Kul Nesîmî

Kul Nesîmî
Personal
Religion	Shia Islam (Twelver or Alevi-Bektashi)
Era	Ottoman
Senior posting
Period in office	17th century
Influenced by Imadaddin Nasimi, Pir Sultan Abdal, Ismail I

Kul Nesîmî, or simply Nesîmî, real name Ali was an Ottoman Alevi-Bektashi poet, who lived in the 17th century in Anatolia.

Very little is known about this poet except that certain political events found an expression in his poetry, such as Ottoman conquest of Baghdad in 1640. He wrote in the same tradition as such earlier poets as Nasimi, with whom he is frequently confused, as well as in the tradition of Ismail I and Pir Sultan Abdal.

Turkish lyrics

English translation

Ben melâmet hırkasını kendim giydim eğnime (eynime) Âr u nâmus şişesini taşa çaldım kime ne Gâh çıkarım gökyüzüne seyrederim âlemi Gâh inerim yeryüzüne seyreder âlem beni Gâh giderim medreseye ders okurum Hak için Gâh giderim meyhaneye dem çekerim aşk için Sofular haram demişler aşkımın şarabına (Sofular haram demişler bu aşkın bâdesine) Ben doldurur ben içerim günah benim kime ne Sofular secde ederler meclisin mihrabına Benim ol dost eşiğidir secdegâhım kime ne Nesimî’ye sordular kim yarin ile hoş musun (Nesimî’ye sormuşlar yarin ile hoş musun) Hoş olam ya olmayayım ol yar benim kime ne (Hoş olayım olmayayım o yar benim kime ne)

I put the coat of modesty on my back myself Smashed the bottle of dignity on the ground, whose concern is it Sometimes I climb up to the sky, observe the world from high above Sometimes I come down on earth, and the world observes me Sometimes I visit the madrasah, study a book in service of God Sometimes I visit the wine house, sip a drink in service of love The devout call it haram, the wine of my love It is my cup, my drink, my sin, whose concern is it The devout bow to prayer before the mihrab of the congregation My place of worship is the house of merriness, whose concern is it They ask Nesimi, are you happy with your lover I am happy or not happy, she is my lover, whose concern is it

References

• Poetry by Kul Nesîmî
• Article in the newspaper Milliyet on Kul Nesîmî (in Turkish)
• Ben Melamet Hırkasını - Alevi-Bektaşi Halk (Semah ve Deyish)