MESIHI of Prishtina
BIOGRAPHY
Mesihi of Prishtina (ca. 1470-1512), known in Turkish as Pristineli
Mesihi, was one of the most original among the early Ottoman
poets. He stemmed from Prishtina and, although we do not know
for certain whether he was an Albanian or a Turk, we assume he
must have lived in Turkey proper from an early age. Mesihi, or
Messiah in English, was not only an exceptionally gifted poet
but also a talented calligrapher and held a position as secretary
to Khadim Ali Pasha during the reign of Sultan Bayazid II (r.
1481-1512). A pleasure-loving sehr oglani (city boy),
as the biographer Ashik Çelebi called him, Mesihi could
more readily be found in the taverns and pleasure gardens with
his friends and lovers than at work. Though his hedonistic lifestyle
may have impeded a career advancement, it produced what is generally
regarded as some of the best Ottoman verse of the period. Much
quoted is his Murabba'-i bahâr (Ode to Spring) which,
after publication with a Latin translation in 1774 by Orientalist
Sir William Jones (1746-1794), was to become the best known Turkish
poem in Europe for a long time.
Less known than the 'Ode to Spring' was Messiah's Sehr-engîz
(roughly: The Terror of the Town), which was soon became a prototype
for a new literary genre in Ottoman verse. In 186 witty couplets
he pays tribute to the charms and beauty of forty-six young men
of Edirne (Adrianople). With its puns and ironic humour, it is
considered a masterpiece of early sixteenth-century Turkish verse.
Messiah confesses light-heartedly that the poem itself is a sin
but he is confident that God will pardon him: "My wandering
heart has broken into so many pieces, each of which is attached
to one of those handsome lads." |
Albanian Literature in Translation
Early
Authors (16th - 18th centuries)
