Seyrani

 Seyrani

The exact birth date of Seyrani from Develi (formerly known as Everek) is uncertain. There are records indicating that he was born in 1800 or 1807. He was born in Develi, which is now a district of Kayseri province. His real name is Mehmet.

His father was Hoca Cafer Efendi, a mosque imam from a poor neighborhood. Despite facing economic difficulties during his childhood, Seyrani was able to receive a religious education thanks to his father.

Since there is limited information available about Seyrani's life, people have tried to fill this gap by creating legends and anecdotes about him. As Seyrani's fame spread, bards from neighboring provinces and districts would frequently come to Develi to engage in poetic competitions with him. Seyrani would showcase his skill and eventually make them give up. However, Develi no longer satisfied him, and he desired to go to Istanbul.

Most likely in 1839, the year Sultan Abdülmecit ascended the throne, Seyrani arrived in Istanbul. During those years, there was a great interest in semai coffeehouses and poetic gatherings in Istanbul. Bards were regarded as wise individuals and their poetry was listened to attentively. The regular attendees of these gatherings would accompany the bards from one assembly to another, from one coffeehouse to another. In the mansions of the state officials and the villas of the wealthy in the palace, bards would gather, get to know each other, converse, and engage in poetic competitions. Some pashas and nobles would support and provide a comfortable life for the poets. During such a time, Seyrani went to Istanbul, where he met and familiarized himself with the renowned poets and writers of the era. While in Istanbul, Seyrani completed his unfinished religious education. He described these times with the following words:

"For seven years, Seyrani had fun and stayed

He acquired all the knowledge and wisdom

You didn't find a remedy for my troubles

While you were with me, Istanbul"

However, due to Seyrani's character, he could not turn a blind eye to the wrongdoings he witnessed, even if the perpetrator was the Sultan himself. He severely criticized these wrongdoings in his poetry. As a result, an investigation was opened against him, and to avoid capture, he had to flee to Develi with the help of a friend.

Seyrani's poems are diverse and rich both in terms of subject matter and rhyme structure. He mostly wrote his poems in syllabic meter. He gained fame for his koşma, semai, epic, nefes, and şathiye poems written in syllabic meter. He incorporated rhyme structures that had not been seen before in his poetry. In his poems, he would sometimes portray himself as a religious figure, sometimes as a political critic, and sometimes as a fervent lover. This shows that Seyrani was a sincere, devout, emotional, and sensitive person.