Elegy for Prince Mustafa (Poem)

Taşlıcalı Yahyâ Bey’s (d. 1582) Şehzâde Mustafa Mersiyesi was composed following the execution of Şehzâde Mustafa, son of Kanûnî Sultan Süleyman, in 1553, and is one of the most renowned mersiyes in Classical Turkish literature. The work stands out for its critique of the political climate of the time and its elevation of social grief into poetic language. It is also known as the Kanûnî Hicviyesi.

The mersiye is a terkîb-i bend consisting of seven stanzas, each with ten lines. It is written in the meter mefâ‘ilün / fe‘ilâtün / mefâ‘ilün / fe‘ilün, a technical choice employed to support the emotional undulations of rising and falling feeling within the poem.

Mustafa’s death provoked widespread sorrow and outrage among the Janissaries, intellectuals, and the general populace; numerous mersiyes were composed in response, among which Yahyâ Bey’s elicited the most powerful resonance. The poet served as a voice for the sentiments of the era by explicitly implicating Grand Vizier Rüstem Paşa and, indirectly, Kanûnî himself.

The original text and its modern Turkish explanation are as follows:

Meded meded bu cihânuñ yıkıldı bir yanı

Ecel Celâlîleri aldı Mustafâ Han’ı

Help! Help! One side of this world has collapsed

The agents of death seized Mustafa Han

Tulundı mihr-i cemâli bozuldı dîvânı

Vebâle koydular âl ile Âl-i Osmânı

The sun of his face set, his council was shattered

They deceitfully cast the Ottoman dynasty into ruin

Geçerler idi geçende o merd-i meydânı

Felek o cânibe döndürdi şâh-ı devrânı

They constantly pulled back the hero of the battlefield

The heavens turned the ruler of the age toward his enemies

Yalancınuñ kuru bühtânı bugz-ı pinhânı

Akıtdı yaşumuzı yakdı nâr-ı hicrânı

The false slander, the hidden grudge

Caused our tears to flow and ignited the fire of separation

Cinâyet itmedi cânî gibi anun cânı

Boguldı seyl-i belâya tagıldı erkânı

He did not commit murder as a criminal would

But his life was drowned in the flood of calamity, his foundations shattered

N’olaydı görmeye idi bu mâcerâyı gözüm

Yazuklar aña revâ görmedi bu râyı gözüm

What if my eyes had never witnessed this event?

Alas! My eyes could not accept such treatment

Ṭonandı aġlar ile nûrdan menâra dönüp

Güşâde-ḫâṭır idi şevḳ ile nehâra dönüp

Dressed in white garments like a minaret of light

His open heart shone like the day with passion

Göründi ḫalḳa dıraḫt-ı şükûfedâra dönüp

Yüridi ḳulları yanınca lâlezâra dönüp

He appeared to the people like a blooming tree

His attendants walked before him like a garden of tulips

Ṭururdı ḥiddet ile şâh-ı cihân nâra dönüp

Otaġı ḫaymeleri ḳarlu kûhsâra dönüp

The Sultan of the world burned with rage

His tents resembled snow-capped mountains

Müzeyyen idi bedenlerle Aḳḥiṣâra dönüp

El öpmege yüridi mihr-i bî-ḳarâra dönüp

Adorned with bodies, he resembled a white fortress

He walked as if the sun could not remain still, seeking hands to kiss

Ṭutuldı gelmedi çünkim o mâh-pâre dönüp

Görenler aġladılar ebr-i nev-bahâra dönüp

The moon’s light was eclipsed and did not return

Those who saw it wept like clouds of spring

Bir ejdehâ-yı dü-serdür bu ḫayme-i dünyâ

Dehânına düşen olur hemîşe nâ-peydâ

This world’s tent is a two-headed dragon

Those who fall into its mouth are never seen again

Ol bedr-i kâmil ü ol âşinâ-yı baḥr-i ‘ulûm

Fenâya vardı telef itdi anı ṭâliʿ-i şûm

That perfect full moon, that master of the sea of knowledge

Perished; ill-fortune destroyed him

Dögündi ḳaldı hemân dâġ-ı ḥasret ile nücûm

Göyündi şâm-ı firâḳında ṭoldı yaş ile Rûm

The stars mourned, forever marked by the wound of longing

Anatolia wept with tears in the evening of his separation

Ḳara geyürdi Ḳaramana ġuṣṣa itdi hücûm

O mâhı ince ḫayâl ile ḳıldılar maʿdûm

Grief stormed Karaman, cloaking it in darkness

They cunningly erased that moon

Ṭolandı gerdenine hâle gibi mâr-ı semûm

Rıẓâ-yı Ḥaḳ ne ise râżî oldı ol merḥûm

A venomous serpent, like a noose, wrapped around his neck

That deceased prince accepted whatever God decreed

Haṭâsı ġayr-ı muʿayyen günâhı nâ-maʿlûm

Zihî saʿîd ü şehîd ü zihî şeh-i maẓlûm

His fault was undefined, his sin unknown

He was a blessed martyr, a wronged prince

Yıḳıldı yer yüzine aṣlına rücuʿ itdi

Saʿâdet ile hemân ḳurb-ı ḥażrete gitdi

That moon laid its face to earth, returning to its origin

With bliss, it departed straight to the presence of God

Getürdi arḳasını yire Zâl-i devr-i zamân

Vücûdına sitem-i Rüstem ile irdi ziyân

The Zal of the age cast him to the ground

Damage came to his being through Rüstem’s injustice

Döküldi gözyaşı yılduzları çoġaldı fiġân

Dem-i memâtı ḳıyâmet güninden oldı nişân

Tears rained like stars, cries multiplied

The hour of death echoed the Day of Judgment

Ġırîv ü nale vü zâr ile ṭoldı kevn ü mekân

Aḳar ṣu gibi müdâm aġlamakda pîr ü cuvân

The universe filled with wailing, lament, and moaning

Both young and old wept without cease, like flowing rivers

Vücûd iline aḳın ṣaldı aḳdı eşk-i revân

Eya serîr-i saʿâdetde padişâh-ı cihân

The flowing tears poured into the realm of the body

O Emperor of the world, seated upon the throne of bliss!

O cân-ı âdemiyân oldı ḫâk ile yeksân

Diri ḳala ne revâdur fesâd iden şeyṭân

That human soul became one with the earth

Is it just that the devil who sows discord still lives?

Nesim-i ṣubḥ gibi yerde ḳoma âhumuzı

Ḥaḳâret eylediler nesl-i padişâhumuzı

Do not leave our sighs on the ground like morning breeze

They dishonored the lineage of our emperor

Bir iki egri fesâd ehli nitekim şemşîr

Bir iki nâme-i tezvîri ḳıldı ḳatlime tîr

A few crooked instigators of discord, like swords

Used forged letters as arrows to kill him

Gelür ezelde muḳadder olan ḳalîl kesîr

Hezâr ḳayserüñ oldı leyâl-i ‘ömri ḳaṣîr

What is destined from eternity, whether few or many, comes to pass

Thousands of emperors’ nights of life became short

Eceldür âdeme derbend-i teng ü târ-ı ‘asîr

Ẓarûrîdür bu ki uġrar aña cuvân ile pîr

Death is a narrow, dark, and harsh pass for humanity

It is inevitable that both young and old must pass through it

Yirini zîr-i zemîn eyledi o mihr-i münîr

Yirini gitdi cihândan niteki merd-i faḳîr

That radiant sun settled beneath the earth

He departed from the world like a humble hero

Bu vaḳı’a olumaz ḫalḳa ḳâbil-i taʿbîr

Ki Erdişîr-i vilâyetde ola ‘âdet-i şîr

This event cannot be explained to the people

As if in the province of Erdeşir, the lion’s custom prevailed

Bunuñ gibi işi kim gördi kim işitdi ‘aceb

Ki oġlına ḳıya bir server-i ‘Ömer-meşreb

Who has ever seen or heard of such a deed

That an emperor of Ömer’s nature would slay his own son?

Ferîd-i ‘âlem idi ‘âlim idi a’lem idi

Muḥammed ümmetine mevti mevt-i ‘âlem idi

He was unique in the world, learned, profoundly learned

His death was to the community of Muhammad as the death of the world

Ziyade mâtem idi ḫaylî emr-i mu’ẓam idi

Ṣalâh u zühdi ḳavî i‘tiḳâdı muḥkem idi

His death was a great mourning, an immense event

He was virtuous, ascetic, and possessed firm faith

Meşâyiḫ ile muṣâḥib ricâle hem-dem idi

Kerâmet ile kerîmü’l-ḫıṣâl âdem idi

He conversed with the sheikhs and was among the noble

He was a man of generosity and noble character

Nücûm gibi cihân-dîde vü mükerrem idi

Vücûdı muḥteşem ü şevketi mu’aẓẓam idi

He was seen by the world like the stars, honored and exalted

His presence was majestic, his dignity immense

Tevaẓuʿ ile selâmında ḫod müsellem idi

‘Aceb o bedr-i tamâmuñ ne ‘âdeti kem idi

Even his humble greetings were well known

What fault could there be in that perfect full moon?

Hayflar oldı aña iftirâ ile gitdi

Ḥużûr-ı Ḥaḳḳa duʿa vü senâ ile gitdi

Alas! He departed through slander

He departed to the presence of God with prayer and praise

Sipihrüñ âyinesinde göründi ruy-i fenâ

Ḳodı bu kesret-i dünyâyı ḳıldı ‘azm-i baḳâ

In the mirror of the heavens, the face of annihilation appeared

He abandoned the fleeting world and turned toward eternal being

Ġarîbler gibi gitdi o yollara tenhâ

Çekildi ‘âlem-i bâlâya hemçü murġ-ı hümâ

He departed alone on those paths like the solitary

He ascended to the higher realm like the Huma bird

Ḥaḳîkaten sebeb-i rif’at oldı düşman aña

Naṣîbi olmasa ṭañ mı bu cîfe-i dünyâ

Indeed, his enemies became the cause of his exaltation

Would one not marvel if this corpse of the world had no share in his fortune?

Ḥayât-ı bâḳîye irişdi rûḥı ey Yaḥyâ

Şefîḳi rûḥ-ı Muḥammed refîḳı zat-ı Ḫudâ

O Yahya! His soul attained eternal life

The compassionate spirit of Muhammad is his companion, and God’s essence is his guide

Enîsi gâyib erenler celîsi ehl-i ṣafâ

Ziyâde ide yaşum gibi raḥmetin Mevlâ

His friend is the unseen ones, the purified souls

May the Lord grant him mercy as abundant as my years

İlâhî cennet-i Firdevs ana ṭuraġ olsun

Niẓâm-ı ‘âlem olan pâdişâh saġ olsun

O Lord! May Paradise of Firdaws be his abode

May the Emperor who brings order to the universe remain well

Contemporary social resonance: Immediately upon its composition, the mersiye rapidly circulated hand-to-hand and mouth-to-mouth, especially among soldiers and civilians, beginning with the Janissary barracks. It is remembered as a masterwork that translated the era’s collective grief into poetic language.

Voice of public conscience: Yahyâ Bey, using phrases “never before uttered in a mersiye,” directly targeted Rüstem Paşa—and indirectly Kanûnî—drawing attention to the conspiracy and voicing the emotions of the masses. In doing so, he made visible the public’s demand for justice and mourning.

Official response and repression: This expression was interpreted by the administration as incitement to military rebellion. Following Rüstem Paşa’s return to the position of Grand Vizier, Yahyâ Bey was exiled to the sanjak of İzvornik under a zeamet grant. Thus, the work became a concrete example of the political cost of poetry.

Dissemination and self-censorship: While the mersiye circulated fearfully and passionately among the people and military circles, Yahyâ Bey never dared include it in his Divan even after the deaths of Kanûnî and Rüstem Paşa. Moreover, the poem functioned as a living text preserving collective memory against the risk of historical erasure under court pressure.

Impact in modern scholarship: The mersiye continues to be studied in contemporary research as a paradigmatic example for both metaphorical analysis (examining societal anger and mourning through conceptual metaphors) and ontological analysis (exploring its layered structure and value system). This reflects its enduring relevance in modern academia.

Additionally, elements of the poem have been dramatized in the contemporary historical series Magnificent Century, evoking the themes of conspiracy, the call to the Janissaries, and irreversibility surrounding Şehzâde Mustafa’s death, as well as the collective sense of mourning. The mersiye continues to influence modern culture, serving as a foundational narrative source in cinema.