The use of Allusive simile and metaphor in expressing the mystical experience and preliminaries (Based on Mantegh-al-teyr by Attar)

The Use of Allusive Simile and Metaphor in Expressing the Mystical Experiences and Preliminaries, one of the Attributes of Attar’s Style Feature

(Based on Mantegh-o-Teyr by Attar)

Authors

*Tamanna Golbabaei

**Mohammad GHolamrezaei

***Ahmad Khatami

****Roghiyeh Sadraie

*Ph.D student of Persian Language and Literature,  Department of Persian literature , Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

**Retired Professor of Persian Language and Literature, Shahid Beheshti University (Corresponding author)

***Professor of Persian Language and Literature, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Shahid Beheshti

University

****Assistant Professor of Persian Language and Literature , Department of Persian Language and Literature, Science and Research, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Poetry is the manifestation of poetic and artistic images. These images are created using the rhetoric and its various tools. A mystic poet uses these images to recreate the mystical experiences and preliminaries. Among the most important devices used in mystic poets' minds to recreate –Including Attar Neyshaburi- are "simile", "metaphor" and "allusion". He has repeatedly used simile in Mantegh-o-teyr –which is the story of a group of birds' spiritual journey- to express the mystical experience, from the very beginning to the end -which is Unification- and has combined it with allusion. In this paper, with a descriptive, analytical and review method, being introduced here, we will show how these tools have been used to express his mystical experiences and its preliminaries. In mystical poetry, decorating speech is secondary but the main purpose of the poet is to express preliminaries of internal and mystical revelations and experiences, so his poetical images and style are driven from his religious and mystical attitudes. Most of Attar's similes and allusions are related to verses and stories of Quran and religious and Quranic characters and religious subjects and Hadiths, as well as religious sayings, characters and subjects and that is a sign of the deep impact of religion and mysticism on his speech rhetoric.

Key words: Rhetoric, image, allusive devices, mystical experience, Mantegh-o-Teyr, Style feature

Introduction

As many verses in mystical poetry refer to the mystical experiences of the poet or other mystics, and as one of the characteristics of mystical experience are its indescribability, simile, metaphor, and implication become very significant in the expression of these experiences and their combination creates different artistic-mystical images. One of the axioms of the rhetorical style of Attar is simile and imitation, which has simulated - implicitly by expressing it. Using the imaging tools and combining them with a variety of mystical experiences like both instantaneous experiences and understanding divine revelation that happens at the moment or in time, Attar depicts the experiences that flow through the course or at the beginnings of them, such as divine grace and the avoidance of self, temptations, the world, and so on

          The term image in this study is a literary or artistic image coming from the mystic's inventive imagination and makes the poet's word more beautiful and influential. Image in mysticism is a means of conveying mystical experiences and their origins. Mystics use intermediaries like nature, Quranic and religious concepts and stories and express them   simile, allegorical or implicit form.

          The mystical experience is the moments when the mystic is separated from his "Ego" and reaches for discovery, intuition and unity. Some mystics such as "William James" consider points like ineffability, transiency and passivity, or "Richard Morris Buck", consider points like photism and the sense of immortality and Attar points like intuition and love are considered to be characteristics of mystical experience. Mystical experiences are the product of entering the world beyond the material world; thus, it needs a special image and expression. As the mystics' intuitive experiences enter Persian poetry, the image structure changes too.

Method

 The method was library research and descriptive-analytical. The reason for selecting The Conference of the Birds is the sufficient frequency of literary devices as well as its literary fame.

Aims

According to this introduction, the main question of this study is how Attar in The Conference of the Birds formed his mystical rhetoric and by what means he did that. To answer the main question of this paper, the verses in which simile and metaphor are used in Mantegh-al Teyr of Attar are analyzed based on the printing and proofreading of the extracted coding and the artistic images created by these imaging tools and associated with mystical experiences.

         Introducing this combining imaging tool and the effect of import and mystical revelation on them is one of the goals of the study, which shows Attar's initiatives in his poetic images.

Findings

One of the significant goals of the mystics is to bring as many mystical experiences depiction as possible, since one of the main features of mystical experiences is the inimitability. Thus, the one who selects poetry to express mystical themes has no choice but to use imagination and illustration. One of these is the imaging and allegorical imaging tool.

        Among the different types of imaging devices, simile has a central role in objectifying abstract concepts. Allusion has other uses as well as other artistic imaging tools. One of these uses can be the expression of mystical experiences and their origins and the image each poet has of these mystical findings and revelations. In modern rhetoric, allusion is an artistic tool that combines with other instruments in the science of expression with a more significant role in visualization.

         Mantegh al-Teyr is one of the best mystical-art works that shows mystical experiences using imaging tools and art images, among which are analogies - implicit and metaphorical - artistic implications. Allegorical imaging tool is one of the expressive elements for which the reader must be familiar with the verses and stories of the Qur'an, hadiths or stories or parables, such as imitation

Conclusion

In this study, the focus has been on simile, metaphor and impression and their combination in The Conference of the Birds of Attar. His implicit parallels include the Holy Qur'anic verses, hadiths, Qur'anic tales and the stories of the prophets and other elements and personalities like Egyptian women, sorcerers, Salih's (Peace Be Upon Him) camel, peacocks, hoopoe, water of life, Jesus' needle, fish, Nimrod, Pharaoh and idolatry, stories based on Israel and some words of former elders. These implicit simile and metaphors are shown in Morsal and over. Most of the tales refer to the story of the prophets and their miracles and are illustrated using a combination of imagery and metaphor. Among the prophets, most are related to the stories of Adam (PBUH), Joseph (PBUH), Solomon (PBUH), David (PBUH), Moses (PBUH), Abraham (PBUH), Jesus (PBUH), and Jonah (PBUH).

          In the semantic and conceptual sense of the verses, hadiths, and tales, much has been mentioned in relation to the concepts of the world and its attributes, and avoiding the filthy self, greed and paying total attention to God Almighty. Based on these themes, the images are made to express the meanings and introductions that the mystic was required to have to enter the path of mystical experience and reach its ultimate and immediate awareness of the truth. Like reaching true love, seeking God and praising him, attaining mystical purpose, receiving divine signs and divine favor, paying attention to divine attributes, becoming separated from self, and reaching God.

     Based on this research, the total frequency of implicit simile in Attar's The Conference of the Birds is 96 cases, and the implicit metaphor is 116 cases. Through his mental analysis and use of rhetorical illustrating techniques in the form of artistic illustrations and with blended-imitation industries, Attar has brought the themes and mystical experiences to the fields of image, art and literature, and has absolutely succeeded in this regard.

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