In Magtymguly Pyragy’s poetry, ideas related to human behaviour are given a wide place. Human nature is multifaceted. All those multifaceted qualities made the poet think. He classified people according to those characteristics. He honoured them or condemned them.

The poet’s ideas related to human behaviour are rooted in the national emotions, intelligence, and national characteristics of the people. Turkmen people have divided human behaviour into good and bad behaviour. Good qualities such as patriotism, humanitarianism, justice, courage, loyalty, unity, kindness, hospitality, honesty, patience, generosity, humility, modesty, and tolerance were improved and supported by the whole nation. A person with such behaviour had great respect, honour, and love during the year. Conversely, bad behavior was condemned by the nation.

Courage, justice, and loyalty are the chief virtues that adorn a man. Our people have invested a lot in fairness, loyalty, bravery. Famous people who have left their mark in history combine these three qualities. Among our many national values, our ancestors bequeathed courage, fairness, and loyalty to the generations.

Bravery is one of the national qualities that have entered the Turkmen people with their soul and blood. State Anthem of Turkmenistan:

Janym gurban saňa, erkana ýurdum,

Mert pederleň ruhy bardyr köňülde –

The National Leader of the Turkmen people, our Hero Arkadag, wrote in his books ” Mertler Watany beýgeldýär”, ” Mert ýigitler gaýrat üçin dogulýar” that courageous, brave people are the pillar of the nation at all times, his honourable sons and daughters, their names are always respected and their names, valuable ideas are put forward that the pages of history are written in letters of gold. The stories of brave, careless individuals who became the national joy and pride of the Turkmen people and whose bravery lives forever in the minds of the centuries are folk legends that have been passed down from word to word, but whose effectiveness and educational significance have not been diminished.

Our Hero Arkadag says: “Only the brave, the brave sons of the Country honour the Country” [1, p. 21]. Magtymguly Pyragy is one of those sons who raised the name of the Turkmen people and spread their glory.

Magtymguly Pyragy has a multifaceted approach to the concepts of ” mert” and ” mertlik”. His views on courage include many of the characteristics of a courageous man.

There are a lot of lines in the poet’s work that praise brave people. His poem “Gerekdir” contains the whole set of qualities that a man should have.

What kind of man is considered a man? What qualities should a man have? Magtymguly Pyragy creates an artistic image of a brave man in his poem “Gerekdir” and elaborates on the qualities he should have. The poet emphasizes that as the first characteristics of a brave person, his heart should be compassionate, broad-minded, prudent, skilled in his hands, and a man of business:

Mert oldur ki, bolsa köňli rehimli,

Göwresi giň gerek, özi pähimli,

Giň ýerde garga deý bolsun wehimli,

Ýerinde hünäri, işi gerekdir [3, p. 100].

These are the qualities all humans should possess. They should be part of a person’s daily life, throughout his life. That is, a brave person must first have the qualities that are common to all people, that should be concentrated in every person who wants to find his place in society.

In the second verse of the poem:

Gaplaň kimin arlap girse meýdana,

Tilki kimin bazy berse her ýana,

Duranda gaýa dek durup merdana,

Alar ýerden at salyşy gerekdir [3, p. 100] –

– and the qualities that are praised are the behaviours that reveal the bravery of a brave young man, show his courage, and measure his weight already on the day of the feast. It is not for nothing that the scenes of a happy life and a happy day are sequenced, presented sequentially, and depicted next to each other. On good days, anyone who possesses the behavior in the first paragraph can find himself loved and respected all day long. But true courage is revealed in difficult times, when the country is threatened. By comparing the two situations, the poet traces the specific aspects of true courage more closely. In these lines, when describing the qualities that a brave man should have, he refers to the artistic characters of animals in Turkmen folklore, often in fairy tales, which differ in their characteristics. He portrays the hero who enters the battlefield as a blind hero who stalks like a tiger, deceives like a fox, stands as a rock, and jumps on his face.

Ýigidiň hyýaly bolsa serinde,

Çykar bir gün, çöküp galmaz garynda,

Hile hem bir batyrlykdyr ýerinde,

Ony başarmaga kişi gerekdir [3, p. 100].

According to the poet, if he is to be a brave man, he should always have a dream and be able to realize it in life. Also, the poet pays attention to his views on trickery and expresses artistically that it is equivalent to bravery when used properly.

At gerek gaçarga, kowsa ýeterge,

Ýowny gorkuzarga, tirik tutarga,

Meýdanda sangysyz her iş bitirge,

Ýigrimi, otuzly ýaşy gerekdir [3, p. 100].

In this verse of the poem, we are faced with the artistic image of horses, the constant companion of the ram boy, the double wings, the friend of the day, the joy of the day of peace. It is impossible to imagine a young man without a horse. Half of a young man’s bravery and recklessness depend on the fact that he has a strong, sensitive, heart-warming horse. Magtymguly Pyragy considers horses that do not follow him when he runs away, as the main value that a brave young man should have. Magtymguly Pyragy expressed the harmony of these two heights and beauty in the above lines.

Bürgüt guş dek ganat kakyp dügülden,

Muhannesler geçer jandan, oguldan,

Gurt dek girip, ýowny kow dek dagyldan,

Är ýigidiň mert ýoldaşy gerekdir.

Magtymguly, goç ýigitler çapylyp,

Gök damardan gyrmyz ganlar sepilip,

At salanda doňuz kimin topulyp,

Aýy kimin asylyşy gerekdir [3, p. 100].

In these lines, the poet refers to the artistic image of powerful animals such as eagle, wolf, pig, bear, and their behaviour. According to the poet, a young man should not be alone. The young men who adorn him, who fight with him one by one, who think with him, who are equal, who support him in any problem, should be with him. Because a man cannot be not loved and not supported. A man’s character should attract people who strive for good.

Throughout Magtymguly Pyragy’s poem “Gerekdir”, the artistic image of a man and a young man is skillfully depicted, and a number of behaviours that should be characteristic of men and young men are described in detail. Through this poem, the reader can clearly imagine what kind of people the poet considered to be brave.

In Magtymguly Pyragy’s poem ” Meýdan ýoluksa”, the behaviour of a brave person is compared to the behaviour of a fool:

Ýüz namart ýerini tutmaz bir merdiň,

Mert çeker täsibin iliň – ýurduň,

Bitiren işini, görüň, namardyň –

Jeň diýibän gaçar duman ýoluksa [3, p. 101].

As described in the verse, a brave young man is a man who is troubled by the troubles of the day and night. He is happy on his good days and sad on his bad days. He considers the country’s problems his own problems. A hundred coward people are no substitute for a man, nor can he finish his work. As the poet describes, the difference between a young man and a young man is like earth and sky. A brave young man doesn’t think when he has to leave for the day, instead, the fire of honour burns in his eyes, and he runs away thinking that the mist is the enemy.

Magtymguly, öwüt bergin söz bilen,

Eşiden deň bolmaz, gören göz bilen,

Mert çykar myhmana güler ýüz bilen,

Namart özün gizlär myhman ýoluksa [3, p. 101].

These lines of the poem reveal another quality that a good man should have, and that is hospitality. This trait is one of the noble traits of the Turkmen people. Three days later, he received a message from a visitor to his home. Welcoming the guest with a smiling face, honouring him when the situation has reached him should be characteristic of every person who continues the noble principles and traditions of our ancestors. When a guest arrives, it is the main behaviour of a gentleman to dress him without being tight, keeping his volume wide, and making a fringe in front of him. In expressing his views on this, the poet uses similes. By his actions, the guest contrasts the brave and the foolish. The poet emphasizes these thoughts in the following lines:

Namart ýörer mydam ölümden gaçyp,

Öýüne gelende, zäherin saçyp,

Mert ýigit myhmana göwsüni açyp,

Namardyň öýünden gaçysyn görüň! [3, p. 137].

The main task of the master of words is to praise the good and the brave, and to condemn the bad and the foolish. There are many such poems in the works of the great thinker.

1. Berdimuhamedow G. Mertler Watany beýgeldýär. – Aşgabat: TDNG, 2017.
2. Berdimuhamedow G. Ynsan kalbynyň öçmejek nury. – Aşgabat: TDNG, 2014.
3. Magtymguly. Saýlanan eserler. – Aşgabat: “Türkmenistan”, 1992.

Все статьи автора «author»