Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Fereshte Sadeghi ¹
• Abdollah hasanzade mirali ²

¹ PhD Student, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Persian Literature and Foreign Languages, Semnan University, Iran

² Associate Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Persian Literature and Foreign Languages, Semnan University, Iran

Abstract

abstract
This comparative study examines the evolution of plant imagery in three seminal works of Persian literature from different eras: Asadi Tusi's Garshāsbnāmeh (5th century AH), Amir Khusrow Dehlavi's Ghazals (8th century AH), and Sohrab Sepehri's Hasht Ketāb (Contemporary). The primary objective is to analyze the transformation of plants' symbolic functions from mythological and philosophical perspectives. Employing a descriptive-analytical method and drawing on theoretical frameworks such as metamorphosis, identification, animism, and plant sanctity, five principal manifestations were identified: 1.Metamorphosis (human-to-plant/plant-to-human transformation): Manifested in Garshāspnāmeh through mythological archetypes (e.g., plants sprouting from human blood/tears, Keyumars); transformed into a literary device expressing romantic emotions in Amir Khusrow; and reimagined with philosophical concepts (ashes, unity of being) in Sepehri. 2.Identification: Simple and objective in the Khorasani style; intricately linked with novel literary imagery in Amir Khusrow's ghazals; and elevated to an ecocentric, mystical experience in Sepehri. 3.Animism (attributing intelligence/sentience to plants): Prominent in Amir Khusrow and Sepehri, leading to the perception of plants as autonomous beings in contemporary poetry. 4.Plant Sanctity: Ritualistic in Garshāsbnāmeh and ontological in Sepehri. 5.Other Functions: Including sustenance and clothing in Asadi's work; literary devices in Amir Khusrow; and the expression of abstract concepts (hope, salvation) in Sepehri. The findings reveal that plant symbols have evolved: from ritual-mythological functions in epic literature, to romantic metaphors in classical ghazals, and ultimately to philosophical-ecological experiences in contemporary poetry. This study attests to the dynamism of the Persian literary tradition in reimagining ancient archetypes and its semantic shifts over time.

Keywords

• Evolution
• Plant
• Garshasbnameh
• Amir Khosrow Dehlavi's Sonnets
• Eight Books

Main Subjects

• متون نظم