خوانش دلوزی «باده» در غزلیات حافظ: گشایش افق های تازه در حافظ پژوهی

Wine, as a central motif in Hafez’s poetry, has been chosen as the focus of this research due to its fluid, multifaceted nature, which cannot be reduced to a single fixed meaning. Accordingly, concepts derived from the thought of Gilles Deleuze—such as difference and repetition, becoming, deterritorialization, and others—are examined in relation to the multifaceted concept of “wine” in Hafez’s verses. In this article, the authors propose a novel reading of the position of “wine” in Hafez’s ghazals by employing Deleuzian philosophical concepts, moving beyond the traditional vertical structure of the ghazal to analyze the verses horizontally based on the ideas of the “rhizome” and “multiplicity.” This study demonstrates that a Deleuzian reading establishes a connection between classical Persian literature and postmodern philosophy, while also emphasizing the intertextual and polyphonic capacity of Hafez’s poetry. The central issue of this research is the necessity of adopting a new approach, grounded in Deleuzian philosophy, for a multi-layered interpretation of “wine.” The study adopts a descriptive-analytical approach, presenting Khwaja Hafez as a poet who employs rhizomatic thought to transcend the conventional dualities of traditional thought.
Extended abstract
 
1. Introduction
Inspired by the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze, which proposes concepts such as the "rhizome," "becoming," and "deterritorialization" to escape hierarchical and fixed structures, the present study seeks to open new horizons in interpreting the symbol of "wine" (Badeh) in Hafez's ghazals. Deleuze, by criticizing binary logic and the search for an "ultimate meaning," emphasizes "becoming" over "being." Gilles Deleuze uses the term "Rhizome" to explain his philosophy and thought. The "rhizome" is one of the most important Deleuzian ideas and serves as a foundational structure in this research.
 

Research Method

This study has been conducted using a descriptive-analytical approach, presenting Khwaja Hafez as a poet who utilizes rhizomatic thought to transcend the conventional dualities of traditional thought. The rereading of "wine" in Hafez's ghazals in this research emphasizes the non-hierarchical nature of his verses over the structural unity of the ghazal. This represents a post-structuralist approach to classical Persian literature, which has often focused on conventional readings based on thematic coherence.
 

Discussion

Deleuze opposes the concepts of unity and identity, that is, the existence of a single, fixed principle from which everything originates. He believes that these concepts transform the world into a homogeneous and uniform space, ignoring its diversity and multiplicity (Deleuze, 1983: 190). "Becoming" is a process in which an object escapes fixed identities and enters a fluid and unstable state. Deleuze borrows the concept of "becoming" from Nietzsche, and this concept is profoundly anti-Hegelian (Jaarsma, 2005: 128). "Becoming refers to the passages through which a concept undergoes metamorphosis" (Payton, 2021: 152). By critiquing the concept of Oedipus and lack in Freudian psychoanalysis, Deleuze introduces desire not as a lack or deficiency, but as a productive and constructive force (Deleuze & Guattari, 1983: 1). Deleuze believes that real time is the time of Aion, in which differences and repetitions continuously create change and transformation. It is here that "time stops following movement; time appears as time itself" (Deleuze, 2016: 20).
Hafez repeatedly uses synonyms for "wine" (Badeh), but each time, by adding attributes or placing them in different contexts, he creates a difference in meaning. In his ghazals, he uses synonyms for "wine" – such as "Mey," "Sharāb," "Jām" (cup), and "Āb-e Zendegi" (water of life) – in a way that the repetition of these words is not monotonous.
The "safe haven" (Maqām-e Amn) in Hafez's poetry is not a fixed place but a fluid situation that invites the subject to "become." Here, security is redefined not through limitations but by opening up to unlimited possibilities. "Pure wine" (Mey-e bi-ghash) symbolizes pure desire that has not been contaminated by social codes (such as imposed moral precepts). This desire, following lines of flight, breaks hierarchical structures. Pure wine is precisely desire liberated from "organic organization," flowing in a smooth space.
Hafez alludes to humanity's inevitable fate: the decay of the body and its transformation into inanimate matter (the potter's clay, Gol-e Kuze-garān). This transformation, in Deleuzian terms, is not an end but another "becoming"; a passage from human identity to an inorganic identity (clay) situated within the cycle of life-death. Death here is interpreted as "becoming-earth/clay"; a process that transforms the subject into a fluid flow within the network of existence, not absolute annihilation. From a creative angle, one can approach this line; Hafez contemplates death and knows that one day his soul will depart from his body, which is death. He then chooses the "jug" (Sabo) as a symbol of the "body" and searches for wine (symbolizing the soul) to alleviate his anxiety about death through a symbolic revival (pouring wine into the jug: breathing spirit into the body).
The invitation to "bid farewell to repentance" (Vedā'-e Tobe) negates repressive morality and reopens the path of Deleuzian desire. For Deleuze, desire is not lack but a desiring-machine; a force that generates connections and recreates realities. Repentance symbolizes the repression of desire (the prohibition of pleasure). Another point is that although Hafez, within the mystical tradition, uses wine as a metaphor for divine attraction, a Deleuzian reading reveals the tavern (Meykhāne) as the manifestation of the infinite within the material. Wine is a force that, within this perceptible world, reveals the depth of being.
Reason (`Aql), in the role of an advisor, decrees wine-drinking and consequently defies rational procedure. Here, reason exits the rigid territory of "the rule of logic." Instead of the binary of reason-madness, Deleuze emphasizes lines of flight; a movement that breaks hierarchical structures. Reason's advice to drink wine, through creative destruction, liberates reason from the cage of modern objectification (as an instrument of control).
"The wine of Alast" (Mey-e Alast, the eternal wine) refers to Aion time; where the drinker is freed from the constraints of linear time (Chronos) and attains a trans-temporal experience. With the phrase "a joyful heart" (Khormat Del), Hafez refers to a state where the heart, by partaking in the eternal wine, is freed from the concerns of Chronos time (such as death, decay, or anxiety about the future) and resides in Aion. The act of "taking the cup" (Jām gereftan) is not merely a moment in linear time but a point where the subject connects with eternity. The cup is a medium for experiencing Aion. By comparing himself "like Hafez" (Hamcho Hāfez), he portrays himself as a model of someone living in Aion time. From a Deleuzian perspective, such an individual dwells not in the past or future, but traverses the "infinite present."
 

Conclusion

Reading Hafez's ghazals through the lens of Deleuze's philosophy not only expands the semantic field of "wine" beyond the confines of mystical or earthly interpretations but also reveals the fluid, rhizomatic structure of his poetry. Wine, positioned as a "rhizome," has no fixed center and, in each line, connects with diverse concepts as a node in semantic networks. Furthermore, difference and repetition in Hafez's poetry appear not as identical reproduction but as the creation of new possibilities. Perfect puns (jenās-e tāmm) and the use of synonyms for wine demonstrate repetition *with* difference, which transforms semantic structures. This approach, aligned with Deleuzian theory, emphasizes a break from fixed patterns. This study demonstrates that the Deleuzian approach does not negate traditional interpretations but rather complements existing readings, enriching Hafez studies by revealing hidden layers of his poetry and building a bridge between Persian literature and contemporary philosophy.
 

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