تحلیل لایه‌های زبانی و بلاغی قوسین در خردنامۀ اسکندری جامی

Persian didactic‑mystical literature, particularly in Jami’s narrative tradition, employs language as a sophisticated medium for articulating abstract concepts such as the Unity of Being and spiritual wayfaring. Kheradnāme-ye Eskandari exemplifies the mapping of the mystical system of the descending arc (emanation from unity to multiplicity) and the ascending arc (the seeker’s return to the origin) through embedded didactic anecdotes. Using layered stylistics as a theoretical framework to examine the dialectical relationship between linguistic structures and mystical ideology, this study investigates how the worldview of the Unity of Being is reproduced across four linguistic strata: lexical, syntactic, rhetorical, and pragmatic. A mixed‑methods approach combines qualitative interpretation with quantitative frequency analysis of selected verses. Findings reveal that at the lexical level, 44% of marked vocabulary pertains to the descending arc (veils of multiplicity) and 36% to the ascending arc (wayfaring and unity). Syntactically, imperative and prohibitive verbs constitute 31% of structures, with directional prepositions “az” (from) and “be” (to) accounting for 26%. Rhetorically, metaphor (32%) and simile (24%) serve as primary tools for naturalising metaphysical concepts. At the pragmatic level, directive speech acts dominate (42%), while deliberate violations of Gricean maxims of quality and manner generate epistemic shock. The study concludes that Jami effectively instils the ideology of the Unity of Being—centred on the Perfect Human (al‑insān al‑kāmil)—by integrating these linguistic layers into a network of binary oppositions and syntactic imperatives, thereby transforming language into an instrument for enacting a mystical worldview.
Introduction
In Persian didactic‑mystical literature, language is not merely a vehicle but a constitutive medium for metaphysical worldviews. Jami’s Kheradnāme-ye Eskandari embeds the descending arc (emanation from absolute unity into multiplicity) and the ascending arc (the seeker’s return) within didactic anecdotes. Despite the significance of these concepts, their systematic realisation in the poem’s linguistic fabric remains underexplored. Grounded in layered stylistics, this study investigates how the ideology of the Unity of Being is reproduced across four interacting strata: lexical, syntactic, rhetorical, and pragmatic.
Materials and Methods
The research adopts a descriptive‑analytical method within layered stylistics, examining the dialectical relationship between linguistic structures and ideological meaning. The corpus consists of five core didactic narratives from Kheradnāme-ye Eskandari (the old woman in the desert, admonition to the bankrupt soul, the hungry child, the newly‑risen youth, and the ugly man in the wise man’s house), All verses of five major didactic narratives were included in the analysis. Data were analyzed at four levels: lexical (marked vocabulary, frequency, binary oppositions); syntactic (verbal modality, directional prepositions, passive‑like constructions); rhetorical (tropes classified by cognitive, affective, normative functions); and pragmatic (speech acts according to Searle, and Gricean maxims). Quantitative frequency counts are presented in tables and bar charts.
Research Findings
Lexically, marked vocabulary for the descending arc (greed, carnal soul, vulture) accounts for 44%, and for the ascending arc (contentment, zero, freedom from bread) 36%; the Perfect Human appears at 16% and final annihilation at 4%. Syntactically, imperative and prohibitive verbs dominate (31%), followed by directional prepositions “az” (from) and “be” (to) (26%). Intertextual references to Khiḍr, Jesus, and Farīdūn provide legitimacy (18%), while subjunctive mood softens commands (14%) and semantic passive constructions (e.g., “the soul became straitened”) naturalise mystical transformations (11%). Rhetorically, metaphor (32%) and simile (24%) are the primary devices, with irony (22%), personification (14%) and hyperbole (8%). Pragmatically, directive speech acts strongly dominate (42%), followed by assertives (28%), expressives (16%), commissives (8%) and declaratives (6%). Deliberate violations of Gricean maxims of quality and manner generate epistemic shock.
Discussion of Results and conclusion
The analysis demonstrates a coherent integration of all four linguistic layers in reproducing the Unity of Being ideology. Lexical polarities (greed/contentment, multiplicity/zero) establish a clear axiology. Syntactic structures, especially imperatives and prohibitions, institutionalise a master‑disciple relationship where the Perfect Human speaks with unquestioned authority. Directional prepositions “az” and “be” create a spatial‑spiritual vector guiding the seeker’s movement. Rhetorically, metaphors and similes operate on cognitive, affective and normative planes: they shape conceptual frameworks, evoke fear of wasted life, and delineate legitimate versus illegitimate behaviour. Pragmatically, the dominance of directive speech acts and strategic violations of Gricean maxims produce a didactic‑shocking effect, propelling the audience out of ordinary rationality and into a state receptive to paradoxical truths (e.g., “zero that becomes ten”). The Perfect Human serves as the central node where all layers converge. Jami does not state the Unity of Being as a proposition; he enacts it through binary oppositions, syntactic commands, rhetorical images and pragmatic disruptions. The low frequency (4%) of final manifestation indicates that absolute union lies beyond language and can only be signalled through paradox and silence. Thus, Kheradnāme-ye Eskandari functions as an ideological apparatus in which language performs and reproduces a mystical worldview.