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The Musical Composition Called "Nawasar" [Naw-aSar âyîn-é Sharîf]

[Mevlevi Composer: Rif`at Bey, 1820-1896]

FIRST SALâM (Birinci selâm)

a Persian rubâ`î:

We have no beloved other than God in this world and the next.

(And) we have no other occupation except the
remembrance of God.¹

The yearning of the heart (is from) Shams, the Truth of Tabriz,

(And) we have no view in the mirror other than him!

mâ dar dô jahân ghayr-é khodâ yâr na-dâr-êm
joz yâd-é khodâ hêch degar kâr na-dâr-êm
mushtâq-é del-o jân shamsu 'l-Haqq-é tabrîz
dar âyena joz way dîdâr na-dâr-êm


from a Persian mathnawî:

"May he be the manifestation of God in the world!"
"From moment to moment he sees clearly the Beauty of God."

In such a way our Mevlana spoke,² the one who is our perfect
chief and wise [guide].

maZhar-é Haqq bâsh-ad ô-râ în jahân
dam ba-dam bîn-ad jamâl-é Haqq `iyân
în chon-ân-ke goft mevlânâ-yé mâ
ân-ke pîr-é kâmil-o dânâ-yé mâ


from a Persian ghazal:

That Phoenix of Love returned from Mt. Qaf;³ he came back by
means of the soul, yelling and shouting about Love!

Love made a loud call in a low voice: "O heart, fly up and look on
top of Love;

Look at Shams-i Din, the King of the people of Tabriz: the joy of
pure souls (and) the eye of the hearts of Love."

bâz az ân kôh-é Qâf âmad anqâ-yé `ishq
bâz bar âmad ze-jân na`re wo hayhâ-yé `ishq

`ishq nidâ-yé boland kard ba-âwâz-é past
k-ay del bâlâ be-par be-negar bâlâ-yé `ishq

be-n'gar dar Shams-é Dîn, khosraw-é tabrîziy-ân
shâdî-yé jân-hâ-yé pâk, dîda-yé del-hâ-yé `ishq

[by Jalâluddîn Rûmî, Dîwân-é Kabîr, Ghazal 1311, lines 13876,
13883-84]


from a Persian ghazal:

Welcome, O everlasting soul (and) wish-fulfilling king! (And O)
spirit-giver of every (happy) conjunction planets in each
oonstellation!

This world and the next are both the slaves of your command: if
you don't want (them), destroy them; and if you continue to want
(them), keep them!

By means of Shams-i Tabriz, (this) body of earth is like a universal
alchemical elixir: send the power of that elixir upon their copper!⁴

marHabâ, ay jân-é bâqî, pâdshah-é kâmeyâr
rûH-bakhsh-é har qirân-o âftâb-é har diyâr

în janân-o ân jahân har dô ghulâm-é amr-é tô
gar na-khwâh-î bar-ham-ash zan, w-ar hamê khwâh-î
be-dâr

jism-é khâk az shams-é tabrîzî chô kullî kîmiyâ-st
tâbesh-é ân kîmiyâ-râ bar mes-é îshân gomâr

[by Jalâluddîn Rûmî, Dîwân-é Kabîr, Ghazal 1066, lines 11234-35,
11242]


SECOND SALâM (Ikinci selâm)


from a Persian ghazal:

I returned, I returned; I returned from the presence of that beloved.
Look at me! Look at me! I returned for your sake, suffering (with)
longing!

bâz âmad-am bâz âmad-am az pêsh-é ân yâr âmad-am
dar man negar dar man negar, bahr-é tô gham-khwâr âmad-am


THIRD SALâM (Ü&ccelil;üncüselâm)


from a Persian ghazal:

You have spoken secrets within my heart, and you have burned up
(every) occupation for my sake.

Thoughts about you (are) filling hearts with longing, (and) your
beauty (is) the splendor of gardens.

Since the lights of Shams-i Tabriz shined (upon us), we are safe
from Hell and from (its) fires!

[(Since) Shams-i Tabriz (came) to your city of
love, (our) boat is safe from all enemies]⁵

ay be-gofta dar del-am asrâr-hâ
w-ay barâ-yé banda pokhta kâr-hâ

ay kheyâl-at gham-sâr-é sîn-hâ
ay jamâl-at rawnaq-é golzâr-hâ

nûr-hâ-yé Shams-é Tabrîzî chô tâft
îman-êm az dûzakh-o az nâr-hâ

[shams-é tabrîzî ba-shahr-é `ishq-é tô
kashtî îman az hama aghyâr-hâ]

[by Jalâluddîn Rûmî, Dîwân-é Kabîr, Ghazal 177, lines 1985-86,
1993]

from a Turkish ghazal:

Oh, a thousand praises for a sultan as this! (For) those who are his
slaves become kings and emperors.

Today, whoever trustingly humbles himself before Walad⁶ will,
if a poor man, become a prince (and) if a prince, will become a
sultan.⁷

ey ki hezar âferin bu nice sultan olur
kulu olan kiSiler hüsrevü hâkan olur

her ki bugün Velede inanuben yüz süre
yoksul ise bay olur bay ise sultan olur

[by Shamsuddîn AHmad Aflâkî, d. 1353]⁸


from a Persian ghazal:

You are the ground for the seeker of God, you are; you are not in
need of seeking.

They are a [single] letter and you are [all] the words and
the letters and the book. You are the Gabriel (riding) on
the Burâq⁹ of the Prophets, and of God.

în khâk-é Talab-kâr-é khodây-îd khodây-îd
Hâjat ba-Talab nêst shomây-îd shomây-îd

Harf-and-o kalâm-îd-o Hurûf-îd kitâb-îd
jibrîl-é burâq-îd-o rasûl-ân khodây-îd


from a Persian ghazal:

In my house I found a sign from the king:¹⁰ a ruby ring and a belt,
special to a certain mine.

He had come last night and taken away my sleep--my heart-
soothing king and a confidant of the soul!

dar khâna-yé khwad yâft-am az shâh neshânê
angoshtarî-yé la`l-o kamar khâSa-yé kânê

dôsh âmada bûd-ast-o ma-râ khwâb be-borda
ân shâH-é del-ârâm-am-o ân maHram-é jânê

[by Jalâluddîn Rûmî, Dîwân-é Kabîr, Ghazal 2633, lines 27927-28]

from a Turkish ghazal:

O heart, the call to prayer¹¹ is sufficient for you in this world and the
next, (concerning) this (which) is One: know well that it is
imposssible for it to become two!

God will say, "What (place) is there for you in the middle? (Since)
in the realm of only Me, viewing yourself is a defect."

Strive with contentment, look at (your) shakles, and release
yourself! For the seeker of mystical knowledge in this world, the
mystical concert is sufficient!

ey dil bu yeter iki cihanda sana iz'ân
birdir bu iki olmaGa yok bilmiS ol imkân

Hak söyleyicek sende senin ortada nek var
âlemde heman ben didi gindir sana noksân

seyeyle riza gözle ko itlâkile kaydI
âlemde semai bu yeter salike irfân

[by Dêwâna MeHmet Chelebî]¹²


FOURTH SALâM (Dördüncü selâm)


from a Persian ghazal:

O lovers, O lovers: Master Rumi is coming! O sincere ones, O
sincere ones: Master Rumi is coming!

ay `âshiq-ân ay `âshiq-ân Mollâ-yé Rûmî mê-ras-ad
ay Sâdiq-ân ay Sâdiq-ân Mollâ-yé Rûmî mê-ras-ad


--translated from Persian, Arabic, and Turkish by Ibrahim
Gamard
©Ibrahim Gamard (translation, footnotes, & transliteration), 12/99
and 9/04

Translation words and transliterations are based on the best edition
of Rumi's Divan (by Foruzanfar) based on the earliest manuscripts,
so there may be minor differences in wording with what has been
published or musically recorded in Turkey.



NOTES

¹The remembrance of God: this is one of primary spiritual
practices of Islamic mystics, or sufis.

²In such a way our Mevlana spoke: refers to some of the teachings
in the Masnavi of Jalaluddin Rumi, where he speaks of how the
Divine Attributes manifest in the saintly worshipper of God.

³Mt. Qaf: refers to a legendary mountain conceived as surrounding
the world, where dwells a miraculous bird called "sîmorgh" or
"`anqâ."

⁴that copper: refers to the transforming "alchemy" of mystical
love.

⁵from all enemies: this verse has been added to the original nine
verses of Rumi's ghazal; the added verse has the same meter and
rhyme.

5 ⁶Walad: a word play on the name of Rumi's son and successor,
Sultan Walad, or Veled. The literal sense of this line is: "whoever
trustingly rubs his head (on the ground in surrendered obeisance)
to Walad."

⁷will become a sultan: means a "spiritual king."

⁸Aflaki: the first and last lines from a ghazal by Shamsuddîn
AHmad Aflâkî. The entire poem occurs at the end of Golpinarli's
book, "Mevlânâ'dan sonra Mevlevilik" in a section called "Samples
of Mevlevi (Turkish) Poetry," where he includes four poems by
Aflaki.

⁹Burâq: the miraculous steed upon which the Prophet Muhammad
rode into the Heavens on the Night Journey [mir`âj].

¹⁰king: symbolizes the spiritual master, the beloved, and ultimately
God, the King of all the Universes.

¹¹the call to prayer: another example of how orthodox Islamic terms
are used in sufi love poetry to refer to the human beloved, who
ultimately symbolizes God (so such usages are not blasphemous,
as they might appear to one who does not understand Islamic
mystical symbols.

¹²this is by the Mevlevi poet, Divane Mehmet Celebi: it is quoted at the end of Golpinarli's "Mevlâna'dan sonra Mevlevilik" (see the
fifth selection in a section containing his verses