Mirza POLAT

Poetry compilations accepted as an important source of folk litareture have played a significant role in delivering the works of literary figures, which were not analysed systemically but produced by the folk. Many definitions have been made as to what a poetry collection is. Some of these definitions are presented in our study. The poetry compilation we tried to read is produced with “Celali” nickname. At the beginning of the compilation “Raif Yelkenci Poetry Compilation No:8” is written. On the next page a date of 1622, in Latin numericals, is presented. There are 23 poems in the compilation composed in two lines. The first poem is in the style of a satire. Though there are many different poetic forms, a lyrical poem is also added. We presented the difficulties and solutions for the problems encountered during the reading of the compilation. Following a general praise in poems, the poet begins to praise the beauty of İstanbul. He mentions various districts of İstanbul, and then a general picture of central places such as Topkapı, Galata and Beyoğlu is presented. It is our prediction that the poet must be someone close to the state, for he praises soem members of the state in his poems. He also mentions the army and some of its members. It highly likely that the poet of the compilation is a military officer residing in İstanbul. In the poems he composed, he mentions the Janissery troops, and the Bektaşi people in particular, in an appraising style, which strengthens our supposition. He does not pay attention to the grammar rules or punctuation, instead, he composes his poems in free style, which made it difficult to read the poems. Yet, despite these difficulties, all the poems were successfully read. There aresome missing parts due to diminishing of writing or tearing of the pages.

Keywords: Poetry Compilation, Celali, İstanbul, Bektaşi, Raif Yelkenci