The Metaphor of Intoxication in Sufi Poetry: In the Example of Rūmī and Nasīmī (Comparative Study) Authors

Abstract

This article examines the metaphor of intoxication (sukr) in the poetry of Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī (1207–1273) and ʿImād al-Dīn Nasīmī (1369–1417) within the framework of Sufi metaphysics and comparative literary analysis. It explores how the symbolic language of intoxication articulates complex ethical, cognitive, and ontological ideas, particularly in relation to the motif of the ʿAhd-i Alast (Primordial Covenant). Selected examples from Rūmī’s Mas̱navī and Nasīmī’s Turkish divan are analyzed in order to examine the interplay between mystical experience, divine manifestation, and poetic expression. Situating these metaphors within the broader context of Persian and Turkish-Azerbaijani Sufi traditions, the article highlights the ways in which poetic forms articulate the encounter between human consciousness and spiritual ecstasy. By examining differences in emphasis – such as Rūmī’s focus on individual cognition and Nasīmī’s engagement with cosmic theophany – the study addresses the question of how metaphors of intoxication function as mediators of metaphysical and mystical thought in classical Sufi poetry.