Contribution to the Understanding of the Thematic Group Gathered Around the Notion of Vatan (Homeland) In the Lyric Poetry of Zekerija Sukeri

Abstract

This paper is an analysis of the vatan thematic group in the Sarajevo poet Zekerija Sukeri's verses, i.e., the demarcation between notions and poetic images relating to the physical homeland and the ones denoting the metaphy- sical homeland.

The notion which is generally found in sufi literature within the thematic group brought together by vatan is the place of the first meeting, the place where the first drunkenness happens, or, when love sets in, when fidelity is vowed, the moment from which confidence, conviction starts. This-world life for a sufi poet is a foreign country - gurbet, and in that foreign country the feeling of yearning, homesickness is strong, strong are the memories of ali the beautiful things that happened in the vatan, therefore the longing for the moment when this-world life will end.