The Raider from Eflak: Mehmed II poem as primary source for his relationship with Radu the Handsome
"See how that Turk of Cathay has drunk a cup of red wine and rushed forth to murder and plunder the land of the heart!" g. 71
Este é o primeiro dístico (beyit) do gazal 71 que, junto com outros 83 gazals, compõe o diwān de Mehmed II, escrito sob o pseudônimo de Avni. Foi recentemente publicado em um único volume editado pelo Professor Muhammet Nur Doğan (2016, edição trilíngue turco otomano/turco moderno/inglês).
Esse gazal 71 mostrou-se um dado definitivo para comprovar a descrição que Chalkokondyles (e também o chamado Anônimo de Zoras, com diferenças), em sua obra Histórias, faz do incidente entre o sultão e Radu e que foi datado no início do segundo sultanato daquele (fevereiro de 1451).
Lendo o gazal 71 em minha cópia do Fâtih Dîvânı ve Şerhi, num dia de verão, ouvi um clique distante que me fez acessar o Wikipedia para comparar o gazal com o parágrafo "batata quente" do historiador grego Chalkokondyles, na época ainda publicado no verbete Radu the Handsome (mas que, meses mais tarde, foi "censurado", muito provavelmente por editores turcos e/ou romenos).
Lendo todos os 8 dísticos desse gazal, fui reconhecendo - palavra por palavra - o parágrafo do historiador grego: desde o início, com a festa e as bebidas oferecidas, até o perdão concedido por Radu que, finalmente, deu início ao relacionamento dos dois. Embora, como em quase todos os gazals, o Professor faça seus Comentários (Şerhi) sobre a estilística do poema, oferecendo detalhes eruditos que mostram seu notável conhecimento do persa antigo, além do turco otomano, claro, e também do sitema Sufi e de sua presença na lírica persa e otomana com suas filosofias, metáforas, figuras de linguagem.... Mas o Professor Nur Doğan ignorou esse gazal. Embora pareça óbvio para qualquer pessoa que tenha conhecimento da biografia de Mehmet II e, portanto, do parágrafo de Chalkokondyles e da figura enevoada do voivode Radu III da Valáquia, o editor da obra, em seus comentários eruditos sobre a poética Sufi, das alusões cristãs que os próprios muçulmanos gostavam de trazer para suas poesias, etc., escolheu ignorar a obviedade do gazal 71: a descrição a capite ad calcem do incidente descrito nas Histórias do autor grego do século XV.
Para provar minha afirmação, vou colocar os cinco primeiros dísticos do gazal seguidos de seu correspondente segundo Chalkokondyles e segundo minha observação. Durante as análises de cada dístico, vou também propor novas leituras diante da nova e mais clara luz lançada pela análise isenta do gazal.
Ao final, vou destacar um fato extraordinário que, por sorte, Nur Doğan deixou para que eu decifrasse com uma ajudinha da IA -- pois estamos no século XXI!
It happened that the sultan was almost killed by the boy when he had wanted to have sex with him. This was when he had first gained the throne and was preparing to campaign against Karaman. He was in love with the boy and invited him for conversation, and then as a sign of his respect he invited him for drinks to his bedchamber. The boy did not expect to suffer such a thing from the sultan, and when he saw the sultan approaching him with that intention, he fought him off and refused to consent to intercourse with him. The sultan kissed the unwilling boy, who drew a dagger and struck the sultan on his thigh. He then fled in whatever direction he could find. The doctors were able to treat the sultan’s wound. The boy had climbed up a tree there and was hiding. When the sultan packed up and left, the boy came down from the tree, began his journey, and, shortly afterward, arrived at the Porte and became the sultan’s lover [Chalkokondyles, Histories].
1. See how that Turk of Cathay has drunk a cup of red wine and rushed forth to murder and plunder the land of the heart!
... He was in love with the boy and invited him for conversation, and then as a sign of his respect he invited him for drinks to his bedchamber.
Algumas imagens precisam ser explicadas antes de organizar o raciocínio.
O uso de Turk of Cathay é uma trope literária e significa, para a poesia otomana, a pessoa amada, que entretanto é cruel, implacável, que faz o amante sofrer ao submetê-lo a pilhagens de todos os tipos, como um nômade turco das estepes! (Nota: importante destacar que a língua turca não possui artigos que diferenciem os gêneros masculino e feminino; este fato, por coincidência, permite que os poemas sejam, eles próprios, uma importante figura de linguagem da poesia clássica otomana -- Īhām, "criadores de dúvida" em persa.)
Wine, para a poesia otomana, simboliza a Paixão, o Desejo. É a imagem do "Proibido" (haram), numa alusão a bebidas alcoólicas, proibidas ao muçulmano pio.
Agora vamos à leitura combinada dos dois textos.
Na minha opinião, não tem como desvincular os dois textos. Funcionam, para mim, como se uma única informação fosse dada em duas funções textuais distintas: a referencial e a poética.
Existe uma [muito] interessante complementariedade entre os dois autores, a qual, infelizmente, não pode ser provada no momento - partindo para atacar o coração de Avni (o pseudônimo de Mehmed II, seu nom-de-plume), o invasor (raider) consegue seu intento, deixando Mehmed/Avni in love. Se acreditarmos nessa complementariedade, vemos que, no texto histórico, Mehmed é o sujeito ativo, ou seja, "he was in love with the boy". Mas, no gazal, quem inicia o ataque é o Turk of Cathay, que, depois de beber a taça de vinho, atacou impetuosamente o coração do poeta. Portanto, a primeira vítima da história teria sido realmente Radu -- vítima alvejada pelo Desejo e pela Paixão pelo jovem sultão.
Embora, como eu já disse, não temos como provar nada com relação a esta história de amor, posso buscar na biografia de Radu um fato:
Also, it can be easily infered that, with Vlad away in Wallachia, Radu was received in Manisa by Mehmed, who may have became his warder. (Nif is only 22km away from Manisa!)
Existe uma fonte primária com a informação de que Radu fora "enviado para servir ao sultão [sic]" em Manisa, quando, antes, vivera sob os cuidados do seu irmão mais velho, Vlad (o futuro Vlad III da Valáquia, o Empalador) na fortaleza de Nif. Quando Vlad foi enviado pelo sultão Murad II para reclamar o trono da Valáquia, é justo pensar que Radu, à época com 9 anos, passou a ser de responsabilidade do Império Otomano enquanto refém político (agora talvez como garantia da palavra de Vlad?).
Interessante que a fortaleza de Nif localiza-se há pouco mais de 20 quilômetros de distância do que fora o sanjac de Manisa, governado por Mehmed. Portanto, nada mais lógico do que acreditarmos que Mehmed, à época com 16 anos e com um filho de 1 ano (o futuro Beyezid II), tenha recebido a incumbência de ser guardião do jovem Radu.
Com isto, quero chegar à história do Turk of Cathay. Parafraseando Avni (mais especificamente, o quarto dístico): Será tão estranho assim que o solitário Radu tenha se afeiçoado ao seu guardião? 😌 E será tão estranho que, em uma grande festa, Radu tenha se deixado levar pelas emoções e partiu para atacar o coração do novo sultão [Ah, o mesmo coração que tantos problemas trouxe para Mehmed II...], aquele que era responsável por sua proteção? Eu acredito que não é assim tão estranho. E logo vou explicar por quê.
2. Than cheek has gracefully cast rose leaves to the wind. That body has swayed and sauntered and cast the lovely cypress in the dirt.
The boy did not expect to suffer such a thing from the sultan, and when he saw the sultan approaching him with that intention, he fought him off and refused to consent to intercourse with him.
3. That furious glance has drawn a knife to stop the kiss on the lips - how can one's heart ever desire such a greeting?
The sultan kissed the unwilling boy, who drew a dagger and struck the sultan on his thigh.
4. Roses have bloomed afresh on the spring cheeks of the beloved - is it strange, then, if lovers like nightingales go out to take in the view?
The boy had climbed up a tree there and was hiding. When the sultan packed up and left, the boy came down from the tree...
Aqui é que vou explicar por que tenho certeza de que Radu foi o sujeito ativo da mudança de estado da relação refém X captor (embora "captor" não seja bem o termo para Mehmed, ou mesmo Murad, pois os rehim eram entregues, e não tomados).
Quem vai atrás de seu agressor? Aqui entram algumas teorias, inclusive a da Síndrome de Estocolmo. Muito que bem. Sabendo da existência desse gazal e entendendo um pouco mais das caracerísticas de um refém político e de seu papel no esquema político da época e do local, eu simplesmente não acredito tão vorazmente na Síndrome de Estocolmo. Claro que a complexidade da psiquê humana não dá margem a respostas diretas; são muitas nuances e, principalmente, contextos absurdamente diferentes tanto no tempo quanto no espaço (o que inclui cultura, religião, status social etc.). Com relação a afetos humanos, tudo - simplesmente Tudo é possível. Mas eu acredito na Poesia... e também um pouco em Chalk, o historiador grego. E também acredito em quase 25 anos de lealdade comprovada, tanto de um quanto do outro.
5. And is it strange if I give my life for the life-giving ruby lips of the wine boy, lips that cast Jesus out of this derelict church?
A cereja do bolo foi para....mim ;)
O sistema poético perso-otomano se utiliza de vários recursos literários, destaca-se o uso intenso de figuras de linguagem (em turco, sanatı), algumas bastante rebuscadas e que necessitam de um conhecimento brutal do persa e do árabe para que as sutilezas da mensagem que o poeta pretende comunicar, muitas vezes escondida nas entrelinhas de cada verso, seja percebida pelo leitor.
Meu interesse aqui, para este artigo, é a anfibologia, ou ambiguidade, ou duplo sentido. Īhām, que significa "criar dúvida" em persa, é a figura retórica que
capturing a deliberate phonological and graphic duality that Sultan Mehmed II engineered into the text. In the Arabic script, Kadd-i (قدı) and Kadî (قاضی) are visually and phonetically entangled.
- The Romantic Layer: The beloved's agile stature (Kadd-i) is so grand that it physically throws the beautiful cypress tree to the ground out of shame.
- The Legal/Judicial Layer: The beloved acts as a literal Judge (Kadi). With absolute legal authority and "agility" (swift justice), this Judge sentences the proud, towering cypress tree to the earth (hâke salar), humbling it before the court of love.
This essay intends to plounge into the divan of Mehmed II, that is, a collection of poems written between 1450 and 1470 aproximately. More exactly, I intend to have a few poems, and specially the poem 71 (of which I have detached the verse above) to prove that Chalkokondyles' anecdote is historically correct, and, also, that Mehmed himself, on his exercices in poetry, here and there alludes to the difficult beggining of his love affair with Radu (and not only the beggining, but sometimes the whole process of that relationship!). Also, although there has to be some careful conclusions about the meaning of poems and verses (when the divan culture is full of patterns of imagery), the reader cannot help it but link what the poet wrote to the realities that, by means of Chalkokondyles, we know now.
The verse above is taken ou of the ghazal 71, specifically from the beggining of the ghazal. By means of one metaphor, one that is common to the kind of poetry influenced by Persian poetry, the Beloved is called "Turk from Cathay". It is important to say that, in Persian poetry, the Beloved is always described as a cruel lover; the Beloved is often acting very badly towards the heart-smashed, tear-drinking Lover. Turk of Cathay would be a Mongol, that is, a cruel persecutor, a bandit, stealing hearts, and killing the Lover. "Cup of wine" is another image very common to divans: it is Passion, Love, Desire. These informations are important because they set the scenario for what comes next -- in the poem. (I also like to think that "drinking a glass of wine" is so interesting as to refer to the drinks Chalkokondyles says Mehmed offered to Radu on their meeting... It is like a whole system of imagery coming to life for them, coincidently.)
This paragraph has been the cause of much especulation, and superficial considerations, specially on the Internet. Not to mention the detractors, who simply wave it away as unimportant, a mediaeval falacy. Or, on the other hand, something so embarassing that should be avoided, or erased (as has happened on Wikipedia under the "Radu III the Handsome" entry).
But, as I intend to show here, it is useless: it describes tit for tat what happened on that day (or night, who knows)
I will try to expose the interpretation to this text in the light of logical arguments.
As was stated in the essay "Begginings: rehin", shehzade Mehmed met Radu probably around 1447/1448, when young Vlad was sent to Wallachia to occupy the throne of his dead father. It is understood by the written sources that Radu was sent to Manisa, where Mehmed was the governor. It is very possible that Mehmed was his warder due to the fact that Radu was very young, and Vlad was gone.
And so we come to Chalkokondyles', and the change is radical. There we see Mehmed into hard courtship towards the 12-year old Radu, because of "love" or, according to a second translation, "because of his beauty".
"(...) and then as a sign of his respect he invited him [...] to his bedchamber".
There are a few interpretation (interpretation of translation...) problems regarding the original Greek text, and, of course, the time-linear, odd text does not help much in terms of clarity. "Bedchamber", in the original, interestingly appears as "κοιτών", and besides meaning "inner chambers", "bredroom", it can mean "bed".
(...) and invited him for conversation, and then as a sign of his respect he invited him for drinks to his bedchamber. The boy did not expect to suffer such a thing from the sultan, and when he saw the sultan approaching him with that intention, he fought him off and refused to consent to intercourse with him(...)
The translation is not clear at all. There is no logic in that Radu would be caught by surprise following an invitation for conversations in Mehmed's most private chamber (quoting: 'The boy did not expect to suffer such a thing from the sultan'). A meeting, or a date (which seems to have been the case) would not upset the boy so much. It'd make much more sense if, by that sentence, it could be understood that Radu was caught by surprise as Mehmed sexually assaulted him. So we have Mehmed forcing Radu to activities on a bed after inviting him for a private date. And this statement of mine is corroborated by the quote above, which would not make sense if we consider "κοιτών" merely a chamber in a house.
Here it should also be noted that Radu seems to have promptly agreed to follow Mehmed to a romantic date on the inner recesses of the Edirne palace. That also will confirm the belief (mine and also of some very few authors) that Radu was romantically aware of Mehmed, and (unecessary to say in a way) vice-versa.
"Avni, that stealer of hearts left you like a beggar at his front door"
So -- why no consent? Why the knife attack? We will never know what went on in Radu's mind, but it could be a guess that the Wallachian was expecting a cuddling, kisses, and Sultan's favour - probably even hoping for Sultan's protection out of romantic attachment. But it seems that Radu was not expecting the sexual act, which, between men, can be a little upsetting when one partner is culturally used to it (and is married, has a child, and has wounds from battles etc.), and the other is too Christian and young to be totally aware of how it goes: it can be furious, and the Aries Mehmed says of himself:
"Desire and patience; one abounds, the other, I lack"
Not the most patient and gentle of lovers given his fame of violent temper. "No is no", back then, was better understood with a knife stuck on ye tigh. Ugh.
"The merchandise of union with you is worth life itself. Those who have seen it have told us so." (D. 15)
I love this verse. It is so vividly describing how the physicians brought over to heal the painful wound told Mehmed that it could have killed him but for - what? - centimetres if only the knife have reached the femural vein that runs in the tighs of mammals...
Now, it is necessary to have a quick idea on what Sufi poetry and its figures of language are, and how it should enter the subject as means of understanding the hidden (purposeful or not) meanings contained in the paragraph.
(more a date than a talk -- we will see it later when I will bring up the subject of the Sufi poetry and its patterns of language)
In Sufi poetry (and there is a lot to say about the Sufi poetry and its images -- but that will have to wait a bit longer to be posted here), "wine" (or "drink") means offering of passion, love [or in a less Sufic sense, sex].
This sentence has a subtile information, and it is that Mehmed knew and trusted Radu enough to bring him into the inner chambers of the Palace.
I can almost (but without proof) suggest that "conversations" is more like what we know as "foreplay", i.e. they were cuddling, but Mehmed (the Conqueror-to-be) wanted more. And, as polite as a courtier can be, or a foreigner chronicler should be, the use of "conversations" was best used than anything else ;P ...
Let me repeat that Radu was 12-13 years old at that time (in my story, 14), and this is the age at which boys in Turkey could enter into love relationships with older men or those equal to them in age. At 12, Mehmed ascended the throne, and at 15 he became a father. The age of consent for marriage for young men in Byzantium began at 14.
It is likely that Radu and Mehmed could have been close before this incident, but not so close that their strong friendship turned into something more serious, much more intimate.
" He invited him to feasts and passionately offered him a cup, then called him to the bedroom . " From the Greek "κοιτών" - inner chambers, bedroom. The term is also associated with the word "κοίτης" - bed, from which, curiously, comes the biblical term "ἀρσενοκοίτης" - arsenokoites , literally reclining with a man; sodomy. The term used in this context has a deep subtext. If Mehmed invited Radu to his bedchamber, this expressed his trust.
I, personally, do not think that they were "close", and had a friendship back then, having studied and trained together, as some writers believe. It is, nevertheless, very probable that Mehmed was his warder when Radu was transfered from the fortress of Nif to Manisa, where the latter was living and ruling as a shehzade (as stated elsewhere on this blog). This paragraph --- which sounds more to me like a court gossip passed on in empty palace corridors --- is enough proof that they were very aware of each other even during the stay in Manisa, and this is quite enough as well for me to infer that both had a 'thing' for each other. I admit that Radu, on that delicate position of being a lonely hostage, might have considered a closeness to shehzade Mehmed a necessity as well (perhaps even the first reason for the development of a closeness, if that may be considered a conscious move...), but, as a story which we already know the end (a long love story), as Chalk describes the boy turning back and going to the Porte, I also know that Radu was emotionally involved.
"" (D. 71)
It is always thought that the young Radu, then 12, was a helpless victim of a truculent and violent, turbaned Eastern ruler -- we can see that on most Hollywood movies, like Dracula Untold, in which Mehmed is a grown man (when actually, in 1451, he was 19). Although in the age they lived, children would grow up and be considered capable enough of ruling an Empire (when Mehmed first ascended the throne, he was 13), they were adolescents. There is, therefore, no talkings about "paedophilia", as it has been many times shouted at in discussion fora in Internet.
"That furious glance has drawn a knife to stop the kiss on the lips - how can one's heart ever desire such a greeting?" (D. 71)
It happened that the sultan was almost killed by the boy when he had wanted to have sex with him. This was when he had first gained the throne and was preparing to campaign against Karaman. He was in love with the boy and invited him for conversation, and then as a sign of his respect he invited him for drinks to his bedchamber. The boy did not expect to suffer such a thing from the sultan, and when he saw the sultan approaching him with that intention, he fought him off and refused to consent to intercourse with him. The sultan kissed the unwilling boy, who drew a dagger and struck the sultan on his thigh. He then fled in whatever direction he could find. The doctors were able to treat the sultan’s wound. The boy had climbed up a tree there and was hiding. When the sultan packed up and left, the boy came down from the tree, began his journey, and, shortly afterward, arrived at the Porte and became the sultan’s lover [Chalkokondyles, Histories].
**Avnî (Fatih Sultan Mehmed) - Gazel**
Bu beyit, Fatih Sultan Mehmed'in **Avnî** mahlasıyla yazdığı Divan'ında yer alan **74. Gazel**'e aittir.
---
**Gazelin Tamamı**
Kaddin fırkatıyla gözümden akan kanlu yaşumu
Bahr itse yirdür ağlamakda bağrum bağlayup nâyı
Lebün arzûsiyle cane belâlar irşürür dilber
Sana gitsün revâdur virürsem bir tatlu canayı
Çü kıldın gönlümün tahtında masnû' ey melek-sîret
Perîlerden yapılma kasr-ı şîrîn ü mu'allâyı
Cemâlün mushafın kıldun mücellâ hat-ı sebzünle
Görenler sandılar âyât ile tazîn olmış ihya'yı
Ayagı toprağına yüz sürer her dem şehâ Avnî
Hudâ bende-i fermân eylemişken berr ü deryâyı
---
**Açıklama (Son Beyit)**
> *Ayagı toprağına yüz sürer her dem şehâ Avnî*
> *Hudâ bende-i fermân eylemişken berr ü deryâyı*
**Anlamı:** Ey padişahım/sevgili! Allah, Avnî'ye karaları ve denizleri emri altına (boyun eğmiş bir kul) vermişken; o yine de her an senin ayağının toprağına yüz sürer.
This line is a classic couplet from Classical Turkish Literature (Divan Poetry) by Nesîmî (or poets of a similar period), containing mystical and metaphorical meanings..
The word-for-word meaning and explanation of the verse in modern Turkish is as follows:
📑 Meaning in Modern Turkish
"You have made the Qur'an of your face, with its green hairs (calligraphy) on your cheek, into a bound book that shines brightly."
🔍 Word-by-Word Analysis
• Cemâlün: Your face, your beauty.
• Mushaf: The Mushaf (the written form of the Quran). In classical Ottoman poetry, the beloved's face is likened to the Mushaf due to its perfection and sanctity.
• You did: You performed, you accomplished.
• Mujella: Polished, buffed, clear.
• Hat-ı sebzün: Green hairs / beard. In classical Ottoman literature, the light, fresh hairs newly grown on the beloved's cheek are called "hat," and their color is likened to green (sebz). It also evokes the green decorations and writings on the edges of the Quranic pages.
💡 Literary and Mystical Interpretation
In this verse, the poet compares the beloved's face to a sacred book ( mushaf ). The fine, fresh hairs ( hat-ı sebz ) newly appearing around the face form the binding and border decorations of this sacred book.
Poets influenced by the Hurufism movement in particular (such as Nesîmî) viewed the features of a human face, its eyebrows and hair, as letters or verses inscribed with divine secrets. In this line, the poet expresses that the beauty of the beloved's face gains a complete and perfect manifestation (appearance) with those green lines.
If you are looking for the continuation of this couplet, or if you would like me to detail the authorship of the complete poem and its literary analysis , you can let me know.
Comments
Post a Comment