HAYALÎ BEY

Poet (b. ?, Vardar Yenicesi – d. 1557, Edirne). His real name was Mehmed. He was called Bekâr Memi in his time. He did not receive any formal education. However, he served the Haydarî Sheikh, Ali Mest-i Acemi and studied on Sufist culture.

With his poetry, he found a place among the special friends of Kanuni Sultan Süleyman after attracting the attention of the Finance Minister, İskender Çelebi and the Grand Vizier, İbrahim Paşa. However, after the death of his patrons, he lost his popularity with the Sultan. He had financial difficulties during his later years. He was one of the great poets along with Bakî and Necatî with his beautiful odes that were influenced by sufi culture. His Divan* was published by Prof. Ali Nihat Tarlan.