“The Charming King”
This is a work brimming with metaphorical images. The utilization is fairly even split between direct comparisons the easier to recognize simile comparing things that are like each other. A straightforward example is the opening description of the title character of the story about “The Charming King.”
“There was once a king of incomparable charm and beauty. The dawn was a flash of lightning from his countenance, the Angel Gabriel an emanation of his fragrance and the kingdom of beauty was the Koran of his secrets.”
Of course, it is important to keep in mind that for the reader well acquainted with Islam, the metaphor here is going to penetrate much deeper, but for those not attempting to write a doctoral dissertation, this example illustrates the general accessibility of a superficial understanding of the use of metaphorical imagery.
Metaphor Upon Metaphor
In some cases, the construction of the metaphor remains accessible and easy to understand, but the poetic nature of the imagery builds steadily upon itself. The effect is a simple image which then inspires the speaker to expand the meaning which in turn requires more metaphorical construction with the result often being a paragraph of description comprised without any literal foundation:
“The Heavens are like a cupola upside down, without stability, at once moving and unmoving. One is lost in contemplation of such a mystery — it is veil upon veil; one is like a figure painted on a wall, and one can only bite the back of one’s hand.”
“The Parrot”
As the title indicates, the compendium of birds is the centerpiece of the text and what would animals already highly valued for their symbolism be with metaphorical description. The parrot, for instance, is describe in extremely generous terms, although it does hardly seem fair for the gnat to be dragged into this comparison”
“Then came the Parrot with sugar in her beak, dressed in a garment of green, and round her neck a collar of gold. The hawk is but a gnat beside her brilliance; earth’s green carpet is the reflection of her feathers, and her words are distilled sugar.”
Religion and Money
One can easily tell that his work of literature was written before the 20th century. Within it one still finds the now-quaint notion which at once time reigned high over all organized faiths: the road to riches are the road to damnation:
“In the way of religion gold is like a lame donkey; it has no value, only weight. When wealth comes to a man unawares it first bewilders him, then governs him.”
“The Sparrow”
The sparrow is playing games with her metaphorical self-description. She appears in the guise of feeble body with a tender heart, but this is recognized for it what it is with her overzealous self-portrait in a palette of hypocritical hues:
“I am dumbfounded and crestfallen. I don’t know how to exist, and I am frail as a hair. I have no one to help me and I have not the strength of an ant.”
The hoopoe—the wise sage of all the birds of the world—sizes her up and shuts her down:
“Even in your humility you show a hundred signs of vanity and pride. Not another word, sew up your lips and put your foot forward…And don’t compare yourself with Joseph!”
