Living
But a Glass or Two She Gave Us
Translated by E. J. W. Gibb (1905) · From A History of Ottoman Poetry, vol. IV (1905)
But a glass or two she gave us, yet she drave our thoughts astray;
Out on yonder wine-retailing, wit-assailing paynim may!
Brighter far her breast and clearer than the bowl she holds in hand,
Ruddier her cheeks than any fragrant wine her hands convey.
All aglow thy son hath promised to bestow one kiss on us;
Ay, thy daughter, master vintner, chewed that mastic yesterday.
Quiet nook and brimming wine-crock, dainty mate and lusty pale;
Woe is me for ye, O patience and restrainment, welaway!
O Nedim, I wot not, lives there any other like to her,
Murderess of unction, thief of piety, and foe of fay?
Codex Note
A ghazel in which the poet teases a wine-seller and his daughter with the promise of kisses, and the fair girl's wine is a cause of wild joy. Gibb's notes explain the proverbial phrase 'chewing mastic', meaning to promise something pleasant without saying what.
Cite this poem
MLA
Nedim. “But a Glass or Two She Gave Us.” Translated by E. J. W. Gibb. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/nedim/0/.
Chicago
Nedim. “But a Glass or Two She Gave Us.” Translated by E. J. W. Gibb. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/nedim/0/.
Read this poem with the Codex →