Previous Issues
Volume :31 Issue : 121 2013
Add To Cart
Download
Myth and other Folkloric Elements in Al-Sayyaab's poetry: Folkloristic Review (in Arabic)
Auther : Hessa Al-Refai
Myth as an ancient form of oral literature, has a great influence on modern poetry. Due to Myths' poetical, symbolic, and the kind of values they accumulate in their literary uses, modern poets, especially Arabs, rely heavily on myth as an expressive channel of thoughts. The Iraqi poet, Bader Shaker Al-Sayyaab, was most famous for utilizing myth in his poetry. Initially to disguise his struggle with the Authority and to express his call for social and political reformation. Then later on to project his health problems on mythical figures, either via twisting their conventional role to suit his case, or by creating self harmony with them.
It is important to mention that Al-Sayyaab's tendency to create binary opposition between terms such as day and night, and death and revival, is a core of mythical studies in Folklore. Besides the spontaneous use of projection in dealing with mythical heroes, in a way similar to psychoanalytical study of Folklore. Being exposed to the European romantic poetry, Al-Sayyaab poems reflex a great deal of dislike towards city life and a truthful longing to his favourite village (Jaikur). He describes in detail his memory of Folklife and Folk Images in that village which he disparity dreams to bring back to life. The dream to revive his home town However, is merely projection of Al-Sayyab's wish to recover from terminal disease. In sum, Al- Sayyaab is not only an outstanding innovator of modern Arabic poetry, but also a great beneficiary of myth as traditional Folklore genre.