Theme Development in Kalim Kashāni’s Sonnets

Theme development is a process in which a narrow point, a precise mindset, a subtlety, and a fresh form of meaning are created, which is the most important feature of Persian poetry from the ninth century up to the age of “Indian Style”. Theme is a structural category related to the linguistic form and capacities; and the cause of theme development is the poet’s power of association through similarities, proximity and contradictions. Kalim Kashani, an Indian-style theme-developing poet, enjoying a deep and thorough look at the world around him, uses the objects/motifs in a different way; develops new themes in accordance with objectivities, general principles and abstract imagery, and the use of one or more theme-developing techniques, indirectly expressing his pure internal mindsets. In this study, for the purpose of exploring the techniques of theme-development with objects/motifs and studying the poet’s the angle of view, “candle” was studied as one theme-developing element/motif in his sonnets. It was determined that among the various techniques of theme development, the “equation model” was the most frequently used method. This significant frequency may be attributed to the socializing, or “mingling” of poets and common people, which has reinforced the universality and accessibility of Safavid-era poets.