Semantic-Structural Unraveling of a Complex Sonnet of Hafez

A significant part of Hafez's poetry is the product of complex mystical experiences and the poet uses a variety of rhetorical devices in their linguistic formulation. Therefore, these two factors complicate Hafez's poetry. The mystical experiences of Hafez are more evident in his intensive...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Ghodrat Allah Taheri
Format: Article
Language:fas
Published: Alzahra University 2021-04-01
Series:ادبیات عرفانی
Subjects:
Online Access:https://jml.alzahra.ac.ir/article_5740_5cdefea8cf35b7c6158a56b33def0ed3.pdf
_version_ 1829492591377252352
author Ghodrat Allah Taheri
author_facet Ghodrat Allah Taheri
author_sort Ghodrat Allah Taheri
collection DOAJ
description A significant part of Hafez's poetry is the product of complex mystical experiences and the poet uses a variety of rhetorical devices in their linguistic formulation. Therefore, these two factors complicate Hafez's poetry. The mystical experiences of Hafez are more evident in his intensive narrative sonnets and due to the excessive compactness of these narratives, and the inherent fluidity of intuitive experiences, serious complications arise in the meaning and form of these sonnets despite their simple language. The sonnet 423 starting with the verse: “Last night, to the door of the wine-house, I went, sleep-stained; the Khirka wet in skirt, and prayer-mat, wine-stained” is one of these cases. This sonnet, though covertly, reports the stage of transformation from “ascetic mysticism” into “romantic mysticism”. In the form of narration, especially in the symbolic characterization of “Moghbacheh” and the conversation between him and the narrator, the literary and mystical norms of the tradition of Qalandari poetry have been violated. This character—a tavern master who often provokes the pious seeker to enter the tavern in Qalandari poetry—appears in a new role in this sonnet and rebukes the narrator for entering the tavern and drinking wine and making love to the boys. The question addressed is how we can place this sonnet within the tradition of Qalandari poetry and save the sonnet from semantic and formal contradictions. Adopting a semantic-structural reading and interpretive method, we try to untie the knot and prove that this sonnet is a continuation of the same tradition of Qalandari sonnets and the intellectual doctrine of Hafez. The poet, by manipulating the literary tradition, has achieved a narrative and artistic construction of the same ideas and through creating semantic and formal ambiguities has made it open to multiple readings.
first_indexed 2024-12-16T06:17:56Z
format Article
id doaj.art-5bb1a0554469436c8ccc7a1d04675334
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2008-9384
2538-1997
language fas
last_indexed 2024-12-16T06:17:56Z
publishDate 2021-04-01
publisher Alzahra University
record_format Article
series ادبیات عرفانی
spelling doaj.art-5bb1a0554469436c8ccc7a1d046753342022-12-21T22:41:12ZfasAlzahra Universityادبیات عرفانی2008-93842538-19972021-04-011324719910.22051/jml.2021.36625.22175740Semantic-Structural Unraveling of a Complex Sonnet of HafezGhodrat Allah Taheri0Associate Professor of Persian Language and Literature Department, Literature and Humanities Faculty, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, IranA significant part of Hafez's poetry is the product of complex mystical experiences and the poet uses a variety of rhetorical devices in their linguistic formulation. Therefore, these two factors complicate Hafez's poetry. The mystical experiences of Hafez are more evident in his intensive narrative sonnets and due to the excessive compactness of these narratives, and the inherent fluidity of intuitive experiences, serious complications arise in the meaning and form of these sonnets despite their simple language. The sonnet 423 starting with the verse: “Last night, to the door of the wine-house, I went, sleep-stained; the Khirka wet in skirt, and prayer-mat, wine-stained” is one of these cases. This sonnet, though covertly, reports the stage of transformation from “ascetic mysticism” into “romantic mysticism”. In the form of narration, especially in the symbolic characterization of “Moghbacheh” and the conversation between him and the narrator, the literary and mystical norms of the tradition of Qalandari poetry have been violated. This character—a tavern master who often provokes the pious seeker to enter the tavern in Qalandari poetry—appears in a new role in this sonnet and rebukes the narrator for entering the tavern and drinking wine and making love to the boys. The question addressed is how we can place this sonnet within the tradition of Qalandari poetry and save the sonnet from semantic and formal contradictions. Adopting a semantic-structural reading and interpretive method, we try to untie the knot and prove that this sonnet is a continuation of the same tradition of Qalandari sonnets and the intellectual doctrine of Hafez. The poet, by manipulating the literary tradition, has achieved a narrative and artistic construction of the same ideas and through creating semantic and formal ambiguities has made it open to multiple readings.https://jml.alzahra.ac.ir/article_5740_5cdefea8cf35b7c6158a56b33def0ed3.pdfhafez sonnetqalandari poetrycompact narrationinterpretation (ta’vil)
spellingShingle Ghodrat Allah Taheri
Semantic-Structural Unraveling of a Complex Sonnet of Hafez
ادبیات عرفانی
hafez sonnet
qalandari poetry
compact narration
interpretation (ta’vil)
title Semantic-Structural Unraveling of a Complex Sonnet of Hafez
title_full Semantic-Structural Unraveling of a Complex Sonnet of Hafez
title_fullStr Semantic-Structural Unraveling of a Complex Sonnet of Hafez
title_full_unstemmed Semantic-Structural Unraveling of a Complex Sonnet of Hafez
title_short Semantic-Structural Unraveling of a Complex Sonnet of Hafez
title_sort semantic structural unraveling of a complex sonnet of hafez
topic hafez sonnet
qalandari poetry
compact narration
interpretation (ta’vil)
url https://jml.alzahra.ac.ir/article_5740_5cdefea8cf35b7c6158a56b33def0ed3.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT ghodratallahtaheri semanticstructuralunravelingofacomplexsonnetofhafez