Imagery in Ferdowsi's Shahnameh and Mutanabbi's Divan (Troops Image)

Ferdowsi and Mutanabbi, the great epic poets of Persian and Arabic literatures have created novel images of massive attacks by army troops which can be scrutinized from various perspectives. Similarities in topics and patterns and Mutanabbi’s influence on Ferdowsi have led to the creation of similar epic images of fighting in the works of these great scholars. However, they have differences as well. Due to the sociopolitical circumstances of his time, Ferdowsi sides with his people and creates clear and emotional images of the massive attacks to boost people’s morale, while Mutanabbi is after pleasing the ruler, Seifuddowleh, and in competition with other court poets, he employs various types of metaphors, hyperboles, and complex similes. The present paper attempts to compare imagery of troops created by these two poets.