A comparison of the motif of lovers "falling in love for the first time" in the Iskname Farruh u Hümâ and in romances of Iran

Taking the fourteenth-century Ottoman romance(Mathnawî) 'ışkname (Ferruh u Hümâ) as its point of departure, this study offers a comparison of the motifs used in the narration of love, the main theme of romances, in the fourteenth-century Ottoman 'ışkname/ Ferruh u Hümâ and in the other contemporary romances of Süheyl ü Nevbahâr and Hurşîd ü Ferahşâd. It goes on to compare the plotline and motif structure of these romances with Vîs u Râmin, one of the oldest surviving romances of Persian Literature, and with Hüsrev ü Şîrîn by Nizâmî, the foremost romance writer of Persian literature. The comparisons between the said romances are dealt with in the context of adab literature to ascertain the idea underlying the similarity between these motifs. Dealing also with differing motifs, the study reveals those perspectives in Iranian-Ottoman cultures and literatures that make these romances unique. Centered around the adventures of a princely upbringing, these romances, presented in the form of amorous tales, are multifaceted works of literature which served the ruling elite and literature of their time by preserving a shared courtly tradition and a tradition of princely upbringing in a most artful language. Keywords: Adab, Romance/ Mathnawî, Falling İn Love, ‗Işknâme, Motif