Analyzing Container Schema in the Representation of Water and Fire in Rumi’s Poems Based on Cognitive-Cultural Linguistics

The present paper aims at studying the relationship between language and cultural conceptualizations in Rumi’s poems. In order to do so, the cultural linguistics theory adapted for identifying the cultural-metaphorical system of Persian language as well as the historical and mythological model of "water and fire". Water and fire representations are quite frequent in the six chapters of Masnavi-e Ma’navi and in Divan-e Shams. Rumi has referred to the Classical elements in 1888 verses. He used water in 524 verses and fire in 574 verses. Water and fire as two opposing elements of the classical elements have two distinct characteristics in the natural world. But these two elements have supernatural features and depict a kind of long-standing contradiction of mind and love in literary concepts and metaphors, especially the mystical ones when occurred within one verse. The purpose of this study is to achieve an understanding of the cognition through the utilization of container schema of the words Del (heart), head, and eye. By investigating the functions of these schemata, a more accurate understanding of the individual and social characteristics of this poet would be obtained. The main achievements of this research are as follows: 1. In Persian literature, Del represents intuitive understanding, and the eye represents the apparent senses (five senses) and is the most frequent tool for the perception of reality. The frequency of Del schema in Rumi's poems compare to the eye schema somehow shows Rumi's intuitive personality. 2. Head in Persian is the container of concepts related to thought, but in the Rumi's poems, it is the container of the terms related to love. The concept of love as an entity in the head as the container has been expressed in different words in the poems of Rumi. Analyzing these words expresses passionate love and, to some extent, the love between friends in Rumi's emotional view.