The verses of Sam'i: first printed collection

Sam'i, Mustafa (Arpaeminizade). Diwan-i Sam'i.

€ 3.500,00

The first printed collection of the verses of Sam'i, a famous Ottoman poet in the 19th century. Supposedly based on the comparison of six manuscripts, the book contains three separately paginated parts, "Diwan-i Sami", "Iptida-i tevarih", and "Iptida-i gazeliyat". The first part of the Diwan (104 pp.) is mostly composed of qasidas, ghazals, murabbas, museddeses; the second (47 pp.) consists of historical accounts in verse form; the third part (67 pp.) includes mostly ghazals.

Mustafa Sam'i Arpaeminizade, who used pen-name Sam'i in his poetry, was born in Istanbul into a family of high-ranking civil servants. From 1715 until his death in 1734, he was also a civil servant in various offices. During his lifetime he was mostly known for his poetry. 18th century Ottoman poetry was dominated by styles consciously different from classical Ottoman poetry and by experiments with various new styles. Sam'i is known for his works in the Hikemi style, which emphasizes wisdom and thoughts, and in "Sebk-i Hindi" ("Indian Style"), which heavily relies on symbolic language to create complex and deep meanings.