Şeyhülislam Yahya Divanı’nda Deniz İmgesi

The concept of sea has been mentioned in many metaphors and dreams in Classical Turkish literature. To express sea many words such as ummân, kulzüm, muhit and yemm particularly derya and bahr have been used. The sea is also referred to with phrases like sea of romance, sea of love, sea of tears, sea of blood, sea of absence, sea of grief, sea of knowledge, sea of poetry, sea of sense. It has been associated with heart due to its recession and gush situations. It symbolizes abundance and eternity. In Islamic mysticism sense, sea symbolizes unity, while drops and waves symbolize abundance. The mystic mood in Islamic mysticism is expressed in the form of sea metaphor. It sometimes raises, overflows, pulls you in and destroys; but sometimes revives you to the maturity by inner values. It is necessary to pass the sea of romance to reach the sea of beauty of the lover.Sea is called by various similes and metaphors by Classical Turkish poets. In this context, this study lays similes, metaphors and dreams of sea in the divan of sheikh al-Islam Yahya before eyes and an overall assessment is made.