Saints and Sufis of the First Period in Divan Poetry
Divan literature, a style of writing under Persian and Islamic influence, is very prescriptive. The Divan poets generally stayed within these rules but formed deep layers of meaning together with mazmun and concepts. Divan poetry, which benefits from many fields, from celestial books to astronomy, mythology to legend, miracle to superstition, and medicine to math, is also very rich in terms of individuals who have become mazmun. Some of these individuals are saints who have become famous for their events and narratives. These saints and Sufis have been the material of poetry in various aspects. Some are the result of a miracle, some are an example, some are penned with a work, some are the material of the poem because of the suitability of its name to be used with tawriye and pun. The Divan poet seeks to address the same subject with a different perspective and a new meaning. Therefore, the same name can appear in many different parables. The veli and mutas Sufis discussed in this study are those who have made a breakthrough on the path of Sufism and sect in general and have been the pioneers of the period in which they lived and the periods after them. Examples are given about the aspects of these individuals whose lives are briefly mentioned in the divans.
Divan Şiirinde İlk Dönem Bazı Veli ve Mutasavvıflar
İslam medeniyetine bağlı olarak ve Fars tesirinde inkişaf eden divan edebiyatı, oldukça kuralcıdır. Divan şairleri bu kuralların dışına çoğu zaman çıkmamış ancak mazmun ve mefhumlarla birlikte derin anlam katmanları oluşturmuştur. Semavi kitaplardan astronomiye, mitolojiden efsaneye, menkıbeden batıl inanca, tıptan hendeseye kadar pek çok alandan faydalanan divan şiiri, mazmun hâline gelmiş şahıslar açısından da oldukça zengindir. Mazmunlaşmış şahısların bir kısmı, sergüzeştleri ve menkıbeleriyle meşhur olmuş velilerdir. Bu veli ve mutasavvıflar, çeşitli yönleriyle şiirin malzemesi olmuştur. Kimi gösterdiği bir kerametin neticesinde, kimi ibretlik bir olayla, kimi kaleme aldığı bir eserle kimi ise isminin tevriyeli ve cinaslı kullanıma uygunluğu dolayısıyla şiirin malzemesidir. Divan şairi, aynı konuyu farklı bir bakışla ve yeni bir anlamla ele almak peşindedir. Dolayısıyla aynı isim pek çok farklı teşbihte karşımıza çıkabilmektedir. Bu çalışmada ele alınan veli ve mutasavvıflar, genel itibarıyla tasavvuf ve tarikat yolunda çığır açmış ve yaşadıkları dönemin ve kendilerinden sonraki dönemlerin öncülerinden olmuş kimselerdir. Hayatlarından kısaca bahsedilen bu şahısların divanlarda hangi yönleriyle ele alındıklarına dair örnekler verilmiştir.
In the regions ruled by celestial religions, stories of saints and miracles have been passed down from generation to generation. These narratives, which influenced most of the societies, have, of course, also made their own place in literary texts. The Arabic poetry of the period of ignorance maintained its style and originality in discourse; however, with the advent of Islam, the content of poems underwent a major change. The poem that benefits the Prophet was also supported by the Prophet. As such, religious concepts and individuals were often used in the literary texts of Islamic societies. Divan poets praised Allah and the Prophet while also praising the Evliya, who followed the path of the prophet and provided them with their poems. The education system in Eastern societies is generally based on the relationship between master and apprentice; therefore leaders are often venerated in poetry. It has been almost a tradition to mention these pioneers in scholarly works or poems. The idea that unscientific poetry will not be regarded as a reputation prevails in classical period poetry. Divan poets also used saint names in their poems to show their knowledge. In particular, it was perceived as a necessity for a respected and widely read text to mention the saints’ miracles. In particular, the lives and miracles of the first saints frequently appear in the divans. The poet who wanted to show his knowledge and was after bikr-i mazmun made use of many other references, such as the Qur'an, Hadith, Sufism, mythology, legend, miracle, astronomy, math, alchemy, medicine, etc... The poets integrated their knowledge of various sciences with the word arts such as reminiscence, analogy, taşbih, and ambiguity. The Divan poets also chanted the famous saints to make their praise effective. While a famous saint is the sultan of the spiritual realm, a lauded person is described as the sultan and commander of the material realm. The reputation of some books has almost surpassed that of their authors. These works are known and read in every geography. In this case, the names of such books were sometimes used as mazmun for comparison and sometimes as a pun to remind the author. For example, the names of works such as Mesnevi, Bostan, Gulistan, Baharistan, Kanun and Şifa have often been a mazmun in a way that reminds the authors of them. Ferîdüddîn Attâr's Mantıku’t-tayr can also be judged as such. The cult line to which the poet is affiliated is also a decisive factor in the chanting of the names of saints and Sufis. Furthermore, the poet sometimes uses the saint or Sufi, which he considers appropriate to his own creation, as an element of analogy. The main factor here is that the poet finds that the saint’s characteristic features, virtues and lifestyle close to himself. With all of these, the most basic aim was to try to show art and science. The Divan poets had the necessary reputation for their superiority and style in their knowledge, and they were given the necessary protection because of their different and beautiful form of their knowledge and style. Although there are thousands of poets registered in tezkires, the limited existence of poets spoken and known today demonstrates the depth of their knowledge and originality of their style. Poets have also referred to the miracles of the saints to ensure depth and authenticity. In doing so, they did not ignore the lover; in a way, they established an interest in meaning between the lover and a characteristic of the person mentioned. Sometimes the mentioned saints and Sufis have identified their own suffering with their lives. Thus, the saints and the miracles attributed to them, which are indispensable elements of Islamic Sufism, have taken a unique place in Divan poetry. In the study, 22 of the most prominent saints and Sufis in the period, from Veysel Karenî to Molla Câmî, were used as mazmun in Divan poetry. The names of these individuals are listed alphabetically.
