Poetic Transformation and Spiritual Transliteration: A Study of Connotative Shifts in Sufi Translation Based on The Works of R. A. Nicholson

Authors

  • Qahramonjon A. Ismoilov Associate Professor, PhD on Philological Sciences, Kokand State University, Uzbekistan

Keywords:

Sufism, connotative shift, poetic transformation, spiritual transliteration, mystical symbolism, translation studies, cultural specificity, Reynold A. Nicholson, semantic loss, Persian poetry

Abstract

This article examines connotative shifts occurring in the translation of Sufi discourse through the works of Reynold Alleyne Nicholson. It explores how poetic transformation and spiritual transliteration mediate mystical concepts and symbolic imagery. The study demonstrates that Sufi terminology embodies culturally embedded meanings that resist complete semantic transfer into English.

References

[1] R. A. Nicholson, The Mystics of Islam. London, U.K.: Routledge, 1914.

[2] R. A. Nicholson, Studies in Islamic Mysticism. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 1921.

[3] R. A. Nicholson, A Literary History of the Arabs. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 1907.

[4] R. A. Nicholson, Selected Poems from the Divan-i Shams-i Tabriz. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 1898.

[5] R. A. Nicholson, Trans., Kashf al-Mahjub. London, U.K.: Luzac & Co., 1911.

[6] R. A. Nicholson, Trans., The Mathnawi of Jalalu'd-din Rumi, Vols. I–VIII. London, U.K.: Luzac & Co., 1925–1940.

[7] J. A. Arberry, Sufism: An Account of the Mystics of Islam. London, U.K.: George Allen & Unwin, 1950.

[8] A. Schimmel, Mystical Dimensions of Islam. Chapel Hill, NC, USA: University of North Carolina Press, 1975.

[9] W. C. Chittick, The Sufi Path of Love: The Spiritual Teachings of Rumi. Albany, NY, USA: SUNY Press, 1983.

[10] W. C. Chittick, The Sufi Doctrine of Rumi. Bloomington, IN, USA: World Wisdom, 2005.

[11] S. H. Nasr, Islamic Spirituality: Foundations. New York, NY, USA: Crossroad Publishing, 1987.

[12] S. H. Nasr, Islamic Spirituality: Manifestations. New York, NY, USA: Crossroad Publishing, 1991.

[13] C. Ernst, Sufism: An Introduction to the Mystical Tradition of Islam. Boston, MA, USA: Shambhala Publications, 1997.

[14] F. Attar, The Conference of the Birds, D. L. Pendlebury, Trans. London, U.K.: Penguin Classics, 1984.

[15] Jalal al-Din Rumi, The Essential Rumi, C. Barks, Trans. San Francisco, CA, USA: HarperCollins, 1995.

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Published

2026-06-20

How to Cite

Ismoilov, Q. A. (2026). Poetic Transformation and Spiritual Transliteration: A Study of Connotative Shifts in Sufi Translation Based on The Works of R. A. Nicholson. Web of Scholars : Multidimensional Research Journal, 5(3), 455–457. Retrieved from https://journals.innoscie.com/index.php/wos/article/view/378

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