I heard that the Ottoman Turkish possesses the essence of joy, but who recited this unusual verse to me?

This couplet is a brilliant piece of self-referential poetry. Allama Iqbal is talking about the 'flavor' or essence of poetry, comparing it to the grand tradition of the Ottoman Turks. By asking 'Who taught me this strange couplet?', he is challenging the listener and the poetic tradition itself. It's a masterful moment of intellectual play, suggesting that true poetry is not merely inherited, but something unique and profound that must be discovered!