Comparative Comparison Between the Characters of Jamie's Tale Of
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Advances in Language and Literary Studies ISSN: 2203-4714 www.alls.aiac.org.au Comparative Comparison Between The Characters of Jamie’s Tale of (Salamon & Absal) and Avicenna ’s Hayy Ebn Yaqzan and Andalusian Ebn Tofeyl’s Hayy Ebn Yaqazan Mehdi Ebrahimi Hossein Ali Kennedy1*, Ali Asghar Halabi2 1Department of Persian Language and Literature, Islamic Azad University Central Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran 2Islamic Azad University Central Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran Corresponding Author: Mehdi Ebrahimi Hossein Ali Kennedy, E-mail: [email protected] ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article history Brilliant models of allegory and secretive tales are observable in mystical and philosophical Received: January 28, 2017 works of Persian literature in verse and prose. Avicenna is the first person who has written Accepted: August 19, 2017 the philosophical tale of Hayy Ebn Yaqzan in mystical clothing and symbolic style. In this Published: August 31, 2017 philosophical and symbolic epistle, Avicenna has represented evolution stages of human in request of hidden secrets and sublime insight and spiritual life, and in travers of behavior stages Volume: 8 Issue: 4 he became aware of the truth that there is a spiritual life other than corporeal life. Therefore Advance access: August 2017 he is guided to spiritual world by sense and by the help of active wisdom. Then Andalusian Ebn Tofeyl has combined Avicenna ’s tales of Hayy Ebn Yaqzan and Salamon & Absal and Conflicts of interest: None recompiled it in a symbolic form and wrote it out with philosophical array. In this tale Hayy Ebn Funding: None Yaqzan was grown alone in an island and he was attracted by comprehension and perception of the reality by external senses, recognition of palpable worlds and by discovery. Despite some similarities with Persian archaic tales, (Salamon & Absal) is a Greek legend in fact, which was Key words: received by Honayn Ebn Eshaq in east by translation from Greek into Arabic for the first time. Jamie, This tale contains allegorical and philosophical aspects and has Greek quality and Alexandria Avicenna, quality. This tale was changed into a mystical and discovery tale by Avicenna. In fact he made Ebn Tofeyl, it a part of his (philosophy of east and west) equivalent of common philosophy. Jamie wrote the Salamon and Absal, original narrative of Honayn Ebn Eshaq in a symbolic form with artistic, elegant and eloquent Hayy Ebn Yaqzan statement. This poem is Jamie’s shortest ‘Orang, and also his most gnostic ‘Orang, of his famous Haft ‘Orang. In this tale Salamon is the symbol of soul and Absal is the symbol of body. This research studies the introduced characters in Jamie’s Salamon & Absal and Hayy ebn Yaqzan in Avicenna’s and Andalusian Ebn Tofeyl’s tales. INTRODUCTION Salamon is the symbol of soul and Absal is the symbol of Desire for story is natural and instinctive in every man. And body, or in another word Salamon is the symbol of wisdom narration and story making has been always one of man’s and Absal is the symbol of passion. Then Avicenna wrote mental and sentimental needs. Stating historical events, fa- this tale out in Arabic and after twenty years his pupil Abo bles and myths in tales has been as if to state man’s wishes Obeyd Jozjani translated it into Persian and has explained and desires. And the entrance of ethical, philosophical, mys- its runes and mysteries. Salamon and absal in this tale in- tical and…matters in prose and verse in the form of tale and stead of lover and beloved, are introduced as two brothers anecdote has been current in all human societies from past whom Salaman’s wife falls in love with Absal. Certainly the until now. The tale of Salamon and Absal) which is one of structure of the tale is completely different to Honayn Ebn philosophical tales including mystical allegories, was for the Eshaq’s narration but its main content is still the battle of first time translated from Greek to Arabic by Honayn Ebn wisdom and passion. The third narrative of Salamon & Absal Eshaq, the head of translation office of Mamun Abbasi. In is by Andalusian Ebn Tofeyl. He has combined Avicenna ’s his narration (Salamon) is introduced as the son of one of (Salamon & Absal) and (Hayy Ebn Yaqzan) and recompiled the kings of Greece in the name of (Hermanus) who was it in a new philosophical and symbolic array. In this tale Sal- born by no intercourse between him and a woman but by the amon does not play an important role he is just the governor management of the court philosopher. And he was trained of an island in which his younger brother calls people to the by an eighteen year old woman named (Absal) and after pu- religion of one of the previous prophets. Salamon also has berty he falls in love with her. And for Salaman’s father op- accepted the religion but the only difference of these two position, they both throw themselves into the sea. Salamon brothers is that Salamon cares about the outwards of reli- is finally salvated but Absal is drowned. In fact in this tale gion but Absal cares about the inwards of religion. In con- Published by Australian International Academic Centre PTY.LTD. Copyright (c) the author(s). This is an open access article under CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.8n.4p.97 98 ALLS 8(4):97-104 clusion Absal seeks refuge in an island in which Hayy Ebn which Adam fell out of heaven on Sarandib mountain in In- Yaqzan was living alone. And after getting acquainted with dia and there human generation was generated from. Actual- Hayy Ebn Yaqzan, he realise that Hayy Ebn Yaqzan has per- ly Ebn Tofeyl quoted another volume considering opposing ceived all the matters, that he has received by prophets or in belief to whom they believe presence of parents is essential fact by divine inspirations about reality and religion, just by to form a birth. And its quoted so: himself and by the help of his own external senses, wisdom, There was an island ruled by a zealous king in front of the comprehension and perception. In fact Ebn Tofeyl’s tale of first island, the king’s sister got married to Yaqzan secretly Salamon & Absal is a part of the tale of Hayy Ebn Yaqzan. and became pregnant. She gave birth to Hayy and for the And Ebn Tofeyl is concerned to state how wisdom and reli- fear of her brother, she put the baby in a coffin and threw gion are gathered together. In fact there are some Platonic him into the sea and the water brought the baby to the first and Aristotlic reflections in vacillation in this tale. Take ac- island and… count of the recognition of the truth, reality and eternal deity In both volumes a female antelope fed the baby and nur- by discovery and by no interference as the main theme and tured him. He was grown in an island alone and he perceived purpose of the tale. It means that what Absal perceived by all necessary matters for union to truth and reality alone by interference –inspiration and prophets calls-, Hayy Ebn Ya- no agent and by his own external senses and by the help qzan perceived them all by discovery and by the help of his of his wisdom until he got acquainted with a person named own wisdom. But the most exciting narrative of this tale is Absal who had learned how to perceive reality and religion by Abd Al Rahman Jamei in the ninth Hegira century. Jamei by the help of agents such as prophets and inspiration. Either has gave such a pleasantness and elegance to the tale by his way Ebn Tofeyl’s main purpose in this tale has been to prove fascinating and sensational style. He has written the tale of eternity of rational essence in human which is unfortunately salamon & Absal in verse in the form of a short gnostic poem attached to corporeal body but it makes utilize of bodily abil- with 1132 distiches based on Honayn Ebn Eshaq’ anecdote. ities as a tool to unite with stages of perfection. And human it should not remain unsaid that Jamie’s Salamon & Absal recognition and insight of truth and reality with no interfer- is unique in Persian literature since no poet could write it in ence, is his main motive of this tale. verse before or after him. This versical poem is ther shortest Wise men have made some of their man making instruc- Throne and hs most gnostic poem of his (Seven Thrones), tions in the form of tale and story and benefited story nar- and it’s also one the most famous gnostic poems in Persian ration in different fields of culture and reflections. In fact literature. The tale of Hayy Ebn Yaqzan is a kind of gnostic narration is an indirect instructive tool and it is known as one allegorical tale which was written for the first time by Abo of the most important and most effective types of instruction Ali Sinai the wise and lofty philosopher when he was impris- from psychological and training aspect. oned in Faradjan castle in one of the villages of Hamadan. Vladimir Prop is a Russian storylogist who believes that Like the tale of salamon & absal, this tale is a symbolic one (each text which state a change from a balanced condition to and there is an explanation of an old man from Jerusalem in unbalanced condition or the other term is called a story.