Letter Games and “Dâl” as a Letter Transforming into Sound-Word-Symbol in Yahya Bey’s

Abstract

Letters are the subject of “science of letters”. In this science, it is believed that letters have a value in terms of form, number and meaning. Poets; They established a relationship between the shape/form of the letters and the characteristics of the lover, the beloved and some beings; They often included letter games based on pointing to a letter or word. One of these poets, Yahyâ Bey (d. 1582), made various word and meaning games based on letters in his Divan; He attributed a symbolic value to some letters. One of these letters is “dâl” (د). “Dâl” is the eighth letter of the Arabic alphabet. It is an element of metaphor used by classical poets, mostly based on its shape. When mentioned in poetry, it is used in a way that evokes the word "dâl", which means "pointing, guiding". “Dâl” has a more original and specific use in Yahyâ Bey's poetry than other letters. First of all, its shape inspired the poet, and the shape sometimes turned into a symbol. Yahyâ Bey used the letter “dâl” as a symbol of the waist/neck bent in half, a show of respect for a bowed body, a symbol of the footprint of the lover's horse, a sign of the lover's footprint (shoe), and a symbol of the crescent. The main difference seen in the use of the letter "dâl" in it is that the picture of a person in thought, the sign of servitude/worship, the state of prostration in worship and absence are symbolically represented with this letter. In this study, first, it is exemplified how Yahya Bey generally included letter games in his Divan, and then, taking into account the visual and auditory value of the letter "dâl", it is explained with examples how the letter turns into a symbol.