The Poetics of Love Along The Silk Road
Faculty Mentor
Christopher Kirby
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Start Date
4-14-2026 11:00 AM
End Date
4-14-2026 11:20 AM
Location
PUB 323
Primary Discipline of Presentation
Philosophy
Abstract
Poetic expressions of love across Eurasian traditions are shaped by linguistic structure and historical context. Comparing classical Chinese, Sanskrit court, and Persian Sufi poetry, this paper examines how different literary systems articulate longing and love. Chinese poetry, written in the logographic script of hanzi and structured through forms such as shi, gushi, jintishi, and jueju, frequently conveys longing through condensed imagery and suggestion. Sanskrit poetry is guided by the aesthetic theory of Ś̉̃̇gāra rasa, and displays romantic emotion through metaphor and aesthetic performance, as illustrated in poems attributed to Rājaśekhara and other court poets. Persian Sufi literature, including the poetry of Rumi and reflections by Ibn Hazm, transform romantic longing into spiritual metaphor. Seating these traditions within the historical context of The Silk Road, it follows that patterns of migration, travel, and separation helped shape language and literary narratives of absence and desire. These traditions share a recognition that love is often experienced most vividly through absence rather than presence. The analysis also considers the gendered dimensions of poetic representation, particularly the aestheticization of femininity within Sanskrit court poetry. By examining these traditions together, the essay demonstrates how love poetry functions as a cultural framework for understanding longing, perception, and the relationship between language and emotional knowledge.
Recommended Citation
Turner, Michelle, "The Poetics of Love Along The Silk Road" (2026). 2026 Symposium. 6.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2026/op_2026/o4_2026/6
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
The Poetics of Love Along The Silk Road
PUB 323
Poetic expressions of love across Eurasian traditions are shaped by linguistic structure and historical context. Comparing classical Chinese, Sanskrit court, and Persian Sufi poetry, this paper examines how different literary systems articulate longing and love. Chinese poetry, written in the logographic script of hanzi and structured through forms such as shi, gushi, jintishi, and jueju, frequently conveys longing through condensed imagery and suggestion. Sanskrit poetry is guided by the aesthetic theory of Ś̉̃̇gāra rasa, and displays romantic emotion through metaphor and aesthetic performance, as illustrated in poems attributed to Rājaśekhara and other court poets. Persian Sufi literature, including the poetry of Rumi and reflections by Ibn Hazm, transform romantic longing into spiritual metaphor. Seating these traditions within the historical context of The Silk Road, it follows that patterns of migration, travel, and separation helped shape language and literary narratives of absence and desire. These traditions share a recognition that love is often experienced most vividly through absence rather than presence. The analysis also considers the gendered dimensions of poetic representation, particularly the aestheticization of femininity within Sanskrit court poetry. By examining these traditions together, the essay demonstrates how love poetry functions as a cultural framework for understanding longing, perception, and the relationship between language and emotional knowledge.
