Wishing #Ramadan mubarak to all those observing the holy month/ Ramazan ayınız mübarek olsun

In 1896 the #Ottoman newspaper Servet-i Fünun featured a drawing of a mosque adorned with illuminations spelling ‘merhaba’ (hello) to greet Ramadan. But the picture came with a story...

Inside is a piece by the newspaper’s editor, Ahmed İhsan. He loved the atmosphere and meaning of Ramadan, so he decided to write a reflection on the holy month in his newspaper. I’ll let him tell his own (slightly edited for space) story:

Kalemi kağıdı elime almış, muhterem karilerime bir ramazan sohbeti yazayım demiştim.

I picked up my pen and paper, and said to myself that I’d write a Ramadan note to my esteemed readers.

Bir hayli müddet önümdeki kâğıt beyaz durdu, gözlerim bir nokta-i mevhumeye matuf kaldı, fikrim yukarıdaki mülahazat ile meşguldü.

For a fair bit of time the page in front of me remained blank, my eyes staring into the distance, my mind occupied with the task.

Odaya giren gazetemizin muharrir-i edebisi, Tevfik Fikret Bey, yazıhanenin üzerinden bana atıf eylediği nazar-ı isticvabkarane ile adeta 'Ne düşünüyorsun?' diyordu

Our literature writer, Tevfik Fikret, gave me a quizzical look from his desk that asked, ‘What's on your mind?’

Sual-i sakitanesine şu cevabı verdim:
-Musahabe-i ramazaniye yazacağım
- Ben manzume-i ramazaniye yazdım, işte bak. Bu gecenin mahsulu

“I’m going to write a Ramadan piece,” I replied to his silent question.
He replied, “I just wrote a Ramadan poem, look, this evening’s work.”

Musahabemizin kısm-ı hissisini tezyin etmek benim tasvir edemediğim, yazamadığım fikirlere tercüman olmak üzere manzumeyi buraya nakl eyliyorum:

To illustrate the emotion of our discourse, I’m posting his poem here as a translation of the ideas that I couldn’t express or write:

Ta çocuklukda mah-ı gufranın
Şöyle bir levha-ı mutahharda
Bana manzur olurdu timsali:

Since my childhood, the month of mercy has become for me a symbol of clear purity;

İçi samt ü sükun ile mali
Ulu bir mabed-i münevverde,
Nazır-ı iltifatı Mevlanın

In a space of inner silence and calm, a great sanctuary of light, is the gaze of the Creator

Münatıf sayegah-ı minberde
Bir vücud-i nahif ü bi-tabe:
Ki daraatla serbehak-ı sücud,

In the angled shadow of the minbar there’s a sense of weakness and exhaustion, but, with the head grounded in prostration,

Leb-i hamuşu lerzenak-ı dürud;
Sanki bigane rahat ü habe,
Bir ümid-i cinanla perverde...

The silent heart beats in prayer with an unfamiliar ease and repose that nourishes a hope of heaven…

Muttasıl zikr eder, ibadet eder;
Bin huşu’ ü hulus ü hürmetle
Her sücudunda çeşm-i hakbini.

It continually recites, it prays; with a thousand submissions and devotions and venerations, in every prostration is the eye of the believer.

Sıyırıb perde perde zulmetini
Sermedi bir safa-yı ruyetle
Seyr-i firdevs-i mahremiyet eder.

Slowly scraping away the darkness, a clarity of insight reveals itself, taking a journey to a private paradise.

Gah pür-cezbe-i temaşadır,
O zaman sanki arş-ı yezdanı
Görür enzar-ı giryebariyle;

It is a momentary scene of total ecstasy, that time when one sees the heavenly constellations with a tear-filled gaze;

Gösterir dest-i sübhadariyle,
Gösterir bir lika-yı handani…
O gülen id-i neşve bahaşadır

By putting prayer beads in your hand it puts laughter on your face, that smiling festival that gives only joy

#RamadanMubarak