The Meanings of the Word ‘Turk’ in the Translations and Commentaries of Hafez’s Divan “TÜRK” KELİMESİNİN HÂFIZ DÎVÂNI TERCÜME VE ŞERHLERİNDEKİ MANALARI
Turkbilig, cilt.2026, sa.51, ss.311-331, 2026 (Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 2026 Sayı: 51
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.59257/turkbilig.1793779
- Dergi Adı: Turkbilig
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus, Linguistic Bibliography, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, MLA International Bibliography
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.311-331
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Classical Turkish literature, commentaries on the Divan of Hafez, Hâfız Dîvanı, Hâfız Dîvanı tercüme ve şerhleri, Klasik Türk edebiyatı, the concept of the Turk, The Divan of Hafez, translations, Türk kavramı
- Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
- Gazi Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Shams al-Din Muhammad Hafez of Shiraz, who lived in the 14th century and was known by the epithet Lisan al-Ghayb (The Tongue of the Unseen), is regarded as the pinnacle of mystical and lyrical poetry in both Turkish and Persian literatures. Incorporating Sufi imagery and metaphors as well as figures and concepts drawn from social life into his poetry as elements of beauty, Hafez became one of the most widely read figures in Classical Turkish literature. From the 15th century onward, poets such as Shayhî, Ahmed Pasha, Fuzuli, Baki, Nedim, Shaikh Galeb, and Yahya Kemal composed nazires (poetic imitations) of his ghazals. His Divan was taught by teachers in the madrasas for the purpose of teaching Persian, and in order to be]er understand it, extensive commentaries (sharhs) were wri]en. The most significant of these are those by Sudi of Bosnia, Shem’î, and Sururî in the 16th century, and Mehmet Konevî in the 18th century. Beyond Classical Turkish literature, commentaries were also wri]en in Persian literature to illuminate his mystical dimension and imagery, the most important of which belong to Muhammad Reza Barzegar Khaliqi and Baha al-Din Khurramshahi. In addition to the O]oman-era commentary tradition, in modern times many scholars such as Abdulbaki Golpınarlı, Mehmet Kanar, and Hicabi Kırlangıç have translated his Divan into Turkish. The richness of meaning and the imagery he employed have made Hafez one of the most widely read poets. In this context, one of the recurrent images in Hafez’s Divan is the word “Turk”. Throughout history, the word “Turk” has acquired different connotations and been defined in various ways across sources. In its semantic journey, along with Dari Persian, the image of the “Turk” became a figurative concept synonymous with the beautiful beloved, functioning as a poetic measure for expressing physical beauty. In this study, the use of the word “Turk” by Hafez across different layers of meaning is examined, and it is aimed to reveal the meanings a]ributed to this term within the tradition of commentary (sharh) and translation in both Persian and Turkish literature.