Doğan, Hasan

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| 34 A	Prescription	for	Love	Sickness*	Hasan	Doğan					Author:	Faculty	Member,	Faculty	of	Divinity,	Gümüşhane	University	hasan.dogan@gumushane.edu.tr 	ORCID:	0000-0002-5445-6746			Keywords:	Prescription,	Medicine,	Love,	18th	century			Cite	this	article:	Doğan,	Hasan.	“A	Prescription	for	Love	Sickness”	Keshif:	E-Journal		for	Ottoman-Turkish	Micro	Editions	2/1	(Winter	2024):	34-41.		Available	under	https://doi.org/10.25365/kshf-24-01-05.				*	This	article	is	excerpted	from	the	PhD	thesis	“Periodical	(Mecmua)’s	Numbered	Bel	Yz	K0633	in	The	Ataturk	Library	of	Turkey	(Analysis	-	According	to	MESTAP	-	Text)”	published	in	2022	at	Necmettin	Erbakan	University.	_____________________________________________	Article	DOI	10.25365/kshf-24-01-05	Published	online	March	18,	2024	©	2024	Hasan	Doğan,	published	by	Keshif:	E-Journal	for	Ottoman-Turkish	Micro	Editions.	This	 is	 an	 Open	 Access	 article	 licensed	 under	 the	 Creative	 Commons	 Attribution	 4.0.	 International	License	(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Hasan	Doğan,	A	Prescription	for	Love	Sickness│35 Context	A	prescription	describing	how	to	make	a	paste	with	the	power	to	soothe	love-stricken	hearts	is	explained	in	a	multiple-text.	This	anonymously	compiled	anthology	is	housed	in	 IMM	Atatürk	Library	 (Bel	Yz	K0633).	Dated	between	 19	September	 1714	and	3	No-vember	 1739,	 the	 anthology	 includes	 folk	 tales,	 love	 poems,	 allegorical	 works,	 and	fortune-telling	pieces	 composed	 in	 verse.	 For	 recovering	 from	 lovesickness	 and	 	 epi-lepsy,	the	author	offers	to	mix	precise	quantities	of	beautifying	qualities	possessed	by	the	love-stricken	individual.	After	directing	where,	when,	and	how	this	paste	should	be	consumed,	the	author	asserts	that	an	afflicted	soul	will	be	relieved	of	its	sickness	after	consuming	the	prescription	for	forty	days.	The	author	assuages	any	doubt	prospective	consumers	may	harbour	 as	 to	 the	paste’s	 effectiveness	by	boldly	 stating	 that	 anyone	who	does	not	benefit	from	it	is	free	to	curse	him.1	There	are	also	some	spelling	errors	in	the	text,	which	implies	that	it	was	penned	by	an	insufficiently	educated	copyist.		 We	require	further	evidence	before	we	are	able	to	designate	such	prescriptions	as	their	 own	 independent	 genre	within	 the	wider	 corpus	 of	Ottoman	 literature.	Never-theless,	the	existence	of	seemingly	analogous	examples,	both	in	terms	of	content	and	in	 style,	 suggests	 that	 such	 a	 genre	may	 have	 indeed	 occupied	 a	 place	 in	 Ottoman	literature,	especially	during	the	17th	and	18th	centuries.2		Transcription	[79a]	 Benüm	 cānum	 ʿaşḳ	 marażı	 ṣarʿa	 zaḥmeti	 müşābihi	 bir	 şeydür.	 İbtidāsı	 gözden	intihāsı	 yürekden	 olur.	 Allāhü	 ʿaẓīmü’ş-şān	 ümmet-i	 Muḥammedi	 ol	 marażdan	 emīn	eyleye.	Bir	tāze	nāzenīn	gül	gibi	ṣolup	āhū	gözlerin	süzüp	biñ	dürlü	nāz	ile	ve	istiġnā	ile	başum	aġrır	ve	yüregim	[?]	oynar	ve	cānum	ṣıḳılur	ve	sevdām	ḳalḳdı	dir.	Giceler	serserī	ve	bir	sāʿat	bir	yerde	ḳarār	idemez.	Evvel	mācinse	[?]	bir	ṭabīb-i	hāzık	[?]	ve	bir	ḥakīm-i	ʿārif	gerekdür.	 Muḥkem	 nabżdan	 bilüp	 ve	 bildire	 yañlış	 ʿamel	 eylemeyeler	 ve	 daḫı	 yahūdī	 1		 Doğan,	p.	300–301.	2		 Şeyma	Benli,	“A	Prescription	for	the	Heart	from	the	Late	Ottoman	Period”,	Keshif:	E-Journal	for	Ottoman-Turkish	Micro	Editions	1/2	(Summer	2023):	15–18.	36 | Keshif:	E-Journal	for	Ottoman-Turkish	Micro	Editions,	Winter	2024,	vol.	2/1 aḳrānuñ	ḥakīmlerine	yapışdırup	ve	baḳdırmayalar.	Zīrā	anuñ	aḳ	beñzi	ve	gāh	timur	gibi	ḳızarır	 [79b]	 ve	 tīz	 tīz	āh	vāh	 ider.	Binā’en	 ʿalā	ẕālik	bunuñ	hevāsınca	bu	 ʿilāc	bir	ḫūb	āvāzlı	 tāze	 ile	deşt-i	ṣaḥrā	 idüp	ṣaġ	yanı	bāġçe	ve	ṣol	yanı	deryā	deñiz	ve	gül-i	gülistān	olan	bir	maḥalde	bülbüller	efġān	ide	böyle	bir	yerde	teselli-i	ḫāṭır	idüp	teskīn	ide	ve	andan	daḫı	bir	terkīb	ile	bir	maʿcūn	yapup	istiʿmāl	ideler.	Terkīb-i	maʿcūn:	nāzdan	 	 şīveden	 	 vādīden	 	 	 edādan	1	dirhem	 	 2	dirhem	 	 3	dirhem	 	 	 4	dirhem		āvāzdan	 	 cünbişden	 	 aḫlāḳdan	 	 	 revīşden	5	dirhem	 	 6	dirhem	 	 7	dirhem	 	 	 8	dirhem		terennümden		 eṭvārdan	 	 reftārdan	 	 	 ṭıraẓdan	9	dirhem	 	 10	dirhem	 	 11	dirhem	 	 	 12	dirhem		üslūbdan	13	dirhem	[80a]	İşte	benüm	cānum	benüm	efendüm	ḥünkārum	bu	eczāları	cefā	çöplerinden	ayırd-layup	 vefā	 ḥavānında	 dögüp	 ṣafā	 eleginde	 iliyüp	 ve	 daḫı	 şevḳ	 tenceresinde	 muḥabbet	āteşiyle	ḳaynadup	ve	ẕevḳ	gicesiyle	ḳarışdırup	tamām-ı	ḥasret	ʿaleviyle	ḳıvāma	gelince	bu	eczāları	içine	ḳoyup	maʿcūn	ide.	Andan	ṣoñra	aḫşām	ve	ṣabāḥ	vuṣlat	meblāġıyla	istiʿmāl	ide	ve	andan	ṣoñra	sīne	ḥammāmına	girüp	muḥkem	derleye	ḥarāret	aldıḳça	ʿanberli	vişne	şerbetin	içe	ve	kendi	bāġçesi	mīvesinden	ḥelāl	mīve	daḫı	olur	ise	o	daḫı	aʿlā	olur.	Baʿdehū	ḳırḳ	gün	böylesine	tīmār	olduḳdan	ṣoñra	eger	bir	daḫı	ol	ādemde	bir	maraż	ḳalur	ise	baña	söge.	İşte	ḥukemālıḳ	da	budur	yoḫsa	Hind’den	[80b]	Yemen’den	ḥakīm	getürseler	fāʾide	eylemez.	Bāḳī	ve’s-selām	bāḳī	olasın	bāḳī	durduḳça	cihān	bāḳī.		 	Hasan	Doğan,	A	Prescription	for	Love	Sickness│37 Translation	My	dear,	love	sickness	is	reminiscent	of	epilepsy.	It	emerges	in	the	eye	and	reaches	its	pinnacle	 in	 the	 heart.	May	Almighty	Allah	 protect	 the	Ummah	of	Muhammad	 from	this	 disease.	 He	 slowly	 withers	 like	 a	 delicate,	 freshly	 bloomed	 rose	 and,	 with	 a	thousand	shades	of	coyness	and	self-denial,	proclaims,	“My	head	hurts	whilst	my	heart	palpitates;	my	spirit	grows	jaded	whilst	my	spleen	soars.”	He	wanders	at	night,	unable	to	 find	repose	 in	one	place	 for	even	an	hour.	Such	a	 fearless,	 indifferent	 lover	needs,	first	 and	 foremost,	 a	 skilled	 doctor	 and	 a	 sagacious	 physician.	 They	 should	 take	 his	pulse	 and	 not	 act	 with	 indiscretion;	 nor	 should	 they	 take	 him	 to	 one	 of	 the	 Jewish	doctors	for	examination.	For	he	has	a	light	complexion,	thus	causing	him	sometimes	to	blush	 and	 sigh	 quickly.	 As	 such,	 they	 should	 take	 this	 appropriate	medicine	 with	 a	young	man	with	a	beautiful	voice,	and	venture	into	the	desert,	letting	the	nightingales	serenade	him	at	a	place	flanked	by	a	garden	on	the	right	and	the	sea	and	a	rose	garden	on	the	left.	There,	they	should	be	consoled	and	make	a	paste	with	this?	compound	and	use	it.		Paste	composition:	1	 	 	 2	 	 	 	 3	 	 	 4	drachmas		 	 drachmas	 	 	 drachmas	 	 drachmas	of	coyness	 	 of	flirtation	 	 	 of	tenor	 	 of	affectation		5	 	 	 6	 	 	 	 7	 	 	 8	drachmas		 	 drachmas	 	 	 drachmas	 	 drachmas	of	voice	 	 of	amusement	 	 of	moral	qualities	 of	mincing	gait		9	 	 	 10	 	 	 	 11	 	 	 12	drachmas		 	 drachmas	 	 	 drachmas	 	 drachmas	of	singing	 	 of	manner	 	 of	pompous	walking	 of	ornamentation		38 | Keshif:	E-Journal	for	Ottoman-Turkish	Micro	Editions,	Winter	2024,	vol.	2/1 13	drachmas	of	savoir-faire		Here,	my	dear!	My	sir	-my	sultan-	should	glean	these	ingredients	from	the	refuse	heaps	of	 cruelty,	mould	 them	 in	 the	mortar	of	 constancy,	 sift	 them	 in	 the	 sieve	of	delight,	boil	 them	 in	 the	 saucepan	of	eagerness	with	 the	 fire	of	 love,	 and	mix	 them	with	 the	night	 of	 pleasure.	Once	 it	 attains	 its	 proper	 consistency	 by	 the	 flame	 of	 longing,	 he	should	add	these	ingredients	into	it	and	make	it	into	a	paste.	He	should	then	ingest	it	in	 the	evening	and	morning	with	 the	spatula	of	 reunion	after	which	he	should	enter	the	 bathhouse	 of	warm	 embrace	 and	 sweat	 it	 out	 completely.	He	 should	 drink	 sour	cherry	sherbet	with	ambergris	 for	as	 long	as	he	sweats.	 It	would	be	excellent	 if	ḥalāl	fruit	 from	 his	 own	 garden	 accompanied	 this.	 Should	 any	 remnants	 of	 his	 sickness	persist	 after	 forty	 days	 of	 treatment,	 let	 him	 curse	me.	 This	 is	 what	 it	means	 to	 be	sagacious,	 (a	 quality)	without	which	 this	medicine	 shall	 not	 have	 any	 effect,	 even	 if	they	were	to	bring	a	physician	from	India	or	Yemen.	Everlasting	greetings.	May	you	too	thus	remain	everlasting	for	as	long	as	this	transient	world	should	endure.		Bibliography	Benli,	Şeyma.	“A	Prescription	for	the	Heart	from	the	Late	Ottoman	Period”,	Keshif:	E-Journal	 for	Ottoman-Turkish	Micro	Editions	 1/2	 (Summer	2023):	 15–18.	Available	under:	http://doi.org/10.25365/kshf-23-02-03		Doğan,	Hasan.	Periodical	(Mecmua)’s	Numbered	Bel	Yz	K0633	in	The	Ataturk	Library	of	Turkey	(Analysis	-	According	to	MESTAP	-	Text),	PhD	Thesis.	Konya/Turkey	2022.	Mecmû’a	[MS],	 Istanbul	Metropolitan	Municipality	Atatürk	Library,	Archive	Number:	Bel	Yz	K0633.				Hasan	Doğan,	A	Prescription	for	Love	Sickness│39 Facsimilia		79a:		    40 | Keshif:	E-Journal	for	Ottoman-Turkish	Micro	Editions,	Winter	2024,	vol.	2/1 79b:      Hasan	Doğan,	A	Prescription	for	Love	Sickness│41 80a:  80b:  

A Prescription for Love Sickness

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A Prescription for Love Sickness

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