Double Simile in Persian Poetry: A Forgotten Rhetorical Device in Classical Poetics

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Assistant Professor of Persian Language and Literature, Center for Languages and Linguistics, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

10.22075/jlrs.2024.33779.2455

Abstract

Simile, recognized as a fundamental rhetorical figure, appears in a variety of forms that engage the imagination. Sources on rhetoric have more or less sought to identify, define and categorize types of similes and, in general, compile the theoretical foundations of Persian literary aesthetics, but there has not always been a full congruence between creative texts and theoretical sources. Therefore, the categories and definitions presented in rhetorical texts concerning simile do not represent all the methods of forming simile and its creative subtleties. One of the special varieties of simile in Persian poetry is double/paired simile (mozdavaj). This study aims to provide a clear and comprehensive definition of double simile, trace its historical development in rhetorical manuals and poetry collections, and ultimately identify the most common patterns of double simile. The findings of the study indicates that double simile is a kind of Estekhdām-e-Tashbīhī (simile with referential shift) with a fixed conceptual motif. Accordingly, the poet compares the lover and the beloved to each other through the double simile mediated by Estekhdām, which paradoxically signify a distance rather than a proximity between the lover and the beloved. Apparently, the oldest rhetorical source that identified and defined double simile is Tarjomān al-Balāqa. However, rhetoricians after Radviani have either forgotten this particular form of simile or have overlooked its inherent and distinguishing features, subordinated to equivalent simile (Tasviat or Taswiyah). It is noteworthy that the earliest poet who has shown interest in this device is Manteqi Rāzi. In this research, an attempt was initially made to take a fresh look at this literary technique and to examine its differences from other simile such as tasviat or estekhdām. Then, through an analysis of poetic collections, the varieties of double simile were identified and classified into the sixteen common and widely used patterns. 

Keywords

References

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Journal Of Linguistic and Rhetorical Studies
Volume 16, Issue 40
In Progress
June 2025
Pages 183-210

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