This work, which compiles Tâhirü’l-Mevlevî’s writings on Istanbul into a cohesive whole, brings together for our readers a 40-year accumulation of articles penned for various magazines between 1910 and 1951. Published in chronological order in the magazines Beyânülhak (1910, 1911), Sebilürreşad (1914), Mahfil (1921-1925), Yücel (1936), Bilgi Yurdu (1938, 1939, 1940), and İslâm Yolu (1948-1951), some of these pieces were serialized, while others remained as individual articles within the pages of these journals. In addition to his writings in these magazines, an undated manuscript treatise included in this book bears the title “Old Customs of Istanbul.”

The articles that comprise this work also reflect a period of approximately 40 years. It is a work that deserves special attention, particularly for showcasing the course of the Turkish language and the visible effects of the alphabet reform.

As for the title of the book... The name of the book comes from a sentence by Tâhirü’l-Mevlevî that appears in this work: As Fresh as Spring, as Delicate as Life. Given the current state of Istanbul, this expression we have attributed to the city might seem ironic to some of our readers. To be honest, it does to the author of these lines as well. Even if Istanbul does not deserve us, it is a city that more than deserves this description. And while Istanbul may be drawing into its breast the colossal masses of concrete that cloak its horizon like an insult pierced into its sacred being, it is not difficult to guess what it is saying to us through the language of state. But we, at least, wanted to acknowledge—even if only on paper—that its due is to be “as fresh as spring, as delicate as life.”