Malatyali Aşık Birfani (His life, art and poems)

Turks had extended to a large geography by changing their homeland ever so often and had been subject to diffirent civilizations as a result of being effected by many cultures. Due to this our literature tradition have changed and improved from Middle Asia to present. The bards, who performed their arts accompanied by kopuz in our oral literature tradition, also undertook the duties such as medicine, magic and ecclesiastic. Emerging with bard or epic tradition the pre Islam folk poem achieved a new form and essence with the effect of Islam culture in Anatolia. The poem tradition, which has a religious-mystical nature that gives utterance to love for God with the influence of dervishes who come from Middle Asia especially from Horasan beginning from 11th century, had experienced its most brilliant period with Yunus Emre. Throuhg the end of the 15th century this religious nature literature tradition gave his place to the minstrelsy in Anatolia.We haven?t got much information about the first periods of minstrel poem that is accepted as the continuation of bard tradition. So 16th century was as the preparatory period of minstrel poem. 17th century was the golden age for minstrel poem in which Karacaoğlan, Ashik Ömer and Gevheri trained. After this golden age minstrel poem had a recession period however in 19th century it reached its culmination again. Losing ground during 20th century the minstrel tradition is still surviving today in accordance with the circumstances of the age.Composing the considerable part of our cultural property minstrel tradition is weaker than it was in the past but it is still being kept alive especially in Eastern Anatolia, Southeast Anatolia and Central Anatolia regions. Malatya is one of those provinces where the minstrel tradition exists. In Malatya district many minstrels have been grown. Beginning with Niyazi Mısri, Dervish Muhammed and Shah Sultan, one of the most important coeval representatives of Malatya minstrel tradition is Birfani.In this study we tried to evaluate the life, poems of Ashik Birfani, who is a modern representative of minstrel tradition, and his place in minstrel tradition. After giving information about minstrel tradition in Turkish culture and Malatya we introduced Birfani?s life and his immediate area. Then we tried to set his place in minstrel tradition.Birfani, tending folk poem after drinking wine of love in his dream, using pen name, playing instrument and having poems in the genres of dialogue form and sound restriction and being inspired by a master minstrel Sefil Selimi, is one of our minstrels who keeps minstrel tradition alive. Birfani?s poems are of that kind which are read willingly by all walks of life as poems of Yunus Emre, Karacaoğlan and Aşık Veysel.In this study we tried to set Birfani?s place in tradition by analysing his 300 poems in detail in terms of form, language, expression features, diction, content and their relation with mintsrelsy tradition.Key Words: Aşık Birfani, minstrel, folk poem, tradition, minstrel tradition