Love
Thy Bosom Bright Hath Worked
Translated by E. J. W. Gibb (1905) · From A History of Ottoman Poetry, vol. IV (1905)
Thy bosom bright hath worked the sun's pavilion dire dismay,
Thy leg diaphanous hath wrought the shaft of dawn's deray.
The vitals of the bud are torn with bitter pangs whene'er
Thy rose-like navel peepeth forth from 'neath thy shift, my may.
Astound thereat, with mouth agape, e'en like the slipper, bode
The cordwainer what time he saw thy lustrous ankle ray.
Codex Note
A ghazel praising the beloved's bosom, leg and navel, in the most daring imagery of the Ottoman love lyric. Gibb's notes explain that the delicate skin and the shift are regarded as great beauties.
Cite this poem
MLA
Nedim. “Thy Bosom Bright Hath Worked.” Translated by E. J. W. Gibb. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/nedim/4/.
Chicago
Nedim. “Thy Bosom Bright Hath Worked.” Translated by E. J. W. Gibb. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/nedim/4/.
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