Poet (b. ?,
Balıkesir - d. 1776). Descending from the family of Zağnos Paşa, a statesman of
Fatih Sultan Mehmet’s period, Rasih Ahmet didn’t leave much behind to give a
clue about his life. There are debates continuing about the dates of his birth
and death.
He gained fame with his lyric poem that begins with the verses “I speak in grief, so please do not come now oh joy/One cannot have a guest at home when he has one already”.
Besides his Divan*, which consists of poems in a simple language, he wrote Vasf-ı Eshab-ı Kehf (Praising the Seven
Sleepers) about the Ashab-ı Kehf (the Seven Sleepers) a mystical anecdote in
the Koran and Rahim (Merciful God)
and another work with the title Bülgatü'l-Ahbab
(Presence of Friends).
REFERENCE: İhsan Işık / Yazarlar Sözlüğü (1990, 1998) - Türkiye Yazarlar Ansiklopedisi (2001, 2004) – Encyclopedia of Turkish Authors (2005) - Resimli ve Metin Örnekli Türkiye Edebiyatçılar ve Kültür Adamları Ansiklopedisi (2006, gen. 2. bas. 2007) – Ünlü Edebiyatçılar (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C. 4, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People (2013).
