The Integrity of Elements in Persian Poetry and Its Impact on the Flourishing of Poetry
Subject Areas : Literary Criticism and Theory
mohammad hasan arjmandifar
1
,
Bijan Zahirinav
2
*
1 - PhD Student in Persian Language and Literature at University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran
2 - Professor in the Department of Persian Language and Literature, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.
Keywords: Coherence, Unity, Vertical Axis, Coherence, Poetry.,
Abstract :
This research has been conducted in a descriptive-analytical manner based on library studies.With an introduction regarding the role of the unity of poetic elements, referred to with terms such as unity, coherence, and vertical axis, we will gradually accompany the formation of a ghazal to propose a method for the unity of elements in Persian poetry.This approach will help us answer the question (hypothesis) of whether maintaining the unity of poetic elements contributes to the flourishing of poetry, using the eight criteria outlined in this study.
Introduction
Every structure is composed of components whose arrangement and selection significantly determine its quality.The better these parts are understood and precisely positioned alongside one another, fostering greater harmony between them, the higher the quality of the structure and its performance."Art is the effort to find harmony" (Ahmadi, 2001: 213), and harmony emerges from unity.Within this context, literature—specifically, "poetry is one of the fine arts, and the essence of poetry is beauty.According to scholars, fine arts and artistic beauty are interdependent.Fine arts require elements such as unity, harmony, repetition, balance, proportion, and similar factors to achieve immortality" (Sahraei and Golshani, 2013: 98-99)."Aristotle also sees harmony as a factor of unity and one of the characteristics of the beautiful" (Zarrin-Koub, 1978: 104).Therefore, "a good poem, despite its simplicity, is such a composition that its elements are so interconnected and harmonious that if there is a flaw in any one of the parts, it distances the entire piece from success and perfection" (Akvan Salas, 1997: 202).Thus, the components of poetry must be appropriately knowledgeable and suitably arranged together to create an impactful and enduring poem."If a poem is to be alive, its components must be connected and structured with the same precision and delicacy as the parts of a tree are intertwined.It should be an organism in which each component serves a useful purpose, collaborating with other elements to sustain and elucidate the vitality it contributes" (Parin, 1997: 21).Humanity's appreciation and admiration for harmony stem from our nature.As a part of nature, humans have observed and learned the first signs of harmony within it; having seen the spirit of harmony in nature's components, we are innately inclined toward unity and cohesion in any structure.In their artistic creation (poetry), the poet also reflects on the harmony borrowed from nature.Consequently, the components of poetry, despite their dispersion, require organization, a system, and ultimately, a purpose-driven unity, to form a robust structure and better express the poem’s meaning; otherwise, "they will be deprived of imagination, influence, registration, and conveying the core objective" (Akvan Salas, 1997: 202).Given the importance of the integration of poetic elements in both poetry criticism and composition, a framework for the unity of elements in Persian poetry is presented using eight criteria.
Research Background
The topic of "the integration of poetic elements" is referred to with titles such as "vertical and horizontal axes of poetry, " "structural unity in poetry, " or "cohesion in poetry." Ghasem Sahraei and Shahab Golshani, in their article "Unity and Cohesion in the Poetry of Shafiei Kadkani" (2013), consider the principle of unity to be the most important element of aesthetic appreciation in Shafiei Kadkani's poems, identifying the factors that create unity in his poetry as thematic unity, harmony of components, evolution and gradual progression, and proportion and repetition.
Mohammad Ismail Dehqan Tozarjani and Hassan Zolqari, in their article "Examining Grammatical and Lexical Cohesion Elements in Popular Poetry, " based on Halliday and Hasan's theory of grammatical and lexical cohesion, evaluate the degree of cohesion in popular poetry as high, listing repetition and ellipsis as fundamental elements in creating cohesion in this genre.
Nahid Tehrani Sabzeh also argues in her article "Factors of Lexical Cohesion in Modern Poetry" that literary techniques can serve not only to create music and enrich meaning but also to ensure the cohesion of poetry and the formation of a text.
Morteza Mohseni and Mahdi Sarahati Joibari, in their article "The Vertical Axis of Imagination in the Poems of Nasir Khusrow" (2021), state that the strength of the vertical axis in Nasir Khusrow's works is the key to distinguishing and elevating his poetry compared to that of his contemporaries.
Ahmad Konjoori, Ali Noori, Mohammad Reza Roozbeh, and Ali Heydari, in their article "Types of Allusion Design and Expansion in the Vertical Axis of Simin Behbahani's Ghazals" (2019), highlight the innovative nature of Simin Behbahani's allusions in her ghazals, asserting that the scope of these allusions transcends the horizontal axis and enters the vertical axis of her poetry.
Mohammad Jafar Yahqi and Mohammad Hadi Fallahi, in their article "Textual Cohesion in the Ghazals of Saadi and Bidel Dehlavi: A Study and Comparison of Ten Ghazals Each, " apply Halliday Hassan's method of textual cohesion analysis to examine and compare the textual cohesion in ten ghazals by Saadi and Bidel, concluding that "the more cohesive and coherent a text is, the more understandable and accessible it becomes.Saadi’s ghazals, benefiting from more cohesive elements and shorter sentences, are easier to comprehend" (Yahqi and Fallahi, 2010: 339).
Monijeh Abdollahi, in her article "Vertical Connection and Spiritual Cohesion in Hafez's Ghazals, " attempts to "provide practical criteria regarding the overall cohesion of Hafez's ghazals by utilizing the theory of composition and juxtaposition proposed by structuralists" (Abdollahi, 2017: 94).
Masoud Alagoneh Jonaghani, in his article "Analysis of Textual Cohesion in a Ghazal by Hafez Based on the Simple Structure Approach, " investigates the structural cohesion of a ghazal by Hafez using a systemic-functional linguistic approach (Alagoneh Jonaghani, 2016: 265).Taher Ishani, in the article "Comparative Analysis of Cohesion Factors in Two Ghazals by Hafez and Saadi and Its Impact on Textual Cohesion, "concludes that "the greater cohesion in Saadi's ghazal compared to Hafez's is rooted in the types of cohesion factors employed in the text," based on Halliday and Hasan's theory of cohesion (Ishani, 2014: 10).Ali Akbar Shiri Zadeh, in the article "Cohesion Factors in Persian Language, " states that "based on the conducted research, sufficient and appropriate use of cohesion markers simplifies the text and enhances its understanding" (Shiri Zadeh, 2003: 10).
n her article "Cohesion and Coherence in Persian Language," Giti Taki defines cohesion as the internal coherence of the text, or "the inter-sentential relationships within a text that, in the Persian language, are established through factors such as connective words, semantic relationships or lexical ties, reference, substitution, comparison, and repetition" (Taki, 1999: 129).She defines coherence as "the interpretation and explanation of the text considering external conditions and social contexts" (same source) and further elaborates on these concepts.
Mohammad Khamagar, in his article “The Effectiveness of Halliday's Theory in Mapping the Textual Cohesion of the Quranic Surahs, ” concludes that "this theory is insufficient for analyzing all dimensions of textual cohesion and that utilizing role-based cohesive factors only elucidates the linear relationship of sentences within a text" (same source).
Theoretical Framework
The theoretical framework of the present research introduces eight metrics that promote the coherence and unity of poetic elements, leading to the flourishing of poetry.These metrics are as follows:
Musical Unity: This includes the unity of external music (meter) and the unity of adjacent music (rhyme and refrain).The poet must first maintain consistent meter across all verses and adhere to the rules of rhyme and refrain.
Thematic Unity: Observing "thematic unity" requires the poet to remain within the thematic boundaries they have chosen.For instance, if a poem addresses the love of God, the poet should not stray from this primary theme.
Pronominal Unity: Typically, poets adopt one of the narrative styles: the first-person narrator, the second-person narrator, or the third-person poet.Consequently, if the poet is in the first person, they cannot abruptly switch to the second person in subsequent verses.
Logical Unity: Although "imagination is the essence and fixed element of poetry" (Shafiei-Kadkani, 1996: 18) and "poetry celebrates a unique occurrence within a culture, a language, and the way a person uses their language" (Schools, 2004: 95), it should not be forgotten that poetic imagination has its logic.The adherence to logic must be maintained both at the level of individual couplets and in the overall structure and length of the poem; in other words, a poem, despite being imaginative, should not lack reason.
Lexical Cohesion: The word is the cornerstone of prose and poetry."When a poet selects a word for use in their poem, they activate a set of possibilities that fundamentally differs from what we use in everyday speech." (Schoolz, 2004: 52) Therefore, the word has a more specific role in poetry, and the careful placement of words elevates the poem, while careless selection disrupts its cohesiveness.
Temporal Cohesion: Temporal cohesion refers to the consistency of verb tenses both horizontally (in each couplet) and vertically (across the entire poem).In horizontal temporal cohesion, the tense of verbs in each couplet and throughout the poem must have a logical relationship with each other.
Stylistic Cohesion: Just as archaeologists deduce the approximate age of ancient artifacts based on certain indicators, literary scholars, by observing specific words and grammatical details in texts, infer the approximate time of writing or composing the text and, more importantly, its style.Thus, some grammatical and lexical markers are indicative of specific stylistic periods.For instance, the use of certain forms predominantly in the Khorasani style and occasionally in the Iraqi style, at the beginning of continuous verbs, has no place in contemporary poetry and prose.It is not that these forms cannot be utilized, but their use is no longer common or acceptable.Using "hamī" instead of "mī" in today's poetry is like wearing clothes from the 8th century AH on the streets of today’s society.
Narrative Coherence: The narrative coherence of poetry refers to the carefully arranged verses that serve the quasi-narrative structure of the work.This may be what strengthens the vertical axis in epics like the Shahnameh, such that "the Shahnameh not only surpasses the poetry of its contemporary and later periods regarding its vertical axis, but it is also incomparable with any of them." (Shafiei Kadkani, 1996: 458) This strength is also found in the vertical axis of the Masnavi-i Ma'navi and the Khamsa of Nizami Ganjavi.
Data Analysis
Adhering to the integrity of poetic elements -based on the criteria discussed in this article- will contribute to the impact and clarity of poetry.Although creating art and composing poetry is an intuitive process, it is not devoid of structure and rules.Many artists have started their creative endeavors with their "conscious mind" and gradually rooted it in their "unconscious mind." Therefore, following these rules during poetry composition is a necessary condition for achieving good and well-measured poetry, but it is not sufficient.This is where the weight of meaning, especially in poetry, is keenly felt.On the other hand, a meaningful poem that lacks structure does not lead to the desired essence and does not bring the ship of poetry to the shore of success.Would we still regard the poems of Rumi in the Masnavi -as they are currently- filled with deficiencies in meter, rhyme, and structure as outstanding and sublime poetry? Thus, meaning and structure are two wings for the flight and elevation of poetry, each of which, without the other, does not lead to perfection and flourishing in poetry.Given the inspirational and internal nature of poetic expression in the poet's mind, and accepting the notion that the spiritual quality of poetry cannot be measured or subjected to fixed rules, the greater the harmony of internal and external elements in poetry and the better the integrity of poetic elements is observed, the more one can hope for the impact and clarity of the poetry.An example of this assertion is the adherence to various forms of integrity of poetic elements in the works of great poets like Saadi, Hafez, Rumi, and Ferdowsi, where it is rare to find instances of inconsistency in their poetry.In conclusion, while proposing a framework for measuring the integrity of Persian poetic elements, we conclude that adhering to the integrity of poetic elements has a positive effect on the impact and clarity of poetry.
Keywords: Coherence, Unity, Vertical Axis, Coherence, Poetry.
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