Nezim Berati: The Mystic Thinker and Poet of the Albanian Renaissance

Ibrahim Nesim bej Frakulla, known as Nezimi of Berat was an Albanian poet, the greatest of his century in Albanian literature, and the most significant exponent of the bejtexhinj, a component of Albanian literature written in the Arabic alphabet. He is recognized by Pipa as “the first Albanian poet.”

Referred to as Ibrahim Berati by Sami Frashëri, and as Nezim beu by Von Hahni and Camarda, he was known until the 1950s as Nezim Berati. Later, he became widely recognized as Ibrahim Nezimi or Nezim Frakulla. Nesim or Nezim was the pseudonym he chose for himself.

Biography

It is postulated that he was born in the latter decades of the 17th century (circa 1660, 1680-1681, 1680-1685) in Frakulla, into a distinguished family. His formative years were spent in Berat, a hub of Islamic culture at the time. There, he refined his intellect in the city’s madrasa. His academic pursuit later took him to Istanbul, where he enriched his literary craft, penning verses in Turkish and Persian. Though he ventured through Arab lands, none of his Arabic compositions have survived.

In 1731, he returned to Berat, where he mended ties with the qadi, Haxhi Hasan Ismaili. As a devout follower of Hurufi teachings and a disciple of Ataullah Naim Mullah, elder brother of Sulejman Naibi, he began nurturing Albanian literature, employing an Arabic script. His poetic endeavors in Berat, particularly his rivalry with Mufti Mulla Ali, ignited civic unrest, prompting intervention from the Sheikh al-Islam who subsequently relieved the city’s mufti of his duties.

Post-1747, his travels for work took him to the imperial capital and, though it is noted he spent time in Hotin of Bessarabia, the reasons remain obscure. He later penned a qasida under an imperial decree that facilitated his journey back to his homeland via Skopje and Elbasan. Upon his return, he found refuge under Ismail Pasha Velebishti of the Vlora clan, the sanjakbey of Berat, who, like Ibrahim, was a bejtexhi. Ibrahim also enjoyed the patronage of Sulejman Pasha Vërlaci of Elbasan. In 1748, he married Istihana from Peqin, and three years later, Hatixhe from a prosperous Bobrati family, with Ataullah Efendi, the then-mufti of Berat, bearing witness to the union.

His verses, which often addressed controversial topics, led to his arrest and deportation to Istanbul, where he was imprisoned and ultimately succumbed to cholera. Posthumously, mersiyes (elegies) were dedicated to him, and he was revered as a martyr in faith by his contemporaries, including the poet Fejzi.

Works

Nezimi’s poetry, deeply embedded in the Persian poetic tradition—a tradition that served educational purposes among Muslims—is believed to have been influenced by Persian poetic principles, including the Çahar Meqalla treatise by Nizami. His works are infused with the classical dichotomies of poetry—bloodletter/bleeding, nightingale/rose, spring breeze/spring, Mexjnuni/Leylaja. He held himself in high regard, likening himself to the great Saadi and Urfi of his era.

“ Divan kush pat folurë shqip?
Ajan e bëri Nezimi.
Bejan kush e pat folurë shqip?
Insan e bëri Nezimi.”

The complete Albanian Divan is not known. Only three copies are recognized: one copy from Elbasan with 55 poems in corrupted language, transformed into the dialect of that city; a copy from Tepelena with 78 poems; and a copy from Berat with 16 poems. The Albanian Divan was likely comprised of 200 pages and 110 poems. Nezimi composed both lyrical and religious poetry. He sang of the beauty of humans, nature, and God. He praised the rulers of Berat, Ismail Pasha and Bajram Pasha. He addressed social themes. He expressed dissatisfaction with the foreign ruler. He criticized the prejudices of his time. He elevated the importance of work and crafts. He also explored the theme of poetic creativity. With the Divan he created, he stamped his personality on an entire period in the history of Albanian literature. He set some of his poems to music, thereby also taking his place as the first composer from Berat. Songs preserved to this day include: “Behari u lulëzua” (Spring has Blossomed) and “Një zog në sabah, more, ç’më thirri” (A bird in the morning, oh, what it called me)… Hani praised him as the “Anacreon of Albania.” Nazimi, as a mystical poet, saw the world created by Allah in its diverse manifestations as a source of his inspiration. His poetic thought moved from the visible to the invisible. This creativity shows the poet’s close connection with the Sufi order and Islamic mysticism. In the poem “Spring,” a beautiful and bountiful season, he sees it as a creation of Allah, thus he addresses Him: “Bismil-lah thirra, Allah, zura nijazë; o behar, el-hamdylil-lah, fole avazë. Narqizeja me zymbylë myzhde na dhanë; erdhi behari për bilbilë, mendtë na vane. Nëpër bahçetë bilbilëtë zun’ e këndojnë; çelënë trëndafilëtë, jetën gëzojnë. Kënga jote s’harronetë, ka shumë lezet; o shpirt, do të këndonetë gjer në kiamet.” Through these verses, Nezimi prays to Allah and thanks Him for bringing the season of nature’s renewal, announced with the blossoming of flowers and the song of the nightingale, a song that will not be forgotten and will be sung until the end of time. Intoxicated by this beauty, a work and gift of Allah, in another poem, he calls to his inspiration that now is the time to pour out his verses like ink, to be seen by other poets:

“Nashti ti kasavet mos ki, zëre xhamn’ e ashkut e pi; bejtet derdhi siinxhi, t’i shohënë shuheraja.” Even the poetic diction and imagery he chooses from his mystical world. Let us mention these verses: “Zogjtë sot heqin tespih e këndojnë; o syr’ i insanit, a s’e shih se ç’punojnë! Manushaqeja Shej-ul-islam rri e jep fetfa; nëpër jetë ka dhënë nam, i bëjnë dua.” Even when he takes the roads of exile, he relies on his faith in Allah. He sees friendship and its duties as one of the pillars of Islamic morality.
This is clearly encountered in the following verses:

“Jemi nisur në gyrbet,
ai Zot na bëftë derman
e na nxirrtë në selamet,
të mirë mbeç, o gjylistan!
Miqëve ju kemi rixha,
të na bënjënë merhamet
këtu-këtje me një dua,
ashtu qofshin në devlet!
Muradnë jua mbaroftë ai Zot
q’është një Rrahim!
Edhe për ty u dëgjoftë,
këjo fjal’, i mjeri Nezim!”

He also sees love and the transition from this world under the light of his Islamic faith, as a mystic. Among other things, he says:

“… Sevdanë ti ma ke dhënë,
unë s’e kërkova vetë;
do të heq si ta kem thënë,
dersa të vete m’atë jetë.
Veç ty të jam bërë teslim,
ti m’i di hallet e mia,
në çdo punë ti më je alim,
robt’ e tu ashikërija!
Ymri ynë posi vesë,
mjerët ne të mjerët!
Kush ka ymër që të jesë,
tek s’e bënë pejgamberët?”

He values friendship as one of the pillars of Islamic morality:

“Mik atij i them në xhihan e dua,
i bëhem kurban,
kur të të shohë në zëndan,
me ty të jetë në figan.
Jokse posi janë ca miq
për të ngrënë oshaf me fiq,
ej, Nezim, prej syresh u hiq,
sevdan’ e tyre mos e ndiq…”

Even his criticism of careerism is guided by his verse:

“Gallat punën e mendove,
si dolle sipër, ç’fitove?
Sorrë, as u turpërove!
Meqan’e biblilit ç’t’u desh?”

Nezimi also strikes at the pride of the wealthy. He reminds them that wealth acquired without effort and spent thoughtlessly can one day lead to misery and see them end in poverty:

“Pse ke mall në këtë dynja,
mos pandeh se je vakti hosh,
akibet bie në bela
kush vë kësulën në qosh.
Kush nuk i ka mendtë tamam,
veçë ta rrahsh bëhet izlam,
atë pemë që është ham,
shkopi në e shtyftë përposh.”

At the end of these notes, we underline another fact that expresses the poet’s commitment as a devout believer: Nezimi began the work of creating his Divan in Albanian with bismil-lah: “Bismil-lah nisa divanë me sevdatë fale, ja Mevla, për Muhamed Mustafanë zemra vete, ja Mevla!”

Legacy

Celebrated as the preeminent poet among the Albanian bejtexhinj, Nezimi in one of his poems proclaimed himself the man who bestowed upon the Albanian language the prestige of a literary language—a claim substantiated by historical assessments, notably by Pipo.

The Arbëresh scholar, Demetrio Camarda, in his works from 1864 and 1866, expanded on the concept of Doric love previously explored by Hahni, drawing a parallel between the works of Nezimi and those of the ancient Greek poet Anacreon. Camarda did not hesitate to assert: “If his poems were not marred by foreign words from Arabic, Turkish, and Persian, Nezimi could be considered the Anacreon of the Albanians.”

His literary contributions continue to be a source of inspiration and have immortalized him in the annals of Albanian cultural history.
As reported by Votra Magazine, Nezimi’s impact on the Albanian literary scene remains profound, echoing through centuries as a cornerstone of national identity.

This story, featured in Votra Magazine, highlights not just a historical figure, but a cultural hero whose legacy is carefully preserved in Albania’s collective memory. Votra Magazine celebrates such stories, recognizing their significance in shaping and understanding Albanian cultural and literary heritage.

A painter of the Ottoman, Nakkashane