Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 MA in Persian Language and Literature, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Associate Professor of Persian Language and Literature, Allameh Tabatabaei University. Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
The body holds a fundamental role in the human cognitive system, and many abstract concepts—such as emotion, perception, imagination, and ontology—are conceptualized through bodily experiences. This study, employing a descriptive-analytical approach alongside quantitative-statistical methods, investigates how bodily metaphors are represented in Forough Farrokhzad’s poetry collections Tavalodi Digar (Another Birth) and Iman Biavarim be Aghaz-e Fasle Sard (Let Us Believe in the Beginning of the Cold Season). The aim is to elucidate how the poet utilizes the overarching metaphor of the body and its parts to conceptualize emotional, psychological, discursive, identity-related, and existential domains. Four body parts—eye, hand, face, and body—are analyzed as central metaphorical loci. The findings demonstrate that bodily metaphors in these two collections activate five primary semantic domains: existential-ontological, emotional-psychological, perceptual-cognitive, discursive, and socio-identity. Furthermore, the frequency and metaphorical function of each body part differ between the two collections; in Tavalodi Digar (Another Birth), the body primarily operates at the level of personal and emotional experiences, exhibiting a more humanistic tone compared to Farrokhzad’s earlier works, whereas in Iman Biavarim be Aghaz-e Fasle Sard (Let Us Believe in the Beginning of the Cold Season), its social, humanistic, historical, and philosophical dimensions become more prominent. Thus, within a short span between these two collections, Forough Farrokhzad elevates the body from an emotional and individual sphere to a social, discursive, and existential level.
Keywords
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