https://jba.shirazu.ac.ir/ Journal of Poetry Studies (boostan Adab) en daily 1 Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 +0330 Fri, 22 May 2026 00:00:00 +0330 https://jba.shirazu.ac.ir/article_8353.html Theme or subject matter is one of the most important semantic aspects of poetry, defining the poet’s thought and worldview and conveying the poet’s message to the reader. Theme is "the most fundamental and relatively abstract idea that takes concrete expressive form in a literary work" (Modarresi, 2011: 157). The theme of a work is not its topic but the central and main idea that can be expressed directly or indirectly (Cuddon, 2019). This article examines the theme of the final lines (maqta’) in the ghazals of three Kermani poets and Hafez-e Shirazi, the great 8th-century poet. It is noteworthy that since Hafez is a stylistic and one of the greatest writers of ghazal in the history of Persian literature, his poetry is used here as a standard and criterion for the eloquence of expression. Determining the theme of a ghazal and researching it is a challenging task because ghazal writers often use imagery and fill the ghazal’s atmosphere with frequently repeated themes, sometimes causing confusion between love and mysticism. Furthermore, due to the artistic ambiguity and aesthetic aspect of the ghazal, the theme is not expressed explicitly. https://jba.shirazu.ac.ir/article_8212.html Farrokhi Sistani is among the court poets of the ruling elite whose artistry served to promote and publicize the affairs of the Ghaznavids in the 5th century AH—a period in which the media and social significance of poetry became particularly pronounced. By this time, poetry had moved beyond its formative stages, and centers of power, alongside their professed inclination toward praise, sought to employ this collective medium as a means of influencing the hearts and minds of the populace. Distinguishing features of Farrokhi’s poetic craft include his meticulous attention to detail, precision in description, and profound responsiveness to his surrounding environment. Owing to this reflective capacity, one can discern both explicit and implicit points within his panegyric odes and thereby recognize the poet’s strategies as a medium for affirming and consolidating the central authority, as well as for promoting and imposing the virtues of his patrons. The functions performed today by state-controlled media were, in earlier times, entrusted to court poets. During the Ghaznavid era, the adoption of religious policy was the principal approach of kings in legitimizing their actions; consequently, Farrokhi’s odes are imbued with a distinctly religious tone, evident in the overt structures of many of his propagandistic and laudatory strategies. Yet, a deeper exploration of the underlying layers of his verse reveals the poet’s primary motivation: the pursuit of material wealth and worldly prestige. https://jba.shirazu.ac.ir/article_8225.html Colors have long played a significant role in culture, art, psychology, and human communication. They are not only tools of artistic expression but also bear symbolic, psychological, and social meanings. In Iranian culture, colors have always been intertwined with mystical, mythological, and aesthetic concepts. In Sheibani’s poetry, colors are primarily used to convey symbolic and artistic meanings. Through the element of color, the poet expresses his inner states and political and social thoughts in a more impactful way.This study aims first to examine the extent and diversity of color usage in the poetry of Manouchehr Sheibani. It then explores the reciprocal influence of painting on poetry and vice versa, as well as the impact of these two arts on the poet’s mindset. Using a descriptive-analytical method, the author investigates the symbolic, artistic, and psychological dimensions of color in Sheibani’s poems. https://jba.shirazu.ac.ir/article_8236.html In the 1960s, the American psychologist Stephen Karpman introduced the three fundamental roles that every individual may assume in society: Persecutor, Victim, and Rescuer. This theory, later applied in psychoanalytic criticism and literary narrative analysis, became known as the Karpman Drama Triangle. The presence of these three roles within narrative structures and across myths, tales, and stories contributes significantly to their appeal. According to Karpman, the “Victim” is the central axis of the narrative, while individuals shift among the three roles, which are not necessarily restricted to human agents.In relation to the poetry and life of Forough Farrokhzad, one of the most prominent contemporary Iranian poets, numerous critical discussions have arisen. Since traces of Karpman’s Drama Triangle appear in her narrative poems, the problem under study is to examine the ways these roles are represented and to provide a psychological interpretation of their function. The findings reveal that the role of the “Victim” dominates her narrative poetry more than the other two roles. Furthermore, despite her apparent tendency to resist the victim role, Forough seems ultimately reconciled with it. This acceptance may be rooted in the prominence of her feminine identity and the social milieu in which she lived. As Karpman’s Drama Triangle is fundamentally psychological, this research adopts a descriptive-analytical method based on library resources to explore its functions in Forough Farrokhzad’s narrative poetry. https://jba.shirazu.ac.ir/article_8326.html The Journal of Poetry Studies of Shiraz University is a scientific journal in the field of literary research that has been published since 2009 under the title Boostan Adab and has been studying Persian poetry texts since 2012. In this article, after analyzing 551 articles published in this journal (from 2009 to 2024), the status of these Persian articles is reviewed based on research patterns, topics and approaches, frequently analyzed texts and poets, periods under research, and forgotten topics in literary research. In this study, first the structure of titles, abstracts, topics, and keywords of a total number of 551 articles was provided. Then, through the method of content analysis, branches of theoretical patterns, frequently occurring works and poets, research topics, and periods of interest to researchers in poetry studies were extracted and examined from this structure. Considering the effect of orthography on intelligent data extraction, two methods have been used: computer search and text reading. https://jba.shirazu.ac.ir/article_8320.html In literature, the set of expressive and creative tools belong to the realm of imagery and are located in the artist's imagination and are strongly influenced by the place and time of birth, growth, and development of the artist and poet. In this case, "migration" and entering a new place and time creates a "new identity" for the immigrant.This article is written in a descriptive-analytical documentary method. Given that Taleb Amoli was one of the Persian-speaking Iranian poets of the "new style" in the Indian Style, it is necessary to examine the new methods that this poet created in the imagery, theme and style of the ghazal, as one of the most important formats of this period. Taleb Amoli's ability to express the characteristics of Indian style, especially imagery, as well as his interaction with the Indian court and court poets, made him a subject of critical study. For this reason, the study of his poems began with his more contemporary works of tazkirah. Among the more recent studies, three categories of study, i.e., various educational themes, complaint, pride and longing for home, grammatical analysis, and criticism and examination of some stylistic features and extraction of literary achievements have received much attention, and in all of them, the emphasis on the need for re-correction of Taleb's Divan is notable. However, no research has been conducted so far on the components of imagery in Taleb Amoli's poetry.  https://jba.shirazu.ac.ir/article_8407.html The phenomenon of literary cohesion undoubtedly consists of components, each of which, through the internalization of its role and reciprocal interactions with other elements, contributes to the overall organization of the literary domain. In contemporary literary criticism, the study of these relationships and influences falls under the critical trend of influence criticism or the literature of impact, which, through the frameworks of genetic criticism and intertextuality, examines both the effects and the formation processes of literary works. These approaches, by analyzing the correspondence between post-texts and their sources, referred to as pre-texts, and considering factors involved in intertextual relations such as hypertext, paratext, peritext, and supertext, aim to define and interpret the extent, type, and quality of such influences. Given that Persian nazireh (imitative or responsive poetry) develops within networks of intertextual influence and gains literary vitality, the intertextual features of these approaches can be traced within them. This study, through the analysis of intertextual elements in genetic criticism and intertextual literature and the comparison with model texts, demonstrates that nazireh poems, by borrowing linguistic, thematic, and stylistic elements from source texts, exemplify a clear instance of interaction and creative reworking of the original work, encompassing explicit and implicit intertextuality as well as complex structural and content-related correspondences.The key findings of this research further indicate that nazireh poems, while maintaining ties with the source text, allow for innovation and the creation of an independent literary identity, and their intertextual relations include explicit, implicit, indirect, and intricate (tragonic) forms. https://jba.shirazu.ac.ir/article_8433.html Nezami Ganjavi, one of the greatest and most influential poets and stylists in Persian storytelling, immortalized themes such as good and evil, love, and loyalty in Persian literature through masterpieces like Khosrow and Shirin and Haft Paykar. These themes have been reflected in many later literary works, including the folk tale Koroğlu. This study, conducted through a comparative approach based on the French school of comparative literature, considers linguistic differences and historical context as determining factors. The results indicate that the opening of the Koroğlu story—centered around the theme of good and evil, especially in the episode of Ali Kishi’s blinding by Hasan Pasha—is directly inspired by the fifth dome of Haft Paykar. Moreover, the horse breeds in Koroğlu, which emerge from the seas, show mythological similarities to Shabdiz’s breed in Khosrow and Shirin; both have ancient Iranian origins. The behavior and appearance of the horses (Gyrat and Dorat) in Koroğlu also bear notable resemblance to Shabdiz and Golgun. The motif of dreams likewise appears in both works as a prophetic and guiding element. Overall, this research demonstrates that the Koroğlu tales, in their fundamental themes—such as good and evil, the sanctity of numbers, journey, and the life-giving spring—have been directly and indirectly influenced by Nezami’s works. https://jba.shirazu.ac.ir/article_8446.html Linguistic highlighting, in various lexical, syntactic, temporal, dialectal, and semantic forms, plays a central role in literary creations. In the eco-poems, the poet's references to cultural, environmental, and ecological components lead to an increasing frequency of local words, resulting in dialectal highlighting. This research, employing a qualitative semiotics approach, examines the discursive functions of dialectal highlighting in contemporary poetry from North Khorasan. For this purpose, two collections of poetry, Dochenar and Laylanah (song selections) by Hassan Roshan (d. 1976), have been selected, in which a total of 328 local and dialectal words are used in Dochenar and Laylanah. These words are mainly centered around local names of places, food, clothing, and games, which activate multiple functions at the levels of discourse. From the perspective of the emotional function of discourse, these words express the poet's attachment to his birthplace and, on a cognitive level, help to represent his social and cultural identity. This creates an incremental structure in the tense syntax of the discourse that deepens the lived experience of the audience. In the sensory-perceptual dimension, the purposeful use of dialectal words, in a phenomenological way, causes a "presentation of the absent." By activating the subject's five senses in the process of receiving meaning, this presence transforms native objects into a "cultural icon" and, in a nostalgic atmosphere, evokes deep feelings such as pride, strength, and happiness in the speaker and the audience. This sensory-perceptual dynamic, beyond a simple representation, leads to the creation of a unique aesthetic experience. In this experience, local vocabulary, by creating a time of “aesthetic presence,” causes the speaker to break away from the objective world and connect with the inner world. The result of this process is the production of creative poetic meaning and images, and it expresses the poet’s unique “discursive subjectivity. https://jba.shirazu.ac.ir/article_8501.html The characters of Goudarz Gashvadegan and Piran Viseh in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh are two prominent figures from the opposing fronts of Iran and Turan. Despite their differing fates, they share striking similarities in their political standing, personality traits, wisdom, prudence, and social roles. This article aims to conduct a comparative analysis of these two characters within the framework of Carl Gustav Jung's analytical psychology theory, examining the reflection of the "Wise Old Man" archetype in the narrative structure of the Shahnameh. The main research question is how Ferdowsi, through these two characters, represents the Wise Old Man archetype in both its benevolent and malevolent aspects, and what psychological and ethical message emerges from this dichotomy.The research method employed in this article is descriptive-analytical, based on the textual analysis of literary works and analytical psychology sources. The findings indicate that both Goudarz and Piran manifest the Wise Old Man archetype: Goudarz on the side of light and righteousness, and Piran on the side of darkness and doubt. This duality reflects the structure of the human psyche and the conflict between the conscience and the shadow in the collective unconscious. By utilizing this archetype, Ferdowsi not only enriches the epic quality of his work but also recreates profound psychological concepts within a mythical and narrative framework. https://jba.shirazu.ac.ir/article_8555.html Sheikh Abu al-Qasim Muhammad Amri Shirazi (killed in 999 AH) is a descendant of Bayazid Bastami and is considered one of the prominent figures of the Noqtawiyya sect in the second half of the 10th century of Hijri. The intellectual movement of the point, which Abu al-Qasim Amri lost his eyes and life to promote and reform, was founded in 800 AH by Mahmoud Pasikhani, and after about two hundred years, the open and hidden movement was eradicated due to the strong and frequent opposition of the Safavids and most of the written works of this sect were lost. Due to the lack of resources and also the refusal of historians and tazkreh writers to mention the Noqtavis, no comprehensive work on their history and beliefs has been created so far. The purpose of this research is to add a page to the history of the Noqtavis sect and a line to the history of Iranian thought by studying and reconstructing the biography and works of Amri Shirazi. First, the author has tried to compile a relatively acceptable biography of this thinker based on the first-hand sources and Sheikh Abu al-Qasem Amri Shirazi's own statements. Reconstruction of the key dates of his life, reflections on his alignment with a Shia background and his being-Ismaili, are among the most important contents of this section. Then, while re-reading and examining the remaining works of Amri Shirazi, it has been introduced four new poems by him with the names of Zikr and Fikr, Anwar al-Oyoun, Sirre Alef, Mohit al-Ma'ani. These poems are very valuable for understanding the thoughts and beliefs of the Noqtvis, and using them to compile the ideas and theories of this sect is necessary. https://jba.shirazu.ac.ir/article_8559.html Psychology, based on the perspectives and methods developed over time, has primarily focused on treating the human psyche, concentrating on the diagnosis and remediation of mental disorders, abnormalities, and psychological dysfunctions. Among these approaches, some have addressed the pre-pathological stage, adopting a preventive perspective that seeks to forestall the emergence of psychological maladjustments. One of the most notable contemporary approaches in this regard is Positive Psychology, which emphasizes the study and cultivation of positive emotions, character strengths, and virtues. While it is difficult to attribute the origin of this approach to a single founder due to its development among various psychologists, today it is largely associated with Martin Seligman (b. 1942). This approach, one of the most recent in the field of psychology, specifically targets elements that foster a positive and flourishing mindset. In his well-being theory, Seligman identifies six core virtues—transcendence, humanity, justice, courage, temperance, and wisdom—each accompanied by corresponding subcomponents.This study examines and maps the six virtues of Seligman’s well-being theory onto the ghazals of Āli Shirāzi (1048–1121 AH), a talented yet relatively understudied poet of the Indian Style (Sabk-e Hendi). Through this comparative analysis, the research identifies manifestations of each of the six positive-psychological virtues in Shirāzi’s ghazals, which include: appreciation of beauty and aspiration for virtue, gratitude, optimistic foresight, faith and purposeful living, generosity, humor, enthusiasm, altruism, love, tolerance, diligence and effort, patience, honesty, self-control, humility, cautious future-orientation, critical thinking, creativity, and emotional intelligence. Āli Shirāzi, with a positive and attentive perception of his surroundings, successfully integrates dual dimensions of the abstract and intuitive worlds within a shared spiritual context. This study further explores the concrete elements through which he artistically expresses these positive-psychological components and examines the mechanisms by which these elements are interwoven in his poetic creation. https://jba.shirazu.ac.ir/article_8609.html Aiming to elucidate the mechanism of "subject coherence" amidst the crushing pressure of "social judgment," this research seeks to propose a theoretical framework for analyzing the process of "individuation" in the mysticism of Rumi. The central inquiry of this study concerns the analysis of the human condition when confronted with a multiplicity of evaluative authorities, and the manner of transition from this state toward "autonomy." To this end, transcending mere descriptive analyses, this article proposes a theoretical model and a network of novel concepts grounded in three pillars: 1. The "Valid Observer" (as the semantic locus of psychic life); 2. The "Congestion of Observers" (a critical state characterized by normative conflict and identity fragmentation); and 3. The "Anti-Observer" (as a catalyst for transition).By applying this model to Ghazal 1247 of the Divan-e Shams, it is demonstrated that Rumi precisely diagnoses the crisis of the "Congestion of Observers" and delineates a path of transcendence not through changing the external observer, but through the encounter with an "Anti-Observer." Findings indicate that the "Anti-Observer," by suspending all prior judgments, facilitates the birth of the "Transcendental Self." Ultimately, this model elucidates how the imperative "Be thine own measure" (Mīzān-e khod sho) is not an invitation to narcissism, but a process for transferring authority from the "Generalized Other" to the "Internalized Truth" (Haqq), thereby realizing "Mystical Individuation." https://jba.shirazu.ac.ir/article_8624.html (Faranoo) is a branch of contemporary Persian poetry that was invented by him along with several other poets. Farano poetry emphasizes the use of simple words, brevity, and the use of proverbs and colloquialisms. Despite the fact that this type of poetry is not completely aligned with (Minimalism), the way this type of poetry benefits from (brevity) has caused similarities between it and the school of (Minimalism) or minimalism. The main issue of the research is how to transform brevity from a formal feature to a meaning-making structure in the works of this poet. The research findings show that Eksir, understanding the necessity of communication in the contemporary accelerated world, has benefited from (lexical economy) to convey maximum meaning. He has represented macro-social and political concepts in very short formats by using techniques such as (structural brevity), (objectivity), and focusing on (everyday objects). Another fundamental feature of Akbar Eksir's poems is the connection between (sarcasm) and (brevity); In a way, by eliminating linguistic excesses and additional descriptions, the poet has prepared the space for creating an effective humor by creating a (final shock) or surprise in the final line. The research findings confirm the point that the brevity of the elixir, with the aim of careful reflection and the audience's participation in completing the meaning, has added to the clarity and effectiveness of social criticism in his poems. It seems that the basis of (minimalism) is based on simplicity of expression and avoidance of common complexities, but (brevity) in Persian poetry, especially in contemporary and Farano poetry, emphasizes the brevity of words and their double effectiveness. And sometimes this goal may be achieved by resorting to the use of some literary techniques and the appearance of the words is not so simple. https://jba.shirazu.ac.ir/article_8645.html Before the development of scientific prosody (ʿarūż), teaching the metrical system of classical Persian poetry was considered one of the most challenging areas in Persian literature. Prosodists consistently attempted to resolve this challenge by inventing new instructional methods. According to the literary tradition, one of the most effective strategies for simplifying the teaching of prosody was the use of verse itself. Keeping this in mind, the authors of the present study examined various poetic collections, extracted relevant examples, and analyzed the function of prosodic compositions as well as the use of metrical terms and vocabulary. Through this process, they identified two distinct approaches taken by poets toward prosody and Persian poetry:Using poetry as a tool to facilitate the teaching of prosody, and Employing metrical terminology within poetry to create artistic and aesthetic effects on the reader.in the first approach, poets attempted to present prosodic concepts in metrical and rhymed form to improve instruction—works of this type are often labeled as “metrical prosody” (ʿarūż-e manẓūm) in manuscript sources. However, many of these works are considered tedious to read, and their authors have been criticized for prioritizing instruction over poetic beauty. As a response to this criticism, some poets incorporated rhetorical and prosodic devices into their poems, laying the foundation for what later became known as artificial poetry (shiʿr-e maṣnūʿ). Thus, “metrical prosody texts” and “artificial odes” constitute two major categories of poetic works that employ prosodic material—both of which are examined and evaluated in this research.In the second part of the article, the aesthetic use of prosodic terminology in poetry is analyzed. Various examples from Persian poetry are compared with similar cases in Arabic poetry, and the poets’ purposes in using metrical terminology are categorized and presented in statistical tables https://jba.shirazu.ac.ir/article_8654.html As the most fundamental epic text in Persian language, Shahnameh presents a multi-layered picture of ugly concepts. Concepts that in addition to the physical dimension, are also manifested within the characters. This research, using a descriptive-analytical method, examines the reflection of ugliness in Shahnameh and uses Umberto Eco's perspective in his book "The History of Ugliness" and attempts to provide a deep understanding of aesthetic function of ugliness in Shahnameh. In his book "The History of Ugliness", Eco has examined the manifestations of ugliness in Western civilization from a historical and cultural perspective, showing that in Western history, ugliness has often been associated with the interior of the person. Also, Ferdowsi presented external and internal ugliness in Shahnameh within the framework of Iranian ethics, epic and worldview. This article attempts to show the commonalities between these two approaches to the concept of ugliness. The results showed that like the Western tradition, Ferdowsi considered deeper moral and social layers beyond appearance in his depiction of ugliness. Characters such as Zahhak and Demons are clear examples of facial ugliness and inner corruption. There are exceptions that make the reader reflect on the complex relationship between appearance and interior; for example, Sudabeh with her beautiful exterior, has an ugly interior, and Zal with his unnatural exterior, has a beautiful interior. Eco also exemplifies Helen's external beauty with an ugly interior. Iran's enemies are also seen as "others" in an identity and cultural demarcation, a manifestation of ugliness. In addition to external ugliness, the Shahnameh also features many internal uglinesses; uglinesses that are not visible on the person's appearance but have contaminated the person's interior and led to ugly behaviors; such as the ugliness resulting from the love of power in Goshtasb or the ugliness resulting from foolishness in Keykavus, etc.