Abstract:

In this article Azmī Pīr Mehmed’s Persian commentary on Hāfiz-i Shīrāzī’s ghazal with the repeated-voice “garīb” is discussed. Azmī Pīr Mehmed, who was one of the XVI. century scholars and the teacher of şehzade Mehmed (III), wrote this commentary for Murad III after having been dismissed from his teaching position at the Rustem Pasha Madrasa. The XVI. century is a period in which the palace clique were effective in the appointment of scholars. As the leading scholars of this period Ebussuūd Efendi, Hoca Saʿdeddin Efendi, Bostanzāde Mehmed Efendi, Çivizāde and Malūlzāde played a prominent role in many appointments. Especially Saʿdeddin Efendi leaded the scholars and made most of the designations by himself. For this reason, some scholars who did not have a close relation with the aforementioned scholars tried to convey their troubles to the sultan or the şehzades with the poems and treatises they wrote. Azmī, who worked as a şehzade’s teacher for a short time, is one of these scholars. After having been dismissed from his teaching position at the Rustem Pasha Madrasa Azmī wrote a commentary on Hāfiz’s ghazal with the repeated-voice “garīb” (poor) in order to best describe his own situation because he knew the sultan’s interest in Sufism. Two more Turkish ghazals have been added to the end of this commentary which includes entirely mystical concepts and words. In this study the influence of Hāfiz-i Şirāzī on Ottoman poetry and commentary literature is presented, and then Azmī’s life and works were examined. After this part, the Persian commentary text is analyzed and its translation into Turkish is given. Finally the two Turkish poems at the end of the text are discussed.