In the first quarter of the 18th century, with the Ottoman Empire distancing itself from warfare politics and establishing an atmosphere of peace within, a notable vitality in the art and cultural life, particularly in the capital city of Istanbul, became evident. The interest of the period's sultan, Sultan Ahmed III, and his grand vizier, Nevşehirli İbrahim Pasha, in the arts and their patronage of artists were among the most significant incentives for this vibrancy. Literature also benefited from the fertile environment created for the arts during this period, known as the Tulip Era. The presence of hundreds of poets, whose lives are detailed in biographical dictionaries, is the best evidence of this period's literary richness. One of the poets who contributed to the literary wealth of this era is Lem‘î. His real name was Halil, and he held various state positions. It is unknown whether he compiled his poems into a divan (a collection of poetry). However, numerous poems that would constitute a divan are recorded in various collections, including two he organized himself. This study is a precursor to a book project aimed at compiling Lem‘î’s scattered poems into a complete divan. In this context, new information derived from his poems about the poet’s biography is shared, and after some evaluations of the form and content characteristics of the identified poems, examples of his poetry are presented. ?
Classical Turkish literature, 18th century, Tulip Era, Lem‘î.