Abstract

Reading and appreciating literary texts and enjoying them are not necessarily contingent upon knowing the biography of the creators (authors) of those texts. Many "open texts" could be read and enjoyed regardless of the intentions of their creators. However, a close analysis and examination of signs within the text may enable the reader to get an insight into the author’s viewpoint. 'Shamlou' and 'Sepehri' are two of the most famous contemporary Persian poets, on whose works a great deal of research has been done. In this article, in order to have a proper judgment, from among all the poetic elements, the symbol of bird is focued on. Within this category, one species -- raven -- has been taken into account and examined in the poems by 'Shamlou' and 'Sepehri'. The results reveal that 'Shamlou', perhaps due to the allegorical nature of his works, has a traditional view towards the subject, while 'Sepehri' has tried to defamiliarize the subject in order to give us a new outlook.