Traces of Religious-sûfi Turkish Folk Poetry in Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu's Poem “Birinci Mektup (First Letter)”

Folk Poetry in Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu's Poem

Abstract

Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu published his poetry book titled Yaradana Mektuplar in 1941. The book takes its title from the poems at the beginning. These poems, titled "Birinci Mektup," "İkinci Mektup," "Üçüncü Mektup," "Dördüncü Mektup," and "Beşinci Mektup," address concepts such as creation, life, death, and existence in a manner that converses with God. The poem “Birinci Mektup” which is the subject of this study, is influenced by the imagery of folk poetry. Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu often stated in his writings that he wanted to draw on the essence of folk art. In his poem “Birinci Mektup” he primarily emphasized the vastness and permanence of the universe. He then compared the temporality of human life with the permanence of the universe. Eyüboğlu's concepts in his poetry are reminiscent of the imagery of devriye, a type of poetry in religious-mystical Turkish literature. Devriye poems view life as a journey between birth and death. The purpose of the journey is to achieve maturity and reach God. The philosophical background of this journey, as addressed in devriyes, is formed by sûfi thought. In sûfi thought, man understands his journey as coming from God and returning to God. Those also reference the cyclical nature of human life and time. This study takes Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu's approach to folk art as a starting point. It aims to evaluate the poem "Birinci Mektup/First Letter" in the context of the concepts of death, life, and creation and to analyze the influences of religious-sûfi Turkish poetry in treating these concepts.