Molla Vali Vidadi
Encyclopedia
Molla Vali Vidadi (1708, Shamkir
– 1809, near Gazakh) was an Azerbaijan
i poet.
Little is known about Vidadi. He spent most of his life in his native town of Shamkir
(then called Shamkhor) where he taught at a religious school he had established himself. According to some sources, Vidadi spent some years in Tiflis, Georgia
, where we served as a court poet for King Erekle II
. Upon the death of the king's son Levan in 1781 Vidadi wrote an elegy dedicated to the deceased. His court service did not last long, possibly due to his open criticism of the ruling class. At its early stage, Vidadi's poetry expressed positive view on life, however as years passed, his poems began expressing a more pessimistic attitude. His was also known for his poetic dialogue with Molla Panah Vagif
. Vidadi's simple and realistic
(sometimes involving elements of mysticism
) literary style resembled the traditional Azeri ashik
genre.
Shamkir
Shamkir is a rayon in Azerbaijan. It is located in the northwestern part of the Azerbaijan Republic. The rayon was previously called "Shamkhor" during the Soviet rule and was renamed to Shamkir only in 1991 after restoration of independence of Azerbaijan. The district was established in 1930...
– 1809, near Gazakh) was an Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
i poet.
Little is known about Vidadi. He spent most of his life in his native town of Shamkir
Shamkir
Shamkir is a rayon in Azerbaijan. It is located in the northwestern part of the Azerbaijan Republic. The rayon was previously called "Shamkhor" during the Soviet rule and was renamed to Shamkir only in 1991 after restoration of independence of Azerbaijan. The district was established in 1930...
(then called Shamkhor) where he taught at a religious school he had established himself. According to some sources, Vidadi spent some years in Tiflis, Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, where we served as a court poet for King Erekle II
Erekle II
Erekle II was a Georgian monarch of the Bagrationi Dynasty, reigning as the king of Kakheti from 1744 to 1762, and of Kartli and Kakheti from 1762 until 1798. In the contemporary Persian sources he is referred to as Erekli Khan, while Russians knew him as Irakli...
. Upon the death of the king's son Levan in 1781 Vidadi wrote an elegy dedicated to the deceased. His court service did not last long, possibly due to his open criticism of the ruling class. At its early stage, Vidadi's poetry expressed positive view on life, however as years passed, his poems began expressing a more pessimistic attitude. His was also known for his poetic dialogue with Molla Panah Vagif
Molla Panah Vagif
Molla Panah Vagif was an 18th-century poet, the founder of the realism genre in the Azerbaijani poetry and also a prominent statesman and diplomat, vizier – the minister of foreign affairs in the Karabakh khanate.- Life :...
. Vidadi's simple and realistic
Realism (arts)
Realism in the visual arts and literature refers to the general attempt to depict subjects "in accordance with secular, empirical rules", as they are considered to exist in third person objective reality, without embellishment or interpretation...
(sometimes involving elements of mysticism
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
) literary style resembled the traditional Azeri ashik
Ashik
An Ashik is a mystic troubadour or traveling bard, in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, and Iran who sings and plays the saz, a form of lute. Ashiks' songs are semi-improvised around common bases....
genre.