Cross-Cultural Conceptualizations of Love: Cognitive Linguistic Analysis of Metaphors in Poems of Kabir and Rumi

Abstract

This study explores the conceptual metaphors of love in the selected thirty Hindi poems by 15th-century Indian mystic poet Kabir and thirty poems by 13th-century Persian Sufi mystic poet Rumi. This research involved the thematic analysis with an emphasis on Identifying Conceptual Metaphors of Love in the poems of the two renowned poets. The findings reveal that poems by Kabir employed thirteen conceptual metaphors, while that of Rumi utilized eleven, revealing commonalities in eight metaphors such as LOVE IS MERGER, LOVE IS MATERIAL, and LOVE IS DRINK/DRUG. Employing Conceptual Metaphor Theory by Lakoff and Johnson (1980) and Metaphor Identification Procedure developed by the Pragglejaz Group (2007), the research provides a cross-cultural analysis of divine love conceptualization. The findings support cognitive linguistic theses on conceptual metaphors, contributing to a nuanced understanding of love across two distinct cultures.