Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Mostafa Eslami Sanjbad ¹
• Abdolreza Seyf ²

¹ Phd student of Persian language and literature university of Tehran

² Professor of Persian language and literature in Tehran university

Abstract

The aim of this article is to scrutiny the concept of distance in Hafez Poetry based on the theory of mental spaces of Fauconie and Turner. This theory, which was proposed in the field of cognitive semantics, due to special attention to semantic processes and its complexities from a cognitive point of view, can provide a suitable framework  for analysis in the study of Hafez's sonnets, whom has always been the leader of Persian-language poets in terms of the complexity of their themes. Studies showed that the concept of distance in Hafez's poetry appears in the form of spatial distance, temporal distance and cognitive distance. cognitive distance is seen more than other types of distance in Hafez's poetry. In this way, the poet uses temporal and spatial elements and generally concrete and objective elements to convey an abstract concept, i.e. distance in knowledge, wisdom, understanding and perspective to the audience. Sometimes, by denying the apparent similarity between two things or people, the poet emphasizes the inner differences and actually the existence of a distance between them. This work of Hafez can be seen as breaking existing frameworks and creating new frameworks, which is related to Hafez's art of deconstruction. Sometimes, by considering two mutual phenomena, the poet emphasizes the negation of the apparent difference and their oneness in practice and the absence of distance between them. This group of verses can be well analyzed based on the approach of mental spaces in the form of conceptual fusion, because the poet uses two mutual mental spaces,and by creating a combined space of the two, creates a new space that contains elements of the input spaces and also new elements that did not exist in the input  spaces and are the result of the combination of two mutual spaces. The space builders in Hafez's poems that convey the concept of distance fall into two general categories: the first category is linguistic units whose main function and role is space creation (elements of time and space, contrast, negation, etc.) The second is not limited to specific linguistic units, but rather literary techniques that the poet uses as a space creator (multiple meanings and opposition).

Keywords

• distance
• mental spaces
• opposition
• blending
• space builders