Lutfi

Born 1366/67, in Herat; died there 1465/66. Uzbek poet.

Lutfi wrote in Old Uzbek and Persian. Only his divan and the narrative poem Gu– and Navruz (1411-12), written in Old Uzbek, have come down to us. Lutfi’s lyric verses influenced the further development of Uzbek poetry. Lutfi was a master of versification and a brilliant stylist, but his poems did not have the profusion inherent in traditional medieval Eastern poetry. He used figurative methods from the oral poetry of Turkic-speaking peoples and brought literature closer to reality. Many of his verses became popular songs.

Lutfi’s narrative poem Gu’ and Navruz was created as a poetic “response” to the narrative poem of the same name written by the Persian poet Jalal Tabib in 1333. The plot of the poem is based on a legend about two lovers who, after many trials, are united with each other. Lutfi used this plot to affirm the idea of the “ideal” state ruled by a just sovereign.