Water as a Creative Element: A Comparative Analysis of the Poetry of Baudelaire, Rumi, and Hafez

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine water as a creative element through a comparative analysis of the poetry of Baudelaire, Rumi, and Hafez. The research method is descriptive–analytical and is based on qualitative content analysis of the poets’ works. Selected poems from Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du mal, portions of Rumi’s Masnavi-ye Ma‘navi, and poems from Hafez’s Divan were extracted and analyzed from the perspective of comparative symbolism. This analysis demonstrates that each poet, in a unique manner, employs water to express human, spiritual, and poetic concepts. The findings indicate that in Baudelaire’s poetry, water exhibits duality. On one hand, it symbolizes purity, luminosity, and the purification of the soul; on the other hand, it reflects suffering, sorrow, and the inner anxieties of modern humanity. In the world of the modern poet, water is a mirror that reflects the turbulence of the psyche and the oscillation between the hope for salvation and the fall into darkness. In Rumi’s poetry, water acquires an entirely sacred and transcendent quality. He regards water as a symbol of the divine breath, the endless flow of love, and the unity of being. From this perspective, water is a force that guides the human soul from the darkness of the ego toward the radiance of truth, revealing the path to God. Hafez, likewise, intertwines water with love, wine, illumination, and inspiration, endowing it with meanings that exceed its natural appearance. In his works, water symbolizes inner purity, spiritual awakening, and the bond between the lover and the celestial beloved, offering the reader an experience of beauty and spirituality. A comparative examination of these three poets shows that although water carries its own distinct meaning within the cultural and linguistic frameworks of each poet, ultimately they all point to a shared essence: water is a living and generative force that flows through all things and gives meaning to life, poetry, and movement. Across all three poetic traditions, water is not merely a natural phenomenon but the embodiment of spiritual life, the experience of creation, and the human journey from limitation to liberation.