بازخوانی انتقادی شروح آثار خاقانی و نظامی با تکیه بر برخی از اصطلاحات بازی‏های نرد و شطرنج

متون برجستۀ نظم و نثر کهن فارسیْ بخشی از میراث فرهنگی ایران را تشکیل می‏‏دهد. آشنایی با جنبه‏های مختلف این بخش از میراث فرهنگی، در گرو دسترسی به اَشکال و شرح‏های معتبر و بدون تحریف و یا کم‏تحریف آن متون است؛ در مقابل، مراجعه به نسخه‏ها و شرح‏های نامعتبری از این آثار، به فاصله‏گیری از شکل اصیل آنها و ‏بیگانگی با مظاهری از میراث فرهنگی خواهد انجامید. آثار خاقانی و نظامی از جملۀ این متون است که پژوهشگران مختلفی کوشیده‏اند گامی برای گشودن گره‏های لفظی و معنایی و... آنها بردارند که گاهی موفق بوده و گاهی به خطا رفته‏اند. در این پژوهش با بهره‏گیری از روش توصیفی تحلیلی مبتنی بر استقراء، به خوانش انتقادی برخی از شروح اشعار خاقانی و نظامی با محوریّت اصطلاحات بازی‏های شطرنج و نرد و متعلّقات آن پرداخته می‏شود؛ همچنین از مطالب بحث‏شده، شرح مقرون به صواب ارائه ‏خواهد شد. دستاوردهای پژوهش نشان می‏دهد که برخی از شارحان در رویارویی با ترکیبات و اصطلاحات این دو بازی، یا چشم‏بسته گذشته‏اند و یا متوجه اصل مسئله نشده و درنهایت برداشت‏های غیرموجّهی ‏داشته‏اند. نگرش نویسندگان، بازخوانی انتقادی این شروح است؛ به همین سبب از نشان‏دادن وجوه نامتناسب و توجیه‏ناپذیرِ برداشت‏های صورت‏گرفته در ‏این شرح‏ها ناگزیر بوده‏ایم.

A Critical Reading of Khaghani and Nezami’s Works Explanations: Some Terms of Backgammon and Chess Games in Focus

AbstractThe popular texts of ancient Persian poetry and prose constitute a part of Iran’s cultural heritage. Familiarity with different aspects of this cultural heritage depends on accessing valid forms and explanations with no distortion.Referring to invalid copies and explanations of such works means distancing their original form, and consequently, alienating them from the manifestations of cultural heritage. Among such texts are the works of Khaghani and Nizami. Various scholars have tried to take a step towards unraveling some verbal and semantic aspects. They have sometimes been successful and sometimes made erroneous interpretations. In the present study, using the descriptiveanalytical method based on induction, a critical reading of some academic explanations of Khaghani and Nizami’s poems focusing on chess and backgammon game terms and their accessories and the correct or approximately correct and accurate description of the contents is attempted. The results of the study show that some commentators, facing the combinations and terms of these two games, have either ignored the past or have not understood the essence of the problem. So, they have  made unjustified  interpretations. It is worth noting that because the authors’ aim has been a critical rereading of such explanations, we have been forced to show disproportionate and unjustifiable aspects of the interpretations made in them.IntroductionPoets and writers derive parts of their work materials from the intellectual, cultural, social, and religious capacities existing in the society, surroundings, and special natural features. Old games are among the topics of interest to poets in the field of Persian language and literature. The presence of elements and symbols related to games  in poetic and prose texts could easily be observed asthere are few poets whose poems are free of such references. This issue can be justified for two reasons. The first reason is that although these games were initially reserved for the aristocracy and the elite, they gradually became public ones, and almost everyone became familiar with them, especially poets who, due to their affiliation with the courts, were given more and more opportunities to get acquainted with such games. The second reason could be found in literary traditions. From the beginning of Persian poetry, similes, metaphors, and interpretations related to these games and their rules have found a place in the poets’ mind and language and caused their descendants, even if they had not played polo, backgammon, and chess get familiar with these interpretations, terms, and metaphors due to followingup in ancient poetic divans. The frequency, variety, and beauty of using the mentioned games, especially backgammon and chess, and the terms related to them in the surviving literary works, occupy the mind of any interested reader and encourage him to clarify the reasons for  using them.The present studyintends to analyze some explanations of these two poets’ works in the field of backgammon and chess game terms and their accessories with the aim of  better understanding of such texts.  help better understand these texts.Discussion of Results and ConclusionsIn this study, some terms of these two games, including ‘Shahrokh’, ‘Shahpil’, ‘planning’, ‘hitting’, ‘overtaking’, ‘sixfive’, ‘Farzinband’, ‘Ira’, ‘Kabatin’, ‘Ziad’, ‘Qaem’, and ‘three’ based on Khaghani and Nizami’s works have been examined. Reflecting on various explanations of Khaghani and Nizami’s Divans, the authors of this study found that the problems related to the content are more evident in them with the main reason being the stylistic features of these two poets.. By detailed reviewing of different explanations and presenting different evidence of Persian texts in this research, it seems that the following explanations are valid for the mentioned terms: ‘Threehitting’ or ‘sixhitting’ means giving (advance) to the opponent so that the weak one can equalize, and this is more to humiliate the opponent. Sometimes, the opponent with a surprise move while culturing the king, also hits the face piece or elephant, and because the other side has no choice but to remove the cult, the face piece or elephant is easily killed. This surprise move, which can be done with any of the pieces and greatly reduce the opponent’s power, is called ‘Shahrokh’ or ‘Shahpil’, respectively. Therefore, ‘Shahrokh/Shahpil’ is the ultimate skill in doing something and hitting the opponent fatally. Considering Persian poetry and prose texts, including Khaghani and Nizami, as well as paying attention to the structure of the word Kabatin and other mentioned arguments, it seems that this word is singular. The ‘face’ piece is different from the ‘castle’. That is why the face piece, like horse and elephant, signifies a huge animal; however, the ‘castle’ belongs to a place in the chess corner called ‘Hassan’ that the king turns it to prevent enemy attacks. The term ‘planning’ in chess has two meanings. The first meaning is to design and prepare various movements, and the second one is to set aside a strong opponent that can equate one or more riders to a weak opponent mostly to humiliate the opponent. Most of the commentators have paid less attention to the latter meaning. Farzin is the strongest chess piece after the king and trapping this one is a very difficult task and can only be achieved with LatifAlHail. When Farzin is in this situation and does not find a way to escape, he hits and is eventually killed. By killing this piece, it becomes much easier to confuse the opponent; therefore, ‘Farzinband’ means the ultimate trick. ‘Qaem’ in chess has two meanings: chess map and equalization.