The Confrontation of Life and Death in the Poetry of Manouchehr Atashi and Ali Babachahi

Abstract

Death and life are two issues that have always preoccupied the human mind and everyone has speculated about what they are. Their symptoms can be traced in all works of art. In this respect, Persian poetry from time to time has also been full of effects, attitudes and judgments that Persian poets had about death. Meanwhile, Manouchehr Atashi and Ali Babachahi, two of the greatest poets of this era, based on their view specifically and with awareness of new dimensions and certain metamorphosis have depicted these concepts. Through looking at the idea behind poems this point can be reached that these poets’ (especially Babachahi’s) attainting this unpleasant image of life does not mean praising death at all. Atashi, despite all his sense of escaping the world, tastes with all heart and soul life’s vitality and joyfulness. Unlike Babachahi, life in his eyes has not lost its color completely. On the other hand, death rules over large and important parts of thoughts of the lyrics Babachahi forms in a way that he can be regarded as a poet whose collection of poems has made use of high frequency and a different and unique way of expressing this phenomenon at its heart. In this respect, Atashi has not been influenced that deeply; on this basis, he cannot be considered as a poet strongly obsessed with death. This study is on track to achieve the vision and worldview through which Manouchehr Atashi and Ali Babachahi dealt with the two basic issues of human life and death. Through using the descriptive-analytical method, their view of life and death is to be explained based on their poems.