Trimüjgan Sultan

Golden sprinklings of yellow-bright sunshine beams through the thin
clouds of a pale sky. Dew that had collected on thin tree-branches trickles
off like tiny raindrops. Reddening trees appear purple as delicate blossoms
lend softness and life to winter-weary trunks. The lawn on both sides of the
path to the palace glitters in the flashes of sunlight, as the mist in the
air melts and the light fog lifts into the heavens. The emerald green of the
grass and the warmth of the speckled sunlight is a joyful amalgam of
approaching springtime. Tîrimüjgân, is a Caucasian belle, famous across
continents for her willowy slim-waisted figure, her honey-coloured eyes, her
long auburn hair that falls gracefully on pearly white shoulders, her
kindness, her gentle breeding. She is grace incarnate. Her every smile
treasured. Her kindness legendary. She is taking her usual walk in the
Ciragan Palace gardens, a flower herself blending in with the purple violets,
the primroses, the white carnations, the snow-white gardenias, the plentiful
lilacs. She bathes in the intoxicating fragrances. She settles into the
red-velvet armchair that she had requested be placed under the young magnolia
tree. Her elegant fingers pluck the delicate strings of the golden-wired
tambour. Ismail Dede Efendi’s kissing song's mournful lyrics flow forth from
the Sultana’s ruby-rose lips like panacea to an aching soul: "A cursed
Fate stabs at my heart, but loving you is my only sin ..." Tîrimüjgân
married Sultan Abdülmecid in 1839 to become queen of the Ottoman Court. She
stayed madly in love with her husband to the end. She gave birth to
Abdülhamid who succeeded his father to the throne.