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Vazeh ((Vazeh) Mirza-Shafi
(1794—1852)

Mirza-Shafi Vazeh, also known as the "sage from Ganja", was a classical Azerbaijani poet, who continued the classical traditions of Azerbaijani poetry from the 14th century. His verses were translated into nearly all European languages.

Mirza Shafi was born in 1794 in Ganja. His grandfather Muhammed Shafi was one of a noble man in Ganja, and his father Kerbelayi Sadykh was an architect in the palace of Javad-khan, the last ruler of Ganja. Young Shafi got his primary education at a madrassa, where he studied Arabic and Persian. Vazeh interrupted his education at madrassa after the death of his parents and his brother, and due to his daring stance against ignorance and backwardness of religious clergy. He began to work as a book copier, using his exception hand-writing skills, and later as a secretary and house keeper in the estate of Pusta-khanum, the daughter of Javad-khan.

In 1840 Vazeh moved to Tiflis where, with help of his past student Mirza Fatali Akhundov, he secured the post of a teacher at a boy’s school. In Tiflis Vazeh became engaged in literary activity more than before. In 1844 he established a literary society "Divan-i Hikmet" which gathered many prominent Azeri, Russian and foreign intellectuals living in Tiflis.

Among the members of this society was Friedrich Martin von Bodenstedt, a German poet and traveler, with whom Vazeh made friends and taught him the Azeri and Persian languages and literature. Vazeh rarely put his verses into written form and his friends wrote down most of his works during their gatherings. So did von Bodenstedt, who upon his return to Germany, translated Vazeh's poetry into German and published it in 1851 as a book named "The songs of Mirza Shafi". The book became popular, was republished and translated into other European languages. However, after Vazeh's death in 1852 F. Bodenstedt denied Vazeh's authorship claiming that it was his own verses and he presented them as belonging to Vazeh in order to add some exotics to the book and thus facilitate its popularization.

Vazeh’s verses, which were translated and published in all over Europe in 19th century gained attention in Azerbaijan only in the beginning of 20th century. Azerbaijani literary scientists S. Mumtaz and H. Hamidzade played a key role in collecting and publishing Vazeh's original verses that have been preserved to date. In his poetry, Vazeh glorifies the joys of life, and the wisdom and goodness of a man.

USSR, 1984.04.17, Vazekh monument in Kirovobad