The Analysis of Conceptual Metaphor of Zephyr (Saba Wind) in Hafiz Poetry

Through the theory of conceptual metaphor, Lakoff and Johnson showed that metaphors originate from the mind and reach the language and as long as there are no conceptual changes in the mind, no metaphors are created. Persian literature, with a large body of available resources, includes a treasure of numerous conceptual metaphors. The current study uses a cognitive approach and investigates one of the important metaphors in the Persian literature, namely the “Zephyr is human” metaphor. The main research question investigates how Zephyr is conceptualized in Persian language. The data for this study is gathered from divan of Hafez. Analysis of the data indicated that Zephyr in Persian literature is conceptually portrayed as a lover/healer/veiled/patient listener/ secretive human as well as a human who is gossiper/ sick/ liar/ rival and unfaithful. By comparing the dual personality and selfishness of Zephyr (Baad-e-Saba) in Persian poems, one can reach the conclusion that Zephyr (Bad-e-Saba) is probably a remaining visage of ancient Iranian god of Vayu.