Apothegms in the book ?Safahat?

Mehmet Akif Ersoy has a prominent place in the 20th century Turkish literature especially with his famous poetry book Safahat. This thesis is based on short and meaningful expressions like proverbs selected from Safahat. These kinds of sayings are evaluated according to the terms ?source, content, rhythm and function?. In this study mainly classical methods of poetry analyzing are used. However as some texts have to be taken off from its context it becomes a necessity to use other methods in some occasions. In this kind of cases some other types of analysis methods that can be used for short and pattern expressions are applied.Main purpose of this study is to serve to make people understand the role of this poet in Turkish literature and his talent for creating powerful poems. As a conclusion of this study, it is derived that some of Mehmet Akif?s verses and couplets have a qualification of ?saying too much by few words?, which is defined as ?icaz? in classical literature. It is also concluded that like proverbs these verses and couplets were formed wisely by him and they have a potential of lasting a long time in the culture of common people. Lastly it can be claimed that Safahat, which has its own rules within itself and is a unique piece of art, could be defined as seemingly a new genre in Turkish literature.