Symbolic Concepts of Violet Flower in Mazandaranian Couplets

Vegetable elements create symbols that offer a transcendent embodiment of the signifier more prominent than their meanings, and in fact connect the human soul with the transcendental. The symbol is somehow related to the feeling of need in human beings. Popular literature is the field of recognizing the customs and beliefs of the people, which includes myths, beliefs, stories, songs, etc. Folk songs are an important part of the oral literature due to the protection of cultural and national identity and the transmission of feelings and beliefs about our past. In this study, more than a thousand verses of Mazandaranian poetry have been studied. Based on the library and field study findings, it can be said that the violet flower has a high frequency among other flowers in the poems of Mazandaranian people, because it represents the spring season, which is sometimes associated with the social, educational, and romantic themes (sadness of love, and pain of waiting). To the extent that the lover converses with the violet flower, he remembers Yar with his pleasant perfume, and considers the shape of his heart and the color of blue as a symbol of his aching heart. Finally, he sees its tangling and twisting as a symbol of the beloved's hair.

Research background

As far as the author has examined, there has been no independent research on violets in the Persian and oral literature, but some works have been written about flowers and plants.

Rangchi (1994) has investigated the flowers and plants in Persian poetic literature until the beginning of the Mongol period. In this book, the author mentions the names of 170 types of flowers and plants and tries to explain their etymology and cite examples from the Poets' Divan.

Zomordi (2008) studies plant symbols and cods. In this book, the author has analyzed plant symbols and its literary applications.

Research questions

The study pursues the following research questions:

A) How is the violet flower reflected through symbols in the Mazandaranian couplets?

B) What concepts does the structure of violet flower inspire in the Mazandaranian poems?

Research hypotheses

To answer the above-mentioned questions, the following hypotheses were raised:

A) The most important concepts of violet flower in Mazandaran poems are the symbol of Seyed's escape in spring and the face of the beloved.

B) The structure of the violet flower is a symbol of humility, and its bruising is a symbol of the bloody heart of the lover waiting for the beloved.

Discussion

Poetic symbols have always been the representation of the individual and collective unconscious secrets of each nation and civilization. "Anthropological perspective indicate that plant life has endeavored human reason and imagination and has given it a sacred and eternal color" (Mehandost, 2001, p. 166). The symbol shows the depth of the person. A world without a symbol will lead to the spiritual death of the man. The history of symbols shows that any subject can have a symbolic value (Chevalier & Gheerbrant, 2001, vol.1, pp. 49-55). Flowers and plants have become a source of poetic inspiration among poets in literature. Poets took help from nature and expressed the mystical, social, political, and other ideas in the form of poetry. In Mazandaranian poems, more attention has been paid to violet flowers. "Violet flower is called friendship flower; it is a symbol of love and its life is short" (Rangchi, 1994, p. 38). According to the people of Mazandaran, the growth of violets in the last days of winter is a harbinger of spring, the yard of nature, and the beginning of work and effort.

Vanuše dar bemu dase be dasse//bǝhâre jelodâr bayye mevârek

Ârus besâtene bečâ-bečâ -re//masse belbel sar hǝdă še sedâ re

Translation: The violet flower came out in a bunch and announced spring; congratulations. the primrose married and the nightingale is singing intoxicated (Ahmadi Kamarposhti, 2014, p. 17).

In addition to being the symbol of spring, the violet flower is also used for the lost concepts that are more associated with the grief of losing a loved one. Sometimes, with the change of the year, there is a talk of grief, and the lover remembers his memories with his beloved in the last spring. Another point to consider about violet flowers is its fragrance that the lover remembers as spring comes, and inhales the scent of the violets. On the other hand, the heart-shaped leaves of the violet flowers in purple and blue pushes the poets to direct their imagination towards considering them as a symbol of the lover's sadness. The realities of society such as poverty, social distance, sorrow and pain, etc., force the poet to speak and bring these silent elements into life with a simple description. The conversation with the violet flower in Mazandaranian songs is in fact a reflection of the poets' feelings and their living environment as well as a reflection of their suffering.

Conclusion

From the perspective of poets in Mazandaran, besides being the symbol of a promising spring and new year was well as dynamism and movement, the violet flower has a variety of concepts, including: attention to complexity and social unrest. The realities of the society in which they live indicate the educational attitude in the form of advice, the discredit of the world, indigenous beliefs and separation, and the expectation of the beloved's return. The beloved, which has a special place in Mazandaranian poems, has been re-mentioned in a significant part of the verses related to the violets. Where they speak with fervor of the beloved and affection, love falls from the margins of their couplets and accompanies the audience, and thus the presence of the violet flower indicates a reciprocal and practical confrontation between nature and the man. The poet approaches the violet flower so much that he sees it as a friend who is in pain with him. The fragrant scent is a reminiscent of sweet memories. He considers the lover of the blue color and the appearance of the heart as the shape of the violet flower. His embarrassed heart is caught in the twist of a lot of violet, and this is how the violet flower is tied to the life of the people of Mazandaran.

References

Ahmadi Kamarposhti, K. (2014). Tabari poems (in Farsi). Rasanesh Novin Publisher.

Chevalier, J., & Gheerbrant, A. (2001). Dictionnaire des symbols (Vol. 5) (translated into Farsi by Soodabeh Fazaeli) Jayhoon Publisher.

Mehandoost, M. (2001). General research in popular culture (in Farsi). Tous Publisher.

Rangchi, G. (1994). Flowers and plants in Persian poetic literature (in Farsi). Institute of Research and Study Publication.