Historical Elements and Cyprus in Âşık (Minstrel) Kenzî’s Poems
Burak Gökbulut, Mustafa YeniasırArtists generally use their homelands and the historical and cultural elements of the societies they belong to as subjects of their poems. Âşık Kenzî, known as the only public poet of the Turkish Cypriots, enriched his poems with some elements he chose from Cyprus, the island where he was born, the Rumelian geography where he visited, and the Ottoman culture and history to which he belonged. Although he prefers to use orotund language, usually choosing Arabic–Persian words, he became one of the rare names who managed to reach readers from all walks of life, particularly by using simpler language in his epics. Despite being a public poet, Kenzî was closer to divan poetry and wanted to be remembered as an official poet. He reflected his mastery in some of his poems; however, he generally experienced difficulty in this sense and could not fully achieve the success he wanted. Kenzî did not use the syllabic method much, except for a few poems, songs, and epics. He mostly used prosody (aruz) and prosody folk poetry forms and enriched his poems with several historical elements he chose from Cyprus, particularly the Ottoman culture. Âşık Kenzî maintained his ties with Cyprus even when he left the island, and in his poems, he touched upon the personalities who did important work in Cyprus and the settlements of Cyprus. Âşık Kenzî also gave extensive space to the Balkan, Thrace, and Maghreb geographies. He used historical figures, particularly those who lived in the Balkans, Thrace, and Cyprus. Known as an Ottoman–Balkan poet of Cypriot origin, he built his world of poetry entirely on these, without being indifferent to the important historical events of the period in which he lived.
Âşık Kenzi’nin Şiirlerinde Tarihî Unsurlar ve Kıbrıs
Burak Gökbulut, Mustafa YeniasırSanatçılar yaşadıkları ülkeyi ve ait oldukları toplumların tarihî ve kültürel ögelerini genellikle şiirlerine konu etmektedirler. Kıbrıs Türklerinin tek halk şairi olarak bilinen Âşık Kenzî de doğduğu ada olan Kıbrıs’tan, gezip gördüğü Rumeli coğrafyasından, ait olduğu Osmanlı kültüründen ve tarihinden seçtiği birtakım unsurlarla şiirlerini zenginleştirmiştir. Genellikle Arapça-Farsça sözcükleri seçerek ağır bir dil kullanmayı tercih etmesine rağmen özellikle destanlarında daha sade bir dil kullanmaya özen göstererek her kesimden okuyucuya ulaşmayı başarabilen ender isimlerden biri olmuştur. Meydan şairi olmasına karşın daha çok divan şiirine yakın duran ve kalem şairi olarak anılmak isteyen Kenzî, bazı şiirlerinde ustalığını yansıtmış olsa da genel itibariyle bu anlamda zorlanmış ve istediği başarıyı tam olarak yakalayamamıştır. Kenzî, hece ölçüsünü az sayıda koşma, şarkı ve destanları haricinde pek fazla kullanmamıştır. Şair, eserlerinde çoğunlukla aruzu, aruzlu halk şiiri biçimlerini kullanmış; Kıbrıs adası ve özellikle Osmanlı kültüründen seçtiği birçok tarihî unsurla şiirlerini zenginleştirmiştir. Âşık Kenzî, Ada’dan ayrıldığı dönemlerde de Kıbrıs’la bağını kopartmamış şiirlerinde Kıbrıs’ta önemli işler yapmış şahsiyetlere ve Kıbrıs’ın yerleşim yerlerine değinmiştir. Bununla birlikte Âşık Kenzî eserlerinde Balkan, Trakya ve Mağrip coğrafyalarına da geniş yer vermiştir. Kenzî, özellikle Balkanlar, Trakya ve Kıbrıs’ta yaşamış tarihî şahsiyetleri metinlerde kullanmış; yaşadığı dönemin önemli tarihî olaylarına kayıtsız kalmadan şiir dünyasını tamamen bunlar üzerine inşa etmiş, Kıbrıs kökenli bir Osmanlı-Balkan şairi olarak bilinmektedir.
Âşık Kenzî, known as the only minstrel of Turkish Cypriots, was born in 1795 in Cyprus. After traveling to cities such as Edirne (Adrianople), Prizren, and Kalkandelen (Tetovo), he joined the Bektashi sect and wrote poems in this context. Âşık Kenzî included several types of poems in his divan, displayed all his skills in his poems, and wanted to show that he was as successful as the divan poets. The poet, whom we know thanks to the Cypriot researcher Harid Fedai, who identified his works and brought them into today’s Turkish, mostly used aruz meter and aruz folk poetry in his poems. Kenzî has written poems on many various subjects, including different historical elements related to Cyprus, particularly in the Ottoman Empire. Kenzî did not use syllabic meter, except for a small number of his ballads, songs, and epics. Âşık Kenzî was very assertive in proving his poesy by disliking official poets. He praised the elders of the religion and the state in some of his poems and tried to use the themes of divan literature skillfully, but he was not completely successful. In this study, data were collected in accordance with the qualitative approach. In this context, Âşık Kenzî’s divan, prepared by Harid Fedai and published in three separate books, was analyzed through descriptive analysis. Historical and Cyprus-related elements in the mentioned works were identified and interpreted. We think that determining the role played by Cyprus and historical elements in the poems of Kenzî, known as the only folk poet of the Turkish Cypriots, is extremely important in understanding the literary and historical value of the poet. Âşık Kenzî, who wrote poems on different topics, was also extremely sensitive to social issues and shed light on history by discussing the places he visited and the events he experienced. Based on the first book of the Cypriot Âşık Kenzî Divan published by Harid Fedai, various historical elements were involved in his works. Arguably, the historical elements in his books are mostly persons and events related to these figures. In addition, the poet frequently mentioned the historical places of his time. He mentioned historical personalities who played important roles in the Thrace and Balkans in the final period of the Ottoman Empire. His poems mentioned historical structures such as fountains and clock towers built in the Ottoman era. In addition, information on the personal lives of Kenzî and his children was also written in the book, which provides little information on Cyprus. The Divan II of Cypriot Âşık Kenzî contains historical figures from both the Balkan and Cypriot geography. Here, unlike the first book, he also included figures who lived long before him, such as Hallacı Mansur, Adem Nuh, Câlînûs, and Felatun. This book covered more elements related to Cyprus. As mentioned above, the most important element that draws attention in this book is that Âşık Kenzî defines himself as a public poet. Kenzî was closer to divan poetry than public poetry and wanted to be remembered as an official poet in literary circles. Although he reflected his mastery in some of his poems, he generally had difficulty in divan poetry and could not fully achieve the success he wanted.
In the III. Divan of Cypriot Âşık Kenzî, elements related to history and Cyprus are in close proportions. Rebellions and wars are the most prominent features of this book. Three poems directly mention the Turkish–Greek wars. The Cyprus Saga also describes a revolt that took place in 1833. Kenzî, who revealed the circumstances of the public, disasters, and mood of the people in a realistic style in such sagas, has become one of the important figures who witnessed the period in which he lived. The evaluation of the three books (i.e., the poet’s notebooks) can claim that Cypriot Âşık Kenzî touched upon the geographies of the Balkans, Thrace, Cyprus, and Maghreb in his works. His works included historical figures who lived in the Balkans, Thrace, and Cyprus and were not indifferent to the important historical events of the period in which he lived. Moreover, he can be claimed as an Ottoman–Balkan poet of Cypriot origin who personally took part in these events.
