Journal of Poetry Studies (boostan Adab)

Examining Eschatological Elements in the Poems of Ahmad Shamlou

Gholamreza Kafi; Neda Hatami

Volume 15, Issue 4 , March 2024, , Pages 113-138

https://doi.org/10.22099/jba.2023.47017.4373

Abstract

Examining Eschatological Elements in the Poems of Ahmad Shamlou IntroductionOne of the enduring and widely debated topics that has been the focal point of discussions among individuals, ... Read More

Analysis of the application of elements of popular literature in the poetry of Ahmad Shamloo

gholamreza kafi

Volume 13, Issue 1 , June 2021, , Pages 225-248

https://doi.org/10.22099/jba.2020.35021.3545

Abstract

1. IntroductionPopular literature is called the oldest type of literature in human society even dating back to before the emergence of inscription and writing (Kafi & Ameri, 2014: ... Read More 1. IntroductionPopular literature is called the oldest type of literature in human society even dating back to before the emergence of inscription and writing (Kafi & Ameri, 2014: 2). It can be argued that the inherent sincerity of these works and the pure and liberating spirit embedded in the elements popular literature have usually attracted great and thoughtful poets and writers. Ahmad Shamloo has also shown interest in elements of popular literature at some point in his poetic career.Shamloo's connection with popular literature, especially Koocheh as a research encyclopedia, shows the importance of suspension as will be discussed in this paper. Accordingly, this study aims to find out how this connection is represented in Shamloo's poetry and consequently making his poetry, strong, emotional, and welcome by the public.2. Literature review and research methodology It seems that the praise of personalities such as Jamalzadeh and Sadegh Hedayat of a particular genre of popular literature along with works in recognizing the nature of popular literature and its elements such as The folk culture of the Iranian people by Sadegh Hedayat (1963) and The collection of articles of Iranian folk literature by Mohammad Jafar Mahjoub (2018) has attracted the interest of literary scholars.Besides, considering the fame of Ahmad Shamloo's conversational poems, tracing the elements of popular literature in the poems of this poet also attracted the attention of critics to the extent that the book Shamloo’s biography: Almost everything about Shamloo by Mohammad Ali Ronagh (2009) with that sub-title almost provided a full description of Shamloo and his works. However, not attention has been paid to the “application of elements of popular literature in Shamloo poetry" in this bibliography. The article “A Look at Ahmad Shamloo's Songs” by Siamak Bahrampour (2009) has also examined his three poems written in a colloquial language. It is clear that none of these works have pursued our goal in this article, namely the impact of popular literature on the linguistic development of Shamloo. 3. DiscussionShamloo is considered one of the most famous figures of contemporary literature and is often ranked second after Nima as an important figure of modern poetry. In Shamloo's view, “the roots of many world-famous works are popular literature, music, public art” (Shamloo, 1996: 26).The elements of popular literature have a special intimacy and sincerity, and the original and capable poets including Shamloo use these elements in their poetry to increase the attractiveness of their works, including Shamloo. However, the application of the elements of popular literature in poetry can be examined in terms of several meta-structures including language, words, idioms, tone, and onomatopoeia, as will be detailed as follows:3.1 Use of colloquial languageIn Shamloo's poetry, eight poems have been written based on colloquial language including fairy, the story of a man without lips or Hossein Gholi, and the daughters of Nenhdarya which are long and detailed poetic works:“I am the spring in the earth/I am the ground in the tree / I am the tree in the springThe coquetry of the fingers of your rains turns me into a garden. And I am lost in the middle of the forest” (Ibid: 455).A survey of the poems written by Shamloo in informal languages shows that there two poems written in macaronic verses and conversational language. These two poems are interestingly different from other poems. Both poems are based on parasitic dialogue; except that the poem "Pare 4 Shabaneh" is longer.3.2 Reasons to use colloquial languageThere are different reasons for using the colloquial language including differentiation, time requirements, and the need of society, and the poet's connection with popular literature.3.3 Use of popular and folk words and termsShamloo's trick in the language is to create a hidden harmony in the discourse and to reconcile strange words with each other to create a chain of speech to provide a special context that is interpreted as "inbreeding with words" as a positive feature in his poetry (Hoghoughi, 1989: 44).The use of popular words and expressions in Shamloo poetry can be categorized to come up with a better understanding of this technique. These include the use of words from specific dialects, the use of modified forms of words, the use of words that are rhyming and often meaningless, and the use of colloquial words.3.4 Reasons for using popular words and termsExtending the use of words to have a rich collection of words at disposal, creating a more tangible sense of colloquial words, and inducing music3.5 Use of onomatopoeiaOnomatopoeia is considered to be the first components and elements of language that are derived from the imitation of nature, and because the relationship between the signifier and signified is simple and they are not governed by a special grammatical rule, they are closer to popular literature and its elements than formal literature.In Shamloo's poetry, there are several examples of onomatopoeia, some of which are composed by the poet: bloop, dribble, drip, drizzle, splash, sprinkle, squirt, etc.3.6 Reasons for using onomatopoeiaSome reasons for using onomatopoeia include objectivity and understanding of natural music.3.7 Using popular beliefs and mythsThe popular beliefs, anecdotes, and myths have been used by poems and writers for a long time as they helped them convey their meanings concisely and poetically using people’s background knowledge. Envoutment “Destiny has buried a magic spell of you in the blood/ and you have no escape from defeat and death” (Shamloo, 2002: 872).Envoutment is a French term in witchcraft and Envoutment". The client surrenders a piece of nail, hair, or eyelash that he has seized from the conspirator to apply magic to it.Solomon’s Bagpipes, Shabgir, the legend of Sinbad, and Ashti Konan (reconciliation) alley are among other popular beliefs.3.8 Reasons using popular beliefs and mythsCreating brevity and compression in speech and a pleasant feeling of mental activity in the audience.3.9 The use of other elements of popular literatureThe use of proverbs, folk songs, folk tales, and famous figures of popular literature are other strategies used by Shamloo.3.10 Reasons for using proverbs, songs, and characters of popular literatureStimulating the audience's sense of nostalgia, the act of awareness and reconstruction of real but forgotten scenes of life 4. ConclusionThe most important findings of this article are summarized as follows:- Shamloo's approach to the elements of popular literature and their application in his poetry is the result of an intellectual transformation in which language, in his view, changed nature from a means of conveying a message to a sacred temple.- Shamloo’s linguistic approach which is visible in his poetry has caused him to focus more on the elements of popular language and their abilities, words, and idioms. For this reason, semantic elements such as beliefs, myths, as well as theological and doctrinal points hidden in popular literature as represented in Shamloo’s poetry.- The natural and uncomplicated state of popular language along with its more natural music is one of the important reasons for using popular elements in Shamloo’s poetry.- In his unique poetic style, he even uses the parables and anecdotes of popular literature in favor of his political point of view and the context of some elements seeks his ideals and interprets them in line with his value point of view.- Research in popular literature has given him a great deal of knowledge of the minutes and functions of the elements of popular literature, and in the light of this awareness, he has used them with the necessary care in speech.- Despite Shamloo’s inclination towards popular literature and the use of its elements, his poetry never seems vulgar, commonplace, and popular.Keywords: Folk Literature, Shamloo, Contemporary Poetry, Fairies ReferencesAsadi Firooz Abadi, M. S. (2014). The function of elements of popular culture in the poetry of Akhavan Thaleth. Journal of Dehkhoda Texts Interpretation and Analysis, 6(21), pp. 201-229.Bahrampour, S. (2009). A look at the songs of Ahmad Shamloo". Journal of Hichestan, 9.Tamimdari, A. (2015). Popular culture. Tehran: Thaleth.Hasanli, K. (2004). Types of innovation in contemporary Iranian poetry. Tehran: Thaleth.Hoghoughi, M. (1989). Poetry of contemporary novel (I), Ahmad Shamloo. Tehran: Negah.Dastgheib, A. A. (1352). Critique of Shamloo’s works. Tehran: Chapar.Zulfiqari, H. (2013). The great dictionary of Persian proverbs. Tehran: Science.Zarghani, M. (2008). Perspectives on contemporary Iranian poetry. Tehran: Thaleth.Ziyani, J. (2014). Diaries of the culture and beliefs of the people of Shiraz. Shiraz: Avand Andisheh.Shamloo, A. (1996). Selected poems. Volume 3, Tehran: Morvarid.Shamloo, A. (2002). A collection of works (I). Poems. Edited by N. Yaghoub Shahi, vol. 3, Tehran: Negah va Zamaneh.Shamloo Jani Beig, A. (2012). The reflection of the effects of popular culture in the stories of Al-Ahmad". Journal of Fictional Literature Studies, 1(2), pp. 34-47.Sahebakhtiari, B. & Bagherzadeh, H. R. (2002). Shamloo, the poet of nightly stories and romances. Tehran: Helmand.Faqiri, A. Q. (2006). A survey of Persian local songs. Shiraz: Navid.Kafi, G. & Ameri, Z. (2014). Beliefs and elements of popular literature in Suoshun's Novel. Journal of Popular Culture and Literature, 2(4), pp. 1-26.Mahjoub, J.. (2018). Iranian popular literature. Edited by H. Zolfaghari, Tehran: Cheshmeh.Ronagh, M. A. (2010) Shamloo’s biography: Almost everything about Shamloo. Tehran: Maziar.Hedayat, S.. (1963). The folk culture of the Iranian people. Tehran: Cheshmeh.Yazdani, R. (2006). An upside-down image in restless glass: Shamloo’s life and poetry. Tehran: Surah Mehr.

Traces of Some Structural Innovations in Contemporary Ruba'i of Fars

gholamreza kafi; - -

Volume 11, Issue 4 , March 2020, , Pages 211-230

https://doi.org/10.22099/jba.2018.12633.1843

Abstract

Abstract Ruba'i as one of the short Persian poetic forms is composed with a specific meter and particular structure limiting the poet in these aspects. However, ... Read More

Reflections on Some Scientific Data in Modern Persian Poetry

gholamreza kafi; fateme rayatnejad

Volume 8, Issue 4 , February 2017, , Pages 129-152

https://doi.org/10.22099/jba.2017.3785

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to show which branch of science and what kind of scientific data is present in modern Persian poetry. Literature mirrors the society as it reflects the feelings, ... Read More

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Author = Gholamreza Kafi

Examining Eschatological Elements in the Poems of Ahmad Shamlou

Abstract

Analysis of the application of elements of popular literature in the poetry of Ahmad Shamloo

Abstract

Traces of Some Structural Innovations in Contemporary Ruba'i of Fars

Abstract

Reflections on Some Scientific Data in Modern Persian Poetry

Abstract