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Biography
Yunus Emre, also known as Derviş Yunus (Yunus the Dervish) (1241–1321), was a Turkish folk poet and Sufi mystic from Anatolia who greatly influenced Turkish culture, literature, poetry, and philosophy. Some writers and scholars even regard him as the most important poet in Turkish history, and a key figure in the Sufi branch of Islam. Rather than composing poetry in Persian and Arabic, which were the common languages spoken in the region and time, he wrote mostly in Old Anatolian Turkish. His poems deal mostly with divine love, reuniting with God or one's True Essence, and human destiny, and were written in simple, direct language.
In addition to being a poet, Yunus was a popular preacher and man of the people. He called for social justice, equality, and other humanistic ideals, often coming at odds with those whom he deemed as oppressors of the common people. He felt that loving one's self and seeking power or wealth created distance between one and the community, hardening the heart and obscuring the divine love we have for God and all of humanity.
Most of the Turkish legends describe how he became a dervish and found his spiritual path. One legend narrates the story of a young, poor, and starving Yunus collecting wild fruits from the forest in exchange for seeds. After toiling for days, he stops at the famous Sufi lodge of Haci Bektas, a prominent Sufi mystic. Yunus offers to trade Haci Bektas his wild fruits in exchange for seeds, but the grand mystic and poet offered his "nafas" (or "breath of blessing") instead. Yunus refused, even though Haci Bektas offered more and more nafas. On his way back home to his village, however, Yunus realized that he had received more seeds than he could even carry, leading him to reflect on and acknowledge the spiritual supremacy of Haci Bektas. When he returned back to the lodge to ask for a nafas, Haci Bektas replied that he turned over Yunus' "padlock" to Taptuk Emre, another Sufi mystic.
Many scholars suggest a deep symbolism with this legend. The wild fruit could represent the untrained mind and heart that needs to be exchanged in order to obtain a new life or spiritual path (the "seed.") With reference to someone's padlock being given to someone else, there could be a symbolic interpretation that Yunus' guidance was handed over to Taptuk, who by showing Yunus the Way, would eventually help him "unlock" the divinity within and reunite with God.
There are several comparisons between Yunus Emre and his more famous contemporary Rumi, who also lived in the same region as Yunus after his family emigrated from their home in Balkh, Afghanistan following the Mongol invasion.
These comparisons are probably due, in part, to the similarities in their life journey prior to becoming the beloved poets, mystics, and philosophers they are known to be today. Like Rumi, Yunus Emre is believed to have been a proud and successful man, until an encounter with a Sufi mystic (in Yunus' case, Taptuk Emre) humbled and inspired him to leave worldly pursuits behind in favor of acquiring real spiritual wisdom.
Rumi was known to write his stories, songs, and poems for a well-educated group of urban Sufi mystics, primarily in the literary language of Persian (modern day Farsi). However, Yunus Emre was more itinerant, traveling and teaching among the rural poor in his torn dervish robe, and favoring the Turkish language of the everyday folk.
Yunus Emre even mentions in some of his poetry about attending one of Rumi's gatherings. There's an interesting story about this encounter between the two great Sufi mystics and their different poetic styles and approaches. When Rumi asked his contemporary what he thought of his masterpiece, the Masnavi, Yunus Emre is said to have replied:
"Excellent, excellent! But I would have done it differently."
Rumi was taken aback and asked how, to which Yunus Emre explained:
"I would have written, 'I came from the eternal, clothed myself in flesh, and took the name
Yunus.'"
In this story, Rumi acknowledged that he would not have written such a long work as the Masnavi if he had the talents to make short and cutting truisms like Yunus Emre did. One legend even states that Rumi said:
"Whenever I arrived at a new spiritual height, there I found the footsteps left by that Turkish
(Turcoman) mystic, and I could never surpass him."
Even though he is not as famous today as Rumi, Yunus Emre is still loved in many parts of the world, including among Turkish-speaking people, as seen by the fact that many villages claim to be his birthplace or to hold his tomb. As a testament to his popularity and cultural impact on the world, UNESCO dedicated 1991 as "The International Yunus Emre Year," celebrating the 750th anniversary of his birth.
"Lovers challenge death to transmute" ~ Yunus Emre
"If I told you about a land of love...would you swallow it as a remedy?" ~ Yunus Emre
"To love the world is to be afflicted." ~ Yunus Emre
"If you don't identify Man as God, all your learning is of no use at all." ~ Yunus Emre
"Water out of the same fountain cannot be both bitter and sweet." ~ Yunus Emre
"Whatever separates you from the Truth, throw it away. It will vanish anyhow." ~ Yunus Emre
"God is our professor and love is our academy. Let us love, and be loved." ~ Yunus Emre