1. Look at Istanbul's new Sadâbad1 construction!
Its air and water give life to man's creation.
2. O gentle breeze, have you seen anything so grand,
For ages you've swept across Iran and Turan's land.
3. O heavens, be just, O sun that adorns the world, have mercy,
If there's an equal, let it be known and placed beside thee.
4. I too know not the source of such soul-reviving grace,
Perhaps Khidr2 planted the seeds of eternal life in this place.
5. What an everlasting blessing is that tall and slender cypress tree,
Even if a single drop of your water touches its peak, it flourishes freely.
6. What a state it is, that your smoke moistens the parched hyacinth,
Should the morning breeze touch the fires of hell with a breath so faint.
7. Such abundant grace flows in the tumult of new spring,
That it reaches the heights of the sky's grand offering.
8. Unusual colors have made the desert fully bright,
As mountains echo with the nightingale's desperate flight.
9. Impatient and without endurance, it makes a rose appear,
A smile that can't fit upon the bud's joyful frontier.
10. Like a prayer answered, it ascends to the throne's height,
Where pure water flows through the path of light.
11. Do you have such musk, a bit of its dust, I must confess,
O if I could send some with the breeze to the ruler of Khotan's grace3!
12. If a person were to embark on a boat within the Cedvel-i sim4,
They could reach even the very edge of paradise.
13. If there were a likeness of the designs in your palace,
Would Gaffari not have written it in his work Nigaristan5?
14. If in the times of Khosrows or Ferdowsi it were,
Would Ferdowsi not have honored it in the Shahnameh6?
15. O spirit of Nushirvan! O spirit of Jem! Listen:
I do not get carried away by the historians who just praise-7
16. -Neither of you have possessed such a work (Shahnameh); by swearing allegiance to the ancient fate.
17. People say: "You've made an empty promise to to the ancient gods; because it was created before the celestial ones, it is faithless, infidel; who regards its oaths? who believes in them?"
18. True. In your time, universe was faithless
The hearts were bound with endless sorrow's hue.
19. But now, since the decree of Sultan Ahmed,
It nurtures the universe and now is fully Muslim
Translated by: Mehmet Barın Erturan
- Sâ’dâbad: During the Tulip Era in Istanbul, under the reign of Sultan Ahmed III (1703-1730) and Grand Vizier Nevşehirli Damat Ibrahim Pasha (1717-1730), the Sâdâbâd entertainments were held in the Kağıthane district near Alibeyköy. These festivities, which took place around the Sâdâbâd Palace, featured various activities such as boat rides, feasts, and performances, attracting notable figures from Istanbul society. The period was marked by extravagant celebrations, often continuing until dawn on moonlit nights. However, opposition to these festivities grew over time, culminating in the Patrona Halil Rebellion, leading to the downfall of Damat Ibrahim Pasha and Sultan Ahmed III, and the destruction of the Sâdâbâd Palace and its surroundings in 1730. One of the notable works associated with this era is a song by the poet Nedim, which captures the spirit of the Sâdâbâd entertainments (pronounced as SA as in “salsa”; DA as in Russian word for “yes”; BAD as “but” with a “-d” as the last sound.) ↩︎
- al-Khiḍr, a legendary Islamic figure endowed with immortal life who became a popular saint, especially among sailors and Sufis ↩︎
- Huten, Eastern Turkistan, is famous for its musk deer. Nedim, with this verse, implies that even the soil of Sâdâbâd prefers the musk of that place over its own. ↩︎
- “Cedvel-i sim” refers to a silver channel. It is the name of one of the channels opened in Sâdâbâd during that period. ↩︎
- Gaffari is one of the Iranian poets. “Nigâristan” is a compendium containing many of his stories. The word ‘Nigâristan’ refers to a ‘house of idols,’ which is a place where each corner is filled with beauty worthy of worship. Nedîm implies in this verse that the paintings and decorations in the Sadabad palace are so exquisite that they are beyond comparison. This is why Gaffari didn’t include them in his works. ↩︎
- Kisrâ is the title of Nûshirvân, one of the ancient Persian kings, which later became the title given to all rulers of the Sassanian dynasty.
Ferdowsi is a famous Iranian poet, and the Shahnameh, which is Iran’s national epic, is. ↩︎ - Two sasanian rulers who believed in “the ancient religion” (zoroastrianism) and were mentioned in Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh ↩︎