson,
I plunged into the river of divine passion;
An overwhelming gale, I was confounded and lost
When Shah Inayat cruised me across.

- Original Punjabi
-Biography available here.

BAKHTI

(Sultan Ahmed I)

1026 Hijra [1617 AD]

Buy ersa jan meshammina fasl-i baharden

O THAT a fragant breath might reach the soul from early spring !
O that with warbling sweet of birds the groves once more might ring !
O that in melody the songs anew might rose-like swell !
That fresh in grace and voice the nightingale be heard to sing !
O that the New Year’s Day were come, when minding times gone by, *
Should each and all from Time and Fate demand their reckoning !
In short, O BAKHTI, would the early vernal days were here,
Then, ‘midst the mead, ne’er should we part from brink of limpid spring.

[ Source: Ottoman Poems ]
[ Published: 1882 ]
[ Translated by: E J W Gibb ]

* Nev-Rus, “The New Day”, the first day of the new year with the ancient Persians, is the “New Year’s Day” of the Muslim poets. It is the day when the Sun enters Aries.

In response to this previous Gazel from Hafiz Pasha, Sultan Murad IV responded:

TO Relieve Bagdad, O Hafiz, man of tried might, is there none?
Aid from us thou seek’st then with thee host of fame bright, is there none?
“I’m the Queen the foe who’ll checkmate,” thust it was that thou didst say;
Room for action now against him with the brave Knight, is there none?
Though we know thou hast no rival in vain-glorious, empty boasts,
Yet to take dread vengeance on thee, say, a Judge right, is there none?
Whilst thou layest claim to manhood, whence this cowardice of thine?
Thou are frightened, yet beside thee fearing no fight, is there none?
Heedless of thy duty thou, the Rafizi’s have ta’en Bagdad ;
Shall not God thy foe be? Day of Reckoning, sure, right, is there none?
They have wrecked Ebu-Hanfia’s city through thy lack of care ;
O in thee of Islam’s and the Prophet’s zeal, light, is there none?
God, who favoured us, whilst yet we knew not, with the Sultanate,
Shall again accord Bagdad, decreed of God’s might, is there none?
Thou hast brought Islam’s army direful ruin with thy bribes ;
Have we not heard how thou say’st : “Word of this foul blight, is there none?”
With the aid of God fell vengence of the enemy to take,
By me skilled and aged vezir. pious, zeal-dight, is there none?
Now shall I appoint commander a vezir of high emprize,
Will not Khizar and the PRophet aid him? guide right, is there none?
Is it that thou dost the whole world void and empty now conceive?
Of the Sevene Climes, MURADI, King of high might, is there none?

—
[ Source: Ottoman Poems ]
[ Published: 1882 ]
[ Translated by: E J W Gibb ]

The Grand Vezir (First Minister), Hafiz Pasha, wrote to Sultan Murad IV a Gazel:

ROUND us foes throng, host to aid us here in sad plight, is there none?
In the cause of God to combat, chief of tried might, is there none?
None who will checkmate the foe, Castle to Castle, face to face?
In the battle who will Queen-like guide the brave Knight, is there none?
Midst a fearful whirlpool we are fallen helpless, send us aid!
Us to rescue, a strong swimmer in our friends’ sight, is there none?
Midst the fight to be our comrade, head to give or heads to take,
On the field of eart a hero of renown bright, is there none?
Know we now wherefore in turning off our woes ye thus delay :
Day of Reckoning, aye, and question of the poor’s plight, is there none ?
With us ‘midst the foesman’s flaming streams of scorching fire to plunge.
Salamander with experience of Fate dight, is there none?
This our letter, to the court of Sultan Murad, quick to bear,
Pigeon, rapid as the storm-wind in its swift flight, is there none?

—
[ Source: Ottoman Poems ]
[ Published: 1882 ]
[ Translated by: E J W Gibb ]

His story gives keen insight to the character of the Ottomans from poets to lions, from the same book:

Hafiz Pasha (1632), the Grand Vezir who, early in the reign of Murad IV, made an unsuccessful attempt to recover Baghdad from the Persians. A melancholy interest is attached to this brave and gifted but unfortunate officer, by reason of his tragic fate - a fate which, un happily, has been the lot of too many Ottoman ministers. The story runs thus: The disaffected sipahis of the capital, incited, it is said, by Rejeb Pasha, a rival of Hafiz, broke into open revolt and demanded the head of the Vezir, along with those of many of his associates. The following day they forced their way into the sacred precints of the Seraglio itself, and there repeated their demand. Murad, the recently ascended Sultan, loved Hafiz and would fain have saved him ; and he in vain tried to appease the infuriated rebels. The noble Vezir, in an adjoining apartment, had made the ablution of those about to die, now came forth and stood before the Sultan, and said: “My Padishah, may a thousand slaves like Hafiz die for thee.” Stooping, he kissed the ground, and repeated the words used by the Muslim in the last extremity : ” In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate ! There is no strength nor any power save in God, the High, the Mighty : God’s we are, and verily to Him we return.”

Then he strode forward towards his murderers ; a well-aimed blow laid the foremost on the ground, the next instant the Pasha fell pierced by seventeen wounds. A janissary knelt upon his breast and severed his head from the body. Before the Sultan retired he addressed to the assassins these bold words :

“If God wills, vile murderers, ye shall meet with terrible vengeance - ye who fear not God, nor are shamed before the Prophet!” They little headed the threat ; but they soon discovered that he who uttered it never menaced in vain ; and many were doomed to die ere the blood of Hafiz Pasha was avenged.

–

Such beheading murderers exist today, as we have all seen. But even then the ruler of Muslims said that such things were barbaric and in contrary to what the message of Islam was. They were criminals under an Islamic empire then, and they are criminals now, nothing more.

Gazel

Ey wujud-i kamilin esrar-i hikmet masdari

O THOU Perfect Being, Source whence wisdom’s mysteries arise ;
Things, the issue of Thine essence, show wherein Thy nature lies.
Manifester of all wisdom, Thou art He whose pen of might
Hath with rays of stars illumined yonder gleaming page, the skies.
That a happy star, indeed, the essence clear of whose bright self
Truly knoweth how the blessings from Thy word that flow to prize.
But a jewel flawed am faulty I: alas, for ever stands
Blank the page of my heart’s journal from thought of Thy writing wise.
In the journal of my actions Evil’s lines are black indeed ;
When I think of Day of Gathering’s terrors, blood flows from my eyes.
Gathering of my tears will form a torrent on the Reckoning Day,
If the pearls, my tears, rejecting, He but view them to despise :
Pearls my tears are, O FUZULI, from the ocean deep of Love ;
But they’re pearls these, oh! most surely, that Love of Allah buys!

Fan verma gam-i ‘ishqa ki ‘ishq afet-i jan dir

[ Source: Ottoman Poems ]
[ Published: 1882 ]
[ Translated by: E J W Gibb ]

Some facts extracted from the book on the author:

His real name was Muhammad - nicknamed Qara Fazli, “Black Fazli”, and was son of a saddler of Constantinople. In youth he was a dervish of the Khalveti Order, and in civil occupation a clerk ; his love of poetry, however, attracted him first to Nejati and then to the poet-laureate, Zati, whose disciple he became.

He proceeded through service under Princes and Sultans until he was appointed Secretary of State in the year 970 A.H. (1562 C.E.) by Sultan Selim II. He died one year later. Rahmatullahalaih

Ramiz Pasha - Gazel

Gunnul oldusa da misdaq-i nass-i Esrefu ya Rabb

ALTHOUGH my hear the truth of Those who wrong themselves doth show, O Lord!
In virtue of the words Do not despair, Thy love bestow, O Lord! *
Beside the mead of truth and calm make aye my soul to go, O Lord!
My virtue’s rose to tint and scent as captive do not throw, O Lord!
From vain attachments’ stain wash pure and clean my heart as snow, O Lord!
Against me place no Thou the loathsome pool of lies of foe, O Lord!
The burning pain of exile no relief can ever know, O Lord!
Enow, if Though the camphor-salve, the dawn of hope did show, O Lord!
Thy slave is RAMIZ; unto none save Thee doth he bend low, O Lord!
Before Thy mercy’s gate his tears from eyes and eyelids flow, O Lord!

[ Source: Ottoman Poems ]
[ Published: 1882 ]
[ Translated by: E J W Gibb ]

Notes:

*”Say, ‘O my servants who have wronged their own souls!’ do not despair of the mercy of God ; verily God forgiveth sins, all of them; verily He is forgiving, merciful (Quran xxxix 53)