11/7/2019 Azerbaijan: A Timeless Presence (Live) – Sami Yusuf Official

Nasimi

The lyrics of this song come from the poetry of the 14th century mystical poet Nasimi, who was one of the first literary
figures to compose in Azerbaijani. The composer sets an ecstatic mood in this new piece in Shur mugham that evokes Sufi
ceremonies through high-energy percussion and dazzling avaz sections. The musical narrative is majestic, powerful, and
intensely beautiful.

CREDITS

Musical Director & Composer: Sami Yusuf

Creative Producer & Director: Andrei Boltenko

Poem by ‘Alī ‘Imādu d-Dīn Nasīmī’ (“Nasimi”)

English translation: Dr. Mohammad H. Faghfoory

Copyright of Andante Records

Mixed & Mastered by Vishnu Rajan @ Andante Studios

Video editing and post-production by Omar Al-Balushi @ Andante Studios

Lighting Designer: Yury Krasilnikov

Set Designer: Denis Lishchenko
Video Content Designer: Alexander Yaichnikov
Video Content Production: Raketa Media
TV Director: Alex Boltenko
Director of Photography: Andrei Kvardakov

Executive Producers: Sergey Gromov, Elruz Fatiyev

Event Production: Peachline Advertising

Commissioned by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan

LYRICS & TRANSLATION

Məndə sığar iki cahan, mən bu cahana sığmazam,

The two worlds are contained in Me
But I will not be contained in these worlds
I cannot be contained in being or in the engendered world

Gövhəri-laməkan mənəm, kövnü məkana sığmazam

I am the Treasure* of no abode,
But I will not be contained in these worlds

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Tir mənəm, kaman mənəm, pir mənəm, cavan mənəm

I am the arrow, I am the bow, I am the old, I am the young

Məndə sığar iki cahan, mən bu cahana sığmazam,

The two worlds are contained in Me
But I will not be contained in these worlds

Gövhəri-laməkan mənəm, kövnü məkana sığmazam.

I am the Treasure of no abode,
But I will not be contained in these worlds

Zərrə mənəm, günəş mənəm, çar ilə pəncü şeş mənəm,

I am the particles, I am the Sun
I am the Four**, and I am Five and the Six more***

Surəti gör bəyan ilə, çünki bəyana sığmazam.

See [the universe as] My face and describe it,
as I will not be contained in your description

Məndə sığar iki cahan, mən bu cahana sığmazam,

The two worlds are contained in Me
But I will not be contained in these worlds

Gövhəri-laməkan mənəm, kövnü məkana sığmazam

I am the Treasure of no abode,
I will not be contained in being or in the engendered world

Nara yanan şəcər mənəm, çərxə çıxan həcər mənəm

I am the burning bush, I am the rock that ascended to Heaven

Məndə sığar iki cahan, mən bu cahana sığmazam,

The two worlds are contained in Me,
But I will not be contained in these worlds

Gövhəri-laməkan mənəm, kövnü məkana sığmazam.

I am the Treasure of no abode,
I will not be contained in being or in the engendered world

Zərrə mənəm, günəş mənəm, çar ilə pəncü şeş mənəm,

I am the particles, I am the Sun,
I am the Four, and I am Five and the Six more

Surəti gör bəyan ilə, çünki bəyana sığmazam.

See [the universe as] My face and describe it,
as I will not be contained in your description

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Məndə sığar iki cahan, mən bu cahana sığmazam,

The two worlds are contained in Me,
But I will not be contained in these worlds

Gövhəri-laməkan mənəm, kövnü məkana sığmazam

I am the Treasure of no abode,
I will not be contained in being or in the engendered world

Ərşlə fərşü kafü nun məndə bulundu cümlə çün,

In short, [the carpet of] Divine Command (kun) in the Universe found manifestation in Me so that

Sən bu nişanla bil məni, bil ki, nişana sığmazam.

you would know Me by these signs,
but beware! I cannot be contained in signs.

Tir mənəm, kaman mənəm, pir mənəm, cavan mənəm,

I am the arrow, I am the bow, I am the old, I am the young

Dövləti-cavidan mənəm, ayinədana sığmazam.

I am the Treasure of no abode,
I will not be contained in being or in the engendered world

Gərçi bu gün Nəsimiyəm, haşimiyəm, qureyşiyəm

Even though today I may be a Nasimi, a Hashimi, a Qurayshi****

Tir mənəm, kaman mənəm, pir mənəm, cavan mənəm,

I am the arrow, I am the bow, I am the old, I am the young

Dövləti-cavidan mənəm,
I am the Eternal Treasure

Gərçi bu gün Nəsimiyəm, haşimiyəm, qureyşiyəm,

Even though today I may be a Nasimi, a Hashimi, a Qurayshi

Məndən uludur ayətim, ayətə, şana sığmazam

From Me the signs of My power find existence,
But I will not be contained in My sign of power

sığmazam, sığmazam, sığmazam, sığmazam

I cannot be contained, I cannot be contained,
I will not be contained,
I cannot be contained

Tir mənəm, kaman mənəm, pir mənəm, cavan mənəm,

I am the arrow, I am the bow, I am the old, I am the young

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Dövləti-cavidan mənəm, ayinədana sığmazam.

I am the Eternal Treasure,
But I will not be contained in a jewelry box

sığmazam, sığmazam, sığmazam, sığmazam

I cannot be contained, I cannot be contained,
I will not be contained,
I cannot be contained

Kövni-məkandır ayətim, zatidürür bidayətim,

Being and existence are the signs of My power,
My Eternity is in My Essence

Sən bu nişanla bil məni, bil ki, nişana sığmazam.

Know Me by this sign, but beware! I will not be contained in signs.

sığmazam, sığmazam, sığmazam

I cannot be contained, I cannot be contained,
I will not be contained,

Məndə sığar iki cahan, mən bu cahana sığmazam

The two worlds are contained in Me,
But I will not be contained in these worlds

Gövhəri-laməkan mənəm, kövnü məkana sığmazam.

I am the Treasure of no abode,s
I will not be contained in being or in the engendered world

Zərrə mənəm, günəş mənəm, çar ilə pəncü şeş mənəm,

I am the particles, I am the Sun,
I am the Four, and I am Five and the Six more

Surəti gör bəyan ilə, çünki bəyana sığmazam.

See [the world as] My face and describe it,
as I will not be contained in your description

Məndə sığar iki cahan, mən bu cahana sığmazam

The two worlds are contained in Me,
But I will not be contained in these worlds

Gənci-nihan mənəm mən uş,

I am the Hidden Treasure, o My servant,

Eyni-əyan mənəm, mən uş,

I am the manifest, I am, My servant

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Gövhəri-kan mənəm, mən uş,

I am the treasure mine, o My servant

Bəhrəvü kana sığmazam.

But I cannot be contained in the oceans and mines.

Tir mənəm, kaman mənəm, pir mənəm, cavan mənəm,

I am the arrow, I am the bow, I am the old, I am the young

Dövləti-cavidan mənəm, ayinədana sığmazam.

I am the Treasure of no abode,
I will not be contained in being or in the engendered world

Gərçi bu gün Nəsimiyəm, haşimiyəm, qureyşiyəm,

Even though today I may be a Nasimi, a Hashimi, a Qurayshi

Məndən uludur ayətim, ayətə, şana sığmazam

From Me the signs of My power find existence,
But I will not be contained in My sign of power

sığmazam, sığmazam, sığmazam, sığmazam

I cannot be contained, I cannot be contained,
I will not be contained,
I cannot be contained

Həm sədəfəm, həm inciyəm, həşrü sirat əsinciyəm,

I am the shell, I am the kernel,
I am the upholder of the Doomsday and Suspender of the Bridge*****

Bunca qumaşü rəxt ilə mən bu dükana sığmazam.

So you make a robe out of this cloth for such a day,
For I will not be contained in your store,

Şəhd ilə həm şəkər mənəm, şəms mənəm, qəmər mənəm,

I am the sugar, I am the honey, I am the Sun, I am the Moon,

Ruhi-rəvan bağışlaram, ruhi-rəvana sığmazam.

I bestow spirit to all things, But I will not be contained in spirit

Məndə sığar iki cahan, mən bu cahana sığmazam,

The two worlds are contained in Me,
But I will not be contained in these worlds

Gövhəri-laməkan mənəm, kövnü məkana sığmazam

I am the Treasure of no abode,
I cannot be contained in being or in the engendered world

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Mən bu cahana sığmazam

I will not be contained in these worlds

*An allusion to the saying of the Prophet (a hadith qudsi wherein God speaks through the Prophet): ‘I was a Hidden
Treasure and I longed to be known. So I created the creatures and they came to know Me.’
**An allusion to the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs
***An allusion to the Five Ahl al-Kisa (People of the Cloak: the Prophet, Ali, Fatimah, Hasan and Hossein) and to other
revered figures
**** Names of tribes/families
*****An allusion to the bridge (al-sirat) that human beings must cross after death to enter Paradise.

More information:

Imadeddin Nasimi (1369-1417), an Azerbaijani poet, philosopher and sage, was the author of the first Divans (collections
of poetry) in the Azerbaijani language. Considered as one of the greatest mystical Turkic poets of his time, he also
composed poems in Persian and Arabic. Although few details are known about his life, his passionate poetry shows his
deep knowledge of Islamic poetic traditions as well as a genius for composition, and it shows a depth of knowledge of
Islamic, particularly Sufi, intellectual teachings that indicates that he must have had training in these fields. His gift as a
poet was instrumental in conveying Hurufi Sufi philosophy to the Turkish-speaking population of Anatolia, a
philosophical perspective that is still echoed in the certain Sufi orders today.

The poem in the composition, ‘Nasimi’, has elements of a tradition of ecstatic sayings that emerge from a deep inner state
of knowing, an overpowering spiritual state that is often fleeting. Ecstatic sayings such as those of Mansur al-Hallaj,
Bayazid Bastami, Nasimi, and others, need to be interpreted in the context of the mystical vocabulary of their times. And
it is necessary to understand the religious forces, the social and political life, and the whole culture of the Islamic world
within which these figures lived and died. Without a profound understanding of this context certain of their words, which
on the surface can resemble infidelity, are easily misconstrued.

In this poem, Nasimi returns repeatedly to the contrast between the ‘two worlds’, the physical and spiritual. By naming
opposites—‘I am the old, I am the young’— he points beyond them to unity, to tawhid, to the divine unity that is one of
his principle themes. For Nasimi, the signs of God (ayat Allah) are found throughout creation, but they are not limited by
this realm alone.

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