The poem exchange between Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent and Prince Beyazid during his imprisonment in Safavid Empire
The poems written by Prince Bayezid to his father, Suleyman the Magnificent, in which he sought forgiveness (but was denied by his father) are famously known as “Prince Bayezid's Response” poems.
They are considered amongst the saddest texts in Ottoman literature, and the poem exchange happened during his imprisonment in Safavid Empire, shortly before his imminent execution…
Suleyman’s poem to Beyazid
O son, you who have become the embodiment of rebellion and defiance,
O son, you who have never heeded my command,
Would I have harmed you, O my Bayezid Khan, my son?
At least do not claim innocence; repent, my dear son.
For the sake of the prophets and saints, the great souls,
For the sake of Noah, Abraham, and Moses, son of Mary,
For the sake of the Seal of Prophecy, the Pride of the World,
Do not say you are innocent, my dear son, repent.
For Mecnun, who did not bear Adam’s name, the deserts are a resting place,
Those who flee from the proximity of devotion always fall far away,
If you say, “Alas, the pain of separation,”
Do not say you are innocent, my dear son, repent.
Beyazid’s poem to Suleyman
O Sultan Suleiman, my father, ruler of the entire world,
The life of my body, the beloved within my soul, my father,
Would you harm your beloved Bayezid, my father?
I am innocent; God knows, my mighty sultan, my father.
For the sake of Adam, the first of the prophets,
And also for the sake of Moses, Jesus, and Mary,
And for the sake of the Great Spirit, the Lord of the Universe,
I am innocent; God knows, my mighty sultan, my father.
God Almighty has made you the king of the world;
Do not kill your servant and make your enemy laugh, O King.
Do not separate me from the light of my eyes, my sons.
I am sinless; God knows; my noble sultan, my father.
Let my two hands be drenched in blood from head to toe.
This is the saying: “What if a servant commits a sin?”
Forgive Bayezid’s sin; do not slay this servant.
I am innocent; God knows, my noble sultan, my father.
