On Three Medical Terminologies in Khaqani's Odes∗

Khaqani’s enigmatic language embeds the imageries of his poems with his thought so much so that it is virtually impossible to appreciate his poems’ underlying themes unless one is in possession of a penetrating mind. Furthermore, his poems are so alive withscientific and discursive themes that one can not hope to appreciate them unless one is well-versed in them. This renowned poet sometimes turns into a physician, sometimes into an astronomer, once full of wisdom, once overflowing with original thoughts. Thus,he gives his poems a scientific slant.Khaqani’s odes are alive with traditional medicine. Although he conveys his thoughts and experiences by resorting to medical themes which in turn renders them greatly appealing, he complicates the themes he attempts to communicate. This paper attempts to comment on smallpox, dropsy, and meningitis delirium to further clarify their literary status on the basis of syntagmatic axis. It is hoped this will lead to a better appreciation of Khaqani’s poems.