Yunus Emre (1238–1320 CE) was a Turkish mystic and highly esteemed folk-poet. Little seems to be recorded of his life, but his poems, written in early Turkish, have had a profound and long-lasting effect on the culture of Anatolia.

Dervishhood tells me, you cannot become a dervish.
So what can I tell you? You cannot become a dervish.

A dervish needs a wounded heart and eyes full of tears.
He needs to be as easy as a sheep.
You cannot be a dervish.

He must be without hand when someone hits him.
He must be tongueless when cursed.
A dervish needs to be without any desire.
You cannot be a dervish.

You make a lot of sounds with your tongue, meaningful things.
You get angry about this and that.
You cannot be a dervish.

If it were all right to be angry on this path,
Muhammed himself would have gotten angry.
Because of your anger, you cannot be a dervish.

Unless you find a real path, unless you find a guide,
Unless Truth grants you your portion,
You cannot be a dervish.

Therefore, dervish Yunus, come, dive into the ocean now and then.
Unless you dive in the ocean, you cannot be a dervish.

from The Drop That Became The Sea
Translated from Turkish by Kabir Helminski & Refik Algan