Abstract
An Unknown 15th Century Poet Serâyî
There has been considerable development in the study
and evaluation of literary works in the field of Classical
Turkish Literature. But with each passing day, the
discovery of previously unknown poets and their poems
contribute new information to the already available
accumulated knowledge.
Serâyî is a poet of the Bayezid II period. This period is
regarded as a “transitional period” in which the Divan
poem earned its classical identity in the 16th century. The
texts of the century authored by poets Şeyhî, Ahmet Paşa
and Necatî make it possible for us to conceive this period
better – the ones that were registered by the authenthic
authors in particular – are valuable on their own besides
being valuable because of how rare they are compared to the
next century. In this article, having mentioned the general
characteristics of the Divan poetry during which the poet
lived, information about Serâyî’s life obtained from his
works is presented. Using the Vienna National Library
Mixt. 1446 records, the Divan of the poet is introduced.
Based on his canon, Serâyî’s couplets on poetry and poems,
his language and style is exemplified, as well as his
similarities with the other poets of his period.
Keywords
Serâyî, Şeyhî, Ahmet Paşa, Necâtî, Divan, 15th Century, II. Bayezid.