The script of the poetic Hacı Bektaş-i Veli Velâyetnâmesi manuscript by Ali Nihanî is almost identical in terms of similarity, and it is extremely clear that it was penned by the same person... The M3 Manuscript, like the author’s copies, is also located in the National Library and is registered under the number 06 Mil Yz A 5300. The manuscript was copied by Ali Baki, the son of Sıdkî Baba, who was a disciple, lover, and poet of Ali Nihanî.
It is understood from the poem titled “The Date Stated by the Humble Scribe Ali Baki Regarding the Date of Copying” that it was copied in 1951. Additionally, at the end of the manuscript, in the section titled “The Attributes of Ahmed Cemâleddin and His Spiritual Successor Sıdkî Baba and the Author of the Book Ali Nihanî Efendi,” after mentioning the life story of Sıdkî Baba and his relationships with Shaykh Feyzullah Efendi and his sons Ahmed Cemalleddin and Veliyüddin, information is given about the author Ali Nihanî. The features of this manuscript can be listed as follows: M3 National Library 06 Mil Yz A 5300 Title of the Work: Velâyet-nâme-i Hâcı Bektâş Author: Hâcı Bektâş-i Veli Horâsânî Copyist: Ali Bâki Date of Copying:
Dimensions
230 x 147–190 x 110 mm.
Leaves
Lines
21 (Double Column)
Script
Taʿlīq
Paper
With watermark
Binding
In a brown leather binding with a sunburst and chain motif.
Beginning
Come, O heart, utter the Name of the True One first
For His name is preeminent over all names
End
If you wish for Nihânî’s conclusion to be dated
Ask for the initiative of Feyzu’llâh Efendi
The copyist Ali Baki sometimes included his own poems at the end of sections in the work. In this way, he wrote six poems within the text and, at the end of the text, a mawlid and a poem titled ilticaname... The O1 Manuscript, registered under number 124 in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Atatürk Library, Osman Ergin Manuscripts, was copied by Mehmed Nuri b. Ali b. İbrahim b. İsmail b. Ali on 19 Shawwal 1312 AH, 15 April 1895 CE.
S E D AT K A R D A Ş
It was copied in the year 1895. At the end of the work, the copyist wrote a six-couplet chronogram titled “The Date of the Completion by the Humble Scribe.”
The features of the manuscript are as follows:
O 1
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Atatürk Library Osman Ergin Manuscripts 124 (O.E. Yz. 124)
Title of the Work
Velâyetname-i Hacı Bektaş-ı Velî
Author
Nihani
Copyist
Mehmed Nuri b. Ali b. İbrahim b. İsmail b. Ali
Date of Copying
19 Shawwal 1312 AH (15 April 1895 CE)
Dimensions
225×170, 180×115 mm.
Leaves
137 folios
Lines
23 (Double Column)
Script
Taʿlīq
Binding
In a plain red binding
Beginning
Come, O heart, utter the Name of the True One first
For His name is preeminent over all names
End
If you wish for Nihânî’s conclusion to be dated
Ask for the initiative of Feyzu’llâh Efendi
Besides these manuscripts, there is another copy mentioned by Abdülbaki Gölpınarlı, which we could not access. Gölpınarlı provides the following information about the copy said to belong to Ahmet Ateş: “It is bound in plain cardboard. The book measures 30.5 x 13, 17 x 9. The titles are written in red. There is a red frame on the page margins. Each page contains nineteen lines, and each line contains a couplet. It was written by Mehmed Tevfik Baba from Erzincan, and the copying was completed on the eleventh day of Shaʿban 1313 (1896).” 3. THE METHOD FOLLOWED IN THE TEXTUAL EDITION In this study, while publishing the text, the language and orthographic features of the 19th century were generally taken into account, and the following points were observed: 1.
A sequence number was given for every five couplets. The folio numbers of the M2 manuscript, which was taken as the basis of the text, are given on the left side of the text before the couplet numbers (such as 1b, 2a, 2b). Gölpınarlı, Vilâyetname, Menâkıb-ı Hünkâr Hacı Bektaş Veli, XXXVII.
A L İ N İ H A N Î ’ S POETIC HÂCI BEKTÂŞ-I VELÎ VELÂYETNÂMESİ 3. Arabic and Persian phrases, couplets, quotations, wise sayings, etc., were transcribed in Latin letters and included in the text. The full texts of verses (āya), hadith, and aphorisms appearing in the text are provided under the heading “Quotations,” together with their original script, transcribed form, and Turkish meanings. In the text, a footnote refers to the relevant section.
Section headings were written in lowercase letters, with the initial letter capitalized. Their Turkish translations are given in parentheses under the headings. Various additions and textual repairs made necessary by meaning or meter are indicated in square brackets [ ]; next to words and couplets that could not be understood despite being read, a (?) sign is placed. In the in-text translation/Simplified text section, couplets without a predicate, i.e., couplets whose meaning is not complete in themselves, are indicated with (...). The following couplet then begins with a lowercase letter. For the Persian feature “vāv-i maʿdūle,” the (ˇ) sign is used, as in «ˇâce. In the text, except for the –Ip, -Up suffix in the example gelüb>gelip, vowel harmony was observed, while for consonants, the author’s preferences were followed and consonant harmony was not observed.
For example: etdi, çıkdı, √a…dır, meclisde, etc. For consonants in the root of the word, the author’s preferences were also followed: as in †urur. In the spelling of the preposition için, if it is written together in the text, it is included with the word (anınçün; irşadiçin; paresiçün, etc.); when the preposition ile is written together with the word for the sake of meter as “-la”, “-le”, a buffer y is inserted (seninle, ismiyle, etc.). In the spelling of Arabic and Persian words, dictionaries were generally followed. For example: ser-ā-ser and berāber are written as such in the dictionary, so they are used as such in the text. However, Persian compound words and suffixes are separated by a hyphen (-) (reh-rev, reh-revān, bī-jān, etc.); Arabic words such as resulullah, veliyullah, estağfurullah are written together without any sign.
Special cases such as meter irregularity, rhyme problem, or meter difference are mentioned in the footnotes. Meter is indicated at the beginning of the text and at the beginning of each section, and if there are meter changes, they are indicated separately at each change. In the spelling of words with shadda, meter is also observed (e.g., ◊a…’ıñ is written as ◊a…’ıñdır).
S E D AT K A R D A Ş
14. Of the two author’s copies of the work, one is a fair copy of the other. Therefore, in the textual edition, the latest author’s copy, the M2 manuscript, was taken as the basis of the text. Other manuscripts were also used in constructing the text, and this is indicated in the footnotes where necessary. In the work, sometimes b’s are written as p as in the word “پجاغى”, and c’s as ç as in “اچل”. Such spelling errors were not deemed necessary to indicate in the apparatus. In the spelling of words with hamza, such as “¡acâ™ib, ma™il”, the text was followed: if written with yeh in the text, it is written with yeh (¡acâyib, mayil); if written with hamza, it is written with hamza (¡acâ™ib, ma™il).
Explanations in the margin/derkenar of the manuscript taken as the center of the text are indicated in the footnote as “Derkenar: buildings, structures.” In the simplification of the text, the meanings of the words were generally adhered to, and terms were left untranslated as they are.
A L İ N İ H A N Î ’ S POETIC HÂCI BEKTÂŞ-I VELÎ VELÂYETNÂMESİ
TRANSCRIPTION SYSTEM
ﺁÂ
â
ﺍA, E, İ, U, Ü
a, e, i, u, ü
ﺙ
¿
&
ﺡ
◊
√
ﺥ
»
«
ﺺ
~
§
ﺽ
∞,≤
∂ ,≥
ﻃ‰
†
ﻆª
@
ﻉ
¡
¡
ﻍ
∏π
ﻖ¢
…
ﻚÑ
ñ
ﻮV, Û
v, û
ﻱY, µ
y, µ
Hamza
™
™
S E D AT K A R D A Ş
3.3. TEXT AND SIMPLIFICATION
Ha≠â Velâyet-nâme-i ◊âcµ Bektâş-ı Velµ ¢uddise Sırruhû
(This is the Velâyetname of Hacı Bektaş-ı Veli (may his secret be sanctified))
Bismillāh al-Raḥmān al-Raḥīm
Mafāʿīlun / Mafāʿīlun / Faʿūlun318
1b 1
Come, O heart, utter the Name of ◊a… first
For His name is preeminent over all names
O heart! Come, first utter the name of Allah, whose name is above all names.
Come, begin with the name of ◊a…
It is fitting to bring forward the essence of every detail (Uṣūl and Furūʿ)
Come, begin with the name of Allah. It is appropriate to bring forward the essence (Usul and Furu) of every detail.
For His essence of generosity is the source of things.
He is the giver of part and whole, individual and substance.
The source of things is His generous essence. He encompasses the part and the whole, the person and the essence.
His essence is not separate from the names, thus
He is not distant from the creatures.
Because His essence is not separate from the names, Allah is not distant from the creatures.
He is exalted above deficiencies in His attributes.
His attributes have encompassed the six directions.
His attributes are free from deficiencies. His attributes have encompassed the six directions (the world).
Just as the resurrection of substance and accident,
His word and speech are in accordance with meaning.
Just as the resurrection of substance and accident, His word and speech are in accordance with meaning.
He is existent, but His existence is not (like ours).
His generosity has filled the world with His bounty.
He is the one who exists, but His existence is not (like ours). His generosity has filled the world.
He is free from existence and body.
He is purified from form and image.
He is free from existence and body. He is purified from form and image.
His essence is beyond being seen.
He spoke, but He has no voice.
His essence is beyond being seen. He spoke, but He has no voice.
10 If you abandon your existence and reach that Essence,
Then the bird of the soul attains this union.
If you abandon your existence and reach that Essence, then the bird of the soul attains these matters.
He said to Musa, “You shall never see Me”318
Pass beyond your selfhood and see Him.
As He said to Musa, “You shall never see Me,” pass beyond your selfhood and see Him.
Send blessings upon His Prophet,
Who showed us the path of salvation.
Send blessings upon His Prophet, who showed us the path of salvation.
318 See Quotations, No: 1.
A L İ N İ H A N Î ’ S POETIC HÂCI BEKTÂŞ-I VELÎ VELÂYETNÂMESİ
2a
Muḥammad is the guide of the travelers,
Muḥammad is the intercessor for humans and jinn.
Muḥammad is the guide of the travelers; Muḥammad is the intercessor for humans and jinn.
Although we are human, are we only human?
The essence is stone, but is every stone essence?
Although we are human, are we only human? The essence is stone, but is every stone essence?
15 Passing beyond all humanity, he attained Allah’s invitation at that moment.
Undoubtedly, passing beyond all humanity, at that moment Allah’s invitation was fitting.
That great one passed from this world.
That essence abandoned all accidents.
That great one passed from this world. That essence abandoned all accidents.
Passing beyond all that is low and high,
He left behind all that is low and high.
Passing beyond all that is low and high, he left behind all that is low and high.
He reached the station of “two bow-lengths”319
He beheld the eternal beauty face to face.
He reached the station of “two bow-lengths or nearer.” He beheld the eternal beauty face to face.
He attains a rank with no superior,
He attains a union with no separation.
He attains a rank with no superior. He attains a union with no separation.
20 Whoever distinguishes between Aḥad and Aḥmad,
He only does so by adding the mīm in the names and attributes.
Whoever distinguishes between Aḥad and Aḥmad, he only does so by adding the mīm in the names and attributes.
May blessings be upon his Companions and family,
For from them perfection is attained.
May blessings be upon his Companions and family, for from them perfection is attained.
We send blessings upon those who are the trustees over people,
We send salutations as many as the breaths.
We send blessings upon those who are the trustees over people, and salutations as many as the breaths.
On the Reason for Writing the Book
(Mafāʿīlun / Mafāʿīlun / Faʿūlun)319
Come, O nightingale, declare with melody,
Reveal one by one the reason for composing this poem.
Come, O nightingale! Declare with melody. Reveal one by one the reason for composing this poem.
Why did you adorn this rose-garden of letters,
Why did you prepare this house of poetry as a gathering place?
Why did you adorn this rose-garden of letters, why did you prepare this house of poetry as a gathering place?
319 See Quotations, No: 2.
S E D AT K A R D A Ş
25 What I have said is from the karāma (a saintly wonder) of Hacı Bektâş-ı Velî,
From the secret of ʿAlī.
What I have said is from the karāma of Hacı Bektâş-ı Velî, the secret of ʿAlī.
Whoever spoke was not a walī,
Firdausī also turned it into poetry.
Whoever spoke was not a walī. Firdausī also turned it into poetry.
With the passage of time, it became corrupted.
Its leaves were also very worn.
With the passage of time, it became corrupted. Its leaves were also very worn.
In some places, words and letters were erased,
Since its cover did not fit its case, some words and letters were erased.
Since its cover did not fit its case, some words and letters were erased.
A person from the descendants of the walī said,
The illuminator of the radiant light,
A person from the descendants of the walī, the illuminator of the radiant light, said.
30 His name is Shaykh Feyzullāh Efendi,
Angel-faced and beloved by the greatest angels.
His name is Shaykh Feyzullāh Efendi, angel-faced and beloved by the greatest angels.
2b
The true capital of Sultan Balım,
He openly commanded this servant.
The true capital of Sultan Balım, he openly commanded this servant.
To recite the virtues of my ancestor in verse and leave a work,
Expend whatever power you have and devote yourself to this task.
To recite the virtues of my ancestor in verse and leave a work, expend whatever power you have and devote yourself to this task.
Strive with the help of the saints,
May you attain the fortune of this help.
Strive with the help of the saints. May you attain the fortune of this help.
Although I obeyed his command,
I had no talent for poetry.
Although I obeyed his command, I had no talent for poetry.
35 I did not have such merit,
I was not skilled enough in poetry.
I did not have such merit. I was not skilled enough in poetry.
But it is not proper to object to a command.
I said to myself, do as much as you can, do not grieve.
But it is not proper to object to a command. I said to myself, do as much as you can, do not grieve.
Allah said in the Qur’an,
I do not burden a soul beyond its capacity.
Allah said in the Qur’an, I do not burden a soul beyond its capacity.
Let me do as much as I can,
Let me adorn and enliven this bride.
Let me do as much as I can. Let me adorn and enliven this bride.
A L İ N İ H A N Î ’ S POETIC HÂCI BEKTÂŞ-I VELÎ VELÂYETNÂMESİ
O God, grant me help and favor,
Never bring sorrow to my heart.
O God! Grant me help and favor; never bring sorrow to my heart.
40 Prepare all my needs with words and meanings,
Make all my needs ready from beginning to end.
Prepare all my needs with words and meanings; make all my needs ready from beginning to end.
What do I have? All existence is Yours,
Whether prosperity or hardship, all is Yours.
What do I have? Whether prosperity or hardship, all is Yours.
This poem and the poet are Yours,
The voice and words on my tongue are Yours.
This poem and the poet are Yours. The voice and words on my tongue are Yours.
Make this word conform to meaning,
Let this character befit my form.
Make this word conform to meaning. Let this character befit my form.
O God, for the sake of Your pure Essence,
For the sake of the virtues of Hacı Bektaş,
O God! For the sake of Your pure Essence; for the sake of the virtues of Hacı Bektaş...
Complete this poem with the attribute of grace,
Make the twelve imams’ light my helper.
Complete this poem with the attribute of grace. Make the twelve imams’ light my helper.
Seeking Spiritual Help from the Spirit of Hacı Bektaş-ı Velî (may his secret be sanctified)
Repeated Musaddas 1
(Seeking Spiritual Help from the Spirit of Hacı Bektaş-ı Velî (may his secret be sanctified))
Syllabic Meter
I
We begin to describe your attributes, you are the one whose attributes are complete, help us.
Prepare all my needs, you are the one who fulfills everyone’s wishes, help us.
You are the essence of the light of ʿAlī, the best of beings, help us.
You are the refuge of all the helpless, help us.
You are the secret of Ḥaydar, you are Bektâş, the true imam, help us.
You are the true imam, help us. You are the voice and the word, help us.
You are the essence of the light of ʿAlī, the best of beings, help us.
You are the refuge of all the helpless, help us.
You are Bektâş, the secret of Ḥaydar, the true imam, help us.
You are the true imam, help us. You are the voice and the word, help us.