Journal of Philosophical Investigations (Oct 2021)

Khaqani’s Late Style: The Mada’in Qasida

  • Rebecca Ruth Gould

DOI
https://doi.org/10.22034/jpiut.2021.13845
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15, no. 36
pp. 384 – 399

Abstract

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This article discusses Khaqani Shirvani’s poem Aivan-i Mada’in (The Mada’in Qasida), from the vantage points of literary history and the theory of ruins. The Mada’in Qasida is a product of Khaqani’s “late style” in multiple senses, including the meaning that Edward Said attached to the term when discussing Adorno and Beethoven. While offering a close reading of The Mada’in Qasida, I consider how Khaqani refashioned his poetic persona within a prophetic lineage and set forth the terms of his argument for poetry’s discursive authority. In the case of this poem, Khaqani used his late style to critique the injustice of rulers past and present.

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