Literary Arts (Sep 2016)
The exclamative sentences in Nafsat al-Masdur
Abstract
Nafsat al-Masdur, by Shahab od-din Mohammad Zeidari Nasavi, is one of the noted literary-historical texts in Mongolian period that includes a compact and straight exposition of devilry conflicts of that period. Its emotive friendly letter writing format, its relation to the bloody happenings of Mongolian invasion, the author's judgements towards some rulers, especially its main theme, i.e. the writer's description of his homelessness and complaint, makes it use exclamative sentences. Exclamative sentences means those sentences that lack a truth value, but state the feeling and emotions of the writer or reader. The study of Nafsat al-Masdur shows that Nasavi, in most cases, used exclamative sentences in reporting his personal feeling and heart leaning in order to influence the readers indirectly, and this shows his skillful usage of language to produce an impressive effect on readers. These sentences are important in the sense that they reflect the writer's true concerns and their usage is unconsciously in reciprocal relation to the atmosphere at that time, that is, as the writer's internal feelings gave rise to exclamative sentences, these sentences in turn help create such an atmosphere in the text. Nasavi, in his testimonies in Nafsat al-Masdur even quotes Quranic verses, religious quotations, poetries which such format. Although these sentences are scattered throughout the book, but their application increases in techy cases that are deeply bended to the writer's emotion. Among such techy situations, the writer's internal doubt and strife at the beginning of the book to write it, Soltan Jalal Al-din's engagement with joy and festivity and his negligence of the army against Tatar's invasion, cruelty of Sahib Amed, his decision to take refugee to Ayyobi Family, especially after the death of Jalal Al-din can be mentioned. The other point about exclamations in Nafsat al-Masdur is that most of these sentences are linked with verbal and spiritual industries, and this artistic linkage of rhetoric and eloquence intensifies the rhetorical impressions of the language. Throughout Nafsat al-Masdur, there are 97 interrogative sentences (70 in Persian and 27 in Arabic), 66 imperative sentences (40 in Persian and 26 in Arabic), 12 negative imperatives (11 in Persian and 1 in Arabic), 33 interjection sentences (17 in Persian and 16 in Arabic), 9 request sentences (4 in Persian and 5 in Arabic), 31 pray sentences (6 in Persian and 25 in Arabic). Therefore, among the exclamative sentences of Nafsat al-Masdur, interrogative sentences has the highest frequency followed by imperatives. In addition, the pray statements are the only ones in which Arabic sentences exceed Persian ones. Different kinds of exclamative sentences, according to the rhetorical tendencies and feelings of the writer, signify different secondary concepts, among which we can refer to denial, preaching, regret, astonishment as the most frequent ones. This issue, along with the high frequency of wishful sentences, whilst shows the dominance of regret, pain and disappointment on general atmosphere, has a major part in creating and expanding the emotive atmosphere throughout the book. Of course, Nasavi, in some parts of the book, used exclamative sentences, especially reproach and scolding without demand, to criticize some rulers of Kharazm Shahian dynasty. These libelous parts which mainly reflect the conflicts, hostility and debate of writer against royal members and his rivals, can show the dark and unknown side of Nasavi's personality.
