Analysis of Social Themes in the Poetry of Mahmoud Darwish and Qahar Asi Case Study: “Don not Apologize for What You’ve Done - Far from the Lotus Branch”, and “Alone but Always - from the Fire and the Silk

 

Introduction

Social poetry mostly deals with expressing the problems, needs, and daily life issues of the society. This kind of poetry is a result of the direct connection between the poet and the society; the poet tries to reflect the objective events and realities of their own society through it. Contemporary Arabic and Persian poetry, alongside other topics, mostly addresses the pains and sufferings of the people. Mahmoud Darwish and Qahar Asi, like other contemporary poets, have been influenced by the political and social circumstances of their time. The tyranny of the rulers in these two countries has obliged these poets to fulfill their social mission effectively. Although social poetry is a subset of poetry of sustainability, as it has assigned a significant portion of their poems to itself. It has been subject to independent research, analysis, and scrutiny to reveal the perspectives and views of these two poets. The findings show that the most important social themes in the poems of these two poets consist of: sympathy with people, the pain and suffering of war refugees, exile, hope for the future, and the promise of peace. Furthermore, the political events in their homeland and the difference in the environment have resulted in a difference in their perspectives.
 

Methodology

 It is a pure descriptive study in which the documentation tool has been used to collect the data. The content was organized using a descriptive-analytic method based on the American school framework for comparative studies. The researchers also apply a quantitative research approach to explain and evaluate synaesthesia in the abovementioned works.

Discussion

Critics consider poetry to have various functions, ranging from providing pleasure to describing and explaining phenomena in the world of existence, cultivating and refining ethics, and promoting values. Of course, it should not be overlooked that each of these functions can vary depending on the conditions of time, place, literary type, and the poet's perspective. However, one of the most important functions and responsibilities of poetry is its social function because social events and movements are among the important human issues that have an inseparable connection with the spirit and psyche of human beings. When poetry becomes intertwined with the life of the people in society, it attracts more attention and takes literary works to the edge of immortality. Social events are not always the same, so their reflection in literature and poetry is always different. Different literary forms are also the result of social and cultural conditions, and poetry is a suitable medium for reflecting these events among various literary types.
Badr Shaker al-Siyab, a modernist Arab poet, sees poetry as having a social purpose and believes that poets and artists have a great responsibility to their society and the people, which they must fulfill in the best way possible and highlight the pains and desires of their fellow citizens" (Rajaei, 2009: 164).
Khalil Matran, one of the pioneer poets of the romanticism literary trend, also believes that every nation makes its own tyrants and oppressors, the silence of the people in the face of oppression and social injustices cause oppression to continue. In dealing with social issues and fighting against oppression, he directly mentions the names of oppressive rulers (Mir Qadri, 2006: 412).
Nazik Al-Malaika who is one of the pioneers of realism and the founders of new poetry, believes: "All the visual, auditory and mental emotions a person are formed in society, and to be one of the citizens of this society, he cannot escape from the characteristics that govern it, and such a person whether you like it or not, you have to portray your society. Consquently, community and sociability are natural characteristics of every person, which cannot be considered as a shirt that a person can take off whenever he wants, but in his blood, thoughts and nerves (Al-Malaika, 1962: 264).
Ehsan Abbas is one of the Arabic critics who took the social aspects of the poetry in his consideration and believes that the poet's relationship with society takes shape in three distinct ways:

a) The social position of poetry in terms of its connection to economic factors, social environment, and values that shape or manifest in the poet's work.
b) The social theme or objective that the poet strives to achieve.
c) The social impact of poetry through its reliance on the audience, which can be small and limited or large and extensive (Abbas, 2009: 137).

Mikhail Naimeh believes that “Poetry is not merely a combination, coordination, and harmonization of words, rhymes, and rhythms, nor is it simply a creative force. Poetry is the song of the nightingale, the cooing of the dove, the sound of trickling water, and the roar of thunder. It is the smile of a child and the tears of a mother who has lost her child. Poetry has accompanied humans since the beginning of creation and will stay with them from childhood to the moment of death. Poetry is familiar to broken hearts devoid of joy and excitement in this world, as well as to hearts full of sophisticated pleasures and desires” (Naimeh, 1998: 91).
The contemporary world has witnessed tremendous changes in human society. These developments are prominently revealed in the field of human relations and affect poetry. Contemporary poetry reflects human experiences. "Today's poet is no longer the old poet who sits on the platform of oratory, exhortation and wisdom, but comes among the people and ranks among them, and shares his lived experience in his poetry with them (Ziyaadini, 1389: 36-37). Therefore, the most important task of contemporary poetry is to reflect the social and human realities of a society, and it is a powerful and influential tool for expressing new ideas that sprout in the mind of the poet. By utilizing the power of expression and the companionship of words, poets can highlight the existing realities in society. On the other hand, human issues and themes have become increasingly complex in human society, and poets consider it their responsibilities to reflect these human realities and strive to achieve this primary and great goal. In this regard, we have witnessed the emergence of poets in two countries, "Palestine and Afghanistan", who have taken steps towards social activism and struggle with a humanistic and social approach. Among all these poets, Mahmoud Darwish and Qahhar Aasi have shone brightly with almost similar destinies in defending the human values of their homeland and people.
In this research, among the human themes of these two poets, the components of their social poetry, which have more critical and corrective content, have been examined. Because the analysis of such poetry expresses common pains on the one hand, and clarifies the poet's thoughts on the social realities on the other hand.
 

Conclusion

 Based on the research conducted alongside linguistic and cultural differences, there are common social themes in the poetry of these two poets. The most important common themes are empathy with the people, reflection of the pain and sorrow of refugees, exile, hope for a brighter future, and the promise of peace. However, what distinguishes the social themes between these two poets is the political evolutions.  In Afghanistan before and after Mujahideen, Qahar Asi, like Mahmoud Darwish, always criticized the occupying forces and defended Islamic and human values in his poetry. But after the Islamic government came to power and the internal wars began, he focused more on criticizing and reflecting on their atrocities. Meanwhile Darwish in his poems, mostly screams the pain of exile and criticizes the aggressions of the occupying forces, but Qahar Asi, in addition to criticizing foreign forces, focuses more on reflecting on internal wars, reflecting on atrocities, and warning against bloodshed. Empathy with the people is also one of his important themes. Alongside his efforts to liberate the country from foreign domination, he is not insensible to the daily lives of the people. In his poetry, he calls on everyone to support and help oppressed people. The poet encourages people to defend national values, kindness, and unity. He has also reflected on the suffering and sorrow of Islamic countries in some of his poems.