Artistic image of combined contrasts in Hafez's lyrics

The artistic expression of the combined contrasts, in the sense of the artistic combination of contrasting paradigms, is one of the foundations of aesthetics in poetry. This issue is rooted in the language of the Qur'an, prayers and vocalizations of ancient Sufi elders and is one of the general features of the mystical language that has made its way from Sufi prose to Sufi poetry. Among the mystic poets, Hafez is one of those who have made use of this method. Examination of Hafez's lyrics shows that the frequency of this point in his poetry is relatively high because in most cases he has tried to present an artistic image by placing things that are often contradictory. This issue, with all its importance, has not been studied specifically in Hafez's lyrical poems. Therefore, this study seeks to examine it through a content analysis with a descriptive-analytical method. In this study, it has been determined that the artistic images in combined contrasts are one of the linguistic features of Hafez's poetry. He has used this feature in 48 verses to express religious concepts, in 45 verses to express mystical topics, in 24 verses for romantic concepts and in 15 verses for rhetorical issues. In most cases, paradoxical images are expressed as propositions (sentences). Regarding the reasons for Hafez's use of this method of expression, it can be said that the artistic expression of contrasts in the world is one of the characteristics of mystical language and Hafez, as a mystic poet, considers this world and its beauties next to the world of contrasts. Moreover, at his time, due to religious prejudices and hypocrisy, a strange contrast arose between the heart and the behavior of the government and the people.