One of the important representatives of today's minstrel literature is Âşık Celalî from Van. Born in 1952 in the village of Kasımoğlu in Van, the minstrel lost his sight as a result of an eye disease he had in his childhood. Celalî, who was interested in minstrel culture from an early age, had the opportunity to get to know minstrel literature by memorising the folk songs he listened to on the radio. In addition, Âşık Celalî went to the coffeehouses in Van where the tradition of minstrelsy was performed and was influenced by some minstrels who came to these coffeehouses. Âşık Celalî wrote his poems in syllabic metre and in a simple style in accordance with Turkish folk culture. When Celalî's poems are evaluated thematically, it is seen that poems on love, love, mysticism, science, wisdom, homeland, state, flag, nature and Van are written. In addition to these elements, there are also poems on the theme of migration and expatriation in Celalî's poems. The phenomenon of migration has been one of the subjects frequently covered in minstrel literature, which is of great importance for Turkish folk culture. In minstrel poetry, the phenomenon of migration is described together with the theme of expatriation. A longing for home and complaint of expatriation is seen in the emigrated minstrels. The phenomenon of migration, which is reflected in the poems of many minstrels in minstrel literature, is treated in Celalî's poems in the forms of expatriation, migration from village to city, foreign migration, highland migration of Turkmens, etc. In this study, the reflections of the element of migration on Âşık Celalî's poems are analysed.

Celalî, migration, minstrelsy, expatriation, poetry.