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“Ey zahit şaraba eyle ihtiram”

  This poem titled “Ey zahit şaraba eyle ihtiram” was written by the Bektaşi poet Neyzen Tevfik. Neyzen Tevfik, who lived between 1879-1953, is known as a poet and neyzen (reed flute player) influenced by the Sufi and Bektaşi traditions. In his poems, he addresses the social and religious issues of his time using a critical and ironic language. In the poem, Neyzen Tevfik uses wine symbolically from a Sufi perspective to emphasize the processes of inner maturation and spiritual perfection. In Sufi literature, wine often represents the love of Allah and spiritual intoxication. The poet criticizes the zahit (pious person), conveying that achieving true spiritual maturity is not possible through prohibiting wine but through inner experience and understanding. The poem explores the human spiritual journey and maturation from a mystical and Sufi point of view.