Alevism originated as a pure mystical movement on the periphery of Islam and evolved into the belief-system of an extensive community in Turkey. Following ancestral bardic traditions, the Alevis cultivated a rich repertory of poems and songs for performance at ritual meetings and in secular environments. This poem of Dervish Kemal (20th century) makes allusion to the supernatural power of Imam Ali. (During, Levin 2001)