Content Discourse Analysis of the Imprisonment Themes in Mas‘ud Sa‘d Salman’s Works with an Emphasis on the Relationship between Literature and Society

Document Type : Original Article

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Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, University of Farhangyan, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Literature and society share a deep and intricate relationship. Literature not only reflects the culture, history, and values of a society but also serves as a tool for social critique and transformation. Prison poetry, known as habsiyyat, constitutes a significant part of Persian literature. Mas‘ud Sa‘d, in his prison poems, often employed various themes to assert his innocence and strive for freedom. He spent nearly eighteen years of his life in the prisons of Nay, Su, Dahak, and Maranj, during which he composed his finest poems, referred to as habsiyyat. Habsiyyat are poems in which the poet, while imprisoned, expresses their inner emotions in a distinctive language. The discourse of imprisonment is shaped by the poet’s perspective on the world and the society in which they live. In the themes of habsiyyat poetry, fatalism emerges as the dominant discourse of the poet, which is explored in this study. By innovating the genre of habsiyyat, Mas‘ud Sa‘d introduced new content and themes to the qasida form, influencing many poets who imitated him. However, his profound emotions and sensibilities distinguished him from others. These factors contributed to transforming his status from an imitative poet to a trailblazing and influential figure who played a significant role in shaping the evolution of Persian literary style. In Persian literature, the earliest habsiyyat is attributed to Mas‘ud Sa‘d Salman, the renowned poet of the fifth and sixth centuries AH.

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