|
( Kutadgu Bilig)
The Kutadgu Bilig, or Qutadgu Bilig (pronounced /ku?'t??dgu? 'b?l?k/ in English; proposed Middle Turkic, IPA&_160;[q?tað'?? b?'l?g]), is a Karakhanid work from the 11th century written by an Uyghur author Yusuf Kha?? ?ajib of Balasagun for the prince of Kashgar. Translated, the title means something like "The Wisdom which brings Happiness" or "The Wisdom that Conduces to Royal Glory or Fortune" (Dankoff, 1), but is often translated more concisely as "(The) Wisdom of Royal Glory". The text reflects the author's and his society's beliefs, feelings, and practices with regard to quite a few topics, and depicts interesting facets of various aspects of life in the Karakhanid empire. While not produced in Turkey, and more accurately referred to as Turkic literature, the Kutadgu Bilig is often considered to belong to the body of Turkish literature. At several points throughout the Kutadgu Bilig, the author talks some about himself; from this we know a certain amount about him. The author of the Kutadgu Bilig was named Yusuf, and was born in Balasagun, which at the time was the winter capital of the Karakhanid empire, and was located near present-day Toqmoq in Kyrgyzstan. He was about 50 years old when he completed the Kutadgu Bilig, and upon presenting the completed work to the prince of Kashgar, was awarded the title Kha?? ?ajib (??? ????), translating as something like "Privy Chamberlain" (Dankoff, 2) or "Privy Councilor." He is often referred to as Yusuf Kha?? ?ajib. Some scholars suspect that the prologue to the Kutadgu Bilig, which is much more overtly Islamic than the rest of the text, was written by a different author—particularly the first prologue, which is in prose, unlike the rest of the text.
|
Kutadgu Bilig Subcategories
Kutadgu Bilig Articles
|
|
