Mother image in classical Turkish poetry

Motherhood has been accepted as a sacred body in Turkish society from past to present. The right of a mother has taken special attention within a perception system which has not been changed since the ancient Turks. Being irreplaceable in social life, domestic life and in private life of a child, a mother has always been an element to be discussed in Turkish literature. The concept of mother, continued to exist from thirteenth century to nineteenth century as it existed in every period of Turkish literature. It has also come to the front in classical Turkish literary works having a long and productive place in Turkish literature. The aim of this study is to present the ways of discussing the mother image in classical Turkish poetry. In this context, starting with the first work pieces of Turkish literature, it was tried to determine the place of the concept of mother in classical Turkish literature. Divan and mesnevi works were scanned and mother image has been searched in them. First of all the place of the woman with her mother identity has been identified in Turkish society and in this context the role of a mother in social life has been briefly explained. Given the examples from the first pieces of Turkish literature, the motive of mother in these work pieces has been presented. Mother image in the classical Turkish poetry has been widely studied in the main section of this research. The reflections of the mother image was tried to be determined in divan and mesnevi work pieces considered in this context. As a conclusion, it has been observed that the concept of mother has been handled in two ways as concrete and abstract in the classical Turkish poetry. The poems and pieces of mesnevi written specifically to their mothers or to the concept of mother by the classical Turkish poets are the texts where the concept of mother has been addressed concretely. Gazel, Kaside and the couplets in which various topics in history interrelated to mother are the places where the concept of mother is addressed in abstract form as a factor of comparison. Besides, it is also possible to see the reflections of mother image among couplets addressing social events, routines and traditions where mother is involved.