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TURKISH POETRY AND RAUF PARFI
Imomova Ruxsora Akhmedovna
Bukhara State University
ORCID: 0009-0009-0754-205X
Email: Ruxsor29@mail.ru
Abstract:
The sensitive poet of Uzbek literature, Rauf Parfi, is considered a significant
phenomenon both in terms of form and content in his time. The new poetic genres introduced
by Rauf Parfi in Uzbek literature from the 1960s to the 1980s have distinctive features.
Possessing profound literary potential, the poet reveals his uniqueness by artistically
synthesizing Eastern and Western literary traditions. The entry of Turkish poetry into 20th-
century Uzbek literature is associated with Rauf Parfi. He was awarded the Mahmud
Kashgari literary prize in Turkey. Parfi established strong ties with contemporary Turkish
poets and translated their works. He transleted Nazım Hikmet’s epic “Mamlakatimdan inson
manzaralari” and poems by poets like Behçet Necatigil and Orhan Veli to Uzbek readers. He
also acknowledged Tevfik Fikret, a leading poet of the Servet-i Fünun period in Turkey, as
his mentor and noted that he enjoyed reading his works. These literary translations
contributed to strengthening cultural ties and expanding ideological influence. This article
discusses such literary interactions.
Keywords:
literary influence, literary translation, literary synthesis, literary tradition, literary
period.
Introduction
Turkish poets have played a significant role in introducing a new spirit to 20th-century Uzbek
literature. Since the 19th century, Turkish poets drew inspiration from European literature,
particularly French literature, introducing new forms, styles, and thematic elements. Earlier,
Turkish literature had passed through stages of folk and Divan literature, heavily influenced
by Persian literary traditions and utilizing the aruz meter. From the early 19th century, during
the Tanzimat period, Western literary elements began entering Turkish literature, followed by
the Servet-i Fünun , which parallels the enlightenment and Jadid literature periods in Uzbek
literary history. The goals of writers from these periods in both countries were aligned. Even
after the Jadid period, the reformist spirit of Turkish literature continued to influence Uzbek
poets. Post-1950s, as translation activities flourished, Turkish Republican literature, with its
themes of freedom, symbolic uniqueness, and new poetic meters, inspired Uzbek poets to
translate these works. The Garip movement in Turkish literature, emerging after the 1940s,
rejected traditional meters and rhyme, preferring simplicity and daily themes. Later, the
Second New movement emerged in opposition, promoting surrealism, Dadaism, and
modernist styles. Poets such as Cemal Süreya, Turgut Uyar, Ece Ayhan, Sezai Karakoç, and
Oguz Atay became prominent. Following this, the “Maviciler” school emerged, producing
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ISSN: 2692-5206, Impact Factor: 12,23
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Journal:
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figures like Attila İlhan. Later, socialist realism also gained ground in Turkey, and new
authors emerged who blended socialist themes with Western modernist forms.
Literature Review
Poems by modern Turkish poets have been translated into Uzbek and published in various
anthologies such as Modern Turkish Poetry, Voice of the Century, Contemporary Turkish
Poetry, and Anthology of Turkish Poetry. These translations span from the 1980s to the
present day. Rauf Parfi significantly contributed to this movement. His poetry was also
studied in Turkey by scholars like Huseyin Ozbay
, Yashar Kasim, Hikmet Korash, Huseyin
Bargan, Tahir Kahhor, Temur Khocaoglu, Rachel Harrell, and Sanjar Yanishev
Hikmet Korash even completed a doctoral dissertation titled Uzbek Poet Rauf Parfi
Results and Discussions
The most well-known Turkish poets introduced to Uzbek readers include Nazım Hikmet,
Sabahattin Ali, Orhan Kemal, Yaşar Kemal, and Aziz Nesin. Although these poets belonged
to different literary groups, they shared common stylistic features, such as realistic depictions
of life and highlighting the suffering of the working class. The anthology Modern Turkish
Poetry was published in 1980. Another, Voice of the Century, was initiated by Rauf Parfi,
Tilak Jura, Shavkat Rahmon, and Miraziz A’zam, and included poems by Nazım Hikmet,
Behjet Kemal Caglar, Arif Nihat Asya, Fazıl Husnu Daglarca, and Aydın Hatipoğlu. Later,
Abdullatif Abdullayev published Contemporary Turkish Poetry, including works by Attila
İlhan, Nazım Hikmet, Daglarca, Jemal Sureya, Jahit Zarifoglu, and İsmet Ozel.
The most comprehensive Uzbek anthology is Anthology of Turkish Poetry translated by
Yuldash Eshbek. Across these collections, Nazım Hikmet is a central figure, and his epic
“Inson manzaralari” was translated by Rauf Parfi. Their poetic themes and styles align
closely. Both poets use unexpected metaphors and demand deep reflection from readers.
They share a passion for human freedom and justice.
Nazım Hikmet’s poem is about poet:
1
Özbay, Hüseyn. Men alemden öttim.//
https://raufparfi.uz/archives/360
,
Ҳусайн Ўзбой
.
“Мен
оламдан ўтдим…”
туркчадан Cабоҳат Бозорова таржимаси. www.kh-davron.u z
2
Bargan H. Özbek Şairi Rauf Parfi. –İstanbul: Türk Edebiyatı Eylül, 2005 – 84 s.: Kahhar T. Özbek Halk
Edebiyatı. Türkiye Dışındaki Türk Edebiyatları Antolojisi. – Ankara, 2000. – 335 s.; Kocaoğlu, T. Özbek Türkleri
Edebiyati. Türk Dünyası El Kitabı Türkiye Dışı Türk Edebiyatları. – Ankara: Türk Kültürü Araştırma Enstitüsü
Yayınları, 1998. – 197 s.; Kemal Yavuz Ataman. Rauf Parfi’nin münâcâti Allah’a tövbename.Zamonaviy
adabiyotni o‘rganishning dolzarb masalalari. Xalqaro ilmiy-amaliy konferentsiya materiallari. 2022-yil,
sentyabr. – Toshkent: Fan, – B. 12; Рейчел Ҳаррелл. Кўкламдан кўкламга// Жаҳон адабиёти.– Тошкент,
2005. - №6, – B 6; Янышев С. Тёплый модернизм, или вызов традиции. Анор-Гранат. Современная
поэзия в Узбекистане. – М.: Руслана, 2009. – 305 s.;
3
Hıkmet Koraş. Ön Söz. // Rauf Parfi. Tanlangan asarlar. Birinchi jild. Nashrga tayyorlovchi: Oltinbek O.
Masʼul
muharrirlar: Sirojiddinov Sh, Hikmet Korash. – Аnqara: Bengü, 2021.–308 s.;
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Yer yuzida asir yurt, asir insonlar
Falakda atom bulutlari
Qolmagunga qadar
Mol-u mulki, aqli-yu fikri, joni
Nimasi borki bera olishi kerak
Buyuk Ozodlik uchun shoirlar.
Look at poem of Rauf Parfi. You can feel similar to both imrazes in the verses:
Nabiylar, dohiylar, shoirlar turdi,
Chora, chora deya soʻrdilar najot...
The flourishing period of Nozim Hikmat's creativity coincided with World War II, during
which he sang about freedom. Rauf Parfi, on the other hand, bears an even heavier burden: he
writes about a people that seems free but is actually enslaved. Nozim Hikmat describes his
blood-soaked land in this way:
“I belong
To the muddy, bloody, black
Soil!”
Parfi’s poem “Song of Vietnam” similarly connects human tragedy to the earth:
Qutlug‘ tuproq ustida bukun,
Shundoq ko‘z o‘ngimda o‘lmoqsa odam.
O‘ylayotir, fikriga bu olamlar tor:
Dunyo, orzularing mening orzum edi,
So‘zlaring mening so‘zim edi, dunyo,
Tashvishlaring edi mening tashvishim. [Rauf, P, 2013. P.87]
4
5
Рауф Парфи. Туркистон рухи. –Тошкент: Шарк, 2013. – B.230
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Rauf Parfi, who made the sorrow of the troubled 20th century and its unfulfilled dreams his
own, wanted to save this world with his words. What does Nozim Hikmat say about this
world he mourns?
Günler agır.
Kunlar ogʻir.
Günler ölüm haberiyle geliyor.
Kunlar oʻlim habarila oqarar.
En güzel dünyaları yaktık ellerimizle... Oʻz qoʻllarimiz oʻt qoydik bu goʻzal
[ Nozim.H.2007,S.716]
dunyoga.
The image of the world is shaped differently in both poets. In the above poems, humanity is
represented as a symbol of those who suffer from the deeds of mankind, while in several
other poems, the oppressors and savages who have brought these victims to such a state are
symbolized. Nozim Hikmat uses epithets like 'destructive' and 'foolish' to describe the world,
while Rauf Parfi says:
Vahshiy dunyo, qonxoʻr dunyo quturdi,
Inson faryodiga toʻldi koinot.
The image of the world has also formed as a negative representation in Uzbek classical
literature. The lines from Mashrab's poem “The world come to me to make and adorned...”
are a vivid example of this. This image, often symbolizing desire, has retained its traditional
essence even among representatives of modern poetry.
Parfi also translated Behzat Lav, another Turkish poet known for irony and social criticism.
For example, in Lav’s poem “The Slap”, the imagery criticizes religious and political
hypocrisy.
Bizning kashish ogʻa dediki: –
Iso bir yuzidan shapaloq yedi,
Boshqa yuzini ham tutdi.
Iso yegan ikki shapaloq
Rumoni yakson qildi.
Men ham, kashish ogʻamizga dedimki:
“Men ham Iso otamizning quliman,
Har kun ogʻamning bir shapalogʻini yeyman.
Har shapaloqdan keyin
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boshqa yuzimni tutaman.
Xoʻsh, ogʻam nechun yakson boʻlmas Rumo kabi,
Rumodan kuchlimi bizning ogʻamiz”?
In the image of the elder in the poem, there is a reference to the colonial powers that have
taken countries under their influence. Behzod Lav speaks on behalf of the people in his poem
“Tamgʻa”(Stamp) and expresses, with irony, what remains in the hands of a people living
like branded slaves.
Belimizda ogʻalarning tamgʻasi.
Ismimiz magʻazalarning firmasi
Ularga dunyo ne’matlari,
Bizga qon quduqlari,
Botqoqlik bezgagi.
In the 20th century, the world remains under the influence of economically and politically
powerful nations such as America, England, Germany, France, and Russia. Turkey has
become the free labor force of Germany, while African countries have been divided by
France and England. In much of Asia, the SSSR —Russia—held dominance. At the forefront
of all oppressed nations were the “great brathers”.
One day, an incident related to Rauf Parfi occurs. When the words 'The Communists have
flourished, this free Asia!' are read from the podium of the Writers' Union, the poet is sitting
in the back row. Immediately, he reads the words he heard to the person sitting next to him
with the following correction: 'The Communists have polluted this beautiful Asia!' This is
how the difference between poets, especially Rauf Parfi, becomes evident.
Addressing the oppressed and those who do not see the truth, the poet expresses the
following sentences through TUN(night):
KOʻZLARING SOʻQIRMI, TUN NIMA BOʻLDI,
Bu holda birovni bosib olasan,
Mana gugurt, yondirib ol koʻzingni.
In one of his poems, the poet expresses with sorrow that speaking to this world is pointless:
'Why do you speak so much? Why? After all, it’s unnecessary, after all, it’s in vain.' In the
line 'Is this poor moon even a poet?' the poet ironically conveys the extent of the heart's
bewilderment.
Conclusion
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Rauf Parfi was very familiar with Turkish literature, its modern stages, and its true poets.
While discussing the poetry of Ibrahim Haqqul and Oybek, he particularly mentions the name
of Tawfiq Fikrat. Tawfiq Fikrat introduced new poetic melodies to Turkish poetry by
harmonizing syllabic and quantitative meter. His rebellious poetry is also spiritually close to
Rauf Parfi. A creative lineage can be seen among Tawfiq Fikrat, Cho'lpon, and Rauf Parfi.
Rauf Parfi had many connections with Turkish poets and was awarded the literary prize
named after Kashgari in Turkey during his time. Contemporary Turkish literary figures and
scholars remember Rauf Parfi with warm thoughts and recognize his profound intellect and
strong poetic talent. Turkish literature scholar Dr. Husayn O'zboy, recalling Rauf Parfi, states:
'The late Rauf (Rauf aka) says in his poem “Vietnam”: “I am the one dying before my eyes.”
This feeling reminds me of Najib Fazil's lines: “This is me – death, this is me – death.” He
lived for others, spent his life for others, and died for others.' The scholar also emphasizes
that Rauf Parfi is a lover of Turkistan, and a madman of Turkistan and poetry. Indeed, in
Rauf Parfi's poems, he captures the sense of statelessness within the homeland, injustice
within justice, and the animalistic and base qualities within humanity. In my opinion, we may
not find anyone who loves the homeland more than he does. With this pain, the poet dreamed
of the unification of all Turkic peoples. However, through his creative legacy, Rauf Parfi was
able to unite the literature of all Turkic nations.
References:
1. Bargan H. (2005) Özbek Şairi Rauf Parfi. –İstanbul: Türk Edebiyatı dergisi, eylul
2. Hıkmet K. (2021) Ön Söz. Rauf Parfi. Tanlangan asarlar. Birinchi jild. Nashrga
tayyorlovchi: Oltinbek O. Masʼul muharrirlar: Sirojiddinov Sh, Hikmet Korash. –
Аnqara: Bengü
3. Hozirgi zamon Turk she’riyati.( 1980.) –T.: “Gafur Gʻulom”
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https://ijccd.umsida.ac.id/index.php/ijccd/article/view/1016/1184
