SEA REPRESENTATION IN ORHAN VELI KANIK’S POEMS

Abstract

Sea; It is a place belonging to nature, whose end is unlimited and evokes a sense of eternity in people
with this aspect. This space, which evokes eternity, also symbolizes abundance. It is a place where people
who struggle in the turmoil of daily life rest and find peace, with all the connotations it gives with its
waves, blues, depth, width and foams. As it is known, the raw material of the sea is water, which is the
indispensable source of life. This body of water, which covers a large part of the earth, has an immeasurable
appearance. The sea, which constitutes a unique landscape for humans, is the habitat of some
living things. This element of nature, which has an innumerable feature, is a subject that is processed
both in Turkish literature and in world literature. The sea, which is an important image for poets, is
also one of the main themes in Orhan Veli Kanık’s poems. The influence of the sea on the artistic understanding
of the poet, who lived with the sea since his childhood and was fascinated by its fayz, had a
great influence. Orhan Veli experiences peace and happiness by turning to the sea and the elements of
the sea, the troubles of daily life, the loneliness he lives in, the pessimism he falls into. This space is also
the starting point of his envisioned escape into the distance. Orhan Veli Kanık admires the blue of the
sea in his verses and wants to take shelter in the serenity of this place that evokes eternity. The poet, who
cannot fit into the world he lives in most of the time, announces the sound of the sea, which is the shelter
of the sense of eternity, from where we sit. The sea, which is encountered with its associative power,
is also reflected in his poems as a breadbasket. In our study, the use of the sea concept in Orhan Veli’s
mental world will be emphasized. In addition, the subject will be touched on through the sources that the
poet nurtured during his lifetime. This article has been prepared on the basis of a doctoral dissertation
named “Style in Orhan Veli Kanık’s Poems”, which is being done at Istanbul University.