Gönül: The Turkish Word for Our Inner Home, the Source of Love and Emotions
Heart, eternal kindness, Rumi, great songs
There are three words which have meanings close to "heart" in Turkish: gönül, kalp, and yürek.
Kalp is the organ in our body. It can also be used abstractly.
Yürek is mostly used in the abstract. It can also be thought of as the place of goodness.
Gönül is a much deeper concept. It metaphorically represents our inner home. We can regard it as the house of our soul. All our desires, dreams, and love always originate from there. Gönül is our true home in this world.
We do what Gönül wants; we go wherever she guides. If she allows us, we can invite someone into our life. If she doesn't want us, we leave.
Gönül is wise. She sees the unseen, understands and feels the incomprehensible, and guides us wisely.
When a friend of yours says a hurtful word, the first gönül is broken, and when you’re left by your partner, your house of gönül falls apart. You feel homeless and helpless.
At the center of Sufism’s philosophy lies Gönül. Sufism says that one should feed Gönül with kindness, keep it clean, and give everyone there a sanctuary with hospitality. Rumi, the great philosopher, poet and mystic, says, "Life is not entrusted to those who do not know how to mend a heart (gönül)."
Gönül has been the subject of many songs in Turkish. Of these, my favorite is the song by Zerrin Özer. It’s an old but evergreen song that always touches my heart gently.
A person is speaking with her Gönül in the song. The person is angry at her Gönül because he is tired of having heartbreak all the time, and he blames it on his own heart.