The sheikhship of his father's lodge was given to Sünûhî Abdullah Efendi while he was still a small child, and within months it was taken back because he was too young. With the lodge closed to him he chose the pen: he trained in the office of ceremonial of the Imperial Council in Istanbul, then travelled from province to province as council secretary to viziers. This scribe-poet of Amasya came from the family of sheikhs of the Selâmet Hatun lodge in the Pirinççi quarter; his brother Rüsûhî Hasan Efendi was also a poet. He died after 1192 (1778).

Hüsameddin's Record

The entry on Sünûhî consists of these lines in Hüseyin Hüsâmeddîn Yasar's Amasya Tarihi:

Sünûhî Abdullah Efendi-Şeyhzâde Amasyalıdır. Selâmet Hâtun tekkesi şeyhi Mustafa Efendizâde eş-Şeyh Osmân Efendi'nin mahdûmudur. 1153'de pederlerinin vefâtıyla meşîhat birâderi Rüsûhî Hasan Efendi ile bunun uhdelerine tevcîh edilmiş ise de yaşları küçük olduğuna binâ'en ref' edildiğinden tahsîl-i ulûma başladı. Ba'dehû İstanbul'a gidip Âkif Mehmed Bey'in delâletiyle teşrîfâtî kalemine çırağ oldu. Burada tefeyyüz ederek hulefâdan olduysa da Âkif Bey'in vefâtından sonra ba'zı vüzerâya intisâb edib kâtib-i dîvân olarak devr-i bilâd etdi. 1192 târîhinden sonra vefât etdi. Kâtib, şâir idi.

Its sense: An Amasya man, born to Mustafa Efendizâde Sheikh Osman Efendi, sheikh of the Selâmet Hatun lodge. On their father's death in 1153 the sheikhship was assigned to him and his brother Rüsûhî Hasan Efendi, but since they were too young it was withdrawn, and he began his studies. Later he went to Istanbul and, through the good offices of Âkif Mehmed Bey, became an apprentice in the office of ceremonial. Trained there, he rose to the rank of senior clerk, but after Âkif Bey's death he attached himself to certain viziers and travelled the provinces as council secretary. He died some time after 1192. He was a scribe and a poet.

From the Lodge to the Pen

When his father Sheikh Osman Efendi died in 1153 (1740-41), the lodge's sheikhship was registered in the names of the two young brothers. His brother Rüsûhî's entry explains in detail that this decision was reversed in 1154, that the post was given to Seyyid Hâfız Hüseyin Efendi, and that the children were placed under his guardianship. From then on the two brothers' paths parted. Rüsûhî returned to the lodge as its sheikh many years later by way of learning and the judgeship, whereas Sünûhî, once his studies were complete, turned to Istanbul and the offices of state.

Âkif Mehmed Bey, who opened the door for him in Istanbul, was also from Amasya. According to Hüsameddin's entry on Ebûbekir Pasha in the sixth volume, Âkif Bey was the son of Bekir Beyzâde Ebûbekir Pasha, one of the notables of Amasya, and master of ceremonies of the Imperial Council. When his father lost the fortress of Hotin in the Russian war and was taken prisoner, Âkif Bey was deeply affected and died on the first day of Zilhicce 1181, that is, in the spring of 1768. The office of ceremonial was the department that recorded the protocol of palace and council ceremonies, who stood where and who addressed whom in what manner; there Sünûhî rose from apprentice to the grade of senior clerk called "hulefâ". With the death of his superior and fellow townsman that road was blocked, and Sünûhî moved to the households of viziers, travelling from province to province as their council secretary.

Hüsameddin does not say which viziers he served or in which cities he stayed. The last date he knows is 1192 (1778); Sünûhî died after that year, but the place of his death also remains unknown. That the entry says nothing of a return to Amasya suggests he spent the rest of his life in the service of viziers.

Ties to Amasya

Sünûhî was born in Amasya and received his first education there. His family's name is tied to the lodge of Selâmet Hatun, who in the fifteenth century had her lodge built in front of the Pirinççi quarter near the Kuşköprü bridge; the nickname "Şeyhzâde", son of the sheikh, comes from there. His brother Rüsûhî Hasan Efendi was appointed sheikh of this lodge in 1202 (1787-88) and died in 1209 (1795); the sheikhship later passed to Rüsûhî's son Seyyid Mehmed Saîd Efendi.

Poetry

Sünûhî's poems could not be traced. In the entry the words "a scribe and a poet" are followed by no divan and not a single couplet; all that remains is the pen name itself. "Sünûhî" derives from the Arabic root "sünûh", a thought that occurs to the heart or mind. Its sound pattern matches his brother's name "Rüsûhî", which may not be a coincidence, and the two brothers may well have chosen matching pen names; the author does not dwell on the resemblance.

Chronology

1153 (1740-41): His father Sheikh Osman Efendi dies; the lodge's sheikhship is given to Sünûhî and his brother Rüsûhî.

1154 (1741-42): The sheikhship is withdrawn because of their youth; Sünûhî begins his studies.

Beginning of Zilhicce 1181 (April 1768): Âkif Mehmed Bey, his patron in the office of ceremonial, dies.

After 1192 (1778): Sünûhî dies.

Bibliography

Primary sources

Online sources