The Fruits of History: Pomegranates The Hidden Gems of World Literature
Pomegranates aren't just delicious and healthy, they're also the real MVPs of fruit symbolism. This little red ball of joy has been inspiring poets and writers from all over the world for centuries. Join me on a journey through time and space as we explore the colorful history of pomegranates in literature.
Greek mythology is one of the earliest sources of pomegranate symbolism. The myth of Persephone, daughter of Demeter, who was abducted by Hades and taken to the underworld, is a well-known example. According to the myth, Persephone ate six pomegranate seeds while in the underworld, which bound her to return there for six months each year. This story has been interpreted in different ways, but it is often seen as a metaphor for the cycle of life, death, and rebirth.
In Persian literature, pomegranates are often associated with love and sensuality. The famous poet Hafez used pomegranates as a symbol of the beloved's lips, cheeks, and breasts in his love poems. In one of his works, he writes, "Your lips are like the pomegranate's red, Your cheeks are like the fruit's round head, Your breasts are like its many seeds, Your love is all this heart now needs."
Jewish tradition has also integrated pomegranates into its culture and art. In the Torah, pomegranates are mentioned as one of the seven species of the land of Israel, and they are said to have 613 seeds, which represent the 613 commandments of the Torah. Pomegranates are often used as a decorative motif in Jewish art, especially during the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, when they are eaten as a symbol of a fruitful and sweet new year.
Pomegranates have also played a role in Western literature, from Shakespeare's plays to contemporary poetry. In "Romeo and Juliet," the fruit is mentioned in the famous line "I'll give thee a thousand kisses, then a hundred and fifty, and a hundred and fifty more, until thou hast counted up the number of the pomegranate seeds." This image of the pomegranate seeds as a measure of love and passion has been used in many other works of literature, such as in the French poet Guillaume Apollinaire's "La Chanson du Mal-Aimé" and the American novelist Tom Robbins' "Jitterbug Perfume."
And in modern literature, pomegranates continue to be a source of inspiration for writers and poets. For example, in "The Nightingale and the Rose" by Oscar Wilde, the pomegranate is used as a symbol of sacrifice and unrequited love. In the poem "Pomegranate" by Rupi Kaur, the fruit is a metaphor for the complexities of female identity and the struggle to reconcile different parts of oneself. Kaur writes, "the way you make love is the way you make art / you make a masterpiece out of the simplest parts / you are a pomegranate / a woman / bursting open / with life." These contemporary works show that the pomegranate remains a powerful symbol that can evoke a wide range of emotions and ideas.
All in all, pomegranates have served as a powerful symbol in literature and mythology for centuries. With its vibrant color and juicy seeds, it continues to inspire writers and poets from all parts of the world, evoking various emotions and ideas. Whether in Greek mythology, Persian poetry, Jewish tradition, or Western literature, the pomegranate remains a captivating and enduring symbol of beauty and meaning.
Works Cited
.???Alef, Daniel. "The pomegranate in Jewish tradition." Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, vol. 7, no. 1, 2011, pp. 1-7.?
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.???Jayyusi, Salma Khadra. "The symbolism of the pomegranate in Islamic art and literature." Ars Orientalis, vol. 23, 1993, pp. 85-97.?
.???Kennedy, Michael. "Symbolism and Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet." ELH, vol. 44, no. 3, 1977.?
.???Schiller, Gertud. "The pomegranate in ancient literature and art." The Jewish Quarterly Review, vol. 83, no. 1, 1992, pp. 59-70.?
.???Kaur, Rupi. The Sun and Her Flowers. Simon & Schuster, 2017.?
.???Wilde, Oscar. "The Nightingale and the Rose." The Complete Short Fiction of Oscar Wilde, edited by Ian Small, Oxford University Press, 1995, pp. 63-68.?
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