To the Question of Poetry and Folk Songs of Turkey about the First World War

The article is devoted to the different aspects of the events of the First World War which are reflected both in Turkish poetry of different schools and in Turkish folklore. Turkish poetry connected with the theme of the First World War can be represented by the names of such authors as Ziya Gökalp, Mehmed Yurdakul, Vedat Nedim, Manastırlı Mehmed Hasib, Mithat Cemal (Kuntay), and so on. Many of their verses were published in “Harb mecmuası” magazine which was released in 1915-1918 in 27 issues and was specially devoted to the rise of the patriotic morale among the Turkish troops. We compare the Turkish poetry of those years which is full of patriotic mood which also influenced on the form of a verse, that summoned to close literary poetry to a folklore and folk military songs (asker türküleri), and in general so-called türkü - the one of the most ancient genres of Turkish lyric folk song). These folk songs which almost have never been the object of the scientific research and attention in Russian turkological studies reflect the most dark and dramatic for Turkey events of the First World War - the battle of Sarıkamış and Çanakkale. Texts of those songs are full with grief and despair in contrast with the literary poetry. At the same time these folk songs keep their wide spreading popularity up till now and its texts often exist in several different versions. The fact of the popularity and the existing variation of the text of these folk songs make us suggest that poetic tradition born of the tragic and heroic events of the First World War in Turkey still continues to stay alive. Of course, these folk materials require further study of their introduction into scientific circulation, as well as annotated literary and critical translation and publication.

Ottoman empire, the First World War, the Gallipoli peninsula, the Eyalet of Anatolia, the Battle of Sarikamish, poetry, folklore

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