To analyse Turkish poetry, we need to divide it into periods. Let’s start with Pre-Islamic Turkish poetry. During this period, we can categorize the poems into oral and written forms. After the oral and written poetry, there is a transitional period. The poems written in the 11th and 12th centuries are considered Islamic transition period poems. After the transition poems, we can study the Islamic period poems. Following this period, we observe Turkish poetry influenced by the West. Now, let’s delve into these periods.

We cannot precisely pinpoint the beginning of Pre-Islamic Turkish poetry because occasionally, we come across older works. However, if we look at the epics, we can trace the origins of Turkish poetry back to around 500 BC. This means we have a history of Turkish poetry spanning approximately 2,600 years. Some poems before this period could also be considered Turkish poetry, but since they do not mention the word ”Turk,” they are not accepted as such. We consider the end of oral literature in Pre-Islamic Turkish poetry to be the 8th century because that is when we encounter the first written poems. In oral poetry, forms like ”ballad,” ”saga,” and ”epic” were used. Among these, the epic form continued to be written even after the advent of Islam.

With the acceptance of Islam, the mind of Turkish poetry changed. The best and earliest example of this is the Kutadgu Bilig (‘Knowledge of Bliss’ or ‘Knowledge That Brings Happiness’), written by Yusuf Has Hacip in the 11th century. This work, written in the masnavi form, was the first to use the prosody meter.

The written literature from the 8th to the 11th century can be divided into two categories: Gokturk and Uyghur literature. The Gokturks wrote on stone, while the Uyghurs wrote on paper, which is why most Uyghur poetry has been lost over time. We conclude the Pre-Islamic period in the 11th century. After the transitional literature, in the Islamic period, folk poetry continued, but Divan poetry came to an end at a certain point. Divan poetry began in the 13th century and remained influential until the 19th century.

In the Islamic period, alongside folk poetry, another prominent poetry was Divan poetry. This form, which had a tradition of 700 years, is the most comprehensive and robust type of poetry that the Turks contributed to world literature. It began during the Seljuk era, flourished in the Ottoman palaces, and lost its influence during the Tanzimat period (reorganisation period, 1839-1876 in Ottoman history). While folk poetry was recited among the common people, Divan poetry was being written and read in the palaces. Due to its unchanging and strict rules, this poetry is also known as Classical Turkish Poetry. Its language had a richer vocabulary than folk poetry, which is why it was written and read by more educated people.

With the advent of Islam, Turkish poets were influenced by Arabic and Persian literature, incorporating words from these languages. This new and extensive language came to be known as Ottoman Turkish. Compared to the language of the common people, Divan poetry had a heavier and more ornate language. Divan poetry, which began in the 13th century and continued strongly until the 19th century, lost its influence during the Tanzimat period.

In the 19th century, Turkish poetry began to be influenced by the western literature. During the Tanzimat period, Turkish poetry was influenced first by Classicism and then by Romanticism. Classicism was based on strict rules and reason, while Romanticism, which emerged during the Renaissance, was the opposite—liberal, emotional, and imaginative. Naturally, the language and expression of the poetry also changed according to the logic of the poetry because Romanticism had an understanding that emphasized human emotions. While talking about Humanism, which started in Italy in the 14th century, we should mention Yunus Emre, the representative of humanism in 13th-century Turkish poetry. Namık Kemal and Ziya Paşa are representatives of Romanticism in Turkish poetry.

With the establishment of the new Turkish state in 1923, alongside the Republic of Turkey, the era of Republican literature began. Naturally, the return to Anatolia and the people, which started during the Tanzimat period after Divan poetry, continued during the Republican era. In this period, poets who adopted similar poetic approaches came together and formed poetry movements. Some of these movements developed as reactions to each other.

Between 1911-1923, the National Literature poets, led by Mehmet Emin Yurdakul, focused on themes of love for the homeland, Anatolia, history, and folklore in their poetry. After 1923, the ”Beş Hececiler” (The Five Syllabists), led by Yusuf Ziya Ortaç, were influenced by the National Literature movement. Initially, they used the aruz (prosody) meter but later wrote with syllabic meter. They dealt with themes of patriotism and heroism using a simple language and made minimal use of literary devices. The ”Yedi Meşaleciler” (The Seven Torchbearers), active between 1928-1933 and led by Ziya Osman Saba, sought to follow Western literature and create an original poetic understanding.

After 1940, the Garip (means ‘odd’) Movement (Also named as The First New) led by Orhan Veli Kanık, argued that Turkish poetry needed to break away from traditional forms and understandings. They emphasized the beauty of expression and simplicity over formalism and sentimentality. Therefore, they wrote simpler poems, often using colloquial language, as a reaction against Divan poetry.

Between 1950-1980, the ”Hisarcılar,” (Forters) led by Mehmet Çınarlı, emerged in opposition to the Garip movement. They advocated for the independence of the artist, the importance of staying connected to tradition, and the rejection of copying foreign literature. From 1923 to 1960, the Socialist Poets, led by Nazım Hikmet Ran, wrote poetry for society. They were influenced by the Futurism movement. Without a concern for artistic form, they focused on content in their free-verse and unrhymed poems.

After 1950, the Second New poets, led by Ece Ayhan, wrote poetry for art’s sake. Therefore, they valued abstract expression, imagery, and the power of association. Later, the Socialist Poets after 1960, initially led by İsmet Özel, emerged as a reaction to the Second New. Like the earlier Socialist Poets, they embraced Marxist ideology. Therefore, they dealt with themes such as resistance, rebellion, revolution, human rights, the problems of the working class, criticism of the system, and the joy of life in their poetry.

Starting from the 500s BCE, we categorize Turkish poetry into different eras and give them periodical names based on the changes in people’s lives. However, it is important to note that we cannot sharply distinguish one period from another. In every era, there are artists who think and live differently from their contemporaries and create art, particularly poetry, according to their own understanding. And, of course, there were people who shared the same worldview as these artists and sought after their works. Even today, there are poets who write about religious and mystical topics, or the homeland, preferring a more straightforward language or an imagery-heavy style, and some who still use aruz meter and syllabic meter. However, as seen in Turkey and around the world, as an extension of the lifestyle brought by the current era, poems that are less emotional but high in imagery and intelligence are being written today.

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