AN EXPRESSION USED FOR LOVERS IN THE EASTERN FIELD OF CLASSICAL TURKISH LITERATURE IS KÖRKE BAY (KÖRKKE BAY, GÖRGE BAY)

Abstract

In classical Turkish literature, artists, in keeping with the contemporary mindset, associated the beloved with all beings and concepts in the universe, offering different names and descriptions for the beloved, and creating diverse fantasies and visions about him. The word “körke bay” (körkke bay, görke bay), formed by combining two words, is a term used for the beloved in the eastern region of classical Turkish literature. The words “körke” and “bay” also appear in the Uzbek Turkish vocabulary as “ko‘rka”, “go‘rga”, and “boy”. The words “körtle” or “körkle”, derived from the word “körk”, also appear in Yenisei Inscriptions E-10 and E-52. Therefore, an examination of the expression “körke bay” (körkke bay, görke bay) can contribute to our understanding of Turkish society's historical perceptions of beatiful, beauty, and hence, the beloved. The word “körke bay” (körkke bay, görke bay) is mentioned three times in the Gülistan Translation, transcribed in Kipchak Turkish by Seyf-i Sarayi (?-after 1394), once in Qutb's Hüsrev ü Şîrîn masnavi, once in Lutfî's (1366/1367-1462/1463) divan, twice in Ali Şîr Nevâyî's (1441-1501) divan titled “Gara'ibü's-Sıgar”, and three times in his divan titled “Fevâyidü'l-Kiber”. The purpose of this study is to explain the meaning of the word “körkke bay” (körkke bay, görke bay), and then to examine the imaginations and conceptions created by artists regarding the expression “körkke bay” (körkke bay, görke bay), used for beloved in the aforementioned works.