Meaning condensation techniques in Niẓāmī’s Makhzan al-asrār

Condensation is one of the artistic arrangements of literary works. In the traditional rhetoric, condensation has mostly been noted in relation to brevity and omission. However, condensation techniques are much wider and more diverse, and its categorization from different perspectives is necessary, given their importance in rhetoric. The aim of this article is to show the different aspects of condensation as depicted in Niẓāmī’s poetry. This descriptive, analytical research takes aspects of brevity into consideration and examines the verses in which wide range of meaning is condensed and conveyed through a few words. Shortness of metrical feet and the density of thought in each line of the poem have made the various manifestations of condensation possible in this work. The techniques are examined in the two categories of linguistic and rhetorical.  Omission, combination and verb diversity fall into the first category. Compact rhetorical arrangements such as overwhelming imagery, complex metaphors, ambiguity, allusion, paradox and quotation are ways of rhetorical condensation in this work. Considering classical poetry emphasis on the horizontal axis, Niẓāmī is focused on condensation in the horizontal axis as well.