Hüsn ü Aşk

work by Gâlib Dede

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June 29, 2026

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Hüsn ü Aşk is a masterpiece by Gâlib Dede, a prominent Turkish poet of the Ottoman era. Written in 1782, this allegorical romance tells the story of "Beauty" and "Love" as they pursue each other through many trials. Their eventual union symbolizes the fundamental unity of beauty and love. Gâlib Dede, who was also the sheikh of the Galata Mevlevî lodge in Constantinople, infused his poetry with mystical religious themes, intricate symbolism, and complex wordplay, making his work deeply meaningful, though sometimes challenging for the average reader.1

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Gâlib Dede
…primarily known for his masterpiece, Hüsn ü Aşk (“Beauty and Love”). This allegorical romance describes the courtship of a youth (Hüsn, or “Beauty”) and a girl (Aşk, or “Love”). After many tribulations, the couple are finally brought together, allegorizing the fundamental unity of love and beauty. In addition to this…
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…primarily known for his masterpiece, Hüsn ü Aşk (“Beauty and Love”). This allegorical romance describes the courtship of a youth (Hüsn, or “Beauty”) and a girl (Aşk, or “Love”). After many tribulations, the couple are finally brought together, allegorizing the fundamental unity of love and beauty. In addition to this…
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Turkish literature
Movements and poets
…Mawlawīyah dervishes, wrote his mesnevî Hüsn ü aşk (1782; “Beauty and Love”), an allegorical narrative poem. Galib, who had been befriended by Sultan Selim III, wrote with considerable reference to the Indian style, although by his era Ottoman poets were no longer conversant with contemporary Indo-Persian literature. Despite the masterly…
Read More
…Mawlawīyah dervishes, wrote his mesnevî Hüsn ü aşk (1782; “Beauty and Love”), an allegorical narrative poem. Galib, who had been befriended by Sultan Selim III, wrote with considerable reference to the Indian style, although by his era Ottoman poets were no longer conversant with contemporary Indo-Persian literature. Despite the masterly…
Read More