Semiotic Analysis of the Animal Symbol of Hawk in Ghazaliyat of Shams

In order to express their profound mystical and emotional concepts¡ mystic poets inevitably resort to using symbols and breaking norms through raising linguistic capacities. In this study¡ the animal symbol of hawk in Ghazaliyat of Shams has been analyzed from a semiotic perspective.
Semiotics is the systematic study of signs in order to gain insights into the various intellectual backgrounds of a poet or an author. By examining the animal symbol of hawk via this branch of science¡ one can understand various intellectual layers of Rumi including the concept of return¡ quiescence¡ journey¡ etc. Signs in various texts are represented through various forms including words¡ sounds¡ smells¡ movement¡ location¡ etc. Through studying the dependent networks in the symbol of hawk¡ one can observe the match of the function of this symbol with different acts of color¡ location¡ movement¡ and sound. In this study¡ the binary oppositions and the transformation of the symbols are also examined. The investigation of these identifiers allows us to unveil the hidden intellectual layer of the poet along with the patterns of quiescence¡ unity¡ and intellectual infrastructures of Rumi. The important point in the binary oppositions is not the selection of the type of oppositions but the dynamic way of addressing the relations. This issue is indicative of the turbulent spirit of Rumi in his love for Shams Tabrizi or mystical themes. This way of treatment is noteworthy in the medial function of the positive and negative poles of hawk symbol. On the other hand¡ the mental space of Rumi including the cultural codes of Buddhism and Mithraism influencing the religious atmosphere of Balkh and Konya¡ and the mythical atmosphere has been explained. In sum¡ this paper has examined the patterns¡ acts¡ norm-breaking¡ the play of signifiers¡ the network of matches¡ and the transformation of the oppositions in the animal symbol of hawk and has analyzed and elucidated them in the samples of Ghazaliyat of Shams.