Similar to Dante´s work, Yunus Emre´s poetry symbolised the ethical patterns of mortal life while depicting the higher values of immortal being. Yunus Emre also offered to the common man "the optimism of mysticism" - the conviction that human beings, sharing Godly attributes, are capable of transcending themselves.

Humanism is an abiding tradition in Turkish culture. Before adopting Islam and settling in Anatolia, the Turks had already acquired anthropocentric attitudes as a result of the vicissitudes they experienced in long periods of exodus and during relatively brief sojourns in Asia.

Quite an insight to Turkish Humanism

http://www.worldproutassembly.org/archives/2005/08/yunus_emres_hum.html

I thought you had left us Roswitha...glad to see you posting again.

Seven centuries ago, Yunus Emre attained to the apogee of the intellectual and aesthetic tradition of Turkish humanism. He gave eloquent specimens of humanitarianism and universalism. He made a poetic plea for peace and the brotherhood of mankind-a plea for humanism which is still supremely relevant in today´s world convulsing with conflict and war:

Come, let us a1l be friends for once,
Let us make life easy on us,
Let us be lovers and loved ones,
The earth shall be left to no one.

Friend: With great frequency, the poet refers to or addresses "The Friend." In most cases, "friend" stands for "dost," which also means "lover," "mistress," and "God." Although it is conceivable that Yunus Emre sometimes employs "dost" in the strict neutral sense of "friend," his mystic orientation and the context of reference in the poems make it clear that he stresses the sense of "God as the divine beloved." "Beloved" and "the Loved One" (which are also frequently used in the translations) should be interpreted as references to God rather than any human being. This use is quite common in the vast corpus of Arabic, Persian, and Turkish mystic literature.