Poet

Hayâlî Bey is one of the prominent representatives of the 16th century classical Turkish poetry. Having served at various administrative positions, Hayâlî Bey was famous for his poetry even before his death. His fame lasted in the following periods as well. He had a good command of the divan poetry. He attached importance to dream and meaning in poetry. The style of the poet, who also used local characteristics in his poetry, has been appreciated by many. In his Divan, Hayâlî Bey benefited from the means of divan poetry and its poetic themes to a great extent. One of the themes that he mostly dealt with in his works is love. In this context, he often refers to the heroes of love in his poems. One of the concepts and names that he frequently refers to in his poems is Mecnûn. This concept is sometimes used literarily (crazy), yet often referred to as the name of the famous hero of love in Hayâlî’s Divan. In fact, Mecnûn is one of the most famous love heroes of the Oriental Literature. Mecnûn has been recognized as an ideal lover and a character to be reached by many as a source of inspiration for many poets and lovers. This attitude is also reflected in the Hayâlî’s Divan. In addition, one of the remarkable points in Hayâlî’s Divan is the passion of the poet to compete with Mecnûn. Hayâlî Bey resembles himself to Mecnûn from time to time and challenges him in many fields, particularly in the field of love and claims that he is superior to Mecnûn. In this study, by benefiting from Hayâlî’s Divan, the rivalry passion the poet bears towards Mecnûn, the position of poet and Mecnûn in the context of rivalry, the aspects of vision as a rival, the desire to pass him, their causes and results are tried to be explained.

Grown up as versatile people, Ottoman intellectuals had holistic views towards science, art and literature, and wrote in a variety of disciplines. It was not uncommon for a mathematician to write in philosophy, for a ḥadīth (report of the words and deeds of the Prophet) scholar to write history books, for a statesman to be busy with calligraphy or for a Shaykh al-Islām (the highest ranking Islamic legal authority) to have a “Dīwān” (a collection of poems). However, possibly due to specialization-based scientific understanding of modern researchers, one side of these people generally came to the fore and some capabilities of them remained unknown. Grown up in Istanbul, capital town of Ottoman Empire, in late 16th and early 17th centuries, Okchuzāde Mehmed Shāhī was also one of these personalities called “hezār-fan” (polymath). Mehmed Shāhī served in top level offices of the State, was busy with art and literature, and became known for inshāʾ (composition) kind of works written with elaborate prose. Mehmed Shāhī earned a deserved fame with these capabilities and he was also a poet. Indeed, due to poems he wrote in his early ages, he was noticed by some biography writers about poets and his poems were mentioned in some anthologies. In addition to poetry anthologies, he had some classical works, and some couplets, quatrains and verses included in his prose works. In the present study, a collection and evaluation of poems by Mehmed Shāhī were presented.

Summary: Ottoman statesman Okchuzāde Mehmed Shāhī was born in 1562 AD (970 AH) in Istanbul. He was son of Okchuzāde Mehmed Pasha (d. 995 AH/1587 AD) and served as Kātib (scribe), Defterdār (treasurer), Reīs-ul-kuttāb (chief of the scribes), Governor General of Cyprus and Aleppo. His real name was Mehmed, but he was mentioned in different sources by names such as Mehmed Bey, Mehmed Shāh, Mehmed Shāhī, Mir Mehmed Shāhī and Okchuzāde Mehmed Shāhī. Starting at a young age, he was well educated in madrasah (college). With his vibrant character and superior genius, he came to the forefront among his peers. He was educated under the supervision of Māʿlūlzāde Nakīb Efendi (d. 993 AH/1585 AD) and graduated in 988 AH/1580 AD at the age of 18. When Nakīb Efendi became Shaykh al-Islām in the same year, he started his official duty as Dīwān-ı Humāyūn (imperial council) secretary. With the duty of Executive Assistant, he became the secretary of Damad İbrahim Pasha who started to his office in 1004 AH/1596 AD. He worked under the patronage of the Pasha until Pasha’s death in 1010 AH/1601 AD. Mehmed Shāhī succeeded Musa Chelebi as Reīs-ul-kuttāb and Basdefterdar (chief treasurer) in 1005 AH/1596 AD, and was appointed as title deed and cadastre director in 1006 AH/1597 AD. However, he was dismissed from this duty and was included among the officials to join military campaign. He was prosecuted and tried for imprisonment for the accusation of coming to Istanbul without permission. He succeeded Hamza Pasha as Nishanci (high-ranking bureaucrat) in 1007 AH/1599 AD and was assigned to military campaign. Mehmed Shāhī was dismissed from his duty in 1008 AH/1600 AD. Although he was reappointed to his duty in the same year, he was dismissed again in 1010 AH/1601 AD. While Hamza Pasha was reappointed to his office, Mehmed Shāhī was not assigned to any duty. He succeeded Murad Efendi as the Defterdar of Egypt in 1013 AH/1605 AD. After this duty, one of the vassal Sanjak (administrative district) Beyliks (principalities) in Egypt was given to him. When vassal Sanjak Beyliks were abolished by Kara Mehmed Pasha, Beylerbeyi (governor) of Egypt, in 1016 AH/1608 AD, he returned to Istanbul. He was not appointed to an office for a long time. In 1029 AH/1620 AD, he was appointed as title deed and cadastre director in 1029 AH/1620 AD, and became Nishanci again in 1030 AH/1621 AD. He served in military campaign to Poland, but was dismissed from this duty during the campaign. He was appointed as Nishanci for the fifth time during the second reign of Sultan Mustafa (1622-1623). He was dismissed in 1033 AH/1624 AD and retired. In early 1039 AH/1630 AD, he died at the age of 69 in Istanbul. His tomb is near Ekmekchioghlu tomb in the vicinity of Sunbul Efendi.

What is known about his family is limited to his son named Vakʿi Ahmed Efendi (d. 1060 AH/1650 AD). Ahmet Efendi learned Naskh, Thuluth and tevkīʿi types of calligraphy styles from his father. He served as anthology writer for Shaykh al-Islām Bahāī Efendi. He died in 1060 AH/1650 AD when he was serving as teacher in Sulaymaniyah Madrasah. His tomb is around Shaykh Vefa tomb.

In addition to his administrative duties, Mehmed Shāhī was also interested in poetry, prose, calligraphy, mysticism, ḥadīth and tafsīr (exegesis). Possibly also due to his dismissal of duties many times in his life, he produced many works. Among them are Aḥsan al-ḥadīth, an-Naẓm al-mubīn fī āyāt al-erbaʿīn, al-Maqām al-Maḥmūd, Tarjuma-i Tuḥfa as-ṣalavāt, Jāmiʿ al-ghāyāt, Mukhtār al-akhyār, Qānūn-i Jadīd-i Arāḍi, Munsheat ve Dīwān. Famed for his prose works, the author was also a poet. With his couplets which he wrote under pseudonym of Zaynī, he managed to get on the anthology of Kınalızāde at his twenties. He was celebrated with the expression of “Arrow of word from his bow of soul has reached the target of approval from masters; he is at a young age (at his twenties)”. Subsequently adopting pseudonym of Shāhī, the poet had some poems published within the works of Beyānī, Nevʿizāde and Mustaqimzāde as well as within his own prose works. Mustaqimzāde even mentioned that Mehmed Shāhī had a dīwān. Nevertheless, this work of him has not been found yet.

A total of 30 poetry works of Mehmed Shāhī were found in various sources, except for his translations of 40 ḥadīth and 40 Qur’ān verses written in poetry. Of his 30 poetry works, 26 were written in Turkish and 4 in Persian. Various sections of ʿarūḍ (meter) were used in these works written as couplets, quatrains and verses. It could be stated that his poems rich in Persian and Arabic words had a rich rhyme frame. In his poetry works in which religious, literary, historical, legendary and mysticism themes were worked, concepts and figures such as Allah, the Lord, Messiah, Messenger, Risālet (messengership), intercession, Kāfūr al-Ikhshīdī (966-968), Mustaʿsim (d. 656 AH/1258 AD), Ibn Alkamī (d. 656 AH/1258 AD), Naṣīr-i Tūsī  (d. 672 AH/1274 AD), Jamshīd, Keyumars, Uftade, Hudāyī, Majūsī, Kizilbash, Bayramī and muftī (jurist capable of giving a formal legal opinion). His poems were about intercession demand from the Messenger (PBUH), sin of serving to Persian, importance of an invention, praise of Uftade Sultan (d. 988 AH/1580 AD), effect of prayer, fate of administrator favoring his relatives, futility of envying the rich, importance of fighting with Zoroastrian, benefits of exhibition of sorrow, value of skillful people, resembling of the world to a bride with a thousand grooms, beauty of eloquence, ignominy of leaving chastity for lust, asking for forgiveness for sins, talent of understanding the words, not giving quarter to enemies, praise of Hz.ʿUmar, humbleness, value of lack of worldly things, sufferance due to the beauty of the beautiful, needing not to wonder why the beloved one is far away, evil of protecting the snot, richness of Arabic language, deeds of Anatolian fāḍils (virtuous), importance of endeavor in succeeding the closeness to God and respectability of ʿAzīz Maḥmūd Hudāyī (d. 1038 AH/1628 AD).

Okchuzāde Mehmed Shāhī was an Ottoman statesman who also earned a well-deserved fame for his works written in inshāʾ (composition) genre of elaborate prose. In addition, he also had poetry works. Praised for the poems which he wrote in his early ages by anthology writers who included his poems in their anthologies, the poet also had some couplets and quatrains scattered among his own prose works. His poems in the form of couplets and quatrains within abovementioned works mostly were about religious, literary, legendary, historical and mysticism themes.

Mehmed Shāhī was knowledgeable in tafsīr, ḥadīth, mysticism and calligraphy, and had good levels of Arabic and Persian. Writing poems in Persian, Mehmed Shāhī was decorated his prose works with Arabic expressions such as Qur’ān verses, ḥadīths and proverbs. It could be stated that such decorations made the language of his poems more difficult. Nevertheless, his poems are plainer and easier compared to his prose works. The poet who also had lyrical poems generally preferred ḥikamī (sapiential) style and wrote genres such as munacaat (prayer to God), shafaatnāme (intercession epistles), historical quatrain, medhiye (panegyric) and hicviye (epigram). His poems in anthologies were lyrical, those in Aḥsan al-ḥadīth and an-Naẓm al-mubīn were didactical and those in Munsheat were epic. Based on an evaluation of these poems, it could be stated that he was a poet with a style, though not a poet of first class.

The 224 to 226 verses of the Poets Chapter discuss those poets who are described as being followed by astray people, rambling here and there, and talking without doing. These holy verses have caused some people to dubiously think that Quran criticizes the poets and is against poetry. The present study aims to examinatie and answer this dubiousness, and wants to provide the true attitude of Quran toward poets. In order to shed a light on the problem at hand, the present writer has discussed different points, which includes how the last verse of the Poets Chapter is allotted, the dark milieu of the poetry at the time these verses were revealed, poetry as a kind of speech, the respect toward poets in the Holy Prophet and infallible Imams’ narrations, and suggestion of the true exegesis of the aforementioned verses.
In brief, not only Quran does not criticize the poets in a universal affirmative way, but also it enumerates important divine mission for them, mainly composing poems with themes regarding theism, sermons, and invitation of people to the right path.

The purpose of this project is to collect my efforts in the field of poetry to represent my writing ability in my senior year of undergraduate university coursework. This poetry collection represents a year of work in poetry classes as well as work outside of classes. Many of the poems were revised with the help of professors Marilyn Kallet and Arthur Smith. The majority of the poems were finished between the beginning of fall semester 2004 and the end of spring semester 2005. I would like to work on these poems in the future so that they might be published in a small book, perhaps with newer poems as I will be writing this summer and for the foreseeable future.

Le mythe de la grande ville s’est exprime de diverses facons en litterature, notamment dans le roman francais du xixe siecle, avec Balzac et Hugo, et dans le roman du xxe siecle, chez Doblin ou Dos Passos. Cet article se propose de suivre ce mythe a travers deux poetes, Baudelaire et Brecht, lus par le critique juif allemand Walter Benjamin. Ce dernier fut en effet tres attentif a l’histoire du mythe de la ville dans la poesie moderne, puisqu’il fut un archeologue minutieux de la perception litteraire de la ville. Il a ainsi suivi l’evolution du mythe de la ville entre Baudelaire, le poete encore fascine par les phenomenes urbains comme la foule, le flâneur ou la passante inconnue, et Brecht, chez qui la perception de la ville s’est durcie au contact des rapports de classe qui se sont imposes dans la ville au xxe siecle.

There is no doubt that fantastic whispers and melodies of love terms, which have found its way into sonnet envelope through the body of Arabic poetry and literature and drew poets’ attention ever- increasingly and welcomed by them, were followed by a type of verse that was seriously affected by charming and nice odes recited by well-known literary characters at Age of Jahelid. At the beginning of their verses, by orientation of rising and turbulent waves on the endless shores of emotions and feelings, they lay foundations for sonnet frameworks and prepared platform for change and development in literary attitude of poets at the next periods.
Following of sociopolitical and economic developments, the Islamic and Umayyad periods which are considered as turning point in Arabic history, neologism and innovation seemed inevitable in poetic themes including sonnet; so that making effort for creation of modern principles and bases was substituted by adaptation of the pre- accepted principles. Sonnet versifiers in Umayyad era organized their own new principles and introduced sonnet as an independent poetic theme while romantic odes at the beginning of poems were not faded away by inspiration from attribute of power honesty and consolidation against modern branches of poetic frameworks and managed to survive dynamically

A Mother's Love  is an exhibition that indulging the womenhood and motherhood through National Visual Arts Gallery Malaysia's permanent collections. The exhibition also complementing the world wide mother's day celebration, potraying A Mother's Love poetically with poetries. Among the poets including the respective national cultural laureate: Usman Awang, Dato', A. Samad Said; Masuri S.N., Arifin Arif and many more along with the intriguing artworks by varies artists, Chuah Thean Teng, Dato’, Sharmiza Abu Hassan, Georgette Chen, Dzulkafli Buyong, Nirmala Shanmughalingham, Wong Hoy Cheong, Redza Piyadasa, Masturah Abdul Rahman, Hasnul Jamal Saidon, Shia Yih Yiing and many more.

In the Pindar’s epinikion the poet and the victor belongs to each other. This relationship comes from unbreakable connection between the victory and the song and it is a part of contextual elements of the form. The closeness of the poet and the victor within the poem is based on the fact that they own the power that the other people do not. Pindar believes that the victory is manifestation of the arete, and the poem is manifestation of the wisdom. Both, the arete of the victor and the wisdom of the poet are the gifts from the gods and they can be not learned. The Pindar’s epinikion embody the relationship between the poet and the victor as the guiding structural principle of the poem.