Attār

Cet article se penche sur l’analyse de la traduction de l’ Elāhi-nāme du poète mystique Attār Neys͂ābūri par Fuad Rouhani, sous le titre de: Le livre divin. Nous nous proposons de voir si cette traduction remplit son rôle de «vecteur culturel» et de point d’échange «entre l’autre-soi et le soi-soi», d’autant plus que le traducteur est un érudit littéraire iranien, qui traduit de sa propre langue vers une langue secondaire. Il s’agit également de voir le degré de succès dans la transposition du contenu didactique de l’ouvrage source. Cette traduction est étudiée dans une perspective bermanienne au regard de la traductologie moderne, secondée d’une analyse de la traduction au regard des procédés de la traduction technique - emprunt lexical, calque, traduction littérale, transposition, chassé-croisé, étoffement, modulation, équivalence et adaptation. La démarche du traducteur quant à la dimension poétique du texte est ensuite analysée.

Contrary to the traditional disciple-making efforts presented by commentators of mystical works, which aim to consolidate a fanatical attitude towards mysticism and hide any epistemological defects, these works have their own disadvantages, similar to any other knowledge system. One of these disadvantages is the categorization of "women," which, due to the continuation of the patriarchal worldview and the Mithraic origin of Iranian-Islamic mysticism, has been approached with a dogmatic and gender-oriented perspective. Therefore, within the mystical tradition, despite occasional praises given to women in Sufi works, they are generally regarded as symbols of evil passion, and the love for them is seen as figurative and lustful. In these instances, the mystical texts acknowledge their own stance, and, often in contrast to the efforts of their fanatical admirers, provide an opportunity for so-called "destructive" analyses. The present article examines the contradictions within the works of two renowned mystical poets, Attar and Rumi, specifically regarding their portrayal of "woman". By adopting a deconstructive approach, often utilizing textual evidence, it aims to highlight their patriarchal attitude. Consequently, it concludes that while researchers of mystical works have often attempted to absolve the mystic poets of their patriarchal or misogynistic gender-oriented views, the mystics themselves have not done so.

This article offers a detailed study of a story by one of the giants of Persian literature, Farid al-din Attār. It particularly focuses on the character of Attār’s “The Pious Woman”, who emerges as a symbol of faithfulness and discusses her significance as a character of mystical proportion and grandeur that also appears as personification of virtue in a world dominated by acquisitive and lascivious men. In many aspects, the Pious Woman reminds one of Penelope in Homer’s The Odyssey who is also celebrated for her faithfulness to her husband and for her patience and feminine virtues.