Metaphor and Imagery in Persian Poetry

This lovely collection of essays explores the rich and varied uses of metaphor and imagery in the works of a range of writers, and in the context of translation into non-Persian languages, including English. In addition to the volume's introduction, Seyed-Gohrab (Persian literature and culture, Leiden U., the Netherlands) contributes an essay on the varied metaphors of the candle in the poetry of Hafiz and other writers. Other topics include Arabic and Persian tales containing tropes adopted by Boccaccio and Chaucer, metaphors of wine and drunkenness in Persian Sufi poetry, the central importance of the ring as a metaphor in the Barzu-nama, and origins of Munazara in new Persian literature. The many quotations from original texts are generally followed by an English translation. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Ali Asghar Seyed-Gohrab, Ph.D. (2001) in Persian literature and mysticism, is associate Professor of Persian literature and culture at Leiden University. He has published extensively on classical and modern Persian poetry, mysticism, poetic metaphors, and Iran-Iraq war poetry. He is the author of Layli and Majnun. Love, Madness and Mystic Longing in Ni?ami's Epic Romance, (Brill, 2003).