Salacioglu
Encyclopedia
Salacıoğlu was a Turkish Cretan sufi poet of the late 18th century and early 19th century, author of one collection of poetry and of two mesnevis. He also used the pen name
s Salacızade and Salacıdedeoğlu.
Little is known on his life. He was born in Hanya some time before 1756, in which year his father, Sheikh Ahmed Efendi is known to have died, and he died in Kandiye in or some time after 1825, year which is recorded in a number of his late poetry. Through his poems, he is known to have travelled a lot and to have spent a few years in İstanbul
, notably under the teaching of another renowned sufi of his time, Haşim Baba of Üsküdar
.
Aside from his poetry in the Sufi tradition with a strong lyric touch, an important part of his verses were also intended to mark the foundation dates and other information related to public works (such as schools, fountains, other buildings) following the traditional method of ebced (abjad
), a system of enumeration by letters of the Arabic script. His verses composed to correspond with significations according to the ebced system give valuable information on the Turkish
society in Crete
.
Seyâhat ehliyem bir yerde yok temkîn ü ârâmım
Vücûdum Ka’besine bir erin avniyle yol buldum
Egerçi hacc-ı beyt etdim velî eskitdim ihrâmım
Şarâb-ı vahdetin yek cur’asın nûş eyledim bir dem
İçinde mest olup hâlâ o keyfiyyetle sersâmım
Kurulmuş bezm-i aşk câm-ı mahabbet devr eder bir bir
Demem gel iç bu demden sûfî yokdur sana ibrâmım
Ne tâ’at ne ibâdet kaldı oldum kâfir-i mutlak
O dostun aşkı yağma kıldı zühdüm dînim îmânım
Safâlar vaktidir arz-ı cemâl etdim dem-i nevrûz
Bi-hamdi’llâh irişdi izzet ü rif’atle bayrâmım
Salacıoğlu is my name, I am from Hanya in Crete
A man of voyages I am, at no place have I prudence and rest
I found a way to the Kaaba
of my being through one's guidance
Thus did I my pilgrimage of the House
and my garb did I wear out
I drank for a time one gulp from the wine of existence
In ecstasy as I was within, I am still vertiginous from that state
United in love, I see all passing on its cup and each in turn
Thus I say come and drink this wine, but neither way shall I insist
Since no obedience is left, I for one surely became blasphemous
That One’s love plundered my piety, putting it in shatters
But then our hour is an hour of delights, as appears the time of Nevruz
Praise be to God say I, that my day of feast reached me in glory and might
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
s Salacızade and Salacıdedeoğlu.
Little is known on his life. He was born in Hanya some time before 1756, in which year his father, Sheikh Ahmed Efendi is known to have died, and he died in Kandiye in or some time after 1825, year which is recorded in a number of his late poetry. Through his poems, he is known to have travelled a lot and to have spent a few years in İstanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, notably under the teaching of another renowned sufi of his time, Haşim Baba of Üsküdar
Üsküdar
Üsküdar is a large and densely populated municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, on the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered on the north by Beykoz, on the east by Ümraniye, on the southeast by Ataşehir, on the south by Kadıköy, and on the west by the Bosphorus, with the areas of Beşiktaş,...
.
Aside from his poetry in the Sufi tradition with a strong lyric touch, an important part of his verses were also intended to mark the foundation dates and other information related to public works (such as schools, fountains, other buildings) following the traditional method of ebced (abjad
Abjad
An abjad is a type of writing system in which each symbol always or usually stands for a consonant; the reader must supply the appropriate vowel....
), a system of enumeration by letters of the Arabic script. His verses composed to correspond with significations according to the ebced system give valuable information on the Turkish
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
society in Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
.
Poetry
Girîdî Hanyavîyem ben Salacıoğlu’dur nâmımSeyâhat ehliyem bir yerde yok temkîn ü ârâmım
Vücûdum Ka’besine bir erin avniyle yol buldum
Egerçi hacc-ı beyt etdim velî eskitdim ihrâmım
Şarâb-ı vahdetin yek cur’asın nûş eyledim bir dem
İçinde mest olup hâlâ o keyfiyyetle sersâmım
Kurulmuş bezm-i aşk câm-ı mahabbet devr eder bir bir
Demem gel iç bu demden sûfî yokdur sana ibrâmım
Ne tâ’at ne ibâdet kaldı oldum kâfir-i mutlak
O dostun aşkı yağma kıldı zühdüm dînim îmânım
Safâlar vaktidir arz-ı cemâl etdim dem-i nevrûz
Bi-hamdi’llâh irişdi izzet ü rif’atle bayrâmım
Salacıoğlu is my name, I am from Hanya in Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
A man of voyages I am, at no place have I prudence and rest
I found a way to the Kaaba
Kaaba
The Kaaba is a cuboid-shaped building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is the most sacred site in Islam. The Qur'an states that the Kaaba was constructed by Abraham, or Ibraheem, in Arabic, and his son Ishmael, or Ismaeel, as said in Arabic, after he had settled in Arabia. The building has a mosque...
of my being through one's guidance
Thus did I my pilgrimage of the House
Kaaba
The Kaaba is a cuboid-shaped building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is the most sacred site in Islam. The Qur'an states that the Kaaba was constructed by Abraham, or Ibraheem, in Arabic, and his son Ishmael, or Ismaeel, as said in Arabic, after he had settled in Arabia. The building has a mosque...
and my garb did I wear out
I drank for a time one gulp from the wine of existence
In ecstasy as I was within, I am still vertiginous from that state
United in love, I see all passing on its cup and each in turn
Thus I say come and drink this wine, but neither way shall I insist
Since no obedience is left, I for one surely became blasphemous
That One’s love plundered my piety, putting it in shatters
But then our hour is an hour of delights, as appears the time of Nevruz
Nevruz
Nevruz was the name of an ancient Assyrian king. He was the son of the forefather Aminu, and would have ruled ca. 2000 BC....
Praise be to God say I, that my day of feast reached me in glory and might
Sources
- Poetry by Salacıoğlu by the Turkish Ministry of Culture in English, in French, in German