Yunus Emre (Turkish pronunciation:[juːˈnusemˈɾe]), also known as Derviş Yûnus (Yûnus the Dervish) (1238–1320) (Old Anatolian Turkish: يونس امره), was a Turkishfolk poet and Sufi who greatly influenced Turkish culture. The UNESCO General Conference unanimously passed a resolution declaring 1991, the 750th anniversary of the poet's birth, International Yunus Emre Year.[3]
Yunus Emre has exercised immense influence on Turkish literature, because Yunus Emre is, after Ahmed Yesevi and Sultan Walad, one of the first known poets to have composed works in the spoken Old Anatolian Turkish. His diction remains very close to the popular speech of the people in Central and Western Anatolia. This is also the language of a number of anonymous folk-poets, folk-songs, fairy tales, riddles (Hayran), and proverbs.
Like the OghuzBook of Dede Korkut, an older and anonymous Central Asian epic, the Persian folklore that inspired Yunus Emre in his occasional use of Hayran as a poetic device had been handed down orally to him and his contemporaries. This strictly oral tradition continued for a long while.[4] Following the Mongolian invasion of Anatolia, facilitated by the Sultanate of Rûm's defeat at the 1243 Battle of Köse Dağ, Islamic mystic literature thrived in Anatolia; Yunus Emre became one of its most distinguished poets. He remains a popular figure in a number of countries, stretching from Azerbaijan to the Balkans, with seven different and widely dispersed localities disputing the privilege of having his tomb within their boundaries. Yunus Emre's most important book is Risaletu’n Nushiyye.[5][opinion]
Yunus'dur benim adım Gün geçtikçe artar odum İki cihanda maksûdum Bana seni gerek seni.[6]
My name is Yunus,
Each passing day fans and rouses my flame,
What I desire in both worlds is the same:
You're the One I need, You're the One I crave.[7]
Araya araya bulsam izini İzinin tozuna sürsem yüzümü Hak nasip eylese, görsem yüzünü Ya Muhammed canım arzular seni
Bir mübarek sefer olsa da gitsem Kâbe yollarında kumlara batsam Mâh cemalin bir kez düşte seyretsem Ya Muhammed canım pek sever seni
Ali ile Hasan-Hüseyin anda Sevgisi gönülde, muhabbet canda Yarın mahşer günü hak divanında Ya Muhammed canım pek sever seni
"Yunus" senin medhin eder dillerde Dillerde, dillerde, hem gönüllerde Arayı arayı gurbet illerde Ya Muhammed canım arzular seni
By constantly searching, I would find the trace of you
I would rub my face in the dust of your trace
If God would grant me, I would see your face
O Muhammad, my soul desires you
If there was a blessed journey I would go
Sink in the sand on the way to the Kaaba I would
Watch your beauty once in a dream I would
O Muhammad, my soul loves you so
Ali, and Hasan and Husayn at the same time
Their love is in the heart, fondness in the soul
On the Day of Resurrection, in the Court of the Truth tomorrow
O Muhammad, my soul loves you so
"Yunus" praises you on tongues
On tongues, on tongues, and also in hearts
By constantly searching in foreign parts
O Muhammad, my soul desires you
In popular culture
Yunus Emre was the focus of Yunus Emre: Aşkın Yolculuğu, a two-season 44-episode fictional drama based on his life, premiering in 2015 on Turkish National Television (TRT), created by Mehmet Bozdağ, and starring Gökhan Atalay as Yunus Emre. Yunus Emre has also been the focus of a film and a song; his representations in popular culture include:
Yunus Emre: Aşkın Yolculuğu – A two-season 44-episode fictional drama based on the life of Yunus Emre, premiering in 2015 on Turkish National Television (TRT).
Yunus Emre: Aşkın Sesi – A 2014 Turkish film based on Yunus Emre's life starring Devrim Evin in the lead role.
Adımız Miskindir Bizim – A 1973 psychedelic folk-rock song by Mazhar ve Fuat, with lyrics belongs to Yunus Emre.
Yûnus Emre Divânı 1[8] – A 2021 album based on four poems: Şükür Şükür Ol Çalab'a, Hak'dan Gelen Şerbeti, Cânlar Cânını Buldum and Biz Dünyadan Gider Olduk by Yunus Emre was produced by the group An'dan İçeri, with music from Turkish composer Tuncay Korkmaz.
International legacy
In Ashgabat (Turkmenistan),a street was named after Yunus Emre and three monuments were erected (in the Parahat-1 microdistrict, in the Inspiration Park and in the Magtymguly Park[9]).
^Halman, Talat (2007). Rapture and Revolution. Syracusa University Press, Crescent Hill Publications. p. 316.
^Edouard Roditi. "Western and Eastern Themes in the Poetry of Yunus Emre", Journal of Comparative Poetics, No. 5, The Mystical Dimension in Literature (Spring, 1985), p. 27
^Editör (21 January 2018). "Yunus Emre'nin Eserleri". Enkucuk.com (in Turkish). Retrieved 24 April 2020.
![Reverse of the 200-lira banknote (2009)[10][11]](File:200_T%C3%BCrk_Liras%C4%B1_reverse.jpg)
![Detail of the Yunus Emre Fountain in the Türkenschanzpark [de], Vienna, Austria](File:Image-Yunus-Emre-Brunnen_Wien-02.jpg)
