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Yunus
Emre This is an Anatolian folk poet and mystic who transcended his period
and He was the first of a whole of Turkish Sufi troubadours who sang of the
Divine Presence, the Beloved, the Friend. His subject is the Heart, the point of
awareness where God is realized in us. This page also includes the features of
the mthical poetry.
He played an important role in the shaping of Anatolian poetry, the Turkish
language and above all, the Turkish language as a poetic medium.
He introduced mystical philosophy originating in Neo-Platonism into the Turkish
intellectual environment.
He established a bridge connecting earlier Anatolian cultures with the present.
The concepts of "earth",
"fire", "wind" and "water"
which appeared in his poetry are integral elements of "Being"
to be found in earlier Anatolian philosophy. The same concepts were put forward
by philosophers of Anatolia centuries ago; water, for example, by Thales, wind
by Anaximenes and fire by Heraclitus. |
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His simple and pure writing
brings out a deep meaning for his readers and although he lived over 700 years
ago, his
work is still timely and thought- provoking.
He was an unlettered Turkish shepherd who sang mystical songs which are
still popular today. He was the first of a whole tradition of Turkish Sufi
troubadours who sang of the Divine Presence, the
Beloved, the Friend. His songs/poems
convey a profound yet earthy spirituality. HIs subject is the Heart, the point
of awareness where God is realized in us. "I've come to build some
heart,"
Yunus sings. We are proud to introduce this great poet to readers of English.
The dervishes, whether wandering alone in poverty or gathered together in
the religious orders, or "tarikat", which sprang up everywhere preached a
pantheistic mysticism which appealed to both the Turkish and the Christian
populations in these troubled times (Mongol raids on
Anatolia). Though some
combined their mysticism with orthodox doctrine, many more were Shii ... and
aimed to spread Sufism among the people... The dervish poets wrote in colloquial
Turkish and used the pre-Islamic syllabic metre... The dervish tradition
fostered such varied personalities as Yunus Emre, the humanist of the thirteenth
century (one of the greatest of all Turkish poets), Kaygusuz Abdal, the humorous
satirist of the fifteenth century, and Pir Sultan Abdal, the social rebel of the
sixteenth century... Transmitted by word of mouth and only collected in
manuscripts after several generations of existence, many of these poems have
survived in countless version and are atributed to more than one author. But
brilliant minstrels have left their personal mark on Turkey's cultural heritage.
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Some
poet from Yunus
Emre
Written in a pure and easily understood
Turkish, some of his poems, which seem to be over simple at
first glance, carry a deep meaning and have a certain
quality which grips the reader and excites him, weaving a
special magic. Yunus in most of his poems declares his great
love for the God. He has felt the elusive excitements of the
love of God and also made others to feel it.
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Your
love made me insane, Only you is who I need
I cry for yesterday and, Only you is who I need
I am neither happy for your existence
Nor I am sorry for your nonexistence
I console myself with your love
Only you is who I need
Your love kills the lovers
Love makes one dive into the sea
Fills with manifestation
Only you is who I need
The simples need to be talked
Memories need to be in the other world
Majnuns need Laila Only you is who I need
If they kill me and throw my ashes into the air
And my soil calls them immediately
Only you is who I need
Yunus is my name; I increase day by day
I am wished in two of the worlds
Only you is who I need
Dive and see what in my soul is
There are roses for us within this public
Let them laugh and god be ours
How the unawares may know
There are lovers of god
This road is steep and far
No passages but deep waters
The brave ones shall appear in this place
And no skills shall be kept inside
Do not appear, Yunus, in this place
There are braves in this place |
The travellers who leave this transient
world,
They do not speak, they do not
give a sign.
Those under the growing greenness buried,
They do not speak, they
do not give a sign. |
I am not at this place to
dwell,
I arrived here just to depart.
I am a well-stocked peddler,
I sell, To all those who will buy from my mart. |
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Those with a tree rustling beside their grave,
Those above
whom the withering grasses wave,
The innocent, the beautiful, the brave,
They do
not speak, they do not give a sign. |
I am not here on earth
for strife,
Love is the mission of my life.
Hearts are the home of the loved one;
I came here to build each true heart. |
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Their tender flesh has melted in the ground,
From their sweet tongues there does not come a
sound,
In your prayers let their names be found,
They do not speak, they do not give
a sign. | My madness is love for the
Friend,
Lovers know what my hopes portend,
For me duality must end:
God and I must not live apart. |
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Yunus, behold where all who go are led,
Like autumn leaves, their brows their lashes shed,
A stone to mark the place where rests their head,
They do not speak, they do not give a sign. |
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