Abstract
“Sözden artuk nesne yokdur yâdigâr”: The Motivation of Poet and Patron
Mathnavî poets explain their reasons for writing in a section called "sabab-i ta’lîf". This section usually appears at the beginning of the work. After sections like tawhîd, munâcât, and na`at, poets explain why they wrote the work. It's known that each work has different reasons for being written. Some poets wrote to please Allah and benefit people, while others wrote for fame and economic gain. Sufi poets were more motivated by spiritual expectations. Despite all this diversity, every poet wants to be remembered for his work. Poets aimed to write a beautiful book that would be read by others after they died. They saw their work as a legacy. Poets want to leave a mark that will remind them. When sabab-i ta’lîfs of mathnavîs are examined, it is seen that this idea is common to every mathnavî. At the same time, it was seen that the patrons considered mathnavî as a legacy. The sultans supported the poets in writing works. Because they thought that the work would be a legacy for them as well. This article focuses on the causes of the first Turkish mathnavîs written in Anatolia. Gulshahrî's Mantiqu't-tayr, `Âshiq Pasha's Gharib-nâma, Ahmadî's Iskandar-nâma and Camshîd u Khurshîd, Mas`ûd b. Ahmad's Suhayl u Nawbahâr, Shayhoglu Mustafa's Khurshîd-nâma, Shayhî’s Khusrav u Shîrîn, Fakhrî's Khusrav u Shîrîn, Tutmaci's Gul u Khusrav, Mohammad's `Ishq-nâma and Ahmad-i Dâ`î's Chang-nâma were examined. The motivation of the poet and the patron has been handled with the examples taken from these mathnavîs.
Keywords
Mathnavi, Sabab-i Ta’lif, Poet, Patron, Legacy.