Literary Interdisciplinary Research

A Critical Study of the Myth of Memory and Forgetfulness in Contemporary Poetry: A Case Study of Shamlu’s Poems

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Saghar Salmaninejad Mehrabadi

Department of Foreign Languages ​​and Persian Literature - K. N.Toosi University of Technology

10.30465/lir.2025.52776.2049
Abstract
One of the types of myths, alongside those of creation, resurrection, salvation, rebirth, renewal, and the savior, is the myth of memory and forgetfulness, which has also featured prominently in Iranian mystical allegorical tales. This myth has Indian and Greek foundations and has also manifested in poetry that is deeply intertwined with mythology. Mircea Eliade has referred to this myth, and Ahmad Shamlu, as one of the contemporary Persian poets, repeatedly evokes it throughout his collected works. In this article, using a library-based and descriptive methodology, we examine the instances of the emergence and manifestation of this myth in Shamlu’s poetry. The results indicate that in Shamlu’s work, the myth of memory and forgetfulness is interwoven with the myth of the Fall. In some instances, the Anima archetype evokes this myth. In others, this myth is linked to the concept of ‘Alam al-Dharr (the World of Particles or the Primordial Covenant) in Islamic and mystical thought, representing the anguish and sorrow resulting from a mystical separation from the Divine Truth. In some cases, it intentionally or unintentionally recalls Indian and Gnostic narratives and shares similarities with the concept of reincarnation in Hindu thought.

Keywords

Keywords: Myth
Memory and Forgetfulness
Religions
Contemporary Poetry
Shamlu

Subjects

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