Yusufelili Keşfî

 Yusufelili Keşfî

Artvinli Keşfî, on the other hand, is a 19th-century poet. Keşfî earned a living by farming and selling the woven goods such as kilims, prayer rugs, cicims, and other textiles produced in his village to neighboring provinces (Gökalp 1988: 57-58).

Keşfî participated in the 1928 Ottoman-Russian War as a militia officer and was known as "Deli Yüzbaşı" (Crazy Captain) due to his bravery and courage. As a result, his family's name changed from "Kavasoğulları" to "Yüzbaşıoğulları" (Captain's Sons) (1980: 296). The poet passed away in Salçor village of İspir, where he had gone to sell his village's textiles, in 1329 H/1910 AD.

Due to the lively tradition of minstrelsy in Zor village, Keşfî developed an interest in minstrelsy from a young age. He is one of the most well-known and esteemed minstrels of Artvin's minstrelsy tradition. Initially, he sang minstrel-style poems, but after joining a Sufi order, he began to recite poems in the style of Sufi mysticism. Keşfî led a dervish-like life, and his poems have a mystical delicacy. He recited devotional songs and naats in the style of Yunus Emre. Keşfî's poetry encompasses various topics, especially religious themes, and his most significant known work is the "Mevlid-i Nebevî" (Eulogy of the Prophet) in the form of a mevlit. He compiled his works in the style of tekke poetry in a manuscript called "Divan-ı Keşfî." The language he used in these works is simple and fluid, aiming for comprehensibility by all readers and listeners. Keşfî was influenced by his close friend and mentor, Muhibbî, and he played a significant role in the development of many minstrels of his time, including his son Huzurî and Sümmanî. Keşfî was a highly knowledgeable scholar and an esteemed minstrel who had a close relationship with Sümmanî, who held him in great respect.