Transposing Metaphors and Poetics from Text to World
The Theo-Poetics of Lāhūrī’s “Mystical Commentary” on Ḥāfiẓ’s Love Lyrics
In: Journal of Sufi StudiesSearch for other papers by Axel Marc Oaks Takacs in
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Abstract
This article examines the use of Sufi lexicons (iṣṭilāḥāt) through the relatively unknown Mystical Commentary of the Love Lyrics of Ḥāƒiẓ by Abū al-Ḥasan Khatamī Lāhūrī. It resituates the iṣṭilāḥāt within the context of the philosophical-Sufi tradition, engaging theories of metaphor, imagination, poetry, and imaginaries from Ricœur, Castoriadis, Lakoff and Johnson, and Caputo. Rather than employing the iṣṭilāḥāt to produce a static correspondence between poetic terms and metaphysical realities, Lāhūrī’s theo-poetics transposes the metaphors and poetics of the poems into metaphors and poetics of this phenomenal world. This reading challenges previous criticisms of Sufi commentaries, particularly on the dīvān-i Ḥāfiẓ. The critique that the application of iṣṭilāḥāt disembodies or allegorizes the poetic images is challenged when they are interpreted within the philosophical-Sufi tradition. Contrary to literary criticisms of iṣṭilāḥāt, the poem is not merely a formal suitcase for mystical meaning; rather, poetics, the poem’s content, and theology create a nexus of interpretation for Lāhūrī.
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| All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 532 | 103 | 14 |
| Full Text Views | 31 | 11 | 2 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 93 | 36 | 6 |
Transposing Metaphors and Poetics from Text to World
The Theo-Poetics of Lāhūrī’s “Mystical Commentary” on Ḥāfiẓ’s Love Lyrics
In: Journal of Sufi StudiesSearch for other papers by Axel Marc Oaks Takacs in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
This article examines the use of Sufi lexicons (iṣṭilāḥāt) through the relatively unknown Mystical Commentary of the Love Lyrics of Ḥāƒiẓ by Abū al-Ḥasan Khatamī Lāhūrī. It resituates the iṣṭilāḥāt within the context of the philosophical-Sufi tradition, engaging theories of metaphor, imagination, poetry, and imaginaries from Ricœur, Castoriadis, Lakoff and Johnson, and Caputo. Rather than employing the iṣṭilāḥāt to produce a static correspondence between poetic terms and metaphysical realities, Lāhūrī’s theo-poetics transposes the metaphors and poetics of the poems into metaphors and poetics of this phenomenal world. This reading challenges previous criticisms of Sufi commentaries, particularly on the dīvān-i Ḥāfiẓ. The critique that the application of iṣṭilāḥāt disembodies or allegorizes the poetic images is challenged when they are interpreted within the philosophical-Sufi tradition. Contrary to literary criticisms of iṣṭilāḥāt, the poem is not merely a formal suitcase for mystical meaning; rather, poetics, the poem’s content, and theology create a nexus of interpretation for Lāhūrī.
| All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 532 | 103 | 14 |
| Full Text Views | 31 | 11 | 2 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 93 | 36 | 6 |