Sehi Bey ( Ottoman Turkish: Sehî Bey), (1471?–1548) was an Ottoman poet and bibliographer. He was the first one to compile a tezkire (bibliographical dictionary of poets and poetry), a genre which would have many followers until the 19th century. [1]
Sehi Bey was born in
Edirne. Together with his friend,
[1] poet
Necati (d.1509),
[2] he served as
katib (secretary) to Princes
Şehzade Mahmud, son of
Bayezid II,
[1] and Süleyman, the later would become known as
Suleiman the Magnificent. He was in charge of many
waqfs located in Edirne and
Ergene, being a chief trustee, in
Turkish
mütevelli.
[3]
He is mostly remembered for the tezkire, Heşt Behişt (Eight Springs), which he finished in 1538. 2 other editions would follow until 1548. It narrated the work and life of 241 poets and was very well received and supported by the Ottoman high social circles. It served as basic source for later study of
Ottoman poetry.
[4]
Sehi Bey did work also on his own poetry, collected in a
diwan.
[3]
He died in 1548 (955 in
Islamic calendar).