Journal of the stylistic of Persian poem and prose
volume Number 18، number In Volume 11، February 2026 ، issue Number 117

A Comparative Study of Conceptual Metaphors in the Poems of Mohammad Ali Bahmani and Nader Naderpour With an Ontological Approach

Roqiyeh Karimi , Ali Eynalilo (Author in Charge), Sepideh Sepehri

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The language of poetry is an arena for the connection of thought and emotion, and metaphor, in this regard, plays a fundamental role in the representation of human experience. In the modern approach of cognitive linguistics, especially based on the theory of “conceptual metaphor” by Lakoff and Johnson (1980), metaphor is not considered an expressive ornament but a tool for understanding and explaining abstract concepts through concrete concepts. The present study, with an ontological approach, examines conceptual metaphors in the poems of Mohammad Ali Bahmani and Nader Naderpour and tries to show how each of these two poets has recreated their understanding of love, death, time, and existence through metaphor.

METHODOLOGY: This research was conducted in a descriptive-analytical manner based on a library study and analysis of poetry samples. In data analysis, metaphors were classified based on the cognitive model of Lakoff and Johnson and examined from the perspective of ontological functions.

FINDINGS: The findings show that both poets use a coherent metaphorical system to explain the fundamental concepts of life; however, their type of attitude and lived experience have caused a distinction in the function of metaphors. In Naderpour"s poetry, metaphors are a reflection of a philosophical, time-oriented thought that reflects the lack of meaning, while in Bahmani"s poetry, metaphors are a manifestation of an emotional, romantic, and meaning-making view of existence.

CONCLUSION: The fundamental difference in the worldview of these two poets has created two distinct types of ontological metaphors: Naderpour uses metaphor to explain the “lack of meaning in the world and contemporary man,” while Bahmani sees metaphor as a tool for “creating meaning from the heart of love and life.” As a result, a comparative study of conceptual metaphors in their poetry can reflect two opposing but complementary attitudes towards existence and man.

Keyword
Conceptual metaphor , ontology , Mohammad-Ali Bahmani , Nader Naderpour.