Poem of Rebellion and Hope: Ali Al-Sharqi’s Poetic Experience

Abstract

The Iraqi poet Ali Al-Sharqi is considered one of the most prominent voices that contributed to shaping the features of modern Iraqi poetry, where a spirit of authenticity intersected with a tendency toward rebellion in his works. His poems reflected a turbulent social and political reality, granting them a remarkable distinctiveness and a clear impact on the course of Iraqi poetry’s development. His poetic output was distinguished by its ability to balance classical heritage with the innovation of new styles and themes, making him an influential artistic reference for the poets who followed him.

Al-Sharqi’s texts were notable for their strong focus on humanistic and social dimensions, as his poetry served as a mirror to his revolt against a reality he perceived as collapsing and full of injustice. He employed poetic symbolism as a tool to denounce political and social oppression, and his verses expressed resistance to tyranny, accompanied by an optimistic revolutionary spirit aspiring for reform and transformation. Freedom and human dignity were among the central issues in his poetry, through which he presented forward-looking visions of a brighter tomorrow despite the challenges of the time.

During the period from 1970 to 1990, which witnessed major transformations in poetic writing techniques in Iraq, Al-Sharqi’s experience reflected this shift by re-employing traditional poetic forms such as the Muwashahat, but in a modern style that aligned with the spirit of the age, adding aesthetic and artistic depth to his texts. He also wrote quatrains, which served as a condensed means of conveying his philosophical and revolutionary ideas in a brief yet richly meaningful format.

His poetry featured expressive symbols that embodied a state of rejection and rebellion, drawn from nature and human struggle. These symbols represented the contradictions experienced by individuals in their continuous search for freedom and liberation from constraints. Although his poems offered precise descriptions of a troubled reality, they did not descend into despair; rather, they were characterized by a tone of hope and revolution, calling for comprehensive societal and political change