Analysis of conceptual metaphors in the field of shame based on the works of Rumi's poems

This study analyzes the metaphors which have been used in connection with the feeling of shame in Rumi's Masnavi and divan. The research theoretical base is conceptual metaphors which have preferred metaphor from a rhetorical function to an approach for cognition. This research, which has been done by descriptive-analytical method, tries to discover and explain the connection between metaphor and Rumi's mystical bio-world. The result of this research shows that the abstract concept of shame in Rumi's poems is manifested in the objective and tangible domains of "natural objects and phenomena", "human", "food", "plant" and "animal" so that the process of transferring metaphorical concepts from the source domain to the target one can be understood in the form of statements such as "shame is an object", "shame is a human", "shame is food", "shame is a plant", "shame is an animal". The most frequency of the metaphor of shame is related to the object field which indicates the importance of natural objects and phenomena in Rumi's mental system compared to other fields. Furthermore, the metaphorical patterns of shame in Rumi's poems have been made tangible and perceptible by the five senses of appearance. Thus, feeling in Rumi's mental system is something "tangible", "visible", "gustative" and "audible". The most frequency of sensory experience is related to the sense of touch, which indicates the special role of the tactility experience in objectifying the concept of shame in Rumi's intellectual system, compared to other sensory experiences. As a result, it can be acknowledged that the study of metaphor in a cognitive approach has made understandable the abstract concept of shame in Rumi's mystical view as an objective, tangible thing and in the form of biological experiences. As a suitable model, this approach has reinforced the theory of being descriptive of mystical perceptions.