Mehmed Es'ad Aga's Diwan (Analysis-transcription-dictionary)‎

Mehmed Esʽad Aga is a diwan poet who lived in the late 18th century and early 19th century and was trained in Enderun (Palace School); he was accomplished enough to be able to write poems in three languages besides his statesman identity. Providing services in many places across Anatolia and Rumelia and being exiled many times, the poet led a turbulent life. Resources have limited information on the life of Mehmed Esʽad Aga. Although mentioned as a prolific poet, there is no detail on the diwan written by Mehmed Esʽad Aga, who is considered among the poets of Hazîne-i Humayûn (Imperial Treasury). The aim of this study is to analyze the life of Mehmed Esʻad Aga and his diwan. The study consists of five sections. In the first section, the matter of diwan being recorded under the name of a different author was clarified and details on the life and literary personality of Mehmed Esʻad Aga were provided. The second section is where the diwan was analyzed upon being categorized in terms of various aspects such as type, form, prosody, rhyme, proverbs, literary arts, and poetics. The headings of content features of the diwan, religious and sufistic content, personages, countries and cities, animals and legendary beings, and cosmic universe and nature were also separately analyzed and elaborated upon being divided into subheadings in this section. The third section involves the description of the copy. In this section, orthographic features were analyzed and the methods adopted in the organization of the text were presented. The fourth section is where the transcription is exhibited; then, the study was evaluated in general terms and recommendations were offered under the heading of conclusion, which is the fifth section. Finally, the references were included and, in the appendices section, 26 singular couplets quoted from various poets and found in the endsheets of the copy and poems written by the poet and found in various works were introduced. The study was finalized with the dictionary section. Each literary text presents a fictional structure and is refictionalized and restructured upon each reading. Accordingly, Esʻad's Diwan, which is limited by the abovementioned headings, is in need of further investigation and analysis in many aspects. The ultimate aim of this study is to pave the way for future studies to be conducted on this work and contribute to Esʻad's Diwan in terms of being acknowledged for its literary value and taking its place in Turkish literature. Keywords: Diwan, Diwan poetry, Enderun, Hazîne-i Humayûn, Esʽad Aga