Literary Arts (Oct 2013)
Review Simile in Seife Farghani's Odes
Abstract
Abstract Simile as the main element of imagination has a leading function in the creation of various types of poetic images. Seif Farghani is an image maker poet who, via the aid of this element, takes step in the field of innovative and fantastic image making. In this research, the similes of Seif Farghaniâs odes, are investigated from different aspects like types of simile, materials of simile, new similes, simile instruments and their static and dynamic nature. Finally their statistical analysis has been presented so that, in addition to knowing how to employ expressive instruments to create poetry and their impact on the poetâs style and language, the basic criteria of Seif Farghaniâs poetry aesthetics would be presented to the reader. This study proves that, though Seif has made use of all forms of imagination, the similes of his odes are of a different type, concerning the frequency and innovation, so that, regarding 3019 similes found in 125 odes, it is claimed that Seif Farghani is an image maker poet who has employed this element more than other elements of imagination in making imagery. In order to achieve a specific speech and style and creating novelty in imagery, he generates novel similes and, with a commitment to difficult nominal rhymes and placing them as one of simile sides, innovates new images. Variety of elements used in Seif's similes shows the breadth of the poet's scientific and intellectual scope in various fields. Comparing all parts of tenor and vehicle in respect to simile materials indicates that, in vehicle, the highest frequency has been dedicated to spiritualities and the lowest frequency to the historical and mythological elements. Similarly, in the investigation of vehicles of his odes, the highest frequency is devoted to objects and the lowest frequency to this world and hereafter. High frequency of singular to singular simile denotes brevity and innovation as well as rich, smooth and delicate language of the poet. The frequency of bound simile is not infrequent. This may indicate the point that the poet, in order to reflect his own poetic images and also renew his trite and banal similes, has bounded the tenor or the vehicle to give emphasis to them. And, in fact, he makes his simile more prominent that is of special techniques of powerful poets especially those of Seif Farghani. Although the employment of compound simile in the poet's poems signals their high power of combining and simulating several images, its trivial use in Seif's poet is not the result of his inability. However, it shows that he has a simple mind and prefers to utilize artistic similes and innovative images away from complexity and extreme ambiguity so as to achieve his mystic and social purposes. But this very low frequency of the poet's compound similes is also innovative, new and nice. Seif's extensive similes have a higher frequency than his intensive similes. Among the extensive similes, the detailed tenor has got the highest frequency. Since Seif wants to convey eminent messages and concepts to the audience, he avoids what causes ambiguity and complexity in form and meaning, unless discourse requires it. The frequency of eloquent simile, particularly analogous simile (intensive simile), is enormous in Seif Farghani's odes, so that we sometimes encounter immense number of images which, in turn, requires us to name him as the most image maker among the poets. Despite the fact that Seif Farghani lived in seventh and early eighth century, depending on the poetic template of the ode, the frequency of sensory to sensory similes is more than his other similes. Since his odes is composed of social, moral and mystic themes as well as advice, as a result, the frequency of rational similes exceed that of sensory similes compared with other two types. The similes of sensory to rational and rational to rational are of low frequency. Because receiving the point of resemblance is understood sooner than the sensory vehicle and occurs easier. In this regard, his poetry is like other poets following Araqi's style. As to the formal structure, the poet has more tendencies towards reduced simile. This form of simile, because of the number and contention of the images, is considered as the most imaginative and artistic type of simile. The images in his poems are more static rather than dynamic. Due to the angle of simile and their novelty and obsolescence, the innovative and strange similes (the simile with open-angle) allocate around one-third of Seif Farghani's similes. And the rest are repeated similes, a sample of which is found in works of other poets before him
