Add MS 7929

This volume contains the collected poetry of Necati, with a preface by the author. Necati, whose proper name was İsa, began life as an enslaved person in Edirne. His poetical genius won him the favour of Sultan Bayezit II, who attached him successively to the service of his two sons Abdullah and Mahmud. He survived both and ended his life in retirement in Istanbul, where he died in 914 AH (1508-09 CE), a date fixed by the contemporary poet Sehi in a chronogram. He was universally held as the greatest of the lyric poets of the Ottoman Empire until he was surpassed by Baki.

In a preface written in mixed prose and verse, the beginning of which is lost, the poet, after praising Sultan Bayezit as the reigning monarch, says that he collected his scattered poems at the request of Kazasker Abdurrahman Çelebi (aka Müeyyetzade, who was Kazasker of Rumelia 911-17 AH/1505-12 CE and 919-20 AH/1513-15 CE, and died in 922 AH/1517-18 CE).

The contents of the Divan are as follows:

ff 1r-5v : Preface;

ff 5v-31v : Kasideler, mostly in praise of Sultan Bayezit II and of his two sons Abdullah and Mahmud;

ff 31v-141r : Gazeller in Ottoman Turkish in alphabetical order;

ff 141r-142v : Gazeller, kıt'alar and rubaiyat in Persian;

ff 142v-149v : Kıt'alar, rubaiyat and other poems in Ottoman Turkish. This section is incomplete and breaks off shortly after a mesnevi.

The manuscript was likely copied in the 17th century CE.