Vasif Enderunlu

Born in Istanbul, year of birth unknown; died 1824. Turkish poet. Representative of court literature.

Vasif Enderunlu’s ghazals and songs enjoyed wide popularity. His poems, which give a picture of popular life and the customs and manners of his time, were collected in a voluminous divan. Influenced by the 18th-century poet Nedim, Vasif Enderunlu advocated a renewal of literature and made wide use of local color and the characteristics of colloquial speech. Many of his poems became proverbs and sayings. He used the traditional Arab Persian meter, the aruz. However, Vasif Enderunlu’s legacy is of unequal quality: in addition to works outstanding for their sincere feeling and simplicity, he wrote trivial and unartistic poems.