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[FONT="Verdana"]There is an epic about Alexander the Great, written by the Turkish poet named Taceddin Ahmedi. It`s called "Iskender-name", "The book of Alexander the Great" in English.
It`s written in the style called "Mesnevi". Mesnevis are like epics in western poetry. It`s written in couplets but it`s generally quite long.
In Iskender-name, Ahmedi relates the life of Alexander the Great and his conquests of Anatolia and eastern world. According to the style of Mesnevi, he usually exaggerates the events and relates everything in heroic style to glorify the protagonist.
You will probably surprised about the date of the poem. Ahmedi is a 14th century Turkish poet and he wrote Iskender-name in 1390 AD. He presented his work to the son of Beyazit I(Ottoman Sultan of his era) to contribute future Sultan`s education when he was young.
This is an English translation of a short excerpt from Ahmedi`s Iskender-name. Ofc when a poem gets translated to another language than it`s origin, it looses all the prosodic rhymes but this should give you a glimpse of how it is;
This is the PDF of the original Iskender-name in 14th century Turkish, as exactly as Ahmedi wrote. There are 8088 couplets, so it`s quite long epic poem;
It`s written in the style called "Mesnevi". Mesnevis are like epics in western poetry. It`s written in couplets but it`s generally quite long.
In Iskender-name, Ahmedi relates the life of Alexander the Great and his conquests of Anatolia and eastern world. According to the style of Mesnevi, he usually exaggerates the events and relates everything in heroic style to glorify the protagonist.
You will probably surprised about the date of the poem. Ahmedi is a 14th century Turkish poet and he wrote Iskender-name in 1390 AD. He presented his work to the son of Beyazit I(Ottoman Sultan of his era) to contribute future Sultan`s education when he was young.
This is an English translation of a short excerpt from Ahmedi`s Iskender-name. Ofc when a poem gets translated to another language than it`s origin, it looses all the prosodic rhymes but this should give you a glimpse of how it is;
The Book of Alexander the Great
Up and sing! O 'anqa-natured nightingale!
High in every business doth thy worth prevail:
Sing! for good the words are that from thee proceed;
Whatsoever thou dost say is prized indeed.
Then, since words to utter thee so well doth suit,
Pity were it surely if thy tongue were mute.
Blow a blast in utt'rance that the Trusted One,
When he hears, ten thousand times may cry:
"Well done!" Up and sing! O bird most holy! up and sing!
Unto us a story fair and beauteous bring.
Let not opportunity slip by, silent there;
Unto us the beauty of each word declare.
Seldom opportunities like this with thee lie;
Sing then, for th' occasion now is thine, so hie!
Lose not opportunities that thy hand doth find,
For some day full suddenly Death thy tongue shall bind.
Of how many singers, eloquent of words,
Bound have Death and Doom the tongues fast in their cords!
Lose not, then, th' occasion, but to joy look now,
For one day thy station 'neath earth seek must thou.
While the tongue yet floweth, now thy words collect;
Them as Meaning's taper 'midst the feast erect,
That thy words, remaining long time after thee,
To the listeners' hearing shall thy record be.
Thy mementoes lustrous biding here behind,
Through them they'll recall thee, O my soul, to mind.
Those who've left mementoes ne'er have died in truth;
Those who've left no traces ne'er have lived in sooth.
Surely with this object didst thou come to earth,
That to mind should ever be recalled thy worth.
"May I die not!" say'st thou, one of noble race
Strive, then, that thou leavest here a name of grace.
Once unto his Vizier quoth the crowned King:
"Thou, who in my world-realm knowest everything!
With my sword I've conquered many and many a shore;
Still I sigh right sorely: >Ah! to conquer more!'
Great desire is with me realms to overthrow;
Through this cause I comfort ne'er a moment know.
Is there yet a country whither we may wend,
Where as yet our mighty sway doth not extend,
That we may it conquer, conquer it outright?
Ours shall be the whole earth---ours it shall be quite."
Then, when heard the Vizier what the King did say,
Quoth he: "Realm-o'erthrowing Monarch, live for aye!
May the Mighty Ruler set thy crown on high,
That thy throne may ever all assaults defy!
May thy life's rose-garden never fade away!
May thy glory's orchard never see decay!
Thou'st the Peopled Quarter ta'en from end to end;
All of its inhabitants slaves before thee bend.
There's on earth no city, neither any land,
That is not, O Monarch, under thy command.
In the Peopled Quarter Seven Climes are known,
And o'er all of these thy sway extends alone!"
---Ahmedi
Charles F. Horne, ed., "The Sacred Books and Early Literature of the East", (New York: Parke, Austin, & Lipscomb, 1917), Vol. VI: Medieval Arabia, pp. 259-325.
Up and sing! O 'anqa-natured nightingale!
High in every business doth thy worth prevail:
Sing! for good the words are that from thee proceed;
Whatsoever thou dost say is prized indeed.
Then, since words to utter thee so well doth suit,
Pity were it surely if thy tongue were mute.
Blow a blast in utt'rance that the Trusted One,
When he hears, ten thousand times may cry:
"Well done!" Up and sing! O bird most holy! up and sing!
Unto us a story fair and beauteous bring.
Let not opportunity slip by, silent there;
Unto us the beauty of each word declare.
Seldom opportunities like this with thee lie;
Sing then, for th' occasion now is thine, so hie!
Lose not opportunities that thy hand doth find,
For some day full suddenly Death thy tongue shall bind.
Of how many singers, eloquent of words,
Bound have Death and Doom the tongues fast in their cords!
Lose not, then, th' occasion, but to joy look now,
For one day thy station 'neath earth seek must thou.
While the tongue yet floweth, now thy words collect;
Them as Meaning's taper 'midst the feast erect,
That thy words, remaining long time after thee,
To the listeners' hearing shall thy record be.
Thy mementoes lustrous biding here behind,
Through them they'll recall thee, O my soul, to mind.
Those who've left mementoes ne'er have died in truth;
Those who've left no traces ne'er have lived in sooth.
Surely with this object didst thou come to earth,
That to mind should ever be recalled thy worth.
"May I die not!" say'st thou, one of noble race
Strive, then, that thou leavest here a name of grace.
Once unto his Vizier quoth the crowned King:
"Thou, who in my world-realm knowest everything!
With my sword I've conquered many and many a shore;
Still I sigh right sorely: >Ah! to conquer more!'
Great desire is with me realms to overthrow;
Through this cause I comfort ne'er a moment know.
Is there yet a country whither we may wend,
Where as yet our mighty sway doth not extend,
That we may it conquer, conquer it outright?
Ours shall be the whole earth---ours it shall be quite."
Then, when heard the Vizier what the King did say,
Quoth he: "Realm-o'erthrowing Monarch, live for aye!
May the Mighty Ruler set thy crown on high,
That thy throne may ever all assaults defy!
May thy life's rose-garden never fade away!
May thy glory's orchard never see decay!
Thou'st the Peopled Quarter ta'en from end to end;
All of its inhabitants slaves before thee bend.
There's on earth no city, neither any land,
That is not, O Monarch, under thy command.
In the Peopled Quarter Seven Climes are known,
And o'er all of these thy sway extends alone!"
---Ahmedi
Charles F. Horne, ed., "The Sacred Books and Early Literature of the East", (New York: Parke, Austin, & Lipscomb, 1917), Vol. VI: Medieval Arabia, pp. 259-325.
This is the PDF of the original Iskender-name in 14th century Turkish, as exactly as Ahmedi wrote. There are 8088 couplets, so it`s quite long epic poem;
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