| چکیده انگلیسی مقاله |
Symbolism is a major trend in contemporary poetry, serving as a key to unlocking the poet’s semantic network and revealing their literary identity and style. By interpreting symbols, readers gain deeper insight into the poet’s thematic concerns and artistic expression. Symbolism is particularly prominent in the works of several post-Revolution poets, including Fazel Nazari. Nazari is a widely-read poet of the 2000s whose works primarily explore mystical, moral, and social themes. The ghazal is the sole poetic form he employs. Like other contemporary ghazal composers, Nazari adopts an intimate tone and incorporates archaic words, expressions, and symbols within a modern context. However, the thematic orientation of symbolism in his ghazals significantly differs from that of neoclassical poets. He conveys mystical concepts implicitly, using innovative and artistic methods that engage the audience on multiple levels. This paper seeks to answer the following questions using library research and a descriptive-analytical approach: Has Fazel Nazari extensively employed symbolism in his works? What are the primary themes of his symbolic language? What is the typology of mystical symbols in both the repetitive and innovative aspects of his poetry? How has mystical symbolism evolved across his books Gerye-haye Emperatoor (Emperor’s Tears), Aghaliyat (Minority), Anha (They), Zed (Opponent), and Ketab (Book)? According to our findings, mystical symbols in Nazari’s works can be categorized into formal and knowledge-related Sufi symbols (26%) and general symbolic words and expressions (74%). The general symbolic vocabulary primarily relates to religion (32%), physical objects (15%), wine-drinking (12%), animals (9%), and body parts (6%). Among his books, Zed contains the highest proportion of symbolism (22%), while Ketab features the least (18%).
Introduction
A symbol refers to a relatively vague word or expression that signifies a broad semantic network extending beyond its literal meaning. Its precise interpretation can never be fully exhausted. A symbol comprises two components: a form and a conceptual field. The form is connected to the physical, tangible world, while the concept relates to the invisible, spiritual realm (Jung, 2014).
Understanding the significance of symbolic language throughout different historical periods has led to its widespread use in artistic and literary works across human societies. A notable example is the rise of literary symbolism in Europe between 1850 and 1920 (Parham, 2015). This Western literary movement profoundly influenced Persian literature (Poornamdarian, 1996). The tradition of literary symbolism persisted well beyond the Islamic Revolution in Iran.
In post-Revolution Iranian literature, which fostered a deep intertwining of mysticism and poetry, symbolism created a fresh atmosphere in both poetry and prose. It paved the way for new religious, epic, and mystical expressions. Poets who embraced Islamic values and beliefs began to compose works infused with religious and mystical themes—concepts rooted both in the Quran and the teachings of the Imams (Kazemi, 2011).
Fazel Nazari is a young, contemporary Iranian poet and one of the most influential literary figures of the 2000s. His ghazals extensively incorporate religious and mystical themes, and the prominent intellectual and literary qualities of his poetry—particularly his use of mystical symbolism—warrant thorough examination.
This paper aims to answer several key questions through library research and a descriptive-analytical approach: Has Nazari employed implicit, symbolic forms of expression in his poetry? If so, which types of symbols dominate his works? And does his symbolic language effectively convey mystical concepts?
The study begins by exploring the reasons behind the use of symbolism in contemporary poetry, followed by a discussion of mystical symbolism within both Persian literary tradition and Nazari’s poetry specifically. Mystical symbols in Nazari’s poems fall into two main categories: 1) formal and knowledge-related Sufi symbols; and 2) symbolic words and expressions, including a) wine-drinking, b) body parts, c) nature, d) religious imagery, e) objects, and f) animals.
From another perspective, symbols in his poetry can be classified as either innovative (i.e., personal) or repetitive. Repetitive symbols further divide into two types: a) those reflecting concepts commonly found in classical literature, and b) those representing repetitive symbols with new conceptualizations.
1.1. Literature Review
Several studies have already addressed the issue of symbolism in Fazel Nazari’s works. Poornamdarian, Radfar, and Shakeri (2012) explore symbols in contemporary Persian poetry more broadly. Salehi-Parsa (2013) discusses the aesthetic aspects of Nazari’s ghazals, briefly touching upon symbolism in his poetry. Bidkhooni (2014), in a study titled A Thematic and Stylistic Analysis of Fazel Nazari’s Ghazals, examines Nazari’s distinctive literary style. Tajdini (2015) investigates symbolism in Molavi’s poetry, providing relevant context for mystical symbolism in Persian literature. Additionally, Fallah and Zare’i (2015) analyze Nazari’s style, arguing that his poetry aligns with the Hindi school of poetry.
Discussion and Conclusion
In addition to other figures of speech, Fazel Nazari places special emphasis on symbolism to convey his ideas. He employs both repetitive and innovative symbols to create vivid symbolic imagery. As a meaning-oriented poet, Nazari’s symbolism holds significant mystical potential, with his poems leaning more toward mystical themes than social, moral, or political ones. While his intimate tone and use of archaic words and symbols within a modern context resemble those of neoclassical poets—particularly Hossein Monzavi—his intellectual foundation differs, being deeply rooted in Islamic mysticism. Nazari utilizes formal and knowledge-related Sufi expressions alongside symbolic words related to nature, animals, body parts, objects, and more to implicitly communicate his mystical concepts, thereby enriching his poetry. Over time, as his work evolves, his use of symbolism increasingly aligns with that of his contemporary poets. A notable correlation emerges between the decreasing frequency of symbolic language and the growing intimacy of his tone and language, eventually rendering his symbolism similar to that of other contemporary poets.
Our findings indicate that formal and knowledge-related Sufi symbols occur less frequently and exhibit less variety compared to other symbolic words and expressions (see Diagram 1).
Diagram 1: Comparison of the frequency of formal and knowledge-related Sufist symbols with other symbolic words and expressions in Nazari’s works
The highest frequency of symbolic words, in a descending order, belongs to religion, nature, objects, wine-drinking, animals, and parts of body. (Diagram 2)
Diagram 2: Frequency of the types of symbolic words and expressions (in percentage)
The symbolism that became prevalent after the Islamic Revolution and the deep connection between mysticism and poetry have created a new atmosphere in prose and poetry in which Nazari’s Islamic values are associated with religious, epic, and mystical approaches, leading to extensive use of religious symbolism in his works. Next to religious symbols, the most frequent symbols are those related to nature. It seems that the poet makes perfect use of the perceptible elements of nature that are flexible and easily available, thus increasing the beauty and delicacy of his words by associating mysticism and nature.
In using symbolic words and expressions, Nazari is close to his contemporary poets. His innovative symbols are mostly those related to physical objects. Wine-drinking symbols tend to increase the effect and attractiveness of his poems and create extra meaning layers for those who seek heavenly concepts.
Among Nazari’s works, the frequency of symbols is highest in Zed and lowest in Ketab (Diagram 3). The increasing frequency of symbolism in Nazari’s works from Gerye-haye Emperatoor to Zed is indicative of assimilating to his contemporary poets and decreased mental occupations. The symbolism is reduced in Ketab due to the poet’s increased experience as well as his managerial and administrative posts. Innovative symbols are less than repetitive ones. In repetitive symbols, the poet’s creativity is restricted to the reconceptualization of existing symbols.
Diagram 3: Usage of mystical symbols
The poet’s remarkable attention to the word ‘love’ which is the most frequent word in his works is due to the high frequency of the formal and knowledge-related Sufist words in comparison with other symbolic words and expressions (Diagram 4). The highest frequency of the formal and knowledge-related Sufist words is found in Zed, and ‘love’ is the most frequent word in this book. This might be explained by the poet’s explicit statement on the back cover of the book that the word ‘Zed’ (meaning ‘opponent’) refers to human soul. The high frequency of the word ‘love’ implies that love of God is the key to relief from one’s self. Gerye-haye Emperatoor mainly deals with human’s frustrations as the representative of God on Earth. In this book, the frequency of ‘love’ is less than other formal expressions of Sufism.
Diagram 4: Usage of ‘love’ and other formal and knowledge-related words of Sufism
- Gerye-haye Emperatoor (Emperor’s Tears): This book was published in 2003 as Nazari’s first work. Presence of individualized themes, use of archaic symbols, frequency of innovative symbolic words, and symbolism on single lines of verse are more prominent than in his other works. The symbols used in order of frequency include formal knowledge-related words of Sufism, religion, nature, wine-drinking, physical objects, animals, and parts of body (Diagram 5).
Diagram 5: Frequency of symbols in Gerye-haye Emperatoor
- Aghaliyat (Minority): It is Nazari’s second book which was published in 2006. It contains the same themes and symbolism (use of archaic symbols) as Gerye-haye Emperatoor in a more implicit manner. The frequency of symbols, however, shows an increase. The symbols used in order of frequency include formal knowledge-related words of Sufism, religion, nature, animals, wine-drinking, physical objects, and parts of body (Diagram 6).
Diagram 6: Frequency of symbols in Aghaliyat
- Anha (They): It is Nazari’s second book which was published in 2009. In this book, modernized symbols are more frequent, especially in the field of religion and physical objects, and coherence between the lines of poems is stronger. The symbols used in order of frequency include religion, formal knowledge-related words of Sufism, nature, physical objects, wine-drinking, parts of body, and animals (Diagram 7).
Diagram 7: Frequency of symbols in Anha
- Zed (Opponent): Published in 2013, this book is the apex of mystical conceptualization among Nazari’s works and its form and structure have approached modern language. The symbols used in order of frequency include formal knowledge-related words of Sufism, religion, physical objects, nature, animals, wine-drinking, and parts of body (Diagram 8)
Diagram 8: Frequency of symbols in Zed
- Ketab (Book): The book was published in 2016. Its language is completely modern rather than archaic. Although Nazari has focused more on literary devices, mystical themes and symbols are on the decline and symbolism has a decreasing trend. The reason seems to be personal factors (careers and job-related preoccupations). The symbols used in order of frequency include formal words of Sufism, religion, nature, wine-drinking, physical objects, animals, and parts of body (Diagram 9).
Diagram 9: Frequency of symbols in Ketab
Regarding mystical symbolism, both repetitive and innovative symbols are extensively employed across Nazari’s works Gerye-haye Emperatoor, Anha, Aghaliyat, Zed, and Ketab. These symbols can be categorized into two types: formal and knowledge-related Sufi symbols, and symbolic words and expressions. Among these collections, Zed contains the highest concentration of mystical symbols, while Ketab has the least.
Nazari’s mystical symbolism shares similarities with that of neoclassical poets in form; however, its content differs significantly, as his poetry is deeply rooted in pure Islamic thought. He utilizes mystical symbolism not only to enrich the aesthetic appeal of his verse but also to implicitly convey profound mystical concepts.
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