“Peder Degül Bu Belâ-yı Siyâhdur Başuma”: A Historical and Literary Analysis of Nef’î’s Burlesque Directed at His Father

This article analyzes the qasida placed by Nef’î, the seventeenth-century Ottoman poet, at the opening of his satirical anthology Sihâm-ı Kazâ, which is directed primarily at his father. Both the content and formal aspects are discussed in its exploration of burlesque within the Ottoman satirical tradition. In addition to emphasizing how Nef’î is Bâkî’s most significant successor, due both to his Turkish and Persian Dîvâns, and particularly his mastery of the qasida genre, it is also argued that this satire represents an original parody of the solemnity of the classical qasida. The discrepancies in manuscript titles regarding the target of the satire are resolved through textual indicators, thus establishing that the primary target is the poet’s father. The historical context of the text is reinforced through the biographical background, which touches upon Nef’î’s Hasankale origins, his military-bureaucratic lineage through Mirzâ Ali Pasha and Mehmed Bey, and his connections to Mehmed Giray II. It is shown how the qasida is constructed along three axes: “destitution” (züğürtlük) (the allegorization of the poet’s experience of poverty through quotidian images such as lentils and tarhana), “poetastery” (müteşâirlik) (the exposure of the father’s poetic inadequacy through parody and tazmîn), and “cerr” (the transformation of the itinerant alms-gathering practice within the madrasa tradition into a critique of poethood centered on livelihood). The qasida burlesques two qasidas by the father around the tazmîned verse “A stork ascends upon the minaret and makes its nest,” which makes extensive use of antithesis, hyperbole, and irony. The structure of the satire is deepened through prolepsis and analepsis in the narrative, while dialogues involving Mîr Şeref lend the text a theatrical tone. The graduated degradation of the father figure in the poem is interpreted as a systematic satirical technique, rather than an example of personal vindictiveness. It is demonstrated that by mocking the solemnity of the classical qasida form, the text expands the poetic boundaries of the genre from being merely satire into a personal reckoning within the intimate sphere of private life. These features make the text a noteworthy example of burlesque in Ottoman literature, alongside Kânî’s Hirrenâme and Ziya Pasha’s Zafernâme, that clearly demonstrate the extent of Nef’î’s poetic prowess, ironic intelligence, and expressive power.