THE LEGENDARY TALKS
โThe Legendary Talks:5
An Exclusive Interview with
Yahya Azeroฤlu
by Serdar รnsal
โI adopt the saying, โwords fly away, writings remainโ.
โ Yahya Azeroฤlu
Through the following interview, I will
try to introduce you to Yahya Azeroฤlu โthe poet son of Iฤdฤฑr, the land of Oฤuz.
Yahya Azeroฤlu tells the language, words, hearts and desires of the people in
his poems. There is a deep love for the homeland, nation and flag in his poems.
Yahya Azeroฤlu is an important poet who is
loved and respected by everyone who meets him with his patriotic, polite,
friendly and emotional personality. He never hides his feelings in his poems
and shows a characteristic that speaks with his heart.
Iฤdฤฑr
is a province bordering 3 countries and the majority of the people living in
this province are those who migrated from Iran, Armenia and Azerbaijan
(Nakhchivan) due to Armenian-Russian oppression during the period of 1915-20
and settled in Iฤdฤฑr.
They all have a longing for their homeland
in their hearts. This longing for their homeland inevitably made them poets and
writersโฆ
We
can say that Iฤdฤฑr is the homeland of poets and writers. In other words, Iฤdฤฑr
is the capital of poetry, and poets and writers have also grown up in addition
to heroes from the Oghuz land of Iฤdฤฑr. One of these poets and writers is our
famous poet Yahya Azeroฤlu, whose fame is rapidly spreading in the
international literary arena.
Azeroฤlu, an Oghuz Turk, wrote poems and
articles that reflect the language, words, hearts and desires of the people in
his poems and articles.
Yahya Azeroฤlu โ a poet loved and
respected by everyone with his smiling face and pleasant conversation โ has
always told about the love of the homeland, flag, nation, Atatรผrk, freedom,
peace and independence in the poems and articles he wrote.
Poet Yahya Azeroฤlu โ who we can also call the Ashik Elesker of Iฤdฤฑr โ went to Europe many times and met with expatriates and conveyed the air and smell of Iฤdฤฑr to the expatriate people of Iฤdฤฑr. When talking to someone, the following poetic words always come out of his mouth: โBeautiful person, how are you?โ This sentence requires a separate skill in forming and addressing… But when a person becomes a poet, a man of the heart, the voice and language of the people, he says everything. Here is an exclusive interview of Yahya Azeroฤlu, whom we know with the title of Peopleโs Poet of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Tรผrkiye.
Serdar รnsal
Journalist, Poet, Author,
Tรผrkiye
โฆ.
SERDAR รNSAL
Mr. Yahya, can you please tell us a little about your background? Who is Yahya Azeroฤlu and what are his achievements?
YAHYA AZEROฤLU
Poet and writer Yahya Azeroฤlu was born on 24 October,1955 in Yukarฤฑ Topraklฤฑ village of Aralฤฑk district (between the foot of Aฤrฤฑ Mountain and Aras River) of Iฤdฤฑr province โ the border bey of eastern Anatolia โ as the second child of a large family of 11 people, and completed his primary and secondary education in Iฤdฤฑr.ย Later, Yahya Azeroฤlu, who settled in Turgutlu district of Manisa with his family in 1970, left his high school and went to Istanbul to enroll in Istanbul Kabataล High School. When he could not enroll there either, he stayed in Istanbul for a long time. In time, he joined the Turkish Literature Foundation chaired by the writer Ahmet Kabaklฤฑ. He worked at the รlker biscuit factory there and also went to the Turkish Literature Foundation.
Yahya Azeroฤlu received education in literature by attending conferences given by valuable scientists such as Osman Yรผksel Serdengeรงti, Niyazi Yฤฑldฤฑrฤฑm Genรงosmanoฤlu, Ahmet Kabaklฤฑ, Necip Fazฤฑl Kฤฑsakรผrek, Prof. Dr. Ayhan Songar, Mehmet Akif ฤฐnan, Camil Meriรง, Erol Gรผngรถr, ฤฐbrahim Kafesoฤlu, Osman Turan, Ahmet Arvasi etc., who are the literary figures of Turkey, and he later went to Germany.ย
Here he received foreign language education for 2 years (German). He resided in various European countries and was active by participating in cultural and artistic activities especially within the framework of Azerbaijani cultural associations, and returned to Turkey in 1983. He settled in Iฤdฤฑr โ the frontier lord of Eastern Anatolia and the land of his father โ and first completed the high school, then he left it unfinished and continued his cultural activities throughout Turkey. While continuing to write poems and articles, Yahya Azeroฤlu won the Public Administration Department of the Open Education Faculty of Eskiลehir Anadolu University, but could not finish the faculty due to various reasons. Later, in 1994, he founded the Iฤdฤฑr Poets and Writers Association (ฤฐLESAM) and served as its President for 15 years. Yahya Azeroฤlu, is also a member of the Turkish Scientific and Literary Works Professional Association and a provincial representative, and he wrote โรIRPINIลโ.
โSilent Screamsโ, โTake an Example from Ataturkโ, โUnder The Red Flagโ, โAlkizil, The Village That Became An Epic In The Aras Valleyโ, โTuranian Days In Iranโ โProfessor Hasan รakmak In Turkish Literatureโ. He has published 12 books. He has participated in many conferences held in Europe. His poems have won first prizes in many poetry competitions. His poems have been set to music and put to music by composers such as Azerbaijani composer Hรผseyin Sรถzel, I. Ceylan Veysel Yalvaรง, etc.,
My perspective on poetry is: it is not right to fit poetry into a single mold because, in my opinion, poetry should show itself in every area of life and this is what poets do. It needs to be done because if a nation does not have poets, it means that there is a deficiency in the national elements of that nation. In other words, if you want to take your place as a nation in the world conjuncture, I think you definitely need to have poets.
and have been the subject of news in the famous BILD newspaper published in Germany. Poet-researcher Writer Yahya Azeroฤlu was deemed worthy of the poet of the year award in Antalya in 2020. He was deemed worthy of the literature award of the year in Tabriz in 2021.
In addition, Azerbaijani scholar Prof. Dr.ย Ramiz Hesemli wrote a book about the poet and writer Yahya Azeroฤlu called โTuran Yolcusuโ, the second book written about Yahya Azeroฤlu was published by poet-writer Banu Musayeva called โTuran Tรผrkรผn Dรผnyaki sesdirโ, later the third book was written by Azerbaijani poet-writer Sara ลerifov, thus the book written about Yahya Azeroฤlu was made into a documentary about his life and art in 2017 by students of Akdeniz University. The life, art and poems of poet and writer Yahya Azeroฤlu were given to his student Necati Bayat as a graduation thesis by Celรขl Bayar University faculty member Assoc. Prof. Dr. ฤฐrfan Murat Yฤฑldฤฑrฤฑm, thus Yahya Azeroฤluโs life and works entered the archives of the university, which is a center of science. The articles, he wrote, attracted the attention of Istanbul University faculty member Professor Doctor Oktay Belli.
So, he invited the researcher poet-writer Yahya Azeroฤlu to symposiums he organized in many parts of Turkey within this framework, more than thirty times.ย His scientific articles were published after passing the referee board, and also his articles were published in the famous โWordsmith International Editorialโ magazine of America and became the cover story of the 15th issue of the same magazine. Yahya Azeroฤluโs articles and poems were published in famous international magazines and translated into many languages including English, Persian, Arabic, Greek, Romanian, Russian and Uzbek. He was also deemed worthy of the peace award three times by the World Peace Platform โ operating in America โ due to his contribution to world peace with his peace poems and articles. Yahya Azeroฤluโs articles and poems were also featured in the Azerbaijani press.
Yahya Azeroฤlu, who was published in magazines such as the famous Yurt Literature Magazine and Elay Literature Magazine, and became known in literary circles in many countries of the world, including the entire Turkic world. He was awarded a scholarship by the Azerbaijan Science and Education Center on Philology (F) Prof., and a diploma was awarded. Yahya Azeroฤlu, who is a member of the Azerbaijan Writersโ Union, Uzbekistan Writersโ Union, Tabriz Writersโ Union, Kirkuk Writersโ Union and Turkey Writersโ Union, is also the General Chairman of the Turkish World Art and Culture Center (TรSKรM) in Antalya, which he founded. Yahya Azeroฤlu, who married his auntโs daughter, Birsen Hanฤฑm, has 4 children (2 girls, 2 boys,) รlkรผ, Tuna, Edibe Hilal, Bakรผ Can Kรผrลad. Yahya Azeroฤlu currently resides in Antalya.
SERDAR รNSAL
Mr.
Yahya Azeroฤlu, when and how did you start writing poetry?
YAHYA AZEROฤLU
Actually, I had an incredible interest in poetry and literature since my primary school years. One day, the school administration took all the students to the State Farm in the region with a tractor trailer so that the students could meet and
In fact, no matter what subject you write a book on, you will be affected by activities done in every area of life because I think that books written are only a summary of a part of life, but despite this, not everyone can write a book and put their feelings about the life on paper. Undeniably, it is a reality of life because there is no rule that says all people will be writers.
socialize. Of course, I was one of these students. I was only a third-grade student. The students of the State Farm invited us to their homes to host us and introduce us to their families. I belonged to a very poor family. Despite this, a rich student had taken me to his house as a guest. After getting to know the family, it was time to set the table. The table that was set was a rich table.
The first thing that caught my attention on the table was honey and butter. I had heard of honey and butter in my life, but I had even never tasted them. When I saw honey and butter on a rich table, I immediately found that the student, I was visiting, was a rich child. I ate honey and butter there for the first time. There, I saw the gap between the rich and the poor.ย I intensely felt a very bad mark left on me with this situation, so I realized that the words on my lips rhymed and scribbled it down in a corner of my notebook in just these two lines:
While the rich steal honey and oil,
The poor eat from the sky.
A few years after finishing primary school, I found these lines in my notebook that I had kept for years by chance and continued the poem where I left off. And the same thing ย happened today, while I was going through my old notebooks I found this poem โ that had left a very bad mark on me โ and I want to share it with you my friend. This is how I started poetry.
This Is How It Came, This Is How It Goes
While the rich steal honey and butter,
The poor eat the beating from the sky;
I examined and analyzed every age,
This is how it came, this is how it goes.
The rich never finds scarcity in their life,
Existence behind, existence in front;
The poor wear sandals with split soles,
This is how it came, this is how it goes.
The rich adds happiness to their life,
The poor waits for the way of Azrael;
The labor they worked in vain,
This is how it came, this is how it goes.
The poor spend their life in poverty,
The rich set their eyes on the poor again;
This has continued for centuries,
This is how it came, this is how it goes.
The rich have money in their pocketsโ,
The corrupt system opens the door to this;
Azeroglu lists examples,
This is how it came, this is how it goes.
SERDAR รNSAL
What themes do you work on in your poems? Can you talk about them a little and give examples?
YAHYA AZEROฤLU
Of course, every poet has themes that he works on according to his own style when we think about it in this context.
In the poetry of Poets โ not only Turkish poets but all over the world โ we see in their poems that there can be individual feelings such as love, sometimes the pain of separation, sometimes the fear of death, etc., sometimes sorrow, grief, disappointment, in short sorrows for other people, in social subjects. But my understanding of the poetry has a different aspect, if a poet can break away from certain patterns and handle all the themes, I think that poet is aware of the work. I personally try to handle all the themes that come to my mind. I try to handle social issues along with personal issues, for example, I try to handle themes such as love, pain, grief, sadness, joy, homeland, nation, flag, peace, etc. For example, let me give you a poem about donation:
The Way of Peace!
My tongue does not turn when I say violence,
My hand does not reach the gun trigger,
Come on, letโs all say this together,
Letโs open the path of peace with peace.
Letโs follow the trace of the beloved,
Letโs live the essence of sacred love,
Letโs bury the word of war,
Letโs open the path of peace with peace.
Put spiritual sherbet in the golden bowl,
Let the brother not cry for the mourning of the brother,
In the memory of the martyrs who have passed,
Letโs open the path of peace with peace.
Letโs walk beside the truth,
Letโs live in the bosom of a peace,
At the end of our struggle,
Letโs open the path of peace with peace.
The violence of violence is worse than death,
The path of living leads to peace,
In short, Azeroฤlu says this,
Letโs open the path of peace with peace.
Of course, it is possible to increase these examples, my perspective on poetry is: it is not right to fit poetry into a single mold because, in my opinion, poetry should show itself in every area of life and this is what poets do.ย It needs to be done because if a nation does not have poets, it means that there is a deficiency in the national elements of that nation. In other words, if you want to take your place as a nation in the world conjuncture, I think you definitely need to have poets.
SERDAR รNSAL
Mr. Yahya, when all poets in the world put their first step into poetry, they are inspired by the great poets of that day. Which poets do you take as your role model?
YAHYA AZEROฤLU
Of course, not every person is born a poet. When babies born, as they grow up and get to know themselves, that is, after reaching Kemal, they face the realities of life and life directs and leads them. Since there is no rule that all people will be poets or writers โ of course, every person acts in accordance with his own skills and abilities. I am one of these people in this context, our independence poet Mehmet Akif Ersoy, Osman Yรผksel Serdengeรงti, Niyazi Yฤฑldฤฑrฤฑm Genรงosmanoฤlu, Cahit Sฤฑtkฤฑ Tarancฤฑ, Necip Fazฤฑl Kฤฑsakรผrek, Yahya Kemal Beyatlฤฑ, poets from our generation such as Abdรผrrahim Karakoรง, Ozan Arif etc. became my role models. For instance:
The poem: โThe Age of Thirty-Fiveโ by Cahit Sฤฑtkฤฑ Tarancฤฑ
Age thirty-five! Thatโs half the way.
We are in the middle of life like Dante.
The essence of our young age,
Begging, pleading is futile today,
He goes without looking at his tears.
The poem: โSilent Shipโ by Yahya Kemal Beyatlฤฑ that begins with these lines:
If the day has come to set sail from time,
A ship bound for the unknown departs from this port.
It travels silently as if it has no passengers;
Neither a handkerchief nor an arm swings in that departure.
Mehmet Akif Ersoyโs poem:
Donโt be afraid, the red flag that floats in these dawns will not fade,
The last hearth that smokes over my country before it fadesโ that begins the national anthem,
Niyazi Yฤฑldฤฑrฤฑm Genรงosmanoฤluโs poem begins with lines:
I have withdrawn from the battlefields,
I have been planted in barren climates,
I could not bend, I have become bent,
How many more years will this heedlessness last?
Try to wake up and return to yourself.
These are some of the poets who guided me to continue writing poetry, but unfortunately, none of these exemplary poets are alive on this occasion when am I remembering these valuable poets with honor and gratitude for them.
SERDAR รNSAL
We know that in Turkish literature โ as in all world literature โ which genre you write in? Novel, Story, Tale, Theater, Essay, Joke, Article and Biography? Which one of these genres are you interested in most?
ย YAHYA AZEROฤLU
I have a researcher side along with poetry, and within this framework I am interested in a few genres of literature. Poetry is my priority, but I also write research papers, travelogues, biographies and articles. Before you ask, let me know you that in 2021, I did a research work on Turkish Cypriot professor writer Hasan รakmak and published a research book titled โProfessor Hasan รakmak in
Turkish Literatureโ, in 2022 my travelogue โTuranian Days in Iranโ was published, previously my scientific articles were published under the title of โAฤฤฑr Daฤฤฑ and Noah’s Ark in Turkish Cultureโ โ 41 articles on this and similar subjects โ so I was interested in these genres of Turkish literature. I am honored that my various works on the subject took their places in the book-shelves.
SERDAR UNSAL
Mr. Yahya, can you please tell us a little bit about your hobbies in your childhood?
YAHYA AZEROฤLU
Since my childhood was not very bright, so I had no hobbies because I could not reach the. I had to say hello to the world in 1955 โ during the difficult days of Turkey โ as the second child of a poor family. There were not many wealthy families in Iฤdฤฑr where I was born, and our family was one of those families. Of course, there were also those who were well-off.
I start writing by taking a share from every event that happens to me just like a bee makes honey by taking pollen from every flower. Naturally, the writing of a book โ being in the shelves and finding its readers โ is not something that will happen in a few days. As I have experienced, sometimes it can take a year or even longer for a book to reach to the readers. You need to be very careful when writing a book. The books written without paying attention to periods, commas, and harmony are disrespectful to the readersโฆ
I had a very calm childhood. I did not like fighting and noise, but of course, no matter how one spends oneโs childhood, however, he never forgets what he experienced at that moment until the end of their life. Of course, I could not forget either, as the German writer Claus Peter said, โMy dreams know no boundsโ. When I was a child, none of my dreams came true, and this was the case. For example, I really wanted to play football, but unfortunately, since I did not have a ball, no one would accept me to their team. I also loved flying kites and balloons, but unfortunately I could not have them either. Now, whenever I see a child with a balloon or a kite, I always remember those years. Turkey was experiencing the years of interregnum in those days.
I would say that Tรผrkiye has advanced too much now.ย Thatโs why todayโs children are much luckier than those of our time because they have all kinds of opportunities.
SERDAR รNSAL
Mr. Yahya, are there any interesting events that you experienced in your youth, if so, would you like to share with us?
YAHYA AZEROฤLU
Of course, everyone has interesting events in their lives, just like mine. One of them is that when I was a young man in high school, I went from Tuegutlu, where we lived, to Istanbul to register for Kabataล High School and finish high school there. It was also one of the interregnum years of Turkey, especially Istanbul was going through very turbulent days. For these reasons, when I could not register, I stayed in Istanbul that year and I had to find a job and work for my sustenance in those bad circumstances. A friend from the Turkish Literature Foundation told me that I needed to register with the employment and labor agency. I called the agency, which was a little far away, I found it and when I entered, it was 16.45, exactly 15 minutes until the end of the shift.
Of course, I got tired of walking a long way. I immediately found the relevant officer of the agency. There was a blonde woman in her fifties with lots of make-up, sitting in the office, and I told the lady, โSister, I want to registerโ. Listening my words, the officer in-charge reacted to me in such a way that I was confused about what to do. She raised her voice and said, โYou canโt call me sister
It may take years for another book to be formed. For example, if you write down the events that come to your mind over time and you put them aside, and then you see that the notes you had jotted down have multiplied, and then you collect them, bring them together and make a little fiction, and turn them into a book. In other words, it is not easy to write a book.
because Iโm still very young. Iโm a lot of girls to beat.โ and when she didnโt register me, saying similar unbecoming words, I had to return. I was sad like a child who had lost his kite.
SERDAR รSAL
What influences you when writing a book?
ย YAHYA AZEROฤLU
In fact, no matter what subject you write a book on, you will be affected by activities done in every area of life because I think that books written are only a summary of a part of life, but despite this, not everyone can write a book and put their feelings about the life on paper. Undeniably, it is a reality of life because there is no rule that says all people will be writers. Sometime, chatting with some people we always hear them saying, โIf I write my life, will it be a novel?โ
What people who say these words say remains only in words, while I write books, I adopt the saying, โwords fly away, writings remainโ. I start writing by taking a share from every event that happens to me just like a bee makes honey by taking pollen from every flower. Naturally, the writing of a book โ being in the shelves and finding its readers โ is not something that will happen in a few days. As I have experienced, sometimes it can take a year or even longer for a book to reach to the readers. You need to be very careful when writing a book. The books written without paying attention to periods, commas, and harmony are disrespectful to the readers, because it is not possible to change the lines written in books again.
SERDAR รNSAL
Can you tell us a little about the books you have written?
YAHYA AZEROฤLU
So far, 12 of my books have met with readers. My first book was published in the nineties, we can say that this book is my first love, the name of the book is โรIRPINIลโ. I think it took more than two years for this book to meet its readers because in this book, an acrostic was made to our National Anthem. In other words, the National Anthem was told throughout the book by writing a verse for each letter of the National Anthem. This work created a great potential for readers in a short time and my first love book โรIRPINIล โ sold out.
This was my first book, if we talk about the last book, it can be explained like this, the name of my last book published as yet is โTuranli Days in Iranโ. I wrote this book in a short time. Why?ย Because the book is formed automatically by bringing together the notes you take during your travels. The notes, I took when our institution was doing cultural activities in Iran, especially the series of articles about the social, cultural and economic situations of 40 million Turks living in Iran, turned into a book in a period of 28 days. It may take years for another book to be formed. For example, if you write down the events that come to your mind over time and you put them aside, and then you see that the notes you had jotted down have multiplied, and then you collect them, bring them together and make a little fiction, and turn them into a book. In other words, it is not easy to write a book. It is possible to encounter many difficulties while writing a book, but despite everything, when the writer writes his book and finds the reasonable readership, he feels an ecstasy of being the happiest person in the world and I think that book is as valuable as a child of the writer.
SERDAR รNSAL
Can
you tell us a little bit about how many languages your poems or articles have
been published in?
YAHYA AZEROฤLU
My humble poems have been published in many languages, English, Greek, Italian, Spanish, Bangladeshi, Persian, Arabic, Bulgarian โ these are the ones that come to my mind right now.
I am a citizen of the Republic of Turkey but I am of Azerbaijani origin, so I received my first family education in Azerbaijani culture during my childhood. I learned the first Azerbaijani manis from our late mother. My illiterate but wise mother used to sing the manis with her wise words. I got acquainted with Azerbaijani literature by learning manis from my mother.
The first of all, my poems were translated into English by our friends who were English Language and Literature teachers Saniye รzdemir and Meltem รzgรผndรผz. They taught in Iฤdฤฑr, where I was born, and published in a literary magazine whose name I cannot remember at the moment. Later, my autobiography and poems were translated into English by Dr. Sadigur Rahman Rumen Bey, the editor-in-chief of the literary magazine โPEN CRAFTโ, published in English in Bangladesh, and later, my autobiography and poems were translated and published in the by the editor-in-chief of ย โThe LฤฐNGO LEXICONโ โ a renowned magazine of translations โ by Mr. Najam Ahmad; then it was translated into English by the Editor of the famous โWORDSMฤฐTHโ literary magazine published in America, poet and writer Dr. Omatee Ann Marie Hansraj, and the same magazine made my photo the cover story in its 15th issue; then my poems and my autobiography were translated into Greek by my valuable poet friend Eva Lianou Petropoulo, the editor-in-chief of the famous โPolis magazineโ โ ย a famous literary magazine published in Greece โ and she published them in her magazine.
Also my autobiography and poems were translated into Bulgarian by my valuable poet friend Ali Peker, the editor-in-chief of the famous โPekerโ literary magazine published in Bulgarian and Turkish, and published these translations in the magazine.
SERDAR รNSAL
Mr. Yahya, can you tell us a little about the articles you have written?
YAHYA AZEROฤLU
After poetry, I wanted to expand my literary range by writing articles on various subjects. Of course, it is necessary to have an investigative spirit while writing articles, and luckily I already had this investigative spirit. I started writing essay articles first and then professional, that is, scholarly articles. These articles were published in literary magazines and newspapers. Thus, the articles I wrote together with poetry were followed with interest by readers.
In the meantime, I was invited to a conference called โMount Ararat and Noahโs Ark in Turkish Cultureโ by Professor Oktay Belli, a faculty member at Istanbul University. Thus, I started to present my scholarly articles, which got approval of the scientific board. These articles were published in thick books and sent to many universities in the world. Thus, my articles were read with interest and appreciated in the entire Turkish world, especially in Azerbaijan. โSkill is subject to complimentsโ. They increased and reached a larger audience. Within this framework, I was invited to conferences by the literary world operating in various countries. Germany, Denmark, Azerbaijan, Iran, Egypt and Bangladesh are some of the countries I was invited to.
SERDAR รNSAL
You belong to Azerbaijani Turks. Can you talk a little about Azerbaijani Literature?
YAHYA AZEROฤLU
I am a citizen of the Republic of Turkey but I am of Azerbaijani origin, so I received my first family education in Azerbaijani culture during my childhood. I learned the first Azerbaijani manis from our late mother. My illiterate but wise mother used to sing the manis with her wise words. One of the manis I can never forget was like this:
โGenceden furgun comes,
His horses come tired;
Put your head on my knees,
Gรถrne nece sleep comes.โ
โBรผlbรผl gonar gรผllere
Gurban ลirin dillere
Everyone Elele vese
Yaฤฤฑ neyler ellere.โ
โThey separated the land;
They filled it with gum;
I would not leave you;
They separated with cruelty.โ
I got acquainted with Azerbaijani literature by learning manis like this from my mother. Later on, in our village there was Hรผseyin Koรง โ also known as (Muellim Hรผseyin) โ who migrated from Azerbaijan to Turkey in 1928 and became a teacher in the village and after his retirement from teaching he was running a grocery store. He had deep knowledge of Azerbaijani literature. Every day, he would talk about Azerbaijani literature with people sitting in the grocery store. Out of respect for the elders, I would always stand and listened to the conversations in his grocery store. He would continue the conversation by reading poems from the famous Azerbaijani satirical poet Mirze Alierkber. I had learned this poem of the famous satirical poet:
โWhat Should The Nation Be A Tarder, What Do I Have To Do?โ
How can the nation be a dealer, what
do I have to do?
What
do I have to do with enemies?
I am so tired, what is my wife with
the liberties,
What
do I have to do with the world, what do I have to do?
Donโt make any noise, bears are lying
down, let them lie still,
I donโt agree with those who have
slept, let no one let them sleep,
Even if there is someone who is sober,
may the truth come to my nanny,
I am safe and sound, even if all hell sinks,
let it sink;
No
matter what the nation, what am I doing?
What am I doing if I need the enemies?
To my memory Salma,
conversation-tarixi-cahani, ฦyyami-sษlษfdษnษdenษdenษdenษnษ, so and so,
Let me tend to dolman, nanny,
No need to see the future, he lived
mortal life;
No
matter what the nation, what am I doing?
What am I doing if I need the enemies?
Let the children and the fatherland
wander aimlessly,
Let the poor be miserable, let the
head be troubled,
Let
the widowed child be a sailor, let the room burn.
I memorized this poem by the teacher Hรผseyin Koรง over time. Of course, as I got older, I started writing poems in Azerbaijani Turkish.
Does It Play?
No matter how beautiful the dilber is,
If it falls, will the gasgabax play the gulzar?
No matter what the gunners play,
If I donโt play, will that lover play?
If hearts are one, trouble will not fall,
If not, the rose is always from the rose to the rose,
The nightingale is in love with the rose and the nightingale,
When there is a rose on top, does the har ever play?
Whatever you do, youth in his age,
See your Sultan in his tent at any moment,
In the flower garden of the Baghbansiz garden,
If the Quince does not dance, will the Pomegranate dance at all?
Azeroฤlu, in the one who wrote this poem,
In the one who drew the scheme of life,
In this long-lived futile inn,
If the pen does not dance, will the writer dance?
I wanted to contribute to Azerbaijani literature by writing such poems, later, while reading a Turkish literature magazine, I read this poem by a poet named Nebi Hezei,
Deniz, Goy, Mehebbet
If you want, I can come to your bosom,
I can come like the sea.
I can sprinkle pearls on you,
I can sprinkle them like the sea.
ย I separate dawns on your way from every side
I separate like the sea.
When I read this short poem by Nebi Hezri, who left a deep mark on Azerbaijani literature, my interest in poetry increased once again. In this context, in 1984, I wrote a letter to Nebi Hezri, whom I knew in absentia, and wanted to meet him. After a long time, I received a reply. I was very happy. At the beginning of his letter, he wrote a quatrain like this:
โCalling out and rejoicing in the skiff,
How many roads have I seen in my life,
Even if you have not seen me once,
I have seen you in my heart every moment.โ
I had the chance to meet many poets and writers who left their mark on Azerbaijani literature. One of these poets was the late poet Mammad Araz. That valuable poet was born in the village of Nurs in Nakhchivan. In 1995, on his 60th birthday, they humbly invited me to his name day ceremony in the village where he was born, namely Nurs. I and the late lawyer ฤฐbrahim Bozyel from Turkey attended his name day ceremony. Apart from us, many famous writers from the Turkic world attended. Very beautiful and unforgettable memories were accumulated, which filled their colors in our lives. We all experienced emotional moments there while listening to this poem in Mammad Arazโs own voice.
Maybe I didnโt come to these places,
Smoke, stay safe Mountain, stay safe,
Water blows behind me, or clouds,
April, stay safe; snow, stay safe.
The eagles that hit the shore disappeared on your chin,
Daffodils wrapped themselves in the grass,
Oh, my nightingale, you too, like my branch,
Stay safe, look stay safe.
One of these big mountains is you,
You are the poet, you are the poem,
You are the religious blessing, the goodness,
Shepherd, stay safe Mountain, stay safe.
I have generally met the legendary figures who left their mark on Azerbaijani literature. In other words, we can say that Azerbaijan is the cradle of world literature.
SERDAR รNSAL
Mr.
Yahya, we know that books and articles have been written about you. How many
books and articles have been written about you so far?
YAHYA AZEROฤLU
Yes, many articles and books have been written about me, of course.
Thereis a saying, โSkill is subject to complimentโ. I think this saying best summarizes the feeling of receiving an award. The truth is that receiving an award means that creators go a little further. In other words, such things are a great opportunity to motivate creators to create more beautiful works.
ย Since all of these were outside of my knowledge, it was a great surprise for me and it motivated me to write more beautiful works. First, letโs start with the articles, if you wish, my valuable poet and journalist friend Serdar รnsal, then the owner of the Yeลil Iฤdฤฑr newspaper, Sabri ลฤฑktaล, writer Fahrettin Budak, Azerbaijani poet and writer Banu Hesengฤฑzฤฑ Musayeva, literature teacher Akay Aktaล, again Azerbaijani poet and writer Sara Gรถyรงeli ลerifova, Azerbaijani journalist and writer Zaur Ustaรง, the editor-in-chief of Yurt magazine, ลair Balayar Sadฤฑk, the owner of the Elay magazine, poet and writer Elmeddin Hebipoฤlu, and other friends whose names do not come to mind, wrote articles about me. I would like to thank them all very much through you.
Also, Azerbaijani University faculty member Ramiz Hesenli wrote a book called โTuran Yolcusuโ, the second book was written by Azerbaijani poet and writer Banu Hesengฤฑzฤฑ Musayeva, again Azerbaijani poet and writer wrote the book titled โTuran is the Seilsidir of the World of Turksโ, the third book was written by the Azerbaijani poet and writer Sara Goyceli Sharifova, I donโt know the name of this book yet because she wants to surprise me.
SERDAR รNSAL
Mr. Yahya, we know that you have received many awards over the years and you have also received the poet of the year award several times. Can you please talk about them a little bit your achievements for our readers?
YAHYA AZEROฤLU
Actually, I donโt want to talk too much about this awards issue because it would be considered as praising myself and I try not to do that, but at the same time, it is necessary to answer your questions in this context. The truth is that I donโt know where and from whom I received the awards I was deemed worthy, but I remember them when I see them and I am very happy.
I can share what I remember: The โInternational Seljuk Civilization Centerโ personality award operating in Tabriz; The Shahriar award from the โAzerbaijan Culture Centerโ, Turkey; The Culture Award from the Ahlat Education and Culture Association, Antalya; The โEurasia Science Culture and Art Centerโ within Bitlis Eren University: the contribution to science award; The Poet of the Year award from the Kaya Media Group, Izmir; โThe Aลฤฑk Elesker Honorary Diplomaโ from Azerbaijan; โThe Turkic World Perspective Awardโ from the Kรผltรผrel ve Hรผneri Sonay Institute, Tabriz; โThe Ashik Tradition Awardโ from the Aลฤฑk Peri Meclisi, Azerbaijan; โThe Turkic World Literature Awardโ from the Expatriate Turkmen Poet and Writers Association, Germany; โThe Service to Turkish Culture Awardโ from the Rector of Iฤdฤฑr University, Mr. ฤฐ. Hakkฤฑ Yฤฑlmaz.
Generally, we can list the award for contribution to Turkish poetry from the โTurkmen Literary Organizationโ, Kirkuk; โThe Literature Awardโ from the President of the Karadag Literary Association, Hamit Gence, based in the city of Eher in Iran, etc.
SERDAR รNSAL
Dear Sir, can you tell us briefly about how it feels to receive an award?
YAHYA AZEROฤLU
There is a saying, โSkill is subject to complimentโ. I think this saying best summarizes the feeling of receiving an award. The truth is that receiving an award means that creators go a little further. In other words, such things are a great opportunity to motivate creators to create more beautiful works. Yes, the award received may not have any material value, but words are insufficient to describe its spiritual value. I think it is necessary to write volumes of books to describe its spiritual value. Various private and official institutions deemed me worthy of over a hundred awards and plaques so far. In addition to this, I have three medals.
All these appreciations awarded me a recognition in international literary fields of different countries of the world and have enabled my poems and articles to be published in international literary magazines. We can list these countries as Bangladesh, Pakistan, Greece, Bulgaria, Italy, Azerbaijan, Kirkuk, Uzbekistan, Argentina, India, Colombia, the United States of America, etc. Of course, in the meantime, my poems and articles have been translated and published in various languages of different countries where they were published, and I think it made me very happy and enlightened my horizons so that I could write more.
::::
Serdar รnsal
Serdar รnsal was born in Iฤdฤฑr in 1958. He completed his primary, secondary and high school education in Iฤdฤฑr. He later graduated from Balฤฑkesir Necati Bey Education Institute Turkish Department. He graduated from Eskiลehir Anadolu University Turkish Language and Literature Department. He worked as a teacher and administrator in various schools in Konya and Iฤdฤฑr. He retired in 2021.
Serdar รnsal has published one novel: โโMy Heart Remained in Irevanโโ. He has also published books titled โGENOCIDEโ, โAzerbaijan Songs and Folk Songsโ, which narrate the Armenian Atrocities, and four book studies prepared for publication, titled โโArmenian Atrocities Through the Eyes of the Livingโโ, โโTraditions and Customs of the Living Caferisโโ, โโThe Danger at Our Doorโ, Time Bomb Medzamorโโ, and โMy Product Stayed in Khojalyโโ.ย He has been a reporter, journalist and columnist since 1973. In the past, he worked as a reporter for Sabah, Akลam, Tercรผman and Anadolu Agency in Iฤdฤฑr.
Serdar รnsal is currently the TRT Iฤdฤฑr provincial representative. He is a columnist for Yeลil Iฤdฤฑr newspaper and the owner of the website www.igdirim76.com. He has received various awards from the Eastern Anatolia Journalists Association. Serdar รnsal, who is married with 4 children, is on the board of directors, president and vice president of various civil society organizations and works as a journalist. He is a member of the Eastern Anatolia Journalists Federation, Vice President of the Iฤdฤฑr Journalists Association and Vice President of the Federation of Turkish Azerbaijan Friendship Associations and President of the Iฤdฤฑr Azerbaijan House Association.
___________
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Literature, 2025 from Serbia)
โ by Maja Milojkoviฤ
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