Mevlâna’nın Tasavvufu ile Santa Tereza D’Avila’nın Mistik Edebiyatı arasındaki benzerlikler

8. ULUSLARARASI BİLİMSEL RUMÎ KONGRESİ

Convergences Between Rumi’s Sufism and Santa Tereza D’Avila’s Mystic Literature

Mevlâna’nın Tasavvufu ile Santa Tereza D’Avila’nın Mistik Edebiyatı arasındaki benzerlikler

Elizabeth Aparecida HAUTZ^[1]

Hamid HAJIZADEH^[2]

Abstract:

This article aims to analyze the thematic convergence of Sufi doctrine expressed in the Persian Literature of the poet Rumi and the work of Saint Teresa D’Avila, notably concerning her mystical poetry. The Sufi poet and the Catholic nun, a priori, belonging to such opposite worlds and often portrayed as even antagonistic, seem to reveal to us that, above the differences, there is much more in convergence, especially when we turn to the field of arts, in this case, Literature. To this end, a bibliographical review was necessary regarding the structuring elements of Literature of Sufi origin, particularly that produced by Rumi, as well as the main characteristics of the Literature produced by Santa Teresa D’Avila, poetry belonging to the so- called “Catholic mystical literature.” Next, we conduct a qualitative comparison to list the points of convergence between the writings of the two authors.

Keywords: Sufism, Mystical Literature, Saint Teresa of Avila, Rumi.

Özet:

Bu makale, özellikle şair Rumi’nin Fars Edebiyatı’nda ve Aziz Teresa D’Avila’nın mistik şiiriyle ilgili eserinde ifade edilen tasavvuf öğretisinin tematik yakınlaşmasını analiz etmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu kadar zıt dünyalara ait olan iki şahsiyet ve çoğu zaman düşmanca tasvir edilen Sufi şair Rumî ve Katolik rahibe, Santa Tereza D’Avila, özellikle sanat alanına baktığımızda, farklılıkların ötesinde, yakınlaşma ve benzerlikte çok daha fazlasının olduğunu açıkça göze çarpıyor. Bu amaçla, başta Rumi olmak üzere Tasavvuf kökenli Edebiyatın yapılandırıcı unsurları ve Santa Teresa D’Avila’nın ürettiği Edebiyatın temel özellikleri, soya ait şiirler konusunda bibliyografik bir inceleme gerektiriyor. Bu tür yaklaşıma “Katolik mistik edebiyatı” denir. Daha sonra, iki yazarın yazıları arasındaki yakınlaşma noktalarını listelemek için niteliksel bir karşılaştırma yapılmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Tasavvuf, Tasavvuf Edebiyatı, Avilalı Azize Teresa, Rumi.

***

Introduction:

Can it be said that the mystical Literature produced by Santa Tereza D’Avila shows convergence with the Sufi philosophy expressed in Persian literary works by the Sufi poet Rumi?

The literary work of Santa Tereza D’Avila presents points of convergence with Sufi literature, especially Persian, mainly concerning developing themes of a spiritual nature, self-knowledge, and love for the metaphysical and the divine. This characteristic appears primarily in the mystical poems of this essential Spanish author and in Rumi’s poetry.

Thus, we aim to analyze the points of convergence between the mystical Literature of Santa Teresa D’Avila and the Sufi literature of Rumi to highlight the existence of meeting points between Persian Sufi literature and the dominant theme of Spanish mystical Literature and the thematic similarity between these two domains.

As a justification for the development of this work, we can mention the need to discuss the thematic convergence of cultural worlds, a priori, considered as different as the medieval Christian and the Eastern Muslim, more specifically, the Catholic and the Sufi, contributing to the field of studies of Literature in the Spanish language, multiculturalism, and comparative Literature.

A bibliographical review will cover the characterization of the Sufi doctrine, the Literature produced under the influence of this religious philosophy, and the mystical-themed poetry of Saint Teresa D’Avila. Some excerpts from some poetic works by the Spanish author and Sufi master Rumi will also be analyzed, as well as the recurring themes aligned with Sufi doctrine and Spanish lyrical mysticism. The methodology is based on a theoretical review and qualitative comparative analysis of the abovementioned elements.

We will use a theoretical and analytical review of works that deal with Sufi and Rumi themes, works by the author Santa Teresa D’Avila, and a bibliography referring to the characterization of Spanish mystical poetry of the 16th century, as well as consulting related articles and websites, as well as the comparative analysis of some literary fragments by both authors.

Sufism and Mystic Catholicism: Rumi and Santa Teresa D’Avila

It is common knowledge that the medieval Spanish mentality received considerable influence from the world and the Islamic imagination during the eight centuries of occupation of part of the Iberian Peninsula by Muslim Arabs. As pointed out by Cuadrado (2002):

La dilatada presencia musulmana en la Península Ibérica ejerció, sin duda, una fuerte influência sobre los reinos cristianos fronterizos. Hay que tener en cuenta que los musulmanes fueron portadores durante el Medievo de una cultura superior à la del Occidente cristiano, en general, y a la de los reinos hispánicos, en particular.

Los musulmanes penetraron en España en el 711 y fundaron diversas entidades políticas hasta 1492, año en que los Reyes Católicos tomaban Granada, capital del último estado hispano-musulmán. Tras está fecha el Cardenal Cisneros instó a la conversión de los mudéjares —los musulmanes que habían quedado bajo dominio cristiano- al cristianismo ya que, de lo contrário, serían expulsados. Muchos se convirtieron pasando a ser moriscos. Gran parte de éstos eran cristianos sólo aparentemente y fueron todos ellos expulsados de España en el reinado de Felipe III.

En definitiva, fueron más de ocho siglos de presencia musulmana— manifiesta a soterrada- en Espata y ello no podía por menos de dejar huella. De hecho, desde el siglo XIX varios autores se han ocupado de los rasgos culturales españoles procedentes del Islam.1 (Cuadrado, 2002)

Therefore, the presence of convergences between the works produced by the Christian nun and the Sufi poet presents us with another legacy of this encounter between two worlds: the Christian West and the Muslim East.