Thematic and stylistic study of prose mourning in prominent texts of Persian prose (from the beginning to the eighth century AH)

Persian writers posed emotional phrases in their works, mentioned elegiac words about deceased people, objects, animals, and lost time that we tended to call "prosaic elegies". These rueful and emotional writings are some kinds of elegy or mourning-anthem, which were used cohesively and coherently, and sometimes interruptedly or uninterruptedly among prose texts. It has not been dealt with in a perfect analysis until now. In this study, attempt has been made to introduce different kinds of elegies by giving specific definitions of elegies in the most important texts of Persian prose texts and expressing content aspects and stylistics of these elegies. Description and analysis of types of elegies in the realm of statistics, functions and minor subcategoies are investigated.

The research method in this article is based on data collection and content analysis and with library tools.

The elegies are worthy to be discussed from different aspects such as artistic structure, aesthetics, style and form. Stylistically, since elegies are the manifestation of emotions and feelings, except in technical prose and eloquent style, even poets and writers who were known for their difficult language and specific style, tended to apply easy language and expressions in their elegies and in most of these elegies, dealing with complaints was a common way which began by Kelile and Demneh translationin withan eloquent prose. Then it was developed in Al-Tavassol-elal-Tarassol and finally it reached its perf2021ection in Nafsat-Al-Masdour by Zeidari Nasvi.

Persian literary texts are full of elegies whose writers could hardly cope with the calamities and they were always in conflict with them and they have lamented and complained of pain and regret. These elegies, which are considered to be the most prominent elegies in Persian literature, are full of tenderness and emotion, and in some cases in artificial and compelling prose texts, they are full of relatively difficult combinations, meanings and various allusions. Among historical texts, those which have a literary dimension, most of elegies are included because the writers had witnessed the historical catastrophies and they had always talked about death, murder, and destruction. From functional point of view, the reaction against excessive, abnormal and unexpected mournings are found frequently in Khāqāni’s words. If it is measured by a delayed and normal reaction and waiting for mourning compared to other writers, his irritability will be more visible.