Doğduğu andan itibaren ölüm gerçeği karşı karşıya olan insanoğlu, bu büyük acıyla başa çıkabilmek için duygularını yüzyıllardır söze dökmüştür. Türk edebiyatında sagu, ağıt ve mersiye formlarında görülen bu şiirler, farklı adlarla anılsa da özünde kaybedilene duyulan özlem dile getirilmektedir. Türk edebiyatında genellikle terkib-i bend ve terci-i bend nazım şekilleriyle yazılan mersiyelerde; feleğe sitem, yas, övgü ve dua bölümleri çoğunlukla iç içe geçmiş hâldedir. Lirik şiirler olan mersiyeler, aile bireyleri için yazıldığında duygusallık ve samimiyet daha da artmıştır. Klasik Türk edebiyatının son demlerine şiirleriyle olduğu kadar renkli kişiliğiyle de değer katan Leylâ Hanım (ö. H. 1264/ M. 1848) ailesinden üç erkeği toprağa vermiş ve onların ardından duyduğu kederi yazdığı mersiyelerle dile getirmiştir. Leylâ Hanım, babası için iki, erkek kardeşi ve dayısı Keçecizâde İzzet Molla için birer mersiye yazmıştır. Babasına mersiye formunda bir de gazel yazan Leylâ Hanım’ın acısı sel olup taşmıştır. Babasından sonra ailede genç yaşta bir vefat daha yaşanmış, erkek kardeşinin ardından Leylâ Hanım feleğe sitemlerini haykırmıştır. Edebî hayatında önemli bir yeri olan dayısı Keçecizade İzzet Molla’nın sürgünde ölümü ona daha çok dokunmuş, ölümüne hem tarih düşürmüş hem de ardından bir mersiye yazmıştır. Genç bir kadının yaşadığı bu kayıplar ruhunda derin yaralar açmış, maddi ve manevi yoksunluklarla başa çıkmaya çalışırken edebiyata daha çok sığınmıştır. Bu çalışmada, Leylâ Hanım’ın babası, kardeşi ve dayısı için yazdığı mersiyeler içerik ve üslup açısından incelenirken mersiye türüne ve şairin hayatına daha yakından bakılacaktır.

Human beings facing the reality of death from the very moment of birth tend to verbalize their senses so as to overcome this torment. Even though called by different names, the poetry seen in the forms of “sagu”, “dirge” and “elegy” in Turkish Literature essentially refers to the longing for the loss and remembering him with his good traits. Mourning poems in which human beings seek a remedy for the great despair of being helpless against death mean, in a way, that pain verbalizes and takes an aesthetic dimension. When written for family members, these poems known as “elegy” in classical Turkish poetry concretize more and senses emotionalize. The reason of the loss has been seen as the wheel of fortune and all rising has headed towards it. However, the poets who have been aware of the inevitability of death, wish for mercy for those who died with faith and patience for the rest. For the style of verse, terkib-i bend and terci-i bend are usually used and in these elegies, the sections of reproach to fate, praise, mourning and pray all blend together -because of intense emotion of poet- rather than written in series. Leylâ Hanım (d. H.1264/AD 1848), who enriched the last moments of Classical Turkish literature with her colorful character as well as her poems, tried to -somewhat- relieve the grief caused by the loss of three men from her family by writing elegies. According to sources, Leylâ Hanım is the daughter of Moralızâde Hâmid Efendi from Sudur. Educated by her uncle Keçecizâde İzzet Molla, Leylâ Hanım was among the renowed poets of the day. One information given about her is that the poet, who experienced a short marriage, left the wedding house on the night of marriage by detesting her husband’s rudeness. Then she devoted herself to poetry. In the sources, Leylâ Hanım, who had a rearranged Dîvân, was introduced as a quick-witted and clever person with the ability of saying improvised poetry. Moreover, it was emphasized that especially her invocations, and elegies were very beautiful and impressive in Kâmûsu’l-A’lam and Osmanlı Müellifleri. Mevlevi Leylâ Hanım passed away in H. 1264 and was buried in Galata Mevlevihâne. Leylâ Hanım wrote two elegies for her father and one for her brother and her uncle, Keçecizâde İzzet Molla. Furthermore, one elegy that she wrote for her father in the form of gazel (lyric poem) and the date of death of her uncle take place in Dîvân. The first elegy in which a more unpreferable verse form, murabba (quadrate) verse form, is used is composed of 9 strophes (bend). The verse, “El-firâk âh el firâk âh el-firâk” (farewell!), which is repeated at the end of each strophe not only creates coherence in the poem but also has the readers feel the sorrow and the greatness of suffering. The above-mentioned verse in the elegy is like a highly emotional lamentation as well as being a harmony device. In her elegy, Leylâ Hanım expresses the unbearableness of the grief from death and reproaches to fate as usual. Afterwards, the poet attempts to find realistic reasons for his father’s death and expresses her sorrow over the death of Mollacıkzâde Râif Efendi. Praising them for their knowledge and honesty, Leylâ Hanım describes his father at the point of death and says that her father whose final glance wounded her ruined feelings passed away easily like the water flows through the soil. The poet who also continues to describe her grief in the final strophe ends the elegy by saying that she was weighed down by grievance and sorrow at such an early age and only Allah could help her wounded heart. The second elegy that Leylâ Hanım has written for her father is in the form of terkib-i bend and composed of 5 strophes within 5 couplets each. In this elegy, the poet who verbalises her sadness and reproaches to fate, as well wants the sky to share her lament while telling her suffering. Seeing that her father has left her in trouble and pain, she wishes the moon not to appear and to hide behind the dark cloud