Author name:
ايمان علي القره غــولي
Supervisor name:
انعام داود سلوم
Abstract:
Towards the end of the seventh century there emerged a trio who rank among the masters of the art of Arabic poetry. The three poets were Al - Akhtal , Al - Farazdaq and Jarir. They owed much of their fame to the entertainment they provided by slinging matches on parallel themes best known in Arabic as (naqaids). Although there are some interesting and informative literature on the subject , none , however, is satisfactory and some essential points , particularly those relating to the employment of tradition , still need to be addressed in order to come out with a comprehensive review of the study under discussion. Among the previous studies ‚mention is made to the following : ( polemic poetry of Jarir and Al? Farazdaq ) by Dr. Mahmood Ghanawi Al? Zuhairi ; (polemic poetry in the Arabic Literature ) by Ahmad Al ? Shaib ; ( The polemic poems in are Ummayad Era) by Jafar Sadiq Hamoodi ; (The Artistic structure of Jarir?s poems ) by Thair Hasan Al Gharbawi ( The poetical structure of Al ? Farazdaq?s Structure ) by Alladin Al ? Maadhidi ; (The Emplogement of pre ? Islamic Tranditien in the contemporarg Arabic poetrg ) by Ahmad Zuhair Rahahla ; and (The Employment of Tradition in Al ? Asha poetry ) by Wisam Abdul Salam. It was my desire when I was a ph. D student to write a distinguished study that would be of great benefit for all researchers ‚ so ‚ I proyed to God to guide me along the right path and he responded to my prayer. I was also encouraged by my supervisor ‚Dr Inam Dawood Saloom who cleared many vague points for me and was ‚ to her credit ‚a great heeper The polemic poems or naqaids were , as it were, a mirror image of the social , religious and historical beliefs , values and customs which prevailed throughout the ages before the emergence of the poets in question. However , what encouraged the poets to employ past tradition in their poetry was the fact that the Ummayad rulers had depended , to a large extent , on ancient Arab tradition to perpetuate their ideology in the face of the foreign cultures of Greece , India and Persia which began to spread in the Arab territory at that time. The present study is , therefore , an academic attempt to show how the three Umayyad poets ; Jarir , Al - Farazdaq and Al - Akhtal have employed old conventions and traditions in their poetry to serve a dual purpose of making their ideas striking , memorable and compelling and of reaching eminence as poets. The study is divided into an introduction and three chapters and ends with some conclusions and a list of bibliography. In the introduction, the two terms of "tradition" and " Naqadids" have been fully discussed in their broader linguistic and technical perspectives. The difference between "intertextuality" and "inspiration", has also been explained. Chapter One provides a background information on the aspects of tradition in the naqaid poems, It such as the literary , religious ,social and legendary. Chapter Two is devoted entirely to the lexical aspects of Al - Naqaids. They include religion, wars, and historical events. Chapter Three deals mainly with the technical aspects of the naqaid poems which include such qualities as the specific choice of words, sentence structure and style, images and internal music. In writing This dissertation , I have reffered to a large number of sources, ancient and modern, and to a great deal of periodicals , academic researches and collections of poetry. They were all very useful and without which this dissertation would have never been possible. I would like to extend to thanks to my supervisn , Dr. Inam Dawood Saloom for her many advice and guidance during the course of writing. My thanks are also duo to my teachers at the department of Arabic and to the chairman and members of the Discussion committee for reading the manuscript and for their correction of some of the points which need to be further clarified. * The study has come out with a number of conclusion, the most important of which are the following : * The term tradition is so comprehensive in connotation that it means many things ranging from old conventions , customs and practices to history and religion. * Al - Naqaids serve two functions ; a concrete one which lies in destroying the structure and an abstract one which which destroys the statement and brings about something different from it.* The origin of Al - Naqaids can be traced back to the pre - Islamic period , but they were not ripe enough as they were based on tribal loyalty.It was with the coming of Islam that they became purely Islamic,and throughout the Ummayed period they stood as an artistic phenomenon that responded to the ever¬¬¬ - increasing necessities of life. * Tradition played an outstanding cognitive role in the life of the three poets during the Ummayad period in particular and the Arabs in general. * There is asharp difference between Inspiration and intertextualit Inspiration is a manifestation of Intertextuaity but it keeps the basictraditional meaning for understanding the text.Intertextuality , on the other hand , adds new meanings to tradition. Inspiration, There tone ,is an unintentional process , while intertextuality is either stated , expressed mostly in words or implied , not definitely stated. * The primary motive for the three poets to refer to tradition has been to amuse , convince and influence their readers or listeners of their poetry. * There was a sign of innovation in the output of the three poets as they tend to imply a new conception and technique through which the poets try to connect the past with the present. * Wisdom and proverbs are the mirror - image of the social and mental life of a nation. with this view in mind , the Arabs and famous among all other nations for their wisdom and proverbs. * There was a mention of proverbs in the poetry of the three poets.It was a clear evidence of their familiarity with the proverbs that prevailed in the ages before them. The proverbs , however ,were confined to only one or two lines in a single poem. * Jarir and Al - Farazdaq refereed in particular to the wisdom which called for the good morals and continuously stressed by the Arabs such as time , days, life and death as a preacher for humanity. * There was a mention of ( instructions ) in the pre - Islamic poetry which emphasized Arab morals and human valves.These instructions have become a source of inspiration for the poets throughout the Ummayad period. * The instructions were few in nvmber.some were expressed and some were implied. The instructions were varied. Among them were an instruction by an army commander to his troupes and an instruction by a mother to his son. The use of instructions , however , could be found in the poems of Jarir and Al - Farazdaq but not in Al - Aktal?s * The three poets have drawn their religious inspiration from the Holy Koran rather than from the prophetic sayings. This is mainly due to the fact that the Holy Koran is , by far, the most authentic source for all matters relating to Islamic. * The impact of the Holy Koran on the output of the three poets was not the same but in varying degree depending on the personal experience of each poet and his ability to draw as much as he could from the Holy Koran. * The three Ummayad poets followed the steps of the poets be lone them in singing the feasts of their heros. Their reference to the social tradition as regards the battles was therefore abundant. It was a true mirror reflecting the Arab customs and habits. * The three poets differed in their approach to the above events.Jarir was in the lead , followed by Al - Akhtal , then by Al - Farazdaq. This indicates Jarir?s extensive knowledge of the subject. * The three poets referred more to the pre - Islamic events than to the Islamic ones. This provides a clear evidence That Al - Naqadis were based mostly on tribal loyalty. * The three poets referred to the legendary tradition mainly for preaching and instruction. * Jarir was most successful than Al - Farazdaq and Al - Akhtal in drawing inspiration from the religious tradition. * The impact of Christian faith on Jarir was clearly noticeable. He uses as many Christian symbols as he could such as the cross , the pig, Mar Serjis , Easter Day and wearing of burnouses. * The three poets' inspiration from the legendary tradition included such terms as crow , locust and eagles more than other things as stars ,stones and amulets. * The revival of tribal loyalty during the Umayyad rule and the direct contact with the Byzantium and Persian cultures were obvious reasons for the poets to use obscene words in their poetry , most notably in Jarir's and , to a less degree , in Al - Farazdaq's and Al - Akhtal's. * The three poets' employment of images and figures of speech ( simile, metaphor and metonomy ) was particularly forceful and convincing as they were well - established in the literary , historical , religious and legendary tradition. * The three poets benefited most from the literary tradition in relation to some stylistic points as inversion and omission. * The three poets deviated from the normal lexical meaning of the words, particularly the imperative mood to serve certain purposes in their minds.
