The Circulation of Letters and Poems in a Scholar's Social Network: An Analysis of Alvarlı Efe's Letter and Poems Addressed to Sheikh Muhammed

Reyhan Keleş; Bilge İlhan Toker

Article Details

The Circulation of Letters and Poems in a Scholar's Social Network: An Analysis of Alvarlı Efe's Letter and Poems Addressed to Sheikh Muhammed

Authors:

Reyhan Keleş | Bilge İlhan Toker

Publisher:

Siirt University

Main Topics:

İslam Araştırmaları (Diğer)

Journal:

Marifetname Vol.12 Issue 1, pp.147-177

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001351993

pISSN:

2757-752X

Keywords:

Abstract:

 This article examines a letter and four nats sent by Alvarlı Efe, a religious scholar, Sufi, and poet who continued the tradition of Divan poetry classical Ottoman poetry in the twentieth century, along with a book he gifted to his friend, Sheikh Muhammed. The most significant feature of the letter and poems under study is that they were written in Alvarlı Efes own handwriting. While some of Alvarlı Efes poems and letters have survived to the present day, very few of them exist in his original handwriting. Another important aspect of these texts is that they reflect Alvarlı Efes understanding of gift-giving and correspondence, providing insight into how he communicated with individuals within his social network. In the article, notes written by Sheikh Muhammed about Alvarlı Efe are first analyzed, and these texts are transcribed into the modern Turkish alphabet. Subsequently, the Arabic-Turkish letter sent by Alvarlı Efe to Sheikh Muhammed is transcribed into the modern alphabet, and its Arabic sections are translated. Sheikh Muhammeds notes on the gifted book are also presented in the modern alphabet. In the second section, the poems sent by Alvarlı Efe to Sheikh Muhammed along with the letter are examined. The following section discusses the reasons why these poems were sent to Sheikh Muhammed. In the fourth section, the poems sent in the letter are compared with their published versions in Alvarlı Efes Divan, demonstrating the process of their circulation, publication, and textual transformation. Using a detailed methodological approach, this study aims to focus on the correspondence practices of a modern-era Sufi poet, the reasons behind his use of poetry in letters, the motivations for sending these poems to Sheikh Muhammed, and the processes involved in writing and compiling these texts.

 This article examines a letter and four nats sent by Alvarlı Efe, a religious scholar, Sufi, and poet who continued the tradition of Divan poetry classical Ottoman poetry in the twentieth century, along with a book he gifted to his friend, Sheikh Muhammed. The most significant feature of the letter and poems under study is that they were written in Alvarlı Efes own handwriting. While some of Alvarlı Efes poems and letters have survived to the present day, very few of them exist in his original handwriting. Another important aspect of these texts is that they reflect Alvarlı Efes understanding of gift-giving and correspondence, providing insight into how he communicated with individuals within his social network. In the article, notes written by Sheikh Muhammed about Alvarlı Efe are first analyzed, and these texts are transcribed into the modern Turkish alphabet. Subsequently, the Arabic-Turkish letter sent by Alvarlı Efe to Sheikh Muhammed is transcribed into the modern alphabet, and its Arabic sections are translated. Sheikh Muhammeds notes on the gifted book are also presented in the modern alphabet. In the second section, the poems sent by Alvarlı Efe to Sheikh Muhammed along with the letter are examined. The following section discusses the reasons why these poems were sent to Sheikh Muhammed. In the fourth section, the poems sent in the letter are compared with their published versions in Alvarlı Efes Divan, demonstrating the process of their circulation, publication, and textual transformation. Using a detailed methodological approach, this study aims to focus on the correspondence practices of a modern-era Sufi poet, the reasons behind his use of poetry in letters, the motivations for sending these poems to Sheikh Muhammed, and the processes involved in writing and compiling these texts.

 This article examines a letter and four nats sent by Alvarlı Efe, a religious scholar, Sufi, and poet who continued the tradition of Divan poetry classical Ottoman poetry in the twentieth century, along with a book he gifted to his friend, Sheikh Muhammed. The most significant feature of the letter and poems under study is that they were written in Alvarlı Efes own handwriting. While some of Alvarlı Efes poems and letters have survived to the present day, very few of them exist in his original handwriting. Another important aspect of these texts is that they reflect Alvarlı Efes understanding of gift-giving and correspondence, providing insight into how he communicated with individuals within his social network. In the article, notes written by Sheikh Muhammed about Alvarlı Efe are first analyzed, and these texts are transcribed into the modern Turkish alphabet. Subsequently, the Arabic-Turkish letter sent by Alvarlı Efe to Sheikh Muhammed is transcribed into the modern alphabet, and its Arabic sections are translated. Sheikh Muhammeds notes on the gifted book are also presented in the modern alphabet. In the second section, the poems sent by Alvarlı Efe to Sheikh Muhammed along with the letter are examined. The following section discusses the reasons why these poems were sent to Sheikh Muhammed. In the fourth section, the poems sent in the letter are compared with their published versions in Alvarlı Efes Divan, demonstrating the process of their circulation, publication, and textual transformation. Using a detailed methodological approach, this study aims to focus on the correspondence practices of a modern-era Sufi poet, the reasons behind his use of poetry in letters, the motivations for sending these poems to Sheikh Muhammed, and the processes involved in writing and compiling these texts.

 Bu makalede, yirminci asırda Divan şiiri geleneğini devam ettiren bir âlim, mutasavvıf ve şair olan Alvarlı Efenin, Şeyh Muhammed adlı bir dostuna yolladığı kitap ile birlikte gelen bir mektubu ve dört natı ele alınmıştır. Çalışmaya konu olan mektup ve şiirlerin en önemli özelliği, bizzat Alvarlı Efenin kendi el yazısı ile yazılmış olmalarıdır. Zira Alvarlı Efenin şiirleri ve bazı mektupları günümüze ulaşsa da bunların, şairin kendi el yazısı ile yazılmış olanlarının sayısı çok azdır. Çalışmaya konu olan söz konusu metinlerin bir diğer önemli özelliği ise Alvarlının hediyeleşme ve mektup anlayışını yansıtmaları ve şairin sosyal ağında yer alan isimlerle nasıl iletişim kurduğunu göstermesidir. Makalede, öncelikle Alvarlı Efenin dostu Şeyh Muhammedin kendisi hakkında yazdığı notlar ele alınmış, bu metinler günümüz alfabesine aktarılmıştır. Ardından Alvarlının, Şeyh Muhammede yolladığı Arapça-Türkçe mektup günümüz alfabesine aktarılmış ve metnin Arapça kısımlarının tercümesi ve Şeyh Muhammedin bu hediye üzerindeki notları günümüz alfabesi ile verilmiştir. İkinci bölümde, Alvarlı Efenin Şeyh Muhammede mektubu ile birlikte yolladığı şiirleri ele alınmış; devam eden bölümde, bu şiirlerin neden Şeyh Muhammede yollandığı üzerinde durulmuştur. Dördüncü bölümde ise Alvarlı Efenin mektubu ile birlikte yolladığı şiirleri, yayımlanan Divanı içerisindeki hâlleri ile karşılaştırılmış dolaşıma giren manzumelerin neşredilme hikâyesi ve şiirlerin değişimi gösterilmiştir. Çalışmada, Alvarlı Efenin Şeyh Muhammede yolladığı mektup ve şiirlerden yola çıkılarak, yakın dönemde yaşamış bir mutasavvıf şairin mektuplaşma anlayışı, mektuplarında neden şiir kullandığı, şiirlerin Şeyh Muhammede gönderilme nedenleri ile söz konusu metinlerin yazılma ve derlenme süreçlerinin nasıl işlediğinin ortaya çıkarılması amaçlanmıştır.

Article Details

The Circulation of Letters and Poems in a Scholar's Social Network: An Analysis of Alvarlı Efe's Letter and Poems Addressed to Sheikh Muhammed

Authors:

Reyhan Keleş | Bilge İlhan Toker

Publisher:

Siirt University

Main Topics:

İslam Araştırmaları (Diğer)

Journal:

Marifetname Vol.12 Issue 1, pp.147-177

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001351993

pISSN:

2757-752X

Turkish Islamic Literature

Hâce Muhammad Lutfî

Letter

Manuscript

Poetica.Türk İslam Edebiyatı

Hâce Muhammed Lütfî

Mektup

El Yazması Şiirler

Poetika.

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Reyhan Keleş | Bilge İlhan Toker

Publisher: Siirt University

Main Topics: İslam Araştırmaları (Diğer)

Journal: Marifetname Vol.12 Issue 1, pp.147-177

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 6/2025

Document Language: Turkish

Document ID (Org No.): 2001351993

pISSN: 2757-752X

Issues

Authors:

Reyhan Keleş | Bilge İlhan Toker

Publisher:

Siirt University

Main Topics:

İslam Araştırmaları (Diğer)

Journal:

Marifetname Vol.12 Issue 1, pp.147-177

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

6/2025

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001351993

pISSN:

2757-752X