ABSTRACT

This article examines the treatment of poverty in the poetry of Hicrî Dede, a leading figure in Iraqi Turkmen literature, and how he addresses its underlying causes. Writing during the transition from the late Ottoman era to the period of the Iraqi Kingdom, the poet identifies numerous factors contributing to poverty, including wars, droughts, locust plagues, inadequate wages, hoarding, and the decline of commercial integrity. Through emotional intensity and expressive style, Dede depicts the suffering of the populace, the hunger of children, and the profound social disruption wrought by war. Simultaneously, he proposes remedies, contending that poverty can be overcome through a development model based on education, production, scientific progress, and frugality, and by harnessing water resources such as the Zâb-ı Sagîr (Lesser Zab River). By addressing not only individual sentiment but also collective societal concerns, Hicrî Dede imparts a distinctive social dimension to classical Turkish poetry. His poems preserve traditional aesthetic principles while serving as compelling historical documents that testify to the socio-economic conditions of his era. The article employs document analysis, a qualitative research method.