Abstract
A UTILIZATION OF THE CREATION IDEA IN CLASSICAL TURKISH POETRY: “KEVN U FESÂD / GENERATION AND CORRUPTION”
The relationship between humanity, the creator, and the universe has been one of the most fundamental issues shaping ontological debates throughout human history, influencing the intellectual realms of philosophy, religion, and literature. The ontological theories that developed in the Anatolian region under the influence of Islam and Sufism are prominent metaphorical elements in classical Turkish poetry. The concept of “generation and corruption” introduced by philosophers during the era of Ancient Greek civilization and interpreted by numerous philosophers and scholars within the Islamic world, was developed based on the motion of matter. In Arabic, this concept is expressed by the terms “kevn” and “fesâd” and is one of the philosophically grounded phrases used in classical Turkish poetry, often in connection with the concept of the world, centered around the perception of existence. In Islamic philosophy, the idea of the continuous change and transformation of matter is reflected in the notion of generation and corruption. In poetry, however, it is commonly used to emphasize the transient, temporary, and deceptive nature of the world, influenced by this transformation. It is also noteworthy that these couplets are created with an imaginative approach to philosophical subjects. This article aims to explore the areas of use of this theory, referred to as “kevn ü fesâd” in classical poetry, and to identify the elements with which it is associated in poetry.
Keywords
classical Turkish poetry, generation and corruption, kevn ü fesâd, philosophy, ens.