The directory «Plots»

Nedîm
(1681?—1730)

Poet. His real name was Ahmed. He received a good education and became a teacher. He was protected by Grand Vizier Şehid Ali Paşa and then by Nevşehirli Damat İbrahim Paşa. He participated in courses of interpretation of the Koran in the presence of Sultan Ahmet III. and won approval for his poems. He worked as a judge in the law court of Mahmut Paşa (1725); as teacher at Molla Kırımî, Sadi Efendi and Sahn-ı Seman Madrasah Muslim Schools (1721-1730), worked with the committee translating Sahaifü'l Ahbar (Pages of Chronicles, translation, published in 3 volumes, 1868) by Müneccimbaşı Ahmet Efendi and İkdü'l Cüman fi Tarihi Ehli'z-Zaman by Bedreddin Aynî (1719-1725). It is said that he died falling from the roof of his house in Beşiktaş to where he had climbed during the Vice-Admiral Halil Rebellion (1730). His tomb is in Karacaahmet.

Living in the enjoyable and entertaining era known as the “Tulip Period” and reflecting this in his poems, Nedim is one of the best poets of Turkish literature because of his unhesitant innovation while at the same time being loyal to Divan poetry style along with the high quality of lyricism reached in his poems in which he made good use of folk language. In his poems in which he dealt with the subjects of love, wine and beautiful women without dealing with Sufism and religion he used a plainer language than his contemporaries did. Especially simplicity in his songs played an important role in their being sung with pleasure for years. His poems, which are among the best poems of Turkish literature, are important because they introduce İstanbul; the diversions, the places of entertainment, traditions and fashion styles of the time. He also wrote a folk song written in syllabic meter. Yaşar Kemal is regarded as the most successful poet among the hundreds of poets that he influenced. First Halil Nihat (1922), then Abdülbaki Gölpınarlı (1951), published Nedim Divanı (The Divan* of Nedim). His life became the subject of the plays Nedim (Nedim, 1932) by Halit Fahri Ozansoy and Nedim ve Lale Devri (Nedim and the Tulip Period, 1950) by Faik Ali Ozansoy.

Turkey, 1967, Nedim