An Analysis of the Intertextual Functions of Shahnameh Allusions in the Poetry of Mujir al-Din Baylaqani

Abstract

Allusion is one of the most important rhetorical devices in Persian poetry, reaching the height of its artistic functionality during the twelfth century. One of the foundational texts in the formation of mythological allusions is Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, which provided a rich reservoir of symbolic capital for subsequent poets. Employing a descriptive–analytical approach and drawing on the theoretical frameworks of intertextuality and the discourse analysis of power, the present study examines the functions of Shahnameh allusions in the Divan of Mujir al-Din Baylaqani. The findings demonstrate that Mujir did not employ Shahnameh myths merely as ornamental elements; rather, through a process of intertextual reproduction, he transferred them from the context of the national epic into the discourse of courtly power. Consequently, mythological heroes in his poetry acquire encomiastic, hyperbolic, allegorical, and occasionally ideological functions, thereby contributing to the consolidation of the political authority of the panegyric addressee.