Member-only story
Nef’i — The Poet Who Called The Sultan’s Grand Vizier A Donkey
“Nef’is tongue brought down upon him the wrath of God”
The relationship Turks have with authority is so peculiar that you can neither believe their sycophancy nor their sharp tongues.
In the 17th century, there lived a man named Nef’i — “a parrot who told miracles”, in his own words, and “was not one for vain talk.”¹ When it comes to the art of praising, boasting, and cursing in classical Ottoman poetry, he was second to none.
He showered three sultans with lavish odes, reserving a fair share of the praise for himself too. And he called at least one grand vizier a “donkey,” one kadi² a “dog,” and one şeyhülislam³ an “infidel.”
Who could forget his retort to Kadi Tahir Efendi, who’d called him a “kelp” (dog)? Playing on Tahir’s name — meaning “clean’”— he shot back: “This is a compliment to me / for my creed is Maliki / and in my faith, any dog is Tahir (clean)!”⁴
Nef‘î was also the one who, as casually as saying good morning or good night, hurled allegations at Kazasker⁵ Abdülganîzâde Mehmed Nâdirî Efendi — accusations that today would be deemed sexist/homophobic, but back then could utterly ruin a high-ranking man’s reputation. The poor guy got stuck with the nickname Kîrli Nigar⁶ as Nef‘î gleefully…
