A Comparative Literary Study of the Prosodic Systems of English and Arabic Poetry

Arabic language is a global language and has become one of the most important languages for all language learners around the world. A fundamental component of sound Arabic language acquisition is Arabic poetry which is innately intricate. Hence, deficiency in interactive computer programs specially designed for learning Arabic poetry, has generated apathy that Arabic poetry is superfluous, consequently ensuing impotence to the graduates of Arabic Language and Literature Studies. The existing scenario illustrates the preference and reliance on interactive programs and gadgets among the educators and students. E-Diwan enables the accessibility of teaching and learning Arabic poetry through a mobile device and a mobile interface (Android, iPhone, Windows Mobile) with a designated Arabic poetry electronic portfolio website. E-Diwan keeps the students glued to the screen and are dazzled by the atheistic beauty of Arabic poetry subsequently augmenting them with a corpus of Arabic literary lexis. By a click of a button, the app displays a spectrum analysis of the poems; definition, grammatical and rhetorical properties, a brief biography of the poet, and translation of the poems in English and Malay. It is also equipped with the ability to audio present the above information using a recorded voice of an Arabic native speaker. Built-in are videos designed to simultaneously improve the information outcome and performance skills of the user. E-Diwan’s comprehensive nature facilitates individual learning, which cultivates Life Long Learning. E-Diwan fits as a lecture companion tool for all educators teaching Arabic poetry and Arabic language learners.

Anybody who takes the trouble to read and to compare literary studies on classical Arabic poetry published in the course of this century, will notice a surprising conformity of judgement. Scholars tend to be unanimous concerning three points in particular: 1. all basic features of Arabic poetry are already present in pre-Islamic verse; 2. pre-Islamic tribal poetry is the most characteristic expression of the literary genius of the Arabs; 3. medieval Arabic poetry never really changed, even if at certain times, especially in the early Abbasid period, some innovations have been added. In recent studies these views have been slightly modified, but, as far as I see, never seriously challenged. Thus Jamaleddine Bencheikh in his Poetique arabe, a brilliant and perceptive study, explains in his closing chapter that the norms of Arabic classicism were determined during the 6th and 7th century, and that later poetry, despite of some truly innovative poets among the moderns (almuhdathun), completely lost contact with reality. According to him, experience is possible on the linguistic level only; reality is replaced by a poetic and linguistic inventory, un arsenal linguistique.1 If we turn to poetry, in order to verify this view, there is doubtless much to support it. No student of medieval Arabic literature can escape the feeling of a certain monotony. For ever and ever, it seems, the poet is roaming through the desert, discovering the ruins of an abandoned camp and weeping over his lost beloved. The same words, phrases, images, motifs and genres continue to be used, providing rich evidence of the medieval poet's conventional attitude and the ritualistic character of his verse. However, when considering the question from a theoretical point of view, there seems to be reason for some doubt. If it is true that poetry is rooted in society, expressing its values, ideas and problems, then we should expect that the important political and social changes which occurred from the 6th century till the later Middle Ages had left their traces in the poetry of successive historical periods. It is incon-

The purpose of this study is to examine the notions of "exile" (qhurba) and "nostalgia" (al-hanin ila al-Watan) in Arabic and Hebrew poetry in al-Andalus (Muslim Spain). Although this theme has been examined individually in both Arabic and Hebrew literatures, to the best of my knowledge no detailed comparative analysis has previously been undertaken. Therefore, this study sets out to compare and contrast the two literatures and cultures arising out of their co-existence in al-Andalus in the middle ages. The main characteristics of the Arabic poetry of this period are to a large extent the product of the political and social upheavals that took place in al-Andalus. Some of the cities which for many years represented the bastions of Islamic civilization were falling into the hands of the invading Christian army. This gave rise to a stream of poetry that reflects the feelings of exile and nostalgia suffered by those poets who were driven away from their native land. This Arabic poetry had a substantial influence on the literary works of the Jewish poets who were reared within the cultural circles of the Arabic courts. As a consequence the Hebrew poetry they composed, in many respects, bore the stamp of the Arabic poetry in form and content. This thesis is divided into three major parts organized as follows: the first part deals with the themes of exile and nostalgia in Arabic poetry in al-Andalus. It contains three chapters: chapter one begins with a study of the origins of the themes of exile and nostalgia in the Arabic poetic tradition. Chapter two focuses on the nostalgia and lament poetry in al-Andalus describing the characteristics of each period through examining specimens of Andalusian poems. Chapter three is devoted to a study of the poetic product of Ibn Hamdis, the Sicilian (d.1133) and discusses how the themes of exile and nostalgia became the framework of both his life and his poetry. The second part of the thesis parallels the first part in that it deals with the Hebrew poetry in al-Andalus. It consists of three chapters: chapter one investigates the origins of the concept of the homeland in the Biblical sources. Chapter two discusses the form and the structural scheme of the Hebrew poetry in al-Andalus and the influence of the Arabic poetry on the Hebrew poetic works. Chapter three is devoted to a study of the poetry of the Jewish poet, Judah ha-Levi (d.1140) and his nostalgic expressions for Zion. The third part is a comparative literary study of two specimen poems of Ibn Hamdis and ha-Levi. The aim of this study is to develop methods for an analysis of the motifs and internal structure of these two poems. The linguistic analysis is focussed mainly on the levels of phonology, morphology and syntax, while the traditional analysis is focussed primarily on the content and imagery.

Chinese scholars just began to study Arabic literature since Reform and Opening-up of China in 1979, though Arabic language began to be taught in Peking University since 1951. Chinese scholars’ studies on Arabic literature studies at that time were at the edge of studies of world literature. Articles on Arabic literature just issued on Arab World. It was still difficult for professors of Arabic literature to issue their articles at the journals such as Foreign Literature Review, Literature Abroad, Foreign Literature Studies, Foreign Literature and Contemporary Foreign Literature in 1980s. These journals preferred to issue papers on western literature and Russian literature during that period. In recent years, studies on Arabic literature developed rapidly in China. The Chinese intellectuals do not study on ancient Arabic literature only, but study on modern and contemporary Arabic literature also. They published books on Arabic literature such as On Arabian Nights: Mythology and Reality,Singing for Love: A Study on Kuwait Poetess Souad al-Sabah,Sufism in Modern Arabic Literature, Modern Arabic Literature During the Cultural Changes,Arabic Poetry in the Context of Globalization: A Study on Egyptian Poet Farouk Guweidah, and Comparative Study of Chinese and Arabic Literature. They also wrote histories of Arabic literature, for example, History of Arabic Literature, History of Modern Arabic Literature and General History of Arabic Literature are available in Chinese book market in these years. Professor Zhong Jikun won Appreciation Award of Egypt Ministry of Higher Education in 2005, won Sheikh Zayed Book Award’s Cultural Personality of the Year in 2011 and in the same year won King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Translation. These prizes and awards show us that studies on Arabic literature have moved from the edge of China to the center of Arab world.

Hebrew Studies 41 (2000) 343 Reviews the English reader nothing except that the work's title has been translated into English (there is no translation of poetry, no analysis in English and often no English abstract). Thus the reader unfamiliar with Hebrew learns little except that an unapproachable work has been written. If the aim of the bibliography is to include works for readers of Hebrew, then why exclude the vast corpus of Hebrew scholarship lacking translated titles? More useful would be a complete bibliography of Ibn Gabirol's poetry with search indices in Hebrew and English. Goldberg's bibliography is intended as a "test-case" for forthcoming bibliographies on translations of poetry by other major medieval Hebrew poets such as Samuel ha-Nagid, Judah ha-Levi, and Moses Ibn Ezra. The scope of such an endeavor is truly daunting. Because the unit of study-tbe poem, or a section thereof.-is so small, compiling all references to all poems would seem a nearly intractable project. While beginning witll a single poet to be followed by other individual poets seems a logical method of progression, we must consider the ramifications for the field of medieval Hebrew literature. The approach of scholars of literature has long been to document chronologically the contributions of "great men" to Jewish intellectual history. The approach disregards the contributions of "lesser poets" and more importantly, privileges the field of Jewish history over literary studies, perpetuating the marginal status of medieval Hebrew literature (and particularly its literary study) within the scholarly canon. Still, Goldberg's bibliography is extremely thorough and is an invaluable contribution to the field, both on the levels of research and pedagogy. As we look forward to forthcoming volumes on other poets, we wonder if there are plans for updating the bibliography or digitizing the project. Jonathan P. Deeter The Jewish Theological Seminary New York. NY 10027 jodecter@jtsa.edu JEWISH POET IN MUSLIM EGYPT: MOSES DARci's HEBREW COLLECTION. By Leon J. Weinberger. pp. 43 (English) + 526 (Hebrew). Tuscaloosa, AL: The University of Alabama, 1998. Cloth, $176.00. Hebrew poetry employing Arabic prosody and dealing with themes adopted from Arabic poetry was written in all the Arabic-speaking lands Hebrew Studies 41 (2000) 344 Reviews during the great age of Judeo-Arabic civilization; it was, indeed, a key feature of that civilization. Unfortunately, the magnificent achievements of the Hebrew poets of al-Andalus in the Golden Age (tenth to twelfth centuries), as well as the enthusiasm for Spain evinced by nineteenth- and twentieth-century Jewish scholarship of western European provenance have tended to obscure the production of Hebrew poetry in Arabic-speaking Sicily, Egypt, Syria, and Iraq in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. One eastern diwan-that of Eleazar ben Jacob of Baghdad-bas long been available in a critical edition by H. Brody (1934/5), but not a single study of it ever seems to have been published. Portions of the diwiin of Joseph ben Tanhum Yerushalmi have been published, but this major collection of poetry and rhymed prose epistles is still far from from being available to sc~olar1y research. The works of another major Eastern Hebrew poet, Moses DarI, an Egyptian Hebrew poet of Moroccan origin who is thought to have lived in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, have only been available in selections published by S~a Pinsker in his Liqute qadmoniyot (1860) and by Davidson in articles published in 1927 and 1936. A few of his poems in English translation were included in Leon Nemoy~s Karaite Anthology, and one in Ted Canni's Penguin Book of Hebrew Verse. It is gratifying, therefore, that the bulk of DarI's dfwiin has now been edited and published with an introduction, notes, and variant readings by Leon J. Weinberger. Like the other Hebrew poets of the Judeo-Arabic sphere, Dari follows closely the traditions of the Golden Age poets, an aspect of his work highlighted by Weinberger in his English introduction. But Dari is also capable of going his own way in treating traditional themes and of inventing some new ones. Thus, in the love poetry, he refers more explicitly to sexual intercourse than we are used to from Golden...

In the golden era of Islam, poetry as a part of Arabic literature continued to develop and still exists today. Arabic poetry is widely used by nuhats as a source of taking nahwu rules. The purpose of this study is to reveal the role of poetry in taking the nahwu rules that are currently developing. This research employs descriptive qualitative research method. This research is a literature study related to the role of poetry in taking nahwu rules. The research data were analyzed by content analysis method with the aim of describing the content in detail. The results of the study show that sama’ has been one of the arguments/sources in creating rules in nahwu science. Sama’ is divided into three, they are the Qur'an, hadith and the sayings of Arabs in the poetry and prose. The poetry is widely used as hujjah or argument in nahwu rules by the nahwu scholars of various madzhabs, whether used as main arguments or supporting arguments, for which the main arguments are from the Qur'an and Hadith. Meanwhile, according to Arab scholars, literature occupies the third position as the most fluent Arabic language after the language of the Qur'an and Hadith. In addition to adding treasures in the study of Arabic literature, this research is expected to open more attention of Arab scholars to Arabic literary works such as poetry in developing easy nahwu rules. In addition, to add treasures to the study of Arabic literature, this research is expected to open more attention of Arab scholars to Arabic literary works such as poetry in developing easy nahwu rules.

A.Teeuw stated that human being have at least four paths to understanding reality and truth: religion, science, philosophy, and art. Literature is distinct from three other truths as art. Literature can go beyond dogma, science, and philosophy. Poets can continue to be creative and imaginative, offering unrestricted thinking as long as their language moves the reader's emotions in accordance with truth fiction. This article attempted moderation with the four indicators of religious moderation developed by the Ministry of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia which based on Abu al-'Atahiyyah perspective about religious moderation which were extracted from his poetry anthology with the note-taking technique. Afterwards, it was analyzed with a pragmatic approach in literary studies. The findings of this study indicated that Abu al-‘Atahiyyah also discussed the religious moderation in terms of tolerance, nonviolence, and accommodating local culture. As a result, this article demonstrated that the concepts of truth can also be found in literary works.

The story of the study of romance is in many ways the master narrative of the study of medieval literature and of medieval culture in general. Within the study of medieval romance, from its earliest inception, is a peculiar political dialectic, involving fantasies of race, gender, and power. The definition of romance in England (and elsewhere) starts with an obsession with origins, as one would expect of a genre of doubtful legitimacy. Inscribed in the description of romance from the earliest days of its study is a deep suspicion of its parentage. On one side, romance is imagined as indigenous, national, and local, as a form of history before historical consciousness takes shape. On the other side, the origin of romance is imagined as identical with the origins of fiction itself, and these origins are described with the imagery of otherness, which in the eighteenth century at least, meant a version of Orientalism. As with the literature of courtly love in the late nineteenth century, something so socially problematic is described as having originated elsewhere, probably from Arabic poetry through Moorish Spain. Warton’s History of English Poetry in fact begins with the assumption that medieval literature, and Western fiction in general, is energized by the contact of Saracen and Crusader. Pierre-Daniel Huet’s (1630–1721) influential treatise on romance was translated into English in the eighteenth century, and repeats the speculation that romance has its origins in Moorish influence upon Spain, but generally regards fiction itself, with its layers of allegory and rhetoric, as born in the East, infiltrating the West through various routes.1

This article explores an aspect of contemporary studies in Arabic language and literature, specifically semiotic studies in Arabic poetry. It includes an analysis of excerpts from selected poems by Badr Shakir al-Sayyab, namely Marḥā Ghīlān, Qāfilat al-Ḍayāʿ (The Caravan of Loss), and Ruʾyā fī ʿĀm 1956 (A Vision in 1956). The study applies semiotic analysis to these poems, highlighting the significance of this approach in the field of Arabic language and literature. Semiotic analysis is considered a fundamental component in modern and contemporary literary studies, particularly in poetry, which has enriched the Arab literary heritage with profound poetic interpretations.

This article explores an aspect of contemporary studies in Arabic language and literature, specifically semiotic studies in Arabic poetry. It includes an analysis of excerpts from selected poems by Badr Shakir al-Sayyab, namely Marḥā Ghīlān, Qāfilat al-Ḍayāʿ (The Caravan of Loss), and Ruʾyā fī ʿĀm 1956 (A Vision in 1956). The study applies semiotic analysis to these poems, highlighting the significance of this approach in the field of Arabic language and literature. Semiotic analysis is considered a fundamental component in modern and contemporary literary studies, particularly in poetry, which has enriched the Arab literary heritage with profound poetic interpretations

Al-Hutai'a's poetry is considered one of the most significant examples of ancient Arabic poetry, reflecting artistic development in poetic structure and rhetorical techniques. Al-Hutai'a's poetry manifests various uses of structural deviation, which involves altering the traditional syntactic structure of a sentence to achieve specific aesthetic or semantic purposes. This study aims to analyze and interpret the representations of structural deviation in Al-Hutai'a's poetry, and to understand how this technique has contributed to adding depth and new meanings to poetic texts. The descriptive method is one of the research approaches that aims to describe Al-Hutai'a's poetry through the representations of structural deviation as they are, without intervention or attempt to change them. The researcher attempted to apply this method by systematically collecting and analyzing data to determine and interpret the relationships between the different variables of the research topic. The study of structural deviation in the poetry of Al-Hutai'a represents a valuable contribution to understanding the development of rhetorical techniques in ancient Arabic poetry. The research reveals the importance of structural deviation as a rhetorical tool that enhances the beauty of the text and enriches its meanings, highlighting Al-Hutai'a's skill in using this technique to achieve his poetic aims. This study is a significant addition to Arabic literature and rhetorical studies, as it sheds light on an important aspect of Al-Hutai'a's creativity and his influence on Arabic poetry

In Arab literary studies, popular poetry, that is, poetry composed in a non-standard form of the language, remains a relatively unexplored reservoir of creative activity. There is evidence to suggest that the tradition of popular poetry in today's Bedouin society is far from dead; on the contrary, it seems to be transforming itself into a voice of socio-political commentary and criticism which transcends purely local tribal concerns and addresses regional and even international issues. The chapter presents a satirical poem, as well as many others, which could not be published in Jordan, and the poet ran into serious problems with the intelligence services at the time when his poetry first began to circulate informally some twenty years ago. Musa was well known for his popular nationalistic songs praising the army, national heroes, and the Hashemite dynasty as well as sentimental ditties for religious occasions. Keywords: Arab literary studies; Arabic poetry; Bedouin society; Hashemite dynasty; Jordan

There is no doubt that Zuhair bin Abi Sulma is one of the greatest poets who became famous in the pre-Islamic era, and whose Muallaqats (poems) were hung on the wall of the Holy Ka’aba after evaluation, judgment, and selection. He is also one of the three poets that critics have given precedence over all Arab poets, and Omar Faruq bin Al-Khattab, the second Caliph of Islam (May Allah Almighty be pleased with him) considered him the most distinguished poet among all poets. He is from a lineage of poets. His verses related to wisdom and advice are very famous, surpassing the verses related to wisdom and advice of other pre-Islamic poets. For this reason, getting acquainted with such an exceptional poet and his wisdom in particular is very necessary for students of the Arabic language and its literature. Therefore, I wanted to write a research paper entitled “A Literary Study of the Wisdoms of Zuhair bin Abi Sulma.” This is for the reasons listed below: It is an interesting and useful topic, and such a study has never been seen before in Arabic journals issued by universities, public and private schools, and personal initiatives in Bangladesh until now. It is a practical mini-model lesson on Arabic literary texts for students and teachers, symbolizing how Poetry is taught in Arabic text classes in Arab countries. Through this lesson, teachers can redesign how to deliver a lesson and lecture on Arabic poetry and texts. They can learn in detail about the elements which ought to be included in the lessons. It benefits concerned people with important information in brief about the wise poet Zuhair and information related to him, such as his poetic talent, the purposes and characteristics of his poetry, the background behind writing his Mu’allaqah in general, and the writing of Al-Hikma in particular, and a comprehensive literary study of some of his poetries related to wisdom. This study includes the text, ideas, style, and words. Meanings, imagination, etc.

The usage of the term “free verse” is perhaps the most controversial issue after Jahiliyyah’s poetry in the history of Arabic poetry. The primary discussion topics in this art revolve around who used the first free verse in his/her poetry, the ideal sample was given by whom and what should we call this form. First, the blank verse and the prose poetry, which are the pioneering literary studies to prepare using free verse, are given in terms of creating a basic in understanding of modern Arabic poetry in this article, with the leaders’ names who revealed significant studies in their field. And then, Ahmed Zaki Abu Shadi, Ali Ahmad Bakathir, Louis Awad who can be qualified as important milestones in the transition to the free verse were examined under separate headings. Then, Bedr Sâkir es-Seyyâb and Nâzik elMelâ’ike who revealed the most significant studies in their field and their poems that are alleged as “the first free verse” were investigated. Finally, the debates on the issues regarding the studies in this field with respect to the desire to be the pioneers and their efforts to give a name to the works are mentioned.

This paper aims to describe the concept of qâfiyah according to experts and its function in Arabic poetry. This research uses a qualitative descriptive approach with a type of literature study. Primary data sources come from several diwan books, and secondary data sources come from several books on the science of 'Arudl and Qâfiyah books, journals, or other research related to this theme—data collection using the method of literature and analysis with descriptive content analysis techniques. The results of the study show that in each qâfiyah, there are raw letters that are constantly repeated and function to bind the similarity and harmony of the final sound of a qasida, plus there are also supporting letters and vowels which are used as benchmarks for qâfiyah harmony. The final rhyme, or qâfiyah, has an aesthetic function for Arabic poetry, complementing other aesthetic elements such as wazan and the various dimensions or Bahr patterns. The monotonous qâfiyah pattern is the one most chosen by Arab poets. In addition, aesthetic value also arises from the existence of qâfiyah muzdawij (paired) and qâfiyah musyath-thar (patterns), which display one qasida with several qâfiyah variations according to the number of lines desired by the poet. Abstrak Tulisan ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan bagaimana konsep qâfiyah menurut para ahlinya dan apa fungsinya dalam puisi Arab. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dekriptif dengan jenis studi kepustakaan. Sumber data primer berasal dari beberapa kitab diwan para pujangga Arab kuno dan sumber data sekunder berasal dari beberapa kitab mengenai ilmu ‘Arudl dan kitab Qâfiyah, jurnal atau penelitian lain yang terkait dengan tema ini. pengumpulan data menggunakan metode kepustakaan dan dianalisis dengan teknik content analysis deskriptif. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pada setiap qâfiyah terdapat huruf rawi yang selalu diulang-ulang dan berfungsi untuk mengikat kesamaan dan keserasian bunyi akhir bait suatu qashidah, ditambah juga terdapat juga huruf-huruf pendukung dan harakatnya yang dijadikan tolok ukur keserasian qâfiyah. Untuk syair Arab, rima akhir atau qâfiyah berfungsi estetis, melengkapi unsur estetis lainnya seperti wazan dan pola matra atau bahr dengan berbagai macamnya. Pola qâfiyah yang monoton adalah yang paling banyak dipilih oleh para penyair Arab, Selain itu, nilai estetis juga muncul dari adanya pola qâfiyah muzdawij (berpasangan) dan musyath-thar yang menampilkan satu qashidah dengan beberapa variasi qâfiyah sesuai dengan jumlah baris yang dikehendaki oleh penyair. .