Semiotic Analysis of Arbaeen Poetry: From Walking to Resistance

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 , Associate Professor, Faculty of Literature i and Humanities, Shahid Beheshti University, Iran

2 , Associate Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature i and Humanities, Shahid Beheshti University, Iran

10.22103/jrl.2025.25696.3069

Abstract

Arab poets, including those from Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon, and Yemen, have composed numerous odes commemorating the Arbaeen observance and its pilgrimage walk. Each of these poets has adopted a distinctive style and approach worthy of scholarly attention, consonant with the particular circumstances and atmosphere of their respective regions. In light of this observation, the Arbaeen poetry of these poets may be classified into three categories: poems that are purely narrative, recounting the events of Karbala and their aftermath; poems that are elegiac in nature, composed for mourning and in praise and veneration of the Holy Prophet’s Household of Infallibility and Purity, while also describing the spiritual states of Arbaeen pilgrims; and finally, poems that not only recount the contemporary Arbaeen visitation but are also epic in character, depicting resistance, thereby positioning themselves within the genre of resistance literature. Given the significance of imagery in these compositions, particularly the manner in which resistance is depicted, the present study examined these poems from the perspective of visualization and imagery, employing a descriptive-analytical methodology to investigate the cultural and social realities of the linguistic community producing this poetry. This is because, according to semioticians, imagery plays a crucial role in the process of signification. Consequently, a semio-semantic analysis of these poems elucidates the meaning-generating structures within the discourse of these poets for their audiences. The research findings demonstrated that these compositions reflect the ideology and worldview of Arab poets across different territories, and examination of this poetry revealed that the depiction of resistance in the works of the Yemeni poet is markedly more powerful than that of poets from other countries.

Keywords

References

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Journal of Resistance Literature
Volume 17, Issue 32
September 2025
Pages 89-107

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