erceptions of Youth and Old Age in Abay Kunanbayev’s Poetry: An Individual and Social Critique

Abstract

This study aims to examine the themes of youth and old age in the poems and prose works of Abay Kunanbayev, one of the founding figures of modern Kazakh literature, from both individual and social-critical perspectives. In Abay’s intellectual framework, youth is depicted as a period filled with potential, which must be cultivated through knowledge, willpower, and morality; whereas old age is portrayed as a time of wisdom shaped by self-reflection and the reckoning of one’s past. The poems written for his son Abdirahman reveal Abay’s ideal concept of youth, while the portrayals of old age in Kara Sözler (The Words of Edification) highlight introspection and a sense of regret. Drawing from Abay’s poems and prose, the study analyzes the conceptual continuity between youth and old age in terms of moral responsibility and the individual’s self-construction process. These thematic evaluations reveal Abay’s understanding of the human being both in terms of personal development and collective transformation. Ultimately, Abay’s reflections on youth and old age present a universal philosophy of humanity, emphasizing the essential balance between an educated youth and a wise old age.